through the air to the north pole or the wonderful cruise of the electric monarch by roy rockwood author of "the rival ocean divers," "a schoolboy's pluck," etc. contents chap. i. driven from town ii. the runaway train iii. a strange rescuer iv. the airship v. a plan to seek the north pole vi. away in the airship vii. held by electricity viii. surrounded by eagles ix. the frozen north reached x. lost in an ice cave xi. attacked by sea lions xii. a mysterious message xiii. forward once more xiv. tossed by a tornado xv. prisoners of the esquimaux xvi. the strange woman aids xvii. fighting for the ship xviii. northward once more xix. a blinding snowstorm xx. at the north pole? xxi. lost in the snow xxii. magnetic fire worshippers xxiii. a strange sacrifice xxiv. saved by dirola xxv. adrift on the ice xxvi. fighting wild dogs xxvii. back to the ship xxviii. attacked by the natives xxix. the escape xxx. homeward bound through the air to the north pole. chapter i driven from town "come now, you boys git out of here! no tramps allowed in freeport while ezra jenkins is constable! move along, now, or i'll arrest ye! here's my badge of authority!" and a crabbed old man, wearing a faded blue suit, with a big shining star of metal on his coat, tapped the emblem with his club. two boys, who had just joined each other, after having called at houses on the main street of the little new york village, where constable jenkins held sway as the entire police force, started at the sound of the harsh voice. "come; are ye goin' to move?" snapped the constable. "i suppose we'll have to," answered the larger and stouter of the two lads, "but we haven't done anything." "ye're tramps, ain't ye?" inquired the constable. "course ye are! been beggin', ain't ye? course ye have! i kin see the victuals stickin' out of yer pockets now! move on an' git out of freeport! we don't want any tramps here!" "come on, mark," said the heavier of the two boys; "if our room is better than our company, they can have the room. i hope you'll get richer boarders than we are," the youth went on, turning to the constable. "we are going to shake the dust of freeport from our feet. i think they ought to call this town closedport instead of freeport!" "none of yer sass, now!" warned the constable, tapping his badge again. "jest you move on out of town!" "i think we had better go," murmured the other boy, who was thin and small. "don't make any trouble, jack." "all right," assented the other. "ta-ta, mr. chief of police! see you later!" "here, you young rascals!" cried the constable. "come back here an' i'll lock ye up!" but the boys started to run, and, as mr. jenkins was no longer young, and as his legs were rather stiff, he went only a little way before he had to stop. he shook his fist after the two lads. "do you suppose he would have locked us up?" asked the small boy, whom his companion addressed as mark. his full name was mark sampson, but he was very unlike his strong ancestor who pulled over the pillars of the temple. "he acted mean enough to do anything," replied jack darrow, who was quite a contrast in point of size and fleshiness to his companion. "what shall we do now?" asked mark. "keep on moving, i guess," was the reply, "at least until we get outside of freeport." "well, i'm glad i've got company now. it was lonesome before i met you." "same here. we'll travel a way together, eh?" the two boys had met under rather strange circumstances. early that morning jack darrow, the stout one, had awakened from his sleep in a pile of hay in a farmer's field. close to him was another youth, whose name he had inquired as soon as the owner of it awoke. then the two boys discovered that their conditions in life were very similar. both were orphans, about the same age, jack being sixteen and mark fifteen years, and neither had a place he could call home. "my folks have been dead for some years," said jack, in telling his story to his companion. "i was hired out to a farmer in the upper part of new york, but he worked me so hard and treated me so mean that i ran away. i've been tramping ever since; don't my clothes show it? you see i was forced to go without taking my many trunks along," and he laughed, for he was of a jolly disposition. "my people are dead also," said mark. "i had a job with a man going around the country with a traction engine, threshing wheat and oats at different farms. but he used to beat me, so, one night, i ran away." "and didn't bring any extra clothes with you, either," put in jack. "i never owned any to bring. i only had the one suit i wore." and after that the boys had told something of their experiences and become very friendly. the two boys walked on for a while in silence, kicking up the dust of the country road. then jack came to a halt, clapped his hand on his pocket, and said: "i nearly forgot i had something to eat! just think of it! and i haven't dined since yesterday! i wonder what the lady gave me. she looked good natured." he sat down on a grassy bank along the highway, pulled the package of food out, and began to eat with every indication of satisfaction. "bread, meat, piece of pie and a piece of cake!" he announced, looking over his lunch. "what did you get, mark?" "i got the same as you, except i didn't get any pie or cake." "i guess your lady hadn't baked this week. never mind, you can have half my pie and half my cake." "i'm sure i'm much obliged," said the thin youth. "you needn't be," broke in jack. "that's the law of the road. when two--well, i suppose i might as well say tramps, for that's what we are--when two tramps go off together, they whack up. and that's what we're going to do!" it did not take long for the boys to finish their simple meal. jack, true to his promise, shared his dessert with his companion. "well, i feel like going on now, and looking for a job," remarked the heavier weighted lad. "what do you say, mark?" "i guess we might as well get out of this town. they don't seem to care for us. but i wish i had a drink of water." "nothing easier," replied jack. "there you are," and he pointed a short distance ahead, where a brook ran along the road. the boys got down on their faces near a little pool, the bottom of which was covered with white pebbles, and drank heartily. then, refreshed by the water, their hunger appeased, and rested, they started on the tramp again. "any particular place you want to go to?" asked mark. "no, i'm not particular. east or west, the north pole or the south pole. i haven't any one to worry about me, no matter which way i go. i'd a little rather go north, though, as it is mighty warm to-day," and jack laughed carelessly. little did he guess how soon his wish was to be gratified. "then we may as well keep on until we get to the next town," said mark. they walked on for some distance, their thoughts busy with their recent experiences, when they suddenly heard a noise at a distance. "sounds like a freight train," said mark. "so it is! come on! let's get aboard! riding is easier than walking any day! hurry up!" and then the two boys broke into a run toward a slow moving freight on a track that crossed the country road a short distance away from them. "look out that you don't get under the wheels!" cautioned jack to his companion. "oh, i'm used to jumping the cars," replied mark, as he ran quickly up beside the rails. the two boys reached the track along which the freight train was bumping and clicking. it was a long outfit, with many box, flat and gondola cars. "try for a gondola!" suggested jack, indicating the cars with sides about five feet high, and open at the top. the next instant he had swung up on a car, thrusting his foot in the iron step, and grasping the handle in a firm grip. jack grabbed the next car, and landed safely aboard. then, running forward, and clambering over to where his companion was, jack pulled mark down on the bottom of the gondola. "no use letting a brakeman see you if you can help it," he explained. chapter ii the runaway train on went the train, carrying the boys to a destination unknown to them. all they cared for was that they were going away from freeport and its vindictive constable. "how long have your folks been dead?" asked jack, after he had settled himself comfortably in a corner. "about five years," was the answer. "father and mother went about the same time. they were poor, and i had no brothers or sisters. when i was all alone," the boy's voice trembled a bit, "i didn't know what to do. they wanted to send me to the poor-house, but i ran away. then, after knocking about a bit, i got the job with the traction engine man, until he used me so i couldn't stand it." "that's about my case," said jack. "i had a brother, and he ran away before my folks died. i guess they felt bad about him. anyhow, mother used to cry an awful lot. when i was left all alone i was taken care of by some poor folks, who kept me as long as they could. then i had to shift for myself. i had a good many jobs, and then i thought i'd like to be a farmer. i was sent to a place but the man wasn't very kind. he whipped me because i made a mistake and pulled up an onion instead of a weed. then he beat me because i gave the horse too many oats. he never told me how much to give. so i ran away, and i'm glad of it. i've been cold and hungry lots of times since, but i haven't been whipped." "i guess that old constable would have licked us if he had the chance," put in mark. "no use worrying over that. he's a good many miles away now." "here! what are you boys doing there?" cried a voice. jack and mark looked up, to see a brakeman gazing down at them from the top of a box car. "we're taking a ride," answered jack coolly. "so i see," replied the brakeman. "well, i guess it will come to an end right now. hop off!" "are you the conductor?" asked jack. "no, of course not," said the wheel-twister. "then don't try to put us off," went on the boy, with an assumed haughty air. "just send the conductor here to punch our tickets. we're traveling first class, and don't want to be disturbed any more than is necessary." "well, i like your nerve!" exclaimed the brakeman, climbing down. "who are you, anyhow?" the railroad man laughed. then jack smiled, for he knew he and his companion were safe. in a few words he told their stories, and the brakeman promised they might go as far as the train went. "you boys are all right," said the brakeman. "i have two youngsters of my own at home, and i hope, if ever they get in a tight place, some one will help them. can i do anything to fix you up?" "not unless you can lend us about one thousand dollars each," laughed jack, and the brakeman joined in with him. "or tell us where we can get work," put in mark, who seemed quite worried. "i can't say for sure where you can get jobs," the brakeman said, "but if i was in your place i'd get off at the next town. the name of it is millville, and there are lots of factories there. maybe you can strike something. i'll speak to the conductor and have him ask the engineer to slow up so you can jump off." "we'd be obliged if you would," jack said. "we may be tramps for a while, but we're both anxious to get work, and maybe millville will be just the place for us." "we're coming into it now," the brakeman went on. "it's about a mile from here. i'll go back, and when you hear five whistles from the engine you'll know it's slowing up and you are to jump off. i know the conductor will do that if i ask him." the brakeman climbed up the ladder on the end of the box car next to the gondola where the boys were, until he reached the run-boards on top. then he hurried along to the caboose, where the conductor was. "we must listen for the five whistles," said jack. "get ready to jump, mark. don't forget your baggage." "no danger of that," chimed in the other, falling into the joyful mood of his companion, who never seemed to be cast down for long, no matter what happened. the train was going down grade now, and the speed was much increased. telegraph poles whizzed past at a rapid rate and the wheels sung a livelier tune as they clipped over the rail joints. "it's a good thing the engineer is going to slow down for us," said jack. "we'd never be able to jump off at the rate we're going." "hark!" exclaimed mark. "there goes the whistle!" the boys listened. a long, shrill blast cut the summer air, and vibrated back to them over the tops of the cars. "that isn't five whistles; it's one!" cried jack. "it's the call for brakes! i wonder if anything has happened to the train!" there was a pause. then came another single shriek from the engine's whistle. it sounded appealingly, as if the steam monster was in distress. "look! look!" shouted mark. "we are going much faster than we were!" at the same instant there was a crash and a jolting sound. the train seemed to break in two parts at about the centre. the forward section, drawn by the engine, went one way, and the other part, with the gondola containing the boys, in the lead, took another track. an insecurely fastened switch was responsible for the accident. the locomotive and nearly half the cars of the train took the main track, while the remainder of the outfit swung on to a siding. the section of the train with the boys aboard had become a runaway freight! "what has happened?" cried mark. "the train's broken in two!" shouted jack. "come on! help twist the brakes!" both boys sprang to the wheel of the gondola. it was all they could do to give it a few turns, but they managed to make the brake-shoes grip the wheels to some degree, as was evidenced by the shrill shrieking. "can you climb up to the top of the box car?" asked jack. "sure!" shouted mark. "go ahead!" though mark was thin, he had a nervous strength almost equal to that of his stouter companion. "we must set all the brakes we can!" jack cried. "that's the only way to stop the runaway train!" with their small arms they twisted the wheel on the box car. they got it as tight as they could, then ran along the top of the vehicle to the next one. about ten cars down they saw their friendly brakeman. "that's the stuff, boys!" he shouted. "there'll be a smash-up if we don't stop the cars!" he was twisting wheels with all his might. as fast as they could the two boys went from car to car, setting the brakes. but in spite of their efforts, and the efforts of another brakeman besides the one they had spoken to, the speed of the runaway freight train increased. the grade was a steep one, and down the hill the uncontrolled cars rushed. "i don't believe we're going to stop," said jack. "shall we jump?" asked mark. "not if you want to get a job in the mill or factory," replied jack. "i reckon if you or i jumped that would be the last of us." with a rush and a roar the train continued to speed along. the trees and telegraph poles whizzed past so quickly as to be almost invisible. "i guess this is millville," said mark, as the runaway train passed a station, on several sides of which there were large buildings to be seen. so fast was the runaway train going now that the boys had to lie down on their faces and cling to the run-boards on top of the box car to avoid being jolted off. the wind fairly whistled in their ears. through the town they rushed, observing, as by a flash, the white, frightened face of the station agent as he watched them go past. "do you think there'll be a smash-up?" asked mark. "i don't see how it can be avoided," replied jack. "this track has to come to an end somewhere. when it does, look out, that's all!" on and on rushed the train! it's speed was now fearful, for the down grade had increased. it was of no avail to twist the brakes, for no strength would avail to slacken the awful speed. the boys, in common with the brakemen, could only cling and wait in terror for what was to come. the cars swayed as they went around a curve. jack lifted his head and peered forward. "hold fast!" he shouted. "we're going to strike something in a minute!" he had looked up in time to see that the track siding came to an abrupt end about a quarter of a mile further on, the rails stopping in a sand bank. hardly had the boys time to take a tighter grip with their fingers on the boards to which they were clinging, when the whole string of freight cars seemed to crumple up like a collection of paper vehicles. there was a grinding, sickening crash, a succession of heavy jolts, a piling up of one car on top of another, a splintering of wood, a rending of iron and steel, and then with one terrible smash, with one final roar, the runaway freight piled itself up in a mass of shattered cars against the sand hill, at the base of which the rails came to an end. it was a fearful wreck. "hold fast!" were the last words jack cried to his companion. his voice sounded faint above the din. "where are you, jack?" he heard mark shout in reply. then all became dark, and the boys lost their senses as they were hurled into the splintered mass of wreckage. chapter iii a strange rescuer "for de land sakes, perfessor, hurry up! heah's de stupenduousness conglomeration dat eber transcribed dis terresterial hemisphere!" exclaimed a stout, jolly looking colored man a few seconds after the crash of the wreck had ceased echoing. "what is it, washington?" asked a mild mannered elderly gentleman, with long flowing hair and beard, who, with the negro, had been walking in a field close to the railroad. "i doan perzackly know, perfessor, but it seems like there was a discontinuation ob de transportation facilities, when some sudden construction on de elongated tempestuousness attached to de railroad made de cars go bump! bump! bang! smack! crash!" "washington! washington! when will you stop using words that don't mean anything!" cried the old man, hurrying forward. "i presume you mean there has been a railroad wreck?" "that's it, perfessor. de extenuatin' circumstances ob transmigration--" "that will do, washington!" said the aged man, somewhat sternly. "you must stop talking, and act. this is no time for foolishness. there may be people hurt. come along and let us see what we can do." "yes, sah!" replied the negro, calming down. then the two hurried down along the track, piled high with the debris of the runaway freight train. "my! my! this is a terrible wreck!" cried the old man, as the two climbed over the mass of wreckage. "hi, perfessor!" called the colored man, suddenly. "i've found something!" "what is it, washington?" "it's a boy, an' he dead!" "oh, that's too bad!" "an' heah's another, an' he's dead! dis catafterme is de most--" "now, washington, remember what i told you. no big words wanted at the present time. where are the boys?" "here, perfessor," and the negro showed the old man where mark and jack were lying, close together on a pile of sand. the professor bent over them. he felt of their hearts and listened to their breathing. "here!" he cried, suddenly. "they're not dead! they're only stunned! maybe we can save them! hurry, washington, and carry them to my cabin. you take one and i will bring the other!" "you don't need to carry any ob 'em," answered the colored man. "dis chile is strong 'nuff, i reckon, to tote dem two boys," and, suiting the action to the words, he stooped down, put an arm around each of the prostrate forms and lifted one on each shoulder. "'bout face! forward march!" he cried. with the old man following, the negro made his way along a path that led over the fields, until he came to a long and rather narrow shed built on the edge of the woods. "be sure no one is in sight before you go in!" cautioned the old man, as he opened the door, which was fastened with several padlocks. "it would never do to have my secret discovered now." "nobody in sight, master!" exclaimed the colored man, as he turned, with the two unconscious boys on his shoulders, and gazed about "de coast am clear." "then hurry inside and we will see what we can do for the poor lads. i fear they are seriously hurt." the negro slipped in as the old man held the door open, hurriedly closing it afterward, and bolting it on the inside. "put them on my bed," went on the gray-haired man. "then hurry back to the wreck! there may be more people hurt, whom you can aid. don't stop to talk, but hurry back. i will see to the boys." not very willingly the negro left the shed. when he was gone, and the door was securely fastened after him, the old man went over to where mark and jack lay, both still unconscious. "poor lads!" sighed the old man. "i hope i can save them." he went rapidly to work. loosening the clothing of the boys he soon found that no bones were broken. then from a medicine chest he took several bottles. in a tall glass, such as druggists use for mixing prescriptions, he put several liquids, and stirred the whole together. then he moistened a little cotton in the preparation, and placed the white stuff under the noses of the lads, holding it in place with cloths. he had about completed this when a knock was heard at the door. "who is there?" he cried, starting up in alarm. "mr. washington jackson alexander white," was the answer. "give the countersign!" demanded the old man, sternly, making no move to undo the bolts that held the door tight. "de north pole, an' long may it stand!" was the rather odd reply. "right! enter!" said the professor, opening the door to give admittance to the colored man. "did you find any more victims of the wreck?" asked the old man. "no, sah; mr. perfessor amos henderson, i did not," answered washington. "just plain professor will do," said amos henderson, quietly. "you needn't give my full name every time." "all right, perfessor," went on the colored man. "i didn't find no mo' pussons entangled in the distribution of debris. dere was a lot ob railroad men dere, but dey wasn't hurted. dey was lookin' fer two boys what was ridin' on de train when it went kersmash." "i hope you didn't say anything about these lads, washington." "not one single disjointed word, perfessor. dis chile knows when to persecute de essence ob quietude an' silence." "there you go again! how many times have i told you not to try and use big words, washington? use simple language. i take it you mean there were no others injured in the wreck?" "perzackly." "it is a miracle how these boys escaped instant death," the old man went on. "i reckon as how it were owin' to de fack dat dey struck in a bank ob soft sand dat concussioned de fall," explained washington. "you mean the soft sand saved them?" "dat's de correctness ob it." "i think you are right," the old man continued, as he fastened the door securely. "the shock of the sudden stopping of the runaway train, as it reached the end of the siding and crashed into the bank, probably threw the lads up in the air, and they came down in the sliding sand where we found them. otherwise they would surely have been killed. as it is they have had severe shocks." "are dey goin' to die, perfessor?" "i hope not, washington, but i must see to them." amos henderson went over to the bed on which the two boys were stretched out, each with the piece of cotton soaked in the preparation over his mouth and nose. "i am using a very powerful remedy," the old man muttered. "if they are not too badly hurt they will recover. ah, yes, there is a little color in their pale cheeks." he bent over the boys. as he had said, jack's face was tinged with a light pink, and mark's eye-lids were moving slightly. "they are coming around all right," exclaimed the aged professor. "hurry, washington, and get some hot beef broth ready. put the kettle on to boil and make some strong tea. they will want something to eat shortly after they recover their senses." the colored man, humming softly to himself, began moving about the shed. it was a rough looking place from the outside, but, within, was fitted with many comforts. there was a gasoline stove, a table, several chairs, a bed, and a large case full of books. but the queerest sights of all were on the walls. they were literally covered with cog wheels, levers, handles, springs, pieces of machinery, patterns, models, and strange devices. the room had two doors. one was that by which the old man and the negro had entered. the other was behind the bed, and was clamped and fastened with so many bolts and bars, with locks similar to those on big safes, that it would seem a rare treasure was concealed behind the portal. the old man gave no heed to the wonders that surrounded him. instead he gave all his attention to the boys. he sat down beside the bed and watched them as their breathing became stronger. from time to time he felt of their pulses, and nodded his head as if satisfied. "is the beef tea ready?" asked the old man, after a half hour had passed. "it am, perfessor." "then turn down the flame a bit so it will keep the stuff warm, and come back into the work shop with me. i want to get that last bolt in the engine." "are dem young gen'men all hunky-dory?" "they are coming on nicely," was the old man's reply. "they will recover consciousness in half an hour and we can feed them, and give them some medicine. come along, washington." the two passed out through the much-locked door behind the bed, the undoing of the fastenings taking some time. as the portal swung open it disclosed a long shed which seemed to be occupied with a big, strange object. the old professor and the negro had not been gone more than five minutes before jack opened his eyes. he turned over on one side. as he did so mark slowly lifted his head. "hello!" cried jack, faintly. "what's the matter?" asked mark. "matter? what? where?" inquired mark, sitting up. "here! everywhere!" replied jack, raising himself slowly on his elbow. "all i remember is a terrible crash. now look at all those wheels. wheels! wheels! wheels! i wonder if they can be in my head?" and he tried to smile. "no, they are real wheels, and they are on the walls," announced mark. "then where in the world are we?" went on jack. "in a machine shop or a railroad wreck?" "looks like--" began mark, when he was interrupted by a voice calling: "hurry up, perfessor! de boys has awakened from de unconsciousability!" and, to the astonishment of jack and mark, the old man and his negro helper hurried from the inner room and stood in front of the bed. chapter iv the airship "do you feel better?" asked the professor, anxiously, as he came forward and felt of the boys' pulses. "a great deal," answered jack. "but what has happened? where are we? what are all these wheels for?" "slowly, slowly," said the old man with a pleasant laugh. "one question at a time. for the first: what happened was a railroad wreck." "i remember now," said jack, slowly. "we tried to stop the cars." "and you didn't succeed very well," went on the old man. "however, the sand bank did it for you, and stopped you two at the same time. as for your second question, you are here in my shop. as to the third, those wheels are parts of my great invention. but i will tell you about that after a while. i must give you some medicine now, and something to eat. here, washington!" "comin', perfessor!" jack and mark were more surprised than before when they saw a big colored man, seemingly as strong as an ox, coming toward them with two steaming bowls of beef broth. washington was grinning with delight. "dis am de best beef stew dat eber transpositioned itself into yo' vicinity!" he exclaimed, setting the bowls down on a table near the bed. "now, washington," cautioned the old man. "no big words, remember." "all right, perfessor," was the answer. "do you boys feel like eating?" asked the aged inventor. "i do," replied jack. "there was a time, though, when i thought i'd never get a chance to eat again. that was just before the crash." "you were both knocked unconscious," the professor went on. "washington and i happened to be near by and brought you here. fortunately i am something of a doctor as well as an inventor, and i used a strong medicine i have." "i'm sure we're much obliged to you," answered mark. "let me see how much improved you are by eating," suggested the old man. "i can trust washington to cook good meals, even if he does use big words." then, while the colored man grinned cheerfully at them, jack and mark, sitting up on the bed, for they were still weak and sore, ate the broth. after that both boys said they felt better. "see if you can walk," suggested the inventor. mark and jack stepped on the floor. they both uttered cries of pain. they were stiff and lame from the shaking they had received. "a day in bed will do you no harm," said their strange rescuer. "i have some liniment that will soon take the soreness out of every one of your muscles." though the boys protested at being made to remain in bed, the old man insisted. he made them take off most of their clothes, and then brought out some liniment. under his direction jack and mark rubbed themselves well, and experienced almost immediate relief. it was now getting dusk, and washington lighted a big lamp that hung in the centre of the room, first taking care that the shutters were tightly fastened. the colored man prepared a simple supper for mr. henderson, and afterward got himself a meal. when the dishes were cleared away the old man, who had noted with smiles the anxious glances jack and mark were casting about the strange room, said: "i suppose you boys would like to ask lots of questions." "i'd like to know what all this machinery is for," spoke jack. "and what is behind that door," mark went on, indicating the much-locked portal. "i knew it!" exclaimed the old man. "i knew it! now if i tell you will you promise to keep it a secret until i give you leave to speak?" of course the boys promised eagerly. "do you think you have rested enough now to take a look inside?" the inventor asked, nodding toward the locked door. "sure!" exclaimed jack. "then put on your coats and trousers and i'll introduce you to my pet." wonderingly, the boys followed him. it took nearly a minute to unfasten the various bolts and bars, but at last the portal swung open. the place was dimly lighted by a single big lamp, but in the glare of it the boys caught sight of a strange, weird object. it looked like an immense cigar, and swayed slowly back and forward. it seemed to be covered with a net-work of cords. on the ground beneath it was what seemed to be a good-sized boat, with a large cabin amidships. "what in the world is it?" cried jack. "it's my airship!" exclaimed professor henderson. "the only successful airship ever invented. it is the electric _monarch_!" "what is it for?" asked mark. "to navigate the realm of the stars and moon!" cried the old man. "with that i will rival the eagles in their flight!" the boys were a little alarmed. the professor was strangely excited. his eyes sparkled in the reflected light of the lamp. jack and mark thought they might have been brought to the abode of a madman. they shrank back a little. but they were reassured a moment later when, with a pleasant laugh, the old man said: "don't be frightened, boys. i know what i am talking about. here, washington, more light! we will show them what we have done, hidden away from the sight of the curious, unbelieving world. let them see my _monarch_!" "we'll illuminationness dis abode like it was de orb ob day shinin' heah!" exclaimed the negro, as he started several more lamps aglow. "are the shutters closed?" asked mr. henderson, anxiously. "tight as a drum-head," was the reply. "now look!" exclaimed the inventor, turning to the boys. they were more than astonished at what they saw. they had no idea that the rough shed held such a perfect piece of machinery. up near the roof of the place, which was quite high, there swayed an immense bag of oiled silk. it was shaped like a cigar, big in the middle and tapering at both ends. the bag was enclosed in a net of ropes which extended down to the lower part of the airship. this lower part, as the boys could see, was just like a steam launch in shape, only much lighter in weight. it had a sharp bow, and a blunt stern. from the stern there extended a large propeller, the blades being made from sheets of aluminum. the main part of the ship proper, or the part suspended from the gas bag, was covered by a closed and roofed cabin about forty feet long, ten feet wide, and extending five feet above the gunwale of the ship. the cabin had four windows on each side, a companionway fore and aft, and a sort of look-out or conning tower forward, which, the professor explained, was the place for the steersman. "because this ship can be steered wherever you want to go," he said, pointing to the big rudder that was hung aft, an opening in it allowing the screw or propeller to revolve. the boys were lost in admiration of the wonderful airship. they were consumed with curiosity as to how the machinery worked, and they thought no more of their knocks and bruises than as if a mosquito had bitten them. the professor watched their faces with delight. he loved boys and mechanical apparatus. "now we will enter the _monarch_," he said. "turn on the lights, washington." there was a click, and the cabin of the airship was flooded with a soft glow of incandescent lamps. "come on!" called mr. henderson, leading the way. the boys followed, marveling at the wonders on every side. they found the cabin of the strange craft divided into three parts. first came a sort of parlor, with a table and seats arranged on the sides. in the front part of this was a passage leading to the conning tower, or the place for the steersman. behind the parlor came the sleeping quarters and dining room combined. the bunks were arranged to fold against the wall, and a table in the centre could be shut up when not in use and hoisted to the ceiling, giving plenty of space. next came the engine room, and as they entered it the boys could hardly restrain from giving cheers of delight. it was almost filled with machinery, and occupied a little more than half of the whole boat, being twenty-two by ten feet in size. the two boys did not know the use of one quarter of the machinery and apparatus they gazed on. there were electric motors, storage batteries, two gasoline engines similar to those used in automobiles, pumps, large and small tanks, instruments for measuring the electric current, for telling the temperature, the amount of moisture in the air, the speed of the wind, the speed of the ship, the height to which it went, besides compasses, barometers, telescopes, and other instruments. there were levers and wheels on every side, switches, valves, electric plugs and handles. lockers arranged close to the wall and along the floor held supplies and materials. everything was new and shining, and the professor smiled with pride as he touched piece after piece of machinery, and looked at the different instruments. "now we'll go out on the stern," he said. the boys followed as he ascended the companion steps and emerged on a small platform at the rear end of the cabin. "do you know what this is?" asked the professor, touching a long, thin, round object. "looks like a gun," replied mark. "that's just what it is. it's a machine gun that will fire one hundred shots a minute, and it can be turned in any direction, as it works on a swivel. i don't know that we'll have any use for it, but i thought i'd take it along." then the professor pointed out where the propeller shaft ran from the engine room out through the stern, and showed how the rudder was worked by wire ropes extending from it to the conning tower. "in short we have everything necessary to successfully navigate the air," he went on. "not a thing has been overlooked. all i have to do is to fill the big bag of oiled silk with a new gas i have discovered and up we go. this is really the most important part of the invention. without this powerful gas the airship would not rise above the earth. "but i have found this gas, which can be made in unlimited quantities from simple materials that we can carry with us. the gas has enormous lifting power, and if it was not for that i would not dare make such a large and comfortable airship. as it is, we can sail through the air as easily as if we were on an ocean liner on the sea and much more quickly. "i generate the gas in the engine room as i need it," the professor went on. "it goes to the oiled silk bag through two tubes. when we have arisen to a sufficient height i start the electric engine, the propeller whirls around, and the ship moves forward, just as a steamboat does when the screw is set in motion. then all i have to do is to steer." "it's great!" cried jack with sparkling eyes. "it certainly is," agreed mark. from the stern the professor took the boys to the conning tower, where there were several wheels and levers, that placed most of the important machines and engines in the boat under the direct control of the steersman. a lever turned one way would send the ship ahead. turned in the opposite direction it would reverse the course. a wheel like that on an automobile served to direct the rudder and so guided the _monarch's_ course. other levers controlled the speed of the engines, and the supply of gas that filled the silk bag. "here is where we shall carry our supplies of condensed food," the professor went on, leading the way back into the middle room. "we will take along capsules that will supply us in a small space with meat, vegetables, soups, tea and coffee, besides milk. "the water we will get as we speed along, dropping down to earth whenever it is necessary. as for clothing, i have an abundant supply." he opened a locker and disclosed a pile of fur garments. there were big coats, caps and boots, everything made with a furry surface within as well as without. "any one would think you were going into some cold country, professor," said jack, looking at the warm garments. "so we are! we are going to find the north pole!" exclaimed the old inventor. "the north pole?" cried mark. "that's what i said. do you boys want to go along in the _monarch_ to a place where never mortal man has been?" at that instant there came a loud knock at the door. chapter v a plan to seek the north pole "hark! what was that?" exclaimed professor henderson in a hoarse whisper. "sounded like some one at the door," replied mark. "quick, washington! put out the lights! you boys creep back and hide under the bed. my secret must not be discovered now when everything is ready for the trial!" the boys started back toward the living room, washington began putting out the lights and then, with the professor, joined the boys. the shed containing the airship was in total darkness, and the negro, turning down the lamp in the cabin, shrouded that in gloom also. once more the knock was repeated. it was a peculiar one; first two raps, then a silence, then three blows, followed at intervals by six single raps. "who is there?" asked the professor, going close to the door. "a friend," was the reply. "give the countersign." "the north pole, and long may it stand!" was the queer answer. it was the same the colored man had given when he sought admission after his second trip to the wreck that afternoon. slowly the inventor unfastened the door. as he cautiously opened it a roughly dressed man slipped in. "what's the need of all this foolishness?" he demanded. "why have you made it so dark? it's like a pocket. is any one here?" the two boys had crawled under the bed before the door was opened, in accordance with the instructions from the old man. the inventor and washington were the only ones visible in the cabin. "why don't you turn up the light?" went on the visitor in fretful tones. "are you sure no one is here to learn our secret?" "do you see any one?" asked the professor, not wishing to disclose the boys' presence. "do you think i am so foolish as to waste the labor and toil of years?" "i didn't think so," said the man, "but as i came along i thought i saw lights in the balloon shed." "very likely," admitted mr. henderson coolly. "washington and i were out there doing some work." "all right," was the rather ungracious answer. "i have those chemicals you wanted." "give them to me!" implored the old man in an anxious tone. "i thought you would never bring them." "oh, i don't forget so easily. here you are," and the newcomer passed over a package. "now when are you going to sail?" "in about a week," answered the inventor. "then i guess i'll stay until you go," spoke the stranger. "i don't want to be left behind." at this the old professor seemed strangely excited. his hands trembled as he placed the chemicals on a shelf. "you don't like it, i see," observed the stranger with a sort of snarl. "but i know you too well, professor henderson. you would be only too glad to go and leave me behind after all i have done for you." "my only desire, and you know it, james taggert," broke in the old man, "is to preserve my secret from the world until i see whether i can succeed or not. i do not want to be laughed at if i fail. i admit you have been of service to me, but, rather than risk failure, rather than run the chance of having my plans made known before i am ready to have them, i would do anything. i know you too well to imagine that you have aided me from pure love." "well, go on," snarled the man, as the professor paused. "you have some object back of it all," continued the professor. "i do not know what your motive is, but i say, rather than have my plans spoiled, i will make you a prisoner and keep you here until after i have sailed. i am all ready to start,--tonight, if need be!" "so that's your game, is it?" cried taggert. he turned toward the old man with an ugly look. "washington!" cried the professor. "bind him! put him in the little room and see that he does not escape!" the next instant the big negro had folded his arms around taggert. the white man struggled, but he was like a baby in the grasp of a giant, for washington was very powerful. he procured a strong cord, and, before taggert could resist had him firmly bound. then, picking the man up in his arms, washington carried him back into the balloon shed. "help! help!" cried taggert, and then his cries were smothered. "don't hurt him!" cautioned the professor, calling into the darkness to washington. "i only guv him a soft piece ob wood to bite on," replied the negro. "he mustn't expostulate sounds too freely 'cause it might keep us awake." in a few minutes washington returned. "i made him as comfortableness as de existin' circumstanceableness would permit ob," he announced. "that's right. i did not want to do this, but i was forced to," the inventor said. "i will release him as soon as we are ready to sail. but i am forgetting the boys. come out," he called, and jack and mark, much mystified and somewhat frightened by what had taken place, crawled from under the bed. "i am sorry you witnessed what you did," the professor said to them. "but i could not have this man spoil my plans. some time ago he discovered my secret, and to keep him from publishing it broadcast i was forced to take him into my confidence. he has given me some aid in getting rare chemicals, but he wants a heavy price. he demands a half interest in the _monarch_, and to be taken to the north pole." "then you are really going to search for the pole?" asked jack. "i am, my boy, and, what is more, i am going to find it. why, it is simple with the wonderful gas i have discovered. that is the whole secret of what will be my success. it is easy enough to make an airship that will move, but the trouble is no one has yet been able to make a gas strong enough to lift the heavy weight of the ship high into the air. that is where i have the advantage." "i wish i could see your ship sail," said jack. "you may if you like," exclaimed the old man. "do you remember what i asked you when the knock interrupted us? i asked you if you wanted to go to the north pole. now i have taken a great liking to both you boys. i haven't even asked your names yet, but i like you. i need some help in running the ship, also in making my explorations in the frozen north. would you like to go along?" for a few seconds the boys did not know what to say. it was a strange and sudden proposition. they had been through so many adventures in the last few hours that their brains were fairly bewildered. but to both of them there came a great desire to make this wonderful trip through the air. before they could make a reply professor henderson spoke again: "perhaps you had better think it over a bit," he said. "i realize that it comes rather suddenly. supposing you go to bed, and we'll talk more in the morning. come, washington, make up a couple of bunks for the boys in this room. you can sleep in the balloon shed as usual." in a few minutes the colored man had made rude but comfortable beds on two bunks, like shelves that folded against the wall. then, with an armful of bed clothes, he retired to the big shed. "better use a little more liniment," advised the old man. "i don't want you sore and stiff if you go with me." accordingly jack and mark rubbed their arms and legs well. something in the stuff must have been very soothing for they soon fell asleep. it was broad day when the boys awoke. at first they could not realize where they were. they saw a colored man moving about and cooking something on the gasolene stove. "did yo' gen'men obtain a sufficient percentage of restful slumberation?" he asked with a broad grin. "we slept fine," said mark. "washington, is breakfast ready?" asked mr. henderson, coming in from the balloon shed. "it am prepared," was the reply. "hello, boys! how did you sleep?" asked the inventor, observing that mark and jack were awake. "fine!" they said in a chorus and with a smile. "well, wash up and we'll have something to eat. you'll find soap, water and towels out in the shed," and he pointed to where he had just come from. the boys found two big tubs full of cool water. in an instant they had stripped and were splashing around like ducks. it was a treat to get a good bath. they came back into the cabin glowing. not even a reminder of the soreness and stiffness of the railroad accident remained. they did full justice to the meal of coffee and ham and eggs washington had prepared. "now, washington, you had better take the prisoner something, and get your own breakfast," the professor said. "i want to have a talk with the boys." whistling a merry tune, the colored man took out a tray of food to taggert, who was still bound so he could not escape. "now i'd like to hear your names, and all about you," the old man said. the lads told their simple stories from the time each of them had started to shift for himself until they had accidentally met, and been hurled from the train. "and have you thought over what i asked you last night?" asked the professor, when they had finished. "i have," said jack, "and i'd like to go along." "good! you shall go!" exclaimed the inventor. "how about you, mark?" "i'll go, too." "all right. now we have plenty to do," the old professor went on. "the actions of this man taggert will hasten my plans. there are a few finishing touches to put on the ship. come out into the shed." delighted at the chance of helping about the mysterious _monarch_, the boys followed the professor. they found the shed lighted by windows in the roof, from which the curtains had been rolled back. the windows on the side were not opened. by daylight the airship looked larger than before. it was a wonderful machine. the professor and his colored helper busied themselves in the engine room. now and then the two boys were allowed to aid. as he hurried about from one part of the ship to the other the professor told them how he had come to build the _monarch_. he said he was an old bachelor and alone in the world, and had long desired to sail to the north pole. the failure of many land expeditions had convinced him that an airship was the only feasible method. accordingly he had come to this rather deserted part of the country, built his cabin and shed, and then had begun the putting together of his airship. the engine parts, the various pieces of apparatus, and the machinery, he bought from many different sources, so as not to excite suspicion. at last after much labor the great undertaking was done. "the _monarch_ has never been tested," said the professor, "but i know it will sail. i have made many small models and they worked perfectly." several busy hours were spent. much more machinery was put in the ship, the food lockers were stored with supplies, the gasolene tanks filled, and the supply of fur clothing increased. "there!" exclaimed the professor at length. "we are about ready to sail. i could start in an hour if necessary. all i have to do is to fill the silk bag with my wonderful gas, which is all ready to generate." "den you'd better start to generationess it right off quicker than sooner!" shouted washington, running from the rear of the shed. "hurry up, perfessor!" "what's the matter?" asked mr. henderson anxiously. "dat prisoner man has escaped!" cried washington. "he's clean gone! flown away! jumped his bail!" "that's bad!" exclaimed the professor. "he'll work some mischief now! i guess we'll have to start on our trip at once!" chapter vi away in the airship "quick, washington!" cried the professor. "jump in the engine room and start the gas generator. mark, you bring in from the cabin all those wheels and things on the walls! jack, load those packages there into the locker in the after part of the _monarch_! but handle them carefully! they contain explosives and ammunition for the machine gun!" if there had been hurry and bustle before, there was ten times as much now. the professor gave one look at the place where taggert had been concealed. the man had worked off his bonds and escaped while his captors were in the airship's cabin. soon there was a queer hissing noise from the engine room of the _monarch_. the gas bag began to distend. "she's fillin', perfessor!" cried washington. "we must tie her down," muttered the old man. "otherwise she will rise and take the shed with her. i say, washington!" "yes, perfessor." "we must get some one to help us open the shed roof to let the ship rise out. we can't do it alone." "guess it's a extraunordinary contract," agreed the negro. "then you go out and see if any one is in sight. try to hire them for the work, but don't tell them about the ship. they can work up on the roof. i will see to the gas machine while you are away. hurry now!" the colored man went out. in the meanwhile the professor and the two boys continued to load up the _monarch_. they had nearly everything that the inventor intended to take along piled in its proper place, when footsteps were heard outside. then the noise of some persons on the roof was audible. in a few minutes washington came in. "i found three men," explained the negro. "one is dat old hunter as helped us before, andy sudds. he was goin' huntin' but he said he'd help take the roof off fer a dollar. de oder two is does farm hands, tom smith an' bill jones. dey was goin' down to do post-office, but dey said dey'd help fer fifty cents apiece. all three is up on de roof now." "good!" exclaimed the professor. "it's lucky i had the roof made in sections when i built this shed. now it can be taken off in a hurry. come on, boys! there are some more things that must go in the ship!" thus urged, mark and jack worked with a will. washington helped, and then went up on the roof to aid the three emergency toilers. by this time several sections of the covering to the shed had been taken off and the place was quite light. all the while the gas machine in the ship continued to generate the vapor. it flowed into the cigar-shaped bag through two rubber tubes. as the bag distended more and more, the _monarch_ tugged and pulled at the anchoring ropes on the floor of the shed, as if anxious to be away. the boys worked with a will. the last articles were placed in the various rooms of the airship's cabin, until the balloon shed was stripped quite bare. the professor was busy in the engine room. the noise of the gas generating machine increased. then came a series of sharp explosions as one of the gasolene engines was started. this was followed by the hum of an electric dynamo, and the whizz and purring of a big motor. the inventor was testing the many machines to see that all worked right. suddenly he switched on the incandescent lights in the ship's cabin. next he turned on the powerful searchlight in the bow, and the shed was illuminated by a glare that rivaled the sun. the professor then revolved the big propeller slowly and tested the rudder. "everything is in good shape!" he cried. "we will start in five minutes if they get the roof off so we can rise. those anchor ropes will not hold much longer!" up on the roof, however, the men were working with a will. board after board was torn away and the different sections moved to one side. at last the whole top of the shed was off. all that remained was to let the _monarch_ out. suddenly from where the three emergency helpers were working there came a cry of astonishment, mingled with fear. for the first time andy sudds, tom smith and bill jones, characters well known to amos henderson, had looked down into the shed, and caught sight of the tugging, swaying airship. the interior had been quite dark up to this point, which accounted for them not having noticed the ship before. but when they saw the strange affair so close beneath them they were startled. "jumpin' rattlesnakes!" cried andy sudds. "what have i struck?" "it's a yellow elephant!" exclaimed tom jones. "a sea serpent!" ejaculated bill smith. they leaned over from the edge of the roof eaves to which they were clinging and peered down into the big balloon shed. certainly the airship presented a queer sight to the three men. "is everything ready?" asked the professor of washington. "eberyt'ing am circumulated to completeness," replied the negro. "jump in, boys! untie the ropes, washington. we'll start!" "hurry! hurry! perfessor!" cried washington, as he looked out of a side window. "here comes dat man we tied up in de shed! he's got anoder man wid him, an' dey got guns!" "it's taggert! he is after me!" exclaimed the inventor. "he must not be allowed to get on the ship! come on, mark and jack! never mine unknotting the ropes! cut 'em! we have no time to lose! jump in, washington!" the boys clambered over the sides of the airship. washington followed their example. the anchor ropes were cut. "hi, there! stop!" cried a voice from outside. "don't you dare start that ship!" "here we go!" shouted professor henderson in a joyful tone. "now to see if the _monarch_ fulfills her promise!" he hurried into the engine room. the noise of the gas generating machine increased. the gasolene engine went faster, and the motors and dynamos added to the noise. there was a loud hissing sound. the professor had opened a valve admitting the full force of gas into the oiled silk bag. then came a snapping sound as several anchoring ropes that had not been cut, broke. up rose the _monarch_ like some immense bird, through the opened shed roof. out into the air went the big yellow bag. and then a strange thing happened. andy sudds, the hunter, and bill jones and tom smith, the two farm hands, who had been peering over the edge of the shed down at the airship, leaned over too far in their anxiety to observe everything. as the gas bag brushed past them they were startled. they lost their balances and the next instant all three toppled right into the bow of the _monarch_ as she arose, and were lifted up into the air with her. "hold on, there! stop!" cried taggert, who by this time had come close to the shed. "it's too late!" shouted back the professor, poking his head from a window in the engine room. "hey, there! you're carrying me off in your ship!" yelled andy sudds as he scrambled to his feet after his tumble into the bow of the _monarch_. "and me!" ejaculated bill jones. "and me!" exclaimed tom smith. "i didn't figure on coming with you." "it's too late!" the old inventor cried. he turned some wheels and levers and the airship arose faster. then he switched on the electric machinery. the big propeller began to revolve. swifter and swifter it went. the _monarch_, which had risen several hundred feet, started forward at a swift pace. "we are off for the north pole!" shouted the inventor. "hurrah! the ship works! i knew it would!" "here!" roared andy sudds. "i don't want to go to the north pole. i want to hunt muskrats down by the creek." "you can hunt seals and whales up north," the professor called to him. "but i've lost my gun!" the hunter exclaimed, soberly, yet a little appeased at the prospect of big game. "i'll give you a better one," promised mr. henderson. "you shall have all the hunting you want." "i can't go to the north pole," fairly yelled bill jones, starting back toward the engine room. "i had a job plowing on a farm. if i don't go back i'll lose my place." "you can hire out to me," suggested the professor. "i need a crew, and i didn't have time to ship one." "what about me?" asked tom smith. "i was working on a farm like bill." "i'll hire you also," spoke the inventor of the _monarch_. "hi, perfessor! shall i shut off de gas?" washington suddenly cried. "for a while," was the inventor's reply. "we are high enough now. then oil up the engines and dynamos, they need it. you boys can help," he said to mark and jack. "i must see to my instruments and find whether everything is working right." the two boys were delighted to have a chance in the engine room. under washington's direction, the colored man showing quite a knowledge of the apparatus, they oiled the various bearings until everything was running smoothly. until now they had no time to realize what an experience they were going through. things had happened so quickly that it was hard to realize they were sailing through the air in a wonderful ship, probably the most successful navigator of the upper regions ever invented. it was not until jack looked over the edge of the airship from the engine room window that he felt what a trip up among the clouds meant. below the earth was spread out like a good-sized map, with little threads of silver for rivers, patches of green for big fields, and narrow gray ribbons where there were roads. "it's wonderful!" he cried to mark. "and to think we were chased out of town yesterday by a constable," spoke his companion. "this is a great change. i'd like to see him catch us now." "dis prolonguated elevation into de airy space ob de zeneth am extremely discommodatiousness to a pusson what ain't used to it," remarked washington with a broad grin as he oiled a whirring motor. "yes--er--i guess it is," admitted mark. "are your teeth all fast after that effort?" asked jack with a laugh. "neber yo' mind my teeth," said washington. "golly! what's de matter now?" the _monarch_ was darting from side to side like a kite that has lost its tail in a high wind. "it's only the professor trying the steering apparatus," said jack, looking forward toward the conning tower. this proved to be true, for, in a moment, the airship resumed a straight path, and the professor, coming back to the engine room, cried: "she answers her helm perfectly. it certainly is a success in every way! but now, since the machinery is working well, and i have the _monarch_ headed due north, in which direction she will sail alone for a while, i want you boys to come into the dining room, while we talk over matters with our unexpected visitors. we must lay plans and divide up the work of running the ship." jack and mark went with the old man into the middle room of the craft. there they found the old hunter and the two farm hands. none of the three had quite gotten over his fright at being suddenly carried off through the air. "everything has turned out for the best," the inventor began. "i feared my forced start would spoil my plans, but you see i got a crew almost at the last moment. now we will--" he was interrupted by a sudden cry from the engine room. "help! help!" rang out the voice of the colored man. "hurry up an' help, perfessor. i'm caught in some cantankerous conglomeration an' i'm bein' killed! help! help!" followed by the boys and the three men the old inventor hastened aft, alarm showing on his face. chapter vii held by electricity as they reached the engine room they saw a queer sight. washington was close to the buzzing dynamo which he had started to oil. his hands grasped two large copper switches used to turn the current on and off. "let go and come away from there!" cried mr. henderson. "i can't! i'se stuck fast!" yelled the negro, writhing in pain. andy sudds started on the jump to assist the unfortunate man. "don't touch him!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "he's held fast by electricity! if you attempt to pull him away with your bare hands you'll be caught just as he is! wait a minute!" the inventor rapidly opened a locker. from it he took out a pair of rubber gloves. putting these on he hurried to where the negro was still squirming in pain and terror. "help! help!" washington yelled. "i'm burning up!" "wait a moment! i'll save you!" shouted the captain of the _monarch_. the next instant he reached up, and turned off the electric current. washington fell in a limp heap on the floor of the engine room. he was freed from the grip of the electricity that had held him as in a vise. the professor ran to a medicine closet and got a remedy which he administered to the unfortunate one. in a little while the colored man was better. he sat up, opened his eyes, which had been closed, and remarked: "dat was a mighty close call fer dis chicken!" "what made you go near the switch?" asked mr. henderson. "i have warned you several times never to put both hands on a copper switch at the same time. one hand does not matter, but two make the connection." "i knows it now, perfessor," said washington humbly. "then i hope you'll remember it. that applies to all of you," he went on. "if ever you have occasion to touch any electrical machinery, don't do it with both hands at the same time, if there is danger of forming a connection. always use rubber gloves, and you'll be in no danger. rubber is a non-conductor. remember, washington." "i'll recollection it on de next obstreperous occasion," promised the negro. "you must feel better when you can use your big words," said mr. henderson with a laugh. "now," he continued, "i was about to give a few general instructions about the airship, when washington interrupted us. "you men who are here against your will i am sorry about. i could not stop and let you off a while ago, because there was a man at the shed whom i did not want to meet. but if you want to go back to your homes i will let the airship down to the earth and you can go. i would like to have you stay with me. i can promise you all good wages, since i am well off as regards money. "to you, mr. sudds, i can promise such game hunting as you never had before. and to you two farm hands i can promise such sights as you never saw before. do you want to continue with me, now that you have had a chance to think the thing over?" all three said they did. "then i'll divide our forces," went on the captain and owner of the _monarch_. "i will be in general charge of the ship, just as if i was a commander of an ocean steamer. i expect to be obeyed in every particular. washington will be the engineer, with the two boys to help him. tom smith and bill jones will be in charge of the kitchen, and i will show them how to prepare the condensed foods. andy sudds will be a sort of look-out and the hunter of the expedition. i will steer the ship and keep watch of the different instruments. "in order that you may know a little bit about the _monarch_ i will tell you how she is run. in the first place, she is lifted above the earth by the power of a very strong gas i discovered. it is much lighter than hydrogen, or the gas ordinary airships are filled with, and has a greater lifting power than the hot air used in the old balloons. "by putting more gas into the silk bag above us i can rise higher. the less gas i use the lower we go. the gas is let into or out of the bag by means of valves which are operated from the engine room or the steering tower. the forward motion of the ship is brought about by means of the propeller at the stern. this propeller works by electricity. the electricity comes from storage batteries which are kept charged from the dynamo run by one of the gasolene engines. i also have an electric motor that is run by either a gasolene engine or the storage battery. if one breaks down i can use the other. the motor alone will run the propeller if the storage batteries fail, and i have to run the electric machine directly from the gasolene engine. "that apparatus there," and he pointed to a complicated machine, "is where the lifting gas is generated. a gasolene engine runs it. those tubes carry the gas from the machine to the bag above." then the professor pointed out the levers that started and stopped the _monarch_, those that sent it higher into the air or toward the earth, the wheel for steering, and told the boys and men how to read the instrument that gave the heights, the force of the wind, the temperature, and much other information. he showed them how the entire control of the ship could be accomplished from the conning or steering tower by the turning of one wheel or another. "rattlesnakes an' mud turtles, but she sure is a bang-up affair," observed andy sudds. "but about that gun--" "that's so. i promised you a gun in exchange for the one you lost," said mr. henderson. "wait a moment." he was gone a little while. presently he returned with a fine rifle, at the sight of which the old hunter's eyes sparkled. "that's a beauty!" he exclaimed. "it beats mine." "it is a magazine gun," explained the professor. "it fires sixteen shots with one loading," he explained. "and i can kill sixteen white bears, sixteen seals or sixteen whales!" exclaimed andy with delight. "well, i certainly am glad i come along, professor." "i have a gun for each of us," mr. henderson went on, "in case we should meet with enemies. but we may not need them. there is also the machine gun at the stern." then the professor initiated his crew into the mysteries of the kitchen and dining room. nearly all the foods carried on the _monarch_ were of the condensed type. a small capsule made a plate of soup. there were other pills or capsules that held meat extracts, condensed cereals, tea, milk, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and everything needed in the general eating line. all the cooking was done by electricity. as has been said, there was plenty of clothing to withstand the rigors of the arctic regions. there was an abundance of gasolene for the engines and for heating the ship. in short, professor henderson seemed to have forgotten nothing that would make his trip to the north pole a success. after he had explained all he thought necessary, he told the two farm hands to see what they could do in the way of preparing a meal, as it was nearly noon, and everyone was hungry. rather awkwardly at first, bill and tom started in. they soon got the knack of things, however, and once they had found out how to run the electric stove they were right at home making soups and other dishes from the condensed foods. the first meal on the _monarch_ was voted a success. meanwhile the airship was sailing on. it was not moving very rapidly, for the professor wanted to give the machinery a chance to warm up. after the meal the inventor took the two boys into the steering tower with him, telling washington to speed up the engines. in a few minutes the boys were aware that they were moving forward at a faster pace. the air, as it came in the opened window of the conning tower, rushed past with great force. "i think we'll go a little higher," said mr. henderson. he turned a small lever. all at once the boys experienced a sensation as if they were in a rapidly ascending elevator. up and up they went, for the professor had admitted more gas to the big silk bag above them. suddenly the earth which the boys had dimly perceived below them as if it was a small map in a big geography, faded out of sight. at the same instant there was a sudden moisture and chilliness to the air. then a dense white mist enveloped the _monarch_. "oh!" cried mark. "what has happened?" "we are going through a cloud!" called the professor. so dense was the vapor that the boys, though within five feet of the captain, could not see him. his voice sounded far off. then came a sudden rush of light. the mist cleared away. the boys could see clearly, but as they glanced down they noticed rolling masses of white below them. "we are above the clouds!" said the professor. "be careful not to exert yourselves, as it is hard to breathe in this rarefied or thin atmosphere." the boys experienced some difficulty, but by avoiding any exertion were not much bothered. "now we'll go down a bit," said the inventor, after the ship had whizzed along for several miles above the masses of vapor. "i want to get an idea where i am." he turned some more wheels and levers. in a few minutes the ship was again surrounded with a white cloud. then it passed away, and the earth came into view. suddenly the professor looked forward. he seemed to be gazing intently at something. "i wonder what that is?" he muttered. he took down a telescope and adjusted it, peering forward with strained eyes. "can it be possible!" he exclaimed. then he dropped the glass and frantically signaled to the engine room. "we must look out for ourselves!" he cried, "come here, andy sudds!" chapter viii surrounded by eagles there was a sudden tremor all over the airship as washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power. then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag. the ship began to sink toward the earth. the black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer. it grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects. "quick, andy!" cried the old inventor. "we shall need your services now!" "what's the matter?" exclaimed the old hunter, as he hurried forward with his gun in readiness. "eagles!" cried amos henderson. "eagles?" "yes! a whole flock of them. just ahead! see that dark cloud! they are coming this way! they think the ship is a rival bird and they will attack it. strong as the _monarch_ is, the silk in the gas bag is frail. if the birds tear that we will fall to the earth and be killed! use your gun! see if you can drive them off!" andy kneeled down on the forward part of the ship. he aimed at the black mass, in which scores and scores of birds could now be seen. then his gun sent out fire and lead. bang! bang! it spoke, and two birds dropped toward the earth. again the gun belched forth, and more of the eagles were killed. as fast as andy could pull the trigger he fired. "we must all get guns!" cried the professor. "it is the only way to save the ship! come on, boys! you'll find weapons in the dining-room lockers!" mark and jack hurried after the rifles. the professor was greatly excited. bill and tom came running forward. the inventor rapidly handed out the guns. in the meanwhile the ship was slowly settling toward the ground. the captain hoped to get low enough to escape the onward rush of the big birds, but he had counted without the anger of the eagles. they thought the airship was a rival in the realms of space and were determined to destroy it. on and on they came in spite of the number among them that were killed. every one on the ship, except washington, who had to attend to the engines, was firing. the birds never stopped or swerved from their course. then with a rush and roar, a flapping of wings that sounded like thunder, and shrill cries and screams that almost drowned the noise of the guns, the eagles surrounded the _monarch_. they struck at it with their talons. they opened wide their sharp beaks and snapped at the wood and iron. some of the fierce birds even attacked the men, and boys, and were beaten off with the butts of the rifles. others of the eagles rose higher in the air and struck at the oiled silk bag. at first the yielding surface offered no resistance and was not damaged. then one fierce bird, with wide-opened beak, struck at the thin cloth and tore a hole in it as large as a man's hand. the sudden settling of the airship told that something was wrong. then the professor, glancing aloft, saw what had happened, and hastened to his helper. "quick, washington!" he shouted. "start the gas generator at full speed! we must pump lots of the gas in to keep us afloat! we are in great danger!" "why not try the machine gun on the eagles?" shouted jack. "good idea!" exclaimed the inventor. "you two boys work it!" at last the eagles, alarmed by the number killed, and frightened by the noise of the guns and the shots, halted in their rushes at the airship. some of the wounded ones wheeled away. then others followed until, finally, the whole colony of birds sailed off. "there they go!" cried jack. "yes, but i fear too late to do us any good," spoke the professor. "the airship is slowly settling." "can't it be fixed?" asked mark. "i suppose i could let it down to earth and patch up the hole, but i fear to do so," answered the inventor. "the _monarch_ is not under control, and if i attempt to make a landing i may smash her all to pieces. she may settle down until within a few hundred feet of the earth and then plunge like a meteor. we would all be killed then." "is there no other way?" asked jack. "none, unless we could patch up the hole in the gas bag while we are up aloft. i can hold the ship there for a while yet. another reason why i do not want to land is that we are over a thickly settled portion of the state now, and if i go down to earth we will be surrounded by a curious crowd that will delay us." "is that netting strong?" asked mark, suddenly, pointing to the cords that confined the gas bag. "two strands would support a man's weight," said mr. henderson. "and have you anything to mend the silk bag with?" went on the boy. "yes, but why do you ask?" "because," answered mark, "if you'll let me i'll climb up and mend the hole the eagle made." "dare you do it?" cried the old professor, hope shining in his face. "try me and see." the professor quickly prepared a piece of silk, kept on hand to repair breaks in the bag. it was coated with a very strong and fresh cement. the silk was to be inserted in the tear made by the eagles, when it would at once harden and prevent the further escape of gas. mark made ready for the perilous ascent. he took off his coat, and removed his shoes so his feet could better cling to the frail-looking though strong cords. "slow down the ship!" commanded the captain. "now, mark, try! i hope you succeed! move cautiously. you don't want to lose your life!" mark said nothing. he grasped the piece of oiled silk, coated with the cement, in his teeth, clinching it by a strip that was free from the sticky substance. then he stood on the rail of the _monarch_ and began his climb aloft. surely few ascents were made under such fearful conditions. the airship was now more than a mile above the earth. one false step and the boy would plunge into eternity. nothing could save him. up and up he went, testing every cord and mesh before he trusted his weight to it. on and on he advanced. the frail gas bag swayed in the wind that was springing up. it seemed like a thing alive. "careful! careful!" cautioned the professor in strained tones. everyone on the ship held his breath. up and up mark went. at last he reached the place where the eagle's beak had torn the bag. he braced himself in the meshes of the net. then, leaning forward, he fixed the patch under the rent, and pressed it into place. the cement did not take hold at first. mark pressed harder. would the leak be stopped? "will he make it?" asked one. "i don't think so." "he must make it!" "if not we are lost!" "you are right!" for a moment there was a doubt. then the sticky stuff adhered to the silk bag, and the patch was made fast. a shout from washington in the engine room told that the gas had ceased to rush out. mark had succeeded. washington hastened to turn the gas generator to half speed. before he could do so, however, there had been a great increase in the volume of vapor in the bag, caused by the sudden stopping off of the vent. up shot the airship, the accumulation of gas lifting it higher from the earth. so suddenly did it shoot up, from having been almost at rest, that there was a tremor through the whole craft. "look out, mark!" cried jack. he looked up to where his comrade clung to the netting. "hold fast! we'll stop the ship in a second," exclaimed the captain. but it was too late. the sudden rising of the craft had shaken mark's hold, which was not of the best at any time, since the gas bag was a yielding surface to lean against. the next instant the boy, vainly clutching the air for some sort of grip for his hands, toppled over backward. his feet slid from the meshes of the net, and he plunged downward toward the earth, more than a mile below! chapter ix the frozen north reached "he'll be killed!" shouted jack. "he's a goner!" yelled washington, looking up from the engine room window. the old professor groaned and shut his eyes. he did not want to see the boy fall. bill and tom, with old andy sudds, had been watching mark at his perilous task, standing directly beneath him. andy was the closer. he leaned quickly backward when he saw what had happened. mark's body, turning over in its descent, was at the ship's side. out shot the hands of the old hunter. his fingers were curved like the talons of an eagle. the long arms seemed to reach a great distance, and then, just as it seemed that mark would plunge downward to his death, andy grasped and held him. "there!" exclaimed the hunter. "that was a close call, my boy!" mark did not answer. the fearful danger he had been saved from had so frightened him that he became partially unconscious. "is he dead?" faltered jack. "he has only fainted," answered amos henderson. "i'll soon bring him around." the inventor hurried into the cabin and came out with some liquid in a glass. this he placed to mark's lips and soon the color came back into the pale cheeks. "what happened? where am i?" asked the boy, sitting up and looking around. "you're all right," answered andy. "it was a close call though. i reckon you won't want to mend any more airships right away." "i remember now," went on mark, who had been dazed by the suddenness of it all. "i fell, didn't i?" "yes, and andy caught you," put in jack. "he was just in time." mark said nothing, but the fervor with which he shook the old hunter by the hand showed how deep his feeling was. in a little while the fright and excitement caused by the accident had passed over. the ship now rode evenly and neither rose nor fell, in consequence of the gas supply in the bag remaining the same, there being no leak. the patch mark had put on fitted so closely that there was not the least escape of gas now. "well, we might as well start ahead," said amos henderson, at length. "we have had excitement enough in this neighborhood, and maybe we'll be better off if we go forward." accordingly he went to the conning tower, set the propeller in motion, and soon the _monarch_ was moving northward at great speed. with his eyes on the compass in front of him the captain held the ship on her course. they were about half a mile above the ground now, the captain having allowed the _monarch_ to settle. they could see that they were passing over a populated part of the country. "come up here!" yelled captain henderson to the boys from the steering tower. "i'll explain a few things to you." willingly enough the boys joined him. he was busy making a calculation of figures on a piece of paper. the steering wheel was lashed and the compass pointed to indicate that the ship was rushing due north. "we're making satisfying progress," said the professor. "at this rate we will not be long on the journey." "how fast are we moving?" asked jack. "about fifty miles an hour," replied the inventor. "that is , miles a day, counting that we run day and night at this speed. but we will hardly do that, not that we could not, for there will be no dangers of collisions up here. i think we have the air all to ourselves. "but there will be contrary winds, and we may be blown off our course. that is the only disadvantage an airship is under. it can't sail against the wind like a ship on the water. still, we have many advantages. now i figure that we can count on an average of at least twenty-five miles an hour all day long and part of the night. "we started from about the middle of new york state, and to the north pole would be about , miles. we ought to make the distance in about five days, or say a week, to be on the safe side. we will move as fast as we can, from now on, though, especially during the daylight." the professor turned some wheels and levers and the speed of the airship increased a little. it was kept at about the same height. the sun was beginning to descend in the west, for it was getting late in the afternoon. down below, on the earth, the landscape had changed from that of cities and towns to a stretch of dense woods. "must be near supper time," observed mark. "your fright didn't deprive you of your appetite, then?" asked amos henderson. "not a bit," replied the boy. in a few minutes tom and bill were preparing a meal of the condensed foods, cooked on the electric stove. everyone voted the victuals excellent. then, as night settled down, the bunks were made up and the boys, together with the two farm hands, were glad to seek some rest, for the day had been an exciting one. washington and the professor agreed to divide the night into two watches, as they were not familiar enough with the workings of the ship to dare to leave it unguarded. the machinery might need attention any moment. the boys and their companions were soon asleep, and no thoughts of their strange position, that of slumbering on an airship high in the atmosphere, disturbed their dreams. the last thing jack wondered was whether the passing of the _monarch_ would not be taken by people on the earth for the flight of some giant comet, as it sailed aloft, all lighted up. but he was too tired to pursue this speculation long. morning dawned without anything unusual having occurred. the ship had been kept going at a slow speed all night, and no accidents happened. breakfast was served, and then each of the crew took up his duties. the professor, having made a careful examination of the ship to see that everything was in order, showed jack and mark how to steer the craft, and how to start, stop, raise and lower it from the conning tower or the engine room. then he let them practice a bit, and two more delighted boys there never was, as they sent the craft ahead up or down, starting and stopping her with a few turns of a wheel or lever. "you may want to know how to run her some day in an emergency," said amos henderson. "no telling what will happen." "we hope nothing will," spoke jack. "there's no telling," prophesied the inventor. for several days the ship moved ahead at moderate speed. the machinery, excepting for some minor accidents, worked smoothly. the gas bag did not leak, which was the accident most dreaded, and it was not necessary to run the gas generator, which proved a saving of the valuable chemical from which the lifting-vapor was produced. now and then, when in need of water, the craft was lowered to the earth in a secluded spot near a stream or lake, and the tanks were filled for drinking and washing purposes. but so far, from the time of the hasty flight, no one on the earth had spoken to the voyagers. nor, so far as was known, had their presence been noted, though the black speck in the sky might have furnished plenty of talk all over the country for those who observed it. the weather was pleasant, but it was noticed that it was constantly growing colder. one morning jack, who was the first up, stuck his head out of the cabin door before he had finished dressing. he quickly popped back again. "whew!" he exclaimed. "colder than greenland!" "what's that about greenland?" asked the professor, who had just awakened. "it's awful cold outside," said jack, shivering from the remembrance. without a word the professor, wrapping a dressing-gown about him, hurried to the engine room, where several thermometers were kept. one was outside, and could be read through a glass side. "no wonder you felt cold," he said to jack, when he returned. "it's ten degrees below zero!" the boys hurried to complete their dressing. the professor did likewise, as he was anxious to take some observations. "get out the fur garments," he said. "we must take no more chances now. it will become colder rapidly, and ordinary clothes will be of no protection." the boys and the professor donned heavy fur coats, with immense gloves and caps that covered all of their faces but the eyes. then they went outside. jack was the first to look over the side of the ship. as he did so he uttered a cry of astonishment. down below, about three-quarters of a mile, was a great white, snowy waste. giant mountains of ice were heaped on every side. it was a cold, frosty silent world that the _monarch_ was flying over. they had reached the frozen north! they were at the beginning of the entrance to the land of the pole! chapter x lost in an ice cave "i'm not surprised that the thermometer is down below zero," remarked jack. "there's enough ice under us to supply the whole united states." "it is getting colder!" exclaimed the inventor as he glanced at an instrument near him. "it is fifteen below zero now!" in truth the _monarch_ was far to the north. she had gone faster than the inventor calculated. a glance downward showed that all traces of civilization had been left behind. there was nothing to be seen but snow and ice, ice and snow, piled in fantastic heaps,--mountains, ridges, hills and valleys. the professor hastily made a few calculations. "i believe we are somewhere over greenland or baffin bay, but whether we are over the land or sea i cannot tell. at any rate we are still going north," and he glanced at the compass. they were about to retrace their steps to the dining cabin, when there was a sudden settling of the _monarch_. it seemed to be plunging downward. "what's the matter?" cried jack. the inventor hurried to the engine room. a glance at the registering needle of the instrument for telling the height attained, showed that the ship was sinking fifty feet a minute. "some conglomerous contraption has disproportionated herself," cried washington. "what shall i do, perfessor?" "start the gas generator at full speed!" cried the inventor. "heat the vapor before it goes to the bag! the cold has contracted the gas in the holder above so that it will no longer support us! work quick, washington!" washington sprang to set the gas machine in operation. he seemed to be having trouble with it. "she won't work!" he called. "she's busted!" faster and faster the airship continued to sink. the inventor hurried to washington's help, but it seemed that nothing could be done. on board the _monarch_ there was deadly fear in every heart. "i can't keep her afloat!" the professor groaned. down and down went the craft. the inventor and washington were working furiously. the boys, old andy and tom and bill hurried to the engine room. then came a sudden jolt. the airship had struck the ice! "shut off the engines!" cried the professor. "stop everything or we'll go to smash! we must set to work to repair the gas machine and raise the ship." the _monarch_ had settled down on a vast ice plane. so gently had the ship sunk through the air that she had suffered no injury. she rested on an even keel and there was still enough lifting power in the gas contained in the bag to keep that afloat, so that the vapor holder tugged gently at the confining meshes of the net. "ma goodness sakes alive!" cried washington as soon as he had poked his head out of the warm engine room. "de atmospheric conditions am such dat dey is conducive to de utmost congestion of mah circulatory systemation!" "i suppose you mean it is too cold for your blood," spoke the inventor, with a smile. "yo' has conducted mah meanin' to de utmost circumspection, perfessor," was the answer. "you'd better get out a suit of furs," suggested the captain, for washington had not yet donned these garments. the colored man ran back into the cabin, got out the heaviest set he could find, and put it on. the professor and the boys, together with the two helpers, were clothed to withstand the rigors of the arctic regions. in a little while washington was warmly dressed. then the professor led the way over the rail and down on the ice. "are we on land or sea?" asked jack. "it's hard to say, but i think we are on land," replied amos henderson. "however, it doesn't make much difference. we are pretty far north. the thing to do is to get the airship in shape as quickly as possible." "can we help?" asked mark. "i hardly think so," answered the old inventor. "washington and i understand every piece of machinery. if we need any help we will call on you. in the meanwhile you may take a look around if you wish." "i'd like to stretch my legs a bit," spoke up old andy. "i ain't used to stayin' cramped up in a ship like i have been. i'd like to see some of that big game you talked about, professor." "take your gun along, and you may spot a polar bear or a walrus," suggested mr. henderson. "some fresh bear steak would not go badly at all." delighted at the prospect at getting a shot andy hastened after his gun. then after a hasty breakfast, with the two boys and the two helpers as companions, all warmly wrapped in furs, the hunter set forth across the fields of ice and snow. it was a strange experience for all of them. there was not a sign of life to be seen. on every side there was nothing but the cold whiteness--a coldness and a whiteness that was like death itself. they walked on for more than a mile, and saw nothing but the desolate waste. "there's something!" called jack in a hoarse whisper, coming to a halt and pointing to a small hill of ice in the distance. "it's a polar bear!" yelled mark. "he's right behind the ice!" "there are two of 'em!" cried bill. "this is no place for me! come on, tom!" "hold still! let me get a shot!" pleaded the old hunter. he could see the two animals plainly, now that his eyes had become used to the difference between their shaggy coats and the surrounding snow and ice. andy kneeled down and took careful aim. a shot rang out, and one of the bears toppled over. "good shot!" cried jack. once more the hunter pulled the trigger. a dull click was the only response. andy quickly cocked the gun again, thinking it had missed fire. again the hammer fell with only a click. the hunter quickly threw open the magazine. "the chamber is empty!" he cried. "i have fired my last shot!" "and there comes the bear!" yelled mark. "he's in a fit of rage!" the fierce beast, in anger at the sight of his enemies, was coming toward the men and boys at top speed. on the first alarm bill and tom had turned to flee. andy, swinging his gun by the muzzle, and loosening a long hunting knife in his belt, awaited the bear's onslaught. mark and jack were too surprised to run, and stood their ground, not knowing what to do. "run away!" shouted andy. "i'll tackle the beast! i'm not afraid!" "we're not going to leave you!" yelled jack. "i have a revolver!" quickly he drew out the small weapon, a present from the inventor. taking hasty aim he fired several shots, but his aim was poor. one bullet struck the bear on the nose, and, instead of stopping the beast, only made him the more angry. the brute was now but fifty feet away and coming on at a rapid pace over the uneven lumps of ice and snow. "run, i tell you!" called andy. "do you boys want to be killed?" he aimed a furious stroke at the bear, but as he did so his foot slipped and he came down heavily on the ice. mark and jack uttered cries of terror and fright. with blood dripping from his wounds, foam falling from his red jaws, and with every appearance of rage, the maddened beast rushed on the old hunter. "he'll be killed!" yelled mark. "if i only had a gun!" groaned jack. andy rolled to one side. as he did so he uttered a loud cry, and then, to the astonishment of the boys, he disappeared from sight as if the frozen earth had opened and swallowed him up. at the same time the bear, that was just about to cast himself down on the fallen hunter, seemed to drop down through some hole into the earth. for an instant jack and mark looked at each other with fear in their eyes. "what has happened?" inquired mark, in an awestruck voice. "i don't know," answered jack. "but look! there are spots of blood over there. that is where the bear was!" the boys ran forward. as they did so their feet seemed to slip from under them. down and down they felt themselves going. faster and faster they slipped. they gazed with frightened eyes about them and saw they were on some giant slide of ice, that led into unknown regions. "where are we going?" gasped mark. "i don't know!" yelled back jack. "at any rate we're getting a good coast!" he could joke even in the face of danger. with a jolt the two boys came to the end of their sudden journey. for a moment they were so startled and shaken up that they could hardly see. then, as their senses came back, they gazed around. there were white glistening walls of ice on every side. above glittered a tiny patch of light, showing where the blue sky was. "where are we?" asked mark. "you're with me an' the bear!" exclaimed a voice. the boys started. they saw, lying near them, old andy. at his feet was the polar bear, dead, with the hunter's knife sticking in his heart. "and what place is this?" asked jack. "it appears to me like a big ice cave," answered the hunter. "yes, and we're lost in it," spoke up jack, and gave something of a shudder. "that's right, my boy," answered andy sudds. chapter xi attacked by sea lions frightened and alarmed at the unusual sight of an enraged polar bear rushing in their direction, bill and tom had turned and fled at the first appearance of danger. they were not cowards, and would probably have faced a mad bull, but that was something they were used to, while a bear was something new. so they raced back over the ice toward the place where the disabled airship rested. "quick!" yelled bill. "they'll all be killed!" cried tom. "who?" asked the professor, dropping his tools. rapidly the two helpers told what had occurred, and how they had left andy and the boys as the bear was rushing at them, the hunter having no more cartridges in his gun. "take two rifles from the chest!" exclaimed the inventor. "washington and i will follow as soon as we get our furs on! hurry now!" tom and bill needed no second bidding. seeing that the magazines of the rifles they took were filled, they hastened again over the ice and snow in the direction of sudds and the boys. as they hustled along, the sun, which had been hidden by clouds, emerged and shone with dazzling splendor on the ice fields. it almost blinded the men. as they ran on they heard a shout behind them. turning, they saw washington and the professor, each with a gun, following. they waited for the pair to come up. "how far away is the place?" asked mr. henderson. "we must be close to it now," said bill. "yes, there is the bear andy killed," pointing to where the dead animal was stretched on the ice. "but where are the boys?" "and where is andy?" asked amos henderson. not knowing what had become of the hunter and the boys, the rescue party was puzzled. they looked on every side but saw no traces. the ground was so uneven that the professor suggested the hunter and boys might be lying wounded in a hollow, and screened from sight. "we must scatter and look for them," he said. meanwhile the three in the ice cave had been looking about them. they saw what had brought them into the place. it was a big cavern hollowed out by nature in the frozen crystals, and leading to it was a smooth inclined plane of ice. "how are we going to get out?" asked jack, after all three had taken a survey of the cavern. "can't we walk up the place where we slid down?" asked mark. jack was already busy trying to climb up the slippery place. it was much harder than it seemed. the incline was a glare of ice, and jack's first attempt sent him sliding back with considerable force to the cavern floor. "there's only one way to do it," said andy. "you must take my hunting knife and cut steps in the slide. then you will have some support for your feet." the boys saw this was good advice and followed it. but the ice was frozen almost as hard as stone, and after chipping and cutting away for half an hour they only had three niches. "at this rate we will have to stay here several days," said the old hunter, and there came an anxious note in his voice. "i wish we could send word to some of the others." "hark! what was that?" asked jack suddenly. all listened. there came a faint report, like that of a gun. "it's the professor, washington, and the two farmers searching for us!" exclaimed mark. "they are firing their rifles." "that's it! they can't find us because we are down in this hole," said andy. "if i only had a cartridge now i could give an answer." there came another report. this time there was no doubt that signal guns were being fired, for the shot sounded quite close. jack put his hand in his pocket. his fingers touched something. "hurrah!" he cried. "i have my revolver and there are four shots left!" he passed it over to andy, who shot twice at intervals of about a quarter of a minute. "where are you?" they heard a faint voice calling from somewhere above their heads. in reply andy fired the last shot. it was responded to, and then, a few seconds later, a dark object loomed up at the opening at the top of the inclined plane. the prisoners, looking up, recognized the professor. "hello, down there!" he shouted. "hello, up there!" answered andy. "we'll get you out!" called down the inventor. "how did you get there? what do you need in order to come up here?" "we slid down," said the hunter in reply, "and we didn't do it for fun either. if you're going to get us out you'll need a long rope." the professor, sizing up the situation, sent bill jones back to the ship on the run to bring a long stout cable. while this was coming there were questions and answers sent up and down the inclined shaft that told each of the two parties what had happened. in a short time the rope was brought, and one end fastened to an iron bar thrust into the ice, while the other was thrown down to the prisoners. with this as an aid and guide they were able to walk up the incline and soon were on the surface again. "there, i forgot something!" exclaimed the old hunter as he emerged from the mouth of the shaft. "what?" asked the professor. "the polar bear," was the answer. "i think i'll go back after him. the skin may be valuable." "there are plenty more," said the inventor. "we have no time to go back after this one. i must hurry to the ship." pulling up the rope, and strapping their rifles on their backs, the party of rescued ones and rescuers began their march to the airship. they decided to leave the bear andy had first shot on the ice, and come back later for some steaks. it was a bright day, and though it was very cold, being about twenty degrees below zero, there was no wind, which was a great relief. the party marched on, with andy in the lead. he had reloaded his rifle with some ammunition the helpers had brought from the ship, and he was almost wishing he would meet another bear or two, now that he was ready for them. just as the adventurers turned around the side of a large ice hill, which hid the airship from their sight, they heard a queer noise. "what's that?" asked the professor. "sounded like some beast roaring," answered jack. "look out!" shouted andy, springing back, and bringing his gun to bear. "we're in for it now!" "sea lions, by their looks!" exclaimed the inventor. "a whole crowd of them and they are right between us and the ship!" the next instant the party came into full view of the beasts. there were about two hundred of them, great big brutes, with sharp tusks. at the sight of the men and boys the animals set up a chorus of roars that sounded as if several score of real african jungle lions had broken loose. at the same time the beasts, with curious hitchings of their unwieldly bodies, advanced on the adventurers! "get your guns ready," cried andy. "these fellows mean business! make every shot tell!" he had already begun firing and two of the sea lions toppled over in quick succession, testifying to his good aim. then the boys, the two helpers, the professor and washington began a fusillade that made the icy regions echo and re-echo as though a battle was in progress. but the number killed among them, and the sound of the guns, did not halt the progress of the beasts. on and on they came, their roars increasing in fierceness. the continuous firing could not be kept up long. already the old hunter's gun was empty, and there was no spare ammunition now. one after another the rifles of the others were emptied of their cartridges. still the beasts came on. "we must retreat!" shouted andy. "back to the ice cave! they can not get us there!" "but what about the airship! we must regain that at any cost!" called the professor. "wait until these beasts go away!" yelled andy. "if they get us down it's only a matter of seconds before they'll kill us with those tusks! run back!" all turned to execute this command. there was only a narrow opening in the slowly encircling ring of sea lions, and this the adventurers made for, running toward the ice cave. they had passed beyond the mass of the beasts, when a loud cry from jack startled them. at the same time he pointed ahead. there, coming on at full speed was a pack of polar bears! the adventurers were between the two forces of enraged animals! chapter xii a mysterious message "it's all up with us now!" shouted andy. "i wish i had never come to the north pole!" "how shall we escape?" yelled the professor. not knowing what to do, the whole party stood still. behind them were the sea lions, roaring and snorting. in front of them, a hundred feet away were the bears, growling and howling. "turn to the right!" cried jack. "there is a big hill of ice we can climb!" the adventurers turned. as they did so mark glanced back at the sea lions, and uttered a cry of surprise. "the lions are running away!" he shouted. sure enough, the seals, though their progress could not be called "running" were retreating with their hitching, lumbering gait, away from the adventurers. "but the bears are coming!" called andy. "they aren't after us! it's the sea lions they want!" exclaimed jack. "i don't believe they will pay any attention to us!" "the boy is right!" came from andy. "the bears want fresh meat and are going to tackle the lions. we're safe, but we'd better not stay around here long!" jack's surmise was correct. the white bears did not follow the adventurers when the latter had run to the right. instead, increasing their pace, the polar bears sprang into the midst of the sea lions and soon there was a fierce battle between the two animal forces. it was a fearful sight and the adventurers gazed at it in wonder, mingled with terror. the bears would seek to enfold the lions in their strong fore-paws, while the lions would try to sink their long tusks into the vitals of the enemy. nearly a dozen had been killed on either side, but still the battle raged fiercely. the men and boys were so fascinated by the sight that they did not move, but stood staring from a small hummock of ice they had mounted. "i think we had better go!" called professor henderson. "no telling when they will get tired of fighting each other and turn on us. besides i am anxious about the ship." and off they started. the ship rested in the same position it had settled in when the gas contracted. no harm had come to it as the fall had been so gradual. "i'll have the gas machine in operation in about an hour," professor henderson said. "meanwhile, bill, you and tom had better get some dinner for us. i'm hungry and i dare say the others are. have some hot coffee, for it is growing colder." "i was thinking i didn't feel quite so warm," observed andy. "while there was a lot of excitement i didn't notice it, but now i am chilled through." "no wonder," remarked the inventor. "it's forty degrees below zero!" all were glad to go inside the ship which was warmed with gasolene stoves. bill and tom took off their heavy furs and began preparing a meal, which was soon smoking on the table. everyone had a good appetite, and, just as the boys, with andy and the two farmers were about to sit down, the professor came into the dining room. "it's all right!" he exclaimed. "washington and i have the machine fixed. the gas is generating and we will be able to rise and continue our journey in about an hour." this was good news, and, during the dinner the adventures of the morning were talked over in detail. "we certainly had excitement enough for one day," observed jack. rising from the table and donning their furs jack and mark went out on the deck. they glanced up at the gas bag, and found it was filling out from the pressure of the vapor being pumped into it from the machine. "i wonder if we'd have time to walk out on the ice a little?" asked mark. "i haven't had a chance to look around, we've been so busy since we landed." "we'll ask the captain," spoke jack. "i'd like a little stroll myself." the inventor had no objections. "don't go far away," he cautioned. "we'll start very soon now, and don't go near those animals." the boys promised, and then, climbing over the rail, and down the ice hummocks they walked along a broad level expanse that stretched out for about a mile. they had not gone far before jack, who was in the lead, came to a halt. "look here!" he called to mark, who came hurrying up. "what is it?" "there's a pile of bones frozen into the ice! looks as if there had been a fight here between bears and sea lions, and this is all that was left. they ate each other up, all but the bones, which became covered with ice." "those aren't animal bones, jack!" "why not?" "see, there is the skull of a man! and another! there are a dozen skulls!" and mark pointed to where they showed from underneath the crystal ice. "you're right!" jack shouted. "and see! here is something that looks like a copper cylinder! maybe it has something inside! we must tell professor henderson!" full of the importance of their discovery, the boys hastened back to the airship. the old inventor was much interested. directing washington to keep a careful eye on the gas machine, and taking an axe with him, the captain returned with the boys to where the bones were. "they are certainly the remains of human beings," was the professor's opinion. "i don't know that it would be any service to dig them out, but that copper cylinder may be of value." a few blows with the axe served to chop out the object. it was about two feet long and nearly three inches in diameter, and seemed to be securely sealed. "we'll take it back to the ship and open it," said the inventor. "it is too cold to do it here." back to the _monarch_ they hurried. then, with a file, the professor removed one end of the copper case. from within he drew out a roll of paper, a watch, a knife and a few trinkets such as a man would carry about him. "some white man did this!" exclaimed the old inventor, his hands trembling with eagerness as he unrolled the paper. "let us see if he has left any word behind to tell of his death." all crowded around while amos henderson glanced at the mysterious message that had so curiously come to them. some of the writing was very faint, but by the aid of a magnifying glass it was deciphered. then, amid a deep silence the professor read the paper. "whoever may find this, take warning and do not seek to find the north pole. danger lurks there. my name is andre christiansen, and i am a dane, educated in america, who set out to find the pole. i discovered it but was taken into captivity by the fierce people who dwell around it. they determined to get rid of me. with a party i was sent away. i was to be killed and buried in the ice. before they could kill me we were all attacked by polar bears. all the other men were killed and i was wounded. as i write this i am dying. i write it with my blood and a piece of bone. send word to denmark of my death, kind friend whoever you may be that finds this. if you reach this far in your search for the pole, be warned and go no farther. this is all i can write. i am nearly dead. i put the message in this copper cylinder which i brought along. i hope it will be found. good-bye." for a few moments after the professor ceased reading the strange message no one spoke. they were all thinking of the terrible fate that had befallen andre christiansen; to die all alone in that icy land, yet who, in the agony of death had thought to warn some explorer who might come after him. "poor fellow," murmured amos henderson. "he must have died soon after putting the message in the cylinder." "and then the bears finished up their work by eating him and the men who wanted to kill him," said andy. "they left only the bones." "how long ago do you suppose that was written?" asked jack. "there is no telling," replied the professor. "but it must have been several years. i have read of all recent polar expeditions, and within the last twenty years there has been no one of this name to venture toward the pole. besides the copper cap on the cylinder has become rusted on, and that would indicate the passage of considerable time." "i wonder if there are people at the pole?" came from mark. "we'll go and see!" exclaimed the professor. "you don't mean to say you are going further north after what that message says?" asked andy sudds. "certainly; why not?" "we may all be killed." "we'll try not to have that happen," said the professor. "i am glad you boys found this. it is a valuable relic," and amos henderson put the message, the trinkets and the cylinder carefully away. "i--i guess i won't go--" began andy. at that instant the airship gave a sudden tremble. then the whole craft shivered. next it began to rise in the air. "here we go!" cried the professor. chapter xiii forward once more the airship rose rapidly. washington had continued to operate the gas machine until there was a sufficient quantity of vapor to overcome the contracting influence of the cold atmosphere. "forward once more!" cried the professor, hurrying to the engine room. "this time we may reach the north pole!" he and washington soon started the motors, the dynamos and engines. the propeller revolved rapidly. the adventurers were under way again. "jack and mark, go into the conning tower and steer!" called mr. henderson from the engine room. "take her up about half a mile, and send her straight north by the compass. i have to adjust some of the machinery." delighted at the prospect of running the airship, the two boys hurried forward. mark went to the steering wheel, which was similar to the kind used on automobiles. the _monarch_ was heading to the west, having no one to guide her, but mark soon brought her around until her bow was poked directly for the north. under the guidance of the two boys, the airship rushed forward. they had become somewhat used to the queer feeling of being high up in the air, and now it did not seem wonderful to be sailing among the clouds, though two weeks before they would have laughed at the idea of such a thing. andy and the two farmers had, likewise, become a little indifferent to the strange sensations, and, aside from being careful not to go too near the rail of the ship when it was sailing aloft, they took no more precautions than as if they were on the deck of a steamboat. for several hours the ship was kept on her course. the boys remained in the conning tower, gazing ahead. not a single thing could be observed but a monotonous expanse of whiteness. now and then they would run into a bank of clouds which obscured their vision as if there was a heavy fog. "look at the clock!" exclaimed mark suddenly, pointing to the time-piece. "what's the matter with it?" asked jack. "can it be right?" went on mark. "surely it isn't nine o'clock, and the sun shining as brightly as if it was noon." "it's nine o'clock at night!" exclaimed the professor, entering the steering tower in time to hear mark's words. "but it can't be," argued the boy. "look how the sun is shining." "you must realize where you are," was the reply. "we are so far north, my boy, that we are in the land of the midnight sun. from now on we will have daylight all the while. we are nearing the pole, where it is light six months of the year, and dark the other six. we are having summer here, now." "i guess it don't feel much like summer outside," said mark. "the thermometer indicates fifty below zero!" "so it does," said amos henderson, glancing at the instrument which, though it was outside, could be read through the glass in the tower. "well, we may have struck a cold wave. ordinarily we will not have much more than twenty below zero when the sun shines." "that's cold enough for me," said mark. the professor announced that the airship's machinery was now in good shape. he said he expected to come to the end of the journey in about three days more, provided no accidents occurred, and there were no storms to delay the _monarch_. "i think we will divide the night into four watches," he said. "washington, jack, mark and i will take them in turn. during the day we will all be on duty, but from six in the morning to six at night we will stand watch and watch." it was arranged that jack should take the first period, the professor the second, mark the third and washington the fourth. as the first watch had passed jack was excused and the inventor said he would take charge of the ship. then, as every one was tired from the happenings of the day, they all went to bed, excepting amos henderson, who entered the tower to steer the ship. the engines, dynamos and motors ran without much attention save such as the pilot might give them occasionally, for he could leave the ship with the steering wheel fastened, a few minutes at a time, as there was no danger of collisions. so the _monarch_ continued to race toward the north. it was almost time for mark's tour of duty to begin. the two boys, who were sleeping together, were in a deep slumber, when washington ran in and shouted at the top of his voice: "wake up everybody! de perfessor is killed dead!" andy, mark, jack and the two helpers sat up in their bunks, rubbing their sleepy eyes and wondering what had happened. "what's the matter?" asked jack. "mr. henderson is dead! he's in the engine room!" "what killed him?" inquired andy. "he must hab got a shock from de dynamo!" andy jumped from his bunk and hurried to the engine room. there, as the negro had described, professor henderson was lying white and senseless on the floor. the old hunter stooped over the inventor and felt of his heart. "he is alive!" he exclaimed. "his heart beats! we must carry him to a bunk!" aided by washington, andy carried the professor to the sleeping room, where he was made comfortable in one of the beds. the captain was so near death that he could not be seen to breathe, and only the faint flutter of his heart told that life existed. "we're lost!" cried washington. "if he dies we'll never get back home again. he is de only one dat knows how to mix de chemicals for de gas!" this was alarming news. without the mysterious vapor the ship would not keep afloat long, nor could it be worked back from the desolate land of ice and snow. how much of the gas was left no one knew. "did he ever get a shock like this before?" asked the hunter of washington. "once, but not so strong." "what did you do for him? what medicine did he take?" "glory! glory!" shouted the negro, jumping up and down in his excitement. "i remembers it now. wait a second!" he hurried to the engine room, and came back in a little while with a small bottle. "perfessor done say," he began, "dat if eber i seed him senselike, when he done gone and got a shock from de 'lectrisititeness, i was to gib him two spoons full ob dis." andy took the bottle, which contained a red liquid. bill got a spoon from the locker where the dishes were kept. with hands that trembled the old hunter poured out some of the fluid. then, with jack's help he forced open the inventor's mouth and put the medicine in. "i hope it works!" murmured andy. he poured out a second spoonful. this was administered to the unconscious man. in a few seconds his face that had been pale showed a little color. his chest expanded as he drew a long breath. then the old inventor opened his eyes and asked faintly: "what happened? where am i?" "you are all right now," spoke andy in a gentle voice. "you are out of danger i hope, and safe on the _monarch_." "is the airship all right?" asked the captain eagerly. "yes, and sailing along like a bird," was the answer. in fact every one had forgotten that the craft was forging ahead, and that all the machinery was working. a look of relief crossed professor henderson's face, and he sat up. "i remember now," he said. "i was adjusting the dynamo, and i touched a live wire. the current was very strong. it is a wonder i was not killed. but how did you bring me around again?" "washington happened to remember some medicine you had told him to use in emergencies." "oh, yes: i'm glad i had some on board. it is a remedy for those shocked with electricity. but i must see to the machinery." "no, you must not," said andy firmly. "you are too weak to get up yet, and you have a bad burn on your hand." "all right," agreed amos henderson, for he felt weak and sick from the shock. "some one had better see to the steering now," he added, and then he leaned back in the bunk and closed his eyes. jack ran to the conning tower. he found that the ship, under the influence of a strong wind, was going due west, instead of to the north. he shifted the steering wheel and brought the _monarch_ on her course again, pointing to the north pole. then he called for mark, and the two boys arranged that between them they would run the ship until professor henderson recovered. andy and washington, who were watching beside the professor's bunk, where he reclined, seemingly in a deep slumber, were startled as he suddenly sat upright. "hark!" the old man exclaimed. "listen! do you hear it?" "hear what?" asked the hunter, in a soothing tone, wishing to humor the sick man. "do you not hear a terrible rushing, roaring wind? the ship! the ship is in danger!" the thrilling words sent a chill to the hearts of the watchers. there was no sign of a storm. in fact it was strangely quiet outside, the only noise heard being that of the engines of the ship. "his mind wanders," said andy. he had no sooner spoken than a cry from jack, who with mark was in the steering tower, startled them. his voice ran out through the cabins as he cried: "a whirlwind! a whirlwind! we are running straight into a whirlwind!" chapter xiv tossed by a tornado "shut down de engines!" cried washington. "lower the ship!" exclaimed mark, who had run back from the tower. "close to the earth we may escape the wind!" "is it headed toward us?" asked andy. "straight," answered mark. jack tried to steer to one side, but the currents of air sucked the ship right back into the path again! "the captain knew more than we gave him credit for," muttered the hunter. "he heard the storm coming." the air, that had been so strangely quiet, now vibrated with a curious humming. it seemed to make the whole ship tremble. then, just as the craft began to settle down, the upward pulling force of the gas being lessened under washington's manipulations, there came a terrible roaring. the wind howled like a thousand demons seeking to tear the _monarch_ to pieces. "it's a regular tornado!" cried andy. then the storm picked the downward-falling ship up as if it had been a feather and tossed the craft into the air. the adventurers were in a sad plight. there was nothing to be done. the forces of nature were ten times stronger than those of man. to start the engines and try to run the ship out of the grasp of the wind would only mean to strain the craft to a dangerous point. there was but one thing to do, to run before the tornado, as ships on the sea scud before the gale. in this way the airship might be saved, if it was not dashed down to earth. as soon as this plan manifested itself to be the best one, washington stopped drawing gas from the bag. he wanted to keep the ship as high as he could. jack still held his place in the conning tower, but he could do nothing to guide the craft, and it would have been folly to attempt it, so fearful was the force of the wind. "which way are we headed?" asked mark, making his way back to the tower where jack was. "almost due west," was the reply. "about two points to the south, too." "then we are being driven away from the north pole," said mark. "we're as helpless as kittens tied up in a sack," said andy. "if only i could do something i'd feel better. but i've got to sit here and take what comes." the sick man stirred uneasily. then he muttered in his delirium something about the tornado that was tossing him from side to side of the bunk. strangely enough there was nothing to the storm but wind. there was no rain or snow, and the air was remarkably clear, excepting for the darkness of the clouds. aside from the way in which the ship was blown along there was nothing to indicate that the breeze was rushing along at tempest speed. there were no trees bent to the earth, and no clouds of dust. the sky clouds kept pace with the airship. "i wonder where we are?" asked jack, who with mark had come back from the tower. "we'll have to guess at it," replied andy. "it would be as much as a man's life is worth to go outside and take an observation." "don't hab to do dat," broke in washington. "see here!" he stooped over and pulled on an iron ring that was fastened in the floor of the dining-room cabin. a section of a board came up. "look!" exclaimed the negro pointing down. all leaned forward and saw that a heavy plate glass had been set over a hole cut through the floor of the ship. by means of this strange window one could look directly down toward the earth. jack kneeled and peered through the glass. he rose to his feet with a cry of fear. "what's the matter?" asked andy. "we are right over the ocean!" exclaimed the boy. "i can see immense waves not three hundred feet below! the airship must be falling and we'll be dashed into the sea!" at these words washington ran to the engine room. he looked at the height indicator. "we's four hundred feet in de air, an' a--we's agoin' down!" he muttered. jack, who had followed him, saw by the instrument what the dreadful truth was. blown from her course, the _monarch_ was now over an open polar sea, into which she might be dashed at any moment. the tornado still howled and roared outside, making it impossible to inflate the gas bag, so strong was the pressure of wind on it. and without a fresh supply of gas, the ship must fall. there was no abatement to the tornado. the ship was tossed more violently than ever. jack peered through the floor-window again. "we are nearer the water!" he exclaimed as he arose. "the sea is covered with icebergs. they are crashing together in the big waves. if we fall the ship will be ground to pieces in the floes!" "try the gas machine again!" urged andy. "maybe the wind has lessened." washington started the machine. he kept one eye on the needle of the indicator that told the gas pressure in the bag, and the other on the height register. the black pointer of the latter went lower and lower. it was now at one hundred, and kept on going down slowly, until it stood at seventy-five. soon only sixty-five feet stood between the airship and her passengers, and the angry, swirling water beneath, where the icebergs crashed and ground together. then washington, who was ready to faint with fear and despair, gave a cry of joy. he had noticed that the height indicator stopped. at the same time the gas register showed that the vapor from the machine was entering the bag. "glory! glory!" cried the negro. "we's saved now. de ship is goin' up, and the gas is workin' in. de wind must be goin' down!" then, while all save professor henderson, who was still unconscious, crowded into the engine room, they saw that what washington said was true. the pressure of the wind had lessened, permitting the bag to fill with the gas. this served to lift the ship, and the pointer on the height indicator began to move upward. higher and higher went the craft, until in a few minutes the register showed six hundred feet. they had been saved from death in the sea. "hurrah!" cried jack. "i believe the tornado has left us!" indeed the roaring of the wind was less now. the ship was no longer violently tossed. in a few minutes the wind died away almost completely, and, aside from the rising motion, and a slight swaying, the _monarch_ rode on an even keel. the danger was over. "is the ship safe?" called professor henderson from his bunk. "all safe!" exclaimed the hunter cheerfully. "we had a little blow, but it is all over, and the _monarch_ behaved like the king she is--or, perhaps i ought to say queen, seeing that all ships are ladies. but how do you feel, professor?" "i am much better," was the answer, showing that the medicine had done its work. "i feel hungry," he went on. "what time is it?" "six o'clock," answered jack, looking at the dial. "night or morning?" "morning, i guess." "then we'll have breakfast," said the professor with a smile. he stepped from the bunk. as he did so there was a sudden lurch to the ship. then it began to sink suddenly. "we are going down!" cried the captain. "what has happened?" "the gas bag is leaking again!" shouted washington from the engine room. chapter xv prisoners of the esquimaux the hearts of all were filled with new terror. they had just come safely through one danger only to fall into another. the professor limped to the engine room. a glance confirmed his fears. the gas was escaping from the bag in large quantities. "i am afraid the patch we put on has come loose," he said. "the tornado must have unfastened it. are we over land or sea?" he asked anxiously. jack hurried to where the sheet of thick glass was set into the floor of the cabin. he peered down toward the ground. "we are over land, or, at least, a big ice field," he said, looking up." we must have crossed some arm of the sea, or, perhaps, a bay." then, as he looked down through the window again, he gave a frightened start. "there are people below us!" he cried. "i can see hundreds of them! they are waiting for us to land!" the ship was fast settling, and, because of that fact, and for the reason that the propeller was sending it ahead, the _monarch_ was approaching the ice at a sharp angle. "stop the engines!" commanded the professor. "our only hope is in coming down easily. if we strike the ice hard we are lost!" lower and lower sank the _monarch_, like a bird with a broken wing. in a few minutes there came a sudden jar that told the ship had struck the ice. then, with a swish and rustle the silk bag, emptied of gas fell on the roof of the cabins. the _monarch_ had come down between two big hummocks of ice, and rested almost in a level position. the adventurers peered from the windows. at first they could see nothing but a vast expanse of frozen whiteness. then the ship, in an instant, seemed to be surrounded by men, women and children, all dressed in furs, only their faces showing. "here they come!" cried andy. the esquimaux showed no fear of the airship nor the strange beings that inhabited it. they advanced boldly, many of them bearing rude weapons, spears, stone axes, and bows and arrows of bone. they were a fierce looking crowd. "i can't have them come inside the ship," spoke the professor, "they will tear the machinery apart." "shall i fire on them?" asked andy, getting his rifle ready. "not for the world!" cried the captain. "they are ten to our one, and probably this is but a small part of the tribe. our only safety lies in peaceful means. come, we must put on our fur garments and go outside. that may induce them to let the ship alone." "they may take us prisoners," objected jack. "better be prisoners with the airship safe than with it all broken so we can never use it," said the old inventor. "if we lose the ship then we are lost indeed. if we go out to them, they may be afraid to venture in alone. come, we must hurry!" obeying the captain's advice, they all donned their fur garments, and each took a revolver and several rounds of ammunition. these small weapons could be concealed about them without much trouble. then the whole party emerged from the cabins out on the forward deck of the _monarch_. it was high time, for several of the esquimaux, with their big stone axes, were advancing to batter in the doors. at the sight of the adventurers, who had only been dimly observed through the windows, there arose a great shout among the savages. rapidly the air-travelers climbed over the ship's rail, down on to the ice, and walked boldly among the esquimaux. "show a brave front!" exclaimed the captain, in a low voice. "perhaps they mean no harm after all." but this idea was soon dismissed. with a shout the foremost of the natives rushed on the party of whites, surrounded them, and, before any one had a chance to draw his revolver, had he desired to do so, each member of the _monarch's_ crew was seized and bound with strong thongs of walrus hide. "well, they've got us," groaned old andy. "i wish i'd taken a few shots at them first!" the old inventor watched narrowly every move the esquimaux made. at first several of the natives showed a desire to penetrate the interior of the _monarch_. but the commands of one big man, evidently the chief, who was clad entirely in white furs, deterred them. scores crawled up the ice hummock and looked the strange craft over with wondering eyes, but none molested it. suddenly the man in the white furs uttered a loud cry. it was answered from a dozen throats, and then great activity was manifested. big sledges, made of bone for a framework, with laced thongs for a body, were brought up, and dogs were harnessed to the vehicles. while some natives were attending to this, others scattered in different directions, returning presently with large supplies of dead fish, seals, and a large polar bear. "this is evidently a hunting party," said mr. henderson. "they have been away from their main town or camp for several days, and were on their way back when they saw our airship. i wonder what they will do with us." he was not long left in doubt. the chief of the esquimaux approached the adventurers, who, bound with thongs, were sitting on the ice. he addressed washington in a strange language, but washington, with a motion of his head nodded toward captain henderson, to indicate that he was the commander of the party. to the old inventor, therefore, did the native in the white furs speak next. he made a motion of a person reclining on a sledge and indicated that the captives were to be taken away in that fashion. then the chief motioned to his mouth and pretended to chew. "he seems to want us to take a sleigh ride and get something to eat," said mr. henderson. "i suppose we might as well go along." he nodded an assent to the esquimaux chief, thinking the sign for that would be understood. it was, evidently, for the chief nodded back and smiled. the rude sleds were brought close to the party from the _monarch_. then the captives were bundled on the vehicles like so many logs of wood, and bound to the runners with hide thongs. next a fur robe was thrown over each one, a hole being left for them to breathe, and a dog driver took his position at the front of each sled. with cracks of the whips and wild shouts the natives started off at a rapid speed. then it was the prisoners appreciated the extra fur coverings, for when the vehicles were in motion the keen wind cut like a knife on the little portion of the face left exposed. a sharp pang of regret struck the professor's heart as he realized that he was being carried away from his beloved airship, which was left in the hands of the enemy. they might wreck it he realized, to get the valuable wood and metal in the different parts. if they did, it would mean that the adventurers would be doomed to remain in the land of perpetual ice and snow forever. for several hours the journey was continued. the dogs drawing the sleds never seemed to slacken their speed, but, urged by voice and whip, sped on over ice and snow. suddenly a loud cry sounded. the sleds, as if in obedience to a command, came to a halt. the captives raised their heads and saw that the whole party had come to a stop. several of the esquimaux began opening bundles and took out pieces of frozen fat meat. with this they went from team to team among the dogs, and fed the brutes that seemed ravenous from hunger. the animals provided with a meal, the esquimaux fed themselves. it was a primitive feast. the men simply bit off chunks of fat and blubber and swallowed them almost whole. "i'm pretty hungry, but i don't believe i could eat that," observed jack. "wait until you get a chance," advised mark. "maybe they are not going to offer us any. as for me, i am starved enough to tackle most anything." presently the esquimaux chief approached the captives, who had been drawn close together on their sleds. the leader of the natives had in his hands some queer looking stuff. at a sign from him several of the other esquimaux loosened the bonds that bound the prisoners. "um!" grunted the chief. "um! um!" at least his words sounded like that. "i guess he wants us to eat," said the professor. he took some of the food the esquimaux chief held out. the stuff did not look very inviting, about as much like cold fat as anything. the professor bit into it. "it's good!" he exclaimed. "it's chopped up meat and suet, and it's cooked! eat it!" they all did, for they were very hungry and cold. then the captives were bound again, the dogs were harnessed, and the journey was resumed. the sun still shone, though it was getting late, but the prisoners were all sleepy, for, by the run of hours, it was now night. on and on went the sleds. jack had dozed off, when he was aroused by a shout. he raised his head to look about him, and was filled with terror at what he saw. the sled he was on, as well as all the others, was coasting down a great hill of ice at fearful speed! the dogs were gone, and the fleet of sleighs, under their own weight, were dashing down the mountainous side of a great glacier! chapter xvi the strange woman aids "professor! professor!" cried jack. he saw the sled on which the old inventor was lashed close to him. "eh! yes! what is it?" asked the old man, sticking his head out from under the fur robe. "they have set us adrift down the mountain and we'll be killed!" the boy struggled to free himself from his bonds. the professor, raising his head and realizing the danger, did likewise. but the tough walrus hide was too tightly drawn. the captives, if they went to their deaths, would go bound and unable to help themselves. in terror jack glanced on either side of him. to his surprise he noticed that not only were the sleds of himself and his comrades going down the hill, but the vehicles of all the esquimaux as well. "can an accident have happened?" he asked himself. "or have they all gone crazy? this beats me." faster and faster went the sleighs. showers of ice splinters flew up on either side of the bone runners. the wind whistled past jack's face. then, as a sled of one of the natives shot near to jack's, the boy noticed that the esquimaux's face was calm, and he was smiling a bit. "this doesn't look as if he was going to be killed," reasoned the boy. but the speed of the sleds never slackened and jack was much afraid, as were the other prisoners. but at length, with a swish and a whizz, the sleighs shot around a curve, and slid out on a broad expanse of smooth ice. off jumped the natives, laughing and chatting. then jack realized the truth. the esquimaux, instead of trusting to their dogs to draw them down the steep hill, had simply coasted, just as jack had done many a time at home. in a little while the dogs, that had been led by a number of the natives down an easier path than that which the steep hill offered, came up, barking and yelping. they were again harnessed to the sledges, and the journey commenced once more. this time it did not last more than an hour. it was along a level stretch of ice, and soon they were in the midst of an esquimaux village. huts of ice, with rounded tops, were on every side, with here and there a tent made of seal skins stretched over poles. there were several hundred inhabitants, who mingled with the members of the hunting party, that included men, women and children, for, when the esquimaux go for a several days' stay after fish they take their families along. "we seem to have struck camp at last," remarked the professor to andy. "i wonder what they are going to do with us now." "the least they could do would be to untie us and give us a good meal," growled the old hunter, who was stiff from being bound so long on the sled. "who said dinner?" broke in washington from his sled. "i jest wish i had a chicken pot-pie!" "i'd willingly go without a meal if i was sure the airship was safe," sighed the professor. at this mention of their craft all the adventurers became silent and a feeling of sadness came over them. but they had little time to indulge in gloomy thoughts. as soon as the inhabitants of the camp had greeted the fishing party the captives were surrounded by a group of curious ones, who followed the chief, in his white furs, to where the prisoners' sleds had been drawn up. the white men, who must have seemed strange beings to the esquimaux, were still fastened to the vehicles. at a word from the leader the bonds were cut. "i guess they want us to get up," said jack. he rose from his sleigh, and his example was followed by the others. the esquimaux closed around them. then, before any of the prisoners could raise a hand in their defense, they were seized by a score of the dark natives and hurried off across the snow. "draw your revolvers and shoot!" cried andy. "they are going to kill us!" "no! no!" shouted the old inventor. "to resist now would be folly. have patience a little longer!" his voice was so earnest that all obeyed him. so, unresisting, the captives were borne away. then a strange thing happened. the sun, which had been shining in the sky from which it would not disappear for six months, suddenly seemed to darken. the captives started in surprise. "what's the matter?" asked the old inventor, struggling to escape from the arms which held him. "is it night?" "i guess dey done gone and blindfolded us!" exclaimed washington. indeed it was as black as if the prisoners had been plunged into a gloomy pit. then, as they looked up while being half led, half dragged along they saw that they had left the outer air and were being conducted into some sort of a cave. "it's an ice-cavern!" groaned the old hunter, "they are going to torture us as the indians do!" "hush!" cautioned the inventor. "do not think of such things. all is not yet lost!" in a little while the darkness, caused by the captives being suddenly taken from the bright sunlight into the cave, was somewhat dispelled. it grew gradually brighter, thought they were conducted farther and farther into the recesses of the cavern. then, as they were led around the turn of a passage, they saw what made the light. scores of rude lamps, made from hollowed out stones, with twisted moss for wicks, and burning seal oil, gave a smoky illumination, that lit up the cave with a red glare. the lamps were set in niches in the icy walls of the cavern, while some were placed upon the floor and others seemed to be arranged about a sort of altar at the farther end of the big ice chamber. from the icy crystal walls the glare of the moss wicks was reflected back in a thousand points of light, and amid the glow the captives beheld a score or more of old men seated in a circle about a big centre lamp, that shone with a flame five times as bright as any of the others. "it looks as if we were being brought before the head men of the tribe," muttered the old hunter. a short distance away from the circle of old men, the native in the white furs, who seemed to have lost some of his authority on entering the ice chamber, motioned the captives to be seated. they sat down, crossed legs, and waited. they were aware that the interior of the cave was much warmer than the air outside, and soon were forced to lay aside some of their heavy garments. in a little while several women approached bearing huge platters on which rested smoked chunks of hot meat. it did not look very inviting. there were no knives, no forks, no napkins and no plates. none of the somewhat limited comforts of the airship were to be had. but the captives were too hungry to mind such things. using their fingers, they ate ravenously, and found the meat very good, though they did not know what it was. "i feel much better," said jack. "if i only had some place to wash my hands now, i'd be quite satisfied." "you ought to be thankful you got something to eat," returned mark. "i was almost starved." "dat was as good as roast beef, chicken, pork-chops, cranberry sauce, celery an' potatoes," observed washington with a sigh of satisfaction. since the native women had brought them food no one in the cave had taken the slightest notice of the prisoners. the men in the centre about the big stone lamp sat like so many dark and graven images, saying not a word. "i wonder what is next on the program?" asked andy. in a few minutes an old woman, bearing a stone basin full of some liquid, and a horn cup, approached them, and, filling the smaller vessel, offered the old professor something to drink. as she neared him she caught sight of his white face and long whitish beard and hair, and gave such a start that she nearly dropped the basin she was carrying. she peered down into the old man's face and muttered something that sounded like: "ingliss!" "what has she got and what is she saying?" asked the hunter. "i don't know what she said," replied amos henderson, "but she has given me some good milk." then, going from one to the other, the old woman, who seemed strangely agitated as she saw so many white faces, poured out the reindeers' milk, which made a welcome drink. "they are treating us better than i thought they would," remarked andy. "maybe we will not be so badly off as i feared." suddenly, from the midst of the circle of natives, a voice arose. the captives glanced quickly over in the direction, and saw that the man in the white furs, who had superintended their capture, was addressing the council. his words were strange to the prisoners, but they could tell by his gestures he was describing how he had found the white men, who had come in the wonderful airship. at times the narrator would point in the direction of the captives. again he would show by gestures how the airship had settled down on the ice. he was interrupted by many questions and, at the end of his tale, a silence fell over the crowd of natives. then, as if by some signal, all the lights save the large central lamp were extinguished. by the glow from that the prisoners could see their captors, one by one, filing from the cave. "they are leaving us all alone," said the inventor. "at any rate they have done us no harm, and perhaps may not. if we could only get back to the ship; that would be all i'd ask," and he sighed as he thought of his beloved craft. for a long while the captives sat in silence, brooding over their fate. worn out by the trials of the day, the two farmers at last fell asleep. washington, too, was soon snoring, and the two boys felt drowsy. the regular breathing of the professor told that he, also, had forgotten his troubles in dreamland, and andy was about to drop off nodding, when he was startled by a soft foot-fall. he sat up on the icy floor of the cave where he had stretched himself out. "who's there?" he asked sharply. "sh! ingliss!" exclaimed a soft voice. "no spik! me like ingliss! me dirola!" "who are you?" asked the old hunter again, but in a whisper. "me like ingliss!" was the reply. "they kill! me save! you come! all ingliss!" then, into the glare of the big lamp, glided the strange woman who had brought the milk. chapter xvii fighting for the ship "professor henderson! wake up!" called andy. "hey, boys, bill, tom, washington! this may mean something!" in an instant the prisoners were sitting up, and blinking in the direction of the big lamp. "what is it all about?" asked amos henderson. "as near as i can make out this lady is going to save us," replied the hunter. "she says the natives want to kill us, and that she likes the english, though how she can talk united states is more than i can understand." dirola, as the esquimaux woman had called herself, approached the old inventor, and, kneeling down in front of him, spoke rapidly in her broken tongue. "me save you!" she repeated. "me dirola! me from way, way off," and she pointed to the north. "me been prisoner here long time. me see white ingliss man once. he come my country. he go way. my people want kill him, no like. he be take away. his name andre!" "great scott!" exclaimed the professor. "i believe this woman was acquainted with the poor fellow whose bones we found! can it be possible!" "you come; me save!" went on the strange woman. "me no like it here; want go to my people. me learn spik ingliss from andre. me young girl then!" "well, of all the strange happenings!" exclaimed the inventor. "i believe she is telling the truth. probably poor andre christiansen got among her people and she learned a little english from him." "you come?" questioned dirola. "me show you where ship hid." "i wonder if it's safe to trust her," said the old hunter. "according to the message we found, the people andre fell among were not very kind." the woman seemed to understand that some objection was being raised. she spoke rapidly and earnestly. "my people no harm," she said. "me tell 'um you save me, they no kill you. you come. much hurry now. you be killed here!" "i think we might as well chance it," was professor henderson's opinion. "perhaps she does know where the ship is from hearing talk among members of the fishing party that captured us. what do you say? shall we go?" every one agreed that it would be better than to stay in the cave and face an unknown danger. so, wrapping their furs closely about them, the captives rose silently and prepared to follow the woman, who seemed pleased that they were going. she did not lead them out the way they had been brought in, but by a smaller entrance. "go easy!" she cautioned. "no want bad mans to hear! they kill dirola!" walking like cats in their soft boots of fur, the prisoners followed the strange woman who had so opportunely come to their rescue. though they were very apprehensive, they met with no one. leaving the glare of the big lamp behind, they were soon in semi-darkness, but in a little while they emerged into the bright sunlight. "they all sleep!" muttered dirola, motioning toward the camp of esquimaux which she indicated was behind the ice cavern they had just left. "we walk; den we git dogs an' sleds. den we ride so no can catch!" at a sign from dirola the seven prisoners stepped out briskly. it seemed queer to see the sun shining after having been in the dark cave, where it looked like night, and to get used to the appearance of old sol shining steadily all night long, was something the adventurers had not quite accomplished. they walked perhaps a mile before they came to where the dog teams were, behind a hill of ice. there were two big sleds, with room enough for all, and ten dogs to each vehicle. the animals, which were securely tied to pinnacles of ice, were snapping and snarling among themselves. "quick, git on!" commanded dirola. "maybe they chase us!" the captives needed no second bidding. they piled on the sledges, the professor, andy and washington on one and the two boys and the two helpers on the other. dirola took her seat in front of professor henderson. "who's going to drive our dogs?" asked jack. "no drive. they follow me," said the woman, and then jack saw that the foremost animal of his team was tied by a long thong to the rear of the first sleigh. the esquimaux woman snapped her whip, having first untied the dogs, and away the teams went over the snow at a great pace. the spirits of all arose as they went on, making mile after mile on their journey, away from the ice cave and back to the _monarch_. dirola seemed to know just where she was going, and never hesitated. with voice and whip she guided the dog teams on, urging them to top speed, for she was escaping as well as the adventurers. for several hours the captives rode, becoming thoroughly chilled, for a cold, cutting wind sprang up and blew in their faces. "we most there," said the woman at length. "i'm glad to hear it," remarked andy. "i will be glad to get back to a civilized place, even if it is an airship." suddenly dirola turned her head and glanced behind. as she did so she uttered an exclamation and called shrilly to the dogs, at the same time snapping her long whip viciously. "what's the matter?" asked andy. "they come after us." looking back, andy was startled to see, about a mile in the rear, more than a score of sleds, laden with fur-robed esquimaux, in full pursuit. "now we're in for it!" he cried. "it will be a race to see who gets to the ship first! get out your revolvers! i'm not going to be captured again!" each one of the adventurers brought out his weapon. the pursuing esquimaux seemed aware that their former captives had observed them, and urged their dog teams to greater speed. it was indeed a race. dirola's animals had been urged almost to their limit, and were now lagging. voice and whip no longer served to send them forward. several of the beasts were limping. "there ship!" cried the woman suddenly. the crew and owner of the _monarch_ glanced ahead. they saw, about a quarter of a mile in advance, their airship, resting on an icy ledge. "if we can only get there first!" cried the professor. "you forget the leak in the gas bag," spoke up andy. "that will have to be mended before we can escape." "with quick work we can do it!" exclaimed the inventor. "hurry on, dirola!" dirola needed no urging. with fierce words she hurried on the dogs, her whip sounding like a revolver as it snapped and cracked. but fast as the escaping ones went, the pursuers seemed to come faster. now they were so close that they could be seen brandishing their spears, bows and arrows. their shouts, too, were borne forward on the cold wind. at last the adventurers were at the side of the airship. hastily they dismounted from their sleds turning the dogs loose. the esquimaux in pursuit were about half a mile to the rear and would soon be upon them. "quick, dirola! into the ship with you!" called andy. "we'll take you with us if we go at all!" "we must mend the tear first!" exclaimed the professor, scrambling up the icy slope toward the cabin of the _monarch_ in a fashion that would have done credit to a much younger man. "andy, you and the boys, with tom and bill, hold the enemy at bay until washington and i get the ship in readiness for a start!" "all right!" cried andy, now in his element. "i'll make those esquimaux wish they had let us alone!" dirola had disappeared inside the cabin. in a few minutes the professor and washington were hard at work setting the machinery in motion. first, after having seen that none of the apparatus was disarranged, amos henderson started the gas generating machine. next, leaving washington in charge of this and the engine room, the inventor prepared a big patch with some cement on it. this he gave to mark, who quickly found the place where the old patch had come off the silk bag, and covered the opening. already the bag was beginning to swell with the gas. but now with loud yells the esquimaux came rushing up. leaping off their sleds, they began throwing their spears and shooting their arrows. chapter xviii northward once more "repel boarders!" sung out andy. "where are the guns?" "here!" shouted tom, handing out the rifles fully loaded. the old hunter seized a weapon, as did bill, jack, and mark. tom also leveled his gun at the savages. bang! crack! bang! went the guns. it was like a skirmish in battle. as andy directed, each one fired low. so heavy a fusillade as the adventurers were able to fire had its effect. many of the esquimaux fell, none badly hurt, but disabled so they could not attack. still the main body advanced up the slope with angry cries, determined to capture the airship and regain their captives. the ship now began to quiver through its whole length. larger and larger distended the gas bag. then, with a motion as of a great bird arising from where it had been fastened to the earth, the _monarch_ arose slowly in the air. a cry of astonishment burst from the esquimaux. some who had hold of the rail retained their grip until they felt themselves lifted up. then they let go suddenly and dropped to the ice. "we're off!" cried andy. he aimed a blow at a native who was still clinging to the ship and endeavoring to spear the old hunter. andy missed his blow, just as the native let fly his spear, which pierced the hunter in the arm. with a yell of rage, the native let go and fell. andy sank back on the deck of the ship sorely wounded. the ship soared aloft. the next instant the propeller started revolving and the _monarch_ passed off over the heads of the savages. "is any one hurt?" asked the professor, coming from the engine room. "andy was struck by a spear!" exclaimed jack. at the inventor's suggestion they carried the old hunter into the cabin, and laid him on one of the bunks. "you take the steering wheel," said amos henderson to jack. "washington will run the engines for a while and mark and i will see to andy. bill and tom, you can get something to eat; and turn on the heating stoves; it is cold here." soon everyone on board was busily engaged. the professor bandaged andy's arm, which contained a severe though not fatal wound. in a little while the hunter awoke from the stupor into which the pain had thrown him. "fire!" he cried. "there is no need," said the professor soothingly. "we are safe now." then andy grew quiet. in the meanwhile bill and tom had started the gasolene and electric stoves, and a meal, made from the capsule food, was soon ready. that it tasted good goes without saying. on and on rushed the ship, for washington had speeded up all the engines in order to sooner escape from the natives who had held him and his friends captives. as soon as the professor could leave andy in charge of mark, he went to the engine room. there he found everything in good shape. next he went to the conning tower, where jack was steering. "how is she heading?" asked the old man. "straight for the north!" replied the boy. "good! keep her so. let me see; we are about a mile high now. i guess that will do," and he turned off the gas generator. "moving about twenty miles an hour," he added. "that is fast enough. i wonder how cold it is?" he consulted the dial that was connected to a thermometer outside. "whew!" he whistled. "fifty below! i'm glad we are here!" jack was too. the old inventor glanced at the direction compass and then at the deflecting one that indicated how near the north pole they were. as he did so he uttered a cry. "what is it?" cried the boy. for answer mr. henderson pointed to the needle. it was almost straight up and down. "well?" asked jack, who did not understand much about scientific things. "that means we are almost at the north pole!" cried the professor. "at the exact north the needle points straight down, because the pole is a magnet, and being directly underneath pulls the end of the needle down. see, it is almost down now. i believe we shall really get to the pole, and my ambition will be realized." aside from the wound andy had received, none of the party was any the worse for their adventures as prisoners. now that they were safe back on the ship they were inclined to laugh at the fears they had felt. for several hours the _monarch_ was held to her course at a fairly good speed. then, at the professor's order, the engines were turned on at full power, since the air was still, and there was no sign of a storm. straight to the north the craft shot, every one on board now anxious, as they became aware that they were near to their destination. the former life was resumed, and the hours of watch were marked out as they had been. the sun still shone, never setting, but by this time the adventurers were used to perpetual day. dirola kept to herself, not saying a word to anybody. "i think i'll drop the ship down a bit and see what sort of a country is beneath us," announced mr. henderson about four o'clock, though whether it was four o'clock in the morning or the afternoon, no one knew. however, it did not matter much. "if there is an open sea around the north pole, as some believe," he went on, "we ought to see some signs of it now." he let some gas out of the bag, and the _monarch_ slowly settled toward the earth. the inventor opened the trap door that covered the plate glass in the floor of the cabin, and peered down. when within five hundred feet of the ground he signaled to stop the descent of the ship. "nothing but ice, ice, ice!" he announced. "big hills and mountains of it. there is no sign of open water. well, we are not quite at the pole yet." jack's turn at the wheel came to a close, and mark relieved him. washington, who had been on duty pretty steadily in the engine room, gave his place up to the inventor, and stretched out to sleep. bill and tom were snoring in their bunks, and andy was resting easily, the pain from his wound being relieved by some ointment the professor put on. the boy in the conning tower kept his eye on the two compasses, the one telling the direction, the other the nearness to the north pole. the latter gradually kept inclining more and more toward the earth. "if we can only make it," thought mark. "it will be something no one has ever done before. my! what a story the papers would make of it if they knew!" "how is she running?" asked the captain, coming into the tower. "very well, indeed, sir." "you might send her up a little," suggested the professor. "keep her about half a mile high, and i'll be with you again before long." the professor went to his bunk, and mark was pleased enough to be left alone in charge of the ship. he held the wheel firmly, and did not deviate half a point from the northern course. he had been steering for half an hour when he was suddenly aware of a dense gloom that settled down all about him. then there came a great roaring sound. the air craft rocked violently. the wind whistled shrilly through the cordage and careened the _monarch_ to one side. then the whole atmosphere grew from a dense black to a strange opaque whiteness: a whiteness that shut out the view from every side, and enveloped the ship as if it had fallen into a feather bed. mark started back in fright and let go his hold on the steering wheel. chapter xix a blinding snowstorm "quick! professor!" cried mark. "jack, washington, everybody! hurry up!" "what's the matter?" asked the inventor, running to the conning tower. in answer mark pointed outside. "a snow storm!" exclaimed the captain. "we must expect them up north. but this is worse than i thought!" he glanced ahead. nothing could be seen but a wall of white. the wind increased until it blew with almost the force of a cyclone, and the ship swayed fearfully. "stop the engines!" cried the professor. "we had better drift than run the chances of hitting an iceberg if we should suddenly take a drop down to the ground." washington, awakened from his sleep, turned off the power. then began a fight between the ship and the elements; a battle between the _monarch_ and the wind and snow. which was to win? the airship was, apparently, in the heart of the storm. it was tossed this way and that, now up and now down, though because of the quantity of gas in the bag the craft was buoyed up. the gas generating machine had not been stopped, only the machinery that moved the propeller. how the wind howled! how the snow blew! it was a blinding storm, for from the windows of the conning tower and from those on either side of the cabin nothing could be discerned five feet away. through the window in the bottom of the ship nothing showed but a sea of white flakes. the cold was intense, seventy degrees below zero being marked on the thermometer. even with the gasolene stoves going it was chilling inside the airship, for the cutting, biting wind found many cracks through which to enter. but, if the propeller no longer urged the ship on, the force of the wind sent it ahead at a fearful pace. the gale careened the _monarch_ from side to side. now the bow would be elevated, and, again, the stern. it was like a ship on a rough sea, and the occupants of the craft were tossed from side to side, receiving many bruises. old andy was tied into his bunk, or he never could have stayed there, so violent was the motion. "where is dirola?" asked mr. henderson suddenly. "she was out on the stern a while ago," answered bill. "she was saying something about it being too hot for her inside. that was before the storm came up." "we must see to her," said the captain. "she must come inside. the motion of the ship may toss her off!" bill volunteered to go out and bring the esquimaux woman in. it was all he could do to open the door, so strong was the pressure of wind on it. when he did swing it back such a cloud of snow entered that it seemed as if some one had emptied a feather bed in the cabin. "she don't want to come in," bill reported when, after much exertion, he had made his way back again. "she is laughing at this storm, and says it's like what they have where she came from. she is braced against the cabin, and is wrapped up in furs. i guess she is all right." "i suppose we must let her have her way," remarked amos henderson. "after all she may be used to it." in anxiousness and apprehension the voyagers waited for the storm to cease. but it showed no signs of abating. more and more violently rocked the _monarch_. "we must shut off the gasolene stoves!" exclaimed the inventor after a particularly heavy pitching and tossing motion, when the craft nearly turned over. "if we upset, the fluid will run from the tanks, come in contact with the flames, and we will burn in mid-air!" washington set to work turning off all the gasolene, and the larger tanks were lashed fast and securely stopped up. "better put our furs on," suggested the inventor. "it will be very cold in here soon." the lack of heat quickly made itself felt, the ship becoming like an ice-box. old andy was warmly covered, for he was asleep in his bunk, having fallen into a slumber after being lashed in. the noise of the storm did not awaken him, since he was somewhat stupid from a fever into which his wound had thrown him. all that could be done was to wait and hope. no human force could prevail over the storm. bracing themselves against whatever offered, and clinging by their hands to projections, the adventurers in the cabin expected every moment to be their last. washington, who had gone out to the engine room, came hurrying back. "look, here, perfessor," he said, sticking his head in the dining cabin door, "de gas machine hab stopped circulatin'." "did you shut off the power?" "no, sah! i ain't done gone and shut off no power!" making his way as best he could while the ship pitched and tossed, amos henderson reached the engine room. he looked at the gas generator. the power was turned on full, but the apparatus was not working. "that is strange," he remarked. "i wonder--" then he hurried forward to the conning tower. as he did so the ship was whirled quickly around several times, and the sudden motion threw the old man down, his head striking on the edge of one of the bunks. he lay white and still. "he's killed!" cried washington. "we are in a whirlwind!" yelled bill at the same instant. "we'll be sucked up to the sky!" the airship was swinging around and around as if in the grasp of some giant. the craft was really caught in the centre of a whirlwind, which spun it around like a top. every one felt sick and dizzy from the queer motion. "we must see to the professor!" said jack. "washington, get some of the remedy you used before. i think he has only fainted." at this moment the old inventor opened his eyes. "what happened?" he asked feebly. "please give me some water. i am all right." they brought him a drink, and he managed to sip a little of it. then he attempted to sit up. but the effort was too much for him. "what--what is the matter?" he asked. "i feel so strange. i am dizzy. has anything happened?" "somebody am a-playin' 'ring around de rosy' wid dis airship!" exclaimed washington, "my head am a-swimmin' so i can't stand." "i must get to the conning tower!" muttered the old inventor. "i must get there." "let me go, you can never make it," said jack. "what is it you want to see?" "look at the deflecting needle!" was the answer. "see how the needle points and come back and tell me! it may be we are at the north pole!" jack started forward, crawling on his hands and knees. indeed, this was the only way he could advance. the professor watched him with anxious eyes. the ship spun around even faster. old andy had awakened and was gazing around with fear-stricken eyes. then, just as jack reached the door of the conning tower, and started inside, the _monarch_ gave a violent motion. she seemed to stop for a moment, and then, with a great lurch, turned completely over, throwing the occupants to the ceiling. then she plunged straight down to the earth, through the centre of the whirlwind, like an arrow falling! chapter xx at the north pole? for an instant the utmost confusion reigned. the adventurers fell in a heap on the ceiling that, for the time being, became the floor. then, as the ship righted herself, they fell back again to the floor. the cords that bound andy to his bunk broke, and he toppled with the rest. "repel the enemy!" yelled the old hunter, thinking in his delirium that the ship was again attacked. "we are lost!" cried the professor, as he felt the _monarch_ plunging down. for a hundred feet or more the ship shot earthward bow first, so that the adventurers all slid down to that end. it was well that everything, including the gasolene tanks, had been lashed fast, or there would have been a great jumble inside the craft. then, almost as suddenly as the ship had started to fall, it ceased, and rode on an even keel, righting and floating easily in the air. the wind no longer blew with the circular motion, the whirling having come to an end. but the blinding snow continued. jack staggered from the conning tower, where he had gone to look at the deflecting compass. "what has happened?" he cried. "no one knows," answered professor henderson. "we are in dire straits. did you look at the needle, jack?" "i did." "what did it show?" "the needle was straight up and down!" "i knew it!" cried the old inventor. "i said we would reach the pole, and we have!" "it ain't goin' to do us a heab sight ob good," said washington. "i'd rather hab a good barber pole any day! no north poles fo' me!" "hush, washington!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "this is no time to joke. you are sure you made no mistake, jack?" "i am sure, sir." "i thought we were at the pole when i saw that the gas engine had stopped," went on the professor. "the attraction of the earth-magnets at the pole exerted such a strong influence on the iron and steel that the gas machine could not work. at last i have reached the goal of my ambitions!" the ship remained stationary for several minutes. those aboard began to have hopes. the snow storm was still as fierce as ever, but that was all the manifestation of the elements. "i want to take a look at the needle," said the professor. "i feel all right now; i was only a little faint from my fall. how are you, andy?" "i feel much better," replied the hunter, whose delirium had somewhat left him. "my arm is sore, that's all. but why have you all got your furs on?" "we had to turn off the stoves," explained amos henderson. "you had better put your's on, too, andy. you'll need them. we could only cover you over when you were in the bunk." the hunter soon began to realize that it was chilly in the ship, and he donned his heavy garments. the professor started for the conning tower. he gave one glance at the needle of the deflecting compass, and a look of disappointment came over his face. "it is not pointing down," he said to jack, who had followed him. "but i am sure it did when i noticed it," replied the boy. "then we have come past the pole," was amos henderson's opinion. "there is only a small spot that is exactly north, and we have passed over it during the storm. we must return. i want to descend exactly there and make some experiments. tell washington to start the engines. we will turn the ship around and go back!" "we may run into the whirlwind again," objected jack. "that is so, i did not think of that. however, tell washington to get everything in readiness." it was no small task to get the engine room into shape after the upsetting it had been subjected to, but with the help of the boys and the two men washington succeeded. in about an hour the _monarch_ was ready to be sent up or down, forward or back. since she had ceased falling she had remain at a stationary height, about half a mile above the earth. meanwhile professor henderson was trying to make up his mind what to do. he wanted very much to get to the exact north pole, or the spot where the imaginary pole was supposed to be. but he hesitated about taking the airship back over the course, and run the chance of again encountering the whirlwind. "the more i think of it," he said to jack and mark, who had joined him, "the more i think that the whirlwind is always there. it did not come to us, we ran into it. it may be caused by the magnetic currents at the pole eternally revolving. i am afraid to go back within their influence, for it might mean death." "i have a plan," said jack modestly. "let us hear it," came from the professor. "i am at a loss what to do." "supposing we let the ship down now," jack continued, "and walk back until we come to the north pole, since it must be near here. we can take along the deflecting needle to tell when we reach it, and the whirlwind will not do much harm if we are on the ground and afoot." "good idea!" exclaimed the professor. "we'll do it. washington, let the gas out and we'll descend!" in a few minutes a hissing told that the gas was being let out of the silk bag. soon the ship began to sink gently toward the earth, through the clouds of snow. "let us go outside," suggested jack. "the wind doesn't blow now, and the snow will not hurt us. we will be warm enough in our furs." mark voted the suggestion a good one, and the two boys went out on the deck. washington was busy in the engine room, and the professor was in the conning tower, so they did not go, but tom and bill said they would like to get a little fresh air, even if the temperature was far below zero, and they joined the lads. the four stood and gazed in wonder at the strange scene. at first the terrible cold cut them as if it was a keen knife. but they soon grew used to it, and enjoyed what little of it reached them through the opening in their fur caps. the snowflakes covered everything and the airship looked more like a craft bedecked from stem to stern with cotton batting than anything else. jack and mark walked around to the stern. suddenly mark stumbled over something. "what's this?" he cried. jack hurried to his side. as he did so the bundle gave a heave, and, breaking through the snow blanket, there was displayed the calm features of dirola. "me sleep!" she announced with a smile. and that was what she had been doing while the airship was being whirled around by the strange force! she had braced herself in a corner, pulled her furs about her face, and slumbered, even when the ship turned over. so well braced was she that she did not tumble off. "well! she's a cool one!" exclaimed mark. "i guess you'd be too, if you slept out of doors with the temperature about seventy below zero," remarked jack. "but let's go in and tell the professor dirola is here. he may be worried about her." the boys started for the cabin. they had not taken five steps before, with a sudden lurch, the airship dived like a kite without its tail. then the craft turned completely over! jack and mark with the two helpers and dirola were thrown from the deck, head first, toward the earth! down and down they fell, uttering despairing cries! chapter xxi lost in the snow once more the wind blew with hurricane force. on board the _monarch_ washington and professor henderson were tossed to the ceiling again. then the ship righted herself. "de boys! de boys!" cried washington, suddenly thinking of them. "dey hab falled off!" "great scott! so they have!" exclaimed the inventor. "that is, unless they grabbed something as we went over!" "an de sesquitomexico woman, too!" cried the colored man, meaning dirola. "i guess she went with the others," said the professor. "we must take a look as soon as it is safe." then came a strong gust of wind that hurled the ship forward. when it had subsided washington and the old inventor ventured outside. the boys were nowhere to be seen. "they are lost!" cried andy, who had crawled to the bow of the ship after the captain and washington. for a little while longer the airship sailed along easily, the wind no more rushing with such force. then, all at once the craft settled down until, with a jerk, it came to rest on a big snow bank. "we's landed!" exclaimed washington. "we's hit de ole north pole at last. now i'll see what sort ob a stick it is!" "we've landed sure enough," remarked the professor, "but i'm afraid we are not at the north pole. however, in view of all that has happened, i suppose we had better stop here for a while. some of the machinery is wrecked by the overturning of the ship, but i guess we can fix it. i only wish i knew where the boys and the two men were." "don't forget dirola," spoke up andy. "we owe a good deal to her." it stopped snowing about half an hour after the _monarch_ had found lodgement on the edge of a bank of ice. from the deck and windows of the craft nothing could be seen but a big expanse of white. it was a cold, lifeless world to which the ship had brought what remained of her crew and owner. the engine room of the _monarch_ was once more a sorry sight, and washington and the inventor worked like a dozen men in restoring order. they soon had things in ship-shape, but one of the motors would require considerable repairing before it would run again. however, it was not the most important one, and the craft could run without it, though only at half speed. suddenly, there came from without a chorus of shouts. "what's that?" cried the professor. "sounded like some one calling," ventured andy. "it am de boys and tom and bill come back to overjoy us," said washington. the shouts grew louder. andy glanced from a cabin window. "the esquimaux! the esquimaux!" he exclaimed. "here they are after us again! they'll carry us back to the ice cave and eat us alive this time!" "these are not the same ones!" cried the professor. "we are hundreds of miles from the ice cave." "then these are the ones the mysterious message was about," said andy, "and we had better be on our guard!" "perhaps these are dirola's friends," ventured amos henderson. "if they are i wish we had her here to intercede for us." there came a rattling against the sides of the airship. it sounded like a storm of hail. "they are firing arrows at us!" yelled andy. "that doesn't look very friendly." "wait until i go out and speak to them," suggested the professor. "they will respect my gray, hairs." he went outside. the ship was surrounded by hundreds of little men, all dressed in thick furs. at the sight of the ship's commander they gave a loud yell. "i wisht i'd neber done come to de north pole!" groaned washington. he grabbed up a rifle and followed andy outside. at the sight of them the esquimaux set up louder yells, and shot another shower of arrows. fortunately none of the missiles struck the white men. "stop firing!" said the professor, raising his hand. "we mean you no harm!" his answer was a wilder burst of yells. "fire over their heads! maybe that will teach them a little respect," spoke andy. he and washington discharged their guns several times in rapid succession. with frightened yells the men in furs fell flat on their faces. "we've scared them!" cried andy. but he reckoned without his host, for in an instant the esquimaux had leaped to their feet and were rushing toward the ship. "here they come!" shouted the hunter. "shoot to kill, washington! look out for yourself, professor!" "don't kill them!" yelled amos henderson. "they are too many for us, and our only hope is to try peaceful means!" but washington aimed his rifle straight in the faces of the advancing men of the snow country and pulled the trigger rapidly. half a dozen sharp reports rang out, and several esquimaux fell on the ice, which became red with their blood. however, the negro's aim was not good, and the wounds were only in arms or legs of the natives. this served to check their ardor for a while, and the advance was halted while the wounded were carried back. but the esquimaux were only made more angry by the resistance. they came on again with wild cries and, though andy, washington and the professor fought with all their strength, clubbing their guns and cracking several of the savages over the head, they were finally overpowered. from one who seemed to be a leader of the natives several sharp orders came. the others listened and then, lifting the three prisoners, who had been securely bound, they hurried with them from the deck of the ship. "we's ketched agin!" cried washington. "they'll eat us shuah dis time! land ob goshen! how i does wish i'd neber come heah!" there was little time for protest, reflection or anything else. once the esquimaux had secured their prisoners they lost no time in hastening away. the airship did not seem to interest them. hoisting the three men on shoulders, the natives fairly ran along over the ice. "i wish they'd bring up a sled," said andy. "it would be easier than this style. the breath is 'most jolted out of me." as if in answer to his desire, the party of esquimaux soon came upon a little camp. there were several ice huts, and a number of sleds, while the yelping of scores of dogs could be heard on every side. in a few minutes, after a short talk among the natives, the captives were tossed, none too gently, all on one big sled, a dog team was hitched fast, and a driver started them off across the field of ice. "good-bye to de ole _monarch_!" cried washington. "no mo' good meals in yo'! landy! landy! i wisht i had some dynamite to blow dese heathen up!" "hush!" cried andy. "i've got three revolvers in my pockets. i'll slip you one if i can get my arms free, but don't fire until i give the word. we'll have to save our shots." "we seem to be having nothing but bad luck," said professor henderson. "i am afraid it is all up with us this time. those poor boys, and bill and tom! i wish i knew what had become of them!" "same here!" remarked andy. then the captives became silent, filled with their sad thoughts and worry over their predicament. on and on went the sledge over the ice, into the unknown. mile after mile was covered. then the driver of the prisoners, as well as the one in charge of three sleds that followed, halted the dogs. all the natives talked rapidly together, pointing this way and that. "they've missed the path!" exclaimed andy. "we are lost in this land of snow!" chapter xxii magnetic fire worshipers jack's only thought, when he felt himself falling from the deck of the airship to the earth, was that he would strike on a pinnacle of ice and be killed. much the same were the feelings of the others, as they admitted later. jack was half senseless from fright when, seemingly half an hour after he tumbled, though in reality it was but a few seconds, he stuck head first into a big drift of soft snow. his mouth, ears, eyes and nose were filled with the fluffy flakes, and he nearly choked before he could struggle to an upright position and clear a breathing space. to his astonishment he saw similar struggles going on in several places in the snow. first mark stuck his head out of the drift. then bill's face appeared, to be followed by tom's, and next dirola bobbed up, smiling as though it was the biggest joke in the world, and as if falling from an airship was an every-day occurrence with her. "well, we're alive," remarked jack, after getting his breath. "we couldn't have fallen so very far after all," said mark. "it seemed like a mighty long ways when i was a-comin'," came from bill. "we went fast, an' we stopped pretty suddint!" was tom's opinion. "lucky we had a sort of feather bed under us. i'd hate to fall right on the ice." "come down soon!" exclaimed dirola with a laugh, in which all joined, in spite of their sorry plight. it was still snowing and terribly cold. they pulled the hoods of their fur coats close about their faces and scrambled out on the ice. "i guess the ship was closer to the earth when we fell than we thought," said mark. "i suppose we had better hunt around for the _monarch_," observed jack. "it can't be a great way off, for professor henderson was bringing it down and the propeller was not moving." "let's start right away," said mark. "i'm hungry, and the sooner we find the ship the better off we'll be. but this snow is every bit as bad as a fog." it was, indeed, and the boys and men could not distinguish each other ten feet distant. in spite of this, however, jack started off in the direction he thought the ship might be. "no go! no go!" called dirola. "git lost! fall in hole! die! better stay here! snow stop! me show you!" "she means we'll get lost if we wander off," said jack. "i guess we'd better do as she says." dirola seemed in good spirits and not a bit discouraged by the storm. she walked slowly about, as if looking for something. then, with a cry, she began digging at a certain spot. "what in the world is she doing?" asked mark. "i don't know," said jack. "maybe she's after a rabbit," observed bill. "i'd like a good hot rabbit stew myself." dirola's hands, encased in heavy fur gloves, made the snow fly. in a little while she held up a, dark mass of what looked like seaweed. "eat! um good!" she exclaimed. "i guess it's some kind of moss that the people up north eat," remarked tom. "i remember reading something about it once. i suppose we'd better tackle it, for we may not get a meal in some time." jack, who had been fumbling in the big pocket of his fur coat, gave a sudden cry. "what's the matter; somethin' bit ye?" asked bill. "look here!" cried the boy, and he held up a large tin can. "what is it; soup?" inquired mark. "it's some of those capsule foods from the ship," said jack, reading the label. "i remember i put it in my pocket when i thought the ship was going to be wrecked. i felt i might need it. now it will come in handy." "but what is it?" insisted mark. "it's a combination of chocolate, wheat, malt and preserved milk," replied jack, looking at the label again, "and it says that one capsule, if chewed and swallowed, is as much as an ordinary meal. there are two hundred capsules in here, and that will last us for a few days at least." "not very hearty eatin', 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'," said bill; "but i guess with that and the moss dirola can dig up we'll get along." the esquimaux woman had finished her simple meal. she dug up quite a quantity of the moss and laid it on top of a big pile of ice, where she could find it again. "must build house now," she announced. "make place for sleep. i show you!" in a little while a large space was scooped out of the snow drift. many hands soon enlarged the cave until it was large enough for all to move about inside with comfort. "now for dinner!" exclaimed jack, as he opened the tin. the meal, though simple, was satisfying, and soon the lost ones felt more comfortable. "it's stopped snowing!" announced mark, going to the entrance of the cave, "and it's much colder. i guess we'll stay here a while." he returned to his companions. they all went as far to the rear of the cave as they could, for the wind came in the wide entrance. "we must make a winding passage, and then the breeze can't find it's way in," suggested jack. "i think--" but what he thought he never told, for at that instant the floor of the snow cave gave way right under where they were all standing, and the whole five of them went slipping, sliding and tumbling down, they knew not to where. for an instant all were so surprised and frightened that they could not even cry out. they were plunged into dense blackness. "what has happened?" jack cried. before any one could answer him, the blackness gave way to a glare of light, and the two boys, with dirola and the men, brought up suddenly with a jolt on the floor of a big ice cavern. it was several hundred feet long, and as many wide, with a roof fifty feet above their heads. the sides were of pure ice, but, strangest of all, was the rosy, golden glow that filled the whole place. with wonder in their eyes the adventurers gazed at the source of the illumination. at one end of the cavern was a rude altar. behind it, and on both sides, there arose great streamers of fire, tongues of flame, red, green, blue, purple, yellow and glaring white. yet the fire did not burn, for there was ice on every side, and the ice did not melt. in wonder the crew of the _monarch_ gazed. presently from the other end of the cave there sounded a wild, weird song. it was like a chant. then, before the adventurers could get to there feet, there filed into the cavern two score of men, all dressed in white fur. at the head of the procession marched two men who were veritable giants, compared to those about them. they bore between them, on a rude litter, a man, wearing only a fur cloth about his middle. "what is it?" whispered jack in awed accents. "they are fire-worshipers!" exclaimed mark. "if they see us they'll kill us!" "they must be going to sacrifice that poor man on the altar," spoke jack. "come, let's see if we can't crawl out of the way." the head of the procession was now close to the altar, and had passed the adventurers, who were off to one side, in about the middle of the cavern. up some ice steps the two giants in white went, bearing their victim. the poor fellow gave one loud shriek as he was brought nearer to the colored flames. "oh! oh! oh!" screamed dirola, sinking down on the floor of the cavern. chapter xxiii a strange sacrifice the natives who had made professor henderson, andy, and washington prisoners seemed at a loss for some little time as to which direction to take. they talked among themselves, while the prisoners were much alarmed, for if the esquimaux were lost, and without food, it would mean the death of all. at last, however, the native in charge of the main sled prevailed on the others, and they proceeded, turning off to the left. the sleds, including that on which the prisoners were, bumped along over the ice, the dogs pulling the rude vehicles along swiftly. it was about an hour later that another halt was made. this time it did not seem to be because the way was lost, for the natives showed no signs of alarm. instead, they were laughing and talking. in a little while the small advance party was joined by a larger body of esquimaux, who had been at the attack on the airship, but who had taken a different route. then the whole crowd started forward again. half an hour's travel brought another halt, this time a final one, for when the professor and his companions glanced around them they found they were in the midst of a native village of ice huts. "golly! we's somewhere, anyhow," spoke washington; "but i can't say i thinks much ob dis place. it's too lonesome." "better be here than out on the ice field," spoke up the professor. "the esquimaux have little stone stoves in which they burn oil, and their huts are quite warm inside." in a few minutes the captives had a chance to test this statement. they were unbound and carried from the sled to one of the larger huts. as is usual in the far northern regions, each hut was made of blocks of ice laid one on the other, forming a semicircular house, with a round dome. the door or entrance was so small that the only way to get in was to crawl. there was no door to keep the cold out, but the passage was made a winding one, or there were two huts, one built over the other, so that the openings did not come opposite, and this served to keep out the wind. arriving at the doorway, the esquimaux set their prisoners down in front of the house, and signed to them to crawl in. the professor went first, followed by andy and washington. inside they found the place to be warm from the flame of a crude stove. this consisted of a hollowed out stone, filled with seal oil, the wick being made of moss. the stove, or lamp, for it served both purposes, smoked very much. there were several natives squatting down inside the hut, but they did not seem surprised when the three prisoners entered. others of the esquimaux crowded into the ice house, until it was uncomfortably filled. then a native who seemed to be a leader began a long talk to the others. judging from his gestures he was telling about the fight at the airship and the capture of the captives. at times he would be interrupted by those who wanted to question him. at length the recital was done. all the esquimaux, save about half a dozen, crawled out of the hut. one of those who remained placed an earthen pot over the flame of the stove, and soon a delicious smell filled the air. evidently something good was being cooked. "it's chicken pot-pie," said washington. "how i does love chicken!" presently one of the natives removed the pot from the stove and set it in front of the captives. the contents were steaming hot, and seemed to be some sort of meat stew, made with chunks of flesh, gravy and moss. "how are we going to eat, without knives, forks or spoons?" asked andy. he soon found out. the natives who had remained in the hut drew up to the pot. they dipped their bare hands in, drew out pieces of meat and wads of the moss, and ate without ceremony. "fingers were made before forks," quoted the professor. "we'll have to eat as the old cave-dwellers did. well, i'm hungry enough not to stand on politeness." he reached in the vessel and got some meat. it was hot, but he did not mind that, and ate it with a relish. andy and washington followed his example, and soon the travelers from the _monarch_ and the esquimaux were eating together as if they had been friends all their lives. when the rude meal had ended, the prisoners felt much better. they were warm, their hunger was appeased, and, in spite of their many worries over the loss of the airship and their companions, they were so tired out that they felt very sleepy. soon the professor's head nodded over, shortly andy was snoring and in a little while washington too slumbered. they did not know how long they had slept, but they were suddenly and rudely awakened by being shaken. opening their eyes, they saw the hut was filled with esquimaux, all clothed in suits of spotless white fur. "these must all be chiefs," remarked the professor. with quick motions the natives bound their captives again, with stout thongs. then, like so many logs of wood, they were pulled out of the hut on their backs, a native outside hauling on one end of the skin ropes. there was no telling what hour it was, for the sun shone as brightly as it had been doing for days past. once more the three men were tossed on sleds, and the dogs, driven by the esquimaux, hauled them off. but it was not a far journey this time. in about fifteen minutes the sleds came to a stop, the prisoners were lifted off, and carried, as they could see, toward a large opening in a hill of ice and snow. as soon as they had passed from the sunlight to darkness, the captives knew they were in a sort of cave. the blackness was intense, but in a short time there was a faint glow observed ahead, caused by a number of the stone lamps burning. at that point were gathered several more of the esquimaux, all attired in white furs. there was some excitement when the prisoners were brought in, and all crowded around to see them. then began what seemed a discussion among the natives. they talked loud and long. finally from some other part of the cave two tall men, dressed as the others were, in white, came in. they seemed to be in authority, for when they had spoken all the others were silent. while the captives waited in anxiety for what would happen next, the whole cave was illuminated with a wonderful light. it was rosy red at first, then changed to a golden hue, then to green, yellow, blue and purple. the captives could not see where the fire came from, but they gazed at the light in mingled fear and admiration. "it is the northern light; the aurora borealis!" exclaimed the professor. "it is the most beautiful light in the world." "what makes it?" asked andy. "electricity, magnetism, the sun and the intense cold; no one knows exactly what produces it," replied amos henderson. "it is quite likely that there is some opening to this cave, and the sun shines in it, or the lights may be reflected from outside by reason, of the ice, which acts as a mirror." "it's pretty," observed andy, "but all the same i'd rather--" he got no further for the two giant-sized natives advanced quickly toward them. one roughly seized professor henderson, and, with the help of his companion, began stripping off his clothes. andy started forward to aid the captain, but the other natives held him back. washington, too, was restrained by several hands. in a few minutes the professor was stripped, except for a piece of fur about his middle. then a rude litter was brought in. the two big natives, after pouring some oil over the old man, placed their victim on the stretcher, and then began a march up the cave. washington and andy were forced to walk directly behind the inventor, and were surrounded by natives on every side. the poor professor soon became half insensible from the cold. "this is terrible!" groaned andy. "dey is goin' to slaughter him!" wailed washington. "he'll be sacrificed and burned up! see, de altar ob de sacrifice am just ahead. oh! i wisht we wuz all dead!" "we're likely to be, soon enough," muttered andy. "but keep up your courage!" at that instant the head of the procession was close to the ice altar. behind it the mysterious lights played and flickered in streamers of red, green and gold. up the steps went the two gigantic men, carrying the professor. they were about to sacrifice him in a horrible way! "oh! oh! oh!" screamed a woman's voice. at the sound of it andy started. "that was dirola!" exclaimed the old hunter. "how did she get here?" chapter xxiv saved by dirola instantly the ice cavern was a scene of great uproar and confusion. the procession broke up as soon as dirola cried out and the intruders at the sacrifice were observed. all, save those carrying the victim and those guarding andy and washington, rushed with their long bone knives at jack and mark and the two helpers from the airship. "there are the boys!" cried andy, trying to break away from those who held him. "an' tom an' bill is there likewise!" exclaimed washington, who had caught a glimpse of the two helpers. "de heathen am goin' to kill 'um!" "we're here, jack!" sung out the hunter. "make the best fight you can, for we are in terrible hands. the poor professor is done for, i guess, and we'll soon be, too!" his voice rang out high above the shouts and yells of the natives, who were now in a dense circle about the two boys and their companions. "we haven't anything to fight with!" called back mark. "well, i have!" yelled andy. with a quick motion he snatched his arms from the encircling ones of his captors. his fists went back. there were two quick, sharp blows, and two of the esquimaux who were guarding the old hunter toppled backward. with suddenness that was startling andy drew a brace of revolvers from his inner pockets. he leveled them at the mass of white figures in front of him, on whose fierce faces the colored lights gleamed and flickered. andy's fingers trembled on the triggers. he was about to fire. "lay low, boys!" he called to the _monarch's_ crew. "i'll get rid of a few of these savages before i go!" "no shoot! no shoot!" screamed dirola. she darted from her place, broke through the circle of natives, and rushed up to where andy stood with leveled weapons. "no shoot! me save!" she cried. she was all but too late. andy's fingers had crooked on the triggers, but dirola pushed his arms upward, and when the two reports rang out the bullets struck the icy roof of the cavern. in the confined space the shots sounded almost like thunder. a silence that was startling in its suddenness fell as the echoes of the reports died away. dirola ran toward the altar. she grasped the arms of the two big esquimaux, who had taken professor henderson from the litter with the intention of sacrificing the old inventor. she cried out one word in a strange tongue. the men stopped as though she had struck them. then, with a dramatic gesture, she mounted to the top step of the altar. a chorus of cries greeted her. she seemed to pay no heed. silent and straight she stood there on the steps of ice, her figure in dark relief against the background of flickering lights. the next instant dirola, with a motion so quick the eye could scarcely follow, slipped off her suit of black fur, and stood revealed in dress of white fur, the exact counterpart of that worn by all the others in the cave. a low murmur of astonishment ran around the vast cavern. then, as if by common impulse, every one kneeled down, dirola alone of all the esquimaux remaining upright. the cave dwellers were bowing down to one they either feared or loved. then dirola spoke. at first her words were slow. gradually she talked faster, until she was speaking a very torrent of sounds. she pointed, first to the insensible body of the old inventor at her feet, next to the group of white men and boys, and then to andy and washington. she gave some command, evidently, for no sooner had she ceased than those who had attacked mark, jack and the two farmers drew back, and left them free. at the same time, those surrounding andy and the negro withdrew. then some warm furs were thrown over the cold body of the professor and he was borne gently away. dirola glided to where andy stood, not knowing what to make of it all. "no be feared now," she said. "they take ole man way an' warm him an' feed him. he be all right. so you be all right, an' boys an' oder mans. no be feared now. them do what i tell 'um!" and she motioned to the natives, who had risen to their feet as soon as she left the ice altar. "how in the world did you do it?" asked the old hunter. "me chief one--what you call 'um--queen here. long time go. me be take prisoner when you found me. me come back. me glad. no let ingliss mans an' boys be hurt, nor 'um black man too. me save. me be queen agin!" "how does that strike you?" went on andy, to mark and jack, who had joined him. "the luckiest thing we ever did was to pick up dirola." "to think we should land right among her own people, too!" spoke up jack. "it's just like a fairy story." "but where in the world did you come from?" asked andy. "we thought you were all killed by falling from the ship." "not a bit," replied jack, and he told the old hunter what had happened to himself, mark and the others. in turn andy related his experiences. "if only the poor professor comes around all right we'll be in pretty good shape," finished the old man. "but i'm afraid he's frozen. i wonder what they were going to do with him." "put him in big hole, where all ice," broke in dirola. "that what we do when the lights shine. but we no hurt any you now. you all safe. me save!" "i guess that was their intention," muttered andy. "they were going to sacrifice him to the goddess of ice, i suppose. well, well, we certainly are having plenty of experiences." many of the natives had now left the cave. dirola gave an order to one of the big esquimaux who had remained, and he went off on the run. "we eat now," the woman remarked. "me plenty hungry too, professor come back an' eat wid you." in a few minutes professor henderson, warmly clad, was brought in, leaning on the shoulder of the big man who, a little while before, had been about to sacrifice him. the old inventor was weak, but had suffered no serious harm. his body had been coated with thick oil before the proposed sacrifice, as part of the ceremony, and this had served, in a large measure, to keep the cold out. he was warmly greeted by his friends, and then they all squatted down on the ice, while in a few minutes a big earthen pot of hot stew was brought in. dirola ate with them, dipping her fingers in with the others. "it's the first time i ever ate with a queen," said jack with a smile. "me sure queen," said the woman with a laugh. "me tell you 'bout it." whereupon she related how she was of the royal house, and had, on the death of her father, ascended to the throne. then came the visit of the white men, including andre, whose strange message the adventurers had found. he was driven, with his companions, from the land. then the esquimaux of dirola's tribe had been attacked by others living farther south. a great battle had been fought and the queen and others were taken prisoners. dirola had been held captive until the advent of the _monarch_. she did not know how close she was to her own people and the big sacrificial cave, until she fell into it with the boys and farmers. then the procession came in and dirola recognized professor henderson as the victim. she at once resolved to declare herself, and did so, showing that beneath the black fur she wore the white robes that none but members of the royal household could don. the woman also explained how the big cave was used for religious services by her people, who worshiped the northern lights, or magnetic fire that never burned, and she told how they sacrificed to it at times. "well, i hope they don't sacrifice any of us," said the professor. "i was as near death as i ever care to go. i wonder what has become of my airship. if we--" "what's that?" cried jack, starting up. "listen!" came from another. far off in the cave sounded a strange, wild, weird chant. then came the tramp of many feet. a little later a great concourse of people came rushing into the cave, led by a score of the white-robed men. "they're coming back after us!" cried andy. "here, take a revolver, professor, and defend yourself!" chapter xxv adrift on the ice "no shoot! me save!" exclaimed dirola, springing in front of andy. "you trust me!" on came the crowd, plainly visible because of the magnetic fire. it came to a halt a short distance in front of the adventurers, while from the ranks of the white-robed ones stepped forth a native. he spoke rapidly to dirola, who answered him in fierce tones. for several minutes the conversation was kept up. at length dirola appeared to gain her point, for the crowd withdrew and once more the captives were alone with their esquimaux friend. "what did they want?" asked andy. "some people no believe me queen," explained the newly-discovered ruler. "they come in an' be mad. then some no satisfy. they want have sacrifice. i tell 'um no sacrifice of 'um white men what save my life. i save 'um for they bring me back. people no like, but must do. me queen!" and she drew herself up proudly. "them must do what dirola say!" "they may this time," muttered andy, "but the next time they may not. i think this isn't a very healthy place for us, professor." "i would only be too glad to get away, and back to my ship," said the inventor. "i am satisfied i have reached and passed the north pole. i would be glad to go back home again." "me take care you," spoke dirola. "wait few days. see! you come, me hide you." she looked carefully around. there was no one in sight save the party from the _monarch_. then, proceeding with caution, dirola led the way up to and behind the big altar of ice. the mysterious fires behind it had died out somewhat, and once in the rear of the steps the captives could see a long icy shaft, leading down deep into the earth. there was also an opening in the roof of the cavern, down which the sunlight and magnetic currents came. "go easy so no fall," cautioned dirola. "if fall down hole never git up!" the prisoners needed no bidding to warn them to be wary of the cruel looking shaft, and they gave it a wide berth. dirola led the way past it to a small chamber or room, hewn out of the ice to the left and rear of the altar. "you stay here," she said. "they no find you here. this great place--what you call holy place. here all white robes stay," and she showed where were piled many of the garments of white fur. the place was evidently a storehouse for the ceremonial robes. "me go now an' come back," spoke dirola. "me try find ship. you keep quiet!" she glided away, almost like a ghost in the semi-darkness, through which her white furs showed plainly. left to themselves, the captives were in no easy frame of mind. they did not know what would happen next, whether they could depend on dirola or whether the mob would come after them to offer all of them up as sacrifices to the goddess of ice. "what puzzles me," said andy, "is how we both happened to fetch up in the same cave. you boys, with bill, tom and dirola, land in one place on the ice and fall into this cave. we in the ship continue on for some distance, are brought a good ways on sleds and yet here we are with you." "the ship might have been blown backward instead of forward after the boys fell off," suggested the professor. "that would explain it. the esquimaux were traveling to this cave with us, and simply brought us from where the ship had been blown, up to where the boys landed." "i guess that must be it," admitted andy; "but listen! some one is coming." footsteps were heard approaching. in a few seconds dirola entered the ice chamber. "i fix it!" she exclaimed. "you must all go 'way quick. the people want kill you, but me save. listen. you climb up the slide me an' boys come down. me bring sharp bones," and she brought out from under her jacket several sharp bone picks. "make um steps in ice; climb up. go in little cave, where boys know. there man wait for you wid sled an' dogs. he take you to airship. but hurry, hurry! people be after you soon when find you gone. me keep 'um back long what i can, but not for very long, so you go fast." "we must lose no time," said the professor. "this may be our last chance. how can we thank you, dirola?" "never mind talk, go!" exclaimed the esquimaux queen. "must hurry!" the captives were anxious enough to escape. led by dirola they went out into the main cavern. it was quite dark, as the sun had moved around so it no longer shone in the opening, and the mysterious lights had died away. they were soon at the bottom of the slope by means of which the boys and the helpers had fallen into the ice cave. "now climb up!" dirola commanded. "me give people big feast 'cause i back again. they eat an' no think of you for long time, but they chase when they find out. hurry! hurry!" it was no easy task for the prisoners to make their way up the icy slope. each one was given a pair of short sharp-pointed heavy bones. with these in their hands, using them much as a seal does his tusks, they managed to scramble up the slippery incline. soon they found themselves able to enter the cave the boys, bill, tom and dirola had made, through the opening from which they had tumbled. "good-bye," called dirola to them, as they passed out of her sight. "good-bye," all called back softly, from the roof of the cavern. it was the last they were to see of their kind friend. outside of the little cave they found a native waiting with a large sled, to which twenty dogs were hitched. the esquimaux seemed to be watching for them, for he made a sign that they were to get on a sled. no time was lost. dirola had evidently made her plans well and in haste. the dog driver looked to see that his charges were safe, and then cracked his long whip. off went the sled at a swift pace, the animals tugging at their harness. not a native was in sight save the one driving the sled. they were all probably at the feast dirola had prepared in celebration of her home-coming. "this is the first sled ride we've had when we were not tied on like so much cordwood," observed andy. "now we have a chance to observe the scenery." faster and faster went the sled. it was a calm clear cold day--or it might have been night as far as time went, but the sun shone from a blue sky. it was very cold, and the heavy furs made the adventurers none too warm. suddenly, as the party sped on, there came a loud explosion. it was like a great cannon being fired. "what was that?" exclaimed andy, starting in alarm. with a cry of fear the dog driver pointed behind him. looking over their shoulders, the escaping ones saw a great crack in the ice field. in it showed the black waters of the ocean. ahead appeared an ever-widening black line, and on either side it was the same. a large part of the ice field had become detached and was floating out to sea. though they did not know it, the adventurers had driven over the water and away from the land. "we are adrift on the ice!" cried andy. "we only escaped from one danger to fall into another!" chapter xxvi fighting wild dogs for a moment the realization of their horrible position struck all dumb. adrift on the great polar sea, they might freeze to death before they again got near to the main land. the dogs continued to run on, approaching nearer the ever-widening crack in front. the driver seemed to suddenly awaken to the danger. with a series of sharp commands he brought the team to a halt. then, signing to the adventurers to get off the sled, he turned it over on the side. next he unhitched the dogs, and fastened them by their thongs to his whip handle, which he stuck in a crack in the ice. the beasts were thus secured at some distance from the sled. this done, the esquimaux took the fur robes that had been on the sleigh, and, spreading them over the frame of the vehicle, made a low but fairly large and comfortable tent. he motioned for the men and boys to crawl inside, which they were glad enough to do, to escape the bitter wind. then the native sat down in the low doorway of the shelter and seemed willing to wait for whatever turned up. "it doesn't seem to worry him much," observed andy. "he certainly has made us comfortable," said jack. "i wonder what we are going to do?" "wait and see what turns up," advised the professor. "we are on a large ice floe. it may float for many days, and, after a while, strike the main ice again. when it does we will escape." "yes, an' what am we goin' to eat in dat time?" demanded washington. with a triumphant gesture jack pulled from his pocket a tin can. it contained the patent condensed food capsules. "hurrah!" cried the professor on seeing it. "this will keep us from starving for many days!" "lucky i didn't lose this after all i've been through," said jack. the meagre rations were distributed, the esquimaux driver coming in for his share. the patent food, though a small quantity sufficed for a meal, was fairly satisfying, and soon all felt better. it was quite warm under the little tent, and the adventurers stretched out for a rest. they had been dozing several hours when a series of wild yelps and barks outside roused them. with an exclamation the driver jumped to his feet and rushed toward where he had tied the dogs. the professor and the others crawled from the tent to see what the trouble was. they saw that which filled them with fear. the esquimaux dogs, never any too tame, had gone half mad and wild from fear at seeing the water all around them, and from lack of food. they were fighting among themselves, snarling, biting and barking viciously. just before the driver reached them they broke loose from the thongs that held them, and started for the tent. the esquimaux tried to stop them, but two of the savage brutes sprang at him and soon had him down on the ice. the other dogs rushed on toward the group of adventurers, who stood still, awaiting the onslaught, and not knowing what to do. "we must defend ourselves!" cried andy. "those beasts will tear us apart! they are as savage as wolves! oh, for my rifle!" "haven't you a revolver?" cried jack. "of course! i forgot," said andy, bringing out his two weapons. "washington has one, too! hurry up with it, washington!" "i'll give mine to jack!" yelled the negro, handing the boy the weapon, and then, taking to his heels, ran away from the on-coming brutes. the animals were now fifty feet off and advancing rapidly. their eyes flashed with the mad rage of hunger and fear, while foam dripped from their jaws. taking careful aim, andy fired both revolvers at the pack of animals. they were so close together he could not help hitting some. two fell, killed or badly wounded. jack also fired and dropped one dog. but the others came on, never halting. "fire as fast as you can!" cried andy. "it is our only chance! we must stop them!" the old hunter and jack pulled the triggers of their weapons rapidly. spurts of flame and small clouds of smoke issued from the muzzles, and several more of the dogs were killed. there were at least a dozen dogs left when the revolver chambers were empty, and with wild bounds they leaped upon the adventurers. the yelping and barking sounded loud above the hoarse shouts of the men and boys, who, with their fists, prepared to fight the wild dogs. "hit 'em with chunks of ice!" called andy. his advice came just in time. each one grabbed up a chunk of the frozen water. it was as hard as a stone. one big brute leaped for the professor's throat. in his weakened condition, caused by his exposure in the ice chamber, it seemed as if the old inventor would be killed. suddenly a white object flew through the air. it struck the dog on the head, and the brute, with a howl, fell back. jack had launched his chunk of ice just in time. "good shot!" cried andy. he hit another of the brutes over the skull with some of the frozen stuff, and washington, whose courage had returned, did likewise. tom and bill disabled the two dogs nearest them. mark aimed at once fierce beast, but missed his shot, and, slipping on the ice, fell right in the animal's path. in an instant the brute was upon him. "lie on your back and cover your head with your arms!" shouted andy, as he ran toward the animal. mark did as he was told. the dog endeavored to bite him, but the stout furs on his back prevented much damage being done. then, having secured a large chunk of ice, andy ran up behind the beast and stretched it out with a well-directed blow. mark was saved, and scrambled to his feet uninjured. suddenly there sounded a series of sharp reports as if a rifle was being discharged. the refugees looked up, expecting to see some armed force coming to their aid. instead, they beheld the esquimaux driver approaching on the run. he was swinging his long-lashed whip, which he had secured from the crack in the ice where he had stuck it, and was snapping it vigorously. at the same time he called in his native language to the dogs to lie down. the brutes heard the cracking of the cruel thong, whose force they knew but too well, and they recognized their master's voice. on came the esquimaux, until, reaching the pack of dogs, he laid about among them with good will, the blows of the whip bringing blood. sticking their tails between their legs, the remaining dogs ran away with frightened yelps. the driver had come in the nick of time. "that was quite a fright!" panted andy, when the excitement was at an end. "my, but those were fierce brutes!" while the dogs that were left alive among the pack, including several wounded ones, withdrew to a far end of the ice floe, the adventurers crawled back under the tent for a much-needed rest. the esquimaux, with a silence worthy of an american indian, took up his position in the small doorway. it was growing much colder, and the big chunk of ice that served the refugees as a raft was moving quite rapidly over a choppy sea. it was several hours later that the esquimaux with a loud cry attracted all the others to the tent opening. he pointed ahead. "i believe we're drifting back to shore!" shouted andy. chapter xxvii back to the ship with anxious eyes the adventurers crawled out on the floe and gazed ahead. across the black stretch of water could be seen a dim whiteness. it looked like the main ice pack, but they realized that it might be only another floe or berg. the current was setting strong in the direction of it. "we will soon learn our fate," said the professor. "we should be up to it in an hour." in less time than that they were near enough to the white mass to tell that it was no floe or berg, but the main field of ice, part of that from which they had been separated. "i don't know as we'll be much better off when we get there," said andy. "there are not dogs enough left to draw the sled, and if we have to walk back to where the airship is, providing this esquimaux can find it, we'll freeze." "let us wait until we get to shore before we begin to find new trouble," counseled the professor. in a little while the floating floe bumped up against the main ice field with a grinding and crashing. no sooner had it touched than the dogs scampered off, and were soon lost to sight. the esquimaux did not seem to worry much over their disappearance. he coolly righted the sled, having first demolished the temporary tent, and proceeded, unaided, to haul the vehicle ashore. "give him a hand, washington," said the professor. "he is our friend, and rendered us good service. we must help him." then, while washington and the native dragged the sled, the others followed afoot, and in a short time were safe on the main ice. "now, the question is," said the inventor, "can our guide take us to the ship?" but the esquimaux guide seemed to be in no dilemma. he gave one look about, after reaching the main shore, and then, with washington helping him pull the sled, started off across the ice. it was no easy path for the adventurers to follow. there were little hills and hollows, many rough and few smooth places. their feet were weary before they had gone two miles. but the native did not seem to tire. "i declare to goodness i'se dat kerflusteredcated dat i can't extradition myself forward in dis line ob progression de leastest moment longer!" exclaimed washington at length, coming to a halt. "i'se prognosticated in de lower extremities!" "i suppose he means he's too tired to go any further and his legs ache," translated professor henderson. "well, he takes a lot of words, but i guess his condition is about like that of all of us. i'm tired too." one after another all admitted that they felt the need of rest. at the professor's direction they came to a halt under the shelter of an ice hill, that kept off some of the wind. here they made some sort of a meal of the condensed food. this served to render their fatigue a little less, and, after an hour's rest, they started off again. there did not seem to be much need of dragging along the sled, which was useless without dogs to pull it, but the vehicles are scarce and hard to make, so, doubtless, the esquimaux did not want to desert his property. mile after mile the refugees traversed. it was hard work and walking over the humpy ice was quite different from anything the adventurers were used to, and their feet ached very much. but they knew their only safety was in keeping on. the cold was terrible. they had no instruments for telling how low the mercury might be, but the professor ventured a guess that it was at seventy degrees below zero. the wind, too, sprang up, and adding to the unpleasant situation the sky was overcast with heavy clouds that threatened a snow storm. that would mean a calamity which might bring to an untimely end the brave men and boys who had dared so much in the search for the north pole. a blinding fall of the white flakes would result in the guide losing his way, and they might all perish. so they hurried on, anxious to get to the _monarch_, if they were lucky enough to find her. there was no use asking the guide any questions or trying to learn how much farther they had to go. professor henderson tried to learn from him if the journey would last much longer, but the esquimaux only shook his head, pointed in advance, and uttered but one word: "ship!" they kept on for several hours more. their pace was slow, for all of the adventurers, men and boys, were foot-sore and weary. the guide, however, did not seem to mind it. tom and bill took turns relieving washington at helping pull the sled. at last the party came to a long hill of ice. it was the hardest kind of going to climb to the top, but the esquimaux inspired hope in all their hearts by showing signs of excitement, while he exclaimed rapidly: "ship! ship! ship!" up the long slope they toiled, almost ready to drop at every step. finally they gained the top. the guide was in the lead. as he got to the summit he pointed down and gave a joyful cry. andy, weary as he was, hurried to his side. he gazed long and steadfastly in the direction the esquimaux pointed. "it's the _monarch_ sure enough!" cried the old hunter. "i can make out the yellow gas bag against the snow bank! hurrah!" "hurrah! hurrah!" yelled jack, mark, bill, washington and tom. even professor henderson joined in, and the esquimaux added his voice in a queer sort of native cheer that made all of the others smile. "now if we could only fly to her we'd be all right," exclaimed mark. the guide was busy overhauling the sled. he tightened some of the retaining thongs that had become loosened, and then, with guttural cries, he pointed to the vehicle, to the different members of the party and to the long slope that lay before them, and which led down almost to the abandoned airship. "i believe he means for us to coast down the hill on the sled!" cried andy. "that's a good scheme. it will beat walking all to pieces!" down, down, down the adventurers went, like an arrow shot from a stout bow. the bone runners of the sled glided over the frozen surface, which was as slippery as glass. the speed was very swift and the wind caused by the rapid passage cut in their faces so that all had to pull their fur hoods over their heads. the ice, scraped up by the runners, flew in a shower on either side. the esquimaux skillfully steered the sled. he avoided several hollows and gullies that would have brought disaster, and kept the vehicle on a proper course. in less than five minutes from the start at the top of the hill they were at the bottom, more than a mile's distance, and within a quarter of a mile of the airship. joy at the discovery of the _monarch_ lent strength to travel-weary legs. the refugees hastened on, and soon were at the place where the craft had settled on a bank of ice and snow. "back to the _monarch_!" shouted andy. "i hope the ship is in working order!" indeed this might well be a source of worry. one glance served to show that the airship was frozen fast in the ice, while the gas bag, which had collapsed, and was resting on top of the deck-house, was partially covered with snow! as weak as they were the boys set up a cheer and the men joined in, the sound echoing for a long distance around. chapter xxviii attacked by the natives "we must clear away the snow and ice!" said professor henderson. "come, boys, we must work quickly. we have no time to lose! remember what dirola said about the natives following us!" now that he was back at his craft the inventor seemed to have recovered all of his energies. "washington and i will see to the machinery, and get the bag inflated," he continued. "the rest begin to dig out the ship from below." fortunately the professor had foreseen the need of shovels on his northern journey and had a supply in the ship. they were quickly brought out. the snow was soon cleared from the silk bag, it being rather light. then, while the professor and the negro went to the engine room to start the various apparatus, the others began chipping away the ice that held the main body of the monarch in a tight grip. inside the airship matters were in bad shape. the intense cold had contracted all the metal and made it very brittle. care had to be exercised in handling every piece of apparatus. there was no heat in the ship, and it was almost as cold as outside. however, the gas generating machine was set in operation by a current from the storage battery. some of the gas was turned into the heating stoves, which were constructed to burn it, and this made heat which soon enabled the professor to work on the motors and dynamos. in a little while the gas began filling the bag, which slowly distended. "hurrah!" yelled jack, seeing that the _monarch_ was beginning to look like herself again. he and the others were working hard at the ice, which did not seem to want to let the ship go. the inventor went about testing each separate piece of apparatus. he found that, with a little tinkering, all the machinery would work well. meanwhile the gas continued to fill the bag, until it was tugging at the net and cords that fastened it to the airship. but all the lifting power that could be produced from the machine would not elevate the _monarch_ while it was held fast in the ice. however, the forces attacking the frozen crystals worked to good advantage. in the midst of their labors washington brought out some hot coffee, which was received with cheers. it was the first white man's food, except the patent capsules, they had tasted since leaving the ship. at last, after several hours' hard digging, the body of the ship was all but free. a few more blows would sever the last connecting grapple of ice. suddenly jack, who happened to glance up, gave a loud cry. all the others stopped their digging. "here come the esquimaux!" yelled the boy. "i just saw them around that big iceberg!" this was alarming news. old andy dropped his shovel and scrambled over the side of the ship. "what's de matter? am yo' skeered?" asked washington. "not a bit of it!" cried andy. "i want to get a gun and give those fellows something to remember me by!" "never mind them!" shouted the professor. "get the ship free and we need not stay to fight them. we are almost ready to start!" but andy was bound to have a shot at the savages, and he grabbed up his rifle, which was fully loaded, and came out on the deck. the natives came on with a rush. there were about two hundred of them, and they had arrived on several big sleds. the esquimaux who had piloted the adventurers back to their ship had disappeared, for he knew he would be killed as a traitor if his tribesmen caught him. "come on!" cried bill to tom and the boys. "let's get aboard. we'll be killed!" "you can go!" shouted jack. "i'm going to stay down here and free the ship from ice. that's the only thing to do." "i'll stay with you!" exclaimed mark. tom and bill scrambled up the sides of the ship and disappeared into the cabin. the boys remained on the ice, partly under the airship, chipping and picking to free the bottom. with loud shouts and yells the esquimaux surrounded the _monarch_. the savages were armed with bows and arrows, and soon a shower of these missiles were shot toward the craft. professor henderson was in mortal terror lest one of the sharp weapons would pierce the gas bag, but, for some reason, the natives fired at the lower part of the ship. andy and the two helpers were now ready to return the fire. their guns rattled out and the reports caused the natives great astonishment. the first shots the defenders had fired over the heads of the esquimaux, not wishing to kill them if they could help it. but though the reports caused a momentary falling back, the attackers soon rallied again, and shot a thicker cloud of arrows, some of which fell uncomfortably near. "let 'em have it right in the faces this time!" shouted andy. he took careful aim at the mass of natives who were advancing, and one fell. bill and tom followed his example, and the onslaught was checked for a time. but now reinforcements to the esquimaux arrived until there were fully five hundred of the fur-clad savages out on the ice surrounding the airship. to cope with such a force seemed madness. bill received a slight wound in the arm, and tom had a narrow escape from being killed, a big spear just missing his head. "drop down below the rail!" yelled andy. "they can't hit us so easy then, and we can fire just as good!" the defenders dropped flat to the deck, outside of the cabin. a loud yell on the part of the esquimaux told that they thought the adventurers had been killed, and there was a rush to capture the ship. "let 'em have it! as fast as you can pull the triggers!" cried the old hunter. "we'll show 'em what we can do!" the three guns rang out again and two of the natives fell, both badly wounded. "i wish we had more help!" exclaimed andy. "we're likely to have trouble soon! why don't those boys come up; in a few minutes they won't have a chance!" indeed it would have been risky now for jack and mark to venture out from under the ship, where they were still bravely chipping at the last remaining bit of ice that help the ship fast. so far their presence had not been noted by the enemy. at that instant professor henderson ran out of the engine room. "use the machine gun!" he yelled. "that is our only hope!" the next second he fell to the deck, struck by a spear. chapter xxix the escape "he's killed!" cried andy. "oh perfessor! perfessor!" exclaimed washington. "i tole yo' not to go out." "never mind! start the machine gun!" yelled andy. "we must fight off these human fiends!" "call up the boys!" shouted bill. "they'll be killed under the ship!" "i'm afraid it's too late," said andy. "here, tom, you help washington work the machine gun!" the weapon had been covered by canvas, and, fortunately, the snow had not harmed it. the canvas was yanked off, and, while tom prepared to feed the cartridges down the hopper, washington worked the crank. in a few seconds there was a fusillade that sounded like a small battery going into action. from the muzzle of the machine gun poured out a leaden hail. it struck the esquimaux fairly and though they tried to stand against it they could not. their arrows and spears dropped from their hands and they staggered back, many badly hurt or killed. "why don't those pesky boys come up!" wondered andy. his gun was again empty. he hastened into the cabin to reload the magazine. as he did so he heard a tapping on the plate glass window set in the floor of the car. "who is there?" he cried. "it's us; jack and mark!" a voice answered. "let us up! the ship is free!" andy flung open the window. it was just large enough for a boy to squeeze through. in a moment jack and mark were in the cabin. in the meanwhile bill had dropped his gun and carried the professor from the deck inside. the old man was unconscious, but a glance showed that the spear had made only a slight wound on the head, and not one that was likely to be dangerous. "is he dead?" cried the boys. "we hope not," answered andy. "but we have no time to lose. can one of you start the ship?" "i can!" exclaimed jack. "then do it, while i help hold the enemy at bay!" the esquimaux, in spite of their losses, were returning to the attack. closer and closer they pressed to the ship. the machine gun was making great gaps in their ranks, but they did not seem to mind. they were bent on recapturing their former captives, whose track they had followed from the ice cavern. jack ran to the engine room. he saw that everything was in readiness for sending the ship aloft. but little gas more was needed in the bag. he turned on the full supply. the noise of the guns, the shouts and yells of the natives, made the place resound with wild noises. it was a battle such as the arctic regions had never before witnessed. a tremor shook the _monarch_. the ship shivered. jack ran to the conning tower. he grasped the lever that started the propeller. then came a sudden lurch. the airship tore loose from the ice and rose swiftly in the air. jack set the screw to working and turned the steering wheel so that the _monarch's_ nose was pointed due south, away from the land of perpetual ice and snow. a wild yell of disappointed rage burst from hundreds of throats as the esquimaux saw their captives escape. they filled the air with arrows and spears, but to no purpose. andy sent the last shots in his rifle at the savages, and, as the ship rose a hundred feet in the air, the remaining cartridges in the machine gun were exploded. "hurrah!" cried the old hunter. "we're off!" on and on sped the _monarch_, every second putting the frozen north behind her. jack had all the engines going at full speed. "what has happened? where are we?" asked professor henderson, suddenly recovering consciousness. "we's on de _monarch_ an' we's done left dem cantankerous conglomerated disputatious mosquitoes down on de ice!" exclaimed washington, coming in to see how his master was. "are yo' much hurted, perfessor?" "it's only a scratch," replied the inventor. "i'm all right," and he insisted on getting up and seeing how the engines were running. he was a little weak, but some medicine which washington fixed at his master's direction soon brought him around. the airship was working beautifully in spite of being frozen up in the terrible cold. on and up she went until she had left the vicinity of the savages far behind. after about an hour's flight the professor had jack lower the craft to within half a mile of the surface, as he said he wanted to see what was below. the boy, who was in charge of the conning tower, set the necessary machinery, while the professor went to the window in the bottom of the ship to watch. "we're over the sea!" he exclaimed. "there is no land or ice in sight!" "come here quick!" cried washington, from the engine room. "what's the matter?" exclaimed the professor. "de gas machine am gone on a rampage ag'in!" then, all at once, the airship began to sink. all rushed to the engine room. the gas generator had ceased working and the craft was settling toward the ocean, there being nothing to keep it aloft. frantically the professor and washington worked at the apparatus. it could not be adjusted. despair was on every face. faster and faster sunk the _monarch_. "will we sink?" asked andy. "i can't swim." "we may float," said the professor. "the bottom part of the ship is water tight. we may float long enough to fix the machinery." then, with a splash, the _monarch_ settled into the ocean, the gas bag falling limply on top of the cabins. "get out the life preservers!" shouted the professor. "they are in the forward part. put them on, while washington and i try to fix the gas machine!" the airship had now become a water ship. it rose and fell on the waves, rocking from side to side. "get ready to jump!" yelled jack, running in from the conning tower. "what now?" asked professor henderson, "haven't we troubles enough?" "there's a big whale and he's headed right this way!" yelled jack. "he's coming on like a locomotive, to ram us!" andy caught up his gun and hastened to the tower. as jack had said, a big sperm whale, spouting water high in the air from his nostrils, was headed for the _monarch_, which, as it lay on the surface, the whale evidently took for a rival. "i wonder if i can stop him with this rifle," exclaimed andy. "no, but you can with the machine gun!" said jack. "not while it's in the stern," replied the old hunter. "i guess we are done for this time. i'll fire a few shots, anyhow, before i die!" "wait!" yelled jack. "i'll turn the ship around!" "can you do it?" "i think i can," was the short reply. "we cannot use the machinery." "i know that, but i can use something else--that is, i think i can." "there is nothing to use." "yes, there is. see here!" as the youth spoke he seized a long pole from the deck, and stuck one end of it in a large cake of ice that floated close by. slowly, but with the strength of despair he pushed the bow of the airship around so that it was pointed away from the on-coming whale. "run to the rear!" the boy cried to andy. "and hurry up!" the hunter did so. a few seconds later the stern of the ship was toward the ocean monster. andy called for some one to bring ammunition and feed the hopper of the machine gun, and bill responded. then, when the whale was within a hundred feet of the _monarch_, andy began turning the crank. a storm of lead shot out toward the big fish. the water about was dyed with blood and the spouting streams from the nostrils were changed from white to red. with a terrible flurry, lashing the waters of the ocean to foam with its broad flukes, the whale died, hundreds of bullets in its head. the airship was saved. chapter xxx homeward bound "we're sinking! we're sinking!" yelled bill jones. he pointed to a stream of water that was trickling up from the cabin floor. the freezing of the ship in the ice had strained the seams. the professor and washington were working earnestly over the gas machine. they piled in fresh chemicals and started the electric current. the water in the cabin continued to rise. "well, i guess i might as well have let the whale finish us," sighed andy. "we're bound to die, anyhow!" "not yet!" cried the professor suddenly. "not if i can help it! quick, washington. another turn to the handle, and i think we will be safe!" the negro adjusted the machine as the professor had directed. "is the water gaining?" asked amos henderson. "no. it's stopped coming in," replied bill. "then we are saved!" announced the inventor. "the gas is entering the bag and lifting the ship!" sure enough, the monarch no longer pitched and tossed on the waves. it was rising in the air. in a little while it was quite a distance above the ocean. all on board watched anxiously, but the craft appeared to be on its good behavior and mounted steadily upward. the propeller, which had been stopped, was again set in motion. the professor went to the conning tower and began steering the ship to the south. the adventurers were homeward bound at last. for some time no one spoke, so anxious were they lest another accident should occur. but when, after another hour or two, the ship still kept on its flight, all breathed easier. "well, we've been to the north pole," remarked jack, after a long pause. "that's something very few can say." "yes, i think we can safely assert that we have accomplished what we set out to do," remarked the professor. "true, we did not land on the exact spot, and i am inclined to believe it would be impossible, because of the whirlwind of the electric currents. but we certainly were at the exact north, as the deflecting needle showed." "i wonder if the south pole is like this?" asked mark. "i do not know," returned amos henderson with a smile. "i hope the south pole is a little nicer. we might go and see, some day. would you boys like to make the trip?" "you bet!" exclaimed jack fervently, speaking for himself and mark. the _monarch_ sped on her way. every hour brought her nearer to her starting point. when it became evident that the machinery was now in good working order and not liable to a breakdown, the professor ordered a meal gotten ready, since all were hungry. with thankful hearts they sat down to a spread of the best the patent foods afforded, and ate heartily. then, being worn out with fatigue, the professor advised all to take to their bunks and get some sleep. he said he would steer the ship for a while, to be relieved by washington and jack in turn. regular watches were established before the adventurers sought their bunks, and then, while the craft shot southward, quiet reigned aboard. no further mishaps occurred. for some days the _monarch_ was kept on her course. every hour it grew warmer until the fur garments were discarded, and at length the windows were opened and the fresh breezes blew inside the cabins. the temperate zone had been reached. over green meadows, woods, hills and valleys the airship flew; across wide bays, great rivers and large lakes. now it was high in the air, above the clouds, and, again, close to the earth, as the captain directed. at last, just at dusk one summer afternoon, a little less than a month from the time they had left, the inventor stopped the propeller. "we are right above my old cabin," he said. "now we are going to land. this ends the voyage to the north pole, and we are back safe and sound." the ship settled down, about a hundred feet from the balloon shed, which remained the same as when the adventurers had left it. no one was in sight, and the travelers stepped out on the ground. "if you will come inside i will pay you for your time, andy," said mr. henderson; "and you, too, bill and tom. you know i promised you good wages while you were with me, and i think you have earned the money." the hunter and the two helpers were liberally rewarded for the time they had spent. bidding the professor good-bye, they went their several ways, to astonish their friends and acquaintances with their strange tales. "as for you, boys," went on amos henderson to jack and mark, "i will pay you, too, if you like, or you can continue with me, and perhaps some day we'll make a trip to the south pole--if not through the air, then under the sea, for i have in mind to build a submarine boat next. what do you say?" "i'll stay," said jack. "so will i," exclaimed mark. "hurrah for the south pole!" "then come on in to supper," cried the professor gaily, leading the way to his cabin. the end. note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/ / / / / / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/ / / / / / -h.zip) the automobile girls in the berkshires or the ghost of lost man's trail by laura dent crane author of the automobile girls at newport, the automobile girls along the hudson, etc., etc. illustrated [illustration: the splash descended on unsuspecting bab. _frontispiece._] philadelphia henry altemus company copyright, , by howard e. altemus contents chapter page i. the reunion ii. new light on old papers iii. happiness, and another scheme iv. in the heart of the berkshires v. a day in the woods vi. "the great white also" vii. mollie follows the trail viii. end of the search ix. spirit of the forest x. a knock at the door xi. the coon hunt xii. the wounded bird xiii. the wigwam xiv. give way to miss sallie! xv. society in lenox xvi. at the ambassador's xvii. a visit to eunice xviii. plans for the society circus xix. the old gray goose xx. barbara and beauty xxi. eunice and mr. winthrop latham xxii. the automobile wins xxiii. the recognition xxiv. what to do with eunice the automobile girls in the berkshires chapter i the reunion "mollie thurston, we are lost!" cried barbara dramatically. the two sisters were in the depth of a new jersey woods one afternoon in early september. "well, what if we are!" laughed mollie, leaning over to add a cluster of wild asters to her great bunch of golden rod. "we have two hours ahead of us. surely such clever woodsmen as we are can find our way out of woods which are but a few miles from home. suppose we should explore a real forest some day. wouldn't it be too heavenly! come on, lazy barbara! we shall reach a clearing in a few moments." "you lack sympathy, miss mollie thurston; that's your trouble." barbara was laughing, yet she anxiously scanned the marshy ground as she picked her way along. "i wouldn't mind being lost in these woods a bit more than you do, if i were not so horribly afraid of snakes. oh, my! this place looks full of 'em." "they are not poisonous, bab, or i might be more sympathetic," said mollie reassuringly. "the snakes in these woods are harmless. how can a girl as brave as you are be such a goose about a poor, wriggly little 'sarpint,' that couldn't harm you if it tried." "o-o-o!" shivered bab. "one's own pet fear has nothing to do with sense or nonsense. kindly remember your own feelings toward the timid mouse! just the same, i should like to play 'maid marian' for a while and dwell in the heart of a woodland glen. if ever i have a chance to go on a camping trip, i shall get rid of my fear of snakes, somehow." "bab," said mollie, after a moment's pause, "hasn't it been dreadfully dull since ruth and her father went away? do you think they will ever come back? i can hardly believe it has been only three weeks since they left kingsbridge, and only six weeks since we came back from newport. anyhow i am glad grace carter is home again from her visit to her brother." "cheer up, mollie, do!" encouraged bab. "ruth has promised to pay us a visit before she goes home to chicago, and she is a girl of her word, as you and i well know. i am expecting a letter from her every day." "well," mollie ejaculated in heart-felt tones, "i know i am nearly dead to see her. grace and i were talking of it only yesterday." "mollie, i don't want to be a croaker," began bab, after a little hesitation, "but have you noticed that mother seems worried about something? when i was talking yesterday about how crazy i was to go to vassar some day, mother looked as though she wanted to cry. i stopped there and then. she has seemed so gay and cheerful until recently. i wonder whether she is worried about money." mollie nodded her head and frowned. "now you speak of it, bab, i believe i have noticed that she seems depressed at times. i think she is tired out and needs a complete change. she had a long letter from cousin betty in st. paul yesterday, asking her to make a visit. i think mother should accept. you and i are certainly big enough to look after ourselves until school commences. let's beg her to go." "all right, mollie, we will," said her older sister, "but if the family funds are even lower than usual, where is the money to come from for such an expensive trip? just the same, i shall question mother, and find out what's the matter." bab was walking on bravely, trying to forget her horror of snakes. "i am sure," she thought, "that i can feel my feet trembling inside my boots; i am so afraid of stepping on one of the wretched little pests." it had rained the day before, and the ground under the thick tangle of trees and underbrush being unusually marshy, the girls had to pick their way carefully. mollie walked ahead while they were talking. barbara jumping from the twisted root of one tree to another half a yard away, felt something writhe and wriggle under her foot. without stopping to look down, she shrieked--"a snake! a snake!"--and ran blindly forward. before mollie had time to look around, barbara caught her foot under a root and tumbled headlong into the wet mud. "bab," cried mollie, "you certainly have gone and done it this time! how wet and muddy you are!" she picked up a stick and raked in the leaves near her sister. "see, here's what you have made such a fuss about, a tiny garter snake, that couldn't hurt a thing. you've crushed the thing with your heel." mollie turned suddenly. "barbara, what is the matter with you?" she asked, as she caught a glimpse of her sister's face. "why don't you get up? can i help you?" she leaned over her sister. poor bab's face was white as a sheet, and she was trembling. "yes, do help me if you can," she answered. "i can't get up by myself. i'm afraid i have turned my ankle. here, take my hand. sitting here in this mud i feel as if i had fallen into a nest of snakes." mollie gave bab both her hands. setting her teeth, bab tried to rise, but, with a groan, sat down again. the second time mollie pulled with all her might. barbara, summoning her courage, rose slowly to her feet. without speaking she leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree. "wait here, dear," urged mollie, more worried than she would show. "i will try and find you a stick. then if you lean on me and use the stick in the other hand, perhaps we can get along all right." they were several miles from home and in another hour the dusk would be upon them. so the two girls struggled bravely on through the thick woods, though it was difficult to walk abreast in the narrow path. barbara insisted she was better with each step, but mollie knew otherwise. with every foot of ground they covered bab limped more and more painfully. now and then when her injured foot pressed too heavily on the rough ground, she caught her breath and swallowed a groan. mollie realized they would not get home before midnight at the rate they were now moving. "rest here, bab," she insisted, when they came to an opening in the woods where the shade was less dense. "i think i see a place over there that must lead into a road. i will run on ahead and find some one to come back to help you." bab was glad to sit down. her foot was swelling and growing more painful every moment; her pulses were throbbing. she was almost crying, but she would never mention surrender; she was not sorry, however, when mollie suggested that she should rest. mollie sped through the woods as fast as she could run. as soon as her back was turned, bab closed her eyes. "how glad i am to rest," she thought gratefully. in the half hour that barbara thurston waited alone her mind wandered to many of her own hopes and fears. first, she couldn't help worrying over her mother. then, she thought of her own ambition. more than anything in the world she longed to go to vassar college. in two years more she would be ready to enter, but where was the money to come from? barbara realized that her mother would never be able to pay her expenses from their small income; nevertheless, she meant to go. the kingsbridge high school offered a scholarship at vassar to the girl who passed the best final examinations during the four years of its course. barbara had won the highest honors in her freshman and sophomore years, but she had two more winters of hard work ahead of her. "i wonder," she thought at last, "if i can persuade ruth to go to college with me?" then she must have fallen into a little doze. readers of the preceding volume, "the automobile girls at newport," will remember how the famous little club, known as "the automobile girls" came to be organized, and they are familiar with the exciting and humorous incidents of that journey in ruth stuart's motor car. there were many adventures along the way, including mysterious encounters with a gentlemanly young rascal, known to the police as "the boy raffles." the same "raffles" afterwards turned up at newport, where the girls for several weeks led a life of thrilling interest. "the automobile girls" it was who caught "raffles" red-handed, and who saved bab's snobbish cousin, gladys le baron, from falling in love with him. six weeks before, on their return from the trip to newport, "the automobile girls" had disbanded. mr. stuart had given a dinner in their honor, and at the close of the meal, he formally presented each of the girls with a miniature model of ruth's motor car, forming pins of red enamel about the size of a dime. "you must wear them forever," ruth insisted, almost in tears. "who knows what luck they may bring to us? remember this isn't a real breaking up of 'the automobile girls'; it is only an '_auf wiedersehen_.'" the morning after mr. stuart's dinner, grace left kingsbridge to visit her brother. later, mr. stuart and his sister, miss stuart, bore ruth away to spend several weeks with some relatives in northern new york. ruth confided to bab her grief at leaving them. "i perfectly hate to go," she protested. "just think, bab, how soon i shall have to go back to chicago, and leave you here in new jersey. other people are well enough in their places, but they are not my barbara, mollie and grace!" it was after this confidence, that bab made ruth solemnly promise to pay them a visit before she returned home. barbara opened her eyes suddenly. had she been asleep and dreamed of ruth? she could almost hear her voice and laugh. some one was coming along the path. she could hear the dead leaves crunch under flying feet. "barbara, my barbara!" was it mollie's voice calling her? "here i am," cried bab faintly. through the trees running straight toward her, her eyes shining, her cheeks aglow, was ruth stuart. barbara tried to leap up. "sit down, you poor dear, do," ruth commanded. "what have you done to your silly little self? never mind; here is your friend and always devoted slave come to your rescue." "where did you come from?" inquired bab, weakly. "out of the everywhere into the here. father and mollie will be along in a few seconds and explain to you. i simply couldn't wait for them. another dear friend of yours is up the road desiring to offer you assistance. you may recall 'mr. a. bubble.'" ruth took out the flask of beef tea which she always carried on a motor trip, and made barbara drink a few swallows. "now," she declared, "i will try to tell you how i happen to be here. three days ago i told father i simply couldn't bear to be away from kingsbridge twenty-four hours longer. so he and i decided that as soon as manners would permit we should put the automobile in commission and fly to you as fast as we could. and here we are! besides, just think how quickly the holiday time is passing. i have another scheme--but here come mollie and father!" mr. stuart and mollie were approaching quickly. "let me help you, barbara," said mr. stuart, putting his strong arm around the injured girl and nearly lifting her from the ground. "can you manage to walk? ruth, you help from the other side. it is not far to the road, and once we get you there, the auto will soon take you home to that little mother of yours." "i declare i would just like to kiss 'mr. a. bubble,' if i knew an appropriate place," declared barbara, when she was at last safely stowed away in the automobile. her lame foot was propped up on soft cushions while close beside her sat her beloved ruth holding her hand. mollie was sitting in front with mr. stuart. "tell me," barbara continued, "no one has properly explained it to me how you happened to be at the right place just at the right moment? and how did mollie find you to tell you i was concealed in the woods with a sprained ankle? it's too much for me. please explain?" "not so fast, miss thurston, if you please," pleaded mr. stuart. "ruth and i would like to be regarded as angels dropped from the sky, but the truth must be told! she and i were speeding along this very road, a little faster than is perfectly proper, as we were hoping to make our way before dusk to the home of a charming lady, mrs. thurston, who lives with her two attractive daughters, in laurel cottage, kingsbridge. what did we see? a small, excited girl ahead of us, who seemed to be trying to run faster than our auto could travel. nevertheless, we caught up with her. who do you think she was? miss mollie thurston! we were all so surprised that it must have taken us quite a minute to explain matters to each other." "you can imagine," added mistress mollie from the front seat, "how jolly glad i was!" for some time mrs. thurston had been anxiously awaiting her daughters' return. she was standing at the gate of her home, when a familiar chug, chug, chug, sounded up the road. "i must be dreaming," she thought. "i am so worried at the girls being out late that i imagine i hear ruth's automobile bringing them home to me. how lonely it has been for us all since ruth and her father went away!" "chug, chug, chug," the noise sounded louder than ever. a splash of red appeared at the turn of the road, a siren whistle blew, and a well-known, crimson motor car rapidly approached her gate. mrs. thurston rubbed her eyes. it was the stuart's automobile and no other. sitting enthroned in it was that gentleman and his daughter. and, could it be possible? barbara and mollie, as well! mrs. thurston's gentle face glowed with pleasure. switfly as a girl she threw open her gate and was waiting on the sidewalk when the car stopped in front of her with a flourish. "i am so delighted to see you," she said, extending her hand to mr. stuart and kissing ruth on both cheeks. "where did you find my daughters? but what's the matter with you, bab?" she asked, as she noticed her child's pale cheeks. "nothing, now, mother," said bab, hopping up, but sitting down again just as promptly. "i have sprained my ankle a little, not very much. i would like to get into the house to take off my shoe. it pinches until i feel like the mean sister trying to squeeze her foot into cinderella's slipper." "come on in with me, every one of you," she pleaded. "dear mr. stuart, you are not going to take ruth up to the hotel with you for even one night. remember, you promised she was to visit us, as soon as you returned." "do let me stay, father," coaxed ruth, dancing after them. "i have no trunk to worry about at present. aunt sallie is coming back, day after to-morrow, and she is to bring my trunk with her. father and i traveled all the way in the automobile." mrs. thurston followed mr. stuart out as he was saying good-bye. he had agreed to leave ruth with them. "mr. stuart, you can go to your hotel, if you wish to engage your room, but you must come back and have tea with us. we have hot rolls, honey, and fresh milk for supper. there is no use in your denying that is your favorite evening meal." "i don't want to deny it, mrs. thurston," was mr. stuart's answer, as he stepped into his car. "i will come back with pleasure. on my way to the hotel i shall call at the doctor's and ask him to come around and look after bab's foot." chapter ii new light on old papers "mother, you are worried about something," said barbara to her mother early the next morning as they sat alone in their little dining room, which was bright with the september sun. mrs. thurston started nervously. she had been thinking so deeply that bab's voice had startled her. mollie and ruth had rushed off early to find grace and bring her back with them. susan, the maid, was in the yard hanging up her dish towels. mrs. thurston had supposed bab was deep in reading the history of david copperfield, which lay open on her lap. "you don't answer me, mother," complained barbara, as she saw her mother's face flush under her gaze. "you might as well ''fess up' and be done with it. i know there is something wrong." mrs. thurston hesitated; then she answered quietly: "you are right, bab, dear. i am very much worried and it is about money. but i did not want you children to know of it until i was obliged to tell you. barbara, half of our income is gone!" "oh, mother!" cried barbara, "what do you mean?" "well, dear," said her mother quietly, "the money has not entirely gone yet. but i fear it soon will go. your uncle wrote me that some stock he bought for me had been going down, down, until finally it will cease paying dividends altogether and be of no value. how shall we manage then? i have been lying awake at night trying to plan. you know it takes every cent we have to live in even the simplest way. oh, bab, what shall we do?" barbara looked grave. "did uncle ralph write you about this?" "oh, yes," said mrs. thurston, "two or three weeks ago. i have had it on my mind ever since. your uncle used to own some of this same stock, but he wrote me he had sold out some time ago." "it is strange he didn't tell us to sell at the same time," barbara reflected. "what does uncle ralph propose that we do? he is so rich i think he might show some interest in you, poor dear. you are his only sister, especially since he has made all his money out of the business father founded." "your uncle ralph suggests," mrs. thurston faltered, "that we find some work to do. but you and mollie must be educated, and i am so ignorant of business." barbara's cheeks were crimson and her brown eyes flashed. "i think, mother," she said quietly, "it will be just as well for us to learn a little more about uncle ralph's management of our business. i am going to consult mr. stuart; i am sure he will give us good advice; he is such a clear-headed business man. don't you worry, mother, dear, for i am sure things will turn out all right." mrs. thurston rose to go out to market. "before you go, mother," barbara begged, "will you please let me see the roll of father's business papers you have stored away in the trunk in the attic. oh, i know they are of no value, but just the same i am curious to see them." "well, if you are so determined, all right," sighed mrs. thurston. before she left the house she handed barbara a roll of old papers tied with a crimson cord. bab sat pondering with the papers in her lap. she was more frightened at her mother's news than she would show. they were mere girls, she and mollie, and their little mother had no knowledge of business. she shook herself impatiently. barbara was an optimist--things would turn out all right. soon bab wrinkled her forehead and tried to settle down to her work; the papers were altogether incomprehensible to her. most of them were old business contracts. yet, here was one that seemed a bit different. it was in uncle ralph le baron's handwriting, but so faded that it was difficult to read. slowly bab deciphered it: "on demand, i promise to pay to john thurston the sum of five thousand dollars for value received." to this was appended her uncle's well-known signature, ralph le baron. "well," sighed barbara, as she started to tie the papers together again, "i suppose uncle ralph settled this debt a long time ago." suddenly a big, cheerful presence darkened the doorway. "hello, bab!" called mr. stuart. "why are you alone?" "the girls have gone up to the squire's for grace," bab explained, "and mother is at market. but do please come in and wait for them. ruth told me to keep you; she wants to ask you about something very important." "may i inquire what you are doing, barbara?" mr. stuart queried, taking a seat. "are you preparing to be a lawyer's clerk that you spend your spare hours poring over musty business papers?" barbara blushed. "i am almost ashamed to tell you, mr. stuart, but you and ruth have been so awfully good to us, i think i shall just ask you one more favor. these are some business papers my father left when he died. no one has ever looked them over. i have always wondered if they could be of any value. of course i know it is foolish of me to even dream of such a thing. but would you mind glancing at them, please?" barbara handed the roll of documents to her friend with such a pretty look of pleading in her brown eyes that a much harder hearted man than mr. stuart could not have refused her. "certainly; i shall be glad to have a look at them," mr. stuart answered. tick, tock, tick, tock. the only sound in the room was the soft refrain of the old clock on the mantel. barbara held her breath, but she knew she was foolish to feel so excited. mr. stuart examined the papers closely. one after another he read them through. this big western man who had made a fortune by his own brains and ability, was devoting the same care to barbara's apparently worthless papers that he would give to his own important business affairs. suddenly he looked up. he held in his hand the promissory note signed by ralph le baron acknowledging his debt for five thousand dollars to his brother-in-law, john thurston. "i presume," mr. stuart said quietly to bab, "that your uncle settled this debt years ago; but if he did, why was the note never canceled?" at this moment mr. stuart and barbara heard a rustle of skirts, and looking up they saw mrs. thurston, her arms full of bundles, and her face white. "what do you mean?" she said in a strange, hard voice. "what money should have been paid by my brother years ago? please explain." "why," said mr. stuart, so quietly you could have heard a pin drop in the stillness of the little room, "i mean, of course, this five thousand dollars, which, as i see by the date, your brother borrowed from your husband eleven years ago. let me see, that was one year before your husband's death!" mrs. thurston sank into a chair. mr. stuart reached her just in time to save her from falling. he took the bundles from her hand and waited. for a minute mrs. thurston could not speak. barbara felt her heart pounding away and her pulses throbbing; but she made no sound. "was this money paid you by your brother when he settled your estate?" mr. stuart repeated his question. "no!" faltered mrs. thurston. "have you any memorandum among your husband's papers which would prove that the money was returned to him before his death?" mrs. thurston shook her head. barbara was staring at her mother with wide open brown eyes, her cheeks paling, then flushing. here was a mystery! "my brother," said mrs. thurston finally, "settled my affairs for me at the time of my husband's sudden death. i was too crushed to realize what was taking place, and i had no idea that we would be brought to poverty. but i know i saw no such paper as you mention. until this minute, i never heard that my brother borrowed any money from my husband. oh, it simply can't be true----" "what can't be true, mother?" inquired bab at last. her mother did not answer. mr. stuart quietly folded up the mysterious paper and put it in his pocket. "it may be that mr. le baron can explain this situation at once," he said. "he is staying at the same hotel with me. if you will permit me i will inquire into the matter for you. now don't worry yourselves about it any more," mr. stuart ended, resuming his natural manner. to himself he told a different story. "this looks bad, very bad!" he thought. "if ralph le baron had paid this money back he would have seen that the note was returned to him. i know him well enough for that. if he never has paid it, can he be forced to do so now?" reflected mr. stuart, looking at the matter from all sides. "he has never been asked for the money before, and i do not believe the law requires a debt to be paid after six years, if no claim has been previously made for it, and it is now eleven years since the note was made. i must look into the matter. a man who could rob his widowed sister and nieces of five thousand dollars would be guilty of any crime. i shall make it hot for him unless he can tell a straight story." "why is everybody looking so serious?" called out a gay voice, and ruth, followed by mollie and grace, entered the room. the little group within the room started guiltily. "there is mystery in the very air," declaimed ruth, "you are trying to conceal something!" "you are a goose," replied her father fondly, then nodding reassuringly to bab and her mother. "who knows what a day may bring forth?" he said. chapter iii happiness, and another scheme the next morning mr. stuart left his hotel and went into new york with mr. le baron. they left kingsbridge at eight o'clock, and did not return until six. half an hour later mr. stuart called at laurel cottage for mrs. thurston in his automobile. "we will take miss barbara with us to the hotel," he said to her mother, "if you feel it will not injure her ankle. she need do no walking. i should prefer that she be with you when you have an interview with your brother. he is to see you at the hotel to-night. you will dine with me first." barbara's foot being better, she and her mother asked no questions, but with trembling fingers made ready to go. "what do you mean," demanded ruth and mollie, "by going off on such a mysterious errand? why, mr. stuart," asked ruth, "are mollie and i not also invited to dinner?" mr. stuart was obdurate. he offered no explanations. when ruth whispered something in his ear, he answered quietly: "that will keep," and ruth said no more. mr. and mrs. le baron bowed coldly to mrs. thurston and barbara, when entering the hotel dining room that night, they found the mother and daughter dining with mr. stuart. but gladys le baron stopped for a moment at the able to inquire after bab's foot. she was not the haughty girl she once had been. since her return from newport she had seemed strangely fond of bab. barbara and her mother never knew how they got through their meal. but mr. stuart was a tower of strength. "we will not discuss business matters," he explained, "until we go upstairs to my sitting room. mr. le baron will join us there at half-past eight." when ralph le baron entered mr. stuart's apartment to keep his appointment, he did not look into his sister's face. he merely inquired coldly: "how are you, mollie?" and sat down near the small wood fire which was burning cosily in the open grate. not once did he glance at barbara, though she kept her eyes fixed steadily on him. he was a tall, thin man, with high cheek bones and a nose like an eagle's. "mrs. thurston," began mr. stuart, "your brother does not claim that he paid to you or your husband the five thousand dollars which he undoubtedly borrowed. when i first spoke to him of the matter he declared he had never been loaned any such sum. he had great difficulty in recalling the incident until i showed him his note which i still have in my pocket. he explained afterwards, however, that the matter had passed entirely out of his mind after your husband's death." mrs. thurston looked at her brother questioningly. "it seems very strange to me, ralph, that you could have forgotten," she declared. "but perhaps it is all for the best! we need the money more now than we ever have before." mr. le baron did not answer his sister. "i think you will find it the wisest plan, mr. le baron," continued mr. stuart, breaking the silence, "to pay over this money to mrs. thurston and her daughters as soon as you conveniently can." ralph le baron knit his brows. barbara was watching him closely. there was no love lost between bab and her uncle. she had long looked for some difficulty to arise out of his management of her mother's affairs, but nothing so serious as this. mr. le baron's voice sounded cold and hard as steel. "do not deceive yourselves," he said, with a sneer. "i mean you, mollie, and mr. stuart, who seems to be taking an unusual interest in your affairs. i have not the slightest intention of ever paying back the money!" mrs. thurston's manner changed. she spoke firmly. "i should be exceedingly sorry, ralph, to have any trouble with you over the matter; but the law must compel you to pay your debt." "not so fast, sister," smiled mr. le baron, sarcastically. "you are coming into a remarkable business knowledge all at once, but you do not yet know quite enough. the law does not compel me after six years to pay a debt which has not been presented to me within that time. perhaps you have never heard of the statute of limitation. perhaps your friend, mr. stuart, will make it clear to you. you should have asked me for this money five or six years ago. the new york law does not require a debt to be paid unless a request has been made for its settlement within six years after the time it was contracted. the money was loaned to me by your husband eleven years ago, as we all know by the date on the note. i have no further concern in the matter." "great heavens, man!" cried mr. stuart, breaking in fiercely, "you cannot mean to play your own sister such a low-down, scoundrelly trick! you will not pay back the money to her which you confess to owing, simply because she has not asked you for it before! how could she ask for it when you alone knew of the debt and kept the matter a secret? i am not so sure how your law would stand in such a case. a pretty story it will make to tell to the men who respect your business integrity. mrs. thurston shall have a lawyer to inquire into the situation immediately!" a low knock sounded at the door. before anyone could answer, gladys le baron walked smilingly into the room. she looked in surprise at her father's dark, revengeful face. "is anything the matter?" she inquired, her face sobering in an instant. "i wondered why father ran off by himself to see aunt mollie and bab. i thought you would like to have me join you----" "go back to your apartment at once, gladys!" interrupted her father sternly. mr. stuart turned upon him. "ralph le baron, i am going to do something, to-night, that i never expected to do in my life. i am going to expose a father to his own child. wait here a minute, gladys." mr. stuart then told gladys the whole story. she stood listening in utter silence, her face crimson with blushes. barbara could only look at her cousin through a mist of tears. when mr. stuart had ended his story, he said: "i am sorry indeed to tell you this, gladys, but you must have learned it some day. i do not know whether your father is right in regard to the law in this matter, but mrs. thurston will carry the case to court." gladys went over to her father, who had never raised his eyes to look at her, while mr. stuart was speaking, nor did he make any denial. "is it true, father?" she asked him at last. "it is in a measure true, gladys," her father answered, "but it is purely a matter of business, which you cannot be expected to understand." gladys put her head down on the arm of the sofa, where she now sat by her father, and wept bitterly. there was no other sound in the room, except an occasional suppressed sob from mrs. thurston. bab was far too excited and too angry to cry! finally gladys raised her head. "father, on my sixteenth birthday, you settled five thousand dollars on me in my own name!" she spoke in a low voice. "if you do not feel that you ought to pay back to aunt mollie the money you borrowed from uncle john, won't you please let me give her this money of mine? i must do it, father. i can't understand the business side of it, but it just seems to me we owe her the money and that's all there is to it! i have been horrid and haughty many times, but i can't bear that we should seem--dishonest!" poor gladys whispered this last dreadful word under her breath. then she put her arms round her father and kissed him. "you are not angry with me?" she asked him. if there was one person in the world ralph le baron truly loved it was his only child, gladys. not for ten times five thousand dollars would he have had her a witness to the scene which had just passed between him and his sister. he meant, of course, to tell her and his wife what had happened, but he meant to put his own interpretation on the affair before they heard of it from anyone else. did his better nature move him? perhaps it did. he looked around the room and answered testily: "the law certainly does not require that i return this money to my sister, and business is business with me. but since my daughter gladys and my sister seem to look upon the matter as a case of sentiment, why i----" he spoke slowly. it was hard work for him to get the words out. "i will waive strictly business principles on this occasion, and return the money to my sister." "o ralph!" cried mrs. thurston, as though a great load was lifted from her mind. barbara rejoiced. but in her heart of hearts she thought it was hard to have her uncle act as though he were doing them a favor when he was only paying them their just dues. a few minutes later gladys and her father withdrew from the room. "i am so glad," whispered gladys to bab, as she passed her cousin on her way out. barbara held her hand just long enough to murmur gently: "gladys, dear, if i once did you a kindness, i think you have repaid me a thousand-fold." it was after ten o'clock when "mr. a. bubble" bore the travelers home to laurel cottage. mollie and ruth were waiting in the sitting room, with a fire burning cheerily in the grate and the candles lit over the mantelpiece. in front of the fire, they had mounted twelve marshmallows, which they were toasting to a beautiful brown on twelve hatpins. "we thought you were never coming back, mummy," said mollie, taking off her mother's light wrap. "what has happened to you?" she asked as she viewed her mother's shining eyes. "good news indeed, mollie baby!" her mother answered. "we are five thousand dollars richer than we were when we left home. now, perhaps bab can go to vassar, and things will be a little easier for us, even if the other money has gone. mr. stuart thinks we ought to have twenty-five dollars a month income from the five thousand dollars! isn't it too wonderful?" "have a marshmallow, everyone, do," said ruth, extending her hatpins. they were comfortably seated around the fire and the subject of the money had been dropped. "i want all of you to be eating marshmallows except me, so i can do all the talking. i think i have been a perfect angel. father, you know i have kept a secret to myself for three whole days. of course, i told mollie to-night, when you left us by ourselves, but that doesn't count." mollie's cheeks were glowing and her eyes dancing in the soft firelight. "oh, yes," she added naughtily, "ruth and i can keep good news to ourselves as well as other people. at least," she continued wistfully, her eyes turning to her mother, "i hope it is good news." "mrs. thurston," inquired ruth, "don't you dearly love 'the automobile girls'?" mrs. thurston smiled. "i most certainly do," she replied. "then all is well!" ruth made her a low curtsey. "anyone who truly loves 'the auto-girls' cannot fail to rejoice at my news. mrs. thurston, we cannot bear to be disbanded. we must get together again before i go home to chicago. mollie told me she and bab wanted you to go on a visit to a cousin in st. paul, but they feared you would not consent to leave them alone. here's where i come in! i want you to let me take care of your babies, while you go on your trip." ruth gave an impudent pull at mollie's curls, as she went on with her request. "father and i have planned another per-fect-ly grand trip for 'the automobile girls!' now please don't anybody object until i have finished. here, eat another marshmallow! this trip is not to be in the least like the other one. what i want is to go for a month on a camping party in the berkshire hills!" "hear! hear!" called out bab, hopping up, and forgetting all about her sprained ankle. "i have just had this letter from aunt sallie, father," continued ruth. "she is game! of course, she started out by saying she thought the trip was perfect nonsense; she knew we would have pneumonia and various other diseases if we attempted it, but she ended by declaring that, of course, she could not be left behind if we were determined on the frolic. she is a darling! so, now, mrs. thurston, if only you will consent, in a few days we want dear old 'bubble,' to make a start for the berkshires. this is the perfect time of the year and the mountains will be simply glorious! oh, i can't talk any more, i am so out of breath! do go on please, father." "mrs. thurston, our plan is not so wild as it sounds. ruth will take the girls in her car up into the berkshires. i have discovered that on one of the mountains some distance from the regular line of travel, is a well built log cabin. it has big fireplaces in it, and can be made thoroughly comfortable for september. early in october, ruth wants to go with the girls to the hotel at lenox, for a week or two of the autumn sports there. the automobile can travel comfortably over most of the berkshire roads." mr. stuart's tones were as persuasive as ruth's. "but, when the girls come to the chosen place, they can store the car in some suitable garage, and take the trails up the sides of the mountain, either on horseback or afoot." "but barbara's foot," insisted mrs. thurston weakly, in the first pause that gave her an opportunity to speak. "oh, bab's ankle will be all right, mother!" mollie cried. "we have spoken to the doctor, and he says bab will be jumping about as lively as a cricket in a few days." "mrs. thurston," said mr. stuart, speaking in his heartiest voice, "i want to be allowed the floor in this conversation. i have something to propose on my own account. a party of friends of my sister's and mine are going west on a sight seeing trip. among them is a railroad president and his wife, and their private car is to be used for the tour. it would give me great pleasure to have you meet them and make your journey to st. paul in their company. my sister wishes to assure you that you will find them thoroughly congenial and will no doubt enjoy the trip. to tell the truth, miss stuart has already written our friends to expect you, for i had determined that you should go at all events. "as for our daughters," he continued, "i am greatly interested in this camping scheme for them. i know, from my own experience, that nothing can be made more delightful than our modern fashion of 'roughing it.' i intend to make the necessary arrangements, and properly equip this camping party myself. i shall even run up to the berkshires for a day or two, to look over the ground. i want to engage a guide for the party, and a woman to do the cooking. then i must see if the little log cabin is all the circular says it is. it is rented out to camping parties all through the year. come, mrs. thurston," questioned mr. stuart, "don't you think this is a good scheme for everyone?" "right you are, mr. stuart!" bab called out rapturously. by this time mollie and ruth were both on the floor, with their arms around mrs. thurston. "we do so want to lead 'the simple life,' dear mrs. thurston," ruth begged. "think how splendid for us to have a month out of doors before we go back to hard work at school." ruth made a wry face. she was not fond of study, like barbara. "we may spend a week or so in lenox, to please aunt sallie. but most of the time we want to be right in the mountains. let me see--there is greylock, and monument mountain, and hosts of others not too far from lenox. at least, we shall be able to see them from our mountain top. and we must escort bab over to rattlesnake mountain, in honor of her well known fondness for those charming pets." "oh, i'll look after bab," mollie spoke in superior tones. "mother," said barbara earnestly, "you must accept mr. stuart's charming invitation, even if you think it wiser for us not to go on the camping trip with ruth. i know you need a change. you have had so much worry, and now your mind is at rest." "ruth," said mrs. thurston, looking as bright and happy as one of the girls, "accept my best wishes for the 'robin hood band' of 'automobile girls!' i am sure they will soon rival that celebrated set of woodsmen. only, i beg of you, confine your adventures strictly within the limits of the law." "then you mean that bab and mollie may go!" cried ruth in tones of rapture. "but we don't intend to play at being an outlaw band. kindly regard us as early puritan settlers in the new england hills, compelled to seek protection from the indians in our log hut. i wish we could run across a few indians up there; we shall be right on their old camping grounds. there are still some indian trails in the mountains, but the berkshires are so highly civilized, these days, we shall never find even a trace of a red man, or a red woman either!" "when do we start, ruth?" asked mollie. "i should like to be off to-morrow. remember how fast the time is going. school begins the middle of october." "what about grace?" asked bab thoughtfully. "it would hardly be a real 'automobile girls' party if one of their number should be left out." "oh, it is all right about grace, of course!" ruth answered. "goodness me! haven't i told you? we have already talked our plan over with squire carter, who is delighted to have grace go. he says a month out of doors will do wonders for her. he only wished he was not too old to join us." one week later, miss sallie stuart and the quartette of "automobile girls" gathered at the station to speed mrs. thurston on her journey. mr. stuart was to accompany her as far as new york city, and see her safely established among his friends. "be good children, all of you," urged mrs. thurston at the last minute. "and remember to keep your feet dry." "in case the camping outfit is not thoroughly satisfactory, sallie," counseled mr. stuart, "telegraph to new york for whatever you like. i believe everything is o. k. remember to keep your camp fires always burning. you are to have the most trustworthy guide in the berkshires, as well as his wife, to look after you, and you will never be far from civilization if you wish to go, sallie?" he ended, for miss sallie was looking dismal at the idea of parting. miss sallie nodded her head. "you know my views, robert. if you _will_ permit ruth to follow any wild fancy that pops into her head, at least, i shall be near to see that she gets into as little mischief as possible." mr. stuart's last whisper before the train started was for bab. "don't worry about your little mother," he said. "we will see that things are well with her. that copper stock she owns is looking up again. she is not to sell out." mr. stuart turned to find ruth for his last kiss. "remember, daughter," he declared, "i rely on you and bab to keep cool heads and clear brains in any emergency." as the train moved off, mr. stuart and mrs. thurston watched for a few moments a circle of waving hands. a little later their car swung around a curve and kingsbridge was lost to view. "the automobile girls" and miss sallie then repaired to the hotel. grace, mollie and bab were to be ruth's guests until they started for the berkshires. all was in readiness. the week before, mr. stuart had taken the girls to new york for a few days' shopping. if ever there were young women fitted up in the proper styles for mountain climbing they were. each girl was presented with two pairs of thick, high boots and leather leggins. ruth insisted that her heavy wool dress be made of the stuart plaid. she then had a tam o'shanter designed from the same scotch tartan. but ruth's proudest possession was a short norfolk jacket made of the same leather as her leggins, and a knapsack to carry over her shoulders. attired in her woodland costume, she looked not unlike "rosalind" in shakespeare's play, when that maid comes into the woods disguised as a boy to seek for her father. barbara's suit was of dark brown corduroy, with jacket and cap to match. grace would choose nothing but her favorite dark blue. but her costume was the most striking of them all, for, with her blue skirt and blouse, she was to wear a coat of hunter's pink and a smart, little hat of the same bright scarlet shade. mr. stuart selected the costume for mistress mollie. she at least, he insisted, should be arrayed in the proper shade of lincoln green; and like a veritable "maid marian" she appeared. for once miss sallie was entirely satisfied with their selection of costumes. "for me," she argued in her most decided manner, "the most necessary garments are half a dozen pairs of overshoes, and the same number of mackintoshes and umbrellas. i shall also take an extra trunk of warm flannels. if the fall rains begin while we are camping in the mountains we shall surely be washed down into the valley before we can make our escape." chapter iv in the heart of the berkshires a crimson automobile was climbing the steep inclines of the berkshire hills. now it rose to the crest of a road. again it dipped into a valley. it looked like a scarlet autumn leaf blown down from one of the giant forest trees that guarded the slopes of the mountains. mollie thurston stood up in the back of the motor car, waving a long green veil. "isn't the scenery just too perfect for words?" she called to ruth. the day was wonderful; the september sun shone warm and golden through the shadows of dancing, many-colored leaves. "the automobile girls" had left summer behind them in kingsbridge. three days of traveling found them in the early autumn glory of the berkshire woods. ruth did not answer mollie's question. "my dear child, wake up!" commanded miss sallie, leaning over to give her niece a gentle poke with her violet parasol. "have you grown suddenly deaf? can you not hear when you are spoken to?" ruth glanced up from her steering wheel. "did some one speak to me?" she queried. "i am so sorry i did not hear. i am afraid i am both deaf and dumb to-day. but we simply must get to our mountain by noon. driving a car over these mountain roads isn't the easiest task in the world." barbara laughed back over her shoulder at the occupants of the end seat in the car. "miss sallie stuart," she said in solemn tones, "please, let our chauffeur alone! suppose the dark descends upon us in the woods and you have 'nary' a place to lay your head!" "then i should immediately find a hotel and ask for a room and a bath," protested miss stuart, who did not favor the idea of the log cabin in the woods. "remember, children, you may pretend as hard as you like that we are a thousand miles from civilization; but, unless we are perfectly comfortable in the woods, i shall take you to the best hotel in lenox. from there you may do your mountaineering in a respectable way." "all the more need for you to hurry, ruth," whispered bab in her friend's ear. "i feel sure we shall find the guides and wagons waiting for us at the foot of the hill. if we get an early enough start up the mountain we can get fairly settled by night time." ruth nodded with her eyes straight in front of her. she kept her car moving swiftly ahead. "barbara, it is quite idle to talk to ruth," broke in miss sallie, who had not heard just what bab had said. "she is her father's daughter. once her mind is made up to accomplish a thing, she will do it or die! so we might as well resign ourselves to our fate. she will reach 'her mountain,' as she calls it, by noon, even if we have to jump a few of these embankments to succeed." miss sallie was growing tired. "why did i ever allow myself to be brought on such a wild expedition after the experiences you girls led me into in newport!" she said. "now, miss sallie!" said grace carter gently--grace was always the peacemaker--"you know you love these glorious woods as much as we do. think how jolly things will be when we go down into lenox after it grows too cold to stay in camp. who knows but you will turn out the best sportsman in the lot? and we shall probably have our guide teach you to shoot before we are through this trip." miss stuart sniffed indignantly. then she laughed at the thought of her plump fingers pulling the trigger of a gun. "what is our guide's outlandish name?" she inquired in milder tones. "naki, and his wife is called ceally," grace answered. "you remember mr. stuart explained they were originally french canadians, but they have been living in these mountains for a number of years. because they used to be guides up in the canadian forests they don't know any other trade to follow in these peaceful woods." "these woods were by no means always peaceful, my lady grace!" asserted bab. "you can't even be perfectly sure they are peaceful now. why," she went on in thrilling tones, "these hillsides once ran red with the blood of our ancestors and of the friendly indian tribes who fought with them against the french." "oh, come! come! no more american history!" remarked mollie. "beg pardon, but i do object to bab's school-teacher manner. did you ever see anything so lovely as these hills are now? the scenery around here is like the enchanted forests of arcady." "oh, miss sallie, girls, look!" called grace. from the high crest of a hill "the automobile girls" gazed down upon one of the loveliest valleys in the berkshires. afar off they could see the narrow housatonic river winding its way past villages and fields, from the hillsides, which gave it the indian name; for housatonic means "a stream over the mountains." nestling in the valleys lay a chain of silver lakes. ruth paused an instant. "over there ahead of us is 'our mountain.' i think we can reach it in an hour or so." while they were pursuing their journey, another small party was gathering on the slope of the hill opposite. a long, lean man burned to the color and texture of leather sat on the front seat of a wagon drawn by two strong mountain horses. by his side was his wife, almost as thin and brown; behind them, piled up in the wagon, were trunks, rolls of steamer rugs, kitchen utensils, making altogether as odd an assortment of goods as if the couple were peddlers. strolling around near them was a younger man, evidently the driver of a well filled grocery wagon. his horse stood patiently cropping the fine, hillside grass. farther up the roadside a chauffeur nibbled a spear of mint. he had no car near him, but his costume was unmistakable. evidently something was in the air. somebody or something was being waited for. soon after twelve o'clock, there was a whirr along the road. the cart horses raised their ears, and without a motion from their drivers, moved farther to the right side of the path. berkshire hills horses, in whatever station of life, needed no further notice. an automobile was approaching! "here they come!" cried the grocer's boy, jumping back into his wagon. the chauffeur dropped his piece of mint and gazed down the road. now at least there was something worth seeing! "hip! hip! hurrah!" "the automobile girls" landed with a flourish beside the wagons. their laughter woke the sleeping echoes in the hills. "are you naki and ceally?" cried ruth, jumping out of the car and running forward with her hand extended. "and are these our things you have in the wagon? i am so sorry we are a few minutes late; but these mountain roads take longer to drive over than i had expected. i hope i haven't kept you waiting very long." "no'm," said the guide, sliding slowly down from his perch on the camping outfit. he emptied the pipe he had been comfortably smoking. "time enough," he answered. naki was a man of few words. the chauffeur had walked over to ruth's car and was assisting miss sallie to descend. "you are to take this car into lenox, i believe," miss stuart began. "my niece will explain matters to you more fully. i am told we cannot take the car any further up this side of the hill. where is the carriage in which we are to drive?" "oh, aunt sallie!" cried ruth in consternation. "what are we to do? when naki wrote there would be seats in his wagon for those of us who wished to drive up the hill, i am afraid he meant those seats in front by him and his wife." the guide looked perfectly solemn, even when he beheld miss sallie's face. imagine, if you can, miss sallie stuart, nervous, as she was, perched on top of a rickety wagon! add the fact that she was to be driven up an unexplored hillside by the side of the two queer, brown people to whom they were confiding their fates! "we don't ride 'longside of you, miss," explained naki to ruth. "i leads the horses up and my wife walks by their side. there's room for three of you up there on the front seat. it's more comfortable than it looks. the other two of you had better walk or you can ride in the grocery wagon. the man's coming along behind us with the provisions." miss sallie had not spoken again. her expression was that of a martyr. "do you think you can manage, miss sallie?" bab pleaded. ruth was explaining matters to the chauffeur. he was to take the car to lenox. every afternoon at one o'clock he was to return with it to this fork in the road and wait for half an hour. if "the automobile girls" decided on a trip to one of the nearby towns, they would join him at this place; for here the good road ended and the trail up the hillside began. the camp was a long way from any town, but an automobile defies distance. miss stuart looked truly miserable when she saw their car disappear down the foot of the hill. then she looked around her carefully. the place was entirely deserted. "very well," she declared, resignedly. "i suppose there is nothing for me to do but to climb up into that wretched wagon." ruth, barbara, grace, mollie, naki and his wife all assisted her to mount over the wheel to the seat of honor. violet cushions were piled back of her, grace sat on one side of her, mollie on the other. ruth and barbara were determined to walk. "we are dreadfully tired sitting still, aunt sallie," ruth begged. "please let us follow the wagon!" "certainly, you can walk if you are able. in fact, you have no way to ride except in the grocery wagon, where you would probably get mixed up with the pickles and preserves," responded miss stuart. "walk by all means!" the cavalcade started. "let's pretend," proposed bab to ruth, "that we are starting out on what the indians called 'the long walk.'" "surely, bab, it's a long walk, all right. but why introduce the indians?" the girls were climbing up the steep path ahead of the wagon. bab laughed. "oh, i read somewhere," she explained, "that the indians used to sell their land that way. suppose you and i were early settlers, who were trying to purchase this hillside from the indians. they would tell us we could have, for a fixed sum, as much land as we could cover in the 'long walk.' that would mean that we were to walk along quietly from sunrise to sunset, sitting down occasionally to smoke a pipe of peace, to break bread, and to drink water. that reminds me, are we ever going to break bread again? i am starving!" but ruth was not sympathetic at the moment. "it is curious," she replied. "these mountains are so full of indian legends, we shall think, hear and dream of nothing but indians in the next few weeks. the names of all the places around were once indian. i suppose we shall do almost everything except see an indian. the last of them has vanished from here. oh, bab, do look at aunt sallie!" miss stuart had forgotten her fright. fortunately, she did not realize how absurd she appeared. "ruth!" she called from her throne on the wagon seat. "here is a perfectly good place for our lunch. there is water near and view enough, i am sure. i must be given food before i am taken another step up these hills. i am famished!" the party found a clear space in the woods. in a short time naki had built a fire of pine twigs, and ceally had a giant pot of coffee boiling over it. its delicious perfume mingled with the fresh mountain air. "i declare i haven't been so hungry since i was a girl," miss sallie avowed. she was seated on a log, with a sandwich in one hand and a cup of coffee on the ground by her. her hat was on one side of her head, and her pompadour drooped dejectedly, but miss sallie was blissfully unconscious. the color in her cheeks shone as fresh and rosy as the tints in the cheeks of any other of "the automobile girls." mollie flitted around like the spirit of the woods. nothing could induce her to keep still. "do let me get the water," she coaxed the guide. like a flash she was off and back bearing a heavy bucket. "here, ruth," she volunteered, pouring a stream of water into the tiny silver cup that ruth always carried. ruth was just in time. with a jump to one side, she escaped, but the splash descended on unsuspecting bab, who was nibbling a doughnut. in her ardor at playing waitress in the woods mollie had turned her bucket upside down. instead of dispensing nectar, this little cup-bearer to "the automobile girls" had nearly drowned one of them. "it's a blessed thing you are my sister," cried bab. mollie apologized, dabbing at bab with her small pocket handkerchief. "you can tell me exactly what you think of me. ruth and grace might be too polite. i am so sorry; i was trying to be useful." "go over to the fire, barbara, and dry your dress," advised miss sallie. "it is just as well you have on a thick suit. we must learn to expect occasional mishaps." barbara winked solemnly at ruth as she arose from the table. miss sallie was sure to be in a good humor when she talked in this philosophical fashion. for an hour after luncheon the camping party continued their climb. finally ruth and bab, who were in front, came to a sudden stop. "hurrah!" they shouted, turning to wave their handkerchiefs to the occupants of the wagon. mollie nearly pitched out of the wagon in her excitement, but grace and miss sallie clutched at her skirts in time. "have we arrived?" mollie cried. "oh, do stop the wagon!" the little log cabin in the woods was now plainly in view. "it's the gingerbread house, i know it is," exclaimed grace, making a flying leap over the wheel of the cart. "the logs are the soft, brown color of good gingerbread, and the little windows must be made of sugar frosting." in a clearing on top of a hillside stood the "hut," as the girls christened it in an instant. a circle of pine and cedar trees hid it from sight. all around it were thick woods. higher hills rose at the back of it. a roaring brook tumbled down the hillside fifty feet from their cabin door. by nightfall the little house in the woods was made thoroughly livable. the girls hammered and worked, assisted by naki and his wife. miss sallie sat by the big fire in the living room and gave directions. adjoining this big room, which ran across one side of the cabin, were two bedrooms. farther back naki and ceally shared a small chamber that connected with the kitchen. just before supper time ruth took miss sallie by the arm; grace, barbara and mollie followed them; around and around their new home "the automobile girls" marched. "see your elegance!" said ruth to her aunt, pointing to a mirror, which hung by a nail over miss sallie's rough pine wood dressing table. her favorite toilet articles were already laid out upon it, her wrapper hung over the back of a chair. "most noble lady," continued ruth, "behold what miracles your willing slaves have performed for your comfort! everything is here for your convenience except your perfumed bath." "don't speak of a bath, child!" cried miss sallie, with a real shudder of horror. "it is the lack of a proper bathtub that makes this camping business truly awful!" "come, miss sallie," called barbara, quick to change the subject. "i want you to see the wonderful sunset." overhead miss sallie beheld a golden radiance that bathed the hilltop in a wonderful light. in the west the sun was sinking behind a line of blue mountains. that evening the girls sat around an open campfire piled high with pine logs. it was a cool night, and although they were tired, no one would suggest going in to bed. every now and then mollie would tumble forward and awake with a start. she was half listening, half dreaming as grace's lovely voice floated out through the still night air, singing, while she strummed idly her guitar: "lovely moon that softly glides, through the realms where god abides." "i wonder," said mollie to grace, as she finally followed her into bed, "what wonderful adventures we shall have in this forest? perhaps we shall awaken a wood nymph and teach her to become a mortal maid. do you suppose she would like the change?" chapter v a day in the woods mollie crept to the door of their hut at sunrise next morning. she thought she heard light footfalls outside their door. the other girls were fast asleep, worn out by the long trip of the day before. yet when mollie peeped outside no one was in sight; all was silence. only the birds had begun to stir in their nests and call their morning greetings across from one tree top to another. as far as mollie could see stretched the unbroken forest. a narrow path ran down the hill between the trees. a steeper incline rose back of them and this was broken with deep ravines. mollie could neither see nor hear anyone. yet it seemed to her that she was not alone. she had a sense of some unknown presence. she crept back into the room and put on her crimson dressing gown and slippers. she was bent on making a discovery. it could not be naki or his wife, whose light footfalls she had heard moving swiftly around the house. they were nowhere to be seen. she was nervous about going out, as miss sallie had made dreadful suggestions about wolves and wild cats, yet she slipped out on the tiny porch. far away through the trees and up the steep hillside she saw flying like a deer, a thin, brown creature. was it human or a sprite? mollie could not guess. she caught a glimpse of it, but it had been impossible to observe it accurately, so fast it flew. there was only a whirr of flying feet, and a flash of brown and scarlet to be seen. could it be the famous ghost of lost man's trail? at this same moment naki came around from the back of the house. "i thought i heard some one," he grumbled, looking suspiciously at mollie. "yes, so did i," she answered. "and i saw some one or something fly up the steep side of that hill." naki did not answer. mollie thought he looked at her queerly. "you must have been mistaken, miss," he declared. "nothing could have gone up that ravine over yonder. there's only an indian trail back there. nobody travels much over that hill. it's all cliffs and dangerous." mollie shook her pretty head. she did not argue, but she knew what she had seen. "i am going to try climbing it, some day, just the same," she thought to herself, "but of course, i must get used to finding my way about first. i must find out just what i saw this morning." "where have you been, mollie?" asked grace, opening her eyes as mollie came back to bed. "what's up?" called ruth from the next room, where she slept with miss sallie. "oh, nothing," mollie answered, fearful of being thought superstitious. "i thought i heard a sound at the door, but i was mistaken." "girls," ruth demanded later, as they sat over their breakfast, "is there anything in the world so good to eat as bacon fried by ceally over an open fire?" ruth helped herself to all that was left on the dish. "ruth stuart!" called barbara. "how dare you take all the bacon, when you have just declared it was so delicious? miss sallie, make her divide with me." miss stuart looked up from her eggs and toast: "what are you children quarreling about?" she asked placidly. "suppose you bring us another dish of bacon, ceally. the mountain air certainly creates an appetite. i am sure i don't see what benefit i am to get from 'roughing it!' the one thing i hoped to do by living outdoors was to reduce my figure, but, if my appetite continues at the present rate, i shall certainly not lose an ounce." "don't you be too sure, auntie," ruth demurred. "wait till we get through with you to-day. think you can climb the hill back of us?" mollie interrupted. "naki warns us against that particular hill. he says it is unpopular for climbing because of its cliffs and ravines. but he hints that there is an indian trail over it, so i am dying to explore it. aren't you, bab?" "well, it's not for me!" laughed ruth hastily. "i am not any too devoted to scaling cliffs, you may remember." "what's the programme for to-day?" grace asked. "somebody must go down the hill with me this afternoon," ruth answered. "the automobile is to meet us there you know, to take us to a postoffice to mail our letters to our beloved families. this morning we can just poke round the camp. i want naki to teach us how to make a camp fire." mollie looked down at her dainty hands. "it is rather dirty work, isn't it?" she asked. "not a bit of it, mollie," put in bab. "don't be finicky, or we shall put you out of camp. it's a good thing to know how to build a first-class fire. suppose one of us should be lost in the woods some day!" "we will suppose no such thing," protested miss stuart. early in the afternoon miss sallie and the four girls started down the hill. bab, mollie and miss stuart were to go only a part of the way with ruth and grace, the two girls continuing their walk until they met the chauffeur, who was to bring the motor car up to the point of the road where ruth had told him to meet her. mollie and bab begged off from the excursion. "i don't want to know," bab argued, "how near we still are to civilization. if i go to town with you to-day, no matter how long the drive is, it will take away a part of the romance of living in the hills." miss stuart was not much of a walker. before they had gone half a mile she decided that it was high time to turn back. "good-bye girls," she called to ruth and grace, who were hurrying on. "do not stay too late. you must be back by dusk, or i shall be most uneasy. at five-thirty i shall expect you in camp. these are my orders." miss sallie turned to bab and mollie. "seriously, children," she explained, "i think i shall establish military rules. if one of you stays out after dusk, i believe i shall shut you up in the guard house for twenty-four hours." "but where is the guard house please, miss sallie?" inquired mollie meekly. miss sallie laughed. "in this case the guard house means only the cabin. the girl who fails to appear when the roll is called in the evening must remain within the limits of the camp all the following day." bab and mollie left miss stuart before the log fire in the living room of their hut. miss sallie, who had a taste for romance in the lives of other people, was deep in the reading of a new novel. a part of the camping supplies had been a collection of new books for her. "come on, mollie," cried bab gayly. "let's go over in the woods and gather some pine and cedar branches for our fire this evening." barbara walked ahead, pulling a small wagon behind her with all the ardor of a young boy. "you see," she avowed to mollie, "i don't have to remember i am sixteen, or a girl, while we are living in the woods. i can be just as independent as i like." the two sisters were deep in their task. the little wagon was piled high with evergreens. suddenly mollie started. she thought she heard a voice calling from somewhere above their heads. "hi, there! hello! hello!" "did you hear some one calling?" asked mollie. "why, no," responded barbara. "what is the matter with you, mollie? this morning you heard a 'spook' outside the door, this afternoon you believe you hear a voice calling you. beware, child! perhaps you are already afflicted with the wood madness, and may see that wonderful ghost." "hi, there! hi, there!" a voice was surely floating down from the sky. this time bab stared. mollie looked triumphant. as far as they could see around them, there was no other human creature. and the sound did not come from the ground. mollie was right. the noise was from overhead. but it was so far off and faint, it could not come from the trees above them. bab and mollie ran out into an open space. there was a strange, rattling, swinging noise above their heads, as though a pair of mammoth wings were beating in the sky. the two girls looked up. there, about twenty yards above the tops of the highest trees was the strangest object ever seen by mollie and bab! "what on earth is it?" bab breathed faintly. the voice sounded more distinctly this time. "is there some one down there in the woods?" bab caught the words. the sound was coming from a megaphone from the strange ship in the air. but mollie and bab had no megaphone at their command through which to answer back--only two frightened girl voices. "yes, yes!" they called together as loud as they could shout. the sound was ridiculous even to their own ears, and was lost in the vast spaces of the forest. the strange vehicle over their heads was gliding a little closer to the ground. bab and mollie could faintly see the figure of a man--two men--when they looked again. this time the voice came through the megaphone: "can you get me help? i have broken the rudder of my balloon. we cannot alight without assistance. if we come too close to the ground we will catch in the trees. i want some one to pull us down with ropes." "well," mollie spoke to herself, "it is a relief to know that that object is an airship, not some hideous hobgoblin. i would like to know, bab, how you and i are to get the thing to the ground?" "run, fly, molliekins!" cried bab, whose mind was always quick in action. "go to the cabin for naki and ceally. tell them to come here as fast as they can tear. we can manage together." mollie was off in a flash. barbara's voice could now be heard by the men in the balloon above her. "drop me a line," she called to them, "before you float too far away. i will tie you to a tree." bab had realized that with a broken rudder it was impossible for the dirigible balloon to remain poised in the air. a long coil of rope floated down from the sky. barbara caught it and ran to a tree which was bare of branches. then she knotted the rope with all her skill and strength. there was nothing to do, now, but wait. bab fastened her gaze upon the strange white bird she had captured, which hung fluttering and quivering in the sky above her. chapter vi "the great white also" two minutes later naki came running along the path. even his solemn face was aglow with excitement. ceally was close behind him. just after them danced mollie, who was followed by miss sallie. the latter had deserted her novel at the critical moment of the story. she must discover what mollie was talking about. the child was too excited to explain. [illustration: a long coil of rope floated down from the sky.] when the little party reached the clearing where bab stood it was easy to see what had happened. an aerial navigator had come to grief and was calling for assistance. as naki joined bab, the aeronauts dropped more ropes from their basket, which hung beneath the great balloon. the big guide seized hold of one; his wife grabbed another; before miss sallie could stop her, bab was swinging on a third. "great heavens child, let go!" miss sallie called out in tones of intense alarm. "you will be rising up in the air in another moment!" "oh, no!" laughed bab out of breath. "there's no danger now. don't you smell something horrible?" the delicious air of the woods was being permeated with a detestable odor. the great balloon above their heads was shrinking. it was growing smaller and smaller. the gas was being allowed slowly to escape from it. "why, it looks like an enormous slug," cried mollie, "now that we can see the thing closely." by this time the balloon had neared the ground. two men sprang over the sides of the basket, both alighting on their feet. half a moment later the older of the two was bowing politely to miss sallie and wiping his glasses. landing from a balloon on top of a mountain was apparently an ordinary occurrence with him. his companion was busy with the airship, which now lay on one side on the ground. it was shuddering and exhaling deep breaths. "madam," said the aeronaut addressing miss sallie, but looking at barbara, who stood by her side. "more than i can express i thank you for your assistance. we were, i think, in rather a dangerous position and we might very easily have been killed. at best, in trying to alight without help, i should have torn my balloon in the branches of the trees. perhaps you ladies would like to examine the balloon more thoroughly. this is my nephew, reginald latham." a young man arose from the ground. he wore a close fitting tan costume, a cap with a visor and short trousers. he brought his heels together with a click, and bowed low to miss sallie. then he extended his hand to mollie and barbara. "it was immensely clever of you," he spoke, with a slightly foreign accent, "to have helped us out of our difficulty. tying us to the tree, while we were obliged to wait, really saved the situation. i do not think the balloon is injured at all, except for the broken rudder." the young man spoke of his balloon as tenderly as though it were a cherished friend. he looked about twenty-three or four years old. he was thin and dark, with clever eyes; but an expression of restlessness and discontent spoiled an otherwise interesting face. "i am winthrop latham," his uncle continued. "i have a summer place down here, but my nephew and i spend most of our time, both summer and winter in lenox. we have a house in my grounds where we are both working on models for airships." mr. latham paused. it was natural that he should expect some explanation. what was a handsome, middle-aged woman doing on top of a mountain? why were her only companions two charming young girls and a rough looking man and his wife? "i suppose," miss stuart replied, laughing, "that you are almost as much surprised at our appearance as we are at yours! i am sure no thanks are necessary for our part in your rescue! we were delighted to assist in such a novel and up-to-date adventure." miss sallie looked smilingly at mollie and barbara. she was rather enjoying their unusual experience. moreover, she had heard of mr. latham's beautiful home in lenox. and was assured they were in the best of company. "we are camping on this hill for a few weeks," she continued. "i am miss stuart, of chicago. my niece and i, and three girl friends, are the entire camping party, except for our guide and his wife. won't you come to our hut? can we be of any assistance to you?" "indeed, you can!" heartily declared mr. latham, who was evidently an old bachelor of about fifty-five years of age, with charming manners. "i wonder if you will take care of my balloon for me until my nephew can get down the hill to send a wagon up for it. that very inferior looking object you now see collapsed on the ground is really my latest treasure. it is one of the best dirigible balloons invented up to the present time." barbara was already down on her hands and knees beside the balloon. as her new acquaintance explained the details of its construction to her, his face burned with enthusiasm. mollie, watching him, thought he looked almost handsome. nevertheless she didn't like reginald latham. bab, however, was delighted. she had a thirst for information and here was a young man who could intelligently talk to her about the most marvelous inventions of the century, the airship and the aeroplane. "i think," bab volunteered, "if the balloon can be folded without harming it, we might carry it to the house in our small express wagon. we could each hold up a side of it, and it would be better than carrying it altogether." the queer procession started for the cabin. miss sallie and mollie walked on in front. mr. latham, reginald latham, naki and ceally, each supported a corner of the balloon, while bab solemnly dragged the express wagon. her pile of evergreens had been rudely dumped out on the ground. "well, for goodness sake!" ruth and grace stood at the door of their cabin, transfixed with surprise. "what on earth has happened this time?" "let nothing surprise you, girls, in this world of strange adventure," called barbara. she had forgotten the strangers when she saw the amazed faces of ruth and grace. "sometimes it is the stay-at-homes who have the exciting experiences come to them." "do come in and have tea with us, mr. latham!" urged miss stuart. "naki will go down to a farmhouse, only a mile or so away, where he keeps his horses, and will bring up his wagon to take your balloon home for you. you really must explain matters to my niece and her friend, miss carter, or they will perish with curiosity! if traveling in the air makes one as hungry as living on a hilltop, the tea may be acceptable for its own sake." "of course i want to come into your castle," laughed mr. latham. "i feel so certain i have run across a party of fairies that i must peep into your dwelling to see if you are real people." "you are not ahead of us, mr. latham," laughed barbara, "mollie and i thought you were angels calling down to us from the sky." "i hope, miss stuart," begged their visitor, as he was making his adieus, "that you will soon come down from your high retreat and bring these young ladies to see my place in lenox. reginald and i promise not to talk airships incessantly. but, if you refuse to descend the hill very soon, my nephew and i shall climb up to see you. next time i promise to appear in a more conventional fashion." that night, when the girls were undressing, mollie announced unexpectedly: "i don't like that reginald latham." "why not, mollie?" asked bab. "he is a very interesting fellow. his mother is a german and he has been educated in germany. his father, who was mr. latham's younger brother, is dead. i think reginald is his uncle's heir. he told me he and his uncle mean to devote all their time to inventing airships. he studied about them in germany, even before he came to live with his uncle three years ago." "mercy!" mollie ejaculated. "then he is even more queer than i thought him. what a useless life for a man of his age. i don't like him even if he is ever so clever, and though his uncle is a dear. girls, if i tell you something will you promise me not to laugh? cross your heart and body. i won't tell you unless you do." "oh, then we have no choice, mollie," laughed grace. "you may laugh a little," relented mollie, who was giggling softly to herself. "do you know what i suddenly thought, when bab and i saw that great white object come sailing over our heads this afternoon? like a flash it popped into my mind. here comes 'the great white also!'" barbara shrieked with laughter in spite of her promise. "oh, you funny mollie!" she exclaimed. "what is the child talking about?" inquired the puzzled ruth. "the great white also! what utter nonsense!" mollie blushed. "do you remember," she asked, "a paragraph in the first geography you studied at school? it read: 'the brown bear, the black bear, and the great white also inhabit the northern regions of north america.' well, when i was small child i always thought 'the great white also' was some strange kind of animal. for a long time i wondered and wondered what it could be. finally i asked mother and bab to explain the sentence to me. of course they thought it a lovely joke; but, just the same, i never could get over my first impression. it flashed into my head this afternoon, when i saw that strange white thing struggling in the air--at last here comes 'the great white also!' wasn't it too absurd? i have been laughing to myself ever since." "children, what on earth is the matter?" inquired miss sallie, appearing at the bedroom door in her dressing gown. "you will waken the dead with your racket. ruth, come to bed, at once, and tell me what you are laughing about." chapter vii mollie follows the trail "mollie have you seen my red sweater?" called grace a few days later. "i can't find it anywhere; yet i am sure i left it out here on this bench last night. naki and ceally haven't seen it. horrid thing! it has taken wings and flown away just when i wanted it. do come with us. ruth, bab and i are going over into the forest to try to learn to shoot. naki is to teach us." "does miss sallie know?" asked mollie, who was not in a good humor. bab had been lecturing her for her sudden dislike of reginald latham. it seemed to mistress barbara unreasonable that mollie had taken such an unaccountable prejudice against a young man whom they had barely met. "you talk, mollie, as if he were a villain in a play," bab protested. mollie knew she had been obstinate. all she had answered was: "well, he would probably be a villain, if he had the opportunity. i hope i shan't see him again. i don't see, bab, why you should be so interested in him. he's lots older than you are." "i am not interested in him," bab retorted indignantly. and the two sisters had separated. "of course, miss sallie knows we are going to practise shooting?" mimicked grace. "what is the matter with miss mollie thurston this morning? don't you know mr. stuart sent us a rifle. he told us learning to shoot might prove a useful part of our education. _do_ come on with us mollie." "no, thank you," mollie declared. "i hate the noise of a gun. oh, i am not afraid, grace carter, so you needn't tease; but i prefer more ladylike amusements. i am going for a walk." "don't go too far by yourself, mollie," pleaded grace, who didn't mind mollie's tantrums. "you don't know your way about these hills, yet, and it isn't safe to wander any distance. how i wish i could find my coat." "here, take aunt sallie's," cried ruth, appearing suddenly in the doorway. "it is not such a charming color as your scarlet one, and it may be a trifle large, but it will keep you warm. coming, child?" she asked mollie. mollie shook her head. without waiting for bab to join them she started on her walk. the child wanted to be alone. besides being in a bad humor she had several things to think about. she certainly would not tell bab and the other girls, just to be laughed at; but again that morning she had heard a light noise outside their window. it didn't sound like an animal. mollie wrinkled her pretty forehead, and a puzzled expression crept into her blue eyes. how absurd even to dream of a thief, here on their beautiful hillside far away from the rest of the world. and, she, a great girl of fourteen, knew better than to believe in ghosts. mollie slipped down the path and crossed the gully that divided the nearer hill from the higher one back of it. already her bad humor was disappearing. she had no idea of going far from their cabin; another day she might persuade the girls to explore this mysterious hill, with its lost indian trail; but she should not attempt it alone. this morning she wanted only to creep away for an hour or so into the woodland quiet. mollie thurston had a curious passion for the woods. when she was alone in them she would stand still a long time, calling to the birds, and she delighted in having them steal near and shyly listen to the sweet sounds she made in return for theirs. no one knew of this accomplishment of mollie's, not even bab. up the steep hillside mollie clambered. below her she could hear the pop, pop, pop, of a rifle. the girls were evidently taking their lesson in target practice from naki. "i suppose i am fairly safe up here," mollie chuckled, "but i wouldn't care to be too near those shooting experts. i know they will hit everything near them except their target." she sat down on the root of an old tree that jutted out from an overhanging bank, and drew a sheet of paper from her pocket. she would write to her mother of their rescue of an airship. mollie bit the end of her pencil--she was not in a writing mood. why had she taken such a dislike to reginald latham? he had been polite enough, and was rather good-looking. it was bab's habit to feel prejudices, not hers. she wouldn't say anything to her mother about him, but certainly bab seemed to like him unusually well. crack! crack! the sound came from the bushes! she looked quickly around. it must have been a gust of wind that stirred. in another minute there tumbled over her head a shower of leaves and acorns, that for an instant blinded her. but she could hear plainly this time; light feet were running along the bank above the ravine where she sat. without pausing a moment she jumped to her feet and ran up the path that led from the bottom of the ravine to the hilltop. nothing was in sight; but further on through a thicket of trees, she caught the distant sound of flying footsteps. she could see the underbrush move, as though shaken by something in passing. a shivering sense of mystery possessed the girl. could it be the ghost? without stopping to think mollie flew in pursuit; determined to discover what had disturbed her. once she saw a bright object flash ahead of her, brown and scarlet, through the trees. it was gone in an instant. surely it was but a shadow from the autumn leaves. for some distance mollie had been following what seemed to be a pathway through a tangled thicket of bushes and trees. suddenly she stopped. so far as she could see the path ended abruptly. yet, at this very moment, she heard a faint hallo! it was the voice of temptation to mollie, and she let her curiosity get the better of her. without in the least knowing where she was going she pushed on. ducking her head through an opening in one place, turning and twisting wherever she found it possible to make her way, the child came at last into a thick forest. on every side of her stretched endless avenues of trees. now no sound of flying feet urged her on; no voice called her. poor mollie was entirely alone. "what an utter goose i am!" she declared out loud. "i don't believe i ever heard anyone, or saw anything. it was just my imagination that led me on. now, i hope," mollie gave a rueful smile and sat down to pull the brambles out of her dress, "i hope my imagination will kindly show me the way home again!" which way should she go? there were half a dozen different directions open to her. which was the right one? "i wonder," thought mollie, "if, somehow, i have struck the famous 'lost man's trail?' it is a lost girl's trail all right!" she turned this way, then that. in front of her between the sumach and the holly trees was an open space, which might lead somewhere toward home. mollie pushed her way through. there were trees, trees, trees! no path was visible between them. for half a mile mollie walked on blindly, feeling sure that, at any minute, she would catch a glimpse of their familiar hillside. a sense of sinking warned her that luncheon time had passed. high overhead she could see by the sun that noon had passed. several times she called aloud. but naki had warned her. this hill was entirely deserted. no one ever walked or rode over it. "i don't wonder," the little girl thought, with a lump in her throat. "no one except myself would be such a goose as to try to find her way about up here, or be silly enough to go on a ghost hunt." she called again. "hello! hello! i am lost! is anyone near?" there was no answer. once mollie thought she heard a strange sound, half-wild, half-human, and called more loudly. this time there was no reply. after several hours of walking, mollie found her way out of the woods. as she came again to an open hilltop she thought she could see the smoke curling out of the chimney of their little, brown cabin, but far and near, there was no familiar object. she had followed the wrong trail, and was in an entirely different part of the country. there was nothing to do but to return to the woods. wearily she walked back. "i am sure the girls must be looking for me," she said, trying to revive her courage. "when i wasn't home in time for lunch bab would know i was lost." on and on, mollie wandered. finally, toward dusk, she found herself again in the heart of the forest where she had lost her way in the morning. she was so tired, there was nothing to do but to sit down and rest, but she had not given up. of course, she would find her way out of this labyrinth of trees somehow. however, just for the time, she must wait. mollie sank down on a pile of leaves that had been blown in a heap under the shelter of a great cedar tree. it was growing cold, and the september day was closing. all morning and afternoon the little girl had wandered alone in the woods. how many miles she had traveled she did not know. the child shivered, as she dropped on the ground. tired as she was, she had plenty of courage left. not a tear had been shed in these miles of weary tramping; indeed she had often laughed at her own mistakes, though the laughter had sometimes been close to tears; but mollie knew that she must not lose her head. "suppose, i do have to stay in the woods all night?" she reflected. "it wouldn't kill me. i have wanted to have adventures in a forest; here is my opportunity. i wish, though, i knew how to make a fire; i'm so cold and hungry; but i haven't a sign of a match, so there is no use of thinking about it." if mollie could but have kept awake a little longer! no sooner had she dropped on the soft leaves than fatigue overcame her, and she was fast asleep. suddenly a figure came out of the underbrush--a strange young figure all brown and scarlet. it moved so softly that scarcely a leaf trembled. for a minute it paused and gazed down on the sleeping child. the little girl stirred in her sleep. with a bound the wood sprite vanished. it need not have hurried; mollie was too utterly weary to awaken soon. what had happened at the log cabin, meantime? all morning ruth, bab and grace had been practising under the instruction of naki. bab was growing into a clever shot, and ruth was playing her a close second, when the luncheon gong sounded. the girls had given no further thought to mollie, supposing she had grown tired of her walk, and was at home with miss sallie. the latter naturally was not worried, as she thought mollie was with naki and the others. when the girls filed into the living room for their lunch bab asked carelessly: "where's mollie?" "where's mollie?" repeated miss sallie. "hasn't she been shooting with you? perhaps she is somewhere near. here is ceally; i will ask her." at this moment ceally entered with a great bowl of vegetable soup that looked most inviting to the hungry girls. "i haven't seen miss mollie all morning," she explained. "not since she started for a walk up that hill over 'yond'." barbara, grace and ruth stared at each other with white, frightened faces. they remembered mollie had gone off for a walk early that morning; but she had promised not to go far up the hill. "call naki, at once," said miss stuart hurriedly. "he will probably know where mollie is." "no, auntie." ruth shook her head. "naki doesn't know. he has been teaching us to shoot all the forenoon." bab jumped up from the table. "please, miss sallie," she cried hastily, "may naki and i go out to look for mollie? i am afraid she is lost on the hill." "sit down, bab," quietly said miss sallie, in the voice the girls recognized as final. "you and the other girls must each eat a plate of this soup. you are not to start out to look for mollie when you are tired and hungry. ceally, see that naki has some food at once, and bring the coffee to me." barbara was almost crying. "oh, miss sallie," she pleaded, "i can't eat. don't make me wait. i must go at once." "eat your soup, barbara," was miss sallie's reply. poor bab obediently choked it down, while ruth and grace followed her example. then they each drank a cup of coffee. it was miss sallie who ate nothing. she was more frightened than the girls; for the woods were more terrible to her than to the young people. then, mollie was the youngest of the party, and miss stuart felt she was less able to look after herself. besides, ceally had hinted strange tales of the haunted mountain back of them. at the time, miss sallie had refused to listen; it had seemed utter nonsense, that tale of a ghost which haunted a lost indian trail. now, the idea came to miss stuart, that perhaps the ghost on the mountain was some criminal, a fugitive from justice, who made his home on the deserted hill. it was bab who led the way up to the top of the ravine. but there she stopped and waited for naki and the girls to join her. looking for lost people in the woods was an old business with the guide. he did not take the fact of disobedient mollie's disappearance any too seriously. once up the hill, he blew on a great horn which he carried. once, twice, thrice! there was no response. he blew again, then waited. evidently the young lady was out of earshot. then naki made a mistake. instead of going into the woods, where mollie had pursued her will-o'-the-wisp, he turned in the opposite direction. it did not dawn on him that she had been led astray by a forgotten indian trail. "you must keep close to me, young ladies," naki insisted. "none of ye know your way about up here. if we should separate, i should soon be searching for the whole lot of ye, instead of just one." all afternoon they searched and searched for the lost one, yet all in vain. if mollie shed no tears while she was lost, barbara shed plenty in the effort to find her. poor grace and ruth tried vainly to comfort her. "if only we hadn't quarreled this morning over that horrid reginald latham!" bab sobbed, running on ahead of the others. "i told mollie she was foolish to say she hated anyone whom she did not know. yet i do it all the time myself." "oh, do cheer up, bab," said grace, choking back her own tears. "you didn't quarrel with mollie. i never saw two sisters who fussed so little. i know we shall find her soon." "there's nothing up here can harm your sister, miss," naki explained to frightened bab. "the country around here is perfectly peaceful." at dusk naki and his searching party returned alone to the top of the ravine from whence they had started. looking down, they could see their log cabin, where miss sallie and ceally stood at the open door. there was no sign of mollie. "it is harder work than i expected to find the young lady," naki apologized to ruth. "i am sorry, but you had better go back to your aunt. i must go down to the farm for help. it will take a number of people to make a thorough search of this place to-night. the underbrush is so thick that it is hard work traveling about." "oh, i can't go home without mollie!" sobbed bab. "i am not a bit afraid to stay up here alone. leave me, ruth, you and grace. i'll just sit at the top of this ravine and call and call! then, if mollie comes anywhere near me, she will hear. you and grace go and have supper with miss sallie. you can bring me something to eat afterwards, if you like." barbara smiled feebly. ruth and grace both turned on her indignantly. it was a relief to pretend to be offended. "oh, yes, bab, we are both delighted to go down and comfortably eat our supper! it is so pleasant to think of your sitting up here alone, like a stone image, and poor little mollie lost--goodness knows where!" ruth kissed bab for comfort. then she turned to grace. "grace," she asked, "will you be a perfect dear? i know naki is right; he must get some one to help him search for mollie, and one of us must go to aunt sallie, who is terribly worried. see! she has already seen us, and is waving her hand. but if you will go tell her what has happened, i shall stay up here with bab, and ceally can bring us some dinner. you can come back afterwards. by that time naki will have returned with assistance and we can go on with our search again." "i hate to leave you," grace protested, "but i will go." "wait for me," naki cautioned. both girls nodded. they were too tired to speak. chapter viii end of the search when grace and naki had finally disappeared bab put her head down on ruth's shoulder and cried bitterly. "i am so frightened!" she sobbed. "if only i were lost instead of my little sister! mother always trusts me to look after mollie. i ought not to have let her go off alone!" ruth wisely allowed bab to have her cry out, before she said: "bab, dear, remember father said he relied on us to keep cool heads and strong hearts in any case of emergency. now let's gather ourselves together. let's say over and over again: 'we will find mollie! we will find mollie!'" bab braced up at once and repeated quietly, "certainly we will find her, ruth dear." both girls were looking toward the woods. it was not yet night, but the dusk was falling quickly. suddenly, off through the trees, the two girls distinctly saw a light that shone on a level with their eyes. once, twice, then again, it sparkled through the underbrush. "what is it?" bab breathed faintly. ruth shook her head. "i don't know," she answered, under her breath. the light advanced toward them; then it drew back again, never ceasing to sparkle. it seemed to be beckoning to them. "oh, ruth," cried barbara, "could it be a signal from mollie?" "how could it, barbara, dear?" ruth replied. both girls waited a little longer. the light came again. it seemed almost to call to them. barbara started to her feet impatiently. "i must go and see what it is," she declared. "wait a minute, bab!" pleaded ruth. it was second nature with ruth to be ready for emergencies. rapidly she tore from a pad in her leather knapsack a sheet of paper and wrote on it: "bab and i are going into the woods at the left. follow the trail of the paper i shall drop as we walk." like a flash she pulled off her white petticoat, and tied it to a bush near the place where she and bab had been sitting. the skirt fluttered and swung in the breeze. beneath it, under a small stone, ruth placed her note. "come on, bab!" she cried. "let's be off!" barbara bounded ahead; ruth closely followed, leaving behind her a trail of white paper which she tore into bits as she ran. the light ahead of the two girls beckoned them deeper and deeper into the forests. they must have followed it for more than a mile. ruth's paper was giving out. suddenly the light dipped to the ground and was gone! at the same moment, ruth and barbara heard a sizzling crackling noise. a tongue of flame darted up between two distant trees, and a warm glow like that of a camp fire lit up the shadows of the forest. ruth and bab rushed to the spot. in the center of a small open space some one had lighted a fire. sitting on a bank of autumn leaves, slowly rubbing her eyes was a girl. a scarlet coat caught bab's eyes; then a tangle of yellow curls. "it's my mollie!" she cried, springing toward her and gathering her in her arms. "why, bab," asked mollie sleepily, "when did you and ruth find me? i must have been dreaming. i did not hear you make the fire. how did you happen to light a fire before you awakened me?" the girls stared at mollie. "build a fire?" they queried in amazement. "surely, mollie, you made the fire yourself." mollie shook her head. "how could i possibly light a fire?" she inquired. "i haven't a match." then she smiled faintly. "i am not enough of an 'early settler' to know how to make a light by striking two flints together. but please take me home." the little girl was too tired to care about anything beyond the blessed fact that she had been found. it was bab and ruth who were overcome with the mystery of the dancing light that led them through the forest straight to mollie. and who could have started the fire, that now roared and blazed, lighting the woods with its many tongues of flame. what did it all mean? the mystery of it all gave them long, creepy thrills. barbara helped mollie to her feet. the child was so stiff she could hardly move, but as she arose something red dropped to the ground. ruth picked it up. "why, it is grace's sweater!" she exclaimed. "i am so glad you found it, mollie, before you went for your walk. what a blessed thing you had it to keep you warm!" "grace's sweater! what are you talking about, ruth? i didn't have it with me. i was nearly frozen. you or bab must have brought it with you. i found it over my shoulders when i awoke," protested mollie. ruth and bab said nothing. there was nothing to be said. it was all a puzzle! where was the clue to the mystery? the two girls were leading poor, tired mollie through the thick tangle of shrubs, along which ruth's bits of torn paper gleamed white and cheerful pointing their pathway home. even mollie smiled on seeing them. "if only i had remembered to play 'hop-o-my-thumb,' ruth, dear," mollie whispered, "i needn't have created all this trouble. do you think miss sallie will ever forgive me?" "indeed she will," ruth assured her. "she will be so happy to see you again, you poor, tired mollie, she'll forget to scold!" by this time the girls could hear the noise of voices and the beating of bushes. "here we are!" ruth called out cheerfully. "don't worry. we have found mollie!" naki burst through the opening. ceally and grace were with him and two strange men from the farm below them on the hill. naki picked up mollie in his arms as though she had been a baby, and the party trudged on to their little log cabin. at the top of the fateful ravine they found miss sallie. she could bear the suspense of waiting no longer and had climbed up alone. "home for sure!" proclaimed naki briefly, as he deposited mollie, still wrapped in grace's red sweater, on the couch before the fire in their cosy living room. chapter ix spirit of the forest "it is perfectly incredible!" exclaimed miss sallie. she and bab were discussing mollie's adventure the next morning at breakfast. "the more i try to reason out the whole thing, the more in the dark i am," bab answered. "have you talked with mollie?" miss sallie inquired. bab nodded, and replied thoughtfully: "the truth of the matter is, mollie knows less on the subject than the rest of us. all that she can tell is that she was sitting quietly at the bottom of the ravine, when suddenly a shower of leaves fell over her head, and she heard the noise of feet running along the bank above her. determined to discover what had startled her, mollie climbed up the ravine and kept on with her pursuit until she was completely lost. she must have wandered around all day. finally she was so tired she sat down to rest. when she awoke ruth and i had found her." "but grace's sweater! where did it come from?" asked miss sallie weakly. ceally who entered the room at this moment, with her arms full of logs for the fire, caught the end of the conversation. she looked about her cautiously. naki, her husband, was some distance away, cutting down the underbrush which was growing too high near their cabin. "miss," whispered ceally cautiously, "they do say there is a ghost up on that mountain. it must have been a ghost that led miss mollie on that lost trail. once you strike that trail, there ain't no way of finding your way back again, unless you follow some such clue as miss ruth's bits of paper." "ghosts! utter nonsense, ceally!" scolded miss sallie. but under her breath she confessed to herself: "if anything in this world could bring me to believe in ghosts it would be this mysterious occurrence." ruth flew in at the door. "aunt sallie," she cried, "here is a man on horseback, with a note from mr. latham. he wants us to come down and spend the afternoon with him. he says he will send for us in a carriage that can come almost all the way up the hill, so we need only walk a little way. do let's go! want to, bab?" ruth finished. miss sallie looked dubious. "it is a good deal of a task, child, to go down this hill, except when we mean to stay down," she protested. "oh, no, aunt sallie!" ruth begged. "you know naki goes down the hill every day, on some errand or other. i have been to lenox twice myself and to pittsfield once. i won't give you and bab these letters, unless you promise to accept. one is for bab, from her mother; the other is for you, from father." miss stuart was reading mr. latham's note. "my sister-in-law is with me," it read. "she joins her entreaties to reginald's and mine to beg our hillside fairies to come down to the earth and have afternoon tea with us. we are to have no other guests, except a few young people whom i am sure your girls will like to meet. later on, when you condescend to spend a few weeks in lenox, it may be a pleasure for you to know them. certainly it will be a pleasure for them to know you." "the man is waiting outside for your answer," proclaimed ruth, dancing first on one foot and then on the other. "here are pen and paper. do write and let me take the note out to him." miss stuart allowed herself to be persuaded into accepting mr. latham's invitation. life on the hill was growing a bit dull for miss sallie. she dreaded the long trip, but mr. latham's place lay between their hill and the town of lenox. mollie came into the room as ruth ran out to deliver the note of acceptance. "who is out there?" she inquired languidly. the little girl was not yet rested from her experience of the day before. "we are invited to the latham place this afternoon, molliekins!" bab explained. "are you going, miss sallie?" mollie asked. miss stuart nodded. "yes, i think so, child," she declared. "it is a dreadfully long journey, but ruth is determined to go, and i am as wax in her hands." "aunt sallie stuart, you are no such thing!" ruth laughed, as she returned to the little group. "i am the most obedient niece in the world. you know you liked mr. latham. and he has a marvelous place, with a wonderful fish pond on it. from his veranda he says you can see over into four states, new york, connecticut, massachusetts and vermont!" "well, girls, we will start promptly after an early lunch," miss stuart remarked. "miss sallie," interrupted mollie gently, "remember i am in the guard house for the next twenty-four hours. i broke all camp regulations by being lost yesterday. so i can't go with the party to mr. latham's." "nonsense, mollie!" said miss stuart kindly. "i was only joking when i threatened to establish military discipline in my camp. besides, if you were disobedient, you were well enough punished for it. don't you wish to come with us?" mollie shook her head. "if you don't mind, miss sallie, i would rather not," she replied. "i am a little tired and i would rather stay quietly up here. you can count on my promise this time. i won't go more than a yard from the cabin. naki and ceally will both be here to look after me." "i will stay with mollie," spoke up bab. "i prefer not to leave her alone." mollie protested energetically. "bab, you must not stay behind with me. if you insist on doing it, i shall go with you, no matter how tired i feel. you know you are the one original lady rescuer of an airship yet on record! i was only the legs of the rescue, as i ran after naki and ceally. you were the brains of the whole business. besides, you know you are simply dying to see reginald latham's airship models, as well as their beautiful house and grounds. make her go, miss sallie!" mollie ended. "i see no reason, bab, why you shouldn't accompany us." miss sallie declared. "naki and ceally will look after mollie, and an afternoon's rest will be much better for the child than a long, fatiguing excursion." mollie walked to the edge of the hill to see miss sallie and her charges start off on their excursion to mr. latham's. then she thankfully crept home to the little cabin and stretched herself out on her cot, with the eider down comfort drawn up to her head. the child, who was not so vigorous as bab, was worn out from her fright and exposure. an hour later she awakened, feeling bright and rested as though she had never been lost in a strange woods. it was a lovely, bright afternoon. mollie could hear the leaves rustling outside, as the wind stirred them and they fluttered to the ground. the little girl had read that a swan sings a wonderful song just as he is about to die. she walked out on the porch with an odd fancy in her head. she stopped and listened again to the sound the autumn leaves made, as they swirled from the trees to the earth. "i believe," mollie smiled to herself, "that the autumn leaves sing their swan song, too." she pointed to a beautiful, golden maple leaf, that was fluttering in the air. "see, there is a leaf! it is singing its good-bye song to the tree, which has borne it all summer! the little leaf is traveling to an unknown land down under the ground." mollie laughed at her own idea. it was difficult for her to keep her eyes turned away from her ravine. she glanced up the hill. surely she saw a figure moving there. it was a slight young creature, no larger than mollie herself. was it a boy or girl? it was impossible to tell, though the figure was drawing toward her. the little girl watched with fascinated eyes. down the ravine crept a thin, brown body. now it looked this way, then that. hardly touching the earth, it flew from one high rock to the other. then it dipped into the hollow between the two hills and was gone. this time mollie did not stir from her veranda, but through her brain flashed the thought--the ghost at last! in another moment she saw a black head rise up on a level with her eyes. mollie gave a gasp of surprise, then was silent. a thin, brown creature moved softly toward her on velvet feet. mollie hardly breathed. never in her life had she beheld so odd, so exquisite a figure. a girl about her own age stood before her. her hair hung over her shoulders, black and straight. her cheeks were a deep carmine. her complexion was too dark to be olive, yet it was neither brown nor red. she was dressed in a thin, soft garment that fitted her closely from her bare neck to her ankles. around her waist she had knotted a crimson scarf. on her head she wore a fantastic wreath of scarlet autumn leaves. the newcomer stared at mollie. once, like a startled fawn, she turned to flee. but mollie was too wise to speak or to move. reassured, the quaint visitor drew nearer. mollie smiled at her quietly. "are you afraid of me?" she asked gently. "come here, i shall not hurt you." suddenly the stranger's dark, sad little face burst into a smile. "i am not afraid," she insisted. "i am never afraid. but is it well with you?" she spoke english, but with a strange guttural note mollie had never heard before. "why should it not be well with me?" asked mollie in surprise. "because," the wood sprite answered, "you were lost yesterday in the hills." "how did you know?" mollie demanded. "how did i know?" the girl lifted her head proudly. "i know all things that take place in the woods," she replied. "the woods are my home." mollie looked thoughtful; then she spoke in a firm voice: "you know for other reasons, as well. you know i was lost because you led me away yesterday." the girl's brown face crimsoned, her eyes flashed. then she lifted her head proudly. "i led you nowhere!" she declared. "you would follow me. no one can run as i do, or capture me when they hunt." "who are you?" mollie asked her. "i am nobody," the young girl replied. it seemed to mollie she spoke sadly. but she dropped down on the steps of the porch and waited until mollie joined her there. mollie put out her own soft, white hand and took the other girl's brown fingers in her own. the hands were slender and long, with hard muscles trained to the work of the woods. "well," said mollie gently, "if i _would_ follow you, perhaps my getting lost was my own fault. but was it quite fair of you to come each morning to our windows, and then fly away again before anyone could see you?" mollie was only guessing at this; but it was easy to see her guess had struck home. her visitor turned a deeper crimson and dropped her eyes. "i am sure you meant no harm by your morning calls," continued mollie smilingly. "but, if you didn't lead me away into the woods, there is one thing i feel very sure of; you did show my friends how to find me." "hush, hush!" cried the wood nymph, rising to her feet and looking around in terror, her slender body poised for flight. "promise me," she pleaded, "that you will not tell you have seen me, nor that i ever came here to you." the girl dropped on her knees at mollie's feet. "i am an indian girl," she explained. "i live on lost man's mountain, but i know no one, and no one knows me. only naki your guide has seen me. but he, too, has indian blood. he will not betray me. my name is eunice. i have no other name." "but you cannot live alone," mollie protested. the indian girl shook her head without answering. "if i tell you," she implored, "will you promise me by the stars never to betray me? promise, promise, or i shall disappear and you will see me never again." "oh," mollie answered thoughtlessly, "i promise." a swift change swept over the indian girl's face. she leaned confidingly toward mollie, who realized for the first time what her promise meant. she was already dying to tell bab and the other girls of her afternoon's experience, but she vowed to herself to keep the child's secret. "i do not live alone," eunice declared. "i have a grandmother, who is an old, old indian woman. our hut is far back in the hills. all day i have watched and waited by your cabin, until the others went away. i wanted to see that all was right with you. i trust you with my secret. now, i must be far away." "but won't you come again, eunice?" begged mollie. "why not come and see all of us? we are only other girls like you. my sister and her friends have only gone away for a visit to the lathams'." eunice started and shook her black hair. "latham! you must not speak the name to me!" she cried fiercely. "my grandmother says it is an evil name, and will work harm to me." mollie laughed at her. "the name of latham is nothing to you, eunice," she protested. "but won't you let me thank you for leading my sister to me? you must have been the will-o'-the-wisp with the dark lantern. you must have made the fire, and--and--you must even have put grace's sweater over my shoulders as i lay asleep. you are my ghost!" the indian girl drew herself up proudly, but her dark face turned curiously white. "yes," she muttered, "i took the red cloak away. my grandmother says that i stole it, and indians of royal blood do not steal. i am no ghost, i am a princess!" eunice looked at mollie with haughty grace. "i did not know i was stealing," she insisted. "i saw the soft, red thing. i did not think. i love the scarlet colors in the world." she touched the crimson leaves in her hair. "when i found that i had stolen i meant to bring the cloak back. then i saw you asleep in the woods. you looked so cold and white that i put the cloak over your shoulders to keep you warm. now you have your own again." "but, eunice," mollie inquired, more and more puzzled by the girl's appearance and conversation, "are you a pure-blooded indian? you do not look like one. your eyes are as big and brown as my sister bab's, only a little darker. and your features are so fine and pretty. then you speak such good english and your name is eunice. have you ever been to school?" eunice shook her head. "a long time a woman stayed in the tent with my grandmother and me. she taught me to speak and to read books. she comes again each winter with the snows. my teacher is part indian and part white. my grandmother says that an indian princess must know, these days, all that the white race knows, and she must have the knowledge of her own people as well. but i go now. you will not tell you have seen me. then, some day when you are alone, i may return." "wait a second, eunice?" begged mollie and disappeared inside their cabin. she came out with a lovely red silk scarf in her hand. "take this, eunice, it is for you!" she explained. eunice shook her head. "an indian princess does not accept gifts," she demurred. "oh," laughed mollie, throwing her gift over eunice's brown shoulder, "you are a proud little goose! i am sure it is a small enough gift. i want to thank you for the service you did for me in the woods." ceally was stirring about in the kitchen. like a flash the indian girl was gone. mollie sat on the veranda steps rubbing her eyes. had her visitor been a real girl, or was mollie bewitched by a brown elf? chapter x a knock at the door the moon had come up over the tree-tops before miss sallie, with ruth, bab and grace returned from their visit to mr. winthrop latham. "well, you certainly have missed it, this time, miss mollie!" cried bab, running into the room where mollie sat reading. "we have had the most wonderful time, and met the most charming people. i never saw anything so beautiful as the village of lenox. we had a splendid view of it from the tower in mr. latham's house. lenox is called a village of seventy hills, but i am sure we counted more than seventy." "i am truly sorry you were not with us, mollie," declared miss sallie, coming into the house with the other two girls. "but you will have plenty of opportunity for seeing what we did later on. it will not be long now, before we shall go down in the town to stay. did you have a nice, quiet time by yourself?" mollie felt embarrassed. she had hardly been alone. but the other girls did not give her an opportunity to answer. "mollie, we have the finest plan!" ruth broke in. "we are going to have a coon hunt up on the hill. mr. latham says it is just the thing to do on these early autumn nights. all the people we met at his house this afternoon are to come up to supper with us to-morrow evening. afterwards, we are to start out after br'er possum and br'er coon. won't it be a jolly lark?" "i don't approve of it, ruth," said miss sallie. "i am sure young girls never before took part in such an excursion. i shouldn't allow it, except that mr. latham and his sister both assured me it was done by the best people in lenox. then the english ambassador's daughters are to join you." ruth looked solemnly at bab and grace. the girls were secretly amused at miss sallie's social ambitions. "mollie," ruth explained, "we did meet two such nice english girls this afternoon--gwendolin and dorothy morton--and an awfully funny, little man, a secretary at the german embassy. they say that ambassadors are as common in lenox, in the season, as millionaires!" "did you like reginald latham to-day, bab?" mollie inquired, as the two sisters walked into their bedroom together. "why, yes," admitted bab. "i liked him as usual. he is a peaceable kind of man, but rather queer. he is too learned for me. his mother seems terribly vain of him. she does nothing but talk about his inventive skill. i believe she encourages the airship business just to get on the good side of his uncle. mr. winthrop latham is simply crazy on the subject and does not seem to care about anything else. and he must have a tremendous lot of money. but mrs. latham, the german sister-in-law, as good as told aunt sallie she and her son were dreadfully poor. they had always been obliged to live on the income mr. winthrop latham allowed them, since her husband lost his money. but i shouldn't think she and her son need worry; reginald assured me that he was his uncle's only heir." "bab," grace asked, joining the two sisters, "why did you spend so much time out in that shed looking at airship models? you know you did not understand them in the least; but our host and his blessed nephew were certainly pleased at your interest. mrs. latham showed aunt sallie and ruth and me over the house. they have an art gallery and rooms full of curios, just like a museum. the house is a perfect palace." "there was an older mr. latham once!" ruth announced, sticking her head in from the door of her bedroom to join in the conversation. "but i don't think he was a credit to the family. they are silent about him. i asked one of the girls we met this afternoon if mr. winthrop latham and his nephew were all of the latham family. just as she started to tell me, reginald latham came up to us, and she stopped talking in a hurry." "miss ruth stuart, i believe i was talking," interrupted grace severely. "kindly allow me the floor! mollie is most certainly not interested in the latham family history. who is? nor does she care a fig for mr. reginald latham and his toy balloons. but, mollie, i was endeavoring to tell you about the wonderful curios they have in their house. the late lamented brother, we were informed, has left behind him one of the most famous collection of indian relics in the world. if i am obliged to mention the stupid subject of family history, i must say that the lathams are an old family up in this part of the country. they do not belong to the 'newly rich.' the queer elder brother devoted his life to the study of the history of the indians in this part of the world, and has written a book about them." "grace, have you finished making your speech?" inquired ruth, with mock politeness. "poor mollie must be bored stiff with all this useless information. how did you spend the afternoon, dear? we have talked so much about coon hunts and indian relics and the lathams that you have had no chance to answer." "oh, i took a nap!" responded mollie, vaguely, and led the way into supper. late that evening, as the girls sat by the fire, they heard a sudden knocking at their cabin door. miss sallie, who was in bed, bounded out again. for the first time since their arrival in the woods the camping party was alone. naki had been obliged to go down the hill on an errand. no one had dreamed of any possible danger in his absence. the knocking continued. "open! open!" cried the voices of two men. "who on earth can they be?" grace asked of the circle of girls. no one answered. ceally came hurriedly in from the kitchen. miss sallie stood at her door. the knocks were repeated in quick succession. ceally had taken the precaution, earlier in the evening, to close and bolt all the doors and windows except one. the shutters of this were open on the outside. "sh-sh!" whispered bab, creeping on tiptoes to the window. before their front door, she could dimly outline the figures of two men, who were evidently arguing and protesting about something. "open! open!" cried the voices again. "we are friends, and will do you no harm." "then go away at once!" miss sallie commanded. there was a muffled sound outside the door. could it be laughter? then a voice called more roughly. "how long must we wait?" ruth and bab looked at each other blankly. miss stuart had gone back into her own room. "what on earth shall we do? shall we open the door?" ruth inquired. mollie and grace both shook their heads. "ruth," whispered barbara resourcefully, "your rifle is behind that door, and naki's big shotgun is next to it. of course, we don't know how to shoot either one of the guns very well at present, but, if you will hold your rifle pointed toward the door, i shall try to shoulder this heavy shotgun. oh, i have a splendid idea!" "out with it, child!" ordered ruth. "i believe the knocking on the door will keep up all night, unless we open it." "who's there?" inquired grace, timidly, before bab could answer. "friends!" responded the men on the outside. barbara motioned silence. "listen to me," she said. "we have no way of knowing if those men on the outside are friends, whatever they may say. here is my scheme! remember the story of the women in a town near here, who once defended their fort against an attack by the indians, when the men were all away at work in the cornfields? the women dressed up in their husbands' clothes and frightened the indians away. ruth, let's disguise ourselves as men and then let ceally open the door." "bab, you and ruth are both crazy!" protested mollie, half-laughing, and half-frightened. bang! bang! the blows on the door were tremendous. "if you don't let us in, you'll be sorry!" called one of the men. bab had already found an old hat of naki's conveniently near. ceally, who was giggling nervously, produced a hunting jacket of her husband's, which had seen much service. it was not clean, but bab slipped into it, determined to see her plan through. nor was barbara the only hero. while she was making her extraordinary costume, ruth had torn down a squirrel skin, which some previous hunter had tacked on their cabin wall and twisted it around her head so that the tail hung down to one side. then she slipped on her own leather coat, which she gave a more dilapidated appearance, by wearing it wrong side out. both girls got behind chairs to hide their skirts. "good gracious, ruth!" giggled bab, in spite of her excitement. "you look like daniel boone." during their preparation not a word was heard from miss sallie, who was closeted in her own room. "ceally, open the door!" cried ruth, raising her rifle and leveling it in front of her. bab put her elbow on the back of her chair to steady her shotgun. "girls!" cried miss stuart, unexpectedly. "don't dare to open that door!" but she spoke too late. ceally had already drawn the heavy bolt back and the door swung aside. there rushed into the room two men--or to be strictly truthful, two boys. they looked first at mollie and grace, then at ruth and bab. without a word they dropped into two chairs. "oh, oh, oh!" they shouted. "did you ever see anything in the world so funny? ralph, look at ruth!" cried hugh. "ralph ewing and hugh post, where did you come from?" demanded four girls' voices together. "we took you for highwaymen." bab set down her shotgun and ruth her rifle. both girls began pulling off their masculine disguises. "don't take off those terrifying garments, bab!" cried ralph ewing. "you, ruth, should have your picture taken in that hat." by this time, miss stuart, fully dressed, with her pompadour neatly arranged appeared at the door. highwaymen or no highwaymen, miss sallie had no intention of appearing before strange men without being properly dressed. now she was mistress of herself and of the situation. both huge post and ralph ewing stopped laughing when they saw miss sallie's face. she did not appear overpleased to see her two young friends, whose doings were fully described in the preceding volume. "the automobile girls at newport." "where did you come from?" she asked politely, but without enthusiasm. "and why did you knock on our door at this time of the evening, without informing us who you were?" "ruth," continued miss sallie severely, "what are you and barbara doing in those clothes? take them off at once." "please, ma'am," responded bab meekly, but with a twinkle in her eye, "we dressed up as men to frighten the highwaymen." "you are enough to frighten them, i am sure," retorted miss stuart scornfully. here, ralph ewing spoke in his most charming manner: "miss sallie, we do owe you an apology and we make it with all our hearts. we had no intention of playing any pranks when we came up the hill to see you. several days ago we were informed that 'the automobile girls' were camping in the berkshires. well, hugh and i are on our way to boston to join mrs. post, and----" "ralph, do let me do my share of the apologizing," interrupted hugh. "see here, miss sallie, this nonsense to-night is all my fault. ralph was dead against my pounding at the door and refusing to give our names; but i thought it would be fun to stir the girls up. i knew two such valiant girls as ruth and barbara would not be really frightened, even if we had been a whole band of outlaws. it was a stupid practical joke and i am ashamed of it." "but how did you find us, hugh?" put in ruth, who was embarrassed by her aunt's lack of cordiality to their old newport friends. "please, aunt sallie, say you'll forgive us!" hugh pleaded. "see how many miles we have traveled to see you. we would have been here in the broad daylight, only one of the tires in my machine would get a puncture. the man at the garage told us which hill to climb to find you. we met your guide coming down the hill, and he gave us further instructions. so here we are! aren't you just a little glad to see us?" "of course, i am," laughed aunt sallie, amiably. "but there is one thing certain: you can't get down our hill again to-night, and we have no place to offer you to sleep." "is that what is preying on my hospitable aunt's mind all this time?" cried ruth, throwing her arms about miss sallie. "i thought she wasn't her usual charming self. of course the boys shan't go down the hill again to-night. i don't know where they will sleep, either; but bab will bring her fertile brain to bear upon the situation." "why, miss stuart!" ralph spoke in relieved tones. "is this why you are not pleased to see us? we expect to go down the hill a little later. on our way up we stopped at a farm house, and the people promised to take us in for the night. we'll come back early in the morning, since hugh and i must be off again by afternoon. mrs. post is waiting for us in boston." "oh, must you go so soon, boys?" pleaded ruth. "we are planning the jolliest lark. we are to have a coon hunt up on the hill with some acquaintances we have just made in lenox. they are to have supper with us, and are to bring up a guide and some coon dogs for our hunt later on. and you simply must stay at the cabin to-night. see, there is a lounge here in the living room, and we have plenty of quilts and steamer rugs. one of you can have the couch and the other can sleep on the floor by the fire." "may we, miss sallie?" hugh queried. "as you like, boys," declared miss stuart, now completely restored to good humor. "then let's stay by all means!" urged ralph. "what should we expect to sleep on except the floor or the ground? this is the most effete camping party i ever saw," he declared, looking around their cosy little cabin. "you have all the comforts of home, here!" "do you think you and ralph can stay for our coon hunt, hugh?" asked bab. "oh, for sure, barbara," hugh asserted. "i will fix things up with the mater for a day; but we shall have to be off the next day without fail. now, i have an awful confession to make." "what is it hugh?" ruth demanded. "ralph and i are starving!" he answered. "we were so bent on getting up to your hut before it was too late, we didn't have time to get any dinner. could you, would you, just give us each a hunk of bread to stay our appetites?" "you poor souls!" cried ruth. "come on out in the kitchen with me, mollie. let bab and grace do the entertaining. we'll fix you some eggs and bacon in no time, the best you ever tasted. our cook has gone to bed." "let's have a feast for everybody," proposed bab. "may we, miss sallie? i am dreadfully hungry again. i haven't had anything to eat for at least two hours and a half." "come, turn in then, everybody," ruth called cheerily. "here, bab, you undertake the welsh rarebit and get out the pickles and crackers. mollie, get hugh to help you open these cans of soup. grace, you and ralph, set the table and talk to aunt sallie, while i fry my precious bacon." "i never heard of such an extraordinary combination of things to eat. you will ruin your digestions," was miss sallie's comment. but she ate just as much as anyone else. at midnight the girls were at last in bed. hugh and ralph, both wrapped in blankets, were in blissful sleep before the camp fire. they had scorned to accept the offer of the couch, wishing to enjoy camp life to the fullest extent. so peace followed good cheer in the hut. chapter xi the coon hunt "ere in the northern gale the summer tresses of the trees are gone, the woods of autumn all around our vale have put their glory on." chanted ralph bowing low to barbara, as she joined him in the clearing in front of their house before breakfast next morning. "see, mademoiselle, what a fine poem i have thought out for you! behold in me the poet of the berkshires!" barbara laughed. "you are a second-hand poet, i am afraid, ralph. i happen to know that those lines were written by william cullen bryant. but come into breakfast and stop your poetizing. we have a busy day ahead of us." ralph and barbara found ruth with a big sheet of paper in her hand and her brow wrinkled into a serious frown. "we must decide at once what to have to eat at our supper party to-night. naki is in a hurry to get off to the village, so as to be back in time to help with the preparations. listen, chilluns, while i read you my menu," commanded ruth solemnly. "i am going to have a regular, old-fashioned supper party with everything on the table at once. naki and ceally can't serve so many people in any other style. besides, if we have to eat supper at eight and start off on our coon hunt at nine, there won't be time for many courses. so here goes: roast chicken, 'ole virginy' ham, sent by mr. robert stuart for just such a special occasion, roast pig and apple sauce, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, jellies, pies, doughnuts----" "cease, and give me breakfast ere i perish at the thought of overeating," remonstrated hugh. while miss sallie protested, as she sat down to her breakfast, "my dear ruth, are you planning to feed an army, or to entertain a few guests at supper?" "what shall we do to help with the preparations, miss sallie?" queried grace. "just keep out of the way as much as possible, child," miss stuart answered. but this suggestion did not agree with ruth's ideas. "at least, aunt sallie," she expostulated, "we may be allowed to decorate the hut as we like." "certainly, child. spend the day bringing the woods into the house, and to-morrow in throwing the trash out again, if you like. only don't interrupt ceally and naki." at half-past seven everything was ready for supper. as for the coon hunt, no one of "the automobile girls" had the faintest conception of what it would be like, and miss sallie was as ignorant as the rest of them. "it is only an excuse for a midnight frolic among the young people," she thought, indulgently. "i presume no mischief will come of it." a barking of dogs announced the approach of the guests. four lean hounds, brown and yellow, baying and straining at their leashes, tore up the hill. already the keen mountain air stirred them. br'er possum and br'er coon were even now placidly eating their suppers. the dogs longed to be at the night's business. while the young people feasted inside the cabin, the men who were to conduct the hunt prepared the pine torches to light them on their way. "you feel sure this is a proper expedition, mr. latham?" asked aunt sallie nervously. she was standing at the door, waiting to see the party start off. "hugh," she called at the last minute, "promise me to look after ruth and grace. don't get separated from them, or i shall never forgive you. ralph, i trust you to take care of mollie and bab." but reginald latham was standing near miss stuart and overheard her instructions to the two boys. "oh, i say, miss stuart," he quizzed in the affected fashion that so angered mollie, "can't you trust me to look after miss thurston? i have a score to pay back to her for her rescue of me in my airship." mollie put her arm in ralph's as they walked out the door together. "don't mind that latham man," she whispered. "i can't see why bab likes him. see, they are starting off together." the great horn blew; the dogs barked violently. twenty people, each carrying a pine torch, lit up the shadows of the quiet woods. "when i count three," said mr. latham to the keepers, "you can let the dogs go." one! two! three! and the hounds were off, their noses pointed along the ground, their tails standing out straight behind them. "is coon hunting a cruel sport, ralph?" mollie inquired. "if it is, i would rather stay home." "i don't know; this is my first experience," ralph replied. "but hurry along, little girl!" "hurrah! the dogs have a coon on the run!" shouted some one in front. a poor old coon had been driven from his comfortable hollow tree, and was running for his life over the hard ground, pursued by excited dogs. close behind followed the hunters with their horns. and, tumbling over one another rushing pell-mell after them, came the crowd of heedless young people. the party separated. two of the dogs tracked another coon. "i half hope mr. coon will win this race!" panted barbara, close behind reginald latham. "remember uncle remus says, 'br'er coon, he was wunner deze here natchul pacers.' certainly he has me outclassed as a runner. do wait for me, mr. latham!" reginald latham had run ahead of the rest of the party, and was tearing down a steep hill with no light except from his pine torch. the moon had gone behind a cloud. barbara, farther up the hill, could see the reflection of a sheet of water. into it the poor little hunted coon jumped, swimming for dear life to the opposite shore. the dogs hesitated a minute, then went into the water after it. but reginald latham was now going so rapidly he could not stop himself. with a rush he was in the water, just as bab's warning cry rang out. "help me! i am drowning!" he shouted. for the minute he and barbara were alone. the rest of the party had followed the two dogs, whose baying sounded some distance across through the woods. barbara was down the bank, and out in the stream in a second. to her disgust she found the water only up to her waist. they were at the edge of a small pond, but reginald latham clutched at barbara, panic-stricken. "why, mr. latham," cried bab in disgust, "you are not drowning. this water is not three feet deep. we have only to walk out." at this instant, ralph ewing and mollie came rushing down the hill. "what on earth's the matter, bab?" asked mollie. "oh, nothing," said bab loyally, "except that mr. coon has led us into a nice mud bath. i expect mr. latham and i had better return home. i don't believe i am a first-class hunter. my sympathies are too much on the side of the coon." "can i help either of you?" asked ralph ewing courteously. but when bab said "no," he and mollie were off through the woods again. "it was good of you, miss thurston," reginald latham apologized, as he and bab made their way up the hill again, "to take part of the responsibility for our plunge into the pond on yourself. i am an awful coward about the water. i would take my share of the blame, except that my uncle would be so angry." "but you are not afraid of your uncle, are you?" bab inquired impetuously. "you seem grown up to me, and i don't see why you should be afraid. mr. latham is awfully nice anyhow." "oh, you don't understand, miss thurston," declared reginald latham peevishly. "everything in the world depends on my keeping on the good side of my uncle. my mother has talked of nothing else to me since i was a child. you see, uncle has all the money in the family now. he doesn't have to leave me a red cent unless he chooses." "well, i would rather be independent than rich," protested bab. "oh, i beg your pardon," she said blushing. "i am sure i don't know you well enough to say a thing like that to you. but do let's hurry back to camp." on their way back they met gwendolin morton and the young german secretary, franz heller. gwendolin had sprained her ankle in getting over a log, and had given up her part in the hunt. by midnight nearly all the coon hunters had returned to the log cabin for repairs before making their way down the hill again. reginald latham sat before the fire drying his wet clothes. "what is the matter with you, reginald?" asked his uncle, sharply. "we've bagged three coons, miss stuart, but i am afraid we have had more disasters than good luck. now, we must be off home again. look here, young ladies," said mr. latham, turning to ruth and mollie, who were saying good-bye to their guests, "is there a wood nymph, who lives anywhere about in these woods? several times to-night i thought i spied a little figure flying between the trees." "nonsense, mr. latham," laughed ruth. "our woods are not haunted." but mollie answered never a word. "miss thurston," called reginald latham, as barbara, who had gone out to change her wet clothes came into the room to say good night to her guests, "may i come up and see you and your friends in the morning?" barbara hesitated. she did not object to reginald latham as the other girls did; she even thought ruth, grace and mollie were prejudiced against him, but she had an idea that something disagreeable might grow out of a further intimacy. "i am sorry, mr. latham," she exclaimed politely, "but we have planned to do some target practice in the morning? we are going to stay but a short time up here in the woods, and mr. stuart, ruth's father, is anxious that we should learn to shoot." "but i am a fairly good shot myself," protested reginald latham. "why can't i come up and help with the teaching? may i, miss stuart?" he asked, turning to ruth, who much against her will, was obliged to consent. "never again shall i allow you to engage in such an unladylike and cruel sport as a coon hunt!" announced miss sallie, when the last guest had gone. the girls agreed with her, as the baying of the hounds and the noise from the hunters' horns at last died away in the distance. chapter xii the wounded bird "good-bye ralph!" said barbara, extending her hand to her old friend. "good-bye, barbara," ralph answered, politely. "it has been a great pleasure for hugh and me to see you and the other girls in your forest retreat. i am sorry we must be off so soon." "but you will come back again, in a week or two won't you?" begged ruth. "i heard you promise those lovely english girls, hugh, to take part in the autumn sports at lenox." "oh, we shall be back if possible, ruth." hugh assured her. "i think we can promise to give lenox a taste of our charming society, say near the first week in october." "let's be off, hugh," called ralph. "here is that latham fellow coming up the hill." bab laid her hand on ralph's sleeve. "you are not angry with me for going off with reginald latham last night are you? truth of the matter, ralph, i don't believe i like mr. latham any better than the others do. but i am rather sorry for him; he seems queer and nervous. why, the other day, even at his own house, all the young people except me ran away from him. i don't think he is very happy. that's why he is always fooling with inventions and things. he's a weak kind of fellow, ralph, but i don't think he is horrid." ralph laughed and his face cleared. "good for you, bab. always looking after the oppressed. but i don't think you need feel sorry for a fellow who has such a lot of money coming his way as reg latham." "he hasn't it yet!" was bab's wise comment. as ralph and hugh disappeared, reginald latham joined the four girls. he wore his shooting clothes, and his dark face was transformed with pleasure. he knew he was not popular with young people and the idea made him unhappy. he had been brought up in a foreign country and was shy and ill at ease. his mother had always kept him in her society. now, he was delighted with the independence and courage of "the automobile girls" and longed to be friends with them. "i hope i am in time for the shooting," he declared. "my uncle sent me up to apologize for the chapter of accidents that occurred last night in our coon hunt. gwendolin morton is laid up with a bad ankle, franz heller has influenza, and everyone else is tired out with the long tramp. but you look entirely rested." he turned to barbara and spoke under his breath. "forgive me for last night's performance." "come, naki," called ruth to their guide, "we are ready for our target practice. mr. latham is here." ruth led the way over the hill. at a little distance from the house naki set up a pasteboard target, which he nailed to the side of a big cedar tree, at the edge of a slight embankment. below it was nothing but underbrush. no one was near. it seemed a perfectly safe place for the rifle practice. mollie sat on the ground back of the eager sportsmen. nothing could induce her to handle a gun. "i suppose i am safe, back here," she laughed, "so, i shall sit here and watch this famous shooting match. only, for goodness' sake, all of you be careful!" bab, ruth and grace were each to have ten shots at the target, naki showing them how to load and fire. reginald latham would keep the score. the girl who hit the bull's eye the greatest number of times was to be proclaimed champion. bab fired first. she hit the second ring from the center of the bull's eye. "good for you!" ruth cried, taking aim. but she missed the target altogether. the shot from her rifle went down the hill. mollie thought she saw something stir. "isn't this a dangerous business?" she asked reginald latham. "there is nothing in these woods to harm, miss mollie," he explained. "most of the birds have already flown away." for an hour the girls fired at the target. grace had grown tired and had taken her seat by mollie, but ruth and barbara were both enthusiastic shots. ruth's score stood two ahead of bab's, who still had three more shots to fire. suddenly barbara raised her rifle. "no, don't show me, naki," she protested. "i think i can take aim myself." as bab fired mollie rose to her feet with a cry. she had seen something brown and scarlet moving in the underbrush on the hill below them. bab's shot had missed the target. but did they hear a low moan like the sound of a wounded dove? barbara turned a livid white. "i have hit something!" she called to ruth. but ruth was after mollie, who was scrambling down the hill. the whole party followed them, barbara's knees trembling so that she could hardly walk. there were tears streaming from mollie's eyes as she looked up at bab. the child's arms were around a little figure that had fallen in the underbrush, a little figure in brown and scarlet, with a wreath of scarlet autumn leaves in her hair. "i have been afraid of this," said naki, pushing the others aside. "it's my little indian girl!" mollie explained. "she couldn't bear to keep away from us, and at first i thought her the ghost of lost man's trail. i have seen her around our hut nearly every day; but i promised not to tell you girls about her. is she much hurt, naki?" the man shook his head. "i can't tell," he said. "better take her to the house and see." at this eunice opened her eyes. her lips were drawn in a fine line of pain, but she did not flinch. "i will go home to my own tent," she protested. "i will not enter the abode of my enemies." the little girl struggled out of mollie's hold and rose to her feet. one arm hung limp and useless at her side. when reginald latham touched her, she shuddered. tiny drops of blood trickled down to the ground. "give me your handkerchief, please?" asked bab as she went up to eunice. "it is i who have hurt you," she said, "though i did not mean to do so. surely you will let me help you a little if i can." she tore open eunice's sleeve and tenderly wiped the blood. naki brought two sticks, and, with his assistance, bab bound up the wounded arm, so the blood no longer flowed. "now you must go home to our cabin with us!" she pleaded. but eunice broke away from them and started to flee. she trembled and would have fallen had not mollie caught her. "see, you can't go home alone, eunice dear," mollie remonstrated. "and you must see a doctor. the bullet from the rifle may still be in your arm." eunice was obstinate. "indians do not need doctors," she asserted. but naki came and took her in his arms. "we will take you to your own tent," he declared. "she will rest better there," he explained to the girls, "and i know the way over the hills. you may come with me. the indian squaw, her grandmother, will be hard to manage." "but how shall we get a doctor up there?" asked grace. "i will go down for him later," naki answered briefly. "you need have no fear. an indian knows how to treat a wound. they have small use for doctors." "is your guide an indian?" asked reginald latham of ruth. ruth shook her head. "he may have some indian blood," she said. "i didn't know it. but this indian child, where did she come from? and to think her name is eunice!" "eunice!" cried reginald latham in a strange voice. "impossible. why eunice is not an indian name!" "but it is what mollie called her," protested ruth. "and mollie seems to know who she is." reginald latham's face had turned white. ruth felt her dislike of him slipping away. he seemed very sympathetic. mollie, bab and grace were hurrying along after naki, over whose broad shoulder hung the little indian girl. her black hair swept his sleeve, her broken arm drooped like the wing of a wounded bird. once she roused herself to say. "my grandmother will not like these people to come to our tent. we live alone like the beasts in the forest." but barbara, ruth, grace and mollie trudged on after naki. while silently by their side walked reginald latham. chapter xiii the wigwam "how much farther must we walk, naki?" asked mollie, after an hour's hard tramping. "surely eunice and her grandmother must live somewhere near. eunice could not have traveled such a distance to our hut every day." "an indian girl flies like the wind," naki answered. "but another half hour will find us at the wigwam. the indian woman lives in her tent. she will have nothing like the white race, neither house, nor friendships. she is the last of a lost race. she and the child live alone on the hill. sometimes other indians visit them, those of the race who have studied and become as white men. they have taught the child what she knows. but mother eunice, as the grandmother is known, still smokes her pipe by an open fireside." "is the old woman also named eunice?" ruth inquired curiously. "i do not understand. eunice is not an indian name." reginald latham, who was walking next ruth, panted with the exertion of climbing the hill; his breath came quick and fast. he seemed intent on naki's answer to ruth's simple question. "eunice is a family name in these parts among a certain tribe of indians. but you are right; it is not properly speaking an indian name. many years ago a little girl named eunice, the daughter of a white man, was stolen by the indians. she grew up by their firesides and married an indian chief. in after years, she would never return to her own people. and so her children and her children's children have from that day borne the name of eunice. the mohawk indians have the white man's blood as well as the red man's in their veins." mollie was walking near eunice, whom naki still carried in his arms, and then mollie would lean over every now and then and gently touch the child. once or twice, during their long walk, she thought the little indian girl lost consciousness. but never once did eunice moan or give a cry of pain. "over there," said naki finally, "lies the indian wigwam." he pointed in front of him, where a solitary hill rose before them, shaded by dense woods. "but i can't see an opening there," ruth cried; "neither smoke, nor anything to suggest that people are living on that hill." naki smiled wisely. "the indians have forgotten much of their father's wisdom," he declared. "but not yet have they forgotten how to hide in their own forests." "do you think i had better go ahead, naki?" bab queried. "some one ought to tell the grandmother that eunice is hurt. since i am responsible for the accident, it is my place to break the news to her. i will run on ahead." "not alone, bab!" protested loyal ruth. "you are no more responsible for eunice's injury than the rest of us. it just happened to be your shot that wounded her. it might just as easily have been mine. how could we have dreamed the child was hiding in the underbrush? i shall go ahead with you." "better keep with me," enjoined naki. "you could not find your way to the wigwam. we have followed the 'lost man's trail.' when we get up to the tent, keep a little in the background. the indian woman is very old. she cannot forgive easily. it is best that i explain to her as well as i can. i will go first, alone, with the child." eunice stirred a little on naki's shoulder. "the little one," she declared feebly. "she of the pale face and the hair like the sun. i wish her to go with me to the tent of my grandmother." and eunice pointed with her uninjured arm toward mollie. under a canopy formed of the interlaced branches of great hemlock trees stood an indian wigwam. it looked as much a part of the landscape as the trees themselves. the rains and the sun had bleached it to an ashen gray. outside the tent hung a bunch of arrows. against the side leaned a long bow. a fire near by had been hastily covered over. but nowhere about was there a sign of human life. "your grandmother has heard the footsteps of strangers approaching," naki said to eunice. "let her know that you are here." naki set the little girl down on her feet. mollie stood by her; but bab, ruth, grace and reginald latham were concealed by some thick bushes a few yards away. eunice spoke a few words in the indian tongue. suddenly the flap of the wigwam opened, revealing an aged indian woman. she looked older than anyone that the girls had ever seen before. her brown face was a network of fine wrinkles; but her black eyes blazed with youthful fire. she was tall and straight like the pine trees in her own forest. the old woman wore an ordinary woolen dress. over her shoulders she had thrown an indian blanket, striped in orange, black and red. she knew that strangers were near. but her grandchild called her! at the sight of eunice the indian woman gave a curious cry, which she quickly stifled. in a voice that only mollie, who stood near, could hear she asked: "my little wood pigeon is wounded? i have long feared it." mollie marveled that the old indian squaw spoke english. mother eunice gathered her child in her arms and carried her within the wigwam, laying her on a bed of cedar boughs covered with a heavy blanket. naki explained that eunice had been accidentally shot by a rifle. the old woman grunted. without a word she tore down a bunch of herbs that hung at the side of a wall. placing them in an iron pot she went out of her tent and stirred her fire into a quick blaze. all this time the indian woman had not spoken to mollie, nor had she appeared to know that anyone else was near. mollie had followed eunice into the wigwam and knelt by her side. the child moved restlessly. mollie leaned over her and unfastened her dress. around eunice's neck was an amulet of gold, each link in the chain carved with curious indian characters. at the end of the amulet, on a square of beaten gold about an inch in size, was a monogram in english lettering. mollie had only time to see that the letters, looked like e. l. or e. s. she could not tell which, for the indian squaw was back in the room, scowling at her. as the grandmother tore the bandage from the little indian girl's arm and washed the wound with her healing herbs, mollie saw that under the clothing, the child's skin was several shades fairer. at last the indian woman rose up from her knees. "let them come," she requested of naki. "let those who linger in the bushes outside my wigwam draw near to it. but beware how they cross the threshold of my tent!" the squaw stood at her own door, waiting to speak to the girls and reginald latham, as they drew near. "you have injured my child!" she said bitterly. "even in times of peace no indian seems safe before the bullets of the white man." bab colored deeply. "i am dreadfully sorry!" she declared. "it was i who hurt your grandchild. naki has told you what happened. how could we know she was hiding near us? but, now that i have hurt her, you must at least let us do what we can for her. naki shall go down the hill and send a doctor up here to look at eunice's arm." "ugh!" grunted the squaw. "an indian has no need of the white man's doctor. i shall tend my child. begone, all of you!" reginald latham moved back a few paces; but bab, grace and ruth did not stir. "naki," ruth gave her order quietly, "go down the hill at once and see that a doctor comes up to look at this child's arm. an indian's treatment for a bullet wound may be a good one. i do not know. but i do know i am not willing that this child should not see a doctor. bab and i would feel responsible all our lives if anything serious resulted from this accident. go immediately, naki," ruth ended. she was her father's daughter. though she seldom asserted her authority, there were times when she insisted on obedience. "we want no doctor here," the indian woman repeated, rocking back and forth. "no good comes to the indian from his white neighbors. therefore, have i tried to keep my child away from them." but eunice's voice was heard calling inside the tent. "let the ladies come in, grandmother. i wish to have a talk with them." sullenly the old woman moved aside and let the girls and reginald latham enter the wigwam. "little brown one," eunice cried, smiling at bab, "you would be almost as brown as i am, if you lived always in the woods. do not be so sorry that you hurt my arm. it was my fault, not yours. i should not have been in hiding. i disobeyed the commands of my grandmother. see, i am better. she will not let a white doctor look at me, perhaps, because my skin is too fair for an indian." "mr. latham," bab turned to reginald, who had not spoken. he was looking curiously at the furnishings of the wigwam, at the indian squaw and at eunice. he did not hear bab. "mr. latham!" bab called more distinctly, "can't you persuade----" a curious guttural noise interrupted her. the old indian woman's eyes were blazing. she had seized a pine stick in her hand and held it over reginald latham's head. "out of my wigwam! shall your name forever sound in my ears? am i not safe in my own house? out with you!" reginald latham had not waited before the old woman's wrath. he was already several yards down the hill. the girls were thunderstruck. why had the name of latham fired this old squaw to such a burst of fury? "come on, ruth," said grace, finally. "let us go back home. we shall do no good by staying here. i suppose we can find our way home! the old indian woman seems dreadfully upset, and our staying can only make matters worse. naki will bring the doctor and attend to everything. then he will let you know about eunice." "i think we had better go," mollie agreed. "i know it will be best for eunice." she kissed the little indian girl good-bye. "tell your grandmother," mollie explained, "that mr. latham had nothing to do with the injury to you. she may have thought he was responsible." "i told you," whispered eunice in mollie's ear, "the name of latham must not be mentioned in my house. when i first learned to read i found it written in an old book that told only the story of the indian races. my grandmother tore it from my hand and threw it into the fire, and said i must never hear that english name again." "oh!" mollie faltered. "i remember you did say something about this to me, the first time i saw you, but i did not think about it. i do not understand it now. but never mind. good-bye." "the automobile girls" joined reginald latham farther down the hill. "what a crazy old thing that indian woman is!" he muttered, laughing nervously. "she was only making a scene. she never heard the name of latham before in her life." "i wonder if that is true?" pondered mollie to herself all the way back to their cabin. chapter xiv give way to miss sallie! "aunt sallie," declared ruth mournfully about two o'clock the next day, "we are in great trouble!" "my dear child, what is the matter now?" demanded miss stuart. "well," continued ruth, "you remember about the little indian girl whom bab accidentally shot yesterday? naki has come back from a visit to her and says she is very ill. he found the doctor there, who says he won't answer for the child's life unless she is taken to a hospital in the village, where he can see her often, and where she can have the proper care. the doctor told naki we waited too long yesterday to send for him. he had to probe eunice's arm to get out the bullet. but she will be all right if she is only properly looked after." "then," declared miss sallie, "the matter is a very simple one. have naki see to it. the child must be taken to a hospital in lenox at once. everything shall be done for her comfort." "indeed, auntie, this is not such a simple matter to attend to as it seems. the indian grandmother positively refuses to let eunice be moved. she has kept the child hidden in these hills all her life, until she believes eunice will be eaten up, or run away with, if once she allows her to go among white people." "nonsense!" sniffed miss sallie. "it is all very well for you to say nonsense, aunt sallie, but you do not dream how obstinate this old woman is. she declares an indian does not need treatment from a doctor. in the meantime, poor little eunice's temperature is going up, and she is delirious from the fever. what shall we do? poor bab is feeling perfectly miserable." "take me to this obstinate old woman," said miss stuart, firmly. "you?" cried ruth, in astonishment. "certainly!" answered aunt sallie. "i _said_, '_take me_.'" "but, auntie, you will so hate the climb up that trail," ruth argued. "and the wigwam is dreadful after you get there. only the little indian girl is exquisite, like a flower growing in some horrid place. i don't believe you will ever be equal to the trip." "ruth," insisted miss stuart in stately tones, "since i have thrown in my fortunes as chaperon to 'the automobile girls' i have had many strange adventures. doubtless i shall have many others. persuading an obstinate woman to do what is best for the child she loves is not an impossible task. it does not matter in the least whether the woman is white or an indian. tell naki to take me to the wigwam at once." "aunt sallie, you are an angel!" cried ruth, throwing her arms around her aunt. "now, bab, don't you worry any more," she called into the next room. "aunt sallie does not know what she promises!" said barbara, joining ruth and her aunt. "just let's leave her alone, bab," whispered ruth. "we will go along with her to see eunice. i think i am counting on my aunt sallie to win." miss stuart paused to draw one deep breath, when she finally reached the indian woman's wigwam. then she quietly entered the tent and walked over to eunice's bedside. crouched on the floor by the child was the old indian squaw, who did not even lift her eyes to look at miss sallie. eunice was lying on her cedar bed, with her cheeks the color of the scarlet leaves that once crowned her black hair. "how do you do?" asked miss stuart politely, bowing to the indian woman. as miss sallie put her soft hand on eunice's hot head, the child stopped her restless movements for a second. the grandmother looked up. "your little girl is very ill!" miss stuart continued quietly. "i have come to see that she has proper care. she must be taken to a hospital at once. naki will see to the arrangements. the doctor says the child must be moved to-day." the indian woman shook her head. "the child shall not leave my wigwam!" she declared, obstinately. "listen to me!" commanded miss stuart, quietly. ruth and barbara stood near her, trembling with excitement. "we mean no harm to your little girl. naki will explain matters to you. but she must be properly looked after. you are too old to attend to her, and your wigwam is not a fit place. you declare your eunice shall not go away from you even for a little time." miss sallie spoke slowly and impressively. "if you do not allow the child to go away, now, for a short time, so that the doctor can make her well for you, she will leave you forever!" but still the indian woman muttered: "my child shall not leave my wigwam. indians have no need for white men's doctors." "you are alone, aren't you?" inquired miss stuart, gently. "are not you and your grandchild the last of your race? perhaps, if you had allowed it, the doctors might have kept other members of your family for you." the indian woman shivered. miss stuart had touched some chord in her memory. she raised her black eyes to miss sallie and spoke mournfully. "you are right!" she asserted. "my grandchild and i are the last of a great race. i am very old and i am now afraid. let your white medicine man make my eunice well again. but i must follow where the child goes. down in the village they will steal her from me." "why, who would wish to steal her from you?" inquired miss stuart. the old woman mumbled. "an enemy came to my door but yesterday." then a look of cunning crossed her face. she spoke childishly. "the lady is wise!" she declared. "who could wish to steal a poor little indian girl? who in all this world has a claim on her but her poor old grandmother? enough has been said. an indian does not like too much talk. the child and i will go down into the valley to ask the service of the white doctor. naki is my friend. i will do as he says. an indian can keep a secret. naki has long known that my child and i lived on this hilltop, but he has not betrayed us. he has not even told his own wife. an indian can keep a secret." the old woman rocked back and forth as though well pleased with herself. "keep whatever secrets you will!" miss sallie replied. "it is enough that you will permit the child to have proper care." "girls!" miss stuart spoke from the depth of the largest chair in the living room of their log cabin. it was nearly dusk and she was worn out from her long walk to the indian wigwam. "girls, i want to ask you something." "attention, girls!" cried bab. "what is it, miss sallie?" "what do you say," continued miss stuart, "to our going back to civilization? we have had a beautiful time on our hill. i, for one, shall long remember it. but the days are growing shorter. if we are to enjoy lenox, and all the delights it offers, don't you think it is about time we were moving there? to tell you the truth, i have already engaged our board at the hotel." "well then, aunt sallie, we have no choice in the matter, have we?" asked ruth, ruefully. "i want to enjoy lenox, too, but i do so hate to leave this heavenly hill." "i vote for lenox with aunt sallie!" grace exclaimed. "sensible grace!" miss stuart murmured. "see here, ruth, dear," protested grace, "please don't look as if you were offended with me. we have had a simply perfect time in the log cabin, but i am just longing to see the lovely places down in lenox, and to meet the delightful people." "ruth," barbara spoke sadly, "i, too, want to go down into lenox now. if eunice is to be laid up in the hospital i want to be near her, so i can find out how she is each day. i shall never be happy again until i know she is well." mollie put her arm round her sister. "don't you worry so, bab, dear," she pleaded. "i don't believe your shooting poor little eunice in the arm is going to do her harm in the end. poor little thing! it was simply dreadful for her to have to spend all her time with her old indian grandmother. she never had a chance to see anybody, or to learn anything. she was simply sick for companions of her own age. that is why she was always haunting our cabin. i don't believe eunice is more than part indian, anyway!" mollie ended impressively. "i've a feeling that we shall do her more good, in the end, from this accident than we have done her harm." "you are a dear!" cried bab, already comforted by her sister's prophecy. "you are all against me!" quoth ruth, rising. "i surrender, as usual, to my beloved aunt. i want to go to lenox, but--i want to be here on the hill, too. so runs the world. we can't manage to have all the things we want at the same time; so hurrah for lenox and the gay world again! come here to the door with me, children. let us say farewell to our sweet hillside!" the girls stood arm in arm on their front porch. the evening wind swept up the hill and rustled through the pines. the brook near their house hurried down the slope into the valley as though it were late for a night's engagement. "ruth," barbara declared solemnly, "whatever happens to 'the automobile girls,' one thing is certain, nothing can ever be lovelier than the weeks we have spent together on this beautiful hill. let us kiss all around. call aunt sallie. she must be a party to the agreement. we will never forget our little log cabin--never, no, never, in all our lives." chapter xv society in lenox "miss sallie, is lenox the oldest summer resort in the united states?" inquired barbara, as they sat on a private veranda which opened into their own sitting-room, in the most beautiful hotel in lenox. "i am sure i don't know, bab, dear," miss sallie answered complacently. "i think modern lenox has been transformed by the wealth that has come into the place in the last fifty years. i am told that it once had more literary associations than any other town in the country. as ruth tells me you are ambitious to become a writer some day, this will interest you. you girls must go about, while you are here, and see all the sights." barbara blushed and changed the subject. she did not like to talk of her literary ambitions. "ruth and mollie are late in getting back, aren't they?" she asked. "you know they have gone over in the automobile to inquire for eunice. i hope they will be back in time for tea. did ruth remember to tell you that the british ambassador's daughters, dorothy and gwendolin morton, are coming in to tea? and perhaps mr. winthrop latham and reginald latham will be here also." miss sallie nodded. "yes; i am expecting them," she declared. "it is most kind of them to call on us so promptly. i was afraid we would know no one in lenox, as i have no acquaintances here. i did not expect you and little mollie to pull friends down from the sky for us, as you seem to have done by your rescue of mr. latham and his nephew. what a strange thing life is!" "do you know, miss sallie," barbara continued, "it seems awfully funny for mollie and me to to be associating with such important people as the daughters of the english ambassador. i am even impressed with that funny little german secretary, franz heller, just because he is attached to the german embassy. it makes me feel as though i were a character in a book, to even meet such clever people. dear me, what a lot you and ruth have done for us!" "barbara, dear," replied miss stuart, kindly, "we have not done much more for you than you girls have done for us in a different way. true, through my brother, we happened to have the money to pay for our good times; but poor ruth and i couldn't have had those good times without the other three 'automobile girls.' how is grace's headache? will she be able to see our friends this afternoon?" "shall i ask her?" bab suggested, going in to the bedroom through the french window which opened onto their porch. she came out, shaking her head. "grace is not well enough to get up yet," she explained. "she says she may be able to join us for a few minutes when our guests arrive; but you are not to worry. her headache is better." "shall we have tea out on our veranda, barbara?" miss sallie asked. "i cannot tear myself away from this view. how exquisite the lake looks down between those mountains. and what is the name of that hill over there? oh, yes, i know you girls have told me the name of it many times before, but as i cannot remember it, you will probably have to tell it to me repeatedly. monument mountain, did you say? oh, i recall the story now. an indian girl is supposed to have flung herself off of it on account of some love affair. curious people the indians," she continued. "do you know, bab, i am much interested in our little indian girl? she is a very beautiful child, and her race is not usually beautiful. i don't understand the girl looking as she does. i shall go to the hospital with you to see her soon. now, hurry along, child, and order the tea." miss sallie paused for an instant. "and tell the waiter to see that the service is good. english people are so particular about their tea!" barbara was back from her errand just in time to see a pony carriage drive up in front of the hotel. she went forward to meet their guests, sighing a little to herself. "i do wish ruth and mollie would come. i am sure i shan't know how to talk to these english girls by myself. i hardly spoke to them the night of our famous coon hunt." gwendolin and dorothy morton came half shyly forward. they were tall, willowy girls, with soft, brown hair and lovely complexions. "i know why english girls are thought to look like roses," flashed through bab's mind. "these girls are just like roses bending from long stems." barbara came forward, speaking in her usual frank fashion. "i am so glad to see you," she declared. "will you come to our little private balcony? if it is not too cold for you, miss stuart wishes to have tea out there." gwendolin and dorothy morton followed bab in silence. as english girls do not talk so much as american girls on first acquaintance, barbara felt compelled to keep up the conversation. "i am ever so sorry," she went on; "but my friend, ruth stuart, and my sister, mollie, are not yet back from the hospital. they have gone to ask about our little indian girl." "your little indian girl!" exclaimed dorothy morton, surprised into talking. "why, what do you mean?" bab glanced back over her shoulder as the three girls started into the hotel. "there come ruth and mollie now!" she exclaimed. "they can tell you about our little eunice better than lean." a crimson motor car was speeding up the avenue. "how well miss stuart drives her car!" laughed gwendolin morton. "but she will have to be very careful; the road laws are very strict in lenox. i must tell her that, if she is arrested, she will surely be taken to prison. i don't know how to drive a car. my sister and i are more fond of horses. do you ride, miss thurston?" barbara colored. she wondered what these wealthy english girls would think of the kind of riding to which she had been accustomed. an old bareback horse, a texas pony, once even a mule had been barbara's steeds. so she answered shyly: "yes, i do ride a little. but, of course, i don't ride in the beautiful way i know you and your sister do." "we are very anxious to have you and your friends take part in our autumn sports at lenox," urged dorothy morton. barbara and the two english girls were waiting at the hotel door for ruth and mollie. in another moment ruth jumped from her car, and, followed by mollie, came hurrying up to her guests. "i am so sorry not to be here when you arrived," she explained. "we just flew home. i was afraid of being held up every minute. but we were kept waiting so long at the hospital that i knew we were late. do let's join aunt sallie. she will grow impatient." miss stuart came forward from her veranda into their private sitting-room. "i am so glad to see you," she said to the two english girls. "and we are delighted to be your first guests, miss stuart," said gwendolin, who was the elder of the two girls. "mr. heller wishes to come in and pay his respects to you later, and i believe mr. winthrop latham and his nephew are on their way now. we passed them as we drove here." "aunt sallie," ruth spoke softly a few moments later, when she thought no one was listening, "little eunice is better. but naki had to take her to the hospital at pittsfield. he could not find a place for her here. fortunately, pittsfield is only a few miles from lenox over a simply perfect road, so we shan't mind going back and forth in the car. naki and ceally are keeping the poor old indian grandmother with them. ceally says she seems subdued and frightened." ruth turned rosy red. from the silence in the room she knew her guests were hearing what she said. "i beg your pardon," she explained, turning to dorothy morton, who was nearest her. "please forgive my bad manners. we are so interested in our new protégée that i forget that you know nothing of her." "but we should like to know, awfully!" dorothy declared. "who is this indian girl? i thought all the indians had vanished from the berkshires." but mr. winthrop latham and his nephew reginald were at the door. behind them was a plump little german, with blond hair parted in the middle, a tiny waxed mustache and near-sighted blue eyes. he was franz heller, the secretary at the german embassy. he could usually be found somewhere in the neighborhood of gwendolin morton. reginald latham came up to bab and sat down next her. "please," he whispered immediately, "do not speak of the little indian girl before my uncle." "why not?" queried bab, in astonishment. "i can't explain to you now!" reginald faltered. his uncle's eyes were fastened on him. miss stuart announcing that tea was waiting on the balcony, the little party adjourned to the veranda and stood talking and admiring the view. it was a wonderful, clear october day, radiant with warm sunshine. mr. winthrop latham stood near miss stuart, assisting her to serve the tea. the young people were talking in a group near them. "i say, ruth!" exclaimed dorothy morton. "forgive my calling you ruth so early in our acquaintance, but if i call you miss stuart, your aunt may think i am speaking to her. do please tell us about the mysterious little indian girl, who is your protégée. where did you find her?" reginald latham, who was near barbara, broke into the conversation. "tell miss stuart about our fall sports, dorothy!" he urged. "tell me of them afterwards," said dorothy. "i must hear about this indian child first." "well, the story of our little indian girl is a long and rather odd one," ruth asserted. "as she is really mollie's discovery, not mine, mollie must tell you about her." mollie was embarrassed at suddenly finding herself the center of so many eyes. mr. winthrop latham had turned around, and was also watching her. he had caught ruth's last speech. "why," confessed mollie, "the story of our little indian girl is simple enough, but it is very strange." the little girl paused. reginald latham's eyes were fixed on her in a strange gaze; but she had started to tell her tale and must go on. mollie looked over at aunt sallie, and the latter nodded her approval. quietly mollie told of her wood nymph first leading her astray on the mountain; of eunice's visit to her, next day, and of bab's accidental shooting of the child afterwards. "i don't think our discovery of the little indian girl was so odd," said mollie. "what i think is strange is that no one around here ever knew of her before. just think, eunice is thirteen or fourteen years old and she has been kept hidden in these hills by her old indian grandmother all her life. she had never been to a town until she was taken to the hospital by our guide, naki. yet she is so pretty and gentle. i love her already." the little girl had a queer feeling as if she were defending eunice--she did not know why. a voice broke into the conversation. "you say, my dear"--mr. latham spoke sternly--"that you and your friends have found an old indian woman and a child called eunice hidden in the woods back of you? the thing is impossible. the old woman and the girl are probably gypsies or tramps. they cannot be indians. i have reason to know the history of the indians in this part of the country very well. my eldest brother married an indian girl. she was the last of her people in this vicinity, and she died about fifteen years ago." mollie did not answer. a sudden silence fell upon the little group. barbara looked at reginald. she understood, now, why he was often afraid of his uncle. the older man would not endure contradiction. "reginald, we must say good-bye to miss stuart," his uncle commanded. "don't go just yet, mr. latham," pleaded gwendolin morton. "you promised to help me explain to miss stuart the plan for our day of sports. you see, miss stuart, every season at lenox we have an annual entertainment for the benefit of our hospital fund. this year father is to take charge of the sports, which we try to make just as informal and jolly as possible. one of the reasons for my call was to ask you to let your girls help us out with our amusements. as soon as i told my father we had met some delightful american girls who were camping near here, he suggested that we invite them to join in our sports. we intend to have some really good riding; but the other games are only jokes. did you ever hear of a dummy race or a thread-and-needle race?" miss stuart shook her head, smilingly, as she said, "miss morton, i don't even try to keep up with the ways young people have of entertaining themselves these days; but i am sure, whatever your lenox sports may be, my 'automobile girls' will be happy to take part in them." "that's awfully jolly of you, miss stuart!" declared dorothy morton, who was the younger and more informal of the english girls. she turned to ruth. "won't you come in and have a game of archery with us to-morrow afternoon? father and mother will both be at home. we can tell you all of our plans for next week." "we'll be happy to come," laughed ruth, "but none of us know how to use the bow. that is an english game, isn't it? we shall be delighted to look on." "oh, archery is all the rage at lenox," little mr. heller explained. "perhaps you will let me show your friends how to shoot." ruth shook her head. "we shall have plenty to learn if we are to take part in your queer races next week. if my friend, miss carter, is better to-morrow you may expect us." grace came out on the porch. "i am well, already!" she apologized. "at least i decided that, headache or no headache, i couldn't miss all the fun this afternoon. so here i am!" "now, we must positively say good-bye, miss stuart," declared mr. latham, extending his hand. "i want to take you and your girls for a drive to lake queechy. then you must see the place where the hawthorne's 'little red house' formerly stood. the house burned down some years ago, but the site is interesting, for hawthorne lived in the berkshires a number of years and wrote 'the house of seven gables' here. we have plenty of literary associations, miss stuart. my people have lived here so long that i take a deep interest in the history of the place." "lake queechy," miss sallie exclaimed sentimentally, "is the lake named for susan warner, the author of 'queechy' and 'the wide, wide world.' dear me, i shed quantities of tears over those books in my day. but girls don't care for such weepy books nowadays, do they? they want more fire and adventure. i am sure i should be ashamed of my 'automobile girls' if they fell to crying in the face of an obstacle. they prefer to overcome it. we shall be delighted to drive with you. good-bye!" "curious, reginald!" declared mr. winthrop latham, when the two men had walked several yards from the hotel in silence. "that is a very remarkable story that your friends tell of the discovery of an unknown indian child. did they call her eunice? that is strangest of all! you have been up on the hill with these girls a number of times. have you seen this girl?" reginald mumbled something. it was not audible. but his uncle understood he had not seen the girl. "oh, well, the old woman is probably a gypsy tramp," mr. latham concluded, "but i will look up the child, some day, for my own satisfaction. reg, boy, the rudder of our airship will be repaired in the next few days. do you feel equal to another aerial flight?" "most assuredly i do," the nephew replied. the two men walked on. but, for once, they were not thinking of their favorite hobby. the mind of each man dwelt upon mollie's story of a poor little indian girl. what connection could she have with these two men of wealth and position? reginald latham's suspicions were growing. the indian girl might be an obstacle in his path. "i must tell mother all i have heard and guessed," he reflected. "under no circumstances must uncle be allowed to see this child. mother will know how to manage. we may have to spirit the girl away, if she is the child i fear she is. but we must make sure." reginald latham was not a pleasant man, but he was clever. if he had reason to fear little eunice he would work quietly. what chance had the child and her ignorant, uncivilized grandmother against him? mr. winthrop latham's thoughts were of a different kind. "the young indian girl," he assured himself, "can have no further possible interest for me." chapter xvi at the ambassador's "shall we walk down to the postoffice, ruth?" barbara asked. "i am awfully anxious for a letter from mother." "let's all go!" urged grace. "we have just time enough before dressing for our call at the ambassador's. i am told that everyone goes for his own letters in lenox. we shall see all the social lights. they say titled foreigners line up in front of the lenox postoffice to look for heiresses. ruth, you are our only heiress. here's a chance for you!" teased grace. ruth looked provoked. "i won't be called horrid names, grace carter!" she asserted, indignantly. "heiress or no heiress, when my turn comes for a husband i won't look at any old foreigner. a good american citizen will be a fine enough husband for me!" "hear! hear!" laughed mollie, putting on her hat. "don't let us quarrel over ruth's prospective husband just at present. it reminds me of the old maid who shed tears before the pot of boiling fat. when her neighbor inquired what troubled her, the spinster said she was thinking that if she had ever been married her child might have played in the kitchen, and might have fallen into the pot of boiling oil! come on, 'old maid ruth,' let's be off." the girls walked briskly through the bracing mountain air. "i expect you will have a letter from hugh or ralph, ruth," barbara suggested. "they told you they would write you if they could come to lenox for the week of games." ruth went into the postoffice to inquire for their mail. the other girls waited on the outside. a tall young woman swept by them, leading a beautiful english deerhound on a long silver chain. she had very blond hair and light blue eyes. her glance rested on barbara for the space of half a second. "dear me!" barbara laughed. "how very young and insignificant that intensely superior person makes me feel! maybe she is one of the heiresses grace told us about." "here is a letter for you, grace!" said ruth, returning to her friends. "the one addressed to you, bab, is probably for you and mollie together. it is from your mother. then i have two letters for myself and two for aunt sallie. it is all right; hugh and ralph will be here the first thing next week," announced ruth, tearing open one of her notes. "what would aunt sallie say if she could see us opening our mail on the street?" queried barbara, as she promptly followed ruth's bad example. "but this is such a quiet spot, under these old elms, that i must have a peep at mother's letter. mother is having a beautiful time in st. paul with cousin betty, molliekins," continued bab. "and what do you think? our queer old cousin is sending us another present. what has come over her? first she sends the beautiful silk dresses and now--but mother doesn't tell what this last gift is. she says it is to be a surprise for us when we come back from lenox." "what fun!" cried mollie. "our crabbed cousin is having a slight change of heart. she has always been dreadfully bored with bab and me," mollie explained to ruth and grace, "but she is devoted to mother, and used to want her to live with her. but she never could make up her mind to endure us girls. tell me some more news, bab." "well," barbara read on, "mother has had a letter from mr. stuart; but ruth's letter will give her this news. he writes that his new gold mine is a perfect wonder. i am so glad for you, ruth, dear!" barbara ended. "oh!" ruth exclaimed. "father is so lucky! but we really don't need any more money. just think, father only has aunt sallie and poor me to spend it all on. if he only had a big family it would be worth while to grow richer and richer. i wish you were really my sisters. then you would let me share some of all this money with you, bab dear," whispered ruth in her best friend's ear, as the two girls dropped behind mollie and grace. barbara shook her head. yet the tears started to her eyes in spite of the fact that she was out on the street. "you generous darling!" she replied. "if you aren't sharing your money with us by giving us all these good times, what are you doing? but, of course, we couldn't take your money in any other way. mollie and i are used to being poor. we don't mind it so very much. let's hurry. aunt sallie will want us to put on our best clothes for our call at the ambassador's. thank goodness for cousin betty's present to mollie and me of the silk suits. we have never had such fine clothes before in our lives." "miss sallie," inquired barbara, an hour later, "will mollie and i do for the call at the ambassador's? you know this is the great event in our lives. who knows but the ambassador may even shake hands with humble me! do ambassadors shake hands, aunt sallie? why, 'the automobile girls' may meet the president some day, we are getting so high in the world." "who knows indeed, barbara?" responded miss stuart complacently. "far more unlikely things have often happened. you and mollie look very well, dear. indeed, i never saw you in more becoming frocks. they are very dainty and stylish." "aunt sallie," confessed mollie, "i never had a silk dress before in all my life. bab had one made over from an old one of mother's, but this is positively my first appearance 'in silk attire.'" bab's costume was of apricot rajah silk, made with a plaited skirt and a long coat, which fastened across her chest with a single gilt ornament. with it she wore a delicate lace blouse over silk of the same shade as her suit. her hat was a large black chip with one long curling feather. mollie's dress was like bab's, except that it was a delicate shade of robin's-egg blue, while her hat was of soft white felt, trimmed with a long blue feather. "let us look at ourselves in the mirror, bab, until miss sallie is ready," whispered mollie. "i want to try to get used to my appearance. maybe you think this wealthy-looking person you now behold is some relative of yours--possibly your sister! but just understand that, as i look at myself in that mirror, nothing can make me believe i am poor little mollie thurston, of kingsbridge, new jersey! why, i am now about to call on the english ambassador, younger brother to an earl. but i am a brave girl. i shall put on as bold a front as possible, and i shall try not to disgrace aunt sallie by making any breaks." "you goose you!" laughed bab. "but to tell you the truth, sweet mistress mollie, i feel pretty much as you do. there is ruth calling us. they are ready to start." "come on, children!" cried ruth. "the automobile is waiting. my goodness!" she exclaimed, as mollie and bab appeared before her. "how very elegant you look! don't tell me fine feathers don't make fine-looking birds! aunt sallie, i am not magnificent enough to associate with these two persons." ruth had on a beautiful white serge suit and grace a long tan coat over a light silk dress; but, for the first time, mollie and barbara were the most elegantly dressed of the four girls. "people will be taking _you_ for the heiress, and marrying you to some horrid titled foreigner!" teased ruth, pinching mollie's pretty cheek. miss stuart and her girls found the english ambassador and his wife in the stately drawing room of their summer place in lenox. the room was sixty feet in length and hung with beautiful paintings. the walls and furniture were upholstered in rose-colored brocade. flowers were arranged in every possible place. the newcomers had a confused feeling that there were twenty or thirty guests in the drawing room; but as the butler announced their names their hostess moved forward from a group of friends to speak to them. in another moment dorothy morton spied them, and came up with her arm through that of a tall, middle-aged man, very slender, with closely cut blond hair and a long drooping mustache. he looked very intellectual and impressive. "miss stuart, this is my father," said dorothy simply. the ambassador bowed low over miss stuart's hand. he was then introduced to each of "the automobile girls" in turn. the ambassador's eyes twinkled. he saw his young guests were a little awed at meeting so great a diplomatic personage. "you are the girls, aren't you, who have been camping on one of our berkshire hills?" the ambassador inquired. "my daughters have told me about your delightful hut. curious, i never heard of the little cabin's existence. i want you to show me the place. some day i may follow your example and run away to the woods for a few weeks. dorothy tells me you will help us with our games next week." miss stuart excused herself. mrs. latham wished to talk with her in another part of the drawing room. "may we count on you for the gymkana races, ruth?" asked dorothy morton. "gymkana races!" questioned ruth, shaking her head. "what in the world can you mean?" "remember," laughed her hostess, "i told you our sports were to be a huge joke. you must have a sense of humor, or you won't want to take part. you know we have horse show grounds here in lenox. well, the gymkana race this year will take place over their meadow. indeed, all the sports are to be held there. father, you explain what the games are like," dorothy requested. the ambassador looked very grave. "miss stuart," he asked, "will you or your friends drive a turkey, a duck, a hen, or a gander in our gymkana race? my daughter, dorothy, has, i believe, reserved an old gray goose as her especial steed; but you can make any other choice of racer that you may desire. the only point of the game is to get the nose of your steed first under the blue ribbon. it may take a good deal of racing and chasing on your own part to accomplish it." dorothy inquired, turning first to ruth, then to bab, mollie and grace, "may i put down your names for this race?" ruth laughed. "certainly i shall enter," she declared. "i have as good a nerve as anyone else. you must give me time to decide on what animal i shall drive." "i'll join, too!" grace agreed. "is this game for women only?" "yes," dorothy replied. "other distinguished sports are reserved for the men. what do you think of my serious-minded father? he is down for the 'egg and spoon' race. so are franz heller and mr. winthrop latham. i mean to ask your two men friends, mr. post and mr. ewing, to enter, too. it's great sport. the men have to run across the track carrying a raw egg in a desert spoon. the man who first gets to the winning post without a mishap is the winner. but there will be other games as well. i am just mentioning a few of them." gwendolin morton approached with franz heller and the tall blond girl whom "the automobile girls" had seen for a moment at the postoffice. "we have to come to believe in the american fashion of introducing our friends," declared miss morton. "you know, in england it is not the custom to introduce people to one another at a tea party. may i present my friend, maud warren, to you, miss stuart, miss carter, and the misses thurston." the four girls bowed. maud warren inclined her head slightly, giving each girl in turn a supercilious stare. "i suppose father and dorothy have been persuading you to take part in the nonsensical side of our entertainment next week," inquired gwendolin. "i am trying to look after the riding. do any of you ride horseback well enough to go in for the hurdle jumping? i warn you, you will find it difficult to win. miss warren is one of the best riders in new york. she has taken prizes at hurdle jumping before, at her riding school." ruth declined. "i am afraid no one of us rides well enough to go in for this contest. i ride, of course, but i am not equal to the jumping." ruth spied barbara looking at her with longing eyes. "i beg your pardon, bab!" ruth laughed. "i had no right to decline the hurdle jumping for all of us. would you like to try?" "of course, i should like to try!" barbara exclaimed. "but i know it is out of the question. i have no horse, and i haven't a riding habit here." barbara turned shyly to the ambassador. "i have never done any real hurdle jumping," she explained. "but i have jumped over all kinds of fences riding through the country." the ambassador smiled. "you need no better training for hurdle races," he replied. "if a horse is what you need," cried dorothy morton, "why not use one from our stables. we have a number of riding horses. do let me lend you one and enter the hurdle jumping contest. it is a dangerous amusement, however. i won't try it." "oh, i am not in the least afraid," bab declared. "only, if i am left at the post, and can't take a single hurdle, you must forgive me." "well, you understand," finished the ambassador, "our amusements are only for our own friends." "come here, mollie," called miss stuart, from her corner of the room, where she was seated near mrs. latham. "mollie," explained miss sallie, as the child approached, "mrs. latham is much interested in our little indian girl. her son, reginald, has told her of the accident to eunice. mrs. latham is anxious to know to what hospital in pittsfield naki has taken the child. i did not ask ruth. can you tell us the name?" mollie looked at mrs. latham steadily. the older woman dropped her eyes. "eunice is not yet allowed to see visitors," she answered. "oh, i have no wish to call on the child," mrs. latham protested, "but if the indian girl and her old grandmother are in want i shall send a man to look after them. my brother is most generous to the poor, miss stuart." but mollie went on. "thank you, mrs. latham, but eunice and her grandmother are not poor. ruth is looking after them now. the grandmother wishes to take eunice back to their wigwam on the hill, when the little girl is well enough to be moved." mrs. latham frowned. she had her own reasons for wishing to discover the address of the indian woman and her child. yet she did not want to appear to be much interested. barbara came up to join mollie. "your sister seems determined that no one shall take interest in your little indian protégée except her own friends," declared mrs. latham, smiling at bab. "perhaps you would not object to telling me where the child is located." "why certainly not!" barbara exclaimed frankly, looking in surprise at mollie. but mollie interrupted her. the little girl's cheeks were burning hot. she was conscious of her own bad manners, and of miss stuart's look of disappointment. yet she spoke before bab could continue. "i am sorry for mrs. latham to think i am rude in not telling her where eunice is staying; but it seems to me that, if her old indian grandmother has kept eunice hidden all these years, she must have had some good reason. it does not seem fair to me for us to talk about her just because, through an accident, we had to send her to town. i think, if the grandmother wishes to keep eunice hidden, we ought at least to ask the old woman's permission before we tell anyone where she is staying. i am awfully sorry," mollie ended, apologetically, "but i do feel that i am right." mrs. latham was very angry. "i am sure i beg your pardon, miss thurston," she rejoined icily, before she moved away. "i meant nothing by my harmless inquiry. i can assure you i am not unduly interested in your protégée. if you wish to keep the gypsy girl's hiding place a secret, do so, by all means." "mollie, i am exceedingly angry with you!" said miss sallie. "how could you be so horrid, mollie?" whispered bab. mollie's blue eyes were swimming in tears, but she would not let them fall on her flushed cheeks. she knew she must say good-bye to her new acquaintances, so she dared not answer miss sallie then. but on the way back to their hotel, seated next miss stuart in the automobile, mollie tried to offer an explanation for her rude behavior. "miss sallie," she pleaded softly, "i know you are dreadfully angry with me; and i am afraid you won't forgive me; but i just couldn't make up my mind to let mrs. latham know where to find eunice and her old grandmother. i know you will think i am foolish. perhaps i am. but i have a feeling that reginald latham and his mother mean no good to eunice. i can't help remembering how the old squaw acted when she first heard the name of latham. i cannot believe she was just acting for effect as reginald latham said she was. there is some mystery about little eunice. do you think, miss sallie, we girls have a right to betray the old indian woman's secrets?" "my sympathies are all with mollie, aunt sallie!" ruth declared. "i shall have to come in for a share of her scolding." but barbara shook her head. "i never knew anyone so prejudiced as mollie is against reginald latham. what on earth do you suppose he and his mother could have against a poor old squaw and her little girl? would you have helped pulled reginald down out of his airship, if you had known how you would dislike him, mollie?" bab asked. but mollie was looking wistfully at miss sallie, and did not heed barbara's question. "i don't care what a young girl may think on any subject," miss stuart declared firmly, "she has no right to be rude to an older woman. and mollie was undeniably rude to mrs. latham in refusing to answer her simple question. it could have done no harm to have told her the name of the hospital where eunice is being treated." "no, it wouldn't have done eunice any harm to tell that much, mollie," ruth agreed, "because, if that very determined mrs. latham wishes to discover where little eunice is, she will certainly accomplish it. why, she rules her grown-up son with a rod of iron!" "mark my words!" said grace, joining quietly in the conversation--grace was not often given to expressing an opinion, so even miss sallie listened to her with respect. "i would like to bet a great big box of candy that mrs. latham sees eunice and her indian grandmother before they are many weeks older. the lathams have some connection with little eunice, though goodness knows i can't guess what it is." mollie had nothing more to say. she was in the motor car now. her tears could flow freely. miss sallie pretended, for a few moments, not to see that mollie was crying. a breach in social etiquette was a sore offense to miss stuart. but after a little while she put her arm around the little girl and gave her a gentle squeeze. "i will forgive you, this time, dear," she murmured, "but i never want you, mollie, to be rude to a grown person again. and i don't think, my dear, it is a good idea to have a suspicious nature." "i didn't mean to be rude," mollie sighed, putting her head against miss stuart's arm. "i was only trying not to tell mrs. latham what she wanted to know." because it was now dark, and mollie could not see her face, miss sallie smiled. chapter xvii a visit to eunice "o girls, i have had the most splendiferous time!" cried bab, bounding into the hotel sitting room. she wore ruth's tan colored riding habit and a little brown derby. her curls were drawn up in a knot at the back of her head. her brown eyes were sparkling. she pranced into the room, as though she were still on horseback. "miss sallie, i never knew what horseback riding could mean until to-day. dorothy morton has lent me a perfect dream of a horse. its name is beauty. it is black and slim and has a white star on its nose. my, don't i wish it were mine! well, beauty and i took our hurdles to-day, at the ambassador's farm, as though we had been jumping together all our lives. see, here!" barbara vaulted lightly over a low stool, and stood in the center of the room, brandishing her riding crop. "barbara thurston!" mollie exclaimed. "good gracious!" protested bab. "i didn't dream we had a visitor. i am so sorry! i have been practising for the hurdle jumping next week," bab ended tamely. a stout man, with iron gray hair and a kindly expression, smiled at barbara. "oh, don't mind my presence," he said. "i have a daughter of my own who is fond of horseback riding." "barbara," explained miss stuart, "this is doctor lewis. he has been good enough to come over from the hospital to tell us about eunice." barbara noticed that ruth, grace and mollie had been listening to the doctor with absorbed attention. "the indian girl has asked for her friends several times in the last few days," the doctor continued, "but she has not been well enough to be permitted to talk. the nurses tell me the child had been most patient. they are much attracted toward her. now, i think it may do the little girl good to see you. naki, your guide has explained to me the circumstances of your finding of the child. it is most remarkable. but i wonder if you are really interested in the girl, or whether you are being kind to her, now, only because of her accident?" "why do you ask me, doctor?" miss stuart inquired quietly. "because," the doctor answered honestly, "i am much interested in the child myself. i would like to know that she has friends. the grandmother, stupid and ignorant though she is, seems devoted to the child. as for eunice herself, she is an enigma. she is not in the least like the grandmother. the old indian woman is probably of mixed white and indian blood, but the child has less indian blood. eunice must have had a white mother or father. i have asked the child about her parents, but she knows absolutely nothing about them, and the indian woman will not tell. she told me, very decidedly, that it was not my business to inquire; that i was to make eunice well after which she and her grandchild would go back to their wigwam and live in peace. but that beautiful little girl ought not to grow up in entire ignorance. she should be educated, and given an opportunity to develop." "i agree with you, doctor," miss sallie rejoined, "but the case will present difficulties. the old grandmother is the child's natural guardian. she will never be persuaded to give her up." "doctor," declared ruth shyly, "if it were possible i should love to educate little eunice. i could send her to school and do whatever is best for her. but i am afraid we have no right to do it for her." "well, i cannot recommend kidnapping the child, miss ruth," the doctor replied, "but, perhaps, you girls can persuade the old indian to be less obstinate. come and see my little charge when you can. she is quite well enough to see you. i shall not have to keep her at the hospital a great while longer. her arm is still bandaged. she will soon be able to walk about." "aunt sallie," ruth asked, as soon as the doctor left, "may i have eunice up at the hotel with us, as soon as she is well enough to leave the hospital?" miss sallie demurred. "i must see the child again first, ruth, dear. she can come here for the day, but not longer. she will be best with naki and ceally for a time. now, ruth, don't be so impetuous. you must not plan impossible schemes. remember, this indian child is entirely uneducated. she does not know the first principles of good manners. but i am perfectly willing that you should do what seems best for her." "when shall we go to see eunice?" ruth asked, turning to the other three girls. "oh, let us go this afternoon, please, ruth," pleaded mollie. "but mr. latham has asked us to go driving with him," barbara objected. "mr. latham has only asked aunt sallie and one of us, bab," ruth rejoined. "suppose you go with aunt sallie. reginald latham would rather have you along. and, to tell you the truth, grace and mollie and i would much rather go to see eunice." mollie and grace both nodded. "but i don't want to be left out of the visit to eunice, either," bab protested. "never mind," she went on, lowering her voice; "if reginald latham has any connection with eunice, see if i don't find it out this afternoon." "never, bab!" cried grace. "well, just you wait and see!" ended mistress barbara. "mollie, you go into the room to see eunice first," said ruth as they reached the hospital. "grace and i will wait outside the door. you can call us when you think we may come in. eunice may be frightened." but ruth need not have feared. as mollie went into her room, eunice was sitting up in bed. her straight black hair was neatly combed and hung over her shoulders in two heavy braids. the child had on a fresh white night gown. already she looked fairer from the short time spent indoors. eunice stretched out her slim brown hands to mollie. "my little fair one!" she cried rapturously. "i feared never to see you again. my grandmother told me i must return to the wigwam as soon as i am well; but i do not want to leave this pretty bed. see how white and soft it is." mollie kissed eunice. the child looked at her curiously. "why do you do such a strange thing to me?" asked eunice. mollie was amazed. "don't you know what a kiss is, eunice? i kissed you because i am fond of you." eunice laughed gleefully. "indians do not kiss," she declared. "but i like it." "shall i ask the other girls to come in?" mollie inquired. "my two friends, ruth and grace, are waiting in the hall. they wish to see you." eunice nodded. "i like to see you while grandmother is away," she confided. "grandmother says it is not wise for me to talk so much. but it is hard to be all the time so silent as the indians are. some days i have talked to the wild things in the woods." ruth dropped a bunch of red roses on eunice's bed. the child clutched them eagerly. "it is the red color that i love!" she cried in delight. "eunice," ruth asked, "do you remember your father and mother?" eunice shook her head. "i remember no one," she replied. "long ago, there was an old indian man. he made canoes for me out of birch bark. he was my grandmother's man--husband, i think you call him in your language." the three "automobile girls" were disappointed. eunice could remember no associations but indian ones. there was nothing to prove that eunice was not an indian except the child's appearance. mollie decided to make another venture. "eunice," she asked, "do you still wear the gold chain around your neck? i saw it the day you were hurt. it is so pretty i should like you to show it to my friends." the indian girl looked frightened. "you will not tell my grandmother?" she pleaded. "she would be very angry if she knew i wore it. i found the pretty chain, one day, among some other gold things in an old box in the wigwam." why! eunice pointed in sudden excitement to the watch ruth wore fastened on the outside of her blouse--"there was a round shiny thing like that in the box. the other golden ornaments are at the wigwam. only this chain is indian. so there seemed no wrong in my wearing it." eunice slipped her chain from under her gown. ruth and grace examined it closely. "eunice," grace exclaimed, "there are two english letters engraved on the pendant of your chain. they are e. l., i am pretty sure." "the same letters are on all the gold things," eunice declared. "well, e. stands for eunice plainly enough," volunteered ruth, "but i can't guess what the l. means." mollie said nothing. "you know, ruth," protested grace, "the initials may not be eunice's. the child only found the chain at the wigwam. there is no telling where the jewelry she speaks of came from." "oh!" ruth cried, in a disappointed tone, "i never thought of that!" "eunice, we must go now," announced ruth, "but i want you to promise me not to go back to the wigwam with your grandmother until you have first seen me. tell your grandmother i wish to talk with her. i want you to come to see where i live." eunice shook her head. "i should be afraid," she replied simply. "but you are not afraid with me, eunice," mollie said. "if you will promise to come to see us, when you are better, you shall stay right by me all the time. will you promise?" "i promise," agreed the child. "naki is to let me hear as soon as you are well enough to leave the hospital," said ruth. "o ruth," whispered mollie. "eunice will have no clothes to wear up at the hotel, even to spend the day. shall i send her a dress of mine?" "eunice," ruth asked, "do you know what a present is?" "no," was the reply. "well, a present is something that comes in a box, and is soft and warm this time," ruth explained. "eunice must wear the present when she is ready to leave the hospital. when you are well enough to come to see us, i am coming to the hospital for you. i am going to take you flying to the hotel where we are staying, on the back of a big red bird." "you make fun," said the indian solemnly. "you just wait until you see my motor car, eunice!" cried ruth. "it is the biggest bird, and it flies as fast as any you have ever seen. so do please hurry up and get well." "i will, now. i did not wish to get well before," eunice replied. "it is cold and lonely up on the hill in the snow time." chapter xviii plans for the society circus "ralph and hugh! i am so delighted to see you!" cried mollie thurston, a few days later. she was alone in their sitting room writing a letter, when the two friends arrived. "we girls have been dreadfully afraid you would not arrive in time for our society circus. you know the games take place to-morrow." "oh, it is a 'society circus' we have come to! so that is the name lenox has given to its latest form of social entertainment?" laughed hugh. "sorry we couldn't get here sooner, mollie; but you knew you could depend on our turning up at the appointed time. where are the other girls and aunt sallie?" "they are over at the fair grounds, watching bab ride," mollie explained. "ralph, i am awfully worried about bab. one of the amusements of the circus is to be a riding contest. of course, bab rides very well, but i don't think mother would approve of her undertaking such dangerous riding as jumping over hurdles. ambassador morton has told aunt sallie that there will be no danger. he is used to english girls riding across the country; and i know, at the riding schools in new york, they give these same contests; but we have never had any riding lessons. i can't help being nervous." "i wouldn't worry, mollie," ralph replied kindly. "i am sure bab is equal to any kind of horseback exercise. remember the first time we saw her, hugh? she was riding down the road in the rain, astride an old bareback horse. we nicknamed her 'miss paul revere' then and there. there isn't any use trying to keep bab off a horse, mollie, when she has the faintest chance to get on one." "come on, then," laughed mollie, smiling at the picture ralph's remark had brought to her mind. "we will walk over to the fair grounds. you will find nearly everybody we know in lenox over there. you remember that you boys gave ruth and bab liberty to put your names down for any of the games; come and find out what trouble they have gotten you into. you never dreamed of such absurd amusements as we are to have." "oh, we are game for anything," hugh declared. "lenox sports are the jolliest i have yet run across. don't think any other place can produce anything just like them. certainly the amusements are a bit unconventional, but they are all the more fun. 'society circus' is a good name for the entertainment. anything goes in a 'society circus.'" "what curious amusements people _do_ have for the benefit of charities!" reflected mollie. "but i expect the lenox hospital will receive a great deal of money from the sports this year. you see, they are in charge of the english ambassador. that alone would make the entertainment popular." "is mollie growing worldly wise, hugh?" asked ralph, with mock horror. "looks like it, ralph," was the reply. the boys and mollie found barbara in the midst of a gay circle of young people. grace and ruth were nowhere to be seen. aunt sallie sat with mrs. morton in the grandstand. the ambassador and mr. winthrop latham wandered about near them. many preparations were necessary for the next day's frolic. in front of the grandstand stretched a wide, green field, enclosed with a low fence. a little distance off stood the club house. bab came forward with both hands extended to greet her friends. she gave one hand to ralph, the other to hugh. "i am so glad to see you!" she declared. "i can't wait to shake your hands in the right way. we girls were so afraid you had turned 'quitters'! come, this minute, and see aunt sallie. you must be introduced, too, to ambassador and mrs. morton." "but where are ruth and grace?" inquired ralph. "over yonder," laughed bab, pointing to the green inclosure in front of them. the boys spied ruth and grace some distance off. the two girls were deep in conversation with a farm boy. strutting around near them were a fat turkey gobbler and a plymouth rock rooster. just at this moment ruth was giving her instructions. "be sure you bring the turkey and the rooster over to the fair grounds by ten o'clock to-morrow morning." the boy grinned. "i'll have 'em here sure, miss." "ruth," asked grace, as the two girls started back across the meadow to join their friends, "do you suppose it will be unkind for us to try to drive these poor barnyard fowls across a field before so many people? i presume the poor old birds will be frightened stiff. whoever heard of anything so utterly absurd as a gymkana race." "oh, no, you tender-hearted grace," ruth assured her. "i don't think the kind of pets we are to drive to-morrow will be much affected by our efforts. indeed they are likely to lead us more of a chase than we shall lead them. and i don't believe the annoyance of being run across this field by us for a few yards equals the nervous shock of being scared by an automobile or a carriage. that alarm may overtake poor brother turkey and mr. rooster any day. i think our race is going to be the greatest fun ever! why! i think i see ralph ewing and hugh over there with the girls. isn't that great?" "miss morton!" hugh was protesting gayly, as grace and ruth joined the crowd of their friends. "you don't mean to say that barbara and ruth have put ralph's name and mine down for three of your performances? how shall we ever live through such a tremendous strain! kindly explain to me what is expected of us." dorothy morton got out her blankbook, where she had written each item of the next day's programme. "well, mr. post, you and mr. ewing are down for three of our best events, 'the egg and spoon race,' 'the dummy race' and 'the thread and needle race.'" "all right," declared ralph, meekly accepting his fate, "but will you kindly tell me what a thread and needle race is?" "it is a very easy task, ralph, compared with what grace and i have undertaken," ruth assured him. "all you do, in the 'thread and needle race,' is to ride across this field on horseback carrying a needle. of course, the real burden is on the woman. it always is. some fair one is waiting for you at the end of your ride; she must sew a button on your coat. the sooner she can accomplish this, the better; for back you must ride, again, to the starting place, with the button firmly attached to your coat." "will you sew the button on for me, mollie?" ralph begged. he saw that mollie was taking less part in the amusements than the other girls. "certainly!" agreed mollie. "i accept your proffered honor. to tell you the truth, you stand a better chance of winning with my assistance. i am a much better seamstress than bab." "oh, bab, will be busy winning the riding prize," declared ralph under his breath, smiling at his two friends, mollie and barbara. maud warren, the new york girl famous for her skillful riding, was standing near them, talking with reginald latham. as she overheard ralph's remark, a sarcastic smile flitted across her pale face. she had ignored bab since their introduction at the ambassador's; but the thought of this poor country girl's really knowing how to ride horseback was too much for her. barbara caught maud warren's look of amusement and blushed furiously. then she turned to ralph and said aloud, "oh, i am not a rider when compared with miss warren." "i don't believe in comparisons, miss thurston," declared the ambassador, who had walked up to them. "but i think you are an excellent horsewoman. and i much prefer your riding in the old-fashioned way with a side saddle. i have observed that it is now fashionable, in lenox, for the young women to ride astride." "girls," miss stuart declared, "it is luncheon time. we must return to the hotel." "now, does everybody understand about to-morrow?" asked gwendolin morton, when the last farewells had been said. "remember, the gymkana race is first. we started with this spectacle for fear the girls who have promised to take part might back out. then, immediately after lunch, we shall have our horseback riding and jumping." "i don't believe i have been wise in permitting you to engage in this horseback riding, barbara," miss stuart declared on their way home. "i am afraid this jumping over fences is a dangerous sport. and i am not sure it is ladylike." "but english girls do it all the time, aunt sallie. jumping hurdles is taught in the best riding schools." "you have had no lessons, bab. are you perfectly sure you do not feel afraid?" queried miss stuart. "oh, perfectly, dear aunt sallie," bab assured her. chapter xix the old gray goose the day for the lenox sports dawned clear and beautiful. by breakfast time the mists had rolled away from the hilltops. the trees, which were now beginning to show bare places among their leafy branches, beheld their own reflections in the lakes that nestled at the feet of the lenox hills. from their veranda miss stuart and her girls could see every style of handsome vehicle gliding along the perfect roads that led toward the fair grounds from the beautiful homes surrounding the old township. the society circus could be enjoyed only by invitation. the tickets had been sent out only to the chosen. an invitation meant the payment of five dollars to the hospital fund. barbara was the first of the girls to be ready to start to the fair grounds. she wore the tan riding-habit that ruth had loaned her. she was not to ride until later in the day, but it would not be feasible to return to the hotel to change her costume. miss stuart and her party had been asked to be the guests at luncheon of ambassador and mrs. morton. ruth and grace were dressed in short skirts, loose blouses, and coats. they, also, looked ready for business. so only miss stuart and mollie were able to wear the handsome toilets suited to the occasion. mollie appeared in her blue silk costume. miss sallie was resplendent in a pearl gray broadcloth and a hat of violet orchids. at half-past nine, hugh post and ralph ewing knocked at miss stuart's sitting-room door. barbara had already seen ruth's and hugh's automobiles waiting for them on the hotel driveway. the boys were impatient to be off. "kindly explain to me, ruth," asked hugh, as the party finally started, "why you are carrying those two large bolts of ribbon? are you going into the millinery business to-day?" ruth laughed. "remember, if you please, that grace and i are going in for a much more serious undertaking. these ribbons are the reins that we intend to use for our extraordinary race to-day. i shall endeavor to drive my turkey with blue strings. grace considers red ribbon more adapted to the disposition and appearance of a rooster." "well, you girls certainly have nerve to take part in such a wild goose chase!" laughed the boy. at the fair grounds miss stuart had reserved seats for her party near the green inclosure. just in front of them was a little platform, decorated in red, white and blue bunting. on this were seated the ambassador, franz heller, mr. winthrop latham, reginald and several other prominent lenox residents. grace and ruth were not allowed to remain with their friends; they were immediately hurried off to the clubhouse, where they found eight other girls waiting for them. the entrance of the ten girls, driving their extraordinary steeds, was to be the great opening event of the society circus. at ten-thirty mr. winthrop latham announced the first feature of their entertainment. a peal of laughter burst from hundreds of throats. marching from the clubhouse were ten pretty girls, "shooing" in front of them ten varieties of barnyard fowls! dorothy morton walked along in a stately fashion, led by an old gray goose. neither miss morton nor the goose seemed in the least degree disturbed by the applause and laughter. ruth's turkey was not so amiable. it stopped several times in its promenade from the clubhouse, to crane its long neck back at the driver. the turkey's small eyes surveyed the scene about it with a look of mingled suspicion and indignation. the old rooster, which regarded the occasion as given in its honor, traveled in front of grace at a lively pace. within the inclosed field, just in front of the little stand, where the ambassador and his friends sat, two poles had been placed ten yards apart. across the meadow, about an eighth of a mile, were two other poles of the same kind. the girls were to try to persuade their curious steeds to run across the field from the first posts to those opposite. there the drivers were expected to turn their steeds and come safely back to the starting place. of the ten entrances grace and her rooster made the best start. ruth's turkey refused to stir; he had found a fat worm on the ground in front of him. his attention was riveted to that. ruth flapped her blue silk reins in vain. but a peacock bore the turkey company. seeing himself and his barnyard acquaintances the center of so many eyes, mr. peacock was properly vain. he spread his beautiful fan-shaped tail, and would not be driven from the starting-place. dorothy morton and her old gray goose continued their stately walk across the meadow. only once did the goose's dignity forsake it. grace's excitable rooster crossed its path! the rooster had made a short scurry to the side, his driver trying to persuade him back to the straight path. as the rooster hurried past the old gray goose, the latter stopped short, gave an indignant flap of its wings, rose a few inches from the ground, and pecked at mr. rooster. a moment later the goose continued its dignified march. this incident was too much for grace's irascible rooster. with a terrified crow he darted first this way, then that, until grace was wound up in her own red silk reins. it seemed a hopeless task to try to reach the goal. it was another instance of the old story of the hare and the tortoise. while grace struggled with her rooster, a fat duck waddled past her. the duck's mistress had enticed her nearly the whole length of the journey by throwing grains of corn a yard or so ahead of her steed. of course, any well disposed duck would move forward for refreshments. dorothy morton arrived safely at the first goal with her old gray goose. but now her troubles really began. her steed had no disposition to return to the crowd of noisy spectators that it had so cheerfully left behind. dorothy tugged at one of her heavy white reins. the goose continued placidly on its way across the broad field. a goose is not a pleasant bird in attack, and dorothy did not like to resort to forcible methods. assistance came from an unexpected quarter. grace's rooster had at last been persuaded to rush violently between the required posts. in one of its excited turns, it brushed close behind the old goose. here was a chance for revenge! the rooster gave a flying peck at the goose's tail feathers and flew on. with a loud squawk the goose turned completely around. it flew up in the air, then down to the ground again, and made a rush for its opponent. but the rooster was unworthy game. it tacked too often to the right and left. the old gray goose gave up its pursuit in disgust. since it was headed toward the starting-place it took up its walk again, dorothy morton meekly following it. only three of the girls remained in the race. ruth had given up in despair. her turkey had wandered off to parts unknown. another girl sat on an upturned stump feeding crumbs to a motherly hen that had found walking disagreeable and had taken to scratching around the roots of a tree. dorothy passed her rival with the duck midway on her journey back home. the duck took no further interest in corn. it had eaten all that a well-bred fowl could desire. now it squatted in the grass to enjoy a well-earned repose. shrieks of laughter rose when dorothy morton at last drove her gray goose back to the judge's stand. "hurrah for the old gray goose!" shouted the spectators in merry applause. franz heller rushed down from the platform, carrying two wreaths in his hands. one was made of smilax and pink roses; the other a small wreath of evergreens with a silver bell fastened to it. franz dropped the rose garland over dorothy morton's head. the small wreath with the bell he placed on the neck of the old gray goose. exhausted, dorothy dropped into the nearest seat. the old gray goose wandered off toward home, led by a proud farmer's boy. scarcely had the laughter from the first event ceased, when the thread and needle race was called for. ralph ewing was an easy winner, thanks to mollie's skill as a seamstress. ralph declared the button she sewed on him should ornament his coat for evermore. but the egg and spoon race was a closely contested event. the race appeared to be a tie between ambassador morton and mr. winthrop latham. near-sighted franz heller made a brave start, but his eyes betrayed him. carefully carrying his egg in a spoon which he bore at arm's length, franz forgot to look down at his feet. he stumped his toe against a small stone. crash, the egg rolled from his spoon! a yellow stream marked the place where it fell. mr. latham and the ambassador were painstaking men. they ran along, side by side, at a gentle pace. the man who arrived first at the appointed goal with an unbroken egg was, of course, the victor. unfortunately for mr. latham, an old habit overcame him. in the midst of the contest he paused to adjust his glasses. the movement of his arm was fatal. his spoon tipped and his egg rolled gently to the earth. still the ambassador continued unmoved on his stately journey. with a smile he solemnly handed an unbroken white egg to reginald latham. "here, cook this for your breakfast!" he advised reginald, who was acting as judge of this famous event. cutting a lemon with a saber, and the dummy race, ended the morning's sports. the afternoon was to be devoted to riding. chapter xx barbara and beauty "barbara, you are eating very little luncheon," ralph ewing whispered in bab's ear. ambassador and mrs. morton were entertaining a large number of friends in the dining-room of the clubhouse. maud warren smiled patronizingly across the table at barbara. "are you nervous about our riding this afternoon?" maud asked. "mr. heller, do please pass miss thurston those sandwiches. she must want something to keep up her courage." kind-hearted franz heller hurriedly presented bab with all the good things he could reach. "thank you, mr. heller," said barbara, gratefully. her cheeks were crimson; her brown eyes flashed, but she made no reply. mollie, who knew bab's quick temper, wondered how her sister controlled herself. a horn blew to announce that the luncheon hour was ended. "run along, child," miss stuart called nervously to bab. "now, do, pray be careful! i shall certainly be glad when this riding contest is over." while the guests of the society circus were at luncheon the field had been arranged for the hurdle-jumping. inside the green meadow four short length fences had been set up, a quarter of a mile apart. the girls were to ride around the field on their horses and jump the four hurdles. besides bab and maud warren, four other lenox girls had entered for this race. the riders were all skilled horsewomen. ambassador morton waved his hand to bab as she cantered by him on his little horse, beauty. her friends called out their good wishes. bab smiled and nodded. she never looked so well or so happy as when she was on the back of a horse. ambassador morton cautioned the girls before they started for their ride. "remember, this is just a friendly contest," he urged. "we merely want to see you young people ride. no one may allow her horse to cross too close in front of another horse. two of you must not try to jump the hurdle at the same time." the six girls cantered bravely down the field. maud warren and bab rode side by side. barbara was the youngest and smallest of the girls, but she rode her little horse as though she were a part of it. "don't sit too closely in your saddle," maud warren leaned over and spoke patronizingly to barbara. "thank you!" bab replied. the girls were now riding swiftly across the meadow. ralph, hugh, ruth, mollie and grace left their places and hurried down to the fence that inclosed the riding ring. at the first fence two of the horses refused to jump. the other four sprang easily over the bars. by the rules of the contest, the girls were not allowed to urge their horses, so the two riders went quietly back. at the second hurdle, another horse faltered. this left the riding contest to bab, maud warren, and a lenox girl, bertha brokaw. barbara was as gay and happy as possible. she had no thought of fear in riding. beauty was a splendid little horse accustomed to being ridden across country. the beautiful little animal jumped over the low bars as easily as if she were running along the ground. bertha brokaw was the first of the three girls to go over the third hurdle. bab was close behind her. barbara had just risen in her saddle. "go it, beauty!" she whispered, gently. at this instant, maud warren gave a smart cut to her horse and crossed immediately in front of bab. beauty reared on her hind feet. barbara and the horse swayed an instant in the air. miss stuart rose from the chair where she sat. mrs. morton gave a gasp. a sudden terror shook all the spectators. poor mollie turned sick and faint. she imagined her beloved bab crushed beneath a falling horse. but barbara was not conscious of anything but beauty. as her little horse rose trembling on its hind feet bab remembered to keep her reins slack. with one pull on the horse's tender mouth, she and beauty would have gone over backwards. "steady, beauty! steady!" she cried. the horse ceased to tremble, and a moment later stood on all four feet again. in the meantime maud warren had cleared the third fence and was riding across the field. not a sound of applause followed her. but as beauty, with barbara still cool and collected, sprang easily over the hurdle, loud applause rang out. "bully for bab!" cried ralph, shaking ruth's hand in his excitement. "what a trick! i didn't think maud warren capable of it," protested dorothy to her father. bertha brokaw's horse was tired. she did not finish the mile course. now again barbara rode side by side with miss warren. just before the last jump bab reined in a little. she remembered the ambassador's instructions. this was only a riding match, not a racing contest. no two girls were allowed to jump a hurdle at the same time. so barbara gave maud warren the first opportunity to make the jump. but maud was nervous; she realized she had taken an unfair advantage of bab. her horse refused to jump. bab waited only an instant. then, urging beauty on, they rose over their last hurdle like swallows. barbara came cantering back to her friends, her cheeks rosy, her eyes shining with delight. franz heller rushed forward with a big bunch of american beauty roses. flowers were the only prizes given during the day. barbara slid down off her horse. the ambassador moved forward to shake hands with her; bab's friends were waving their handkerchiefs; but bab had eyes for beauty only. a stable boy had come to lead the horse away. [illustration: barbara and beauty swayed an instant in the air.] "good-bye, you little beauty!" bab whispered, with her brown head close to the horse's face. "you are the dearest little horse in the world. don't i wish you were my very own!" ambassador morton overheard bab's speech. "let me give the horse to you, miss thurston," he urged. "it will give me the greatest pleasure, if you will allow it. he ought to belong to you for the pretty piece of riding you did out in the field. let me congratulate you. beauty's compliments and mine to the young girl who has been her own riding teacher." a warm wave of color swept over barbara's face. "i did not mean you to overhear me, mr. morton," she declared. "forgive me. of course i couldn't accept your horse. but i do appreciate your kindness. thank you for lending me beauty to ride." bab took her roses from mr. heller and made her way to miss stuart. "child!" protested miss sallie, "sit down! i shall ask your mother never to let you ride a horse again unless you promise never to try to jump over another fence rail. oh, what i went through, when i thought you were about to fall off that horse!" miss stuart raised both hands in horror. "there ought to be a law against riding masters being allowed to teach women to jump over hurdles." "but the law wouldn't act against bab, auntie," declared ruth, who was feeling very vain over bab's success. "because, you know, barbara never took a riding lesson in her life." in a short time miss stuart took her party home. ralph and hugh were to return to new haven on the night train. "miss sallie," begged mollie, as they made their way through the crowd, "there is mr. winthrop latham. _do_ ask him to come to tea with you to-morrow." "but why, my child?" miss sallie naturally inquired. "please, ask just him, not his nephew, reginald. do, aunt sallie, dear. i can't tell you why, now, but i shall explain as soon as we get home." "very well, you funny little girl." and miss stuart complied with mollie's request. mr. winthrop latham promised to call on miss stuart and her girls at their hotel the next afternoon at four o'clock. chapter xxi eunice and mr. winthrop latham "ruth, may i go with you to get eunice?" mollie thurston asked next day. "certainly, mollie. are not the four of us going? we want to bring little eunice back to the hotel in style. we have had a hard enough time getting hold of her. her old indian grandmother would not have let us have the child if it had not been for naki. the indian woman seems really to be attached to ceally and naki." "i am going to ask you a weeny little favor, ruth. i won't tell you why i ask you now; but i will tell you as soon as we are in the automobile. don't ask bab to come with us for eunice," mollie entreated. "don't ask bab? why, mollie!" protested ruth, in surprise. "bab's feelings would be dreadfully hurt if i did not ask her." "no, they won't, ruth. i have already talked to aunt sallie. she told bab she wanted her to stay in the house this morning. aunt sallie thinks barbara is tired from her ride yesterday." "oh, very well, mollie, i won't urge bab to come with us, then; though i can't understand why you don't want her along. i shall be glad when you explain the mystery to me," ruth concluded. "that is why i wish to drive over with you. sh! aunt sallie is coming. don't say anything before her." "ruth," explained mollie, as the three girls were hurrying toward pittsfield in their motor car, "i want to tell you why i did not wish bab to come along with us to the hospital for eunice. i don't know what you and grace may think of me; but i intend to try an experiment." "an experiment, mollie!" grace exclaimed. "what experiment do you intend to try?" "well girls," mollie continued, "do you recall that bab went driving, a few days ago, with reginald latham, mr. winthrop latham and aunt sallie?" ruth and grace both nodded. "and you remember bab said she was going to discover, on that drive, what connection eunice had with the latham family?" "yes," grace assented. "do hurry on to the point of your story." "no; you must hear it all over again," mollie protested. "i want you and ruth to remember just exactly the story bab told us. reginald latham did not wish the subject of eunice mentioned before his uncle, because mr. winthrop latham's oldest brother had married an indian girl. it seems the brother met the indian girl while he was studying the history of the indians in this neighborhood; so he just married her without mentioning the fact to his family. of course the lathams, who were very rich and very distinguished, were heart-broken over the marriage. and i guessed they were not any too good to the poor little indian woman, when mr. william latham brought her back to his home to live. as soon as her husband died, she ran away to her own people. when mr. winthrop latham tried to find her some time afterwards, to give her her husband's property, it seems that the indian wife was dead. at any rate reginald declares this to be the case. from that day to this, the latham family never speak of anything that even relates to indians." mollie ended her speech in a slightly scornful tone. "why, mollie, don't you think that is a good enough explanation of reginald latham's attitude toward eunice?" ruth asked. "i most certainly do not!" miss mollie replied. "and how do you explain the indian squaw's feeling against the name of latham?" "oh, bab told us, reginald explained all that to her, too. it seems that the indians in this vicinity believed poor little mrs. latham had been persecuted by her husband's family. so, if this old squaw ever heard the story, latham would be an evil name to her," grace put in. mistress mollie shrugged her shoulders. "i think that story is very unlikely. but, maybe, you believe it, just as bab did. all i ask of you is--just be on the look-out to-day! i have been doing a little detective work myself. i do not agree with bab's explanation. i told you i was going to try an experiment, and i want you to help me. then maybe, i can convince you, bab, and aunt sallie of something that i believe! i am sure our little indian eunice has a closer connection with the latham family than any of you dream!" "dear me, but you are interesting, mollie!" interrupted ruth. "i have a suspicion of what you mean. but go ahead, little miss sherlock holmes! we are with you to the end. we shall be delighted to render any humble assistance necessary to your detective work." "i only want you to watch developments this afternoon, girls!" mollie asserted mysteriously. "later on, there may be some real work for us to do. so far, i have planned everything myself." "well, mollie, you are a nice one!" laughed grace. "kindly 'put us on,' as the saying goes. what have you planned?" "nothing but a meeting between eunice and mr. winthrop latham," mollie responded. "we are to take eunice to the hotel to spend the day with us. she will be looking her best in the lovely clothes ruth sent to her. and she has grown almost fair from her weeks in the hospital. mr. winthrop latham is to have tea with us this afternoon. i asked aunt sallie to invite nobody but him. i shall bring eunice quietly in, introduce her to mr. latham: then we shall see what happens! i did not wish to tell bab my plan," mollie continued, "because she might make me give it up. but i believe aunt sallie agrees with me, though she did give me a scolding for having a suspicious nature! she declared, this morning, that it would be very well to have mr. winthrop latham see eunice. so just let's wait, and watch with all our eyes this afternoon." "bully for your experiment, mollie!" nodded grace. ruth bowed her head to show how fully she agreed with both of the girls. a pretty hospital nurse brought eunice out to ruth's motor car. the child had on a soft ecru dress, cut low at the throat and simply made. she wore a brown coat, lined with scarlet, and a big brown felt hat with a scarf knotted loosely around it. and eunice looked very lovely! her hair was braided in two plaits, tied with soft scarlet ribbons. her eyes were big and black with the excitement of entering a strange world. her complexion was now only a little darker than olive. her cheeks were like two scarlet flames. eunice hugged mollie close, once she was seated in the automobile. when the big car started, she laughed gleefully, clapping her hands as she cried. "it is truly a red bird, that carries us on its wings!" she remembered what ruth had told her. "always eunice has longed for wings like the birds!" eunice whispered softly to mollie. "now, behold! we are almost flying!" "look overhead, mollie, eunice, ruth!" called grace suddenly. the four girls looked up. a great white object sailed above them. eunice clutched mollie. "is it the great white spirit, my grandmother has told me about?" she inquired. "oh, that is reginald latham in his airship," mollie explained to grace. "he said the rudder of mr. latham's balloon had been mended. he meant to try some short flights to see if it was all right." "but i do not understand!" eunice protested. "is a man riding on that great, great big bird?" "yes, eunice," mollie assented. "but that object above our heads is an airship, not a bird." "then i wish to ride in an airship," eunice murmured. "it flies up in the air like a real bird. this car runs only along the earth." the child was no longer impressed with the automobile. reginald latham's airship was the most marvelous thing she had ever beheld. after arriving at their hotel "the automobile girls" showed eunice everything they could find to amuse her. they rode up and down with her in the elevator. they gave her a peep into the hotel's splendid reception rooms. poor little eunice was in a daze! she wandered about like a child in a dream. every now and then she would ask mollie some question in regard to reginald latham's airship. she had not forgotten it. miss stuart wisely had luncheon served in the private sitting-room. she did not think it best for eunice to be seen by so many people; besides, she did not know how eunice would behave at the table. to miss sallie's unspeakable relief the child had learned at the hospital to eat with a knife and fork. her manners were those of a frightened child. she was neither noisy nor vulgar. "the child is certainly an enigma!" miss stuart said to herself, half a dozen times during the morning. "what the doctor says is true! the child is almost refined. it is marvelous! in spite of her ignorance, she does nothing to offend one!" after luncheon, miss stuart noticed that eunice looked white and exhausted. the scarlet color had faded from her cheeks and lips. the little girl was not strong enough for so much excitement after her recent illness. "mollie," miss sallie suggested, about half-past two o'clock, "take eunice to your room. give her a dressing gown, and see that she rests for an hour or so. you may stay with the child, mollie, for fear she may be frightened, but you other girls keep away. the child is worn out. mollie, you may bring her back to us at tea-time." mollie agreed. she guessed that miss sallie was furthering her idea about the experiment. "remember, bab, you have promised me to be here at tea-time," mollie reminded her sister. "certainly, i shall be here, mollie. did you think i was going away?" mollie then took eunice away to lie down. the child was so tired she soon fell asleep on mollie's bed. mollie sat thinking quietly by the darkened window. she had taken a deep fancy to little eunice, who had seemed to cling to her since their first strange meeting. barbara and mollie thurston were both unusually thoughtful girls. their mother's devoted companions for years, their poverty had made them understand more of life. mollie realized it would not do for eunice to grow up ignorant and wild, with only her old grandmother for a companion. the little indian was already thirsting for a different life. and, some day, the grandmother would die. what would then become of eunice? a little before four o'clock eunice awakened, having slept nearly two hours. she was refreshed and happy again. mollie made eunice bathe her face. she herself fixed the child's hair, now smooth and glossy from the care that the nurses at the hospital had given to it. "we will go back to see our friends now, eunice," explained mollie. eunice nodded. "it is wonderful here where you live!" she declared. "sometimes i think i have dreamed of people like you and your friends. i think i have seen things like what you have here in this house. but how could i dream of what i knew nothing?" mollie shook her head thoughtfully. "eunice, dear, you will have to ask a wiser person than i am about your dreams. who knows what may be stored away in that little head of yours? come, dear, let us put your gold chain on the outside of your dress. there can be no harm in that. i think miss sallie, the lady with the white hair, would like to look at it." eunice, who had a girl's fancy for pretty ornaments, was glad to have mollie pull the chain out from under her dress. the curious, beautiful ornament shone glittering and lovely against the light background formed by the child's dress. "wait for me here, eunice," requested mollie. "i want to go into the other room for a minute." mollie peeped inside the sitting-room door. mr. winthrop latham was cosily drinking his tea in the best of humor. he had a decided liking for miss stuart and her "automobile girls." bab was joking with mr. latham as she plied him with sandwiches and cakes. for half a minute mollie's heart misgave her. she was afraid to try her experiment. [illustration: the cup in mr. latham's hand trembled.] "good gracious!" she thought, finally, "what possible harm can it do mr. winthrop latham to look at poor, pretty little eunice? if the child means nothing to him, he will not even notice her. if she turns out to be the child i believe she is, why, then--then--it is only right that her uncle, mr. winthrop latham, should know of her existence." "come, now, eunice!" cried mollie. "come into the sitting-room with me. the girls have some pretty cakes and sweet things they are saving for you." mollie took eunice's hand. the two girls were nearly of the same size and age. they quietly walked into the sitting-room. "where is 'automobile girl' number four?" mollie heard mr. latham ask, just as the two girls entered the room. "here i am!" mollie replied. mr. latham glanced up. his ruddy face turned white as chalk. mollie never took her eyes from mr. latham's face. miss stuart, bab, grace and ruth stared at him. but mr. latham did not notice any one of them. his jaw dropped. the cup in his hand trembled. still he did not speak. barbara broke the silence. "mr. latham, are you ill?" she asked. "may i take your teacup from you?" mr. latham shook his head. he continued to gaze steadily at eunice. little eunice was frightened by the strange man's stare. she trembled. her rosebud lips quivered. tears rolled down her cheeks. "come to me, eunice," ruth called comfortingly. "see the candies i have been saving for you! mr. latham, this is the little indian girl who was hurt. you remember that we have spoken of her before?" "will some one take the child away?" mr. latham asked, brokenly. mollie led eunice back to her bedroom. then she hurried in again to rejoin the others. "miss stuart, i owe you and your girls an explanation for my strange conduct," mr. latham declared. "i feel, this afternoon, that i have seen a ghost! i do not understand this indian child's likeness to my dead sister-in-law. i must seek an explanation somewhere. this little eunice is the living image of my brother's indian wife--the poor girl whom our cruelty drove from our home back to the tents of her own people to die. i was told that her little child died with her. there is a mystery here that must be solved. if this little girl is the daughter of my brother and his indian wife, one-half of my fortune belongs to her." "mr. latham," miss stuart quietly interrupted him, "this indian child has an old grandmother who will be able to tell you whether this child has any connection with you. i have always thought there must be some explanation. the squaw has kept the child hidden for a purpose." "you are right, miss stuart," mr. latham interrupted. "you tell me this child's name is eunice? eunice was the name of my brother's wife. it is also the christian name for the female indians of a certain tribe, but there is little doubt, in my mind, of this girl's identity. the gold chain about her throat was my brother's gift to his wife. that chain has the story of my brother's love and courtship engraved on it in indian characters. but i am too much upset to discuss the matter any further to-day. when can i see the indian grandmother?" "to-morrow," miss stuart replied quietly. "i would not advise you to delay." "will you go with me to see her at ten o'clock to-morrow morning, miss stuart?" queried mr. latham. "certainly," miss sallie agreed. "i beg of you then not to mention what has taken place in this room this afternoon," mr. latham urged. "when we know the truth in regard to this child it will be time to tell the strange story. good-bye until to-morrow morning." "mollie," bab cried as soon as the door closed on mr. latham, "i surrender. and i humbly beg your pardon. you are a better detective than i am. what is the discovery of the boy raffles compared with your bringing to light the family history of poor little eunice! just think, instead of being a poor, despised indian girl, eunice is heiress to a large fortune." "then you believe in me now, bab!" mollie rejoined. "i have always thought eunice was in some way connected with the latham family." "girls," miss stuart cautioned quietly, "when you take eunice to her grandmother, at naki's house, say nothing. remember, you are to speak to no one of what happened this afternoon." chapter xxii the automobile wins immediately after breakfast, next morning, "the automobile girls" started in ruth's car for naki's house in pittsfield. miss stuart had decided that it would be best to have eunice out of the way when she and mr. latham made their call on the grandmother. so the girls hurried off after eunice. they were in splendid spirits as they approached naki's house. no one of them doubted, for an instant, that mr. winthrop latham would find little eunice was his niece. "you run in and ask the grandmother whether eunice may take a ride with us, mollie," ruth suggested as she stopped her car. "if naki is at home, ask him to step out here a minute. i want to prepare him for the call of aunt sallie and mr. latham." in three minutes mollie flew out of the house again. she was alone. there was no sign of eunice! "o girls!" mollie cried, "eunice and her grandmother are gone!" "gone where?" bab queried. "back to their own wigwam!" mollie continued. "last night ceally says a woman, heavily veiled, came here, accompanied by a young man. they talked to the indian woman and eunice a long time. they told the squaw a man was in pursuit of her. he would come this morning to take her away. she was so frightened that naki and ceally could do nothing to influence her. she started with eunice, last night, for their wigwam in the hills. who do you think her visitors were?" "mrs. latham and reginald!" cried the other three girls at once. "it is all so plain," argued ruth. "mr. latham probably told his sister, last night, that he had seen eunice, and meant to come here, this morning, and find out who the child really was. mrs. latham and reginald then rushed here to get the squaw and the child out of the way until they could have time to plan." "but what shall we do now?" asked mollie, her eyes full of tears. "i do not believe mrs. latham and reginald will be content with sending eunice and her grandmother back to their own hill. mr. latham could follow them up there. i know they will try to spirit eunice away altogether. they will not wait. oh, what, what can we do?" "i know," ruth answered quietly. "have you any money, girls?" she inquired. "i have twenty-five dollars with me." "i have twenty with me," grace replied. "i have ten," declared bab. "and i have only five," mollie answered. "then we are all right for money," said ruth. "naki," she continued, turning to their guide, who had now come out to them, "i want you to give this note to aunt sallie and mr. latham when they come here. it will explain all. tell them not to worry. i shall send a telegram before night." taking a piece of paper from her pocket, ruth hurriedly wrote a letter of some length. "now, let's be off!" ruth insisted. "what are you going to do now, ruth stuart?" mollie demanded. "why, what can we do," ruth replied, "except go straight up to the wigwam for eunice and run away with her before anyone else can." "run away with her!" faltered grace. "what else can we do?" queried ruth. "if we delay in getting eunice out of mrs. latham's and reginald's clutches, they will place the child where no one can ever find her. mrs. latham will then persuade her brother to give up his search. we must save eunice." "but what will aunt sallie say?" cried barbara. "i have written aunt sallie," ruth explained, "that we would take eunice to a nearby town. we can telegraph aunt sallie from there." "but, suppose, ruth," grace suggested, "the indian grandmother will not let eunice go with us." "never mind, grace," bab retorted, "'the automobile girls' must overcome obstacles. i believe the old grandmother will let eunice come with us, if we tell her the whole story. we must explain that mr. winthrop latham wants to see eunice in order to be kind to her and not to harm her, and ask the squaw if eunice is mr. william latham's child. we must make her understand that mrs. latham and reginald are her enemies, we are her friends----" "is that all, bab?" laughed grace. "it sounds simple." "never mind," mollie now broke in to the conversation, "i believe i can somehow explain matters to mother eunice." by noon "the automobile girls" were halfway up the hill that led to the wigwam. mollie, who was walking ahead, heard a low sound like a sob. crouched under a tree, several yards away, was little eunice. at the sight of mollie she ran forward. a few feet from her she stopped. a look of distrust crossed her face. "why did you come here?" she asked in her old wild fashion. "why, eunice," mollie asked quietly, "are you not glad to see your friends?" at first, eunice shook her head. then she flung her arms around mollie's neck. "i want to give you that strange thing you called a kiss," she said. "i am so glad to see you that my heart sings. but grandmother told me you meant to sell me to the strange man, who looked at me so curiously yesterday. so i came back up the hill with her. you would not sell me, would you? you are my friends?" "look into my eyes, eunice," mollie whispered. "do i look as though i meant to harm you? you told me once that if you could see straight into the eyes of the creatures in the woods you would know whether their hearts were good. is my heart good?" "yes, yes!" eunice cried. "forgive me." "but we want you to have a great deal of faith in us, eunice," mollie persisted. "we want you to go away with us this very afternoon. take us to your grandmother. we must ask her consent." eunice shook her head. "i cannot go," she declared, finally. "but, eunice, if you will only go with us, you can buy more pretty gold chains. you can buy beads and indian blankets for your grandmother," coaxed grace. "who knows? some day you may even own a big, red bird like ruth's, and fly like 'the automobile girls.'" still eunice shook her head. "but you will come with us, if your grandmother says you may?" ruth urged. "no," eunice declared. "i cannot." "why, eunice?" mollie queried gently. "because," said eunice, "to-day i fly up in the sky!" the child pointed over her head. "why, the child is mad from her illness and the fatigue of her long walk up here," grace ejaculated in distress. but eunice laughed happily. "to-day i fly like the birds, high overhead. long have i wished to go up into the big blue heaven away over the trees and the hilltops. to-day i shall fly away, truly!" the girls stared at eunice in puzzled wonder. they could understand nothing of the strange tale she told them. was the child dreaming? a light dawned upon mollie. "girls!" mollie cried, "reginald latham is going to take eunice off in his airship!" "can it be possible?" bab exclaimed. "eunice," asked mollie, "are you going for a ride in the big balloon i showed you yesterday as we rode away from the hospital?" "yes," eunice declared. "last night the young man who came to naki's house talked with me. he whispered to me, that if i were good and did not tell my grandmother, he would take me to ride with him in his great ship of the winds. but he will bring me home to my own wigwam to-night. i will go with you in your carriage to-morrow. now, i wait for the man to find me. he told me to meet him here, away from my grandmother's far-seeing eyes." "eunice," mollie commanded firmly, "come with me to your wigwam." "but you will tell my grandmother! then she will not let me fly away!" eunice cried. "you cannot fly with reginald latham, eunice," mollie asserted. "he will not bring you back again to the wigwam. he will leave you in some strange town, away from your own people. you will never see your grandmother. you will never see us again!" eunice, trembling, followed the other girls to the wigwam. "i believe," bab said thoughtfully as they walked on, "that reginald latham planned to get eunice away from this place forever. he did not mean to injure her. he would probably have put her in some school far away. but mr. winthrop latham would never have seen her. eunice would not then take half of the latham fortune from reginald. just think! who could ever trace a child carried away in an airship? she might be searched for if she went in trains or carriages, but no one but the birds could know of her flight through the air." the old grandmother heard "the automobile girls" approaching. she was standing in front of a blazing fire. with a grunt of rage, the old woman seized a flaming pine torch and ran straight at mollie. "put that down!" commanded barbara, hotly. "you are a stupid old woman. we have come to save eunice for you. unless you listen to us she will be stolen from you this very afternoon. you will never see her again. there is no use in your trying to hide eunice any longer. we know and her uncle knows, that she is the child of your daughter and of mr. william latham. you told mr. winthrop latham that eunice died when her mother did." barbara had depended on her imagination for the latter part of her speech, but she knew, now, that she had guessed the truth. under her brown leather-like skin the old squaw turned pale. then mollie explained gently to the old woman that mrs. latham and reginald were eunice's enemies; that they wished to be rid of eunice so that they might inherit her father's money. she told of reginald latham's plan to carry eunice away that afternoon. "now, mother eunice," mollie ended, "won't you let little eunice go away with us this afternoon, instead? we will take good care of her, and will bring her home to you in a few days. but eunice must see her uncle, mr. winthrop latham. you will not stand in the way of little eunice's happiness, i know!" mollie laid her hand on the old squaw's arm. but the squaw had bowed her head. she did not notice mollie. "it is the end!" the old woman spoke to herself. "i give up my child. the white blood is stronger than the indian. she will return to the race of her father. her mother's people shall know her no more." "may eunice go away with us now?" ruth urged. "and won't you go down to the village, and stay with naki and ceally until eunice comes back?" "take the child, when you will," assented the indian woman. "she is mine no longer." "then come, hurry, eunice. we must be off," bab cried. eunice got her new coat and hat. then she flung her arms around her grandmother, and kissed her in the way mollie had taught her. the old indian woman hugged the child to her for one brief instant; then she relaxed her hold and went back into her wigwam. "the automobile girls" and eunice ran down the hill. in half an hour they found "mr. a. bubble." he was patiently awaiting their return. "jump into the car in a hurry," ruth cried. "put eunice in the middle. we have a long distance to travel before night falls." the girls leaped into the automobile. it sped away through the autumnal woods. "look, do look up above us!" mollie exclaimed. away above their heads something white sailed and circled in the air. "it is reginald latham in his airship," cried grace. "well, mr. reginald latham," laughed mollie, "an airship may do the business of the future; but for present purposes i'll bet on the automobile." for hours "the automobile girls" drove steadily on. the roads were well marked with signposts. ruth wished to make a nearby town away from the main line of travel. at dusk they arrived in north adams. ruth drove at once to a telegraph office, where she telegraphed to miss sallie: "safe in north adams with eunice. had a fine trip. expect you and mr. latham in the morning. all is well. do not worry. ruth." ruth and her friends put up at the wilson house in north adams. they explained to the hotel proprietor that they were staying in lenox. their aunt would join them the next day. five weary girls slept the sleep of the just. chapter xxiii the recognition miss stuart and mr. winthrop latham did not arrive in north adams the next morning. a little before noon, miss sallie telegraphed to ruth: "must see indian woman before we join you. proof of child's identity required. wait." ruth showed her telegram to the girls. barbara shook her head. "more of the work of mrs. latham and reginald," she suggested. soon after the receipt of ruth's telegram, the afternoon before, miss stuart telephoned mr. winthrop latham, "will you please come to the hotel to see me immediately?" now, miss sallie realized her difficult position. how was she to protect the interests of eunice without accusing mr. latham's relatives of evil designs against the child? she called up naki in pittsfield and told him to come to her hotel that evening. "naki can tell mr. latham what i cannot," miss sallie reflected. "he can report the visit of mrs. latham and reginald to the indian squaw, and can make mr. latham see his sister's intentions." mr. latham arrived first for the interview with miss stuart. he looked worn and tired. "my 'automobile girls' have run off with eunice!" miss stuart at once informed him. "why should there be any running away with the child?" mr. latham asked impatiently. "i could very easily have gone up to the wigwam in the morning. i think, in many respects, it will be wisest to see the indian woman and child on their own ground. to tell you the truth, miss stuart, i shall require positive proofs that this indian girl is the child that my brother's indian wife carried away from our home years ago." "certainly, mr. latham," miss stuart replied quietly. "i entirely agree with you; but i think it may be possible to secure such proofs." "i have been talking to my sister and nephew of this child," mr. latham continued. "they regard the idea that this little eunice is the daughter of my brother's wife as absurd. they recalled the fact that we were positively assured of the child's death. they do not believe it possible that the indian relatives would not have claimed the child's fortune for her. there were a number of educated indians living in the town of stockbridge at the time. my brother's wife took refuge with them after leaving us." "then, mr. latham," aunt sallie rejoined, "if the indian grandmother cannot give you satisfactory proofs of the child's parentage, possibly you can find the additional proofs in stockbridge." mr. latham was silent. he had not been sorry to be persuaded by mrs. latham and reginald that eunice was an impostor. naki knocked at the door. "i would rather not see visitors, miss stuart," mr. latham declared. "i am entirely upset by this present situation." "it is only our indian guide, naki," miss sallie explained. "i sent for him." "naki," miss sallie began, as soon as the man entered the room. "my niece has taken eunice away for a few days. she told me to ask you to go up to the wigwam and bring the indian woman down to your house again." naki shut his lips together. "the indian woman will not return to my house," he said. "why not?" miss stuart asked, angrily. "it is much better for her to be with you. she will die up there." "she wishes to die up there," naki avowed. "nonsense!" retorted miss stuart. "we cannot let her suffer so because of the child." "she is afraid to come down the hill again," naki continued. "she is afraid of the law." "why should she be afraid of the law?" inquired mr. latham. "i cannot tell," naki replied; "but the woman who came to my house with her son told the old squaw she must hide. if her secret was discovered she would be sent to prison." "what woman and her son came to your house to see this squaw?" asked mr. latham. miss sallie sat with her hands tightly clasped, scarcely daring to breathe. she had not dared to hope that her plan would work out so well. "i do not know the lady," said naki sullenly. "but the young man was reginald latham. he was on the hill the day eunice was hurt. he went with us to the indian woman's wigwam. she was angry at his coming." naki paused. mr. winthrop latham was frowning and looking down at the pattern of the carpet. miss stuart knew he realized that his sister and nephew were playing a double game which, for the time being, he preferred to ignore. "good-night, miss stuart," said mr. latham, a few minutes later. "i shall join you in the morning. if the indian woman is at naki's house, i will see her there; if not, i shall go to her wigwam. notwithstanding all that has happened, she must have satisfactory proofs." miss stuart knew mr. latham now suspected that both his sister-in-law and nephew were convinced of eunice's identity. "naki," miss sallie asked, "at daylight, to-morrow, will you go to the old squaw's wigwam? tell her that she shall not be punished," continued miss stuart. "i am very sorry for her." naki was looking at miss stuart. his solemn face expressed surprise. "do you mean you have found out about eunice?" he asked. "certainly, naki," miss stuart rejoined. "if you have known eunice's story, and have not told it before, you have behaved very badly. tell the indian woman to bring what proofs she has to convince mr. latham that little eunice is the child of her daughter." "i will," naki promised. "but i knowed of eunice in another way. there is a man in stockbridge as knows who the child is. he was a preacher once. he is part indian, part white. he was with eunice's mother when she died. she told him about the child, but begged him to keep it a secret. the indian mother did not want the child to go back to the lathams. she was afraid they would be unkind to her baby. the man told me the story several years ago." miss sallie was deeply interested. "naki, when you bring the squaw to your house in the morning, go to stockbridge. then find the man who knows the story of eunice, and bring him, too." "you can count on me," were naki's last words. the next morning miss stuart and mr. latham drove to naki's home. neither naki nor the indian woman was there! naki had left for the wigwam before five o'clock that morning. it was now ten. there was nothing to do but wait. at eleven o'clock miss sallie sent her telegram to ruth. at noon she and mr. latham still waited. there was no sign of naki or the squaw. "don't you think we had better go up to the wigwam?" mr. latham asked impatiently. "we cannot find our way there without naki or one of my girls," miss sallie answered. "what do you think has happened?" miss stuart asked ceally. ceally shook her head. "something is the matter," she declared, "or naki would have been here with the old woman hours ago." what had become of naki? at daylight he reached the hilltop, but no sound of life came from the silent tent. naki called to the indian squaw. there was no answer. "i come to bring you news of eunice!" he shouted. still no answer. he stalked inside the wigwam. the tent was deserted. the indian woman had disappeared. naki was puzzled. he searched the woods near the tent. half way down the hill naki came across a small wooden box, half covered with leaves. naki opened it. in it he found half a dozen pieces of old jewelry, and an old fashioned daguerreotype of an indian girl holding a baby in her arms. naki had been born and brought up in the woods. he kept his eyes turned to the ground, thinking to trace the footprints of mother eunice down the hill. on her departure she had, as she thought, buried her box of treasures. then she had gone--where? naki discovered, midway on the hill, two pairs of footprints, which seemed to indicate that two persons had lately started up the hill. but they must have given up and gone down again. naki made up his mind to go at once to stockbridge. even though he could not trace the squaw, the testimony of the man who had seen eunice's mother die, the box of jewelry naki had found--these proofs of eunice's identity would convince even mr. winthrop latham. miss stuart and mr. latham were at luncheon when ceally entered the room. miss sallie knew, at once, something had happened. "what is it, ceally?" she asked. "they have come!" said ceally. "who?" mr. latham demanded. "naki, the indian woman, and another man," was ceally's reply. there was a short pause, and then the two entered. naki spoke first. he explained that he had found the indian woman at stockbridge when he had given her up for lost. then she told in her own way that she had made up her mind to return to stockbridge and ask help from the man who, alone, knew the story of her grandchild's parentage. the old squaw had completely broken down. she said that she knew that it was best for eunice to be allowed to come into her inheritance. she said she remembered that barbara had told her of mrs. latham and reginald's wish to keep eunice concealed. she finished by telling that midway on the hill, in the early dawn, she had met reginald latham and his mother climbing up to her tent. the old squaw, who was wise, had told mrs. latham that there was one man in stockbridge who could prove who eunice was and that she would go and implore him to keep the child's parentage a secret. mrs. latham and reginald were delighted, and urged the old woman to go. mr. latham listened quietly to mother eunice's story and to that of the man from stockbridge, who bore the old woman witness. it was a simple story. the indian grandmother thought her daughter had been unhappy because of her marriage into the latham family, believing the girl had been persecuted because of her indian blood. so she wished to spare her grandchild the same fate. mr. latham was entirely convinced. eunice was his niece. "come," he said, finally, to miss stuart. "let us be off to our girls!" "mother eunice," he said solemnly, shaking the old squaw's hand, "i promise to be good to your child. you shall not be separated from her. but she must be educated as other girls are. stay here with ceally and naki." the indian woman bowed her head. she had given in forever when she surrendered eunice to "the automobile girls" the afternoon before. but what about eunice and her protectors? they had not dared to leave the hotel for fear that aunt sallie and mr. latham might arrive in their absence. so the girls were waiting with the best patience possible, curled up in the chairs and on the sofa. barbara was reading aloud. little eunice had fallen fast asleep on the bed. suddenly miss sallie and mr. latham walked in unannounced. "well, this is a cosy party!" declared mr. latham, smiling. bab dropped her magazine, ruth sat up straight in her chair, while mollie and grace nearly rolled off their sofa. their noise wakened eunice, who sat up in bed with her cheeks flushed. her black hair was massed about her face. she wore a red dressing gown that ruth had bought for her the night before. she was so pretty that mr. latham was moved by her appearance. but eunice was frightened when she saw mr. latham--he was the man who had stared at her so strangely--he was the man who meant to steal her, so, at least, reginald latham had told eunice. the little girl began to cry softly. mollie started up to go to eunice, but she stopped at a frown from miss sallie. mr. latham was approaching eunice. "i am not going to hurt you, eunice," he declared. "do i look like the bogie man, who lives in the woods and comes to steal away naughty children?" eunice shook her head. "there are no bogie men in the woods. wood fairies are all good." "well, i am no kind of fairy, eunice. i am an uncle. do you know what an uncle is?" mr. latham inquired. eunice shook her head again. "o eunice, an uncle can be the nicest person in the world!" mollie exclaimed. "and that is what mr. latham is going to be to you. kiss him, and tell him you mean to be good." mr. winthrop latham and little indian eunice kissed each other shyly and solemnly. but in that kiss their affection was sealed. what reginald latham and his mother thought of the discovery of the relationship between eunice and mr. winthrop latham may be easily imagined. eunice as his niece would undoubtedly inherit a large portion of his fortune. and how was reginald to be provided for? bent on the effort to conceal the relationship, reginald and his mother had started long before dawn to walk up to the grandmother's hut, and, as the old squaw had explained, had met her on the side of the hill. they had tried to induce her to give them the name of the man in stockbridge who knew of eunice's parentage, but the old woman was obdurate. failing in this, mother and son had returned to their home. chapter xxiv what to do with eunice "bab, will you come out on the hotel driveway a minute?" ruth asked of barbara. miss sallie and the girls were back in lenox. little eunice was, for the present, staying at their hotel with them. "i am not dressed, ruth, dear. i shall join you in a minute," bab called back to her. "what's the matter?" "wait and see, lady mine," sang ruth. "but do, do hurry. mollie, grace and i are waiting for you, and there is another friend with us whom you will be de-lighted to see!" "ralph, or hugh?" bab guessed. "neither one this time!" ruth declared. "but now i must fly back. if you wish to know what is going on, hurry along." on the hotel driveway bab first discovered mr. winthrop latham with aunt sallie and eunice. eunice had her hand in her uncle's. they had grown to be great friends. a little farther on barbara spied ruth, mollie and grace. near them stood a stable boy. he was leading a beautiful little horse about by the bridle. it was beauty. barbara looked around for dorothy or gwendolin morton. however, neither of the girls could be seen. "here comes bab," called mollie. but barbara had already run up to beauty. "o girls, i believe she knows me!" bab exclaimed in delight. the little horse neighed as bab stroked its glossy neck. it put its pretty nose down near her hand and sniffed. beauty plainly expected a lump of sugar as a reward for her morning call. "how did you happen to bring the horse over?" bab asked of the stable boy. "the master said i was to put the horse in the hotel stables until it could be shipped," the boy explained. "oh, some one has bought beauty!" bab cried, in distress. "i am so sorry! how could dorothy morton ever have been willing to sell her?" barbara noticed that grace, ruth and mollie were smiling broadly. mr. winthrop latham, aunt sallie and eunice had drawn near. "why shouldn't dorothy morton sell beauty to a girl who cares more for the horse than dorothy does?" ruth inquired. bab shrugged her shoulders. "oh, very well!" she pouted. "if dorothy thinks there is any other horse in the world to compare with beauty, she deserves to lose her. my sweet little beauty, good-bye!" barbara cried. the stable boy grinned. everyone was smiling. "what's the joke?" bab asked. "beauty is yours, bab!" cried mollie. bab looked at mollie indignantly. "it isn't fair to tease me, mollie," she declared. "you know how much i really care." "but mollie is not teasing you, bab," ruth interrupted. "read that tag!" surely enough, on a card fastened by a blue ribbon to beauty's bridle, bab read her own name and her sister's. "but we cannot accept such a gift from the ambassador!" bab protested, feelingly. "the ambassador did not give us beauty, bab!" exclaimed mollie. but barbara had thrown her arms around ruth's neck. "you are just the dearest, sweetest friend in the world, ruth stuart!" she cried. "and i'd love you more than ever if i could. but mollie and i cannot accept beauty from you. you have done too much for us." "well, bab," laughed ruth, "you are the most difficult person in the world to bestow a present upon; but i am not guilty." "then who has given beauty to us?" demanded bab. "no other person than cousin betty in st. paul!" answered mistress mollie. "do you remember, bab? mother wrote that cousin betty meant to give us a beautiful present when she came home. the present was to be a horse, and cousin betty is going to give us the money to take care of it. mother was to buy the horse when she returned to kingsbridge. when you wrote of your ride on beauty, mother wrote to ruth to inquire if the horse were for sale. the ambassador and dorothy were both willing to sell her to us, but to no one else." "i do not know what we have ever done to deserve such good fortune." barbara spoke so solemnly that her friends all laughed. "but i have more news, and better news for you, bab!" cried mollie, triumphantly, "mother is willing for us to bring eunice home with us for the winter!" "dear little eunice!" bab said, kissing the indian girl. "i shall never cease to be grateful to you and to your mother for this kindness," declared mr. winthrop latham, taking barbara's hand. "you know the difficult situation in which i am placed in regard to eunice. i dare not take the child home, at present, to live with my sister-in-law and my nephew. it seemed even more cruel to send eunice to boarding school while the child knows nothing of the world. but, if your kind mother will keep her with you, let her go to school, and teach her just a little of what you know, i shall be deeply in your debt." "no such thing, mr. latham!" laughed mollie. "we are going to be in your debt for lending us eunice. mother will just love her." "but i am coming back next summer to see you and my grandmother?" eunice begged. "you said, if i were very good, you would take me to ride in your balloon some day." mr. latham laughed. "eunice will never be happy until she learns to fly," he declared. "i hate good-byes, don't you, aunt sallie?" barbara asked miss stuart that night. ruth, grace and mollie were standing on a trunk trying to fasten it. "the automobile girls" were to leave lenox early the next morning. "barbara, remember ruth's motto for 'the automobile girls.' we are never to say good-bye!" "what then, aunt sallie?" asked bab, grace, mollie and ruth in chorus. "'the automobile girls' are always to say," declared miss sallie, gently, "not good-bye, but _auf wiedersehen_." postscript nor need the reader break this rule against saying "good-bye," for our same splendid "automobile girls" are soon to be met with again, under astonishing and startling circumstances, and on historic ground. the next volume in this series will be published under the title: "the automobile girls along the hudson; or, fighting fire in sleepy hollow." in this spirited narrative, the girls will be shown doing the work of true heroines, yet amid many scenes of fun and humor. every reader will agree that the coming book is "the best yet." the end. * * * * * * henry altemus company's catalogue of the best and least expensive books for real boys and girls really good and new stories for boys and girls are not plentiful. many stories, too, are so highly improbable as to bring a grin of derision to the young reader's face before he has gone far. the name of altemus is a distinctive brand on the cover of a book, always ensuring the buyer of having a book that is up-to-date and fine throughout. no buyer of an altemus book is ever disappointed. many are the claims made as to the inexpensiveness of books. go into any bookstore and ask for an altemus book. compare the price charged you for altemus books with the price demanded for other juvenile books. you will at once discover that a given outlay of money will buy more of the altemus books than of those published by other houses. every dealer in books carries the altemus books. sold by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price henry altemus company - cherry street, philadelphia * * * * * * the motor boat club series by h. irving hancock the keynote of these books is manliness. the stories are wonderfully entertaining, and they are at the same time sound and wholesome. no boy will willingly lay down an unfinished book in this series. the motor boat club of the kennebec; 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or, at railroad building in earnest. the young engineers in arizona; or, laying tracks on the "man-killer" quicksand. the young engineers in nevada; or, seeking fortune on the turn of a pick. the young engineers in mexico; or, fighting the mine swindlers. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * boys of the army series by h. irving hancock these books breathe the life and spirit of the united states army of to-day, and the life, just as it is, is described by a master pen. uncle sam's boys in the ranks; or, two recruits in the united states army. uncle sam's boys on field duty; or, winning corporal's chevrons. uncle sam's boys as sergeants; or, handling their first real commands. uncle sam's boys in the philippines; or, following the flag against the moros. (_other volumes to follow rapidly._) cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * battleship boys series by frank gee patchin these stories throb with the life of young americans on to-day's huge drab dreadnaughts. the battleship boys at sea; or, two apprentices in uncle sam's navy. the battleship boys first step upward; or, winning their grades as petty officers. the battleship boys in foreign service; or, earning new ratings in european seas. the battleship boys in the tropics; or, upholding the american flag in a honduras revolution. (_other volumes to follow rapidly._) cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * the meadow-brook girls series by janet aldridge real live stories pulsing with the vibrant atmosphere of outdoor life. the meadow-brook girls under canvas; or, fun and frolic in the summer camp. the meadow-brook girls across country; or, the young pathfinders on a summer hike. the meadow-brook girls afloat; or, the stormy cruise of the red rover. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * high school boys series by h. irving hancock in this series of bright, crisp books a new note has been struck. boys of every age under sixty will be interested in these fascinating volumes. the high school freshmen; or, dick & co.'s first year pranks and sports. the high school pitcher; or, dick & co. on the gridley diamond. the high school left end; or, dick & co. grilling on the football gridiron. the high school captain of the team; or, dick & co. leading the athletic vanguard. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * grammar school boys series by h. irving hancock this series of stories, based on the actual doings of grammar school boys, comes near to the heart of the average american boy. the grammar school boys of gridley; or, dick & co. start things moving. the grammar school boys snowbound; or, dick & co. at winter sports. the grammar school boys in the woods; or, dick & co. trail fun and knowledge. the grammar school boys in summer athletics; or, dick & co. make their fame secure. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * high school boys' vacation series by h. irving hancock "give us more dick prescott books!" this has been the burden of the cry from young readers of the country over. almost numberless letters have been received by the publishers, making this eager demand; for dick prescott, dave darrin, tom reade, and the other members of dick & co. are the most popular high school boys in the land. boys will alternately thrill and chuckle when reading these splendid narratives. the high school boys' canoe club; or, dick & co.'s rivals on lake pleasant. the high school boys in summer camp; or, the dick prescott six training for the gridley eleven. the high school boys' fishing trip; or, dick & co. in the wilderness. the high school boys' training hike; or, dick & co. making themselves "hard as nails." cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * the circus boys series by edgar b. p. darlington mr. darlington's books breathe forth every phase of an intensely interesting and exciting life. the circus boys on the flying rings; or, making the start in the sawdust life. the circus boys across the continent; or, winning new laurels on the tanbark. the circus boys in dixie land; or, winning the plaudits of the sunny south. the circus boys on the mississippi; or, afloat with the big show on the big river. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * the high school girls series by jessie graham flower, a. m. these breezy stories of the american high school girl take the reader fairly by storm. grace harlowe's plebe year at high school; or, the merry doings of the oakdale freshman girls. grace harlowe's sophomore year at high school; or, the record of the girl chums in work and athletics. grace harlowe's junior year at high school; or, fast friends in the sororities. grace harlowe's senior year at high school; or, the parting of the ways. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. * * * * * * the automobile girls series by laura dent crane no girl's library--no family book-case can be considered at all complete unless it contains these sparkling twentieth-century books. the automobile girls at newport; or, watching the summer parade. the automobile girls along the hudson; or, fighting fire in sleepy hollow. the automobile girls at chicago; or, winning out against heavy odds. the automobile girls at palm beach; or, proving their mettle under southern skies. cloth, illustrated price, per volume, c. tom swift and his air scout or uncle sam's mastery of the sky by victor appleton contents chapter i a sky ride ii a new idea iii the big offer iv mr. damon's whizzer v tom's project vi making plans vii a problem in sound viii through the roof ix after a spy x a big splash xi a night trip xii the cry for help xiii something queer xiv the telephone call xv a vain search xvi the long night xvii silent sam xviii suspicions xix another flight xx queer marks xxi the deserted cabin xxii clews at last xxiii the government test xxiv in the moonlight xxv the gold tooth tom swift and his air scout chapter i a sky ride "oh tom, is it really safe?" a young lady--an exceedingly pretty young lady, she could be called--stood with one small, gloved hand on the outstretched wing of an aeroplane, and looked up at a young man, attired in a leather, fur-lined suit, who sat in the cockpit of the machine just above her. "safe, mary?" repeated the pilot, as he reached in under the hood of the craft to make sure about one of the controls. "why, you ought to know by this time that i wouldn't go up if it wasn't safe!" "oh, yes, i know, tom. it may be all right for you, but i've never been up in this kind of airship before, and i want to know if it's safe for me." the young man leaned over the edge of the padded cockpit, and clasped in his rather grimy hand the neatly gloved one of the young lady. and though the glove was new, and fitted the hand perfectly, there was no attempt to withdraw it. instead, the young lady seemed to be very glad indeed that her hand was in such safe keeping. "mary!" exclaimed the young man, "if it wasn't safe--as safe as a church--i wouldn't dream of taking you up!" and at the mention of "church" mary nestor blushed just the least bit. or perhaps it was that the prospective excitement of the moment caused the blood to surge into her cheeks. have it as you will. "come, mary! you're not going to back out the last minute, are you?" asked tom swift. "everything is all right. i've made a trial flight, and you've seen me come down as safely as a bird. you promised to go up with me. i won't go very high if you don't like it, but my experience has been that, once you're off the ground, it doesn't make any difference how high you go. you'll find it very fascinating. so skip along to the house, and mrs. baggert will help you get into your togs." "shall i have to wear all those things--such as you have on?" asked mary, blushing again. "well, you'll be more comfortable in a fur-lined leather suit," asserted tom. "and if it does make you look like an eskimo, why i'm sure it will be very becoming. not that you don't look nice now," he hastened to assure miss nestor, "but an aviation suit will be very--well, fetching, i should say." "if i could be sure it would 'fetch' me back safe, tom--" "that'll do! that'll do!" laughed the young aviator. "one joke like that is enough in a morning. it was pretty good, though. now go on in and tog up." "you're sure it's safe, tom?" "positive! trot along now. i want to fix a wire and--" "oh, is anything broken?" and the girl, who had started away from the aeroplane, turned back again. "no, not broken. it's only a little auxiliary dingus i put on to make it easier to read the barograph, but i think i'll go back to the old system. nothing to do with flying at all, except to tell how high up one is." "that's just what i don't care to know, tom," said mary nestor, with a smile. "if i could imagine i was sailing along only about ten feet in the air i wouldn't mind so much." "flying at that height would be the worst sort of danger. you leave it to me, mary. i won't take you up above the clouds on this sky ride; though, later, i'm sure you'll want to try that. this is only a little flight. you've been promising long enough to take a trip with me, and now i believe you're trying to back out." "no, really i'm not, tom! only, at the last minute, the machine looks so small and frail, and the sky is so--big--" she glanced up and seemed to shiver just a trifle. "don't be thinking of those things, mary!" laughed tom swift. "trot along and get ready. the motor never worked better, and we may break a few speed records this morning. no traffic cops to stop us, either, as there might be if we were in an auto." "there you go, mary!" exclaimed tom, as if struck with a new thought. "you've ridden in an auto with me many a time, and you never were a bit afraid, though we were in more danger than we'll be this morning." "danger, tom, in an auto? how?" "why, danger of a wheel collapsing as we were going full speed; or the steering knuckle breaking and sending us into a tree; danger of running into a stone wall or a ditch; danger of some one running into us, or of us running into some one else. there isn't one of these dangers on a sky ride." "no," said mary slowly. "but there's the danger of falling." "one against twenty. that's the safety margin. and, if we do fall, it will be like landing in a feather bed! there, don't wait any longer. go and get ready." mary sighed, and then, seeming to summon her nerve to her aid, she smiled brightly, waved her hand to tom, and hastened toward his home, where mrs. baggert the matronly housekeeper, was waiting to help the girl attire herself in a flying-suit of leather. mary nestor, who had a very warm place in the heart of tom swift, had, as he stated, some time since promised to take a trip in the air with the young inventor. but she had kept putting it off, for one reason or another, until tom began to despair of ever getting her to accompany him. to-day, however, when she had called to inquire about his father, who had been slightly ill, tom had, after the social visit, insisted on the promise being kept. he had his mechanic get out one of the safest, though a speedy, double machine, and, with mary to watch, tom had taken a trial flight, just to show her how easy it was. it was not the first time she had seen him take to the air, but now she watched with different emotions, for she was vitally interested. tom had sailed down from aloft, making a landing in the aviation field he had constructed near his home, and then he had insisted that mary should keep her promise to take a sky ride with him. "don't be too long now!" called tom to the girl, as she hurried toward the house. "never mind about your hair, or whether your hat's on straight. you're going to wear a cap, anyhow, and tuck your hair up under that. it's hot down here, but it will be cold up above; so tell mrs. baggert to see that you're warmly dressed." "all right," and gaily she waved her hand to him. now that she had made her decision, and was really going up, she was not half so frightened as she had been in the contemplation of it. as tom climbed out of the machine, to give it a careful inspection, though he was certain there was nothing wrong, an aged colored man shuffled toward him. "yo'--yo'll be mighty careful ob miss nestor now, won't yo', massa tom?" asked the man. "of course i will, eradicate," was the young inventor's answer. "case we ain't got many laik her no mo', an' dat's de truf, massa tom," went on the old man. "so be mighty careful laik!" "that's what i will, rad! and, while i'm up in the air, don't you and koku have any trouble." "ho! trouble wif dat onery no-'count giant! i guess not!" and the colored man limped off, highly indignant. satisfied, from an inspection of his machine, that it was as nearly mechanically perfect as it was possible to be, tom swift finished his trip around it and stood near the big propeller, waiting for mary nestor to reappear. presently she did so, and tom gaily waved his hand to her. "you're a picture!" he cried, as he saw how particularly "fetching" she looked in the aviator's costume which was like his own. because of the danger of entanglement, miss nestor had doffed her skirts, and wore the costume of all aviators--men and women. "i wish i had my camera!" cried tom. "you look--stunning!" "i hope that isn't any comment on how i'm going to feel if we have to make a--forced landing, i believe you call it," she retorted. "oh, i'll take care of that!" exclaimed tom. "now up you go, and we'll start," and he helped her to climb into the padded seat of the cockpit, behind where he was to sit. "oh, tom! don't be in such a hurry!" expostulated mary. "let me get my breath!" "no!" laughed the young inventor. "if i did you might back out. get in, fasten the strap around you and sit still. that's all you have to do. don't be afraid, i'll be very careful. and don't try to yell at me to go slower or lower once we're up in the air. "why not?" mary wanted to know, as she settled herself in her seat. "because i can't very well hear you, or talk to you. the motor makes so much noise, you know. we can do a little talking through this speaking tube," and he indicated one, "but it isn't very satisfactory. so if you have anything to say--" "in the language of the poets," interrupted mary, "if i have words to spill, prepare to spill them now. well, i haven't! now i'm here, go ahead! i shall probably be too frightened to talk, anyhow." "oh, no you won't--after the first little sensation," tom assured her. "you'll be crazy about it. come on, jackson!" he called to the mechanician. "start the ball rolling!" tom was in his place, his goggles and cap well down over his face, and he was adjusting the switch as the mechanic prepared to spin the propellers. suddenly a man came running from the swift house, waving his arms not unlike the blades of an aircraft propeller, he also shouted, but tom, whose ears were covered with his fur cap, could not hear. however, jackson did, and stopped whirling the blades, turning about to see what was wanted. "why, it's mr. damon!" exclaimed tom, as he caught sight of the excited man. "hello, what's the matter?" the youth asked, pulling aside one flap of his head-covering so he might hear the answer. "tom! wait a minute! bless my mouse trap!" exclaimed mr. damon, "i want to speak to you!" he was panting from his run across the field. "i just got to your house--saw your father--he said you were going up with miss nestor, but--bless my dog biscuit--" "can't stop now, mr. damon!" answered tom, with a laugh. "i have only just succeeded, by hard work, in getting mary to a point where she has consented to take a sky ride. if i stop now she'll back out and i'll never get her in again. see you when i come back," and tom pulled the covering over his ear once more. "but, tom, bless my shoe laces! this is important!" "so's this!" answered tom, with a grin. he saw, by the motion of mr. damon's lips, what the latter had said. around swung the propeller blades. the gasoline vapor in the cylinders was being compressed. "contact!" called tom sharply, as he pressed the switch to give the igniting spark at the proper moment. the mechanic had stepped back out of the way, in case there should be a premature starting of the powerful engine, in which event the blades would have cut him to pieces. "wait, tom! wait! this is very important! bless my collar button, tom swift, but this is--" bang! bang! bang! with a series of explosions, like those of a machine gun, the motor started, and further talk was out of the question. tom turned on more gas. the propellers became almost invisible blades of light and shadow, and the aeroplane began moving over the grassy field. the mechanic had sprung out of the way, pulling mr. damon with him. "come back! come back! wait a minute, tom swift! bless my pansy blossoms, i want to tell you something!" cried the little man. but tom swift was away and out of hearing. he had started on his sky ride with mary nestor. chapter ii a new idea any one who has taken a flight in an aeroplane or gone up in a balloon, will know exactly how mary nestor felt on this, her first sky ride of any distance. for a moment, as she looked over the side of the machine, she had a distinct impression, not that she was going up, but that some one had pulled the earth down from beneath her and, at the same time, given her a shove off into space. such is the first sensation of going aloft. then the rush of air all about her, the slightly swaying motion of the craft, and the vibration caused by the motor took her attention. but the sensation of the earth dropping away from beneath her remained with mary for some time. this sensation is much greater in a balloon than in an aeroplane, for a balloon, unless there is a strong wind blowing, goes straight up, while an aeroplane ascends on a long slant, and always into the teeth of the wind, to take advantage of its lifting power on the underside of the planes. the reason for this sensation--that of the earth's dropping down, instead of one's feeling, what really happens, that one is ascending--is because there are no objects by which comparison can be made. if one starts off on the earth's surface at slow, or at great speed, one passes stationary objects--houses, posts, trees, and the like--and judges the speed by the rapidity with which these are left behind. going up is unlike this. there is nothing to pass. one simply cleaves the air, and only as it rushes past can one be sure of movement. and as the air is void of color and form, there is no sensation of passing anything. so mary nestor, as she shot into the air with tom swift, had a sensation as though the earth were dropping from beneath her. for a moment she felt as though she were in some vast void--floating in space--and she had a great fear. then she calmed herself. she looked at tom sitting in front of her. of course, all she could see was his back, but it looked to be a very sturdy back, indeed, and he sat there in the aircraft as calmly as though in a chair on the ground. then mary took courage, and ceased to grasp the sides of the cockpit with a grip that stiffened all her muscles. she was beginning to "find herself." on and on, and up and up, went mary and tom, in this the girl's first big sky ride. the earth below seemed farther and farther away. the wide, green fields became little emerald squares, and the houses like those in a toy noah's ark. down below, mr. wakefield damon, who had hurried over from his home in waterfield to see tom swift, gazed aloft at the fast disappearing aeroplane and its passengers. "bless my coal bin!" cried the eccentric man, "but tom is in a hurry this morning. too bad he couldn't have stopped and spoken to me. it might have been greatly to his advantage. but i suppose i shall have to wait." "you want to see master?" asked a voice behind mr. damon, and, turning, he beheld a veritable giant. "yes, koku, i did," mr. damon answered, and he did not appear at all surprised at the sight of the towering form beside him. "i wanted to see tom most particularly. but i shall have to wait. i'll go in and talk to mr. swift." "yaas, an' i go talk to radicate," said the giant. "him diggin' up ground where master told me to make garden. radicate not strong enough for dat!" "huh! there's trouble as soon as those two get to disputing," mused mr. damon, as he went toward the house. meanwhile, mary was beginning to enjoy herself. the sensation of moving rapidly through the air in a machine as skillfully guided as was the one piloted by tom swift was delightful. up and up they went, and then suddenly mary felt a lurch, and the plane, which was now about a thousand feet high, seemed to slip to one side. mary screamed, and began reaching for the buckle of the safety belt that fastened her to her seat. she saw that something unusual had occurred, for tom was working frantically at the mechanism in front of him. but, in spite of this, he seemed aware that mary was in danger, not so much, perhaps, from what might happen to the machine, as what she might do in her terror. "oh! oh!" cried the girl, and tom heard her above the terrific noise of the motor, for she was speaking with her lips close to the tube that served as a sort of inter-communicating telephone for the craft. "oh, we are falling! i'm going to jump!" "sit still! sit still for your life!" cried tom swift. "i'll save you all right! only sit still! don't jump!" mary, her red cheeks white, sank back, and the young inventor redoubled his efforts at the controls and other mechanisms. and that tom was perfectly qualified to make a safe landing, even with engine trouble, mary nestor well knew. those of you who have read the previous books of this series know it also, but, for the benefit of my new readers, i shall state that this was by no means tom's first ride in an aeroplane. he had operated and built gasoline engines ever since he was about sixteen years old. as related in the initial volume of this series, entitled, "tom swift and his motorcycle," he became possessed of this machine after it had started to climb a tree with mr. damon on board. after that experience the eccentric man--blessing everything he could think of--had no liking for the speedy motorcycle and sold it to tom at a low price. that was the beginning of a friendship between the two, and also started tom on his career as an inventor and a possessor of many gasoline craft. for he was not content with merely riding the repaired motorcycle. he made improvements on it. tom lived with his father in the town of shopton, their home being looked after, since the death of mrs. swift, by mrs. baggert. mr. wakefield damon lived in the neighboring town of waterfield, and spent much time at tom's home, often going on trips with him in various vehicles of the land, sea or air. as related in the various volumes of this series, tom was not content to remain on earth. he built a speedy motor boat, and then secured an airship, following that with a submarine. he also made an electric runabout that was the speediest car on the road. sending wireless messages, having thrilling experiences among the diamond makers, journeying to the caves of ice, and making perilous trips in his sky racer took up part of the young inventor's time. with his electric rifle he did some wonderful shooting, and in the "city of gold" made some strange discoveries, part of the fortune he secured enabling him to build his sky racer. it was in a land of giants that tom was made captive, but he succeeded in escaping, and brought two giants, of whom koku was one, away with him. following this achievement tom invented a wizard camera and a great searchlight, which, with his giant cannon, was purchased by the united states government. work on his photo-telephone and his aerial warship, the problem of digging a big tunnel, and then traveling to the land of wonders, kept tom swift very busy, and he had just completed a wonderful piece of work when the present story opens. this last achievement was the perfecting of a machine to aid in the great world war and you will find the details set down in the volume which immediately precedes this. "tom swift and his war tank," it is called, and in that is related how he not only invented a marvelous machine, but succeeded in keeping its secret from the plotters who tried to take it from him. in this tom was helped by the inspiration of mary nestor, whom he hoped some day to marry, and by ned newton, a chum, who, though no inventor himself, could admire one. ned and tom had been chums a long while, but ned inclined more to financial and office matters than to machinery. at times he had managed affairs for tom, and helped him finance projects. ned was now an important bank official, and since the united states had entered the war had had charge of some red cross work, as well as liberty bond campaigns. somehow, as she sat there in the craft which seemed disabled, mary nestor could not help thinking of tom's many activities, in some of which she had shared. "oh, if he falls now, and is killed!" she thought. "oh, what will happen to us?" "it's all right, mary! don't worry! it's all right!" cried tom, through the speaking tube. "what's that? i can't hear you very well!" she called back. "no wonder, with the racket this motor is making," he answered. "why can't something be done so you can talk in an aeroplane as well as in a balloon? that's an idea! if i could tell you what was the matter now you wouldn't be a bit frightened, for it isn't anything. but, as it is--" "what are you saying, tom? i can't hear you!" cried mary, still much frightened. "i say it's all right--don't get scared. and don't jump!" tom shouted until his ears buzzed. "it's all nonsense--having a motor making so much noise one can't talk!" he went on, irritatedly. a strange idea had come to the young inventor, but there was no time to think of it now. mentally he registered a vow to take up this idea and work on it as soon as possible. but, just now, the aeroplane needed all his attention. as he had told mary, there was really nothing approaching any great danger. but it was rather an anxious moment. if tom had been alone he would have thought little of it, but with mary along he felt a double responsibility. what had happened was that the craft had suddenly gone into an "air pocket" or partial vacuum, and there had been a sudden fall and a slide slip. in trying to stop this too quickly tom had broken one of his controls, and he was busily engaged in putting an auxiliary one in place and trying to reassure mary at the same time. "but it's mighty hard trying to do that through a speaking tube with a motor making a noise like a boiler factory," mused the young inventor. tom worked quickly and to good purpose. in a few moments, though to mary they seemed like hours, the machine was again gliding along on a level keel, and tom breathed more easily. "and now for my great idea!" he told himself. but it was some time before he could give his attention to that. chapter iii the big offer working with all the skill he possessed, tom had got the aeroplane in proper working order again. as has been said, the accident was a trivial one, and had he been alone, or with an experienced aviator, he would have thought little of it. then, very likely, he would have volplaned to earth and made the repairs there. but he did not want to frighten mary nestor, so he fixed the control while gliding along, and made light of it. thus his passenger was reassured. "are we all right?" asked mary through the tube, as they sailed along. "right as a fiddle," answered tom, shouting through the same means of communication. "what's that about a riddle?" asked mary, in surprise at his seeming flippancy at such a time. "i didn't say anything about a riddle--i said we are as fit as a fiddle!" cried tom. "never mind. no use trying to talk with the racket this motor makes, and it isn't the noisiest of its kind, either. i'll tell you when we get down. do you like it?" "yes, i like it better than i did at first," answered mary, for she had managed to understand the last of tom's questions. then he sailed a little higher, circled about, and, a little later, not to get mary too tired and anxious, he headed for his landing field. "i'll take you home in the auto," he cried to his passenger. "we could go up to your house this way--in style--if there was a field near by large enough to land in. but there isn't. so it will have to be a plain, every-day auto." "that's good enough for me," said mary. "though this trip is wonderful--glorious! i'll go again any time you ask me." "well, i'll ask you," said tom. "and when i do maybe it won't be so hard to hold a conversation. it will be more like this," and he shut off the motor and began to glide gently down. the quiet succeeding the terrific noise of the motor exhaust was almost startling, and tom and mary could converse easily without using the tube. then followed the landing on the soft, springy turf, a little glide over the ground, and the machine came to a halt, while mechanics ran out of the hangar to take charge of it. "i'll just go in and change these togs," said mary, as she alighted and looked at her leather costume. "no, don't," advised tom. "you look swell in em. keep 'em on. they're yours, and you'll need 'em when we go up again. here comes the auto. i'll take you right home in it. keep the aviation suit on. "i wonder what mr. damon could have wanted," remarked tom, as he drove mary along the country road. "he seemed very much excited," she replied. "oh, he almost always is that way--blessing everything he can think of. you know that. but this time it was different, i'll admit. i hope nothing is the matter. i might have stopped and spoken to him, but i was afraid if i did you'd back out and wouldn't come for a sky ride." "well, i might have. but now that i've had one, even with an accident thrown in, i'll go any time you ask me, tom," and mary smiled at the young inventor. "shucks, that wasn't a real accident!" he laughed. "but i do wonder what mr. damon wanted." "better go back and find out, tom," advised mary, as they stopped in front of her house. "oh, i want to come in and talk to you. haven't had a chance for a good talk today, that motor made such a racket." "no, go along now, but come back and see me this afternoon if you like." "i do like, all right! and i suppose mr. damon will be fussing until he sees me. well, glad you liked your first ride in the air, mary--that is, the first one of any account," for mary had been in an aeroplane before, though only up a little way--a sort of "grass-cutting stunt," tom called it. waving farewell to the pretty girl, the young aviator turned the auto about and speeded for his home and the shops adjoining it. his father had not been well, of late, and tom was a bit anxious about him. "mr. damon may bother him, though he wouldn't mean to," thought tom. "he seemed to have his mind filled with some new idea. i wonder if it is anything like mine? no, it couldn't be. well, i'll soon find out," and, putting his foot on the accelerator, tom sent the machine along at a pace that soon brought him within sight of his home. "is father all right?" he asked mrs. baggert, who was out on the front porch, as though waiting for him. "oh, yes, tom, he's all right," the housekeeper answered. "is mr. damon with him?" "no." "he hasn't gone home, has he?" "no, he's around somewhere. but some one else is with your father. some visitors." "any relations?" "no; strangers. they came to see you, and they're rather impatient. i came out to see if you were in sight. your father sent me." "are they bothering him--talking business that i ought to attend to when he's ill? that mustn't be." "well, i suppose it is business that the strangers are talking over with your father, tom," said mrs. baggert, "for i heard sums of money spoken of. but your father seems to be all right, only a trifle anxious that you should come." "well, i'm here now and i'll attend to things. where are the strangers, and who are they?" "i don't know," answered the housekeeper. "i never saw them before, but they're in the library with your father. do you think they'll stay to dinner? if you do, i'll have eradicate or koku catch and kill a chicken." "if you let one do it don't tell the other about it," said tom with a laugh, "or you'll have a chicken race around the yard that will make the visitors sit up and take notice." there was great rivalry between eradicate sampson, the aged colored man, and koku, the giant, and they were continually disputing. each one loved and served tom in his own way, and there was jealousy between them. koku, the giant tom had brought with him from the land where the young inventor had been made captive, was a big, powerful man, and could do things the aged colored servant could not attempt. but "rad," as he was often called, and his mule "boomerang" had long been fixtures on the swift homestead. but old age crept on apace with eradicate, though he hated to admit it, and koku did many things the colored man had formerly attended to, and rad was always on the lookout not to be supplanted. hence tom's warning to mrs. baggert about letting the two be entrusted with the same mission of catching a chicken for the pot. "better get the fowl yourself and say nothing to either of them about it," tom advised the housekeeper. "mr. damon will stay to dinner, as he always does when he comes, and as it's near twelve now, and as i may be delayed talking business to these strangers, you'd better get up a bigger meal than usual." "i will, tom," promised mrs. baggert. and then the young inventor, having seen that one of the men took the automobile to the garage, went into the house. "oh, here you are!" was his father's greeting, as he came out into the hall from the library. "i've been waiting anxiously for you, my boy. i couldn't think what was keeping you." "oh, i had a little trouble with the air machine--nothing serious." a moment later tom was standing before two well-dressed, prosperous-looking business men, who smiled pleasantly at him. "mr. thomas swift?" interrogated one, the elder, as he held out his hand. "that's my name," answered tom, pleasantly. "i'm peton gale, and this gentleman is boland ware," went on the man who had taken tom's hand. "i'm president and he's treasurer of the universal flying machine company, of new york." "oh, yes," said tom, as he shook hands with mr. ware. "i have heard of your concern. you are doing a lot of government work, are you not?" "yes; war orders. and we're up to our neck in them. this war is going to be almost as much fought in the air as on the ground, mr. swift." "i can well believe that," agreed tom. "won't you have a chair?" "well, we didn't come to stay long," said mr. gale with a laugh, which, somehow or other, grated on tom and seemed to him insincere. "our business is such a rushing one that we don't spend much time anywhere. to get down to brass tacks, we have come to see you to put a certain proposition before you, mr. swift. you are open to a business proposition, aren't you?" "oh, yes," answered tom. "that's what i'm here for." "i thought so. well, now i'll tell you, in brief, what we want, and then mr. ware, our treasurer, can elaborate on it, and give you facts and figures about which i never bother myself. i attend to the executive end and leave the details to others," and again came that laugh which tom did not like. "you came here to make me an offer?" asked the young inventor, wondering to which of his many machines the visitors had reference. "yes," went on mr. gale, "we came here to make you a big offer. in short, mr. swift, we want you to work for our company, and we are willing to pay you ten thousand dollars a year for the benefit of your advice and your inventive abilities. ten thousand dollars a year! do you accept?" chapter iv mr. damon's whizzer characteristic it was of tom swift that he did not seem at all surprised at what most young men would call a liberal offer. certainly not many youths of tom's age would be sought out by a big manufacturing concern, and offered ten thousand dollars a year "right off the reel," as ned newton expressed it later. but tom only smiled and shook his head in negation. "what!" cried mr. gale, "you mean you won't accept our offer?" "i can't," answered tom. "you can't!" exclaimed the treasurer, mr. ware. "oh, i see. mr. gale, a word with you. excuse us a moment," he added to tom and his father. the two men consulted in a corner of the library for a moment, and then, with smiles on their faces, once more turned toward the young inventor. "well, perhaps you are right, tom swift," said mr. gale. "of course, we recognize your talents and ability, but you cannot blame us for trying to get talent, as well as material for our airships, in the cheapest market. but we are not hide-bound, nor sticklers for any set sum. we'll make that offer fifteen thousand dollars a year, if you will sign a five-year contract and agree that we shall have first claim on anything and everything you may patent or invent in that time. now, how does that strike you? fifteen thousand dollars a year--paid weekly if you wish, and our mr. ware, here, has a form of contract which can be fixed up and signed within ten minutes, if you agree." "well, i don't like to be disagreeable," said tom with a smile; "but, really, as i said before, i can't accept your very kind offer. i may say liberal offer. i appreciate that." "you can't accept!" cried mr. gale. "are you sure you don't mean 'won't'?" asked mr. ware, in a half growl. "you may call it that if you like," replied tom, a bit coolly, for he did not like the other's tone, "only, as i say, i cannot accept. i have other plans." "oh, you--" began the brusk treasurer, but mr. gale, the president of the universal flying machine company, stopped his associate with a warning look. "just a moment, mr. swift," begged the president. "don't be hasty. we are prepared to make you a last and final offer, and i do not believe you can refuse it." "well, i certainly will not refuse it without hearing it," said tom, with a smile he meant to make good-natured. yet, truth to tell, he did not at all like the two visitors. there was something about them that aroused his antagonism, and he said later that even if they had offered him a sum which he felt he ought not, in justice to himself and his father, refuse, he would have felt a distaste in working for a company represented by the twain. "this is our offer," said mr. gale, and he spoke in a pompous manner which seemed to say: "if you don't take it, why, it will be the worse for you." he looked at his treasurer for a confirmatory nod and, receiving it, went on. "we are prepared to offer and pay you, and will enter into such a contract, with the stipulation about the inventions that i mentioned before--we are prepared to pay you--twenty thousand dollars a year! now what do you say to that, tom swift? "twenty-thousand-dollars-a-year!" repeated mr. gale unctuously, rolling the words off his tongue. "twen-ty-thou-sand-dol-lars-a-year! think of it!" "i am thinking of it," said tom swift gently, "and i thank you for your offer. it is, indeed, very generous. but i must give you the same answer. i cannot accept." "tom!" exclaimed his aged father. "mr. swift!" exclaimed the two visitors. tom smiled and shook his head. "oh, i know very well what i am saying, and what i am turning down," he said. "but i simply cannot accept. i have other plans. i am sorry you have had your trip for nothing," he added to the visitors, "but, really, i must refuse." "is that your final answer?" asked mr. gale. "yes." "don't you want to take a day or two to think it over?" asked the treasurer. "don't be hasty. remember that very few young men can command that salary, and i may say you will find us liberal in other ways. you would have some time to yourself." "that is what i most need," returned tom. "time to myself. no, thank you, gentlemen, i cannot accept." "be careful!" warned mr. gale, and it sounded as though there might be a threat in his voice. "this is our last offer, and your last chance. we will not renew this. if you do not accept our twenty thousand dollars now, you will never get it again." "i realize that," said tom, "and i am prepared to take the consequences. "very well, then," said mr. gale. "there seems nothing for us to do, mr. ware, but to go back to new york. i bid you good-day," and he bowed stiffly to tom. "i hope you will not regret your refusal of our offer." "i hope so myself," said tom, lightly. when the visitors had gone mr. swift turned toward his son, and, shaking his head, remarked: "of course, you know your own business best, tom. yet i cannot but feel you have made a mistake." "how?" asked tom. "by not taking that money? i can easily make that in a year, with an idea i have in mind for an improvement on an airship. and your new electric motor will soon be ready for the market. besides, we don't really need the money." "no, not now, tom, but there is no telling when we may," said mr. swift, slowly. "this big war has made many changes, and things that brought us in a good income before, hardly sell at all, now." "oh, don't worry, dad! we still have a few shots left in the locker--in other words, the bank. i'm expecting ned newton over any moment now, to give us the annual statement of our account, and then we'll know where we stand. i'm not afraid from the money end. our business has done well, and it is going to do better. i have a new idea." "that's all very well, tom," said mr. swift, who seemed oppressed by something. "as you say, money isn't everything, and i know we shall always have enough to live on. but there is something about those two men i do not like. they were very angry at your refusal of their offer. i could see that. tom, i don't want to be a croaker, but i think you'll have to watch out for those men. they're going to be your enemies--your rivals in the airship field," and mr. swift shook his head dolefully. "well, rivalry, when it's clean and above board, is the spice of trade and invention," returned tom, lightly. "i'm not afraid of that." "no, but it may be unfair and underhand," said mr. swift. "i think it would have been better, tom, to have accepted their offer. twenty thousand a year, clear money, is a good sum." "yes, but i may make twice that with something that occurred to me only a little while ago. forget about those men, dad, and i'll tell you my new idea. but wait, i want mr. damon to hear it, too. where is he?" "he was here a little while ago. he went out when those two men came and--" at that moment, from the garden at the side of the library, the sound of voices in dispute could be heard. "now yo' all g'wan 'way from yeah!" exclaimed some one who could be none other than eradicate sampson. "whut fo' yo' all want to clutter up dish yeah place fo'? massa tom said i was to do de garden wuk, an' i'se gwine to do it! g'wan 'way, giant!" "ho! you want me to get out, s'pose you put me, black face!" cried a big voice, that of koku, the giant. "there they go! at it again!" cried tom with a smile. "might have known if i told rad to do anything that koku would be jealous. well, i'll have to go out now and give that giant something to do that will tax his strength." but as tom was about to leave the room another voice was heard in the garden. "now, boys, be nice," said some one soothingly. "the garden is large enough for you both to work in. rad, you begin at the lower end and spade toward the middle. koku, you begin at the upper end and work down. whoever gets to the middle first will win." "ha! den i'll show dat giant some spade wuk as is spade wuk!" cried the colored man. "garden wuk is mah middle name." "be careful, rad!" laughed mr. damon, for he it was who was trying to act as peacemaker. "remember that koku is very strong." "yas, sah! he may be strong, but he's clumsy!" chuckled eradicate. "you watch me beat him!" "ho! black man get stuck in mud!" challenged koku. "i show him!" then there was silence, and tom and his father, looking out, saw the two disputants beginning to spade the soil while mr. damon, satisfied that he had, for the time being, stopped a quarrel, turned toward the house. "i was just coming to look for you," said tom. "sorry i had to go off in such a hurry and leave you, but i had promised to take mary for a ride, and as it was her first one, for a distance, i didn't want her to back out." "that's all right, tom, that's all right!" said mr. damon genially. "ladies first every time. but i do want to see you, and it's about something important." "no trouble, i hope?" queried tom, for the manner of the eccentric man was rather grave. "trouble? oh, no! bless my frying pan, no trouble, tom! in fact, it may be the other way about. tom, i have an idea, and there may be millions in it! that's it--millions!" "good!" cried the young inventor. "might as well bite off a big lump while you're at it. so you have a new idea! well, i have myself, but i'll listen to yours first. what is it, mr. damon?" "it's a new kind of airship, tom. i haven't got it all worked out yet, but i can give you a rough outline. on my way over i got to thinking about balloons, aeroplanes and the like, and it occurred to me that the present principles are all wrong." "so i evolved a new type of machine. i'm going to call it the damon whizzer. maybe demon whizzer would be more appropriate, but we won't decide on that now. anyhow, it's going to be a whizzer, and i want to talk to you about it. there is an entirely new principle of elevation and propulsion involved in my whizzer, and i--" at that moment there came a crash and clatter of steel and wood from the garden, out of sight of which tom and mr. damon had walked while talking. then followed a jangle of words. "they're at it again!" cried tom, as he ran toward the side of the house. "i guess it's a fight this time!" chapter v tom's project curious was the sight that met the gaze of tom swift and mr. wakefield damon as they rounded the corner of the house and looked into the newly spaded garden. there stood the giant, koku, holding aloft in the air, by one hand, the form of the struggling colored man, eradicate sampson. and eradicate was vainly trying to get at his enemy and rival, but was prevented by the long-distance hold the giant had on him. "yo' let me go, now! yo' let me go, big man," cried eradicate. "ef yo' don't i'll bust yo' wide open, dat's whut i'll do! an' 'sides, i'll tell massa tom on yo', dat's whut i'll do!" "ho! you tell--i let you fall!" threatened koku. his threat was dire enough, for such was his size and strength that he held the colored man nearly nine feet from the ground, and a fall from that distance would seriously jar eradicate, if it did nothing else. the colored man's eyes opened wide as he heard what koku said, and then he cried: "let me down! let me down, an' i won't say nuffin!" "an' you let me scatter dirt?" asked koku, for such was the giant's idea of working in the garden. "yes, yo' kin scatter de dirt seben ways from sunday fo' all i keers!" conceded eradicate. then, as he was lowered to the ground, he and the giant turned and saw mr. damon and tom approaching. "what's wrong?" asked the young inventor. "'scuse me, massa tom," began eradicate, "but didn't yo' tell me to spade de garden?" "i guess i did," admitted tom swift. "an' you tell me help--yes?" questioned koku. "well, i thought it would be a little too much for you, rad," said tom, gently. "i thought perhaps you'd like help." "hu! not him, anyhow!" declared the colored man in great disgust. "when i git so old dat i cain't spade a garden, den me an' boomerang, we-all gwine to die, dat's all i got to say. i was a-spadin' my part ob de garden, massa tom, same laik mr. damon done tole me to, an' dish yeah big mess ob bones steps on my side ob de middle an--" "him too slow. koku scatter dirt twice times so fast!" declared the giant, whose english was not much better than eradicate's. "yes, i see," said tom. "you are so strong, koku, that you finished your part before eradicate did. well, it was good of you to want to help him." at this the giant grinned at his rival. "at the same time," went on tom, winking an eye at mr. damon, "eradicate knows a little more about garden work, on account of having done it so many years." "ha! whut i tell yo', giant!" boasted the colored man. it was his turn to smile. "and so," went on tom, judicially, "i guess i'll let rad finish spading the garden, and you, koku, can come and help me lift some heavy engine parts. mr. damon wants to explain something to me." "ha! nothing what so heavy koku not lift!" boasted the giant. "go on! lift yo'se'f 'way from heah!" muttered eradicate as he picked up his dropped spade. and then, with a smile of satisfaction, he fell to work in the mellow soil while tom led koku to one of the shops where he set him to lifting heavy motor parts about in order to get at a certain machine that was stored away in the back of one of the rooms. "that will keep him busy," said the young inventor. "and now, mr. damon, i can listen to you. do you really think you have a new idea in airships?" "i really think so, tom. my whizzer is bound to revolutionize travel in the air. let me tell you what i mean. now cast your mind back. how many ways are now used to propel an airship or a dirigible balloon through the air? how many ways?" "two, as far as i know," said tom. "at least there are only two that have proved to be practical." "exactly," said mr. damon. "one with the propeller, or propellers, in front, and that is the tractor type. the other has the propeller in the rear, and that is the pusher type. both good as far as they go, but i have something better." "what?" asked tom with a smile. "it's a whizzer," said the eccentric man. "bless my gold tooth! but that is the best name i can think of for it. and, really, the propeller i'm thinking of inventing does whiz around." "but are you going to use a tractor or pusher type?" tom wanted to know. "it's a combination of both," answered mr. damon. "as it is now, tom, you have to get an aeroplane in pretty speedy motion before it will rise from the ground, don't you?" "yes, of course. that's the principle on which an aeroplane rises and keeps aloft, by its speed in the air. as soon as that speed stops it begins to fall, or volplane, as we call it." "exactly. now, instead of having to depend on the speed of the aeroplane for this, why not depend on the speed of the propeller--in other words, the whizzer?" "well, we do," said tom, a bit puzzled as to what his friend was trying to get at. "if the propeller didn't move the airship wouldn't rise--that is, unless it's of the balloon type." "what i mean," said mr. damon, "is to have an aeroplane that will move in the air the same as a boat moves in the water. you don't have to get the propeller of a boat racing around at the rate of a million revolutions a minute, more or less, before your boat will travel, do you? if the engine turns the screw, or propeller, just over say fifty times a minute you would get some motion of the boat, wouldn't you?" "why, yes, some," admitted tom. "and what causes it?" asked mr. damon, anticipating a triumph. "the resistance of the water to the blades of the screw, or propeller," answered tom. "exactly! and it's the resistance of the air to the blades of an airship propeller that sends the craft along, isn't it?" "yes. and because of the difference in density between air and water it becomes necessary to revolve an aeroplane propeller many times faster than a boat propeller. it's the density that makes the difference, mr. damon. if air were as dense as water we could have comparatively slow-moving motors and propellers and--" "ha! there you have it, tom! and there is where my whizzer--wakefield damon's whizzer--is going to revolutionize air travel!" cried the eccentric man. "the difference in density! if air were as dense as water the problem would be solved. and i have solved it! i'm going to turn the trick, tom! one more question. how can air be made as dense as water, tom swift?" "why, by condensation or compression, i suppose," was the rather slow answer. "you know they have condensed, or compressed, air until it is liquid. i've done it myself, as an experiment." "that's it, tom! that's it!" cried mr. damon in delight. "compressed air will do the trick! not compressed to a liquid, exactly, but almost so. i'm going to revolve the propellers of my new airship in compressed air, so dense that they will not have to have a speed of more than seven hundred revolutions a minute. what's that compared to the three to ten thousand revolutions of the propellers now used? the propellers of damon's whizzer will be of the pusher type, and will revolve in dense, compressed air, almost like water, and that will do away with high speed motors, with all their complications, and make traveling in the clouds as simple as taking out a little one-cylinder motor boat. how's that, tom swift? how's that for an idea?" to mr. damon's disappointment, tom was not enthusiastic. the young inventor gazed at his eccentric friend, and then said slowly: "well, that's all right in theory, but how is it going to work out in practice?" "that's what i came to see you about, tom," was the reply. "bless my tall hat! but that's just why i hurried over here. i wanted to tell you when i saw you going off on a trip with miss nestor. that's my big idea--damon's whizzer--propellers revolving in compressed air like water. isn't that great?" "i'm sorry to shatter your air castle," said tom; "but for the life of me i can't see how it will work. of course, in theory, if you could revolve a big-bladed propeller in very dense, or in liquid, air, there would be more resistance than in the rarefied atmosphere of the upper regions. and, if this could be done, i grant you that you could use slower motors and smaller propeller blades--more like those of a motor boat. but how are you going to get the condensed air?" "make it!" said mr. damon promptly. "air pumps are cheap. just carry one or two on board the aeroplane, and condense the air as you go along. that's a small detail that can easily be worked out. i leave that to you." "i'd rather you wouldn't," said tom. "that's the whole difficulty--compressing your air. wait! i'll explain it to you." then the young inventor went into details. he told of the ponderous machinery needed to condense air to a form approximating water, and spoke of the terrible pressure exerted by the liquid atmosphere. "anything that you would gain by having a slow-speed motor and smaller propeller blades, would be lost by the ponderous air-condensing machinery you would need," tom told mr. damon. "besides, if you could surround your propellers with a strata of condensed air, it would create such terrible cold as to freeze the propeller blades and make them as brittle as glass. "why, i have taken a heavy piece of metal, dipped it into liquid air, and i could shatter the steel with a hammer as easily as a sheet of ice. the cold of liquid air is beyond belief. "attempts have been made to make motors run with liquid air, but they have not succeeded. to condense air and to carry it about so that propellers might revolve in it, would be out of the question." "you think so, tom?" asked mr. damon. "i'm sure of it!" "oh, dear! that's too bad. bless my overshoes, but i thought i had a new idea. well, you ought to know. so damon's whizzer goes on the scrap heap before ever it's built. well, we'll say no more about it. you ought to know best, tom. i wasn't thinking of it so much for myself as for you. i thought you'd like some new idea to work on." "much obliged, mr. damon, but i have a new idea," said tom. "you have? what is it? tell me--that is, if it isn't a secret," went on the eccentric man, as much delighted over tom's new plan as he had been over his own whizzer, doomed to failure so soon. "it isn't a secret from you," said tom. "i got the idea while i was riding with mary. i wanted to talk to her--to tell her not to jump out when we had a little accident--but i had trouble making myself understood because of the noise of the motor." "they do make a great racket," conceded mr. damon. "but i don't suppose anything can be done about it." "i don't see why there can't!" exclaimed tom. "and that's my new idea--to make a silent aircraft motor--perhaps silent propeller blades, though it's the motor that makes the most noise. and that's what i'm going to do--invent a silent aeroplane. not because i want so much to talk when i take passengers up in the air, but i believe such a motor would be valuable, especially for scouting planes in war work. to go over the enemy's lines and not be heard would be valuable many times. "and that's what i'm going to do--work on a silent motor for uncle sam. i've got the germ of an idea and now--" "excuse me," said a voice behind mr. damon and tom, and, turning, the young inventor beheld the form of mr. peton gale, president of the universal flying machine company. chapter vi making plans tom swift had drawn pencil and paper from his pocket, and, as he and mr. damon were sitting on the steps of one of the shops, the young inventor was about to demonstrate by a drawing part of his new project, when the interruption came in the shape of one of the men who had, an hour before, made a business offer to tom. "excuse me," went on mr. peton gale, "but mr. ware and i got to talking it over on our way to the station--the matter of having you in our company, mr. swift--and we concluded that it was worth twenty-five thousand dollars a year for us to have you. so i came back--" "it isn't of the slightest use, mr. gale, i assure you," said tom, a bit heatedly, for he did not like the persistency of this man, nor did he like his coming on the factory grounds unannounced and in this secret manner. "i told you i could not accept your offer. it is not altogether a matter of money. my word was final." "oh very well, if you put it that way," said mr. gale stiffly, "of course there is nothing more to say. but i thought perhaps you did not consider we had offered you enough and--" "your offer is fair enough from a financial standpoint," said tom; "but i simply cannot accept it. i have other plans. jackson!" he called to one of his mechanics who was passing, "kindly see mr. gale to the gate, and then let me know how it was any one came in here without a permit." "yes, sir," said the mechanic, as he stood significantly waiting. "there was no one at the gate when i came in," said mr. gale, and his manner was antagonizing. "i wanted to speak to you--to ask you to reconsider your offer--so i came back." "it is against the rules to admit strangers to the shop grounds," said tom. "good-day!" the president of the universal flying machine company did not respond, but there was a look on his face as he turned away that, had tom seen it, might have caused him some uneasiness. but he did not see. instead, he resumed his talk with mr. damon. "tom, your idea is most interesting," declared the eccentric man. "i hope you will be able to work it out!" "i'm going to try," said the young inventor. "i hope that man--mr. gale--didn't hear anything of what i was saying. he sneaked up on us before i was aware any one was near but ourselves." "i don't imagine he heard very much, tom," said mr. damon. "he may have heard you mention a silent motor--" "that's just what i wish he hadn't heard," broke in tom. "that's the germ of the idea, and once it becomes known that i am working on that-- well, there's no use crying over spilled milk," and he smiled at the homely proverb. "i'll have to work in secret, once i've started." "do you think the government would use it, tom?" asked his friend. "i should think it would be glad to. consider what a wonderful part airships are playing in the present war. it really is a struggle to see which will be the master of the sky--the allies or the germans--and, up to recently, the huns had the advantage. then the allies, recognizing how vital it was, began to forge ahead, and now uncle sam with his troops under general pershing is leading everything, or will lead shortly. we have been a bit slow with our aircraft production, but now we are booming along. uncle sam will soon have the mastery of the sky." "i hope so," sighed mr. damon. "we must beat the germans!" briefly, tom spoke of what pershing's men were doing with their aeroplanes in france, and mention was made of what the french and british had done prior to the entrance of the united states into the world war. "while we were yet neutral, americans had made gallant names for themselves flying for france, and with my silent motor they ought to do better," declared tom. "is silence its chief recommendation?" asked mr. damon. "yes," replied tom. "or rather, it will be when i have it perfected. aeroplane motors now are about as compact and speedy as they can be made. it is only the terrific noise that is a handicap. it is a handicap to the pilots and observers in the craft, as they cannot communicate except through a special speaking tube, and this is not always satisfactory or sure. then, too, the noise of an airship proclaims its approach to the enemy, sometimes long before it can be seen. "with a silent motor all this would be done away with. with my new craft, in case i can perfect it, the enemy's lines can be approached as silently as the indians used to approach the log cabins of the white settlers. that will be its great advantage--not that conversation can be more easily carried on, for that is, after all, an unimportant detail. but to approach the enemy's lines in the silence of the night would be a distinct gain." "i believe it would, tom!" exclaimed mr. damon. "and i should think, too, that uncle sam would be glad to get such a motor," he added. "well, he'll have one to take if he wants it, if i can make my plans a success," declared tom. "that is, unless those other fellows get ahead of me." "what other fellows?" asked mr. damon. "gale, ware and their crowd," was the answer. "i fancy they are provoked because i wouldn't agree to work for them, and now, that gale overheard--as he must have--what i propose working on, they may try that game themselves." "you mean try to turn out a silent motor?" "yes. it would be a big feather in their cap for their company, so far, hasn't been very successful on government orders. that's why they came to me, i guess." "i shouldn't be surprised, tom," conceded mr. damon. "since the government accepted your giant cannon and your great searchlight, you have come into greater prominence than ever before. and those two things are a wonderful success." "yes," admitted tom, modestly enough, "the big electric light seems to have been of some benefit on the european battle front, and though they haven't been able to make and transport as many of my giant cannons as i'd like to see over there, it is progressing, i understand." and this is true. for the details of these two inventions of tom swift's i refer my readers to the books bearing those titles. sufficient to state here that the government was using these two inventions, and there had been no necessity for commandeering them either, since tom had freely offered them at the declaration of war with germany. "well, since i can't help you with my 'whizzer,'" said mr. damon, with a smile, "let me do what i can toward your silent motor, tom. what are you going to call it?" "oh, i don't know--hadn't thought of a name. i guess 'air scout' would be as good as any. that's what it will be--a machine for silently scouting in the air. and now to get down to brass tacks, as the poet says, i believe i will--" "gentleman to see you, mr. swift," interrupted jackson. "bless my penwiper!" cried mr. damon. "more visitors! i hope it isn't gale or ware come back to see what they can spy on!" chapter vii a problem in sound tom swift looked up with a distinct appearance of being annoyed that was unusual with him, for he was, nearly always, good-natured. but the frown that had replaced the pleasant look on his face while he was talking to mr. damon about the projected new air scout was at once wiped away as he looked at the card jackson held out to him. "bring him in right away!" he ordered. "he needn't have stood on that ceremony." "well, he said it was a business call," returned the mechanician with a cheerful grin, "and he said he wanted it done according to form. so he gave me his card to bring you." "who is it?" asked mr. damon, with the privilege of an old friend. "it's ned newton," tom answered; "though why he's putting on all this formality i can't fathom." jackson went back to the main gate and told the man on guard there to admit ned, who had so formally sent in his card. "ah, mr. swift, i believe?" began the bank employee with that suave, formal air which usually precedes a business meeting. "that is my name," said tom, with a suppressed grin, and he spoke as stiffly as though to a perfect stranger. "mr. tom swift, the great inventor?" went on ned. "yes." "ah, then i am at the right place. just sign here, please, on the dotted line," and he held out a blank form, and a fountain pen to tom, who took them half mechanically. "huh? what's the big idea, ned?" asked the young inventor, unable longer to carry on the joke. "is this a warrant for my arrest, or merely a testimonial to you. if it's the latter, and concerns your nerve, i'll gladly sign it." "well, it's something like that!" laughed ned. "that's your application for another block of liberty bonds, tom, and i want you, as a personal favor to me, as a business favor to the bank, and as your plain duty to uncle sam, to double your last subscription." tom looked at the sum ned had filled in on the blank form, and uttered a slight whistle of surprise. "that's all right now," said ned, with the air of a professional salesman. "you can stand that and more, too. i'm letting you off easy. why, i got mary's father--mr. nestor--for twice what he took last time, and mary herself--hard as she's working for the red cross--gave me a nice application. so it's up to you to--" "nuff said!" exclaimed tom, sententiously, as he signed his name. "i may have to reconsider my recent refusal of the offer of the universal flying machine company, though, if i haven't money enough to meet this subscription, ned." "oh, you'll meet it all right! much obliged," and ned folded the liberty bond subscription paper and put it in his pocket. "but did you turn down the offer from those people?" "i did," answered tom. "but how did you know about it, ned?" "first let me say that i'm glad you decided to have nothing to do with them. they're a rich firm, and have lots of money, but i wouldn't trust 'em, even if they have some government contracts. the way i happened to know they were likely to make you an offer is this," continued ned newton. "they do business with one of the new york banks with which my bank--notice the accent on the my, tom--is connected. the other day i happened to see some correspondence about you. these flying machine people asked our bank to find out certain things about you, and, as a matter of business, we had to give the information. sort of a commercial agency report, you know, nothing unusual, and it isn't the first time it's been done since your business got so large. but that's how i happened to know these fellows contemplated dickering with you." "do you know gale or ware?" tom asked. "not personally. but in a business way, tom, i'd warn you to look out for them, as they're sharp dealers. they put one over on the government all right, and there may be some unpleasant publicity to it later. but they're putting up a big bluff, and pretending they can turn out a lot of flying machines for use in europe. why don't you get busy on that end of the game, tom?" "i know you've more than done your bit, with liberty bonds, subscriptions to the y. m. c. a. and other war work, besides your war tank and other inventions. but you're such a shark on flying machines i should think you'd offer your factory to the government for the production of aeroplanes." "i would in a minute, ned, and you know it; but the fact of the matter is my shops aren't equipped for the production of anything in large numbers. we do mostly an experimenting business here, making only one or two of a certain machine. i have told the government officials they can have anything i've got, and you know they wouldn't let me enlist when i was working on the war tank." "yes, i remember that," said ned. "you're no slacker! i wanted to shoulder a rifle, too, but they keep me at this liberty loan work. well, uncle sam ought to know." "that's what i say," agreed tom, "and that's why i haven't gone to the front myself. and now, as it happens, i've got something else in mind that may help uncle sam." "what is it?" "a silent flying machine for scout work on the battle front," tom told his friend, and then he gave a few details, such as those he had been telling mr. damon. "then i don't wonder you turned down the offer of the universal people," remarked ned, at the conclusion of the recital. "this will be a heap more help to the government, tom, than working for those people, even at twenty-five thousand dollars a year. and if you get short, and can't meet your newest liberty bond payments, why, i guess the bank will stretch your credit a little." "thanks!" laughed tom, "but i'll try not to ask them." the friends talked together a little longer, and then ned had to take his departure to solicit more subscriptions, while mr. damon went with him, the eccentric man saying he would go home to waterfield. "but, bless my overshoes, tom!" he exclaimed, as he departed, "don't forget to let me know when you have your silent motor working. i want to see it." "i'll let you know," was the promise given by the young inventor. "and watch out for those universal people," warned ned. "i'm not telling you this as a bank official, for i'm not supposed to, but it's personal." "i'll be on the watch," said tom. and, as he went into his private workshop, he wondered why it was his father and ned had both warned him not to trust gale and ware. the next few days were busy ones for tom swift. once he had made up his mind to go to work seriously on a silent motor, all else was put aside. he sent a note to mary nestor, telling her what he was going to do, and, asking her to say nothing about it, which, of course, mary agreed to. "come and see me when you can," she sent back word, "but i know you won't have much chance when you're experimenting with your invention. and i shall be working so hard for the red cross that i sha'n't get much chance to entertain you. but the war can't last forever." "no," agreed tom with a sigh, as he put away her letter, "and thank goodness that it can't!" the young inventor threw himself into the perplexing work of inventing a silent motor with all the fervor he had given to the production of his war tank, his giant cannon, his wonderful searchlight and other machines. "and," mused tom, as he sat at his work table with pencil and paper before him, "since this is a problem in acoustics, i had best begin i suppose by going back to first principles, and after determining what makes an aeroplane engine noisy, try to figure out how to make it quiet. now as to the first, the principle causes of noise are--" and at that instant there broke on tom's ears a succession of discordant sounds which seemed to be a combination of an indian's war whoop and a college student's yells at a football game. "now i wonder what that is!" mused the young inventor as he hastily arose. "better solve that problem before i tackle the aeroplane motor." chapter viii through the roof tom rushed from his private office, and when he reached the outer door he heard with more distinctness the sounds that had alarmed him. they seemed to come from a small building given over to electrical apparatus, and which, at the time, was not supposed to be in use. it had been tom's workroom, so to speak, when he was developing his electric runabout and rifle, but of late he had not spent much time in it. "somebody's in there!" reflected the young inventor, as he heard yells coming from the open door of the place. "and if it isn't koku and eradicate i miss my guess! wonder what they can be doing there." he crossed the yard between his private office and the electrical shop in a few rapid strides, and, as he entered the latter place, he was greeted with a series of wild yells. "good volume of sound here, at all events," mused tom. "almost as much as my motor made when i was trying to talk to mary. hello there! what's going on? is any one hurt? what's the matter?" he cried, for, at first, he could see no one in the dim light of the place. the interior was a maze of electrical apparatus. "who's here?" demanded tom, as he advanced. "oh, master! come quick! koku 'most dead an' no can let go!" was the cry. "yo' jest bet yo' cain't let go!" chimed in the voice of eradicate. "i done knowed yo would git into trouble ef yo' come heah, an' i'se glad ob it! so i is!" "what is it, rad? what has happened to koku?" cried tom, running forward, for though no very powerful current could be turned on in the electrical shop at this period of unuse, there was enough to be very painful. "what is it, rad?" "oh, dat big foolish giant, koku, done got his se'f into trouble!" chuckled the colored man. "he done got holt ob one ob dem air contraptions, massa tom, an' he cain't let go! ha! ha! golly! look at him squirm!" and rad laughed shrilly, which accounted for some of the sounds tom had heard. then came yells of rage and pain from the giant, and they were so loud and vigorous, mingling with eradicate's as they did, that it was no wonder tom was startled. the sounds were heard in the other shops, and men came running out. but before then tom had put an end to the trouble. one look showed him what had happened. just how or why koku and eradicate had entered the electrical shop tom did not then stop to inquire. but he saw that the giant had grasped the handles of one of the electric machines, designed for charging leyden jars used in tom's experiments, and the powerful, though not dangerous, current had so paralyzed, temporarily, the muscles of the giant's hands and arms that he could not let go, and there he was, squirming, and not knowing how to turn off the current, and unable to ease himself, while eradicate stood and laughed at him, fairly howling with delight. "ha! guess yo' won't do no mo' spadin' in' massa tom's garden right away, big man!" taunted eradicate. "be quiet, rad!" ordered tom, as he reached up and pulled out the switch, thus shutting off the current. "this isn't anything to laugh at." "but he done look so funny, massa tom!" pleaded the colored man. "he done squirm laik--" but eradicate did not finish what he intended to say. once free from the powerful current, the giant looked at his numb hands, and then, seeming to think that eradicate was the cause of it all, he sprang at the colored man with a yell. but eradicate did not stay to see what would happen. with a howl of terror, he raced out of the door, and, old and rheumatic as he was, he managed to gain the stable of his mule, boomerang, over which he had his humble but comfortable quarters. "well, i guess he's safe for a while!" laughed tom, as he saw the giant turn away, shaking his fist at the closed door, for koku, big as he was, stood in mortal terror of the mule's heels. tom locked the door of the electrical shop and went back to his interrupted problem. from jackson he learned that koku and eradicate had merely happened to stroll into the forbidden place, which had been left open by accident. there, it appeared, koku had handled some of the machinery, ending by switching on the current of the machine the handles of which he later unsuspectingly picked up. then he received a shock he long remembered, and for many days he believed eradicate had been responsible for it, and there was more than the usual hostile feeling between the two. but eradicate was innocent of that trick, at all events. "though," said tom, telling his father about it later, "rad would have turned on the current if he had known he could make trouble for koku by it. i never saw their like for having disagreements!" "yes, but they are both devoted to you, tom," said the aged inventor. "but what is this you hinted at--a silent motor you called it, i believe? are you really serious in trying to invent one?" "yes, dad, i am. i think there's a big field for an aeroplane that could travel along over the enemy's lines--particularly at night--and not be heard from below. think of the scout work that could be done. "well, yes, it could be done if you could get a silent motor, or propellers that made no noise, tom. but i don't believe it can be done." "well, maybe not, dad. but i'm going to try!" and tom, after a further talk with his father, began work in earnest on the big problem. that it was a big one tom was not disposed to deny, and that it would be a valuable invention even his somewhat skeptical father admitted. "how are you going to start, tom?" asked mr. swift, several days after the big idea had come to the young man. "i'm going to experiment a bit, at first. i've got a lot of old motors, that weren't speedy enough for any of my flying machines, and i'm going to make them over. if i spoil them the loss won't amount to anything, and if i succeed--well, maybe i can help out uncle sam a bit more." as tom had said he would do, he began at the very foundation, and studied the fundamental principles of sound. "sound," the young inventor told ned newton, in speaking about the problem, "is a sensation which is peculiar to the ear, though the vibrations caused by sound waves may be felt in many parts of the body. but the ear is the great receiver of sound." "you aren't going to invent a sort of muffler for the ears, are you, tom?" asked ned. "that would be an easy way of solving the problem, but i doubt if you could get the germans to wear your ear-tabs so they wouldn't hear the sound of the allied aeroplanes." "no, i'm not figuring on doing the trick that way," said tom with a laugh. "i've really got to cut down the sound of the motor and the propeller blades, so a person, listening with all his ears, won't hear any noise, unless he's within a few feet of the plane." "well, i can tell you, right off the reel, how to do it," said the bank employee. "how?" asked tom eagerly. "run your engine and propellers in a vacuum," was the prompt reply. "hum!" said tom, musingly. "yes, that would be a simple way out, and i'll do it, if you'll tell me how to breathe in a vacuum." "oh, i didn't agree to do that," laughed ned. but he had spoken the truth, as those who have studied physics well know. there must be an atmosphere for the transmission of sound, which is the reason all is cold and silent and still at the moon. there is no atmosphere there. sound implies vibration. something, such as liquid, gas, or solid, must be set in motion to produce sound, and for the purpose of science the air we breathe may be considered a gas, being composed of two. not only must the object, either solid, liquid, or gaseous, be in motion to produce sound, but the air surrounding the vibrating body must also be moving in unison with it. and lastly there must be some medium of receiving the sound waves--the ear or some part of the body. totally deaf persons may be made aware of sound through the vibrations received through their hands or feet. they receive, of course, only the more intense, or largest, sound waves, and can not hear notes of music nor spoken words, though they may feel the vibration when a piano is played. and, as ned has said, no sound is produced in a vacuum. "but," said tom, "since i can't run my aeroplane in a vacuum, or even have the propellers revolve in one, it's up to me to solve the problem some other way. the propellers don't really make noise enough to worry about when they're high in the air. it's the exhaust from the motor, and to get rid of that will be my first attempt." "can it be done?" asked ned. "i don't know," was tom's frank answer. "they do it on an automobile to a great extent," went on ned. "some of 'em you cant hardly hear." "yes, but an aeroplane engine runs many, many times faster than the motor of an auto," said tom, "and there are more explosions to muffle. i doubt if the muffler of an auto would cut down the sound of an aero engine to any appreciable extent. but, of course, i'll try along those lines." "they have mufflers or silencers for guns and rifles," went on ned. "couldn't you make a big one of those contraptions and put it on an aeroplane?" "i doubt it," said tom, shaking his head. "of course it's the same principle as that in an auto muffler, or on a motor boat--a series of baffle plates arranged within a hollow cylinder. but all such devices cut down power, and i don't want to do that. however, i'm going to solve the problem or--bust!" and tom came near "busting," ned remarked later, when he and his friend talked over the progress of the invention. two weeks had passed since the start of his evolution of his new idea, and following the visiting of the representatives of the universal flying machine company. since then neither gale nor ware had communicated with tom. "but i must be on the watch against them," thought the young inventor. "i'm pretty sure gale heard me mention what i was going to try to invent, and he may get ahead of me, and put a silent motor on the market first. not that i'm afraid of being done out of any profits, but i simply don't want to be beaten." the details of tom's invention cannot be gone into, but, roughly, it was based on the principle of not only a muffler but also of producing less noise when the charges of gasoline exploded in the cylinders. it is, of course, the explosion of gasoline mixed with air that causes an internal combustion engine to operate. and it is the expulsion of the burned gases that causes the exhaust and makes the noise that is heard. tom was working along the well-known line of the rate of travel of sound, which progresses at the rate of about feet a second when air is at the freezing point. and, roughly, with every degree increase in the atmosphere's temperature the velocity of sound increases by one foot. thus at a temperature of degrees fahrenheit, or degrees above freezing, there would be added to the feet the feet, making sound travel at degrees fahrenheit about feet a second. tom had set up in his shop a powerful, but not very speedy, old aeroplane engine, and had attached to it the device he hoped would help him toward solving his problem of cutting down the noise. he had had some success with it, and, after days and nights of labor, he invited his father and ned, as well as mr. damon, over to see what he hoped would be a final experiment. his visitors had assembled in the shop, and eradicate was setting out some refreshments which tom had provided, the colored man being in his element now. "what's all this figuring, tom?" asked mr. damon, as he saw a series of calculations on some sheets of paper lying on tom's desk. "that's where i worked out how much faster sound traveled in hydrogen gas than in the ordinary atmosphere," was the answer. "it goes about four times as fast, or nearly four thousand two hundred feet a second. you remember the rule, i suppose. 'the speed of sonorous vibrations through gases varies inversely as the squares of the weights of equal volumes of the gases,' or, in other words--" "give it to us chiefly in 'other words,' if you please, tom!" pleaded ned, with a laugh. "let that go and do some tricks. start the engine and let's see if we can hear it." "oh, you can hear it all right," said tom, as he approached the motor, which was mounted on a testing block. "the thing isn't perfected yet, but i hope to have it soon. rad! where is that black rascal? oh, there you are! come here, rad!" "yaas sah, massa tom! is i gwine to help yo' all in dish yeah job?" "yes. just take hold of this lever, and when i say so pull it as hard as you can." "dat's whut i will, massa tom. golly! ef dat no 'count giant was heah now he'd see he ain't de only one whut's got muscle. i'll pull good an' hard, massa tom." "yes, that's what i want you to. now i guess we're all ready. can you see, dad--and ned and mr. damon?" "yes," they answered. they stood near the side wall of the shop, while tom and eradicate were at the testing block, on which the motor, with the noise-eliminating devices attached, had been temporarily mounted. "all ready," called the young inventor, as he turned on the gas and threw over the electrical switch. "all ready! pull the starting lever, rad, and when it's been running a little i'll throw on the silencer and you can see the difference." the motor began to hum, and there was a deafening roar, just as there always is when the engine of an aeroplane starts. it was as though half a dozen automobile engines were being run with the mufflers cut out. "now i'll show you the difference!" yelled tom, though such was the noise that not a word could be heard. "this shows you what my silencer will do." tom pulled another lever. there was at once a cessation of the deafening racket, though it was not altogether ended. then, after a moment or two, there suddenly came a roar as though a blast had been let off in the shop. tom and eradicate were tossed backward, head over heels, as though by the giant hands of koku himself, and mr. damon, ned, and tom's father saw the motor fly from the testing block and shoot through the roof of the building with a rending, crashing, and splintering sound that could be heard for a mile. chapter ix after a spy curious as it may seem, eradicate, the oldest and certainly not the most energetic of the party assembled in the experiment room, was the first to recover himself and arise. tottering to his feet he gave one look at the testing block, whence the motor had torn itself. then he looked at the prostrate figures around him, none of them hurt, but all stunned and very much startled. then the gaze of eradicate traveled to the hole in the roof. it was a gaping, ragged hole, for the motor was heavy and the roof of flimsy material. and then the colored man exclaimed: "good land ob massy! did i do dat?" his tone was one of such startled contrition, and so tragic, that tom swift, rueful as he felt over the failure of his experiment and the danger they had all been in, could not help laughing. "i take it, hearing that from you, tom, that we're all right," said ned newton, as he recovered himself and brushed some dirt off his coat. ned was a natty dresser. "yes, we seem to be all right," replied tom slowly. "i can't say what damage the flying motor has done outside, but--" "bless my insurance policy! but what happened?" asked mr. damon. "i saw eradicate pull on that lever as you told him to, tom, and then things all went topsy-turvy! did he pull the wrong handle?" "no, it wasn't rad's fault at all," said tom. "the trouble was, as i guess i'll find when i investigate, that i put too much power into the motor, and the muffler didn't give any chance for the accumulated exhaust gases to expand and escape. i didn't allow for that, and they simply backed up, compressed and exploded. i guess that's the whole explanation." "i'm inclined to agree with you, son," said mr. swift dryly. "don't try to get rid of all the noise at once. eliminate it by degrees and it will be safer." "i guess so," agreed tom. by this time a score of workmen from the other shops had congregated around the one though the roof of which the motor had been blown. tom opened the door to assure jackson and the others that no one was hurt, and then the young inventor saw the exploded motor had buried in the dirt a short distance away from the experiment building. "lucky none of us were standing over it when it went up," said tom, as he made an inspection of the broken machine. "we'd have gone through the roof with it." "she certainly went sailing!" commented ned. "must have been a lot of power there, tom." and this was evidenced by the bent and twisted rods that had held the motor to the testing block, and by the cylinders, some of which were torn apart as though made of paper instead of heavy steel. but for the fact that all the force of the explosion was directly upward, instead of at the sides, none might have been left alive in the shop. all had escaped most fortunately, and they realized this. "well," queried ned, as tom gave orders to have the damaged machine removed and the roof repaired, "does this end the wonderful silent motor, tom?" "end it! what do you mean--" "i mean are you going to experiment any further?" "why, of course! just because i've had one failure doesn't mean that i'm going to give up. especially when i know what the matter was--not leaving any vent for the escaping gases. why this isn't anything. when i was perfecting my giant cannon i was nearly blown up more than once, and you remember how we got stuck in the submarine." "i should say i did!" exclaimed ned with a shudder. "i don't want any more of that. but as between being blown through a roof and held at the bottom of the sea, i don't know that there's much choice." "well, perhaps not," agreed tom. "but as for ending my experiments, i wouldn't dream of such a thing! why, i've only just begun! i'll have a silent motor yet!" "and a non-explosive one, i hope," added mr. damon dryly. "bless my shoe buttons, tom, but if my wife knew what danger i'd been in she'd never let me come over to see you any more." "well, the next time i invite you to a test i'll be more careful," promised the young inventor. "there isn't going to be any next time as far as i'm concerned!" laughed ned. "i think it's safer to sell liberty bonds." and, though they joked about it, they all realized the narrow escape they had had. as for eradicate, once he knew he had not been the one who caused the damage, he felt rather proud of the part he had taken in the mishap, and for many days he boasted about it to koku. true to his determination, tom swift did not give up his experimental work on the silent motor. the machine that had been blown through the roof was useless now, and it was sent to the scrap heap, after as much of it as possible had been salvaged. then tom got another piece of apparatus out of his store room and began all over again. he worked along the same lines as at first--providing a chamber for the escaping gases of the exhaust to expend their noise and energy in, at the same time laboring to cut down the concussion of the explosions in the cylinder without reducing their force any. and that it was no easy problem to do either of these, tom had to admit as he progressed. all previous types of mufflers or silencers had to be discarded and a new one evolved. "jackson, i need some one to help me," said tom to his chief mechanician one day. "haven't you a good man who is used to experimental work that you can let me take from the works?" "why, yes," was the answer. "let me see. roberts is busy on the new bomb you got up, but i could take him off that--" "no, don't!" interposed tom. "i want that work to go on. isn't there some one else you can let me have?" "well, there's a new man who came to me well recommended. i took him on last week, and he's a wonderful mechanic. knows a lot about gas engines. i could let you have him--bower his name is. the only thing about it, though, is that i don't like to give you a man of whom i am not dead certain, when you're working on a new device." "oh, that will be all right," said tom. "there won't be any secrets he can get, if you mean you think he might be up to spy work." "that's what i did mean, tom. you never can tell, you know, and you have some bitter enemies." "yes, but i'll take care this man doesn't see the plans, or any of my drawings. i only want some one to do the heavy assembling work on the experimental muffler i'm getting up. we can let him think it's for a new kind of automobile." "oh, then i guess it will be all right. i'll send bower to you." tom rather liked the new workman, who seemed quiet and efficient. he did not ask questions, either, about the machine on which he was engaged, but did as he was told. as tom had said, he kept his plans and drawing under lock and key--in a safe to be exact--and he did not think they were in any danger from his new helper. but tom swift held into altogether too slight regard the powers of those who were opposed to him. he did not appreciate the depths to which they would stoop to gain their ends. he had been working hard on his new device, and had reached a point further along than when the other motor had exploded. he began to see success ahead of him, and he was jubilant. whether this made him careless does not matter, but the fact was that he left bower more to himself, and alone in the experimental shop several times. and it was on one of these occasions, when tom had been for some time in one of the other shops, where he and jackson were in consultation over a new machine, that as he came back to the test room unexpectedly, he saw bower move hastily away from in front of the safe. moreover, tom was almost certain he had heard the steel door clang shut as he approached the building. and then, before he could ask his helper a question, tom looked from a window and saw a stranger running hastily along the side of the building where his trial motor was being set up. "who's that? who is that man? did he come in here? was he tampering with my safe?" cried tom. he saw bower hesitate and change color, and tom knew it was time to act. the window was open, and with one bound the young inventor was out and running after the stranger he had seen departing in such a hurry. the man was but a short distance ahead of him, and tom saw he was stuffing some papers into his pocket. "here! come back! stop!" ordered tom, but the man ran on the faster. "that's a spy as sure as guns!" reflected tom swift. "and bower is in with him!" he added. "i've got to catch that fellow!" and he speeded his pace as he ran after the fellow. chapter x a big splash there was no question in the mind of tom swift but that the man he was running after was guilty of some wrong-doing. in the first place he was a stranger, and had no right inside the big fence that surrounded the swift machine plant. then, too, the very fact that he ran away was suspicious. and this, coupled with the confusion on the part of bower, and his proximity to the safe, made tom fear that some of his plans had been stolen. these he was very anxious to recover if this strange man had them, and so he raced after him with all speed. "stop! stop!" called tom, but the on-racing stranger did not heed. the cries of the young inventor soon attracted the attention of his men, and jackson and some of the others came running from their various shops to give whatever aid was needed. but they were all too far away to give effective chase. "bower might have come with me if he had wanted to help," thought tom. but a backward glance over his shoulder did not show that the new helper was engaging in the pursuit, and he could have started almost on the same terms as tom himself. the runaway, looking back to see how near the young inventor was to him, suddenly changed his course, and, noting this, tom swift thought: "i've got him now! he'll be bogged if he runs that way," for the way led to a piece of swampy land that, after the recent rains, was a veritable bog which was dangerous for cattle at least; and more than one man had been caught there. "he can't run across the swamp, that's sure," reflected tom with some satisfaction. "i'll get him all right!" but he wanted to capture the man, if possible, before he reached the bog, and, to this end, tom increased his speed to such good end that presently, on the firm ground that bordered the swamp, tom was almost within reaching distance of the stranger. but the latter kept up running, and dodged and turned so that tom could not lay hands on him. suddenly, turning around a clump of trees the fleeing man headed straight for a veritable mud hole that lay directly in his path. it was part of the swamp--the most liquid part of the bog and a home of frogs and lizards. too late, the man, who was evidently unaware of the proximity of the swamp, saw his danger. his further flight was cut off by the mud hole, but it was too late to turn back. tom swift was at his heels now, and seeing that it was impossible to grab the man, tom did the next best thing. he stuck out his foot and tripped him, and tripped him right on the edge of the mud hole, so that the man fell in with a big splash, the muddy water flying all around, some even over the young inventor. for a moment the man disappeared completely beneath the surface, for the mud hole was rather deep just where tom had thrown him. then there was another violent agitation of the surface, and a very woebegone and muddy face was raised from the slough, followed by the rest of the figure of the man. slowly he got to his feet, mud and water dripping from him. he cleared his face by rubbing his hands over it, not that it made his countenance clean, but it removed masses of mud from his eyes, nose, and mouth, so that he could see and speak, though his first operation was to gasp for breath. "what--what are you doin'?" he demanded of tom, and as the man opened his mouth to speak tom was aware of a glitter, which disclosed the 'fact that the man had a large front tooth of gold. "what am i doing?" repeated tom. "i think it's up to you to answer that question, not me. what are you doing?" "you--you tripped me into this mud hole!" declared the man. "i did, yes; because you were trespassing on my property, and ran away instead of stopping when i told you to," went on tom. "who are you and what are you doing? what were you doing with bower at my shop?" "nothin'! i wasn't doin' nothin'!" "well, we'll inquire into that. i want to see what you have in your pockets before i believe you. come on out!" "you haven't any right to go through my pockets!" blustered the stranger. "oh, haven't i? well, i'm going to take the right. jackson--koku--just see that he doesn't get away. we'll take him back and search him," and tom motioned to his chief machinist and the giant, who had reached the scene, to take charge of the man. but koku was sufficient for this purpose, and the mud-bespattered stranger seemed to shrink as he saw the big creature approach him. there was no question of running away after that. "bring him along," ordered tom, and koku, taking a tight grip on the man by the slack of his garments behind, walked him along toward the office, the mud and water splashing and oozing from his shoes at every step. "now you look here!" the gold-toothed man cried, as he was forced along, "you ain't got any right to detain me. i ain't done nothin'!" and each time he spoke the bright tooth in his mouth glittered in the sun. "i don't know whether you've done anything or not," said tom. "i'm going to take you back and see what you and bower have to say. he may know something about this." "if he does i don't believe he'll tell," said jackson. "why not?" asked tom, quickly. "because he's gone." "gone! bower gone?" "yes," answered jackson. "i saw him running out of the experiment shop as we raced along to help you. i didn't think, at the time, that he was doing more than go for aid, perhaps. but i see the game now." "oh, you mean--him?" and tom pointed to the dripping figure. "yes," said jackson in a low voice, as koku went on ahead with his prisoner. "if, as you say, this man was in league with bower, the latter has smelled a rat and skipped. he has run away, and i only hope he hasn't done any damage or got hold of any of your plans." "we'll soon know about that," said tom. "i wonder who is at the bottom of this?" "maybe those men you wouldn't work for," suggested the machinist. "you mean gale and ware of the universal flying machine company?" "yes." "oh, i don't believe they'd stoop to any such measures as this--sending spies around," replied tom. "but i can't be too careful. we'll investigate." the first result of the investigation was to disclose the fact that bower was gone. he had taken his few possessions and left the swift plant while tom was racing after the stranger. a hasty examination of the safe did not reveal anything missing, as tom's plans and papers were intact. but they showed evidences of having been looked over, for they were out of the regular order in which the young inventor kept them. "i begin to see it," said tom, musingly. "bower must have managed to open the safe while i was gone, and he must have made a hasty copy of some of the drawings of the silent motor, and passed them out of the window to this gold-tooth man, who tried to make off with them. did you find anything on him?" he asked, as one of the men who had been instructed to search the stranger came into the office just then. "not a thing, mr. swift! not a thing!" was the answer. "we took off every bit of his clothes and wrapped him in a blanket. he's in the engine room getting dry now. but there isn't a thing in any of his pockets." "but i saw him stuffing some papers in as he ran away from me," said tom. "we must be sure about this. and don't let the fellow get away until i question him." "oh, he's safe enough," answered the man. "koku is guarding him. he won't get away." "then i'll have a look at his clothes," decided tom. "he may have a secret pocket." but nothing like this was disclosed, and the most careful search did not reveal anything incriminating in the man's garments. "he might have thrown away any papers bower gave him," said tom. "maybe they're at the bottom of the mud hole! if they're there they're safe enough. but have a search made of the ground where this man ran." this was done, but without result. some of the workmen even dragged the mud hole without finding anything. then tom and his father had a talk with the stranger, who refused to give his name. the man was sullen and angry. he talked loudly about his innocence and of "having the law on" tom for having tripped him into the mud. "all right, if you want to make a complaint, go ahead," said the young inventor. "i'll make one against you for trespass. why did you come on my grounds?" "i was going to ask for work. i'm a good machinist and i wanted a job." "how did you get in? who admitted you at the gate?" "i--i jest walked in," said the man, but tom knew this could not be true, as no strangers were admitted without a permit and none had been issued. the man denied knowing anything about bower, but the latter's flight was evidence enough that something was wrong. not wishing to go to the trouble of having the man arrested merely as a trespasser, tom let him go after his clothes had been dried on a boiler in one of the shops. "take him to the gate, and tell him if he comes back he'll get another dose of the same kind of medicine," ordered tom to one of the guards at the plant, and when the latter had reported that this had been done, he added in an earnest tone: "he went off talking to himself and saying he'd get even with you, mr. swift." "all right," said tom easily. "i'll be on the watch." the young inventor made a thorough examination of his experiment shop and the test motor. no damage seemed to have been done, and tom began to think he had been too quick for the conspirators, if such they were. his plans and drawings were intact, and though bower might have given a copy to the stranger with the gold tooth, the latter did not take any away with him. that he had some papers he wished to conceal and escape with, seemed certain, but the splash into the mud hole had ended this. no trace was found of bower, and an effort tom made to ascertain if the man was a spy in the employ of gale and ware came to naught. the machinist had come well recommended, and the firm where he was last employed had nothing but good to say of him. "well, it's a mystery," decided tom. "however, i got out of it pretty well. only if that gold-tooth individual shows up again he won't get off so easily." chapter xi a night trip taking a lesson from what had happened, tom was very much more careful in the following experiments on his new, silent motor. he made some changes in his shop, and took jackson in to help on the new machine, thus insuring perfect secrecy as the apparatus developed. tom also changed the safe in which he kept his plans, for the one he had used previous to the episode in which bower and the stranger who took the mud bath figured, was one the combination of which could easily be ascertained by an expert. the new safe was more complicated, and tom felt that his plans, specifications, and formulae which he had worked out were in less danger. "i can just about figure out what happened," said ned newton to tom, when told of the circumstances. "these universal people were provoked because you wouldn't give them the benefit of your experience on their flying machines, and so they sent a spy to get work with you. they, perhaps, hoped to secure some of your ideas for their own, or they may have had a deeper motive." "what deeper motive could they have, ned?" "they might have hoped to disable you, or some of your machines, so that you couldn't compete with them. they're unscrupulous, i hear, and will do anything to succeed and make money. so be on your guard against them." "i will," tom promised. "but i don't believe there's any more danger now. anyhow, i have to take some chances." "yes, but be as careful as you can. how is the silent motor coming on?" "pretty good. i've had a lot of failures, and the thing isn't so easy as i at first imagined it would be. noise is a funny thing, and i'm just beginning to understand some of the laws of acoustics we learned at high school. but i think i'm on the right track with the muffler and the cutting down of the noise of the explosions in the cylinders. i'm working both ends, you see--making a motor that doesn't cause as much racket as those now in use, and also providing means to take care of the noise that is made. it isn't possible to make a completely silent motor of an explosive gas type. the only thing that can be done is to kill the noise after it is made." "what about the propeller blades?" "oh, they aren't giving me any trouble. the noise they make can't be heard a hundred feet in the air, but i am also working on improvements to the blades. take it altogether, i'll have an almost silent aeroplane if my plans come out all right." "have you said anything to the government yet?" "no; i want to have it pretty well perfected before i do. besides, i don't want any publicity about it until i'm ready. if these universal people are after me i'll fool 'em." "that's right, tom! well, i must go. another week of this liberty bond campaign!" "i suppose you'll be glad when it's over." "well, i don't know," said ned slowly. "it's part of my small contribution to uncle sam. i'm not like you--i can't invent things." "but you have an awful smooth line of talk, ned!" laughed his chum. "i believe you could sell chloride of sodium to some of the fishes in the great salt lake--that is if it has fishes." "i don't know that it has, tom. and, anyhow, i'm not posing as a salt salesman," and ned grinned. "but i must really go. our bank hasn't reached its quota in the sale of liberty bonds yet, and it's up to me to see that it doesn't fall down." "go to it, ned! and i'll get busy on my silent motor." "getting busy" was tom swift's favorite occupation, and when he was working on a new idea, as was the case now, he was seldom idle, night or day. "i have hardly seen you for two weeks," mary nestor wrote him one day. "aren't you ever coming to see me any more, or take me for a ride?" "yes," tom wrote back. "i'll be over soon. and perhaps on the next ride we take i won't have to shout at you through a speaking tube because the motor makes so much noise." from this it may be gathered that tom was on the verge of success. while not altogether satisfied with his progress, the young inventor felt that he was on the right track. there were certain changes that needed to be made in the apparatus he was building--certain refinements that must be added, and when this should be done tom was pretty certain that he would have what would prove to be a very quiet aeroplane, if not an absolutely silent one. the young inventor was engaged one day with some of the last details of the experiment. the new motor, with the silencer and the changed cylinders, had been attached to one of tom's speedy aeroplanes, and he was making some intricate calculations in relation to a new cylinder block, to be used when he started to make a completely new machine of the improved type. tom had set down on paper some computations regarding the cross-section of one of the cylinders, and was working out the amount of stress to which he could subject a shoulder strut, when a shadow was cast across the drawing board he had propped up in his lap. in an instant tom pulled a blank sheet over his mass of figures and looked up, a sudden fear coming over him that another spy was at hand. but a hearty voice reassured him. "bless my rice pudding!" cried mr. damon, "you shut yourself up here, tom, like a hermit in the mountains. why don't you come out and enjoy life?" "hello! glad to see you!" cried tom, joyfully. "you're just in time!" "time for what--dinner?" asked the eccentric man, with a chuckle. "if so, my reference to rice pudding was very proper." "why, yes, i imagine there must be a dinner in prospect somewhere, mr. damon," said tom with a smile. "we'll have to see mrs. baggert about that. but what i meant was that you're just in time to have a ride with me, if you want to go." "go where?" "oh, up in cloudland. i have just finished my first sample of a silent motor, and i'm going to try it this evening. would you like to come along?" "i would!" exclaimed mr. damon. "bless my onion soup, tom, but i would! but why fly at night? isn't it safer by daylight?" "oh, that doesn't make much difference. it's safe enough at any time. the reason i'm going to make my first flight after dark is that i don't want any spies about." "oh, i see! are they camping on your trail?" "not exactly. but i can't tell where they may be. if i should start out in daylight and be forced to make a landing-- well, you know what a crowd always collects to see a stranded airship." "that's right, tom." "that decided me to start off after dark. then if we have to come down because of some sort of engine trouble or because my new attachment doesn't work right, we sha'n't have any prying eyes." "i see! well, tom, i'll go with you. fortunately i didn't tell my wife where i was going when i started out this afternoon, so she won't worry until after it's over, and then it won't hurt her. i'm ready any time you are." "good! stay to dinner and i'll show you what i've made. then we'll take a flight after dark." this suited the eccentric man, and a little later, after he had eaten one of mrs. baggert's best meals, including rice pudding, of which he was very fond, mr. damon accompanied tom to one of the big hangars where the new aeroplane had been set up. "so that's the air scout, is it, tom?" asked mr. damon, as he viewed the machine. "yes, that's the girl. 'air scout' is as good a name as any, until i see what she'll do." "it doesn't look different from one of your regular craft of the skies, tom." "no, she isn't. the main difference is here," and tom showed his friend where a peculiar apparatus had been attached to the motor. this was the silencer--the whole secret of the invention, so to speak. to mr. damon it seemed to consist of an amazing collection of pipes, valves, baffle-plates, chambers, cylinders and reducers, which took the hot exhaust gases as they came from the motor and "ate them up," as he expressed it. "the cylinders, too, and the spark plugs are differently arranged in the motor itself, if you could see them," said tom to his friend. "but the main work of cutting down the noise is done right here," and he put his hand on the steel case attached to the motor, the case containing the apparatus already briefly described. "well, i'm ready when you are, tom," said mr. damon. "we'll go as soon as it's dark," was the reply. "but first i'll give you a demonstration. start the motor, jackson!" tom called to his chief helper. mr. damon had ridden in aeroplanes before, and had stood near when tom started them; so he was prepared for a great rush of air as the propellers whirled about, and for deafening explosions from the engine. the big blades, of new construction, were turned until the gas in the cylinders was sufficiently compressed. then jackson stepped back out of danger while tom threw over the switch. "contact!" cried the young inventor. jackson gave the blades a quarter pull, and, a moment later, as he leaped back out of the way, they began to revolve with the swiftness of light. there was the familiar rush of air as the wooden wings cut through the atmosphere, but there was scarcely any noise. mr. damon could hardly believe his ears. "i'm not running her at full speed," said tom. "if i did she'd tear loose from the holding blocks. but you can see what little racket she makes." "bless my fountain pen!" cried mr. damon. "you are right, tom swift! why, i can hear you talk almost as easily as if no engine were going. and i don't have to shout my head off, either." this was perfectly true. tom could converse with mr. damon in almost ordinary tones. the exhaust from the motor was nearly completely muffled. "out in the air it will seem even more quiet," said tom. "i'll soon give you a chance to verify that statement." he ran the engine a little longer, the aeroplane quivering with the vibrations, but remaining almost silent. "i'm anxious to see what she'll do when in motion," said tom, as he shut off the gas and spark. soon after supper, when the shades of evening were falling, he and mr. damon took their places in the first of the air scouts, to give it the preliminary test in actual flying. would tom's hopes be justified or would he be disappointed? chapter xii the cry for help "all ready, mr. damon?" asked tom, as he looked to see that all the levers, wheels, valves, and other controls were in working order on his air scout. "as ready as i ever shall be, tom," was the answer. "i don't know why it is, but somehow i feel that something is going to happen on this trip." "nonsense!" laughed tom. "you're nervous; that's all." "i suppose so. don't think i'm going to back out, or anything like that, but i wish it were successfully over with, tom swift, i most certainly do." "it will be in a little while," returned tom, as he settled himself comfortably in his seat and pulled the safety strap tight. "you've gone up in this same plane before, when it didn't have the silent motor aboard." "yes, i know i have. oh, i dare say it will be all right, tom. and yet, somehow, i can't help feeling--" but tom swift felt that the best way to set mr. damon's premonitions to rest was to start the motor, and this he gave orders to have done, jackson and some others of the men from the shops congregating about the craft to see the beginning of the night flight. mr. swift was there also, and eradicate. mary nestor had been invited, but her red cross work engaged her that evening, she said. ned newton was away from town on liberty bond business, and he could not be present at the test. however, as tom expected to have other trials when his motor was in even better shape, he was not exactly sorry for the absence of his friends. "contact!" called the young inventor, when jackson had stepped back, indicating it was time to throw over the switch. "let her go!" cried tom, and the next moment the motor was in operation, but so silently that his voice and that of mr. damon's could easily be heard above the machinery. "good, tom! that's good!" cried mr. swift, and tom easily heard his father's voice, though under other, and ordinary, circumstances this would have been impossible. true, the hearing of tom and mr. damon was muffled to a certain extent by the heavy leather and fur-lined caps they wore. but tom had several small eyelet holes set into the flaps just over the opening of the ears, and these holes were sufficient to admit sounds, while keeping out most of the cold that obtains in the upper regions. the aeroplane moved swiftly along the level starting ground, and away from the lighted hangars. faster and faster it swung along as tom headed it into the wind, and then, as the speed of the motor increased, the air scout suddenly left the earth and went soaring aloft as she had done before. but there was this difference. she moved almost as silently as a great owl which swoops down out of the darkness--a bit of the velvety blackness itself. up and up, and onward and onward, went the air scout. tom swift's improved, silent motor urged it onward, and as the young inventor listened to catch the noise of the machinery, his heart gave a bound of hope. for he could detect only very slight sounds. "she's a success!" exulted tom to himself. "she's a success, but she isn't perfect yet," he added. "i've got to make the muffler bigger and put in more baffle-plates. then i think i can turn the trick." he swung the machine out over the open country, and then, when they were up at a height and sailing along easily, he called back to mr. damon in the seat behind him: "how do you like it?" "great!" exclaimed the eccentric man. "bless my postage stamp, but it's great! why, there's hardly a sound, tom, and i can hear you quite easily." "and i can hear you," added tom. "i don't believe, down below there," and he nodded toward the earth, though mr. damon could not see this, as the airship, save for a tiny light over the instrument board, was in darkness, "they know that we're flying over their heads." "i agree with you," was the answer. "tom, my boy, i believe you've solved the trick! you have produced a silent aeroplane, and now it's up to the government to make use of it." "i'm not quite ready for that yet," replied the young inventor. "i have several improvements to make. but, when they are finished, i'll let uncle sam know what i have. then it's up to him." "and you must be careful, tom, that some of your rivals don't hear of your success and get it away from you," warned mr. damon, as tom guided the air scout along the aerial way--an unlighted and limitless path in the silent darkness. "oh, they'll have to get up pretty early in the morning to do that!" boasted tom, and afterward he was to recall those words with a bit of chagrin. on and on they sailed, and as tom increased the speed of the motor, and noted how silently it ran, he began to have high hopes that he had builded better than he knew. for even with the motor running at almost full speed there was not noise enough to hinder talk between himself and mr. damon. of course there was some little sound. even the most perfect electric motor has a sort of hum which can be detected when one is close to it. but at a little distance a great dynamo in operation appears to be silence itself. "i can go this one better, though," said tom as he sailed along in the night. "i see where i've made a few mistakes in the baffle plate of the silencer. i'll correct that and--" as he spoke the machine gave a lurch, and the motor, instead of remaining silent, began to cough and splutter as in the former days. "bless my rubber boots, tom! what's the matter?" cried mr. damon. "something's gone wrong," tom answered, barely able to hear and make himself heard above the sudden noise. "i'll have to shut off the power and glide down. we can make a landing in this big field," for just then the moon came out from behind a cloud, and tom saw, below them, a great meadow, not far from the home of mary nestor. he had often landed in this same place. "something has broken in the muffler, i think, letting out some of the exhaust," he said to mr. damon, for, now that the motor was shut off, tom could speak in his ordinary tones. "i'll soon have it fixed, or, if i can't, we can go back in the old style--with the machine making as much racket as it pleases." so tom guided the machine down. it went silently now, of course, making, with the motor shut off, no more sound than a falling leaf. down to the soft, springy turf in the green meadow tom guided the machine. as it came to a stop, and he and mr. damon got out, there was borne to their ears a wild cry: "help! help!" chapter xiii something queer "did you hear that?" asked tom swift of his companion. "hear it? bless my ear drums, i should say i did hear it! some one is in trouble, tom. caught in a bog, most likely, the same as that spy chap who was at your place. that's it--caught in a bog!" "there isn't any bog or swamp around here, mr. damon. if there was i shouldn't have tried a landing. no, it's something else besides that. hark!" again the cry sounded, seeming to come from a point behind the landing place of the silent airship. it was clear and distinct: "help! help! they are--" the voice seemed to die away in a gurgle, as though the person's mouth had been covered quickly. "he's sinking, tom! he's sinking!" cried mr. damon. "i once heard a man who almost drowned cry out, and it sounded exactly like that!" "but there isn't any water around here for any one to drown in," declared tom. "it's a big, dry meadow. i know where we are." "then what is it?" "i don't know, but we're going to find out. some one attacked by some one else--or something, i should say," ventured the young inventor. "something! do you mean a wild beast, tom?" "no, for there aren't any of those here any more than there is water. though it may be that some farmer's bull or a savage dog has got loose and has attacked some traveler. but, in that case i think we would hear bellows or barks, and all i heard was a cry for help." "the same with me, tom. let's investigate;" "that's what i intend doing. come on. the airship will be all right until we come back." "better take a light--hadn't you? it's dark, even if the moon does show now and then," suggested mr. damon. "guess you are right," agreed tom. aboard his airship there were several small but powerful portable electric lights, and after securing one of these tom and mr. damon started for the spot whence the call for help had come. as they walked along, their feet making no noise on the soft turf, they listened intently for a repetition of the call for aid. "i don't hear anything," said tom, after a bit. "nor i," added mr. damon. "we don't know exactly which way to go, tom." "that's right. guess we'd better give him a hail; whoever it is." tom came to a halt, and raising his voice to a shout called: "hello there! what's the matter? we'll help you if you can tell us which way to come!" they both listened intently, but no voice answered them. at the same time, however, they were aware of a sound as of hurrying feet, and there seemed to be muttered imprecations not far away. tom and mr. damon looked in the direction of the sound, and the young inventor flashed his light. but there was a clump of bushes and trees at that point and the electrical rays did not penetrate very far. "some one's over there!" exclaimed tom in a whisper. "we'd better go and see what it is." "all right," agreed mr. damon, and he, too, spoke in a low voice. why they did this when their previous talk had been in ordinary tones, and when tom had shouted so loudly, they did not stop to reason about or explain just then. but later they both admitted that they whispered because they thought there was something wrong on foot--because they feared a crime was being committed and they wanted to surprise the perpetrators if they could. and it was this fact of their whispering that enabled the two to hear something that, otherwise, they might not have heard. and this was the sound of some vehicle hurrying away--an automobile, if tom was any judge. the cries for help had been succeeded by stifled vocal sounds, and these, in turn, by the noise of wheels on the ground. "what does it all mean?" asked mr. damon in a whisper. "i don't know," answered tom, resolutely, "but we've got to find out. come on." they advanced toward the dark clump of trees and low bushes. there was no need to be especially cautious in regard to being silent, as their feet made little, if any, sound on the deep grass. and, as tom walked in advance, now and then flashing his light, mr. damon suddenly caught him by the coat. "what is it?" asked the young inventor. "look! just over the top of that hill, where the moon shines. don't you see an automobile outlined?" tom looked quickly. "i do," he answered. "there's a road from here, just the other side of those trees, to that hill. the auto must have gone that way. well, there's no use in trying to follow it now. whoever it was has gotten away." "but they may have left some one behind, tom. we'd better look in and around those trees." "i suppose we had, but i don't believe we'll find anything. i can pretty nearly guess, now, what it was." "what?" asked mr. damon. "well, some chauffeur was out for a ride in his employer's car without permission. he got here, had an accident--maybe some friends he took for a ride were hurt and they called for help. the chauffeur knew if there was any publicity he'd be blamed, and so he got away as quickly as he could. guess the accident--if that's what it was--didn't amount to much, or they couldn't have run the car off. we've had our trouble for our pains." "well, maybe you're right, tom swift, but all the same, i'd like to have a look among those trees," said mr. damon. "oh. we'll look, all right," assented tom, "but i doubt if we find anything." and he was right. they walked in and about the little grove, flashing the light at intervals, but beyond marks of auto wheels in the dust of the road, which was near the clump of maples, there was nothing to indicate what had happened. "though there was some sort of fracas," declared tom. "look where the dust is trampled down. there were several men here, perhaps skylarking, or perhaps it was a fight." "some one must have been hurt, or they wouldn't have cried for help," said mr. damon. "well, that's so. but perhaps it was some one not used to riding in autos, and he may have imagined the accident was worse than it was, and called for help involuntarily. there is no evidence of any serious accident having happened--no spots of blood, at any rate," and tom laughed at his own grimness. "it was a new car, too, or at least one with new tires on." "how do you know?" asked mr. damon. "tell by the plain marks of the rubber tread in the dust," was the answer. "look," and tom pointed to the wheel marks in the focus of his electric lamp. "it's a new tire, too, with square protuberances on the tread instead of the usual diamond or round ones. a new kind of tire, all right." he and mr. damon remained for a few minutes looking about the place whence had come the calls for help, and then the eccentric man remarked: "well, as long as we can't do anything here, tom, we might as well travel on; what do you say?" "i agree with you. there isn't any use in staying. we'll get the air scout fixed up and travel back home. but this was something queer," mused tom. "i hope it doesn't turn out later that a crime has been committed, and we didn't show enough gumption to prevent it." "we couldn't prevent it. we heard the cries as soon as we landed." "yes, but if we had rushed over at once we might have caught the fellows. but i guess it was only a slight accident, and some one was more frightened than hurt. we'll have to let it go at that." but the more he thought about it the more tom swift thought there was something queer in that weird cry for help on the lonely meadow in the darkness of the night. chapter xiv the telephone call the defect in the motor which had caused tom swift to shut off the power and drift down to earth was soon remedied, once the young inventor began an examination of the craft. one of the oil feeds had become choked and this automatically cut down the gasoline supply, causing one or more cylinders to miss. it was a safety device tom had installed to prevent the motor running dry, and so being damaged. once the clogged oil feed was cleared the motor ran as before, and just as silently, though, as tom had said, he was not entirely satisfied with the quietness, but intended to do further work toward perfecting it. "i'll start the propellers now, mr. damon," said tom, when the trouble had been remedied. "you know how to throw the switch, don't you?" "i guess so," was the answer. mr. damon and tom had traveled so often together in gasoline craft that the young inventor had taught his friend certain fundamentals about them, and in an emergency the eccentric man could help start an aeroplane. this he now did, taking charge of the controls which could be operated from his seat as well as from tom's. tom whirled the propellers, and soon the motor was in motion. mr. damon, once the big wooden blades were revolving, slowed down the apparatus until tom could jump aboard, after which the latter took charge and soon speeded up the machine, sending it aloft. as the green meadow, dimly seen in the light of the moon, seemed to drop away below them, and the clump of trees vanished from sight, both tom and mr. damon wondered who it was that had called for help, and if the matter were at all serious. they were inclined to think it was not, but tom could not rid himself of a faint suspicion that there might have been trouble. however, thoughts of his new silent air scout soon drove everything else from his mind, and as he guided the comparatively silent machine on its quiet way toward his own home he was thinking how he could best improve the muffler. "well, here we are again, safe and sound," remarked tom, as he brought the craft to a stop in front of the hangar, and jackson and his helpers, who were awaiting the return, hurried out to take charge. "yes, everything seems to point to success, tom," agreed mr. damon. "that is, unless the slight accident we had means trouble." "oh, no, that had nothing to do with the operation of the silencer. but i'm going to do better yet. some day i'll take you for a ride in a silent machine which will make so little noise that you can hear a pin drop." "well," remarked mr. damon' with a laugh, "i don't know that listening to falling pins will give me any great amount of pleasure, tom, but i appreciate your meaning." "everything all right?" asked mr. swift, as he came out to hear the details from his son. "do you think you have solved the problem?" "not completely, but i'll soon be able to write q. e. d. after it. some refinements are all that are needed, dad." "glad to hear it. i was a bit anxious." mr. swift questioned his son about the technical details of the trip, asking how the motor had acted under the pressure caused by so completely muffling the exhaust, and for some minutes the two inventors, young and old, indulged in talk which was not at all interesting to mr. damon. they went into the house, and tom asked to have a little lunch, which mrs. baggert set out for him. "it's rather late to eat," said the young inventor, "but i always feel hungry after i test a new machine and find that it works pretty well. will you join me in a sandwich or two, mr. damon?" "why, bless my ketchup bottle, i believe i will." and so they ate and talked. tom was on the point of telling his father something of the queer cry for help they had heard on the lonely meadow when mrs. baggert produced a letter which she said had come for tom that afternoon, but had been mislaid by a new maid who had been engaged to help with the housework. "she took it to the shop after you had left, and only now told me about it," explained mrs. baggert. "so i sent eradicate for it." "how long ago was that?" asked tom, as he took the missive. "oh, an hour ago," answered mrs. baggert, with a smile. "but don't blame poor rad for that. he wanted to deliver the letter to you personally, and so did koku. the result was your giant kept after rad, trying to get the letter from him, and rad kept hiding and slinking about for a chance to see you himself until i saw what was going on, a little while ago, and took the letter myself. else you might never have gotten it, so jealous are those two," and mrs. baggert laughed. "guess it isn't of much importance," tom said, as he tore open the envelope. "it's from the universal flying machine company, of new york, and i imagine they're trying to get me to reconsider my refusal to link up with them." "yes," he went on, as he read the missive, "that's it. they've raised the amount to thirty thousand a year now, dad, and they say they feel sure i shall regret it if i do not accept. "this is a bit queer, though," went on the young inventor. "this letter was written three days ago, but it reached shopton only to-day. and it says that unless they hear from me at once they will have to take steps that will cause me great inconvenience. they have nerve, at any rate, and impudence, too! i won't even bother to answer. but i wonder what they mean, and why this letter was delayed?" "the mails are all late on account of the transportation congestion caused by moving troops to the camps," said mr. damon. "some of my letters are delayed a week. but, as you say, tom, these fellows are very impudent to threaten that way." "it's all bluff," declared tom. "i'm not worrying. and now, dad, since i've almost reached the top of the hill with my air scout, i may be able to help you on that new electric motor you're puzzling over." "i wish you would, tom. i am trying to invent a new system of interchangeable brush contacts, but so far i've been unable to make them work. however, there is no great hurry about that. if you are going to offer your silent machine to the government finish that first. we need all the aircraft we can get. the battles on the other side seem to be all in favor of the germans, so far." "we haven't got into our stride yet," declared mr. damon. "once uncle sam gets the boys over there in force, there'll be a different story to tell. i only wish--" at that moment the telephone set up an insistent ringing, breaking in on mr. damon's remarks. "i'll answer," said tom, as mrs. baggert moved toward the instrument, which was an extension from the main one. "hello!" called the young inventor into the transmitter, and as he received an answer a look of pleasure came over his face. "yes, mary, this is tom," he said. he remained silent a moment, while it was evident he was listening to the voice at the other end of the wire. then he suddenly exclaimed: "what's that? tell him to come home? why, he isn't here. i just came in and--what--wait a minute!" with a rather strange look on his face tom covered the mouth-piece of the instrument with his hand, and, turning to his father, asked: "is mr. nestor here?" "no," replied mr. swift slowly, "he was here, though. he came a little while after you and mr. damon started off in the air scout. but he didn't stay. said he wanted to see you about something and would call again." "oh," remarked the young man. "i didn't know he had been there." "i meant to tell you," said mrs. baggert; "but getting the lunch made me forget it, i guess." tom uncovered the transmitter of the telephone again, and spoke to mary nestor. "hello," he said. "i was wrong, mary. your father was here, but he left when he found i wasn't at home. how long ago? wait a minute and i'll inquire. "how long ago did mr. nestor leave?" asked the young inventor of the housekeeper. "nearly an hour," he said into the instrument, after he had received the answer. then, after listening a moment, he added: "yes, i guess he'll be home soon now. probably stopped down town to see some of his friends. yes, mr. damon and i tried out the air scout. yes, she worked pretty well, for a starter, but there is something yet to be done. oh, yes, now i'll have time to come over to see you, and take you for a ride too. we won't have to talk through a speaking tube, either. tell your father i am sorry i was out when he called. i'll come to see him to-morrow, if he wants me to. yes--yes. i guess so!" and tom laughed, it being evident that his remarks at the end of the conversation had to do with personal matters. "a telegram has come for mr. nestor and they were anxious that he should get it," tom explained to his little audience as he hung up the receiver and put aside the telephone. "i wonder what he wanted to see me about?" "he didn't say," replied mrs. baggert. mr. damon, tom, and his father remained in conversation a little while longer, and the eccentric man was thinking that it was about time for him to return home, when the telephone rang again. "hello," answered tom, as he was nearest the instrument. "oh, yes, mary, this is he. what's that? your father hasn't reached home yet? and your mother is worried? oh tell her there is no cause for alarm. as i said, he probably stopped on his way to see some friends." tom listened for perhaps half a minute to a talk that was inaudible to the others in the room, and they noticed a grave look come over his face. then he said: "i'll be right over, mary. yes, i'll come at once. and tell your mother not to worry. i'm sure nothing could have happened. i'll be with you in a jiffy!" as tom swift hung up the receiver he said: "mr. nestor hasn't reached home yet, and as he promised to return at once in case he didn't find me, his wife is much worried. i'll go over and see what i can do." "i'll come along!" volunteered mr. damon. "it isn't late yet." "yes, do come," urged tom. "but i suppose when we get there we'll find our friend has arrived safely. we'll go over in the electric runabout." chapter xv a vain search tom swift's speedy little electric car was soon at the door in readiness to take him and mr. damon to the nestor home. the electric runabout was a machine tom had evolved in his early inventive days, and though he had other automobiles, none was quite so fast or so simple to run as this, which well merited the name of the most rapid machine on the road. in it tom had once won a great race, as has been related in the book bearing the title, "tom swift and his electric runabout." "mary didn't telephone again, did she?" tom asked his father, as he stopped at the house to get mr. damon, having gone out to see about getting the electric runabout in readiness. "no," was the answer. "the telephone hasn't rung since." "then, i guess, mr. nestor can't have arrived home," said tom. "it's a bit queer, his delay, but i'm sure it will be explained naturally. only mary and her mother are alone and, very likely, they're nervous. i'll telephone to let you know everything is all right as soon as i get there," tom promised his father and mrs. baggert as he drove off down the road, partly illuminated by the new moon. rapidly and almost as silently as his air scout tom swift drove the speedy car down the highway. it was about three miles from his home to that of mary nestor, and though the distance was quickly covered, to tom, at least, the space seemed interminable. but at length he drove up to the door. there were lights in most of the rooms, which was unusual at this time of night. the sound of the wheels had not ceased echoing on the gravel of the drive before mary was out on the porch, which she illuminated by an overhead light. "oh, tom," she cried, "he hasn't come yet, and we are so worried! did you see anything of father as you came along?" "no," was tom's answer. "but we didn't look for him along the road, as we came by the turnpike, and he wouldn't travel that way. but he will be along at any moment now. you must remember it's quite a walk from my house, and--" "but he was on his bicycle," said mary. "we wanted him to go in the auto, but he said he wanted some exercise after supper, and he went over on his wheel. he said he'd be right back, but he hasn't come yet." "oh, he will!" said tom reassuringly. "he may have had a puncture, or something like that. bicyclists are just as liable to them as autoists," he added with a laugh. "well, i'm sure i hope it will be all right," sighed mary. "i wish you could convince mother to that effect. she's as nervous as a cat. come in and tell us what to do." "oh, he'll be all right," declared mr. damon, adding his assurances to tom's. they found mrs. nestor verging on an attack of hysteria. though mr. nestor often went out during the evening, he seldom stayed late. "and he said he'd be right back if he found you weren't at home, tom," said mrs. nestor. "i'm sure i don't know what can be keeping him!" "it's too soon to get worried yet," replied the young inventor cheerfully. "i'll wait a little while, and then, if he doesn't come, mr. damon and i will go back over the road and look carefully. he may have had a slight fall--sprained his ankle or something like that--and not be able to ride. we came by the turnpike, a road he probably wouldn't take on his wheel. he's all right, you may be sure of that." tom tried to speak reassuringly, but somehow, he did not believe himself. he was beginning to think more and more how strange it was that mr. nestor did not return home. "we'll wait just a bit longer before setting out on a search," he told mary and her mother. "but i'm sure he will be along any minute now." they went into the library, mary and her mother, tom and mr. damon. and there they sat waiting. tom tried to entertain mary and mrs. nestor with an account of his trial trip in the air scout, but the two women scarcely heard what he said. all sat watching the clock, and looking from that to the telephone, which they tried to hope would ring momentarily and transmit to them good news. then they would listen for the sound of footsteps or bicycle wheels on the gravel walk. but they heard nothing, and as the seconds were ticked off on the clock the nervousness of mrs. nestor increased, until she exclaimed: "i can stand it no longer! we must notify the police--or do something!" "i wouldn't notify the police just yet," counseled tom. "mr. damon and i will start out and look along the road. if it should happen, as will probably turn out to be the case, that mr. nestor has met with only a simple accident, he would not like the notoriety, or publicity, of having the police notified." "no, i am sure he would not," agreed mary. "tom's way is best, mother." "all right, just as you say, only find my husband," and mrs. nestor sighed, and turned her head away. "even if mr. nestor had had a fall," reasoned tom, "he could call for help, and get some one to telephone, unless--" and as he reasoned thus tom swift gave a mental start at his own use of the word "help." that weird cry on the lonely meadow came back to him with startling distinctness. "come on, mr. damon!" cried tom, in a voice he tried to make cheerful. "we'll find that mr. nestor is probably walking along, carrying his disabled bicycle instead of having it carry him. we'll soon have him safe back to you," he called to the two women. "i wish i could go with you, and help search," observed mary. "oh, i couldn't bear to be left alone!" exclaimed her mother. "we'll telephone as soon as we find him," called tom to mrs. nestor, as he and mr. damon again got into the runabout and started away from the place. "what do you think of it, tom?" asked the eccentric man, when they were once more on the road. "why, nothing much--as yet," tom said. "that is, i think nothing more than a simple accident has happened, if, indeed, it is anything more than that he has delayed to talk to some friends." "would he delay this long?" "i don't know." "and then, tom--bless my spectacles! what of that cry we heard? could that have been mr. nestor?" there! it was out! the suspicion that tom had been trying to keep his mind away from came to the fore. well, he might as well race the issue now as later. "i've been thinking of that," he told mr. damon. "it might have been mary's father calling for help." "but we looked, tom, near the trees, and couldn't discover anything. if he had been calling for help--" mr. damon did not finish. "he may have fallen from his wheel and been hurt," said tom, as he turned the electric runabout into the highway that mr. nestor would, most likely, have taken on his way from shopton. "then he may have called for help, and some autoists, passing, may have heard and taken him away." "yes, but where, tom? whoever called for help was taken away, that's sure. but where?" "to some hospital, i suppose." "then hadn't we better inquire there? there are only two hospitals of any account around here. the one in shopton and the one in waterfield. my wife is on the board of lady managers there. we could call that hospital up and--" "we'll look along the road first," said tom. "if we begin to make inquiries at the hospitals there will be a lot of questions asked, and a general alarm may be sent out. mr. nestor wouldn't like that, if he isn't in any danger. and it may turn out that he has met an old friend, and has been talking with him all this while, forgetting all about the passage of time." they were now driving along the highway that led from the little suburb where mr. nestor lived, to the main part of shopton, just beyond which was tom's home. this section was country-like, with very few houses and those placed at rather infrequent intervals. the road was a good one, though not the main-traveled one, and mr. nestor, as was known, frequently used it when he rode his bicycle, an exercise of which he was very fond. as tom and mr. damon drove along, they scanned, as best they could in the light from the young moon and the powerful lamps on the runabout, every part of the highway. they were looking for some dark blot which might indicate where a man had fallen from his wheel and was lying in some huddled heap on the road. but they saw nothing like this, much to their relief. "do you know, tom," said mr. damon, when they were nearing the town, and their search, thus far, had been in vain, "i think we're going at this the wrong way." "why, so?" "because mr. nestor may have fallen, and been hurt, and have been carried into any one of a dozen houses along the road. in that case we wouldn't see him. we've passed over the most lonely part of the journey and haven't seen him. if the accident occurred near the houses his cries would have brought some one out to help him. he is well known around here, and, even if he were unconscious and couldn't tell who he was, he could be identified by papers in his pockets. then his family would be notified by telephone." "perhaps you are right, mr. damon. we may be wasting time this way. what do you suggest?" asked tom. "that we don't delay any longer, but call up the hospitals at once. if he isn't in either of those he must be in some house, and in such condition that his identity cannot be established. in that event it is a case for the police. we haven't found him, and i think we had better give the alarm." tom swift thought it over for a moment. then he came to a sudden decision. "you're right!" he told mr. damon. "we mustn't waste any more time. he isn't along the road he ought to have traveled in coming from my house to his home--that's sure. but before i call up the hospitals i want to try out one more idea." "what's that, tom?" "i want to go to the place where we heard that cry for help." "do you think that could have been mr. nestor?" "it may have been. we'll go and take another look around there. some man was evidently hurt there, and was taken away. we may get a clew. the lights on the runabout will give us a better chance to look around than we had by the little pocket lamp. we'll try there, and, if we don't find anything, then i'll call up the hospitals." chapter xvi the long night with the speedy runabout it did not take tom swift and mr. damon long to reach the place where the air scout had been grounded a few hours before, and where they had heard the cry for help. all was as dark and as silent as when they had been there before. but, as tom had said, the lights from his electric runabout would give a brilliant illumination, and these he now directed toward the clump of trees whence the cry for help had seemed to come. "doesn't appear to have been visited by any one since we were here," remarked tom, as he observed the marks of the new automobile tire in the dust. "now we'll look about more carefully." this they did, but they were about to give up in despair and start for the nearest telephone to call up the hospitals, when mr. damon gave an exclamation. "what is it?" asked tom. "something bright and shining!" said his companion. "i saw it gleam in the light of the lamps. you nearly put your foot on it, tom. just step back a moment." tom did so, and the eccentric man, with another exclamation, this time of satisfaction, reached down and picked something up from the dusty road. "it's a watch!" he exclaimed. "a gold watch! and it's been stepped on, evidently, or run over by an auto. not much damaged, but the case is a bit bent and scratched. it's stopped, too!" he added as he held it to his ear. "what time does it show?" asked tom. "eight forty-seven," answered mr. damon, as he consulted the dial. "why, tom, that was just about when we heard the cries for help!" "yes, it must have been. let me see that watch." no sooner had the young inventor taken the timepiece into his hands than he, too, uttered a cry of amazement. "do you recognize it?" asked mr. damon, in great excitement. "it's mr. nestor's watch!" cried tom. "he must have fallen here, and been hurt. it was mr. nestor who cried for help, and who was taken away by the autoists. they've probably taken him to some hospital. there's been an accident all right." tom and mr. damon were of one mind now in thinking that mr. nestor had met with some mishap on the road--an automobile accident most likely--and that he was the person who had called for help. "if they had only answered when we hallooed at them," said tom, "we wouldn't be in all this stew now. we could have told the strangers who came to his aid who he was, and we might even have taken him to the hospital in the airship." "well, it's too late to think of that now," returned mr. damon. "we had better get into communication with him as soon as we can, and then send word to his wife and daughter. i hope he isn't badly hurt." tom hoped so, too, with all his heart. there was nothing to do but to get back in the runabout and make all speed for the nearest telephone, and tom swift lost little time in doing this. they found a drug store which was open a little later than usual, and at once tom went into the booth and called up the shopton hospital. he was well known there, as he and his father were liberal supporters of the institution, which was a private affair. many of tom's men were treated at the dispensary, and, as accidents were of more or less frequent occurrence at the works, the young inventor had frequent occasions to call up the place. "mr. nestor would ask to be taken there, as it's nearest his home--that is, if he was able to speak," tom said to mr. damon, who agreed with him. there was a little delay in getting the hospital on the wire, but when tom had it, and was talking to the superintendent, he was rather surprised, to tell the truth, to be told that mr. nestor had not been brought in. "we haven't had any accident cases all day, nor to-night, mr. swift," the superintendent reported. "was this some one special you were inquiring about?" for tom, determining not to give mr. nestor's name, except as a last resort, had merely inquired whether any recent accident cases had been brought in. "i'll let you know later, mr. millard," he told the superintendent, not exactly answering the question. he hung up the receiver, and, opening the door of the booth, said to mr. damon: "he isn't there." "then try waterfield," was the suggestion; and tom did so, though he could not imagine why an injured man, such as mr. nestor might prove to be, should be taken as far as waterfield, when the hospital at shopton was nearer. "unless," he told mr. damon, "the people which ran down mary's father didn't know about our hospital." the reply from the institution in mr. damon's home town was just as discouraging as had been the answer from shopton. at first, when tom inquired, the head nurse had said there was an accident case at that moment being brought in. tom was all excitement until she went to inquire the name and circumstances, and then he learned that it was the case of a little boy who had fallen downstairs at his home and broken a leg. there was no record of any one answering the description of mr. nestor having been brought in that evening. "hum! this is getting to be mysterious," mused tom, as he came out of the booth. "what shall we do--go back and tell mrs. nestor and mary, or communicate with the police?" "why not try the alexian hospital?" asked mr. damon. "that's away over in centerford, to be sure, but it's more likely to be known to passing tourists than either of our institutions around here, especially if the autoists were strangers." "that's so," agreed tom. the alexian hospital was operated under the direction of the brothers of that faith, and was well known in that part of the state. often cases of persons who had been injured by passing automobiles had been taken there for treatment, for, as mr. damon had said, it was well known, and centerford was the nearest large city. "i can just about see how it happened," said tom. "they ran mr. nestor down, and stopped to pick him up after they heard his cries for help. and the alexian hospital was the first one they thought of. we should have called that up first." but once more disappointment awaited the young inventor and his friend. word came back over the wire that no accident case, which bore any resemblance to mary's father, had been brought in. "well, i'm stumped!" exclaimed tom. "what shall we do now, mr. damon?" "much as i dislike it," said the eccentric man who was too much worried, now, to do any "blessing," which was his favorite expression, "i think we ought to communicate with mrs. nestor. she will be very anxious." "i guess we'll have to," said tom. "but wait! i'll call up my house first, and see if he has gone back there." but mr. nestor had not done this, and mrs. baggert, who answered the telephone, said mary had been calling frantically for tom, as her mother was now on the verge of complete collapse. "no help for it," said tom, ruefully. "we've got to tell 'em we have no news, and can't find him." and, hearing this, mrs. nestor did collapse, and a doctor was called in. thereupon tom, who with mr. damon had gone back to the nestor home, took charge of matters, sending for mrs. nestor's sister to come and stay with her and take charge of the house. "you'll need some one to stay with you," he told mary. "yes, i shall," she admitted, trying bravely not to give way to her emotion. "oh, tom, i wish you could stay, too. i'm sure something dreadful must have happened to poor father. please stay and help us find him!" "i will," tom promised. "as soon as your aunt comes i'll take mr. damon home, and then i'll give the rest of my time to you." and this tom did, sending word home that he would remain at the nestor's all night and part of the next day. tom got but little sleep that night. he communicated with the police and saw to it that a general alarm was sent out. he called up all hospitals within a radius of fifty miles, but could get no trace of any injured man whose description resembled that of mr. nestor. "what can have happened?" asked mary tearfully. "well, the way i figure it out is this," said tom. "your father left my house soon after mr. damon and i did in the air scout. mr. nestor was riding his bicycle, and he must have been run into by an automobile. that is how his watch was damaged and that was when mr. damon and i heard the cries for help." "oh, do you think he was badly hurt?" asked mary. "no, i don't," and tom answered truthfully. "the voice sounded as though he was in pain, certainly, but it was strong and vigorous, and not at all as though he was dangerously hurt." "and what do you think happened to him after he was hurt?" asked mary. "the autoists took him away," decided tom. "in fact, we heard the machine go, but of course we never connected the call for help and what followed with your father. the autoists took him away." "where?" "i should say to some hospital. perhaps a private one of which we know nothing, and which may be near here. i'll get a full list from the board of health to-morrow. or it may be that the autoists, seeing the damage they had done, took your father to the home of one of themselves, and summoned a doctor there." "why would they do that?" "well, they may have been so frightened they didn't realize what they were doing, or they may have thought he would get better treatment in a private house, if he were not badly injured, than if he should be taken to a hospital. it may have been that one of the persons in the auto was a physician, and wished to try his own skill on the man he had hurt." "you make me feel more comfortable, tom," said mary. "but, even supposing all this, why couldn't they telephone to us that my father was all right? he always carries an identification card with him, and if he were unconscious it could be ascertained who he was." "that's what i can't understand," said tom frankly. "it puzzles me. but we'll find him--never fear!" and so he kept on with his telephone inquiries, while a physician and her sister ministered to mrs. nestor. the night was very, very long, and no good news came in. chapter xvii silent sam slowly the dawn broke through the mists of darkness, and made the earth light. the sun came straggling in through cracks in the shutters in the home of mr. nestor, the gradually increasing gleam paling the electric lights, in the glare of which tom swift, mary, and her aunt sat, waiting for some word of the missing man. but none came. "what shall we do now?" asked mary, as she looked at tom. "oh, there's lots to do," he said, trying to make his voice sound cheerful. "we'll be busy all day. i sent word to have one of my touring cars ready to hurry to any part of the country the moment we should get word from your father." "and do you think we shall get word, tom?" the girl went on wistfully. "of course we shall!" he cried. "word may come in at any time. now get ready, eat a good breakfast, and then you can go with me as soon as we hear anything definite. come, we'll have breakfast!" "i can't eat a thing!" protested mary. "oh, yes you can," said her aunt, who was a cheerful sort of person. "i'll see about getting something for you and mr. swift, and see that your mother is all right." she left the room to give orders to the servant about the meal, and returned to say that mrs. nestor was sleeping quietly. she had been given a sedative. mary managed to eat a little, and she gave tom the address of several friends who were called up in the vain hope that, somehow, mr. nestor might have gone to see them. "tom, what do you really think has happened?" asked mary again, as they sat facing one another in the library, during a respite from the telephone. tom swift repeated, to the girl his theory of what had happened with an assumption of confidence he did not altogether feel. his prediction of a speedy end to the suspense did not come true that day, nor for many days. no news was heard of mr. nestor. after the first day, when there was no information and when no reports came of any one of his description having been hurt in an automobile accident or having been taken to any hospital, the police started an energetic search. the authorities in all near-by cities were notified, and all thought of keeping from the public what had happened was given over. tom's story, of how he and mr. damon had heard the cry for help on the lonely meadow, was printed in the papers, though the young inventor did not say that he had been out trying his new aeroplane. that was a detail not needed in the finding of mr. nestor. but mary's father was not found. the mystery regarding his disappearance deepened, and there was no trace of him after he had left tom's house that eventful evening. persons living along the roads he might have taken in riding his bicycle were questioned, but they had seen nothing of him, nor were they aware of any accident. tom's testimony and that of mr. damon was all the clew there was. "i don't believe he's dead!" stoutly declared the young inventor, when this dire possibility had been hinted at. "i believe the persons who were responsible for the accident are afraid to reveal his whereabouts until he recovers from possible injuries. you'll see! mr. nestor will come back safe!" and, somehow, though her mother was skeptical, mary believed what tom said. the search was kept up, but without result, and tom aided all he could. but there was not much he could do. the police and other authorities were at a total loss. in the intervals of visiting mary and her mother, and doing what he could for them, tom worked on his new motor. he knew that he was on the right track and that all that was needed now was to make certain refinements and adjustments in the apparatus he had already constructed, so that it would operate more quietly. "absorbing the vibrations from the exhaust, caused by the exploded gases in the cylinders, does the trick," tom told his father. "but there is enormous pressure to overcome, tom. you must be sure your muffler will stand the strain. otherwise she is going to blow out a gasket some day, when you least expect it. then the sudden resumption of pressure outside the cylinders is going to cause a change in the equilibrium, and you may turn turtle in the air." "i've thought of that," said tom. "at worst it can't be any more than looping the loop. but i'll make the muffler doubly strong." "better provide an auxiliary chamber to take care of part of the exhaust in case your main apparatus breaks," advised the older inventor, and tom said he would. he did, too, for he valued his father's expert advice. meanwhile he was busy fitting one of his latest aeroplanes with the new motor. the motor he and mr. damon had used in their flight was one patched up from an old one. but now tom was working on a complete new one, made after his revised model, and in which the silencer was an integral part, instead of being built on. while giving mary and her mother all the assistance in his power, tom still found time to work on his new, pet scheme. he had matters now where he did not fear any tampering with his plans, for he had filed away his papers in a safe place, and was making his new machine from memory. "but if some one got in and had a look at the inside of your silencer he could see how it is constructed, couldn't he?" asked ned newton. "yes," assented tom, "but they're not going to get in very easily. koku sleeps in the experiment shop now, and my machine is there." "oh, well that explains your confidence. i feel sorry for the burglar who makes the attempt, once koku wakes up. heard anything more from those universal people?" "no, not directly. i understand they are working hard on some new type of plane for army use, but i haven't bothered my head about them. i'm too much occupied with my own affairs and trying to help mary." "very strange about mr. nestor, isn't it?" "worse than strange," said tom. "if this keeps on, and he isn't heard from, it will be tragic pretty soon." "he must be held a prisoner somewhere," declared ned. "it begins to look that way," assented tom. "though who would have an object in that i can't understand. he had no enemies, as far as is known, and his business affairs were in excellent shape. unless, as i said, the persons who ran him down are, through fear, keeping him hidden until he recovers, i can't imagine what has become of him." "well, it certainly is a puzzle," said ned. and tom agreed with his chum. it was about a week after the disappearance of mr. nestor that mr. damon came over to see tom. "bless my shoe laces, tom!" exclaimed the eccentric man, "but you are as busy as ever." for he found the young inventor in the experiment shop, surrounded by a mass of papers and all sorts of mechanical devices. "yes, i'm working a little," said tom. "but you are just in time. come on out, i want to introduce you to silent sam." "'silent sam!'" exclaimed mr. damon. "have you been taking a new trip to the land of wonders? have you brought back some new kind of servant?" "not exactly a servant," said tom with a laugh, "though i hope silent sam will serve me well." "'silent sam?' what does it mean? is that a joke?" asked the puzzled mr. damon. "i hope it doesn't turn out a joke," replied tom. "but come on, i'll introduce you to him, mr. damon." he led the way to one of the big hangars where his various machines of the air were housed. on the way mr. damon asked about news of mr. nestor, but was told there was none. tom swift opened the big, swinging doors and pulled aside an enveloping canvas curtain. there stood revealed a big aeroplane, of somewhat new pattern, the wings gleaming like silver from the varnish that had been applied. in shape it was not unlike the machines already in use, except that the propellers were of somewhat different design. the engine was mounted in front, and even with his slight knowledge of mechanics mr. damon could tell that it was exceedingly powerful. but it was certain devices attached to the engine that attracted his attention, for they were totally different from any on any other aeroplane, though they bore some resemblance to apparatus on the plane in which tom and the eccentric man had made the night flight. "is this your new machine, tom?" asked mr. damon. "yes." "well, i don't see anything of that fellow you spoke of--silent sam." "this is silent sam," returned tom, with a laugh. "i've named my new noiseless aeroplane--my air scout--i've named that silent sam. wait until you hear it, or rather, don't hear it, and i think you'll agree with me. silent sam for uncle sam!" "good!" cried mr. damon. "bless my dictionary, but that's a good name! does it sail silently, tom?" "i'll let you judge presently. silent sam is all ready for his first trial, and i'll be glad to have you with me. now, i'll just--" tom suddenly ceased speaking and held up a hand to enjoin silence. then, while mr. damon watched, the young inventor began moving noiselessly toward the rear of the big shed, inside which was his new machine. chapter xviii suspicions "who's there?" suddenly called tom, and in such a sharp voice that mr. damon started, ready as he was for something unusual. there was no answer and tom suddenly switched on all the lights in the shed. up to then there had been only a few glowing--just enough for him to show the new air scout to his friend. "who's there?" asked tom again, sharply. "bless my opera glasses, tom!" cried mr. damon, "but are you seeing things?" "no; but i'm hearing them," answered tom with a short laugh. "did you think you heard some one moving around near the rudders of silent sam, mr. damon?" "no, i can't say that i did. everything seems to me to be all right." "well, it doesn't to me," went on tom grimly. "i think there is an intruder in this shed, though how any one could get in when the doors have been locked all day, is more than i can figure out. but i'm going to have a look." "i'll help you," offered mr. damon, and, in the bright glare from many electric lights, the two began a search of the big hangar where the new craft was kept. but though the young inventor and his friend went around to the rear of the aeroplane, walking in opposite directions, they saw no one, nor did any one try to escape past them. "and yet i was sure i heard some one in here," declared tom, when a search had revealed nothing. "it sounded as if some one were scuffling softly about in rubber-soled shoes, trying to hide." "bless my suspenders!" cried mr. damon, "who do you think it could have been, tom?" "who else but some spy trying to get possession of my secrets?" was the answer. "but i guess i was too quick for them. they couldn't learn much from looking at the outside of my muffler, and it hasn't been disturbed, as far as i can see." "who would want to gain a knowledge of it in that unlawful way?" asked mr. damon. "perhaps some of the universal crowd. they may have been disappointed in perfecting a silent motor themselves, and think stealing my idea would be the easiest way out of it." "do they know you are working on such a model as this silent sam of yours, tom?" "yes, i imagine they do. one of the firm members, as you recall, overheard something, i think, that gave them a hint as to what my plans were, though, thanks to the time i fooled the spy, they haven't any real data to go by, i believe." "let us hope not," said mr. damon. tom and he made a thorough search of the big shed, but found no one, nor was there any trace of an intruder. tom notified jackson, who, in turn, told the guards and watchmen to be on the lookout for any suspicious strangers, but none was seen in the vicinity of the swift works. "well, everything seems to be all right, so we'll have the test," remarked tom, after a further search of the premises. "now, mr. damon, if all goes as i hope you will see what my new machine can do. strain your ears for a sound, and let me know how much you hear." his men helping him, tom started the new motor which was tried for the first time attached to the new craft. no flight was to be made yet, the motor being tested as though on the block, though, in reality, the craft was ready for instant flight if need be. slowly the great propellers began to revolve, and then tom, taking his place in the cockpit, turned on more power. the new craft--silent sam--was made fast so it could not progress even though the propellers revolved at high speed. "i'm not sending her to the limit," said tom to his friend, as the young inventor throttled down the motor. "if i did i'd tear her loose from the holding blocks." "her!" cried mr. damon. "bless my typewriter, tom! but i thought silent sam was a gentleman aeroplane. "so he is!" laughed the young man, frankly. "i forgot about 'silent sam.' guess i'll have to say 'him' instead of 'her,' though the latter sounds more natural. anyhow what do you think?" "i think it's wonderful!" exclaimed mr. damon. "there the motor is, going at almost full speed, and i can hardly hear a thing. you can the easier believe that when i say that i can hear you talk perfectly well. and i guess you hear me, don't you?" "yes," replied tom. "and we don't have to shout, either. this is the best test ever! i think everything is a success." "are you going to take her aloft, tom?" the eccentric man went on. "yes, now that i'm sure the engine is all right. will you go for a flight with me?" "i certainly will! i only wish we could find him, though. i'd go with a better heart." "oh! mr. nestor?" "yes, i can't imagine what has become of him. it is almost as if the earth had opened and swallowed him. his disappearance is a great mystery." "it surely is," agreed tom. "can't seem to get any trace of him. but if we hear another cry for help, when we have to land, you can make up your mind i'll investigate more quickly than i did at first." "i agree with you," said mr. damon. it was nearly evening then, and until it was dark enough for his flight tom spent the time tuning up the engine and seeing that all was in readiness for the latest test. he had decided not to go aloft while it was light enough for curiosity seekers to note the flight. tom rather wished mary nestor might have a sail with him in his latest improved silent air scout, but the girl was too much occupied at home and in trying to find some trace of her father. tom, his father, and mr. damon had helped all they could, but there were no results. a private detective had been engaged, but he had no more of a clew than the regular police. at last it was dark enough for the flight, and tom and mr. damon took their places in the machine. once more the propellers were turned around, and when the compression had been made, and the spark switched on, around spun the big wooden blades, and the great craft moved over the grass. on and on and up and up sailed tom and mr. damon, and as they left behind them the shops and the swift homestead, the two passengers were aware of their almost silent flight. the big aeroplane, the exhaust of which, ordinarily, would have nearly deafened them, was now as silent as a bird. "silent sam for uncle sam!" cried tom in delight, as he went on faster. "i'm sure the government ought to be glad to get this plane for air scout work. it's a success! a great success!" "yes, so it is!" agreed mr. damon. "you do well to speak of it so, tom." for, modest as the young inventor was, he felt, in justice to himself, that he must acknowledge the fact that his craft was a success. for it rose and sailed almost as silently as a bat, and a few hundred feet away no one, not seeing it, would have believed a big aeroplane was in motion. tom and mr. damon flew about twenty miles at a swift pace, and all the fault tom had to find was that the machine was not as steady in flight as she should have been. "but i can remedy that with the use of some of dad's gyroscope stabilizers," he told mr. damon. they returned to the hangar safely, and the first trip of the new silent sam was an assured success. it was the following day, when tom was busy in the machine shop installing the gyroscopes spoken of, that jackson came to tell him there was a visitor to see him. "who is it?" asked the young inventor. "mr. gale of the universal company," was the answer. "i don't want to see him!" declared tom quickly. "i have nothing to say to him after his clumsy threats." "he seems very much in earnest," said jackson. "better see him, if only for a minute or so." "all right, i will," assented tom. "show him in." mr. gale, as blusteringly bluff as ever, entered the shop. tom had carefully put away all papers and models, as well as the finished machines, so he had no fear that his visitor might discover some secret. "oh, mr. swift!" began the president of the universal company, when he met the young inventor, "i wish to assure you that what has been done was entirely without our knowledge. and, though this man may have acted as our agent at one time, we repudiate any acts of his that might--" "what are you talking about?" asked tom in surprise. "have i been so impolite as to sleep during part of your talk? i don't understand what you are driving at." "oh, i thought you did," said gale, and he showed surprise. "i understood that the man who--" "do you mean there was some one here in the shed last night?" cried the young inventor suddenly, all his suspicions aroused. "some one here last night?" repeated mr. gale. "no, i don't refer to last night. but perhaps i am making a mistake. i--er--i--" "some one is making a mistake!" said tom significantly. chapter xix another flight for perhaps a quarter of a minute tom swift and the president of the universal flying machine company of new york sat staring at one another. mr. gale's face wore a puzzled expression, and so did tom's. and, after the last remark of the young inventor, the man who had called to see him said: "well, perhaps we are talking at cross purposes. i don't blame you for not feeling very friendly toward us, and if i had had my way that last correspondence with you would never have left our office." "it wasn't very business-like," said tom dryly, referring to the veiled threats when he had refused to sell his services to the rival company. "i realize that," said mr. gale. "but we have some peculiar men working for us, and sometimes there is so much to do, so many possibilities of which to take advantage, that we may get a little off our balance. but what i called for was not to renew our offer to you. i understand that is definitely settled." "as far as i am concerned, it is," said tom, as his caller seemed to want an answer. "yes. well, then, what i called to say was that if you are thinking of taking any legal action against us because of the action of that man lydane, i wish to state that he had absolutely no authority to--" "excuse me!" broke in tom, "but by lydane do you mean the man who also posed as bower, the spy?" "no, i do not. though i regret to say that bower once worked for us. he, too, had no authority to come here and get a position. he was still in our service when he did that." "so i have suspected," said tom. "i realize now that he was a spy, who came here to try to find out for you some of my secrets." "not with my permission!" exclaimed mr. gale. "i was against that from the first and i came to tell you so. but bower really did you no harm." "no, he didn't get the chance!" chuckled tom. "nor did that other spy--the one with the gold tooth. i wonder how he liked our mud hole?" "he was lydane," said mr. gale. "it is about him i came." "you might have saved yourself the trouble," returned tom. "i don't wish to discuss him." "but i wish to make sure," said mr. gale, "that what he has done will not come back on us. we repudiate him entirely. his methods we can not countenance. he is too daring--" "oh, don't worry!" interrupted tom. "he hasn't done anything to me--he didn't get the chance, as i guess he's told you. you needn't apologize on his account. he did me no harm, and--" "but i understood from him that--" "now i don't want to seem impolite!" broke in tom, "nor do i want to take pattern after some of your company's acts, if not your own. but i am very busy. i have an important test to make for the government, and my time is fully occupied. i am afraid i shall have to bid you good-morning and--" "but won't you give me a chance to--" began the president. "now, the less we discuss this matter the better!" interrupted tom. "lydane, as you call the man with the gold tooth didn't really do anything to me nor any great harm to any of my possessions, as far as i can learn. his career is a closed book--a book with muddy covers!" and the young inventor laughed. "oh, well, if you look at it that way, there is nothing further for me to say," said mr. gale stiffly. "i understood-- but hasn't my partner, mr. ware, seen you?" he asked tom quickly. "no. and i don't care to see him." "oh, then that accounts for it," was the quick answer. "well, if you regard the matter as closed i suppose we should also. we are not to blame for what lydane does when he is no longer in our employ, and we repudiate anything he may do, or may have done." this struck tom, afterward, as being rather a queer remark, but he did not think so at the time. the truth was that the young inventor wished very much to try out a new device on his noiseless aeroplane and wanted to get rid of mr. gale before doing so. so he did not pay as much attention to the remarks of the president as, otherwise, he might have done. it was not until after mr. gale had taken his leave and tom had finished the particular work on which he was engaged when the president of the rival company came in, that the young man did some hard thinking. and this thinking was done after he had received a telephone call from mary nestor, asking, if by any chance, he had heard anything like a clew as to the whereabouts of her father. tom had been obliged to tell her that he had not. everything possible was being done to find the missing man but he had disappeared as completely as though he had ridden on his bicycle into the crater of some extinct volcano on the meadow, and had fallen to the bottom. an effort was made to trace him through an automobile association which had a large membership. that is, the members were asked to make inquiries to ascertain, if possible, whether any one had heard of an unreported accident--one in which mr. nestor might have been carried away by persons who accidently ran him down. but this came to naught, and the police and other authorities were at a loss how farther to proceed. it was a theory in some quarters that mr. nestor was perfectly safe, but that he was out of his mind, and was either wandering around, not knowing who he was, or was, in this condition, detained somewhere, the persons having him in charge not realizing that he was the missing man so widely sought. this belief was a relief to mrs. nestor and mary in many ways for it prevented them from giving way to the fear that mr. nestor was dead. that he was alive was tom swift's firm opinion, and he was doing all he could to prove it. it was not until the day after the visit of mr. gale that tom, having concluded some intricate calculations about the strength of cylinder valves, uttered an exclamation. "i wonder if he could have meant that?" cried the young inventor. "i wonder if he could have meant that? i must find out at once! queer i didn't think of that before!" he put in a long distance call to new york, asking to speak to mr. gale. but when, eventually, he was connected with the office of the universal flying machine company he was told that mr. gale and mr. ware had sailed for france that day, going over as government representatives to investigate aeroplane motors. gale's visit to tom had been just previous to taking the boat, it was said. "this is tough luck!" mused tom, his suspicions doubly aroused now. "i can't let this rest here! i've got to get after it! as soon as i make this final test, and invite uncle sam's experts out to see how my noiseless motor works, i'll get after gale and ware if i have to follow them to the battlefields of france! i wonder if it was that he was hinting at all the while! i begin to believe it was!" tom swift had decided on another flight for his new craft before he would let the government experts see it. "silent sam must do his very best work for uncle sam before i turn him over," said the young inventor. "and after this flight i'll offer the machine to the government, and then devote all my time to finding mr. nestor," said tom. "i'd do it now, but private matters, however deeply they affect us, must be put aside to help win the war. but this will end my inventive work until after mr. nestor is found--if he's alive." preparations for the test flight went on apace, and one afternoon tom and jackson took their places in the big, new aeroplane. he no longer feared daylight crowds in case of an accident. they made a good start, and the motor was so quiet that as tom passed over his own plant the men working in the yard, who did not know of the flight, did not look up to see what was going on. they could not hear the engine. "i think we've got everything just as we want it, jackson," said tom, much pleased. "i believe you," answered the mechanician. "it couldn't be better. now if--" and at that moment there came a loud explosion, and silent sam began drifting rapidly toward the earth, as falls a bird with a broken wing. chapter xx queer marks "what happened?" cried jackson to tom, as he leaned forward in his seat which was in the rear of the young inventor's. "don't know, exactly," was the answer, as tom quickly shifted the rudders to correct the slanting fall of his craft. "sounded as though there was a tremendous back-fire, or else the muffler blew up. the engine is dead." "can you take her down safely?" "oh, yes, i guess so. she's a bit out of control, but the stabilizer will keep her on a level keel. good thing we installed it." "you're right!" said jackson. now they were falling earthward with great rapidity, but, thanks to the gyroscope stabilizer, the "side-slipping," than which there is no motion more dreaded by an aviator, had nearly ceased. the craft was volplaning down as it ought, and tom had it under as perfect control as was possible under the circumstances. "we'll get down all right if something else doesn't happen," he said to jackson, with grim humor. "well, let's hope that it won't," said the mechanic. "we're a good distance up yet." they were, as a matter of fact, for the explosion, or whatever had happened to the craft, had occurred at a height of over two miles, and they at once began falling. as yet tom swift was unaware of the exact nature of the accident or its cause. all he knew was that there had been a big noise and that the engine had stopped working. he could not see the silencer from where he sat, as it was constructed on the underside of the motor, but he had an idea that the same sort of mishap had occurred as on the occasion when the test machine had sailed through the roof of his workshop. "but, luckily, this wasn't as bad," mused tom. "anyhow the motor is out of business." and this was very evident. the young inventor had tried to start the apparatus after its stoppage by the explosion, but it had not responded to his efforts, and then he had desisted, fearing to cause some further damage, or, perhaps, endanger his own life and that of jackson. down, down swept silent sam--doubly silent now, and tom began looking about for a good place to make a landing. this was nothing new for either him or his mechanician, and they accepted the outcome as a matter of course. "not a very lively place down there," remarked jackson, as he looked over the side of the cockpit. "if we have to depend for help on any one down there, i guess we'll be a long time waiting," agreed tom. they were about to land in a very lonely spot. it was one he had never before visited, though he knew it could not be much more than twenty miles from his own home, as they had not flown much farther than that distance. but, somehow or other, tom had not visited this particular section, and knew nothing of it. he saw below him, as jackson had seen, a lonely stretch of country--a big field, once a wood-lot, evidently, as scattered about were some stumps and some second growth trees. there were also a number of evergreens--christmas trees jackson called them. and this was the only open place for miles, the surrounding country being a densely wooded one. there did not appear to be a house or other building in sight where they might seek help. "but maybe we can make the repairs ourselves and keep on," the lad thought. with practiced eye he picked out a smooth, grassy, level spot, in the midst of scattered evergreen trees, and there tom swift skillfully brought his air scout to rest. with a gentle thud the rubber-tired wheels struck the earth, rolled along a little distance, and then called to a stop. hardly had the aeroplane ceased moving when tom and his companion jumped out and began eagerly to examine the machinery to see the extent of damage. "i thought so!" tom exclaimed. "the silencer cracked under the strain. those exhaust gases have more pressure that i believed possible. i increased the margin of safety on this muffler, too. but she's cracked, and i can't use the machine until i put on a new one. good thing i didn't ask for a government inspection until after this trial flight." "that's so," agreed jackson. "but can't you patch it up, or go on without a muffler, so we can get back home?" "i'm afraid not," tom answered. "you see i removed all the old exhaust pipe fittings when i put on my new silencer. now if i took off my attachment there wouldn't be anything to carry off the discharged gases, and they'd form a regular cloud about us. we couldn't stand it without gas masks, such as they use in the trenches, and we haven't any of those with us." "that's right," agreed jackson. "well, what do you want to do? have me stay here and guard the machine while you go for help? or shall i go?" "i don't know why we both can't go," said tom. "there is no use trying to patch up this machine here. i'll have to send a truck after it, and dismantle it before i can get it home. "as for either of us staying here on guard, i don't quite see the need of that. this looks like the jumping-off place to me. i don't believe there's a native within miles. i didn't see any houses as we came down, and i think silent sam will be perfectly safe here. no one can run off with him, anyhow. he'd be as hard to start as an automobile with all four wheels gone. let's leave it here and both walk back." "all right," agreed jackson. "that suits me. might as well leave our togs here, too. it will be easier walking without them," and he began taking off the fur-lined suit, his cap, and his goggles, such as he and tom wore against the piercing cold of the upper regions. "we can stuff them in the cockpit and leave them," went on the mechanician, as he divested himself of his garments. as he stowed them away in his seat he gave one more look at the broken muffler. as tom swift said, his new silencer had literally blown up, a large piece having been torn from the gas chamber. something that jackson saw caused him to utter an exclamation that brought tom swift to his side. "what is it?" asked the young inventor. "look!" was the answer. "see! just at the edge of that break! it's been filed to make the metal thinner there than anywhere else. you didn't do that, did you?" "i should say not!" cried tom. "why, to file there would mean to weaken the whole structure." "and that's exactly what's happened!" declared jackson, as he gave another look. "some one has filed this nearly through--leaving only a thin metal skin, and when the gas pressure became too much it blew out. that's what happened!" tom swift made a quick but thorough examination. "you're right, jackson!" he exclaimed. "that was filed deliberately to cause the accident. and it must have been done lately, for i carefully inspected the silencer when i put it on, and it was in perfect order. there's been spy work here. some one got into the hangar and filed that casing. then the accumulated pressure of the gases did the rest." "as sure as you're alive!" agreed jackson. "maybe that's what gale did when he called." "no," returned tom, shaking his head, "he didn't get a chance to do anything like that. i watched him all the while. but perhaps this is what he referred to when he said he and his company would repudiate any act of that spy with the gold tooth--lydane, so gale said his name was. maybe that's what lydane did." "he was capable of it," agreed the mechanic, "but he couldn't have done it that time you tripped him into the mud puddle. this silencer wasn't built then." "no, you're right," assented tom. "then he must have been around since, doing some of his tricky work!" "i don't see how that could have been," said jackson slowly. "we've kept a very careful watch, and your shop has been specially guarded." "i know it has," said tom. "there couldn't much get past koku; but some one seems to have done it, or else how could that filing have been done?" jackson shook his head. the problem was too much for him. he looked carefully at the exploded and broken silencer, and tom, too, gave it a critical eye. there was no doubt but that it had been filed in several places to weaken the structure of the metal. "when did you last see that it was in perfect condition?" asked jackson. tom named a certain date. "that was just before gale called," observed the mechanician. "he might have known of it." "i wish i'd known of it at the time," said tom savagely. "he wouldn't have gotten away as easily as he did. well, there's no use standing here talking about it. let's get back to civilization and we'll send back one of the trucks. luckily i have another silencer i can put on for the government test. this one will never be of any more use, though i may be able to save some of the valves and baffle plates." slowly they turned from the disabled aeroplane and started to look for a path that would lead them out of the lonely place. tom as the first to strike what seemed to be a cow path, or perhaps what had been a road into the wood lot in the early days. as he tramped along it, followed by jackson, the young inventor suddenly stopped, as he came to a sandy place, and, stooping over, looked intently at some queer marks in the soil. "what is it?" asked the mechanician. "looks like the marks of an automobile," said tom slowly. "and i was just trying to remember where i'd seen marks like these before." chapter xxi the deserted cabin for several seconds the young inventor remained bending over the queer marks in that little sandy path of the lonely field in the midst of the silent woods. jackson watched him curiously, and then tom straightened up, exclaiming as he did so: "i have it! now i know where it was! i saw marks like these the night mr. nestor disappeared. mr. damon and i noticed the marks in the dust on the road the time we made the forced landing the first night we tried out the silent motor. that's it! they are the same marks! i'm sure of it!" "i wouldn't go so far as to say that," said jackson slowly. he was more deliberate than tom swift, a fact for which the young inventor was often glad, as it saved him from impulsive mistakes. "this may not be the same auto," went on the mechanician. "i'll admit i never saw square tire marks like those before. most of the usual ones are circular, diamond-shape or oblong. some tire manufacturer must have tried a new stunt. but as for saying these marks were made by the same machine you saw evidences of the night mr. nestor disappeared, why, that's going a little too far, tom." "yes, i suppose it is," admitted the young inventor. "but it's a clew worth following. maybe mr. nestor has been brought to some lonely place like this, and is being held." "why would any one want to do that?" asked jackson. "he had no enemies." "well, perhaps those who ran him down and injured him are afraid to let him go for fear he will prosecute them and ask for heavy damages," suggested tom. "they may be holding him a captive until he gets well, and aim on treating him so nicely that he won't bring suit." "that's a pretty far-fetched theory," said the mechanician as he carefully looked at the tracks. "but of course it may be true. anyhow, these tire marks are rather recent, i should say, and they are made by a new tire. do you think we can follow them?" "i'm going to try!" declared tom. "the only trouble is we can't tell whether it was going or coming--that is we don't know which way to go." "that's so," agreed his companion. "and so the only thing to do is to travel a bit both ways. the path, or road, or whatever you call it, is plainly enough marked here, though you can't always pick out the tire marks. they show only on bare ground. the grass doesn't leave any tracks that we can see, though doubtless they are there. "but as for thinking this car is the same one the marks of which you saw on the lonely moor, the night you heard the call for help--that's going too far, tom swift." "yes, i realize that. of course there must be more than one car with tires which have square protuberances. but it's worth taking a chance on--following this clew." "oh, sure!" agreed jackson. "the only question is, then, which way to go," returned tom. they settled that, arbitrarily enough, by going on in the direction they had started after leaving the stranded airship. they followed a half-defined path, and were rewarded by getting occasional glimpses on bare ground of the odd tire marks. through a devious winding way, now hidden amid a lane of trees, and again cutting across an open space, the path led. they saw the marks often enough to make sure they were on the right trail, and in one place they saw several different patches of the odd marks. they went on perhaps half a mile more, when they came to a lonely road and saw where the car had turned from that into the wood-lot, as tom called the place where his craft had settled down. "look!" cried the young inventor to jackson. "they've been here more than once, and have gone along the road in both directions. they seem to have used this turning into the lot as a sort of stopping place." this was plain enough from an examination of the marks in the sandy soil of the road, which was one not often used. the automobile with the queer, square marks on the tires had turned into the lot, coming and going in both directions. "this settles it!" cried tom, when he finished making an examination. "there's something farther back in this lot that we've got to see. this auto has been coming and going, and we should have followed the tracks the other way from the point where we first saw them, instead of coming this way." "except that we've learned the place of departure," suggested jackson. "evidently the wood-lot is a blind alley. the car goes in, but it can come out only just at this point, or, at least, it does." "that's right!" agreed tom. "now the thing to do is to follow our track back to where we started. there must be some place where the car went to--some headquarters, or meeting place with some one, farther back in the lot. if we can only follow the trail back as well as we did coming, we may find out something." "well, let's try, anyhow," suggested jackson. they had no difficulty in making their way back to the spot where they had first seen the queer marks. but from then on their task was not so easy. for sandy or bare patches of earth were not frequent, and they had to depend on these to give them direction, for the road was overgrown and not well defined. often they would search about for some time after leaving one patch of the marks before they found another that would justify them in keeping on. "they have headquarters, or a rendezvous, somewhere back in this lot!" declared tom, as they hurried on. "i think we're on the track of a mystery." "unless it turns out that some farmer has treated himself to an auto with new tires of square tread, and is hauling wood," said jackson. "it may turn out that way." "yes, it may," agreed tom. "but, taking everything into consideration, i think we're on the verge of finding out something. even if we do discover that the owner of this auto is only hauling wood, he may be able to help us to a clew as to the whereabouts of mr. nestor." "how?" "well, maybe he was in his machine on the moor the night the call for help came. he may even have aided to carry mr. nestor away. and if he doesn't know a thing about it--which, of course, is possible--the man who bought these queer tires can tell us who makes them, or who deals in them, and we can find out what autoists around here have their cars equipped with this odd tread." "yes," agreed jackson, "that can be done." and so they kept on, scouting here and there to either side of the half-defined path, until they were far back from the spot where they had left the air scout. "we don't appear to be getting any warmer, as the children say," remarked jackson, as he straightened up and looked about, for his back ached from so much stooping over to look for the odd marks. "we haven't seen anything yet, i'll admit," said tom. "but it won't be dark for another hour or so, and i vote that we keep on." "oh, i wasn't thinking of giving up!" exclaimed jackson. "if there's anything here--at the end of the route, as you might say--we'll find it. only i hope it doesn't turn out to be just a wood pile, from which some farmer has been hauling logs." "that would be a disappointment," assented tom. the day was waning, and they realized that they ought not to spend too much time on what might turn out to be a wild goose chase. they were in a lonely neighborhood, and while they were not at all apprehensive of danger, they felt it would be best to get to shelter before dark. "we'll want to send word to mr. swift that we're all right." "yes," said tom, "i'd like to get to a place where i can telephone to him or mrs. baggert. well, if we don't find something pretty soon we'll have to turn back. i must complete work on the new motor, for if i'm to offer it to uncle sam for air scout purposes, the sooner i can do so the better. things are getting pretty hot over in europe, and if ever the united states needed aircraft on the western front they need them now. i want to help all i can, and i also want to help mary--you understand--miss nestor." "i understand," said jackson simply. "i only hope you can help her. but i'm afraid--this may turn out to be nothing--following these marks, you know." "and yet," said tom slowly, "it would be strange if it was only a coincidence--the two tire marks being the same--the night mr. nestor disappeared and now." and so they kept on, hoping. the half-defined path through the wood-lot led them in a series of turns and twists, and it extended through a dense patch of woods, growing thickly, where it was so dark that it seemed as if night had fallen. "we can't spend much more time here," said tom. "if we don't find something in the next half mile we'll go back and take up the search to-morrow. i'm going to find out what's at the end of this road--even if it's only a wood pile." for ten minutes more the two went on, making sure, by occasional glimpses at the marks, that they were on the right track. then, suddenly, they saw something which made them feel sure they had reached their goal. in a clearing among the trees was a little cabin--a shack of logs--and from the appearance it was deserted. there was not a sign of life around. chapter xxii clews at last for a moment, at sight of the deserted cabin, staring at tom and his friend, as it were, from its hiding place amid the trees, the young inventor and his companion did not move. they just stood looking at the place. "well," said tom, at length, "we found it, didn't we?" "we found something anyhow," agreed jackson. "whether it amounts to anything or not, we've got to see." "come on!" cried tom, impulsively. "i'm going to see what's there." "there doesn't appear to be much of anything," said jackson, as he looked toward the lonely cabin with critical eyes. "i should say that place hadn't been used, even as a chicken coop, in a long while." "we can soon tell!" exclaimed tom, striding forward. "wait just a minute!" cried his companion, catching him by the coat. "don't be in such a hurry." "why not?" asked tom. "there isn't any danger, is there?" "i don't know about that. there's no telling who may be hidden in that cabin, in spite of its deserted appearance. and though there aren't any 'no trespass' signs up, it may be that we wouldn't be welcome. if there are some tramps there, which is possible, they might take a notion to shoot at us first and ask questions as to our peaceable intentions afterward--when it would be too late." "nonsense!" exclaimed tom. "there aren't any tramps there and, if there were, they wouldn't dare shoot. i'm going to see what the mystery is--if there is one." but there was no sign of life, and, taking this as an indication that their advance would not be disputed, jackson followed tom. the latter advanced until he could take in all the details of the shack. it was made of logs, and once had been chinked with mud or clay. some of this had fallen out, leaving spaces between the tree trunks. "it wasn't a bad little shack at one time," decided tom. "maybe it was a place where some one camped out during the summer. but it hasn't been used of late. i never knew there was such a place around here, and i thought i knew this locality pretty well." "i never heard of it, either," said jackson. "let's give a shout and see if there's any one around. they may be asleep. hello, there!" he called in sufficiently vigorous tones to have awakened an ordinary sleeper. put there was no answer, and as the shadows of the night began to fall, the place took on a most lonely aspect. "let's go up and knock--or go in if the door's open," suggested tom. "we can't lose any more time, if we're to get out of here before night." "go ahead," said jackson, and together they went to the cabin door. "locked!" exclaimed tom, as he saw a padlock attached to a chain. it appeared to be fastened through two staples, driven one into the door and the other into the jamb, at right angles to one another and overlapping. "knock!" suggested jackson. but when tom had done so, and there was no answer, the machinist took hold of the lock. to his own surprise and that of tom, one of the staples pulled out and the door swung open. the place had evidently been forced before, and the lock had not been opened by a key. the staple had been pulled out and replaced loosely in the holes. for a moment nothing could be made out in the dark interior of the shack. but as their eyes became used to the gloom, tom and his companion were able to see that the shack consisted of two rooms. in the first one there was a rusty stove, a table, and some chairs, and it was evident, from pans and skillets hanging on the wall, as well as from a small cupboard built on one side, that this was the kitchen and living room combined. "anybody here?" cried tom, as he stepped inside. only a dull echo answered. the two could now see where a door gave entrance to an inner room, and this, a quick glance showed, was the sleeping apartment, two bunks being built on the side walls. "well, somebody had it pretty comfortable here," decided tom, as he looked around. "they've been cooking and sleeping here, and not so very long ago, either. it wouldn't be such a bad place if it was cleaned out." "that's right," agreed jackson. "wouldn't mind camping here myself, if there was any fishing near." "the river can't be far away," suggested tom. "and now let's see what we can find, and see if we can get a line on who has been here. but first we'll let in a little light." he opened a window in the sleeping room, and pushed back the heavy plank shutter that had been closed. when the light entered it was seen that both bunks bore evidence of having been lately slept in. the blankets were tossed back, as if the occupants had risen, and in the outer room, on the stove, were signs that indicated a meal had been served not many days gone by. "now," observed tom musingly, as he wandered about the place, "if we could only find out who owns this, and who has been here lately--" jackson stooped over, and, thrusting aside an end of the blankets that trailed on the floor from one of the bunks, picked up something. "what is it?" asked tom. "looks like a leather pocketbook," was the answer. "that's what it is," the mechanic went on, as he held the object to the light. "it's a wallet." "let me see it!" exclaimed tom quickly. he took the wallet from the hands of jackson. then the young inventor uttered a cry. "a clew at last!" he exclaimed. "a clew at last! mr. nestor has been in this cabin!" "how do you know?" asked jackson quickly. "this is his wallet," said tom excitedly. "i've often seen him have it. in fact he had it with him on earthquake island, the time i sent the wireless message for help. i saw it several times then. he kept in it what few papers he had saved from the wreck. and i've seen it often enough since. that's mr. nestor's wallet all right. besides, if you want any other evidence--look!" he opened the leather flaps and showed jackson on one, stamped in gold letters, the name of mary's father. "well, what do you make of it, tom?" asked the mechanician, as he finished his examination of the wallet. "what does it mean? the pocket-book is empty and that--" "might mean almost anything," completed tom. "but it's a clew all right! he's been here, and i'm pretty certain he was brought here in the auto with the odd tires--the one mr. damon and i saw traces of the night we heard the cries for help." "but that doesn't help us now," said jackson. "the point is to find out how lately mr. nestor was here, and what has happened to him since. there isn't anything in the wallet, is there?" "nothing," answered tom, making a careful examination so as to be sure. "it's as empty as a last year's bird nest. he's been robbed--that's what has happened to mr. nestor. he was waylaid that night, instead of being run down as i thought--waylaid and robbed and then his body was brought here." "there you go again, tom! jumping to conclusions!" said jackson, with a friendly smile, and with the familiarity of an old and valued helper. "maybe he's in perfectly good health. just because you found his empty wallet doesn't argue that your friend is in serious trouble. he may have dropped this on the road and some one picked it up. i'll admit they may have taken whatever was in it, but that doesn't prove anything. the thing for us to do is to find out who knows about this shack; who owns it, on whose land it is, and whether any one has been seen here lately." "they've been here lately whether they've been seen or not," said tom positively. "there are the auto tracks. it rained two days ago, and the tracks were made since. mr. nestor must have been here within two days." "he may or may not," said jackson. "say, rather, that some one was here and left his wallet after him. now see if we can find other clews!" they looked about in the fast fading light, but at first could discover nothing more than evidences that three or four persons had been living in the shack and at some recent date--probably within a day or two. they had had their meals there and had slept there. but this seemed to be all that could be established, other than that mr. nestor's wallet was there, stripped of its contents. tom was looking through the closet, from which a frightened chipmunk sprang as he opened the door. there were the remains of some food, which accounted for the presence of the little striped animal. and, as tom poked about, his hand came in contact with something wrapped in paper on an upper shelf. it was something that clinked metallicly. "what's that?" asked jackson. "knives, or some other weapons?" "neither," answered tom. "it's a couple of files, and they've been used lately. i can see something in the grooves yet and--" suddenly tom ceased speaking and drew from his pocket a small but powerful magnifying glass. through this he looked at one of the files, taking it out in front of the shack where the light was better. "i thought so!" he cried. "look here, jackson!" "what is it?" "another clew!" answered tom. chapter xxiii the government test for a moment jackson thought tom had discovered a clew to, or evidences of, some crime. he had an unpleasant suspicion, for an instant, that there was blood on the files, and that it might prove to be the blood of mr. nestor. but the satisfaction that showed on tom's face did not seem to indicate such dire possibilities as these. "what is it?" asked jackson, unable to guess at what tom was looking through the powerful glass. "what do you see?" "metal filings on the grooves of these files," said the young inventor. "and, unless i'm greatly mistaken, the particles of filings are from the case of my aircraft silencer!" "what!" cried the machinist. "do you mean those are the files used in weakening the outer case of your new machine, so that it burst a little while ago?" "that's what i think," answered tom. "i know it sounds pretty far-fetched," he went on. "but take a look for yourself. if those particles on, the files aren't exactly of the same color and texture as the material of which the silencer case is made, i'll never build another machine." jackson peered through the powerful glass moving out a little farther from the shack, so as to get the best light possible on the subject of his examination. it was fast getting dark, but there was enough glow in the western sky for his purpose. "am i right?" asked tom. "you're right!" declared his helper. "this is exactly the same metal as that of which your silencer case is made. it's a peculiar mixture of aluminum and vanadium steel. i never knew it used in any shop but yours, and these filings are certainly of that metal. it would seem, tom, that these were the files used to cut a crease in the case of your silencer to weaken it so it would burst." "my idea exactly!" cried tom. "the spy, who got into my shop in some undiscovered manner, did his work and then fled here to hide. he left his files behind. mr. nestor must have been here, either before or after. no, i'll not say that, either. finding his wallet here doesn't prove that he was here. it might have been brought here by one of the spies and dropped. but i'm sure we're on the track of the men who damaged my airship, as well as those who know something of the mystery of mr. nestor." "i agree with you," said jackson. "of course there's a possibility that the same peculiar metal you used in your silencer case may have been used in some other machine shop, and these files may have come from there, and have been employed in perfectly regular work. but the chances are--" "there's only one way to make sure," said tom. "let's take the files with us and see if they fit in the grooves where the break came. we'll take these back to where we left the air scout," and he clinked the files he held. "we can just about make it before it gets black dark," returned jackson. "but that won't give us any more time to look around here," and he indicated the hut. "i fancy we've seen all there is to see here," said tom. "mr. nestor isn't here, and whether he was or not is a question. anyhow, some one was here who had something to do with him after his disappearance, i'm positive of that. and i'm sure some one was here who damaged my airship. now we'll run down both those clews, find out who owns this place, who has been using it, and all we can along that line. so, if you're ready, let's travel." the two set out to make their way back to where they had left the stranded airship. it was fast becoming dark, but they could hurry along with more speed now, as they did not have to stop to look for the marks of the peculiar automobile tires. they had noticed the path along which they had traveled, and in half the time they had spent coming they were back where the air scout rested undisturbed in the meadow amid the trees. making sure that, as far as they could tell, no one had visited the craft since they had left it, tom and jackson compared the file marks on what was left of the broken silencer case with the files they had found in the hut. they used a small, but powerful electric lamp to aid them in this examination, as it was too dark to see otherwise, and what they saw caused the young inventor to exclaim: "that settles it! these were the files used!" "that's right!" agreed his assistant. "you've called the turn, tom. the next thing to do is to find who connects with the files." "yes. to do that and find mr. nestor," said tom. "we have plenty of work ahead of us. but let's get nearer civilization and send some word to the folks at home. they'll be getting worried." "it doesn't seem as if there was a way out of here without using an airship," remarked jackson. but he and tom finally reached the seldom-used road which ran along the field that contained the lonely shack, and, following this, they reached a farmhouse about a mile farther on. greatly to their relief, there was a telephone in the place. true it was only a party line, set up by some neighboring farmers for their own private use, but one of the subscribers, to whose home the private line ran, had a long distance instrument, and after a talk with him, this man promised tom to call up mr. swift and acquaint him with the fact that his son and jackson were all right, and would be home later. "and now," said tom, after thanking their temporary host, a farmer named bloise, "can you tell us anything about an old cabin that stands back there?" and he indicated the location of the mysterious shack. "well, yes, i can tell you a little about it, but not very much," said mr. bloise. "it was built, some years ago, by a rich new yorker, who bought up a lot of land around here for a game preserve. but it didn't pan out. this cabin was only the start of what he was going to call a 'hunting lodge,' i believe it was. there was to be a big building on the same order, but it never was built. "some say the fellow lost all his money in wall street, and others say the state wouldn't let him make a game preserve here. however it was, the thing petered out, and the old shack hasn't been used since." "oh, yes, it has!" exclaimed tom. "we just came from there, and there are signs which show some one has been sleeping there and eating there." "there has!" exclaimed the farmer. "well, i didn't know that." "i did," said his son, a young man about tom's age. "i meant to speak of it the other day. i saw an automobile turn into the old road that the men used when they built the shack. i thought it was kind of queer to see a touring car turn in there, and i meant to speak of it, but i forgot. yes, some one has been at the old cabin lately." "do you know who they are?" asked tom eagerly. "we are looking for a mr. nestor, who disappeared mysteriously about two weeks ago, and i just found his wallet there in the shack!" "you did!" exclaimed mr. bloise. "that's queer! you relatives of this mr. nestor?" he asked. "not exactly," tom answered. "just very close friends." "well, it's too bad about his being missing in that way," went on the farmer. "i read about it in the paper, but i never suspected he was around here." "oh, we're not sure that he was," said tom quickly. "finding his wallet doesn't prove that," and he told the story of his own and jackson's appearance on the scene, to the no small wonder of the farmer and his family. tom said nothing about the finding of the files, nor the evidence he deduced from them. that was another matter to be taken up later. "who were in the auto you saw?" asked tom of the farmer's son. "was mr. nestor in the car?" "i couldn't be sure of that. there were two men in the machine, and they were both strangers to me. they were talking together, pretty earnestly, it seemed to me." "one did not appear as if he was being taken away against his will, did he?" asked tom. "no, i can't say that he did," was the answers "they looked to me, and acted like, business men looking over land, or something like that. they just turned in on the road that leads to the old hunting cabin, as we call it around here, and didn't pay any attention to me. then i forgot all about them." "neither of them could have been mr. nestor," decided tom. "at least it doesn't seem as if he'd talk at all companionably to a man who had treated him as we think mr. nestor has been treated. i guess that clew isn't going to amount to much." "it may!" insisted jackson. "they may have had mr. nestor in the car all the while--concealed in the back you know. we've got to find out more about these men and their auto, tom." "well, yes, perhaps we have. but how?" "station some one at the shack, or at the beginning of the private road. the men may come back." "that's so--they may. we'll do that!" cried the young inventor. "we must tell the police and mr. nestor's folks what we have learned. how can we get back to shopton in a hurry?" he asked the farmer. "well, i can drive you to the railroad station," was the answer. "thank you," remarked tom. "we'll accept your offer. and as soon as we get back we must send some one from the shop to stand guard over the airship," he added in an aside to jackson. "those file fellows may come back." "that's so, we can't take any chances." the farmer soon had his team at the door, and, after they had had a hasty but satisfying supper at the farmhouse, the son drove tom and jackson several miles to a railroad station, where they could catch a train for shopton. in due season tom's home was reached. he intended to stop but a minute, to assure his father that everything was all right, and then get out his speedy runabout to go to see mary, to tell her the news. but when tom sought his father in the library, he was told that there was a visitor in the house. "tom," said his father, "this gentleman is from washington. he wants to arrange for a government test of your silent airship. i told him i thought you were about ready for it." "a government test!" cried tom. "why, i didn't think the government even knew i was working on such an idea!" tom was greatly surprised. chapter xxiv in the moonlight with a reassuring smile the visitor from washington looked at tom swift. "the government officials," he said, "know more than some people give them credit for--especially in these war times. our intelligence bureau and secret service has been much enlarged of late. but don't be alarmed, mr. swift," went on the caller, whose name was mr. blair terrill. "your secret is safe with the government, but i think the time is ripe to use it now--that is, if you have perfected it to a point where we can use it." "yes," answered tom slowly, "the invention is practically finished and it is a success, except for a few minor matters that will not take long to complete. "our accident this afternoon had nothing to do with the efficiency of the silencer," tom went on. "it was deliberately damaged by some spy. i'll take that up later. that i am interested to know how you heard of my air scout, as i call it." "well, we have agents, you know, watching all the inventors who have helped us in times past, and we haven't forgotten your giant cannon or big searchlight. i might say, to end your curiosity and lull your suspicions, that your friend, ned newton, who has been doing such good liberty bond work, informed us of your progress on the silent motor." "oh, so it was ned!" exclaimed tom. "yes. he told us the time was about ripe for us to make you an offer for your machine. i think we can use it to great advantage in scout work on the western front," went on the agent, and he soon convinced tom that when it came to a knowledge of airships, he had some very pertinent facts at his disposal. "when can you give me a test?" mr. terrill asked tom. "as soon as i can get my craft back to the shop and fit on a new outer case. that won't take long, as i have some spare ones. but i must help the nestors," he went on, speaking to his father. "i didn't mention it over the wire," he added, "but we've found in the cabin a clew to the missing man. i must tell mary and her mother, and help them all i can." "and allow me to help, too," begged mr. terrill. "since this affects you, mr. swift, and since you are, in a way, working for uncle sam, you must let him help you. this is the first i have heard of the missing gentleman, of whom your father just told me something, but you must allow me to help search for him. i will get the united states secret service at work." "that will be fine!" cried tom. "i wanted to get their aid, but i didn't see how i could, as i knew they were too busy with army matters and tracing seditious alien enemies, to bother with private cases. i'm sure the secret service men can get trace of the persons responsible for the detention of mr. nestor, wherever he is." "they'll do their best," said mr. terrill. "i'm a member of that body," he went on, "and i'll give my personal attention to the matter." then followed a busy time. tom did not get to bed until nearly morning. for he had to arrange to send some of his men to guard the stranded airship, and then he went to see mary and her mother, taking them the good news that the search for mr. nestor would be prosecuted with unprecedented vigor. "if it isn't too late!" sadly said the missing man's wife. "oh, i'm sure it isn't!" declared tom. in addition to sending a guard to the airship, other men, some of them hastily summoned from the nearest federal agency, were sent to keep watch in the vicinity of the lonely cabin. they had orders to arrest whoever approached, and a relay of the men was provided, so that watch could be kept up night and day. besides this, other men from the secret service began scouring the country around the locality of the cabin, seeking a trace of the two persons the farmer's son had seen in the automobile. "if mr. nestor is to be found, they'll find him!" declared tom swift. mr. damon, as might be expected, was very much excited and wrought up over all these happenings. "bless my watch chain, tom swift!" cried the eccentric man, "but something is always happening to you. and to think i wasn't along when this latest happened!" "well, you can be in at the finish," promised tom, and it was strange how his promise was fulfilled. meanwhile there was much to do. during the time the secret service men were busy looking up clews which might lead to the finding of mr. nestor and keeping watch in the vicinity of the hut, tom had his airship brought back to the hangar, and a new silencer was attached. while this work was going on the place was guarded night and day by responsible men, so there was no chance for an enemy spy to get in and do further damage. an investigation was made of the universal flying machine company, but nothing could be proved to link them with the outrage. gale and ware were in europe--ostensibly on government business, but it was said that if anything could be proved connecting them with the attempt made on tom swift's craft, they would be deprived of all official contracts and punished. all this took time, and the waits were wearisome, particularly in the case of mr. nestor. no further trace of him was found, though every effort was made. tom began to feel that his boast of his enemies having to get up early in the morning to get ahead of him, had been premature, to say the least. tom swift worked hard on his new air scout. he determined there would be nothing lacking when it came to the government test, and not only did he make sure that no enemy could tamper with his machine, but he took pains to see that no inherent defect would mar the test. jackson and the other men helped to the best of their ability, and mr. swift suggested some improvements which were incorporated in the new machine. one of the puzzles the secret service men had to solve was that of the connection, if any, between the men who had to do with the missing mr. nestor and those who had damaged tom's airship by filing the muffler case so it was weakened and burst. that there was some connection tom was certain, but he could not work it out, nor, so far, had the government men. at last the day came when the big government test was to be made. tom had completed his air scout and had refined it to a point where even his critical judgment was satisfied. all that remained now was to give mr. terrill a chance to see how silently the big craft could fly, and to this end a flight was arranged. tom had put the silencer on a larger machine than the one he and jackson had used. it held three easily, and, on a pinch, four could be carried. tom's plan was to take mr. damon and mr. terrill, fly with them for some time in the air, and demonstrate how quiet his new craft was. then, by contrast, a machine without the muffler and the new motor with its improved propellers would be flown, making as much noise as the usual craft did. "i only wish," said tom, as the time arrived for the official government test, "that mary could be here to see it. she was the one who really started me on this idea, so to speak, as it was because i couldn't talk to her that i decided to get up a silent motor." but mary nestor was too grief-stricken over her missing father to come to the test, which was to take place late one afternoon, starting from the aerodrome of the swift plant. "first," said tom, to mr. terrill, "i'll show you how the machine works on the ground. i'll run the motor while the plane is held down by means of ropes and blocks. then we'll go up in it." "that suits me," said the agent. "if it does all you say it will do, and as much as i believe it will do, uncle sam will be your debtor, mr. swift." "well, we'll see," said tom with a smile. preparations were made with the greatest care, and tom went over every detail of the machine twice to make certain that, in spite of the precautions, no spy had done any hidden damage, that might be manifested at an inopportune moment. but everything seemed all right, and, finally, the motor was started, while mr. terrill, and some of his colleagues from the army aviation department looked on. "contact!" cried tom, as jackson indicated that the compression had been made. the mechanic nodded, gave the big propeller blades a quarter turn and jumped back. in an instant the motor was operating, and the craft would have leaped forward and cleaved the air but for the holding ropes and blocks. tom speeded the machinery up to almost the last notch, but those in the aerodrome hardly heard a sound. it was as though some great, silent dynamo were working. "fine!" "wonderful!" "wouldn't have believed it possible!" these were some of the comments of the government inspectors. "and now for the final test--that in the air," said mr. terrill. previous to this he and his colleagues had made a minute examination of the machinery, and had been shown the interior construction of the silencer by means of one built so that a sectional view could be had. tom's principles were pronounced fundamental and simple. "so simple, in fact, that it is a wonder no one thought of it before," said a navy aviation expert. "it is the last word in aircraft construction--a silent motor that will not apprise the enemy of its approach! you have done wonders, mr. swift!" "i'd rather hear you say that after the air test," replied tom, with a laugh. "are you ready, mr. terrill?" "whenever you are." "how about you, mr. damon?" "oh, i'm always ready to go with you, tom swift. bless my trench helmet, but you can't sail any too soon for me!" there was a genial laugh at his impetuosity, and the three took their seats in the big craft. once more the engine was started. it operated as silently as before, and the first good impressions were confirmed. even as the machine moved along the ground, just previous to taking flight into the air, there was no noise, save the slight crunch made by the wheels. this, of course, would be obviated when silent sam was aloft. up and up soared the great craft, with tom at the engine and guide controls, while mr. terrill and mr. damon sat behind him, both eagerly watching. mr. terrill was there to find fault if he could, but he was glad he did not have to. "the machine works perfectly, mr. swift," he said. "my report cannot be otherwise than favorable." "we mustn't be in too much of a hurry," said tom, who had learned caution some time ago. "i want to sail around for several hours. sometimes a machine will work well at first, but defects will develop when it is overheated. i'm going to do my best to make a noise with this new motor." but it seemed impossible. the machinery worked perfectly, and though silent sam took his passengers high and low, in big circles and small ones, there was no appreciable noise from the motor. the passengers could converse as easily, and with as little effort, as in a balloon. "of course that isn't the prime requisite," said mr. terrill, "but it is a good one. what we want is a machine that can sail over the enemy's lines at night without being heard, and i think this one will do it--in fact, i'm sure it will. of course the ability of the passengers to converse and not have to use the uncertain tube is a great advantage." as tom swift sailed on and on, it became evident that the test was going to be a success. the afternoon passed, and it began to grow dark, but a glorious full moon came up. "shall i take you down?" the young inventor asked mr. terrill. "not quite yet. i thoroughly enjoy this, and it isn't often i get a chance for a moonlight airship ride. go a little lower, if you please, and we'll see if we attract any attention from the inhabitants of the earth. we'll see if they can possibly hear the machine, though i don't see how they can." and they did not. tom piloted the machine over shopton, sailing directly over the center of the town, where there was a big crowd walking about. though the airship sailed only a few hundred feet above their heads, not a person was aware of it, since the craft's lights were put out for this test. "that settles it," said mr. terrill. "you have succeeded, tom swift!" but tom was not yet satisfied. he wanted a longer test. hardly knowing why he did it he sent the craft in the direction of mary nestor's home. as he sailed across her lawn he saw, in the moonlight, that she and her mother were walking in the garden. they did not look up as the aircraft passed over their heads, and were totally unaware of its presence, unless they caught a glimpse of it as it flitted silently along, like some great bird of the night. "it is perfectly wonderful!" declared mr. terrill, and he spoke in ordinary tones, that carried perfectly to the ears of tom and mr. damon. "wonderful!" cried the eccentric man. "bless my chimney, but it's the greatest invention in the world! yes, it is! don't tell me it 'isn't!" and no one did. passing the nestor home, the saddened occupants of which were unaware of the passage, tom sent the air scout about in a circle, intending to proceed to the hangar. and then, some whim, perhaps, caused him to guide silent sam out toward the lonely hut. mr. damon and mr. tenrill seemed perfectly content to sail on and on indefinitely in the moonlight. tom thought he would take them over a lonely neighborhood, and then bring them back. in a little while the craft was directly over the stretch of country where the aeroplane accident had occurred, and where tom and jackson had found the deserted hut. rather idly tom looked down, wondering if the secret service men were on the watch and if they had discovered anything. suddenly tom was aware of an automobile moving along the field path toward the cabin. there were two men in the car, both on the front seat, and as tom looked down the brilliant moonlight showed him the figure of another man, behind, and huddled in the tonneau of the car. the aeroplane was low enough for all these details to be seen by the moon's gleam, but the men in the car, not hearing any noise, did not look up, so they were unconscious of this aerial espionage. "look! look!" exclaimed tom in a low voice to his companions. "doesn't that seem suspicious?" chapter xxv the gold tooth eagerly mr. damon and the government agent leaned over and looked down. in the moonlight they saw the same sight that had attracted tom swift. the touring car, the two men in front, and the huddled, bound figure in the back. "can you go down, tom, without letting them hear you?" asked mr. damon, using a low voice, as if fearful the men in the automobile would hear him. "i guess so," answered the young inventor. "i can land nearer to the cabin than jackson and i did, and then we can see what these fellows are up to. it looks suspicious to me. that is, unless they're some of the secret service men, and have made a capture," he added to mr. terrill. "those aren't any of uncle sam's men," declared the agent. "that is, unless the bound one is. i can't see him very well. better go down, and we'll see if we can surprise them." "my plan," voiced tom. quickly he shifted the rudder, and then, shutting off the motor, as he wanted to volplane down, he headed his craft for an open spot that showed in the bright moonlight. by this time the automobile and its occupants were out of sight behind a clump of trees, but tom and his companions felt sure of the destination of the men--the deserted cabin in the wood. as silently as a wisp of grass falling, the big craft came down on a level spot, and then, leaping out, the young inventor and his two companions crept along the path toward the cabin. mr. terrill was armed, tom carried a flashlight, while mr. damon picked up a heavy club. as soon as he came near a place where he thought the marks of the automobile wheels would show, tom flashed his light. "i thought so!" he exclaimed, as he saw the square, knobby tread marks left by the tires. "it's the same gang, or some of them in the same car. if we can only capture them!" "the secret service men ought to do that," returned mr. terrill, but, as it developed later, they were not on hand, though through no fault of theirs. on and on crept tom and the two men, until they came within sight of the cabin. they saw a light gleaming in it, and tom whispered: "now we have them! work our way up quietly and make them surrender, if we find they're what we think." "is there a rear door?" asked mr. terrill in a whisper. tom answered in the negative, and then all three, in fan shape, crept up to the front portal. it was open, and silently reaching a place where they could make an observation, tom and his companions looked in. what they saw filled them with wild and righteous rage, and brought to an end the mystery of the disappearance of mr. nestor. for there he sat, bound in a chair, and at a table in front of him were two forbidding-looking men. "what do you intend to do now?" asked mr. nestor in a faint voice. "i cannot stand this captivity much longer. you admit that you don't want me--that you never wanted me--so why do you keep me a prisoner? it cannot do the least good." "there's no use going over that again!" exclaimed the harsh voice of one of the men. "we told you that if you will promise to keep still about what happened to you, and not to give the police any information about us, we'll let you go gladly. we don't want you. it was all a mistake, capturing you. you were the wrong man. but we're not going to let you go and have you set the police on us as soon as you get a chance. give us your promise to say nothing, and we'll let you join your friends. if you don't--" "make no promises, mr. nestor!" cried tom swift in a ringing voice, as he leaped from his hiding place, followed by his companions. "your friends are here, and you can tell them everything!" "up with 'em!" called mr. terrill to the two conspirators as he confronted them with his automatic pistol ready for firing. he had no need to mention hands--they knew what he meant and took the characteristic attitude. "tom! tom swift!" cried mr. nestor, struggling ineffectually at his bonds. "is it really you?" "well, i hope it isn't any imitation," was the grim answer. "we'll tell you all about it later. jove, but i'm glad we found you! if it hadn't been for silent sam we might never have been able to." "well, i don't know who silent sam is," said mr. nestor faintly. "but i'm sure i'm much obliged to him and your other friends. it has been very hard. tell me, are my wife and mary all right?" "in good health, yes, but, of course, worrying," said tom. "we saw them in the garden a little while ago. now don't talk until i set you free." and as tom cut the ropes from mr. nestor, mr. damon used them to bind the two conspirators, while mr. terrill stood guard over them. and when they were safely bound, and mr. nestor had somewhat recovered from the shock, tom had a chance to examine the prisoners. "what does it all mean? who are you fellows, anyhow, and what's your game?" he demanded. "guess it--since you're so smart!" snapped one. and no sooner had he opened his mouth and tom had a glance of something gleaming brightly yellow, than the young inventor cried: "the gold tooth! so it's you again, is it, you spy?" the man shrugged his shoulders with an assumption of indifference. and, as tom took a closer look, he became aware that the man was surely none other than lydane, the spy he had chased into the mud puddle some weeks before. his companion was a stranger to tom. "what does it all mean, mr. nestor?" asked tom. "have these men held you a prisoner ever since you called for help on the moor that night?" "yes, tom, they have. and i did call for help after they attacked me as i was riding my wheel, but i didn't know any one heard me. i began to be afraid no one would ever help me." "we've been trying to, a long time," said mr. damon, "but we couldn't find you. where did they keep you?" "here, part of the time," was mr. nestor's answer. "and in other lonely houses. they bound and gagged me when they took me from place to place." "but what was their object?" asked tom, concluding it was useless to question the two captives. "why did they make you a prisoner, mr. nestor?" "because they took me for you, tom." "for me?" "yes. the night i called at your house, and found you were not at home, i put back in my pocket a bundle of papers i had brought over to show you. they were plans of a little kitchen appliance a friend of mine had invented, and i wanted to ask your opinion of it." "these scoundrels must have followed me, or have seen the bundle of papers, and, mistaking me for you, they followed, attacked me in a lonely spot and, bundling me and my wrecked wheel into an auto, carried me off. they first demanded that i gave up the 'plans,' and when i wouldn't they choked off my cries for help and knocked me into unconsciousness. then they brought me here, and kept me here for several days. "they soon learned that the plans i had weren't those they wanted, though what they were then after i couldn't imagine. only, from what i later overheard, i knew they mistook me for you and that they were bitterly disappointed in not getting plans of some new airship you were working on. they have kept me a prisoner ever since, and though they offered to let me go if i would keep silent, i refused. i did not think, to secure my own comfort, i should let such men go unpunished if i could bring about their arrest." "i should say not!" cried tom. "did they treat you brutally, mr. nestor?" asked mr. damon. "not after they found out who i was, by looking through my wallet. of course they didn't behave very decently, but they weren't actually cruel, except that they bound and gagged me. oh, but i'm glad you came, tom! how did it happen?" then they told mr. nestor their story, and how the test of the new air scout had led to his rescue. "but where are the secret service men?" asked mr. terrill, when it became evident that none them was on guard at the cabin. later it developed that, by following a false clew, the secret service men had been drawn miles away from the cabin. and only that tom and his companions in the silent airship saw the men. mr. nestor might not have been rescued for some further time. his version of what had happened was correct. he had been mistaken for tom, and the spy with the gold tooth and his accomplice had waylaid mary's father, under the belief that it was tom swift with the plans of the new silent motor. mr. nestor had been attacked while riding his wheel in a lonely place, and had been carried off and kept in hiding, a prisoner even after his identity became known. "well, this is a good night's work!" exclaimed tom, when the two rogues had been sent to jail and mr. nestor taken to the bloise farmhouse, to be refreshed before he went home. word of his rescue was telephoned to mary and her mother, and it can be imagined how they regarded tom swift for his part in the affair. little the worse for his experience, save that he was very nervous, mr. nestor was taken home. he gave the details of his being waylaid, and told how the men, for many days, were at their wits' ends to keep him concealed when they found what a stir his disappearance had created. the conspirators were well supplied with money, and in the automobile they took their prisoner from one place to another. they had usurped the use of the cabin and had lived there nearly a week in hiding, leaving just before the first visit of tom and jackson. the rifled wallet had been dropped by accident. and it did not take much delving to disclose the fact that, lydane, "gold tooth," as he was called, and his crony, were spies in the pay of the universal flying machine company. as the men went under several aliases there is no need of giving their names. it is to be doubted if they ever used their real ones--or if they had any. of course, there was quite a sensation when mr. nestor was found, and a greater one when it became known the part the universal flying machine people had in his disappearance in mistake for tom. the officials of the company were indicted, and several of the minor ones sent to jail but gale and ware escaped by remaining abroad. it came out that they both knew of the acts of lydane and his companion in crime, and that the two officials realized the mistake that had been made by their clumsy operatives. it was believed that this knowledge led to the visit of gale to tom, the time the latter's suspicions were first aroused. gale made a clumsy attempt to clear his own skirts of the conspiracy, but in vain, though he did escape his just punishment. what had happened, in brief, was this. gale and ware, unable to secure tom's services, even by the offer of a large sum of money, had stooped to the sending of spies to his shop, to get possession of information about his silent motor. this was after gale had, by accident, heard tom speaking of it to mr. damon. but, thanks to tom's vigilance, bower was discovered. the man tripped into the mud hole lost in the muck the plans bower passed to him. they were never recovered. then lydane tried again. he managed, through bribery, to gain access to the hangar where the new silent machine was kept, and, unable to get the silencer apart, tried to file it. in doing so he weakened it so that it burst. the attempt to waylay tom, and so get the plans from him, had been tried before this, only a mistake had been made, and mr. nestor was caught instead. finding out their error, lydane and his companions did not tell the universal people of their mistake, though gale and ware knew the attempt was to be made against tom swift. later, hearing that the young inventor was still at work on his invention, gale was much surprised, and paid his queer visit, in an attempt to repudiate the actions of lydane. at this time it was assumed that gale and his partner did not know that it was mr. nestor who had been kidnapped by mistake or they might have insisted on his release. as it was, lydane had mary's father, and was afraid to let him go, though really their prisoner became a white elephant on the hands of the conspirators and kidnappers. and it was after all this was cleared up, and mr. nestor restored to his family and friends, that one day, tom swift received another visit from mr. terrill, the government agent. "well, mr. swift," was the genial greeting, "i have come to tell you that the favorable report made by my friends and myself as to the performance of your noiseless motor, has been accepted by the war department, and i have come to ask what your terms are. for how much will you sell your patent to the united states?" tom swift arose. "the united states hasn't money enough to buy my patent of a noiseless motor," he said. "wha--what!" faltered mr. terrill. "why, i understood--you don't mean--they told me you were rather patriotic, and--" "i hope i am patriotic!" interrupted tom with a smile. "and when i say that the united states hasn't money enough to buy my latest invention i mean just that." "my air scout is not for sale!" "you mean," faltered the government agent. "you say--" "i mean," went on tom, "that silent sam is for uncle sam without one cent of cost! my father and i take great pleasure in presenting such machines as are already manufactured, those in process of making, and the entire patents, and all other rights, to the government for the winning of the war!" "oh!" said mr. terrill in rather a strange voice. "oh!" and that was all he could say for a little while. but tom swift reckoned without a knowledge of a peculiar law which prohibits the united states from accepting gifts totally without compensation, and so, in due season, the young inventor received a check for the sum of one dollar in full payment for his silent motor, and the patent rights thereto. and tom has that check framed, and hanging over his desk. and so the silent motor became an accomplished fact and a great success. those of you who have read of its work against the boches, and how it helped uncle sam to gain the mastery of the sky, need not be reminded of this. by it many surprise attacks were made, and much valuable information was obtained that otherwise could not have been brought in. one day, after the rogues had been sent to prison for long terms, and tom had turned over to his government his silent aircraft--except one which he was induced to keep for his own personal use--the young inventor went to call on mary nestor. the object of his call, as i believe he stated it, was to see how mr. nestor was, but that, of course, was camouflage. "would you like to come for a ride, mary, in the silent airship?" asked tom, after he had paid his respects to mr. nestor and his wife. "we can talk very easily on board silent sam without the use of a speaking tube. come on--we'll go for a moonlight sky ride." "it sounds enticing," said mary, with a shy look at tom. "but wouldn't you just as soon sit on a bench in the garden? it's moonlight there, and we can talk, and--and--" "i'd just as soon!" said tom quickly. and out they went into the beautiful moonlight; and here we will leave them and say good-bye. the end ---------------------------------------------------------------- the tom swift series by victor appleton these spirited tales convey in a realistic way, the wonderful advances in land and sea locomotion. stories like these are impressed upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good. tom swift and his motor cycle tom swift and his motor boat tom swift and his airship tom swift and his submarine boat tom swift and his electric runabout tom swift and his wireless message tom swift among the diamond makers tom swift in the caves of ice tom swift and his sky racer tom swift and his electric rifle tom swift in the city of gold tom swift and his air glider tom swift in captivity tom swift and his wizard camera tom swift and his great searchlight tom swift and his giant cannon tom swift and his photo telephone tom swift and his aerial warship tom swift and his big tunnel tom swift in the land of wonders tom swift and his war tank tom swift and his air scout tom swift and his undersea search tom swift among the fire fighters tom swift and his electric locomotive six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of "the bobbsey twins books," "the bunny brown series," "the make-believe series," etc. delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa fords six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's the moving picture boys series the moving picture boys the moving picture boys in the west the moving picture boys on the coast the moving picture boys in the jungle the moving picture boys in earthquake land the moving picture boys and the flood the moving picture boys at panama the moving picture boys under the sea the moving picture boys on the war front the motion picture chums series the motion picture chums' first venture the motion picture chums at seaside park the motion picture chums on broadway the motion picture chums' outdoor exhibition the motion picture chums' new idea the motion picture chums at the fair the motion picture chums' war spectacle aeroplanes and dirigibles of war by frederick a. talbot preface ever since the earliest days of the great conquest of the air, first by the dirigible balloon and then by the aeroplane, their use in time of war has been a fruitful theme for discussion. but their arrival was of too recent a date, their many utilities too unexplored to provide anything other than theories, many obviously untenable, others avowedly problematical. yet the part airships have played in the greatest war has come as a surprise even to their most convinced advocates. for every expectation shattered, they have shown a more than compensating possibility of usefulness. in this volume an endeavour has been made to record their achievements, under the stern test of trial, as an axiom of war, and to explain, in untechnical language, the many services to which they have been and may be applied. in the preparation of the work i have received assistance from many sources--british, french, russian and german--from official reports and from men who have played a part in the war in the air. the information concerning german military aircraft has been obtained from government documents, most of which were placed at my disposal before the outbreak of war. the use of aircraft has changed the whole art and science of warfare. with its disabilities well in hand, with its strength but half revealed, the aerial service has revolutionised strategy and shorn the unexpected attack of half its terrors. the fourth arm is now an invaluable part of the complex military machine. f. a. talbot. contents chapter i. the introduction of aircraft into military operations ii. the military uses of the captive balloon iii. germany's rise to military airship supremacy iv. airships of war v. germany's aerial dreadnought fleet vi. the military value of germany's aerial fleet vii. aeroplanes of war viii. scouting from the skies ix. the airman and artillery x. bomb-throwing from air-craft xi. armoured aeroplanes xii. battles in the air xiii. tricks and ruses to baffle the airman xiv. anti-aircraft guns. mobile weapons xv. anti-aircraft guns. immobile weapons xvi. mining the air xvii. wireless in aviation xviii. aircraft and naval operations xix. the navies of the air chapter i. the introduction of aircraft into military operations it is a curious circumstance that an invention, which is hailed as being one of the greatest achievements ever recorded in the march of civilisation, should be devoted essentially to the maiming of humanity and the destruction of property. in no other trend of human endeavour is this factor so potently demonstrated as in connection with man's conquest of the air. the dogged struggle against the blind forces of nature was waged tenaciously and perseveringly for centuries. but the measure of success recorded from time to time was so disappointing as to convey the impression, except in a limited circle, that the problem was impossible of solution. in the meantime wondrous changes had taken place in the methods of transportation by land and sea. the steam and electric railway, steam propulsion of vessels, and mechanical movement along the highroads had been evolved and advanced to a high standard of perfection, to the untold advantage of the community. consequently it was argued, if only a system of travel along the aerial highways could be established, then all other methods of mechanical transportation would be rendered, if not entirely obsolete, at least antiquated. at last man triumphed over nature--at least to such a degree as to inspire the confidence of the world at large, and to bring aerial travel and transportation within range of realisation. but what has been the result? the discovery is not devoted to the interests of peace and economic development, but to extermination and destruction. at the same time this development may be explained. the airship and aeroplane in the present stage of evolution possess no economic value. true, cross-country cruises by airship have been inaugurated, and, up to a point, have proved popularly, if not commercially, successful, while tentative efforts have been made to utilise the aeroplane as a mail-carrier. still, from the view-point of the community at large aerial travel is as remote as it was centuries ago. it is somewhat interesting to observe how history is repeating itself. when the montgolfiers succeeded in lifting themselves into the air by means of a vessel inflated with hot air, the new vehicle was hailed not so much as one possessed of commercial possibilities, but as an engine of war! when the indomitable courage and perseverance of count von zeppelin in the face of discouraging disasters and flagrant failures, at last commanded the attention of the german emperor, the latter regarded the zeppelin craft, not from the interests of peace, but as a military weapon, and the whole of the subsequent efforts of the imperial admirer were devoted to the perfection of the airship in this one direction. other nations, when they embarked on an identical line of development, considered the airship from a similar point of view. in fact, outside germany, there was very little private initiative in this field. experiments and developments were undertaken by the military or naval, and in some instances by both branches, of the respective powers. consequently the aerial craft, whether it be a dirigible airship, or an aeroplane, can only be regarded from the military point of view. despite the achievements which have been recorded by human endeavour in the field of aerial travel, the balloon per se has by no means been superseded. it still remains an invaluable adjunct to the fighting machine. in great britain its value in this direction has never been ignored: of late, indeed, it has rather been developed. the captive balloon is regarded as an indispensable unit to both field and sea operations. this fact was emphasised very strongly in connection with the british naval attacks upon the german forces in flanders, and it contributed to the discomfiture of the german hordes in a very emphatic manner. the captive balloon may be operated from any spot where facilities exist for anchoring the paying out cable together with winding facilities for the latter. consequently, if exigencies demand, it maybe operated from the deck of a warship so long as the latter is stationary, or even from an automobile. it is of small cubic capacity, inasmuch as it is only necessary for the bag to contain sufficient gas to lift one or two men to a height of about or feet. when used in the field the balloon is generally inflated at the base, to be towed or carried forward by a squad of men while floating in the air, perhaps at a height of feet. a dozen men will suffice for this duty as a rule, and in calm weather little difficulty is encountered in moving from point to point. this method possesses many advantages. the balloon can be inflated with greater ease at the base, where it is immune from interference by hostile fire. moreover, the facilities for obtaining the requisite inflating agent--hydrogen or coal gas--are more convenient at such a point. if the base be far removed from the spot at which it is desired to operate the balloon, the latter is inflated at a convenient point nearer the requisite position, advantage being taken of the protective covering offered by a copse or other natural obstacle. as is well known, balloons played an important part during the siege of paris in - , not only in connection with daring attempts to communicate with the outer world, but in reconnoitring the german positions around the beleaguered city. but this was not the first military application of the aerial vessel; it was used by the french against the austrians in the battle of fleurus, and also during the american civil war. these operations, however, were of a sporadic character; they were not part and parcel of an organised military section. it is not generally known that the british war office virtually pioneered the military use of balloons, and subsequently the methods perfected in britain became recognised as a kind of "standard" and were adopted generally by the powers with such modifications as local exigencies seemed to demand. the british military balloon department was inaugurated at chatham under captain templer in . it was devoted essentially to the employment of captive balloons in war, and in a company of the royal engineers was detailed to the care of this work in the field. six years previously the french military department had adopted the captive balloon under colonel laussedat, who was assisted among others by the well-known captain renard. germany was somewhat later in the field; the military value of captive balloons was not appreciated and taken into serious consideration here until . but although british efforts were preceded by the french the latter did not develop the idea upon accepted military lines. the british authorities were confronted with many searching problems. one of the earliest and greatest difficulties encountered was in connection with the gas for inflation. coal gas was not always readily available, so that hydrogen had to be depended upon for the most part. but then another difficulty arose. this was the manufacture of the requisite gas. various methods were tested, such as the electrolytic decomposition of water, the decomposition of sulphuric acid by means of iron, the reaction between slaked lime and zinc, and so forth. but the drawbacks to every process, especially upon the field of battle, when operations have to be conducted under extreme difficulties and at high pressure, were speedily recognised. while other nations concentrated their energies upon the simplification of hydrogen-manufacturing apparatus for use upon the battle-field, great britain abandoned all such processes in toto. our military organisation preferred to carry out the production of the necessary gas at a convenient manufacturing centre and to transport it, stored in steel cylinders under pressure, to the actual scene of operations. the method proved a great success, and in this way it was found possible to inflate a military balloon in the short space of minutes, whereas, under the conditions of making gas upon the spot, a period of four hours or more was necessary, owing to the fact that the manufacturing process is relatively slow and intricate. the practicability of the british idea and its perfection served to establish the captive balloon as a military unit. the british military ballooning department has always ranked as the foremost of its type among the powers, although its work has been carried out so unostentatiously that the outside world has gleaned very little information concerning its operations. captain templer was an indefatigable worker and he brought the ballooning section to a high degree of efficiency from the military point of view. but the british government was peculiarly favoured, if such a term may be used. our little wars in various parts of the world contributed valuable information and experience which was fully turned to account. captive balloons for reconnoitring purposes were used by the british army for the first time at suakim in , and the section established its value very convincingly. the french military balloon department gained its first experience in this field in the previous year, a balloon detachment having been dispatched to tonkin in . in both the tonkin and soudan campaigns, invaluable work was accomplished by the balloon sections, with the result that this aerial vehicle has come to be regarded as an indispensable military adjunct. indeed the activity of the german military ballooning section was directly attributable to the anglo-french achievements therewith. in this work, however, the british force speedily displayed its superiority and initiative. the use of compressed hydrogen was adopted, and within the course of a few years the other powers, realising the advantages which the british department had thus obtained, decided to follow its example. the gas is stored in cylinders under a pressure varying from six to ten or more atmospheres; in other words from about to or more pounds per square inch. special military wagons have been designed for the transport of these cylinders, and they are attached to the balloon train. the balloon itself is light, and made of such materials as to reduce the weight thereof to the minimum. the british balloons are probably the smallest used by any of the powers, but at the same time they are the most expensive. they are made of goldbeater's skin, and range in capacity from , to , cubic feet, the majority being of the former capacity. the french balloon on the other hand has a capacity exceeding , cubic feet, although a smaller vessel of , cubic feet capacity, known as an auxiliary, and carrying a single observer, is used. the germans, on the other hand, with their teutonic love of the immense, favour far larger vessels. at the same time the military balloon section of the german army eclipses that of any other nations is attached to the intelligence department, and is under the direct control of the general staff. balloon stations are dotted all over the country, including heligoland and kiel, while regular sections are attached to the navy for operating captive balloons from warships. although the zeppelin and aeroplane forces have come to the front in germany, and have relegated the captive balloon somewhat to the limbo of things that were, the latter section has never been disbanded; in fact, during the present campaign it has undergone a somewhat spirited revival. the south african campaign emphasised the value of the british balloon section of the army, and revealed services to which it was specially adapted, but which had previously more or less been ignored. the british army possessed indifferent maps of the orange free state and the transvaal. this lamentable deficiency was remedied in great measure by recourse to topographical photographs taken from the captive balloons. the guides thus obtained were found to be of extreme value. during the early stages of the war the hydrogen was shipped in cylinders from the homeland, but subsequently a manufacturing plant of such capacity as to meet all requirements was established in south africa. the cylinders were charged at this point and dispatched to the scene of action, so that it became unnecessary to transport the commodity from britain. the captive balloon revealed the impregnability of spion kop, enabled lord roberts to ascertain the position of the boer guns at the battle of paardeburg, and proved of invaluable assistance to the forces of general white during the siege of ladysmith. chapter ii. the military uses of the captive balloon although the captive balloon is recognised as indispensable in military operations, its uses are somewhat limited. it can be employed only in comparatively still weather. the reason is obvious. it is essential that the balloon should assume a vertical line in relation to its winding plant upon the ground beneath, so that it may attain the maximum elevation possible: in other words, the balloon should be directly above the station below, so that if yards of cable are paid out the aerostat may be yards above the ground. if a wind is blowing, the helpless craft is certain to be caught thereby and driven forwards or backwards, so that it assumes an angle to its station. if this become acute the vessel will be tilted, rendering the position of the observers somewhat precarious, and at the same time observing efficiency will be impaired. this point may be appreciated more easily by reference to the accompanying diagram. a represents the ground station and b the position of the captive balloon when sent aloft in calm weather, feet of cable being paid out. a wind arises and blows the vessel forward to the position c. at this point the height of the craft in relation to the ground has been reduced, and the reduction must increase proportionately as the strength of the wind increases and forces the balloon still more towards the ground. at the same time, owing to the tilt given to the car, observation is rendered more difficult and eventually becomes extremely dangerous. a wind, if of appreciable strength, develops another and graver danger. greater strain will be imposed upon the cable, while if the wind be gusty, there is the risk that the vessel will be torn away from its anchoring rope and possibly lost. thus it will be seen that the effective utilisation of a captive balloon is completely governed by meteorological conditions, and often it is impossible to use it in weather which exercises but little influence upon dirigibles or aeroplanes. the captive balloon equipment comprises the balloon, together with the observer's basket, the wire-cable whereby it is anchored and controlled, and the winding apparatus. formerly a steam engine was necessary for the paying in and out of the cable, but nowadays this is accomplished by means of a petrol-driven motor, an oil-engine, or even by the engine of an automobile. the length of cable varies according to the capacity of the balloon and the maximum operating height. the average british balloon is able to lift about or pounds, which may be taken to represent the weight of two observers. on the other hand, the french and german balloons are able to carry four times this weight, with the exception of the french auxiliaries, which are designed to lift one observer only. the balloons of the two latter powers have also a greater maximum altitude; it is possible to ascend to a height of some , feet in one of these. the observing station is connected with the winding crew below either by a telephone, or some other signalling system, the method practised varying according to circumstances. in turn the winding station is connected with the officer in charge of the artillery, the fire of which the captive balloon is directing. the balloon observer is generally equipped with various instruments, such as telescope, photographic cameras, and so forth, so as to be able, if necessary, to prepare a topographical survey of the country below. by this means the absence of reliable maps may be remedied, or if not regarded, as sufficiently correct they may be checked and counter-checked by the data gained aloft. seeing that the gas has to be transported in cylinders, which are weighty, it is incumbent that the waste of this commodity should be reduced to the minimum. the balloon cannot be deflated at night and re-inflated in the morning--it must be maintained in the inflated condition the whole time it is required for operation. there are various methods of consummating this end. one method is to haul in the balloon and to peg it down on all sides, completing the anchorage by the attachment of bags filled with earth to the network. while this process is satisfactory in calm weather, it is impracticable in heavy winds, which are likely to spring up suddenly. consequently a second method is practised. this is to dig a pit into the ground of sufficient size to receive the balloon. when the latter is hauled in it is lowered into this pit and there pegged down and anchored. thus it is perfectly safe during the roughest weather, as none of its bulk is exposed above the ground level. furthermore it is not a conspicuous object for the concentration of hostile fire. in some instances, and where the military department is possessed of an elaborate equipment such as characterises the german army, when reconnaissance is completed and the balloon is to be removed to another point, the gas is pumped back into the cylinders for further use. such an economical proceeding is pretty and well adapted to manoeuvres, but it is scarcely feasible in actual warfare, for the simple reason that the pumping takes time. consequently the general procedure, when the balloon has completed its work, is to permit the gas to escape into the air in the usual manner, and to draw a fresh supply of gas from further cylinders when the occasion arises for re-inflation. although the familiar spherical balloon has proved perfectly adequate for reconnoitring in the british and french armies, the german authorities maintained that it was not satisfactory in anything but calm weather. accordingly scientific initiative was stimulated with a view to the evolution of a superior vessel. these endeavours culminated in the parseval-siegsfeld captive balloon, which has a quaint appearance. it has the form of a bulky cylinder with hemispherical extremities. at one end of the balloon there is a surrounding outer bag, reminiscent of a cancerous growth. the lower end of this is open. this attachment serves the purpose of a ballonet. the wind blowing against the opening, which faces it, charges the ballonet with air. this action, it is claimed, serves to steady the main vessel, somewhat in the manner of the tail of a kite, thereby enabling observations to be made as easily and correctly in rough as in calm weather. the appearance of the balloon while aloft is certainly curious. it appears to be rearing up on end, as if the extremity saddled with the ballonet were weighted. british and french captive balloon authorities are disposed to discount the steadying effect of this attachment, and, indeed, to maintain that it is a distinct disadvantage. it may hold the vessel steadier for the purpose of observation, but at the same time it renders the balloon a steadier target for hostile fire. on the other hand, the swaying of a spherical balloon with the wind materially contributes to its safety. a moving object, particularly when its oscillations are irregular and incalculable, is an extremely difficult object at which to take effective aim. seeing that even a small captive balloon is of appreciable dimensions--from to feet or more in diameter--one might consider it an easy object to hit. but experience has proved otherwise. in the first place the colour of the balloon is distinctly protective. the golden or yellowish tinge harmonises well with the daylight, even in gloomy weather, while at night-time it blends excellently with the moonlight. for effective observations a high altitude is undesirable. at a height of feet the horizon is about miles from the observer, as compared with the miles constituting the range of vision from the ground over perfectly flat country. thus it will be seen that the "spotter" up aloft has the command of a considerable tract. various ways and means of finding the range of a captive balloon have been prepared, and tables innumerable are available for committal to memory, while those weapons especially designed for aerial targets are fitted with excellent range-finders and other instruments. the germans, with characteristic thoroughness, have devoted considerable attention to this subject, but from the results which they have achieved up to the present this guiding knowledge appears to be more spectacular and impressive than effective. to put a captive balloon out of action one must either riddle the envelope, causing it to leak like a sieve, blow the vessel to pieces, or ignite the highly inflammable gas with which it is inflated. individual rifle fire will inflict no tangible damage. a bullet, if it finds its billet, will merely pass through the envelope and leave two small punctures. true, these vents will allow the gas to escape, but this action will proceed so slowly as to permit the vessel to remain aloft long enough to enable the observer to complete his work. a lucky rifle volley, or the stream of bullets from a machine gun may riddle the envelope, precipitating a hurried descent, owing to the greater number of perforations through which the gas is able to escape, but as a rule the observer will be able to land safely. consequently the general practice is to shatter the aerostat, and to this end either shrapnel, high explosive, or incendiary shells will be used. the former must explode quite close to the balloon in order to achieve the desired end, while the incendiary shell must actually strike it, so as to fire the gas. the high explosive shell may explode effectually some feet away from the vessel, inasmuch as in this instance dependence is placed upon the terrific concussion produced by the explosion which, acting upon the fragile fabric of the balloon, brings about a complete collapse of the envelope. if a shrapnel is well placed and explodes immediately above the balloon, the envelope will be torn to shreds and a violent explosion of the gas will be precipitated. but as a matter of fact, it is extremely difficult to place a shrapnel shell so as to consummate this end. the range is not picked up easily, while the timing of the fuse to bring about the explosion of the shell at the critical moment is invariably a complex problem. one favourite method of finding the range of a balloon is shown in the accompanying diagrams. the artillery battery is at b and the captive balloon, c, is anchored at a. on either side of b and at a specified distance, observers o and o respectively are stationed. first a shell is fired at "long" range, possibly the maximum range of the gun. it bursts at d. as it has burst immediately in the line of sight of b, but with the smoke obscured by the figure of the balloon c, it is obvious to b that the explosion has occurred behind the objective, but at what distance he cannot tell. to o and o , however, it is seen to have burst at a considerable distance behind c though to the former it appears to have burst to the left and to the second observer to the right of the target. another shell, at "short" range, is now fired, and it bursts at e. the explosion takes place in the line of sight of b, who knows that he has fired short of the balloon because the latter is eclipsed by the smoke. but the two observers see that it is very short, and here again the explosion appears to o to have occurred to the right of the target, while to o it has evidently burst to the left of the aerostat, as revealed by the relation of the position of the balloon to the bursting of the shell shown in fig. . a third round is fired, and the shell explodes at f. in this instance the explosion takes place below the balloon. both the observers and the artillery man concur in their deductions upon the point at which the shell burst. but the shell must explode above the balloon, and accordingly a fourth round is discharged and the shell bursts at g. this appears to be above the balloon, inasmuch as the lines of sight of the two observers and b converge at this point. but whether the explosion occurs immediately above the vessel as is desired, it is impossible to say definitely, because it may explode too far behind to be effective. consequently, if this shell should prove abortive, the practice is to decrease the range gradually with each succeeding round until the explosion occurs at the critical point, when, of course, the balloon is destroyed. an interesting idea of the difficulty of picking up the range of a captive balloon may be gathered from the fact that some ten minutes are required to complete the operation. but success is due more to luck than judgment. in the foregoing explanation it is premised that the aerial vessel remains stationary, which is an extremely unlikely contingency. while those upon the ground are striving to pick up the range, the observer is equally active in his efforts to baffle his opponents. the observer follows each successive, round with keen interest, and when the shells appear to be bursting at uncomfortably close quarters naturally he intimates to his colleagues below that he desires his position to be changed, either by ascending to a higher point or descending. in fact, he may be content to come to the ground. nor must the fact be overlooked that while the enemy is trying to place the observer hors de combat, he is revealing the position of his artillery, and the observer is equally industrious in picking up the range of the hostile guns for the benefit of his friends below. when the captive balloon is aloft in a wind the chances of the enemy picking up the range thereof are extremely slender, as it is continually swinging to and fro. while there is always the possibility of a shell bursting at such a lucky moment as to demolish the aerial target, it is generally conceded to be impossible to induce a shell to burst within yards of a balloon, no matter how skilfully the hostile battery may be operated. the value of the captive balloon has been demonstrated very strikingly throughout the attack upon the entrenched german positions in flanders. owing to the undulating character of the dunes the "spotters" upon the british monitors and battle ships are unable to obtain a sweeping view of the country. accordingly captive balloons are sent aloft in some cases from the deck of the monitors, and in others from a suitable point upon the beach itself. the aerial observer from his point of vantage is able to pick up the positions of the german forces and artillery with ease and to communicate the data thus gained to the british vessels, although subjected to heavy and continuous hostile fire. the difficulty of hitting a captive balloon has been graphically emphasised, inasmuch as the german artillerists have failed to bring down a solitary balloon. on the other hand the observer in the air is able to signal the results of each salvo fired from the british battleships as they manoeuvre at full speed up and down the coastline, while he keeps the fire of the monitors concentrated upon the german positions until the latter have been rendered untenable or demolished. the accuracy of the british gun-fire has astonished even the germans, but it has been directly attributable to the rangefinder perched in the car of the captive balloon and his rapid transmission of information to the vessels below. the enthusiastic supporters of aerial navigation maintained that the dirigible and the aeroplane would supersede the captive balloon completely. but as a matter of fact the present conflict has established the value of this factor more firmly than ever. there is not the slightest possibility that the captive balloon sections of the belligerents will be disbanded, especially those which have the fruits of experience to guide them. the airship and the aeroplane have accomplished wonders, but despite their achievements the captive balloon has fully substantiated its value as a military unit in its particular field of operations. chapter iii. germany's rise to military airship supremacy two incidents in the history of aviation stand out with exceptional prominence. the one is the evolution of the zeppelin airship--a story teeming with romance and affording striking and illuminating glimpses of dogged perseverance, grim determination in the face of repeated disasters, and the blind courageous faith of the inventor in the creation of his own brain. the second is the remarkable growth of germany's military airship organisation, which has been so rapid and complete as to enable her to assume supremacy in this field, and that within the short span of a single decade. the zeppelin has always aroused the world's attention, although this interest has fluctuated. regarded at first as a wonderful achievement of genius, afterwards as a freak, then as the ready butt for universal ridicule, and finally with awe, if not with absolute terror--such in brief is the history of this craft of the air. count von zeppelin can scarcely be regarded as an ordinary man. he took up the subject of flight at an age which the majority of individuals regard as the opportune moment for retirement from activity, and, knowing nothing about mechanical engineering, he concentrated his energies upon the study of this science to enable him to master the difficulties of a mechanical character incidental to the realisation of his grand idea. his energy and indomitable perseverance are equalled by his ardent patriotism, because, although the fatherland discounted his idea when other powers were ready to consider it, and indeed made him tempting offers for the acquisition of his handiwork, he stoutly declined all such solicitations, declaring that his invention, if such it may be termed, was for his own country and none other. count von zeppelin developed his line of study and thought for one reason only. as an old campaigner and a student of military affairs he realised the shortcomings of the existing methods of scouting and reconnoitring. he appreciated more than any other man of the day perhaps, that if the commander-in-chief of an army were provided with facilities for gazing down upon the scene of operations, and were able to take advantage of all the information accruing to the man above who sees all, he would hold a superior position, and be able to dispose his forces and to arrange his plan of campaign to the most decisive advantage. in other words, zeppelin conceived and developed his airship for one field of application and that alone-military operations. although it has achieved certain successes in other directions these have been subsidiary to the primary intention, and have merely served to emphasise its military value. von zeppelin was handicapped in his line of thought and investigation from the very first. he dreamed big things upon a big scale. the colossal always makes a peculiar and irresistible appeal to the teutonic nature. so he contemplated the perfection of a big dirigible, eclipsing in every respect anything ever attempted or likely to be attempted by rival countries. unfortunately, the realisation of the "colossal" entails an equally colossal financial reserve, and the creator of this form of airship for years suffered from financial cramp in its worst manifestation. probably it was to the benefit of the world at large that fortune played him such sorry tricks. it retarded the growth of german ambitions in one direction very effectively. as is well known zeppelin evolved what may be termed an individual line of thought in connection with his airship activities. he adopted what is known as the indeformable airship: that is to say the rigid, as opposed to the semi-rigid and flexible craft. as a result of patient experiment and continued researches he came to the conclusion that a huge outer envelope taking the form of a polygonal cylinder with hemispherical ends, constructed upon substantial lines with a metallic skeleton encased within an impermeable skin, and charged with a number of smaller balloon-shaped vessels containing the lifting agent--hydrogen gas--would fulfil his requirements to the greatest advantage. model after model was built upon these lines. each was subjected to searching tests with the invariable result attending such work with models. some fulfilled the expectations of the inventor, others resolutely declined to illustrate his reasonings in any direction. the inevitable happened. when a promising model was completed finally the inventor learned to his sorrow what every inventor realises in time. his fortune and the resources of others had been poured down the sink of experiment. to carry the idea from the model to the practical stage required more money, and it was not forthcoming. the inventor sought to enlist the practical sympathy of his country, only to learn that in germany, as in other lands, the axiom concerning the prophet, honour, and country prevails. no exuberant inventor received such a cold douche from a government as did count zeppelin from the prussian authorities. for two years further work was brought practically to a standstill: nothing could be done unless the sinews of war were forthcoming. his friends, who had assisted him financially with his models, now concluded that their aid had been misplaced. the inventor, though disappointed, was by no means cast down. he clung tenaciously to his pet scheme and to such effect that in a german engineering society advanced him some funds to continue his researches. this support sufficed to keep things going for another two years, during which time a full-sized vessel was built. the grand idea began to crystallise rapidly, with the result that when a public company was formed in , sufficient funds were rendered available to enable the first craft to be constructed. it aroused considerable attention, as well it might, seeing that it eclipsed anything which had previously been attempted in connection with dirigibles. it was no less than feet in length, by feet in diameter, and was fitted with two cars, each of which carried a sixteen horse-power motor driving independent propellers rigidly attached to the body of the vessel. the propellers were both vertical and horizontal, for the purpose of driving the ship in the two planes--vertical and horizontal respectively. the vessel was of great scientific interest, owing to the ingenuity of its design and construction. the metallic skeleton was built up from aluminium and over this was stretched the fabric of the envelope, care being observed to reduce skin friction, as well as to achieve impermeability. but it was the internal arrangement of the gas-lifting balloons which provoked the greatest concern. the hull was divided into compartments, each complete in itself, and each containing a small balloon inflated with hydrogen. it was sub-division as practised in connection with vessels ploughing the water applied to aerial craft, the purpose being somewhat the same. as a ship of the seas will keep afloat so long as a certain number of its subdivisions remain watertight, so would the zeppelin keep aloft if a certain number of the gas compartments retained their charges of hydrogen. there were no fewer than seventeen of these gas-balloons arranged in a single line within the envelope. beneath the hull and extending the full length of the latter was a passage which not only served as a corridor for communication between the cars, but also to receive a weight attached to a cable worked by a winch. by the movement of this weight the bow or stem of the vessel could be tilted to assist ascent and descent. the construction of the vessel subsequently proved to be the easiest and most straightforward part of the whole undertaking. there were other and more serious problems to be solved. how would such a monster craft come to earth? how could she be manipulated upon the ground? how could she be docked? upon these three points previous experience was silent. one german inventor who likewise had dreamed big things, and had carried them into execution, paid for his temerity and ambitions with his life, while his craft was reduced to a mass of twisted and torn metal. under these circumstances count zeppelin decided to carry out his flights over the waters of the bodensee and to house his craft within a floating dock. in this manner two uncertain factors might be effectively subjugated. another problem had been ingeniously overcome. the outer envelope presented an immense surface to the atmosphere, while temperature was certain to play an uncertain part in the behaviour of the craft. the question was to reduce to the minimum the radiation of heat and cold to the bags containing the gas. this end was achieved by leaving a slight air space between the inflated gas balloons and the inner surface of the hull. the first ascent was made on july nd, , but was disappointing, several breakdowns of the mechanism occurring while the vessel was in mid-air, which rendered it unmanageable, although a short flight was made which sufficed to show that an independent speed of feet per second could be attained. the vessel descended and was made fast in her dock, the descent being effected safely, while manoeuvring into dock was successful. at least three points about which the inventor had been in doubt appeared to be solved--his airship could be driven through the air and could be steered; it could be brought to earth safely; and it could be docked. the repairs to the mechanism were carried out and on october th and st of the same year further flights were made. by this time certain influential teuton aeronautical experts who had previously ridiculed zeppelin's idea had made a perfect volte-face. they became staunch admirers of the system, while other meteorological savants participated in the trials for the express purpose of ascertaining just what the ship could do. as a result of elaborate trigonometrical calculations it was ascertained that the airship attained an independent speed of feet per second, which exceeded anything previously achieved. the craft proved to be perfectly manageable in the air, and answered her helm, thus complying with the terms of dirigibility. the creator was flushed with his triumph, but at the same time was doomed to experience misfortune. in its descent the airship came to "earth" with such a shock that it was extensively damaged. the cost of repairing the vessel was so heavy that the company declined to shoulder the liability, and as the count was unable to defray the expense the wreck was abandoned. although a certain meed of success had been achieved the outlook seemed very black for the inventor. no one had any faith in his idea. he made imploring appeals for further money, embarked upon lecturing campaigns, wrote aviation articles for the press, and canvassed possible supporters in the effort to raise funds for his next enterprise. two years passed, but the fruits of the propaganda were meagre. it was at this juncture, when everything appeared to be impossible, that count zeppelin discovered his greatest friend. the german emperor, with an eye ever fixed upon new developments, had followed zeppelin's uphill struggle, and at last, in , came to his aid by writing a letter which ran:-- "since your varied flights have been reported to me it is a great pleasure to me to express my acknowledgment of your patience and your labours, and the endurance with which you have pressed on through manifold hindrances till success was near. the advantages of your system have given your ship the greatest attainable speed and dirigibility, and the important results you have obtained have produced an epoch-making step forward in the construction of airships and leave laid down a valuable basis for future experiments." this imperial appreciation of what had been accomplished proved to be the turning point in the inventor's fortunes. it stimulated financial support, and the second airship was taken in hand. but misfortune still pursued him. accidents were of almost daily occurrence. defects were revealed here and weaknesses somewhere else. so soon as one trouble was overcome another made itself manifest. the result was that the whole of the money collected by his hard work was expended before the ship could take to the air. a further crash and blasting of cherished hopes appeared imminent, but at this moment another royal personage came to the inventor's aid. the king of wurtemberg took a personal interest in his subject's uphill struggle, and the wurtemberg government granted him the proceeds of a lottery. with this money, and with what he succeeded in raising by hook and by crook, and by mortgaging his remaining property, a round l , was obtained. with this capital a third ship was taken in hand, and in it was launched. it was a distinct improvement upon its predecessors. the airship was feet in length by feet in diameter, was equipped with gas balloons having an aggregate capacity of , cubic feet of hydrogen, was equipped with two horse-power motors driving four propellers, and displaced tons. all the imperfections incidental to the previous craft had been eliminated, while the ship followed improved lines in its mechanical and structural details. the trials with this vessel commenced on november th, , but ill-luck had not been eluded. the airship was moored upon a raft which was to be towed out into the lake to enable the dirigible to ascend. but something went wrong with the arrangements. a strong wind caught the ungainly airship, she dipped her nose into the water, and as the motor was set going she was driven deeper into the lake, the vessel only being saved by hurried deflation. six weeks were occupied in repairs, but another ascent was made on january th, . the trials were fairly satisfactory, but inconclusive. one of the motors went wrong, and the longitudinal stability was found to be indifferent. the vessel was brought down, and was to be anchored, but the fates ruled otherwise. a strong wind caught her during the night and she was speedily reduced to indistinguishable scrap. despite catastrophe the inventor wrestled gamely with his project. the lessons taught by one disaster were taken to heart, and arrangements to prevent the recurrence thereof incorporated in the succeeding craft. unfortunately, however, as soon as one defect was remedied another asserted itself. it was this persistent revelation of the unexpected which caused another period of indifference towards his invention. probably nothing more would have been heard of the zeppelin after this last accident had it not been for the intervention of the prussian government at the direct instigation of the kaiser, who had now taken count zeppelin under his wing. a state lottery was inaugurated, the proceeds of which were handed over to the indefatigable inventor, together with an assurance that if he could keep aloft hours without coming to earth in the meantime, and could cover miles within this period, the government would repay the whole of the money he had lavished upon his idea, and liquidate all the debts he had incurred in connection therewith. another craft was built, larger than its predecessors, and equipped with two motors developing horse-power. upon completion it was submitted to several preliminary flights, which were so eminently successful that the inventor decided to make a trial trip under conditions closely analogous to those imposed for the government test. on june th, , at : a.m. the craft ascended and remained aloft for hours, during which time it made an encouraging circular tour. flushed with this success, the count considered that the official award was within reach, and that all his previous disasters and misfortunes were on the eve of redemption. the crucial test was essayed on august th, . accompanied by twelve observers the vessel ascended and travelled without incident for eight hours. then a slight mishap demanded attention, but was speedily repaired, and was ignored officially as being too trivial to influence the main issue. victory appeared within measurable distance: the arduous toil of many patient years was about to be rewarded. the airship was within sight of home when it had to descend owing to the development of another motor fault. but as it approached the ground, nature, as if infuriated at the conquest, rose up in rebellion. a sudden squall struck the unwieldy monster. within a few moments it became unmanageable, and through some inscrutable cause, it caught fire, with the result that within a few moments it was reduced to a tangled mass of metallic framework. it was a catastrophe that would have completely vanquished many an inventor, but the count was saved the gall of defeat. his flight, which was remarkable, inasmuch as he had covered miles within hours, including two unavoidable descents, struck the teuton imagination. the seeds so carefully planted by the "most high of prussia" now bore fruit. the german nation sympathised with the indomitable inventor, appreciated his genius, and promptly poured forth a stream of subscriptions to enable him to build another vessel. the intimation that other powers had approached the count for the acquisition of his idea became known far and wide, together with the circumstance that he had unequivocally refused all offers. he was striving for the fatherland, and his unselfish patriotism appealed to one and all. such an attitude deserved hearty national appreciation, and the members of the great german public emptied their pockets to such a degree that within a few weeks a sum of l , or $ , , was voluntarily subscribed. all financial embarrassments and distresses were now completely removed from the count's mind. he could forge ahead untrammelled by anxiety and worry. another zeppelin was built and it created a world's record. it remained aloft for hours, during which time it covered miles, and, although it came to grief upon alighting, by colliding with a tree, the final incident passed unnoticed. germany was in advance of the world. it had an airship which could go anywhere, irrespective of climatic conditions, and in true teuton perspective the craft was viewed from the military standpoint. here was a means of obtaining the mastery of the air: a formidable engine of invasion and aerial attack had been perfected. consequently the grand idea must be supported with unbounded enthusiasm. the count was hailed by his august master as "the greatest german of the twentieth century," and in this appreciation the populace wholeheartedly concurred. whether such a panegyric from such an auspicious quarter is praise indeed or the equivalent of complete condemnation, history alone will be able to judge, but when one reflects, at this moment, upon the achievements of this aircraft during the present conflagration, the unprejudiced will be rather inclined to hazard the opinion that imperial teuton praise is a synonym for damnation. although the zeppelin was accepted as a perfect machine it has never been possible to disperse the atmosphere of disaster with which it has been enveloped from the first. vessel after vessel has gone up in smoke and flame: few craft of this type have enjoyed more than an evanescent existence; and each successive catastrophe has proved more terrible than its predecessor. but the teutonic nation has been induced to pin its whole faith on this airship, notwithstanding that the more levelheaded engineers of other countries have always maintained the craft to be a "mechanical monstrosity" condemned from its design and principles of construction to disaster. unshaken by this adverse criticism, germany rests assured that by means of its zeppelins it will achieve that universal supremacy which it is convinced is its destiny. this blind child-like faith has been responsible for the establishment and development of the zeppelin factories. at friedrichshafen the facilities are adequate to produce two of these vessels per month, while another factory of a similar capacity has been established at berlin. unfortunately such big craft demand large docks to accommodate them, and in turn a large structure of this character constitutes an easy mark for hostile attack, as the raiding airmen of the allies have proved very convincingly. but the zeppelin must not be under-rated. magnificent performances have been recorded by these vessels, such as the round , miles' trip in , and several other equally brilliant feats since that date. it is quite true that each astounding achievement has been attended by an equally stupendous accident, but that is accepted as a mere incidental detail by the faithful teutonic nation. many vivid prophecies of the forthcoming flights by zeppelin have been uttered, and it is quite probable that more than one will be fulfilled, but success will be attributable rather to accident than design. although the zeppelin is the main stake of the german people in matters pertaining to aerial conquest, other types of airships have not been ignored, as related in another chapter. they have been fostered upon a smaller but equally effective scale. the semi-rigid parseval and gross craft have met with whole-hearted support, since they have established their value as vessels of the air, which is tantamount to the acceptance of their military value. the parseval is pronounced by experts to be the finest expression of aeronautical engineering so far as teuton effort is concerned. certainly it has placed many notable flights to its credit. the gross airship is an equally serviceable craft, its lines of design and construction closely following those of the early french supple airships. there are several other craft which have become more or less recognised by the german nation as substantial units of war, such as the ruthemberg, siemens-schukert, and so forth, all of which have proved their serviceability more or less conclusively. but in the somewhat constricted teuton mind the zeppelin and the zeppelin only represents the ultima thule of aerial navigation and the means for asserting the universal character of pan-germanism as well as "kultur." chapter iv. airships of war so much has been said and written concerning the zeppelin airship, particularly in its military aspect, that all other developments in this field have sunk into insignificance so far as the general public is concerned. the zeppelin dirigible has come to be generally regarded as the one and only form of practical lighter-than-air type of aircraft. moreover, the name has been driven home with such effect that it is regarded as the generic term for all german airships. these are grievous fallacies. the zeppelin is merely one of a variety of types, even in germany, although at the moment it probably ranks as the solitary survivor of the rigid system of construction. at one time, owing to the earnestness with which the advantages of this form of design were discussed, and in view of the fact that the zeppelin certainly appeared to triumph when all other designs failed, great britain was tempted to embrace the rigid form of construction. the building of an immense vessel of this class was actively supported and it was aptly christened the "may-fly." opponents of the movement tempered their emphatic condemnatory criticism so far as to remark that it may fly, but as events proved it never did. the colossal craft broke its back before it ever ventured into the air, and this solitary experience proving so disastrous, the rigid form of construction was abandoned once and for all. the venture was not in vain; it brought home to the british authorities more convincingly than anything else that the zeppelin was a mechanical monstrosity. the french never even contemplated the construction of such a craft at that time, estimating it at its true value, and the british failure certainly served to support french antagonism to the idea. subsequently, however, an attempt at rigid construction was made in france with the "spiess" airship, mainly as a concession to public clamour. even in germany itself the defects of the zeppelin were recognised and a decided effort to eliminate them was made by professor schutte in co-operation with a manufacturer of mannheim named lanz. the joint product of their ambitions, the schutte-lanz, is declared to be superior to the zeppelin, but so far it has failed to justify any of the claims of its designers. this vessel, which also favours the colossal, is likewise of the rigid type, but realising the inherent dangers accruing from the employment of metal for the framework, its constructors have used wood, reinforced and strengthened where necessary by metallic angle-iron, plates, and bracing; this utilisation of metal is, however, carried out very sparingly. the first vessel of this class was a huge failure, while subsequent craft have not proved much more successful. in fact, one of the largest german airships ever designed, l , is, or rather was, a schutte-lanz, with a capacity of , cubic feet, but over , pounds lighter than a zeppelin of almost similar dimensions. i say "was" since l is no more. the pride of its creators evinced a stronger preference for davy jones' locker than its designed realm. yet several craft of this type have been built and have been mistaken for zeppelins owing to the similarity of the broad principles of design and their huge dimensions. in one vital respect they are decidedly inferior to their contemporary--they are not so speedy. the most successful of the german lighter-than-air machines are those known respectively as the semi rigid and non-rigid types, the best examples of which are the gross and parseval craft. virtually they are teutonic editions of the successful french craft of identical design by which they were anticipated. the lebaudy is possibly the most famous of the french efforts in this direction. the gas-bag has an asymmetrical shape, and is pointed at both ends, although the prow is blunter or rounder than the stem. the gas-bag comprises a single chamber for the inflating agent, the distended shape of the envelope being sustained by means of an air-ballonet. by varying the contents of the latter through the agency of a pump the tension of the gas in the lifting envelope can be maintained, and the shape of the inflated balloon preserved under all conditions. beneath the gas-bag is a long strengthened girder, and from this in turn the car is suspended. it is the introduction of this rigid girder which is responsible for the descriptive generic term of "semi-rigid." on the other hand the "non-rigid" type may be roughly described as a pisciform balloon fitted with propelling machinery, inasmuch as the car containing the driving machinery is suspended from the balloon in the manner of the car in the ordinary drifting vessel. so far as the french effort is concerned the bayard-clement type is the best example of the non-rigid system; it is represented in germany by the parseval class. the gross airship has been definitely adopted as a military machine by the german authorities, and figures in the "m" class. the "m-iv" completed in is the largest of this type, and differs from its prototypes in that it carries two cars, each fitted with motors, whereas the earlier machines were equipped with a single gondola after the french pattern. this vessel measures feet in length, has a maximum diameter of / feet, displaces tons, and is fitted with motors developing horse-power, which is sufficient to give it a speed of miles per hour. this vessel represents a huge advance upon its predecessors of this design, inasmuch as the latter were about feet in length by / feet in diameter, and displaced only six tons, while the single car was provided with a motor developing only horse-power, the speed being miles per hour. thus it will be seen that a huge development has suddenly taken place, a result due no doubt to the co-operation of the well-known engineer basenach. the "m-iv" is essentially an experiment and great secrecy has been maintained in regard to the trials which have been carried out therewith, the authorities merely vouchsafing the fact that the airship has proved completely successful in every respect; conclusive testimony of this is offered by the inclusion of the vessel in the active aerial fleet of germany. but it is the parseval which is regarded as the finest type of airship flying the german flag. this vessel is the product of slow evolution, for it is admitted to be a power-driven balloon. even the broad lines of the latter are preserved, the shape being that of a cylinder with rounded ends. it is the direct outcome of the "drachen-balloon," perfected by parseval and siegsfeld, the captive balloon which is an indispensable part of the german military equipment. the complete success of the suspension system in this captive balloon prompted parseval to continue his researches and experiments in regard to the application of power to the vessel, so as to induce it to move independently of the wind. the suspension system and the car are the outstanding features of the craft. it is non-rigid in the strictest interpretation of the term, although, owing to the incorporation of the steadying hollow "mattress" (as it is called by its inventor), the strength of the suspension system, and the substantial character of the car, it conveys an impression of great solidity. the thinnest rope, both manilla and steel, in the suspension system is as thick as a man's finger, while the car, measuring feet in length by feet in width, carried out in wood, is a striking example of the maximum of strength with the minimum of weight, being as steady and as solid as a boat's deck. the propellers are collapsible, although in the latest craft of this class they are semi-rigid. the mechanical equipment is also interesting. there are two propellers, and two motors, each nominally driving one propeller. but should one motor break down, or motives of economy, such as husbanding of fuel, render it advisable to run upon one engine, then the two propellers may be driven by either of the motors. the inventor has perfected an ingenious, simple, and highly efficient coupling device to attain this end, but to ensure that the propeller output is of the maximum efficiency in relation to the engine, the pitch of the propellers may be altered and even reversed while the engine is running. when one motor only is being used, the pitch is lowered until the propellers revolve at the speed which they would attain if both engines were in operation. this adjustment of the propeller pitch to the most economical engine revolutions is a distinctive characteristic, and contributes to the efficiency and reliability of the parseval dirigible to a very pronounced degree. steering in the vertical plane is also carried out upon distinctive lines. there are no planes for vertical steering, but movement is accomplished by tilting the craft and thus driving the gas from one end of the balloon to the other. this is effected by the manipulation of the air-ballonets, one of which is placed at the prow and stem of the gas bag respectively. if it is desired to descend the gas is driven from the forward to the after end of the envelope, merely by inflating the bow ballonet with air by means of a pump placed in the car. if ascent is required, the after-ballonet is inflated, thereby driving the gas to the forward end of the balloon, the buoyancy of which is thus increased. the outstanding feature of the "drachen-balloon" is incorporated in the airship. this is the automatic operation of the safety valve on the gas-bag directly by the air ballonets. if these ballonets empty owing to the pressure of the gas within the envelope, a rope system disposed within the balloon and connecting the ballonets and the gas-valve at the top is stretched taut, thereby opening the gas-valve. in this manner the gas-pressure becomes reduced until the ballonets are enabled to exercise their intended function. this is a safety precaution of inestimable value. the parseval is probably the easiest dirigible to handle, inasmuch as it involves no more skill or knowledge than that required for an ordinary free balloon. its movements in the vertical plane are not dissimilar to those of the aeroplane, inasmuch as ascent and descent are normally conducted in a "screwing" manner, the only exception being of course in abrupt descent caused by the ripping of the emergency-valve. on one occasion, it is stated, one of the latest machines of this type, when conducting experimental flights, absolutely refused to descend, producing infinite amusement both among the crowd and those on board. the development of the parseval is directly attributable to the influence and intimate interest of the kaiser, and undoubtedly this represents the wisest step he ever made in the realm of aeronautics. it certainly has enabled the german military machine to become possessed of a significant fleet of what may be described as a really efficient and reliable type of dirigible. the exact number of military parsevals in commission is unknown, but there are several classes thereof, in the nature of aerial cruisers and vedettes. the largest and most powerful class are those known as the b type, measuring about feet in length by feet maximum diameter, of , cubic feet capacity, and fitted with two motorsand two propellers. this vessel carries about passengers, can climb to a maximum height of approximately , feet, and is capable of remaining in the air for twenty hours upon a single fuel charge. while this is the largest and most serviceable type of parseval designed for military duties, there is another, the a class, feet in length with accommodation for six passengers in addition to the crew of three, which is capable of attaining a maximum altitude of , feet, and has an endurance capacity of hours. this class also is fitted with twin propellers and motors. in addition there are the c and e classes, carrying from four to eight passengers, while the vedettes are represented by the d and f classes, which have a maximum altitude of , feet and can remain aloft for only five hours upon a single fuel charge. these smaller vessels, however, have the advantage of requiring only one or two men to handle them. the present military parseval dirigible is made in one of these five standardised classes, experience having established their efficiency for the specified military services for which they are built. in point of speed they compare favourably with the latest types of zeppelin, the speeds of the larger types ranging from to miles per hour with a motor effort of to horse-power. so far as the french airships of war are concerned, the fleet is somewhat heterogeneous, although the non-rigid type prevails. the french aerial navy is represented by the bayard-clement, astra, zodiac, and the government-built machines. although the rigid type never has met with favour in france, there is yet a solitary example of this system of construction--the spiess, which is feet in length by feet in diameter and has a displacement of tons. the semi-rigid craft are represented by the lebaudy type, the largest of which measures feet in length by feet in diameter, and has a displacement of tons. one may feel disposed to wonder why the french should be apparently backward in this form of aerial craft, but this may be explained by the fact that the era of experiment had not been concluded at the time war was declared, with the result that it has been somewhat difficult to determine which type would meet the military requirements of the country to the best advantage. moreover, the french military authorities evinced a certain disposition to relegate the dirigible to a minor position, convinced that it had been superseded by the heavier-than-air machine. taken on the whole, the french airship fleet is inferior to the german in point of speed, if not numerically, but this deficiency is more than counterbalanced by the skill and ability of the men manning their craft, who certainly are superior to their contemporaries in germany, combined with the proved character of such craft as are in service. the same criticism may be said to apply to great britain. that country was backward in matters pertaining to the airship, because its experiments were carried out spasmodically while dependence was reposed somewhat too much upon foreign effort. the british airships are small and of low speed comparatively speaking. here again it was the advance of the aeroplane which was responsible for the manifestation of a somewhat indifferent if not lethargic feeling towards the airship. undoubtedly the experiments carried out in great britain were somewhat disappointing. the one and only attempt to out-zeppelin the zeppelin resulted in disaster to the craft before she took to the air, while the smaller craft carried out upon far less ambitious lines were not inspiritingly successful. latterly the non-rigid system has been embraced exclusively, the craft being virtually mechanically driven balloons. they have proved efficient and reliable so far as they go, but it is the personal element in this instance also which has contributed so materially to any successes achieved with them. but although great britain and france apparently lagged behind the germans, appreciable enterprise was manifested in another direction. the airship was not absolutely abandoned: vigilance was maintained for a superior type of craft. it was an instance of weighing the advantages against the disadvantages of the existing types and then evolving for a design which should possess the former without any of the latter. this end appears to be achieved with the astra type of dirigible, the story of the development of which offers an interesting chapter in the annals of aeronautics. in all lighter-than-air machines the resistance to the air offered by the suspension ropes is considerable, and the reduction of this resistance has proved one of the most perplexing problems in the evolution of the dirigible. the air is broken up in such a manner by the ropes that it is converted into a brake or drag with the inevitable result that the speed undergoes a severe diminution. a full-rigged airship such as the parseval, for instance, may present a picturesque appearance, but it is severely unscientific, inasmuch as if it were possible to eliminateor to reduce the air-resistance offered by the ropes, the speed efficiency might be raised by some sixty per cent and that without any augmentation of the propelling effort. as a matter of fact zeppelin solved this vexatious problem unconsciously. in his monster craft the resistance to the air is reduced to a remarkable degree, which explains why these vessels, despite all their other defects are able to show such a turn of speed. it was this feature of the zeppelin which induced great britain to build the may-fly and which likewise induced the french government to stimulate dirigible design and construction among native manufacturers, at the same time, however, insisting that such craft should be equal at least in speed to the zeppelins. the response to this invitation was the spiess, which with its speed of miles per hour ranked, until , as one of the fastest dirigibles in the french service. in the meantime a spanish engineer, senor torres, had been quietly working out a new idea. he realised the shortcomings of the prevailing types of airships some eleven years ago, and unostentatiously and painstakingly set out to eliminate them by the perfection of a new type of craft. he perfected his idea, which was certainly novel, and then sought the assistance of the spanish government. but his fatherland was not adapted to the prosecution of the project. he strove to induce the authorities to permit even a small vessel to be built, but in vain. he then approached the french astra company. his ambition was to build a vessel as large as the current zeppelin, merely to emphasise the value of his improvement upon a sufficiently large scale, and to enable comparative data concerning the two designs to be obtained. but the bogey of expense at first proved insuperable. however, the french company, decided to give the invention a trial, and to this end a small "vedette" of about , cubic feet displacement was built. although an unpretentious little vessel, it certainly served to emphasise the importance of the torres idea. it was pitted against the "colonel renard," the finest ship at that time in the french aerial service, which had proved the fastest airship in commission, and which also was a product of the astra company. but this fine craft was completely outclassed by the puny astra-torres. the builders and the inventor were now additionally anxious to illustrate more emphatically the features of this design and to build a far larger vessel. the opportunity was offered by the british government, which had been following the experiments with the small astra-torres in france. an order was given for a vessel of , cubic feet displacement; in this instance it was ranged against another formidable rival--the parseval. but the latter also failed to hold its own against the spanish invention, inasmuch as the astra-torres built for the british authorities exceeded a speed of miles per hour in the official tests. this vessel is still doing valuable duty, being attached to the british air-service in france. the achievements of the british vessel were not lost upon the french government, which forthwith placed an order for a huge vessel of , cubic feet capacity, equipped with motors developing , horse-power, which it was confidently expected would enable a speed of miles per hour to be attained. thus france would be able to meet the germans upon fairly level terms, inasmuch as the speed of the latest zeppelins does not exceed miles per hour. so confident were the authorities that a second order for an even larger vessel was placed before the first large craft was completed. this latter vessel is larger than any zeppelin yet built, seeing that it displaces tons, and is fitted with motors developing , horse-power. it has recently been completed, and although the results of the trials, as well as the dimensions of the craft have not been published, it is well known that the speed has exceeded miles per hour, so that france now possesses the speediest dirigible in the world. the torres invention has been described as wonderful, scientifically perfect and extremely simple. the vessel belongs to the non-rigid class, but the whole of the suspension system is placed within the gas-bag, so that the air-resistance offered by ropes is virtually eliminated in its entirety, for the simple reason that practically no ropes are placed outside the envelope. the general principle of design may be gathered from the accompanying diagram. it is as if three sausage-shaped balloons were disposed pyramidally--two lying side by side with one super-imposed, with the bags connected at the points where the circular sections come into contact. thus the external appearance of the envelope is decidedly unusual, comprising three symmetrical ridges. at the points where the three bags come into contact cloth bands are stretched across the arcs, thereby forming a cord. the suspension system is attached to the upper corners of the inverted triangle thus formed, and converges in straight lines through the gas space. the bracing terminates in collecting rings from which a short vertical cable extends downwards through a special accordion sleeve to pass through the lower wall of the envelope. these sleeves are of special design, the idea being to permit the gas to escape under pressure arising from expansion and at the same time to provide ample play for the cable which is necessary in a flexible airship. this cable emerges from the envelope only at the point or points where the car or cars is or are placed. in the british airship of this type there is only one car, but the larger french vessels are equipped with two cars placed tandem-wise. the vertical cable, after extending downwards a certain distance, is divided, one rope being attached to one, and the second to the other side of the car. the two-bladed propellers are disposed on either side of the car, in each of which a horse-power motor is placed. the astra-torres type of dirigible may be said to represent the latest expression in airship design and construction. the invention has given complete satisfaction, and has proved strikingly successful. the french government has completed arrangements for the acquisition of larger and more powerful vessels of this design, being now in the position to contest every step that is made by germany in this field. the type has also been embraced by the russian military authorities. the astra-torres airship has a rakish appearance, and although the lines of the gas-bag are admitted to increase frictional resistance, this is regarded as a minor defect, especially when the many advantages of the invention are taken into consideration. chapter v. germany's aerial dreadnought fleet although germany, as compared with france, was relatively slow to recognise the immense possibilities of aircraft, particularly dirigibles, in the military sense, once the zeppelin had received the well-wishes of the emperor william, teuton activities were so pronounced as to enable the leeway to be made up within a very short while. while the zeppelin commanded the greatest attention owing to the interesting co-operation of the german emperor, the other types met with official and royal recognition and encouragement as already mentioned. france, which had held premier position in regard to the aerial fleet of dirigibles for so long, was completely out-classed, not only in dimensions but also in speed, as well as radius of action and strategical distribution of the aerial forces. the german nation forged ahead at a great pace and was able to establish a distinct supremacy, at least on paper. in the light of recent events it is apparent that the german military authorities realised that the dawn of "the day" was approaching rapidly, and that it behoved them to be as fully prepared in the air as upon the land. it was immaterial that the zeppelin was the synonym for disaster. by standardisation its cost could be reduced while construction could be expedited. furthermore, when the matter was regarded in its broadest aspect, the fact was appreciated that forty zeppelins could be built at the cost of one super-dreadnought, so that adequate allowance could be made for accidents now and then, since a zeppelin catastrophe, no matter how complete it may be, is regarded by the teuton as a mere incident inseparable from progressive development. at the beginning of the year france relied upon being strengthened by a round dozen new dirigibles. seven of these were to be of , cubic metres' capacity and possessed of a speed of miles per hour. while the existing fleet was numerically strong, this strength was more apparent than real, for the simple reason that a large number of craft were in dry-dock undergoing repair or overhaul while many of the units were merely under test and could not be regarded therefore as in the effective fleet. true, there were a certain number of private craft which were liable to be commandeered when the occasion arose, but they could not be considered as decided acquisitions for the simple reason that many were purely experimental units. aerial vessels, like their consorts upon the water, have been divided into distinctive classes. thus there are the aerial cruisers comprising vessels exceeding , cubic feet in capacity; scouts which include those varying between , and , cubic feet capacity; and vedettes, which take in all the small or mosquito craft. at the end of , france possessed only four of the first-named craft in actual commission and thus immediately available for war, these being the adjutant vincenot, adjutant reau, dupuy de lome, and the transaerien. the first three are of , cubic feet. all, however, were privately owned. on the other hand, germany had no fewer than ten huge vessels, ranging from , to , cubic feet capacity, three of which, the victoria luise, suchard, and hansa, though owned privately, were immediately available for war. of these the largest was the zeppelin naval vessel "l- " feet in length, by feet diameter, of , cubic feet capacity, equipped with engines developing horse-power, and with a speed of . miles per hour. at the end of the effective aerial fleet of germany comprised twenty large craft, so far in advance of the french aerial cruisers as to be worthy of the name bestowed upon them--"aerial dreadnoughts." this merely represented the fleet available for immediate use and did not include the four gigantic suchard-schutte craft, each of , cubic feet, which were under construction, and which were being hurried forward to come into commission early in . but the most interesting factor, apart from the possession of such a huge fleet of dirigible air-craft, was their distribution at strategical points throughout the empire as if in readiness for the coming combat. they were literally dotted about the country. adequate harbouring facilities had been provided at konigsberg, berlin, posen, breslau, kiel, hamburg, wilhelmshaven, dusseldorf, cologne, frankfort, metz, mannheim, strasburg, and other places, with elaborate headquarters, of course, at friedrichshafen upon lake constance. the zeppelin workshops, harbouring facilities, and testing grounds at the latter point had undergone complete remodelling, while tools of the latest type had been provided to facilitate the rapid construction and overhaul of the monster zeppelin dirigibles. nothing had been left to chance; not an item was perfunctorily completed. the whole organisation was perfect, both in equipment and operation. each of the above stations possessed provision for an aerial dreadnought as well as one or more aerial cruisers, in addition to scouts or vedettes. upon the outbreak of hostilities germany's dirigible fleet was in a condition of complete preparedness, was better organised, and better equipped than that of any of her rivals. at the same time it constituted more of a paper than a fighting array for reasons which i will explain later. but there was another point which had escaped general observation. standardisation of parts and the installation of the desired machinery had accomplished one greatly desired end--the construction of new craft had been accelerated. before the war an interesting experiment was carried out to determine how speedily a vessel could be built. the result proved that a dirigible of the most powerful type could be completed within eight weeks and forthwith the various constructional establishments were brought into line so as to maintain this rate of building. the growth of the zeppelin, although built upon disaster, has been amazing. the craft of had a capacity of , cubic feet and a speed of miles per hour. in the creator of this type launched a huge craft having a capacity of , cubic feet. in the meantime speed had likewise been augmented by the use of more powerful motors until miles an hour was attained. but this by no means represented the limit. the foregoing vessels had been designed for land service purely and simply, but now the german authorities demanded similar craft for naval use, possessed of high speed and greater radius of action. count zeppelin rose to the occasion, and on october th, , launched at friedrichshafen the monster craft "l-i," feet in length, feet in diameter, of , cubic feet capacity, a displacement of tons and equipped with three sets of motors aggregating more than horse-power, and capable of imparting a speed of miles per hour. the appearance of this craft was hailed with intense delight by the german nation, while the naval department considered her to be a wonderful acquisition, especially after the searching reliability trial. in charge of count zeppelin and manned by a crew of officers and men together with nearly three tons of fuel--the fuel capacity conveys some idea of her possible radius of action--she travelled from friedrichshafen to johannisthal in hours. on this remarkable journey another point was established which was of far-reaching significance. the vessel was equipped with wireless telegraphy and therewith she kept in touch with the earth below throughout the journey, dropping and picking up wireless stations as she progressed with complete facility. this was a distinct achievement, inasmuch as the vessel having been constructed especially for naval operations she would be able to keep in touch with the warships below, guiding them unerringly during their movement. the cross-country trip having proved so completely successful the authorities were induced to believe that travelling over water would be equally satisfactory. accordingly the "l-i" was dispatched to the island of heligoland, the intention being to participate in naval manoeuvres in order to provide some reliable data as to the value of these craft operating in conjunction with warships. but in these tests german ambition and pride received a check. the huge zeppelin was manoeuvring over the north sea within easy reach of heligoland, when she was caught by one of those sudden storms peculiar to that stretch of salt water. in a moment she was stricken helpless; her motive power was overwhelmed by the blind forces of nature. the wind caught her as it would a soap-bubble and hurled her into the sea, precipitating the most disastrous calamity in the annals of aeronautics, since not only was the ship lost, but fifteen of her crew of officers and men were drowned. the catastrophe created consternation in german aeronautical circles. a searching inquiry was held to explain the disaster, but as usual it failed to yield much material information. it is a curious circumstance, but every successive zeppelin disaster, and their number is legion, has been attributable to a new cause. in this instance the accident was additionally disturbing, inasmuch as the ship had been flying across country continuously for about twelve months and had covered more miles than any preceding craft of her type. no scientific explanation for the disaster was forthcoming, but the commander of the vessel, who sank with his ship, had previously ventured his personal opinion that the vessel was over-loaded to meet the calls of ambition, was by no means seaworthy, and that sooner or later she would be caught by a heavy broadside wind and rendered helpless, or that she would make a headlong dive to destruction. it is a significant fact that he never had any faith in the airship, at least for sea duty, though in response to official command he carried out his duties faithfully and with a blind resignation to fate. meantime, owing to the success of the "l-i" in cross-country operations, another and more powerful craft, the "l-ii" had been taken in hand, and this was constructed also for naval use. while shorter than her consort, being only feet over all, this vessel had a greater beam-- feet. this latter increase was decided because it was conceded to be an easier matter to provide for greater beam than enhanced length in the existing air-ship harbours. the "l-ii" displaced tons--five tons in excess of her predecessor. in this vessel many innovations were introduced, such as the provision of the passage-way connecting the cars within the hull, instead of outside the latter as had hitherto been the practice, while the three cars were placed more closely together than formerly. the motors were of an improved type, giving an aggregate output of horse-power, and were divided into four separate units, housed in two engine-rooms, the front car being a replica in every detail of the navigating bridge of a warship. this vessel was regarded as a distinct improvement upon the "l-i," although the latter could boast some great achievements. but her glory was short-lived. in the course of the government trials, while some feet aloft, the huge vessel suddenly exploded and was burned in the air, a mass of broken and twisted metal-work falling to the ground. of the officers and men, including members of the admiralty board who were conducting the official trials, all but one were killed outright, and the solitary exception was so terribly burned as to survive the fall for only a few hours. the accident was remarkable and demonstrated very convincingly that although count zeppelin apparently had made huge strides in aerial navigation through the passage of years, yet in reality he had made no progress at all. he committed the identical error that characterised the effort of severo pax ten years previously, and the disaster was directly attributable to the self-same cause as that which overwhelmed the severo airship. the gas, escaping from the balloons housed in the hull, collected in the confined passage-way communicating with the cars, came into contact with a naked light, possibly the exhaust from the motors, and instantly detonated with terrific force, blowing the airship to fragments and setting fire to all the inflammable materials. in this airship zeppelin committed an unpardonable blunder. he had ignored the factor of "internal safety," and had deliberately flown in the face of the official rule which had been laid down in france after the severo disaster, which absolutely forbade the inclusion of such confined spaces as zeppelin had incorporated. this catastrophe coming so closely as it did upon the preceding disaster to the pride of the german aerial fleet somewhat shook public confidence in these craft, while aeronautical authorities of other countries described the zeppelin more vehemently than ever as a "mechanical monstrosity" and a "scientific curiosity." the zeppelin has come to be feared in a general manner, but this result is due rather to stories sedulously circulated, and which may be easily traced to teutonic sources. very few data of a reliable character have been allowed to filter through official circles. we have been told somewhat verbosely of what it can accomplish and of its high degree of efficiency and speed. but can credence be placed in these statements? when zeppelin iv made its unexpected descent at luneville, and was promptly seized by the french authorities, the german war office evinced distinct signs of uneasiness. the reason was speedily forth coming. the captain of the craft which had been captured forgot to destroy his log and other records of data concerning the vessel which had been scientifically collected during the journey. all this information fell into the hands of the french military department, and it proved a wondrous revelation. it enabled the french to value the zeppelin at its true worth, which was by no means comparable to the estimate based on reports skilfully circulated for the benefit of the world at large. recently the french military department permitted the results of their expert official examination to be made public. from close investigation of the log-book and the diagrams which had been prepared, it was found that the maximum speed attained by zeppelin iv during this momentous flight was only miles per hour! it was ascertained, moreover, that the load was , pounds, and the ascensional effort , pounds. the fuel consumption had averaged pounds per hour, while the fuel tanks carried sufficient for a flight of about seven hours. the airship had attained a maximum height of about , feet, to reach which , pounds of ballast had to be discarded. moreover, it was proved that a zeppelin, if travelling under military conditions with full armament and ammunition aboard, could carry sufficient fuel for only ten hours at the utmost, during which, if the slightest head-wind prevailed, it could not cover more than miles on the one fuel charge. this information has certainly proved a revelation and has contributed to the indifference with which the parisians regard a zeppelin raid. at the outbreak of war the zeppelin station nearest to paris was at metz, but to make the raid from that point the airship was forced to cover a round miles. it is scarcely to be supposed that perfectly calm weather would prevail during the whole period of the flight, so that a raid would be attended by considerable risk. that this handicap was recognised in german military circles is borne out by the fact that a temporary zeppelin hangar was established at a point considerably nearer the french capital, for the purpose of enabling a raid to be carried out with a greater possibility of success. the capture of zeppelin iv revealed another important fact. the critical flying height of the airship is between , and , feet. to attempt a raid at such an altitude would be to court certain disaster, inasmuch as the vessel would have to run the gauntlet of the whole of the french artillery, which it is admitted has a maximum range exceeding the flying altitude of the zeppelin. that the above calculation is within reason is supported by the statements of count zeppelin himself, who has declared that his airships are useless at a height exceeding , feet. confirmatory evidence upon this point is offered by the raid upon the british east coast towns, when it is stated that the aircraft were manoeuvring at a height not exceeding , feet. chapter vi. the military value of germany's aerial fleet although the zeppelin undoubtedly has been over-rated by the forces to which it is attached, at the same time it must not be under-estimated by its detractors. larger and more powerful vessels of this type have been, and still are being, constructed, culminating, so far as is known, in the "l- ," which is stated to have a capacity of about , , cubic feet, and to possess an average speed of miles per hour. while it is generally maintained that the zeppelins will prove formidable in attack, greater reliance is being placed upon the demoralising or terrifying effect which they are able to exercise. owing to the fact that from to tons of fuel--say to , gallons of gasoline or petrol--can be carried aboard, giving them a wide radius of action, it is doubtful whether they could travel from cologne to london and back upon a single fuel charge, since such a raid would entail a journey of about miles. the latest types of this craft are said to possess a high ascensional speed, which offers a distinct protection against aeroplane attack. according to such official information as has been vouchsafed, a zeppelin, when hard pressed, is able to rise vertically , feet in about three minutes. this is far in excess of the ascensional speed of even the speediest aeroplane, of course, the penalty for such a factor has to be paid: the loss of gas is appreciable and may lead to the craft's ultimate undoing. at the same time, however, it is able to maintain the superior position as compared with the aeroplane for a considerable period: the upper reaches of the air are its sanctuary. nor must the nocturnal activities of the zeppelin be overlooked. so far as night operations by these vessels are concerned, little has leaked out, so that the possibilities of the airship in this direction are still somewhat hypothetical. the fact remains, however, that it is night movements which perhaps are the most to be dreaded by the enemy. according to official german sources of information the latest types of zeppelins are engined by "noiseless" motors. there is nothing remarkable in this feature, since the modern motor-car virtually answers to this description, although in this instance quietness is obtained for the most part by recourse to the sleeve-valve engine. still, the ordinary otto-cycle internal combustion engine can be rendered almost silent by the utilisation of adequate muffling devices, which, in the zeppelin, are more possible of incorporation than in the aeroplane, because the extra weight imposed by this acquisition is a minor consideration in comparison with the lifting power of the vessel. night operations, however, have not proved eminently successful. the very darkness which protects the aerial prowler also serves a similar purpose in connection with its prey. but aerial operations under the cover of darkness are guided not so much by the glare of lights from below as betrayal by sound. the difference between villages and cities may be distinguished from aloft, say at , to , feet, by the hum which life and movement emit, and this is the best guide to the aerial scout or battleship. the german authorities have made a special study of this peculiar problem, and have conducted innumerable tests upon the darkest nights, when even the sheen of the moon has been unavailable, for the express purpose of training the aerial navigators to discover their position from the different sounds reaching them from below. in other words, the corsair in the skies depends more upon compass and sound than upon compass and vision when operating after dark. the searchlights with which the zeppelins are equipped are provided merely for illuminating a supposed position. they are not brought into service until the navigator concludes that he has arrived above the desired point: the ray of light which is then projected is merely to assist the crew in the discharge of the missiles of destruction. the zeppelin, however, owing to its speed, both in the horizontal and vertical planes, is essentially a unit for daylight operations. the other airships which germany possesses, and which for the most part are of the non-rigid type, are condemned to daylight operations from the character of their design. owing to their low speeds they may be dismissed as impossible aerial vessels for hazardous work and are not regarded by the german authorities as all-round airships of war. craft of the air are judged in germany from the one standard only. this may be a teutonic failing, but it is quite in keeping with the teutonic spirit of militarism. commercialism is a secondary factor. to the german emperor an airship is much what a new manufacturing process or machine is to the american. whereas the latter asks, "how much will it save me on the dollar?" to the war lord of germany--and an airship notwithstanding its other recommendatory features is judged solely from this standpoint--the question is "what are its military qualifications?" when the semi-rigid airship "v-i" was brought before the notice of the german military department the pressing point concerning its military recommendations arose at once. the inventor had foreseen this issue and was optimistic. thereupon the authorities asked if the inventor were prepared to justify his claims. the retort was positive. forthwith the junkers decided to submit it to the test. this ship is of quite a distinctive type. it is an aerial cruiser, and the inventor claims that it combines all the essential qualifications of the zeppelin and of the competitors of the latter, in addition to the advantage of being capable of dissection, transportation in parts, and rapid re-erection at any desired spot. the length of the vessel is about feet; maximum diameter approximately feet, and capacity about , cubic feet. the outstanding feature is a rigid keel-frame forming a covered passage way below the envelope or gas-bag, combined with easy access to all parts of the craft while under way, together with an artificial stiffening which dispenses with the necessity of attaching any additional cars. the frame is so designed that the load, as well as the ballast and fuel tanks, may be distributed as desired, and at the same time it ensures an advantageous disposition of the steering mechanism, far removed from the centre of rotation at the stern, without any overloading of the latter. the lifting part of the airship comprises a single gas bag fitted with two ballonets provided to ensure the requisite gas-tension in the main envelope, while at the same time permitting, in times of emergency, a rapid change of altitude. self-contained blowers contribute to the preservation of the shape of the envelope, the blowers and the ballonets being under the control of the pilot. planes resembling venetian blinds facilitate vertical steering, while the suspension of the keel is carried out in such a manner as to secure uniformity of weight upon the gas bag. the propelling power comprises two sets of internal combustion engines, each developing horse-power, the transmission being through rubber belting. the propellers, built of wood, make revolutions per minute, and are set as closely as possible to the centre of resistance. but the most salient characteristic of this machine is its portability. it can be dismantled and transported by wagons to any desired spot, the suspension frame being constructed in units, each of which is sufficiently small to be accommodated in an ordinary vehicle. upon arrival the parts may be put together speedily and easily. the authorities submitted the airship to exacting trials and were so impressed by its characteristics and the claims of the inventor that undoubtedly it will be brought into service during the present crisis. at the same time the whole faith of the german military staff so far as airship operations are concerned, is pinned to the zeppelin. notwithstanding its many drawbacks it is the vessel which will be used for the invasion of great britain. even the harbour question, which is admitted to be somewhat acute, has been solved to a certain degree. at strategical points permanent harbours or airship sheds have been established. seeing that the airships demand considerable skill in docking and undocking, and that it is impossible to achieve these operations against the wind, swinging sheds have been adopted. on water the practice is to anchor a floating harbour at one end, leaving the structure to swing round with the wind. but on dry land such a dock is impossible. accordingly turntable sheds have been adopted. the shed is mounted upon a double turn-table, there being two circular tracks the one near the centre of the shed and the other towards its extremities. the shed is mounted upon a centre pivot and wheels engaged with these inner and outer tracks. in this manner the shed may be swung round to the most favourable point of the compass according to the wind. in the field, however, such practices are impossible, and the issue in this connection has been overcome by recourse to what may be termed portable harbours. they resemble the tents of peripatetic circuses and travelling exhibitions. there is a network of vertical steel members which may be set with facility and speed and which are stayed by means of wire guys. at the top of the outer vertical posts pulleys are provided whereby the outer skin or canvas forming the walls may be hauled into position, while at the apex of the roof further pulleys ensure the proper placing of the roofing. the airship is able to enter or leave from either end according to conditions. the material is fireproofed as a precautionary measure, but at the same time the modern aerial bomb is able to penetrate the roofing without any difficulty and to explode against the airship anchored within. the one great objection to the zeppelin harbour is the huge target it offers to hostile attack, which, in the event of a vessel being moored within, is inevitably serious. thus, for instance, upon the occasion of the air raids conducted by lieutenant collet and of squadron commander briggs and his colleagues at dusseldorf and friedrichshafen respectively, little difficulty was experienced in destroying the airships riding at anchor. the target offered by the shed is so extensive that it would be scarcely possible for a flying enemy to miss it. a bomb dropped from a reasonable height, say feet, would be almost certain to strike some part of the building, and a zeppelin is an easy vessel to destroy. the firing of one balloon is sufficient to detonate the whole, for the simple reason that hydrogen gas is continuously oozing through the bags in which it is contained. according to a recent statement the germans are said to be utilising an inert or non-inflammable gas, equal in lifting power to hydrogen, for the inflation of military craft, but scientific thought does not entertain this statement with any degree of seriousness. no gas as light as hydrogen and non-explosive is known to commerce. will germany invade great britain by air? this is the absorbing topic of the moment--one which has created intense interest and a certain feeling of alarm among the timorous. although sporadic raids are considered to be possible and likely to be carried out with a varying measure of success--such as that made upon the british east coast--eminent authorities ridicule an invasion in force. the risk would be enormous, although there is no doubt that germany, which has always maintained that an invasion of this character will be made, will be compelled to essay such a task, in order to satisfy public opinion, and to justify official statements. it is a moot point, however, whether the invaders ever will succeed in making good their escape, unless nature proves exceptionally kind. the situation is best summed up in the unbiassed report of general george p. scriven, chief signal officer of the united states army to the u.s. secretary of war. in this report, which deals exhaustively with the history, construction and achievements of airships, such an invasion is described as fantastic and impracticable. writing on november th, , the officer declares that "he is not prepared to recommend the american army to take up seriously the question of constructing dirigibles, as they are not worth their cost as offensive machines, while for reconnaissance or defence they are of far less value than aeroplanes." in his words, "dirigibles are seemingly useless in defence against the aeroplane or gun-fire." in order to be able to make an invasion in force upon great britain's cities extremely favourable weather must prevail, and the treacherous nature of the weather conditions of the north sea are known fully well both to british and teuton navigators. seeing that the majority of the zeppelin pilots are drawn from the navy and mercantile marine, and thus are conversant with the peculiarities and characteristics of this stretch of salt water, it is only logical to suppose that their knowledge will exert a powerful influence in any such decision, the recommendations of the meteorological savants not withstanding. when the zeppelin pride of the german navy "l- " was hurled to destruction by a typical north sea squall, captain blew of the victoria luise, a zeppelin with many great achievements to her credit, whose navigator was formerly in the navy, and thus is familiar with the whole issue, explained that this atmospheric liveliness of the north sea prevails for the most part in the latitude of norway, but that it frequently extends as far south as the gate of the channel. he related furthermore that the rain squalls are of tropical violence, while the vertical thrusts of air are such that no dirigible as yet constructed could ever hope to live in them. under such conditions, he continued, the gas is certain to cool intensely, and the hull must then become waterlogged, not to mention the downward thrust of the rain. under such conditions buoyancy must be imperilled to such a degree as to demand the jettisoning of every piece of ballast, fuel and other removable weight, including even the steadying and vertical planes. when this has been done, he pointed out, nothing is left with which to combat the upward vertical thrusts of the air. to attempt to run before the wind is to court positive disaster, as the wind is certain to gain the mastery. once the airship loses steering way and is rendered uncontrollable it becomes the sport of the forces of nature, with the result that destruction is merely a matter of minutes, or even seconds. every navigator who knows the north sea will support these conclusions. squalls and blizzards in winter, and thunderstorms in summer, rise with startling suddenness and rage with terrific destructive fury. such conditions must react against the attempt of an aerial invasion in force, unless it be made in the character of the last throw by a desperate gambler, with good fortune favouring the dash to a certain degree. but lesser and more insignificant zeppelin raids are likely to be somewhat frequent, and to be made at every favourable climatic opportunity. chapter vii. aeroplanes of war owing to the fertility of inventors and the resultant multiplicity of designs it is impossible to describe every type of heavier-than-air machine which has been submitted to the exacting requirements of military duty. the variety is infinite and the salient fact has already been established that many of the models which have proved reliable and efficient under normal conditions are unsuited to military operations. the early days of the war enabled those of doubtful value to be eliminated, the result being that those machines which are now in use represent the survival of the fittest. experience has furthermore emphasised the necessity of reducing the number of types to the absolute minimum. this weeding-out process is being continued and there is no doubt that by the time the war is concluded the number of approved types of aeroplanes of military value will have been reduced to a score or less. the inconveniences and disadvantages arising from the utilisation of a wide variety of different types are manifold, the greatest being the necessity of carrying a varied assortment of spare parts, and confusion in the repair and overhauling shops. the methodical teuton was the first to grasp the significance of these drawbacks; he has accordingly carried standardisation to a high degree of efficiency, as is shown in another chapter. at a later date france appreciated the wisdom of the german practice, and within a short time after the outbreak of hostilities promptly ruled out certain types of machines which were regarded as unsuitable. in this instance the process of elimination created considerable surprise, inasmuch as it involved an embargo on the use of certain machines, which under peace conditions had achieved an international reputation, and were held to represent the finest expression of aeronautical science in france as far as aeroplane developments are concerned. possibly the german machine which is most familiar, by name, to the general public is the taube, or, as it is sometimes called, the etrich monoplane, from the circumstance that it was evolved by the austrian engineer igo etrich in collaboration with his colleague wels. these two experimenters embarked on the study of dynamic flight contemporaneously with maxim, langley, kress, and many other well-known pioneers, but it was not until that their first practical machine was completed. its success was instantaneous, many notable flights being placed to its credit, while some idea of the perfection of its design may be gathered from the fact that the machine of to-day is substantially identical with that used seven years ago, the alterations which have been effected meanwhile being merely modifications in minor details. the design of this machine follows very closely the lines of a bird in flight--hence its colloquial description, "taube," or "dove." indeed the analogy to the bird is so close that the ribs of the frame resemble the feathers of a bird. the supporting plane is shaped in the manner of a bird's distended wing, and is tipped up at the rear ends to ensure stability. the tail also resembles that of a bird very closely. this aeroplane, especially the latest type, is very speedy, and it has proved extremely reliable. it is very sharp in turning and extremely sensitive to its rudder, which renders it a first-class craft for reconnoitring duty. the latest machines are fitted with motors developing from to horse-power. the "taube" commanded attention in germany for the reason that it indicated the first departure from the adherence to the french designs which up to that time had been followed somewhat slavishly, owing to the absence of native initiative. the individuality of character revealed in the "taube" appealed to the german instinct, with the result that the machine achieved a greater reputation than might have been the case had it been pitted against other types of essentially teutonic origin. the taube was subsequently tested both in france and great britain, but failed to raise an equal degree of enthusiasm, owing to the manifestation of certain defects which marred its utility. this practical experience tended to prove that the taube, like the zeppelin, possessed a local reputation somewhat of the paper type. the germans, however, were by no means disappointed by such adverse criticism, but promptly set to work to eliminate defects with a view to securing an all-round improvement. the most successful of these endeavours is represented in the taube-rumpler aeroplane, which may be described as an improved edition of etrich's original idea. as a matter of fact the modifications were of so slight, though important, a character that many machines generically described as taubes are in reality rumplers, but the difference is beyond detection by the ordinary and unpractised observer. in the rumpler machine the wings, like those of the taube, assume broadly the form and shape of those of the pigeon or dove in flight. the early rumpler machines suffered from sluggish control, but in the later types this defect has been overcome. in the early models the wings were flexible, but in the present craft they are rigid, although fitted with tips or ailerons. the supporting truss beneath the wings, which was such an outstanding feature of its prototype, has been dispensed with, the usual i-beam longitudinals being used in its stead. the latest machines fitted with - horse-power mercedes motors have a fine turn of speed, possess an enhanced ascensional effort, and are far simpler to control. other german machines which are used in the military service are the gotha and the albatross. the former is a monoplane, and here again the influence of etrich upon german aeroplane developments is strongly manifested, the shape of the bird's wing being retained. in the gotha the truss which etrich introduced is a prominent characteristic. the albatross is a biplane, but this craft has proved to be somewhat slow and may be said to be confined to what might be described as the heavier aerial military duties, where great endurance and reliability are essential. as the war proceeds, doubtless teuton ingenuity will be responsible for the appearance of new types, as well as certain modifications in the detail construction of the existing machines, but there is every indication that the broad lines of etrich's conception will be retained in all monoplanes. there is one point in which germany has excelled. wood is not employed in the construction of these heavier-than-air craft. steel and the lighter tough alloys are exclusively used. in this way the minimum of weight consistent with the maximum of strength policy is carried out. moreover the manufacture of component parts is facilitated and accelerated to a remarkable degree by the use of metal, while the tasks of fitting and repairing are notably expedited by the practice of standardisation. germany is also manifesting commendable enterprise in the perfection of light powerful motors for these dynamic machines. the latest types of explosion-motors range from to horse-power; the advantages of these are obvious. upon the outbreak of hostilities the french possessed an enormous number and variety of aeroplanes and this aerial fleet had been brought to a high standard of organisation. the aerial fleet is sub-divided into squadrons called "escadrilles," each of which comprises six machines and pilots. these units are kept up to strength, wastage being made up from reserves, so as to maintain the requisite homogeneity. but ere the war had been in progress many weeks an official order was issued forbidding the employment of the bleriot, deperdussin, nieuport, and r.e.p. monoplanes. those which received official approval included the caudron, henry, and maurice farman, morane-saulnier, and voisin machines. this drastic order came somewhat as a thunderbolt, and the reason for the decree has not been satisfactorily revealed. suffice to say that in one stroke the efficiency and numerical strength of the french aerial navy were reduced very appreciably. for instance, it is stated that there were thirty escadrilles of bleriot monoplanes together with pilots at the front, in addition to thirty mixed escadrilles of the other prohibited types with their fliers. moreover a round escadrilles of all the various types were in reserve. the effect of the military order was to reduce the effective strength by no fewer than aeroplanes. seeing that the french aerial force was placed at a great disadvantage numerically by this action, there seems to be ample justification for the hostile criticism which the decree of prohibition aroused in certain circles, especially when it is remembered that there was not an equal number of the accepted machines available to take the place of those which had been ruled out of court. one effect of this decree was to throw some expert aviators upon the waiting list for the simple reason that machines were unavailable. some of the best aviation skill and knowledge which france possesses were affected by the order. it is stated that accomplished aviators, such as vedrines, were unable to obtain machines. it will be seen that the ultimate effect of the french military decree was to reduce the number of types to about four, each of which was allotted a specific duty. but whereas three different bi-planes are on the approved list there is only one monoplane--the morane-saulaier. this machine, however, has a great turn of speed, and it is also able to climb at a very fast pace. in these respects it is superior to the crack craft of germany, so that time after time the latter have refused battle in the skies, and have hurried back to their lines. the morane-saulnier is the french mosquito craft of the air and like the insect, it is avowedly aggressive. in fact, its duties are confined to the work of chasing and bringing down the enemy, for which work its high manoeuvring capacity is excellently adapted. its aggressive armament comprises a mitrailleuse. unfortunately, however, the factory responsible for the production of this machine is at present handicapped by the limitations of its manufacturing plant, which when pushed to the utmost extent cannot turn out more than about ten machines per week. no doubt this deficiency will be remedied as the war proceeds by extension of the works or by allotting orders to other establishments, but at the time of the decree the manufacturing capacity was scarcely sufficient to make good the wastage, which was somewhat heavy. as far as biplanes are concerned the caudron is the fastest in flight and is likewise extremely quick in manoeuvring. it is a very small machine and is extremely light, but the fact that it can climb at the rate of over feet per minute is a distinct advantage in its favour. it supplements the morane-saulnier monoplane in the specific duty of the latter, while it is also employed for discovering the enemy's artillery and communicating the range of the latter to the french and british artillery. in this latter work it has played a very prominent part and to it is due in no small measure that deadly accuracy of the artillery of the allies which has now become so famous. this applies especially to those tactics, where the field artillery dashes up to a position, discharges a number of rounds in rapid succession, or indulges in rafale firing, and then limbering up, rushes away before the enemy can reply. as is well known the farman biplanes possess high endurance qualities. they can remain aloft for many hours at a stretch and are remarkably reliable. owing to these qualities they are utilised for prolonged and searching reconnoitring duties such as strategical reconnaissances as distinct from the hurried and tactical reconnaissances carried out by fleeter machines. while they are not so speedy as the monoplanes of the german military establishment, endurance in this instance is preferable to pace. a thorough survey of the enemy's position over the whole of his military zone, which stretches back for a distance of miles or so from the outer line of trenches, is of incalculable value to a commander who is contemplating any decisive movement or who is somewhat in doubt as to the precise character of his antagonist's tactics. the french aerial fleet has been particularly active in its work of raiding hostile positions and submitting them to a fusillade of bombs from the clouds. the machine which is allotted this specific task is the voisin biplane. this is due to the fact that this machine is able to carry a great weight. it was speedily discovered that in bomb-raids it is essential for an aeroplane to be able to carry a somewhat large supply of missiles, owing to the high percentage of misses which attends these operations. a raid by a machine capable of carrying only, say, half-a-dozen projectiles, is virtually a waste of fuel, and the endurance limitations of the fast machines reacts against their profitable use in this work. on the other hand, the fact that the voisin machine is able to carry a large supply of bombs renders it an ideal craft for this purpose; hence the official decision to confine it to this work. so far as the british efforts in aerial work are concerned there is no such display of rigid selection as characterises the practice of the french and german military authorities. britain's position in the air has been extensively due to private enterprise, and this is still being encouraged. moreover at the beginning of the war britain was numerically far inferior both to her antagonist and to her ally. consequently it was a wise move to encourage the private manufacture of machines which had already established their value. the consequence is that a variety of machines figure in the british aerial navy. private initiative is excellently seconded by the government manufacturing aeroplane factory, while the training of pilots is likewise being carried out upon a comprehensive scale. british manufacture may be divided into two broad classes--the production of aeroplanes and of waterplanes respectively. although there is a diversity of types there is a conspicuous homogeneity for the most part, as was evidenced by the british raid carried out on february - , when a fleet of machines raided the various german military centres established along the coast of flanders. considerable secrecy has been displayed by the british government concerning the types of machines that are being utilised, although ample evidence exists from the producing activity of the various establishments that all available types which have demonstrated their reliability and efficiency are being turned to useful purpose. the avro and sopwith warplanes with their very high speeds have proved remarkably successful. so far as manufacturing is concerned the royal aerial factory may be said to constitute the back bone of the british aerial fleet. this factory fulfils various purposes. it is not only engaged in the manufacture of machines, and the development of aeroplanes for specific duties, but also carries out the inspection and testing of machines built by private firms. every machine is submitted to an exacting test before it is passed into the service. three broad types of government machines are manufactured at this establishment. there is that designed essentially for scouting operations, in which speed is the all-important factor and which is of the tractor type. another is the "reconnoitring" machine known officially as the "r.e." to-day, but formerly as the "b.e" (bleriot-experimental), a considerable number of which are in commission. this machine is also of the tractor type, carrying a pilot and an observer, and has a maximum speed of - miles per hour. if required it can further be fitted with an automatic gun for defence and attack. the third craft is essentially a fighting machine. owing to the introduction of the machine-gun which is fixed in the prow, with the marksman immediately behind it, the screw is placed at the rear. the pilot has his seat behind the gunner. the outstanding feature of these machines is the high factor of safety, which attribute has astonished some of the foremost aviation experts in the world. great britain lagged behind her continental rivals in the development of the fourth arm, especially in matters pertaining to motive power. for some time reliance was placed upon foreign light highspeed explosion motors, but private enterprise was encouraged, with the result that british motors comparing favourably in every respect with the best productions upon the continent are now available. development is still proceeding, and there is every evidence that in the near future entire reliance will be placed upon the native motor. undoubtedly, as the war progresses, many valuable lessons will be learned which will exercise an important bearing upon the design and construction of warplanes. the ordeals to which the machines are submitted in military duties are far more severe than any imposed by the conditions of commerce. accordingly there is every indication that the conflict upon the continent will represent a distinctive epoch in aeroplane design and construction. many problems still await solution, such as the capacity to hover over a position, and it is quite possible that these complex and baffling questions will be settled definitely as the result of operations in the field. the aeroplane has reached a certain stage of evolution: further progress is virtually impossible unless something revolutionary is revealed, perfected, and brought to the practical stage. chapter viii. scouting from the skies from the moment when human flight was lifted from the rut of experiment to the field of practical application, many theories, interesting and illuminating, concerning the utility of the fourth arm as a military unit were advanced. the general consensus of expert opinion was that the flying machine would be useful to glean information concerning the movements of an enemy, rather than as a weapon of offence. the war is substantiating this argument very completely. although bomb-dropping is practised somewhat extensively, the results achieved are rather moral than material in their effects. here and there startling successes have been recorded especially upon the british side, but these triumphs are outnumbered by the failures in this direction, and merely serve to emphasise the views of the theorists. the argument was also advanced that, in this particular work, the aeroplane would prove more valuable than the dirigible, but actual campaigning has proved conclusively that the dirigible and the heavier-than-air machines have their respective fields of utility in the capacity of scouts. in fact in the very earliest days of the war, the british airships, though small and slow in movement, proved more serviceable for this duty than their dynamic consorts. this result was probably due to the fact that military strategy and tactics were somewhat nonplussed by the appearance of this new factor. at the time it was an entirely unknown quantity. it is true that aircraft had been employed in the balkan and the italo-ottoman campaigns, but upon such a limited scale as to afford no comprehensive idea of their military value and possibilities. the belligerents, therefore, were caught somewhat at a disadvantage, and an appreciable period of time elapsed before the significance of the aerial force could be appreciated, while means of counter acting or nullifying its influences had to be evolved simultaneously, and according to the exigencies of the moment. at all events, the protagonists were somewhat loth to utilise the dirigible upon an elaborate scale or in an aggressive manner. it was employed more after the fashion of a captive balloon, being sent aloft from a point well behind the front lines of the force to which it was attached, and well out of the range of hostile guns. its manoeuvres were somewhat circumscribed, and were carried out at a safe distance from the enemy, dependence being placed upon the advantages of an elevated position for the gathering of information. but as the campaign progressed, the airships became more daring. their ability to soar to a great height offered them complete protection against gun-fire, and accordingly sallies over the hostile lines were carried out. but even here a certain hesitancy became manifest. this was perfectly excusable, for the simple reason that the dirigible, above all, is a fair-weather craft, and disasters, which had overtaken these vessels time after time, rendered prudence imperative. moreover, but little was known of the range and destructiveness of anti-aircraft guns. in the duty of reconnoitring the dirigible possesses one great advantage over its heavier-than-air rival. it can remain virtually stationary in the air, the propellers revolving at just sufficient speed to off-set the wind and tendencies to drift. in other words, it has the power of hovering over a position, thereby enabling the observers to complete their task carefully and with deliberation. on the other hand, the means of enabling an aeroplane to hover still remain to be discovered. it must travel at a certain speed through the air to maintain its dynamic equilibrium, and this speed is often too high to enable the airman to complete his reconnaissance with sufficient accuracy to be of value to the forces below. all that the aeroplane can do is to circle above a certain position until the observer is satisfied with the data he has collected. but hovering on the part of the dirigible is not without conspicuous drawbacks. the work of observation cannot be conducted with any degree of accuracy at an excessive altitude. experience has proved that the range of the latest types of anti-aircraft weapons is in excess of anticipations. the result is that the airship is useless when hovering beyond the zone of fire. the atmospheric haze, even in the clearest weather, obstructs the observer's vision. the caprices of this obstacle are extraordinary, as anyone who has indulged in ballooning knows fully well. on a clear summer's day i have been able to see the ground beneath with perfect distinctness from a height of , feet, yet when the craft had ascended a further two or three hundred feet, the panorama was blurred. a film of haze lies between the balloon and the ground beneath. and the character of this haze is continually changing, so that the aerial observer's task is rendered additionally difficult. its effects are particularly notice able when one attempts to photograph the view unfolded below. plate after plate may be exposed and nothing will be revealed. yet at a slightly lower altitude the plates may be exposed and perfectly sharp and well-defined images will be obtained. seeing that the photographic eye is keener and more searching than the human organ of sight, it is obvious that this haze constitutes a very formidable obstacle. german military observers, who have accompanied the zeppelins and parsevals on numerous aerial journeys under varying conditions of weather, have repeatedly drawn attention to this factor and its caprices, and have not hesitated to venture the opinion that it would interfere seriously with military aerial reconnaissances, and also that it would tend to render such work extremely hazardous at times. when these conditions prevail the dirigible must carry out its work upon the broad lines of the aeroplane. it must descend to the level where a clear view of the ground may be obtained, and in the interests of safety it has to keep on the move. to attempt to hover within , feet of the ground is to court certain disaster, inasmuch as the vessel offers a magnificent and steady target which the average gunner, equipped with the latest sighting devices and the most recent types of guns, scarcely could fail to hit. but the airman in the aeroplane is able to descend to a comparatively low level in safety. the speed and mobility of his machine constitute his protection. he can vary his altitude, perhaps only thirty or forty feet, with ease and rapidity, and this erratic movement is more than sufficient to perplex the marksmen below, although the airman is endangered if a rafale is fired in such a manner as to cover a wide zone. although the aeroplane may travel rapidly it is not too fleet for a keen observer who is skilled in his peculiar task. he may only gather a rough idea of the disposition of troops, their movements, the lines of communication, and other details which are indispensable to his commander, but in the main the intelligence will be fairly accurate. undulating flight enables him to determine speedily the altitude at which he is able to obtain the clearest views of the country beneath. moreover, owing to his speed he is able to complete his task in far less time than his colleague operating in the dirigible, the result being that the information placed at the disposal of his superior officers is more to the moment, and accordingly of greater value. reconnoitring by aeroplane may be divided into two broad categories, which, though correlated to a certain degree, are distinctive, because each constitutes a specific phase in military operations. they are known respectively as "tactical" and "strategical" movements. the first is somewhat limited in its scope as compared with the latter, and has invariably to be carried out rapidly, whereas the strategical reconnaissance may occupy several hours. the tactical reconnaissance concerns the corps or divisional commander to which the warplane is attached, and consequently its task is confined to the observation of the line immediately facing the particular corps or division. the aviator does not necessarily penetrate beyond the lines of the enemy, but, as a rule limits his flight to some distance from his outermost defences. the airman must possess a quick eye, because his especial duty is to note the disposition of the troops immediately facing him, the placing of the artillery, and any local movements of the forces that may be in progress. consequently the aviator engaged on this service may be absent from his lines for only a few minutes, comparatively speaking; the intelligence he acquires must be speedily communicated to the force to which he is attached, because it may influence a local movement. the strategical reconnaissance, on the other hand, affects the whole plan of campaign. the aviators told off for this duty are attached to the staff of the commander-in-chief, and the work has to be carried out upon a far more comprehensive and elaborate scale, while the airmen are called upon to penetrate well into the hostile territory to a point thirty, forty, or more miles beyond the outposts. the procedure is to instruct the flier either to carry out his observations of the territory generally, or to report at length upon a specified stretch of country. in the latter event he may fly to and fro over the area in question until he has acquired all the data it is possible to collect. his work not only comprises the general disposition of troops, defences, placing of artillery, points where reserves are being held, high-roads, railways, base camps, and so forth, but he is also instructed to bring back as correct an idea as possible of what the enemy proposes to do, so that his commander-in-chief may adjust his moves accordingly. in order to perform this task with the requisite degree of thoroughness it is often necessary for the airman to remain in the air for several hours continuously, not returning, in fact, until he has completed the allotted duty. the airman engaged in strategical aerial reconnaissance must possess, above all things, what is known as a "military" eye concerning the country he traverses. he must form tolerably correct estimates of the forces beneath and their character. he must possess the ability to read a map rapidly as he moves through the air and to note upon it all information which is likely to be of service to the general staff. the ability to prepare military sketches rapidly and intelligibly is a valuable attribute, and skill in aerial photography is a decidedly useful acquisition. such men must be of considerable stamina, inasmuch as great demands are made upon their powers of endurance. being aloft for several hours imposes a severe tax upon the nervous system, while it must also be borne in mind that all sorts and conditions of weather are likely to be encountered, more particularly during the winter. hail, rain, and blizzards may be experienced in turn, while the extreme cold which often prevails in the higher altitudes during the winter season is a fearful enemy to combat. often an airman upon his return from such a reconnaissance has been discovered to be so numbed and dazed as a result of the prolonged exposure, that considerable time has elapsed before he has been sufficiently restored to set forth the results of his observations in a coherent, intelligible manner for the benefit of the general staff. under these circumstances it is not surprising that the most skilful and experienced aviators are generally reserved for this particular work. in addition to the natural accidents to which the strategical aerial observer is exposed, the dangers arising from hostile gun-fire must not be overlooked. he is manoeuvring the whole time over the enemy's firing zone, where anti-aircraft weapons are disposed strategically, and where every effort is made by artillery to bring him down, or compel him to repair to such a height as to render observation with any degree of accuracy well-nigh impossible. the methods practised by the german aerial scout vary widely, and are governed in no small measure by the intrepidity and skill of the airman himself. one practice is to proceed alone upon long flights over the enemy's lines, penetrating just as far into hostile territory as the pilot considers advisable, and keeping, of course, within the limits of the radius of action of the machine, as represented by the fuel supply, the while carefully taking mental stock of all that he observes below. it is a kind of roving commission without any definite aim in view beyond the collection of general intelligence. this work, while productive and valuable to a certain degree, is attended with grave danger, as the german airmen have repeatedly found to their cost. success is influenced very materially by the accuracy of the airman's judgment. a slight miscalculation of the velocity and direction of the wind, or failure to detect any variations in the climatic conditions, is sufficient to prove his undoing. german airmen who essayed journeys of discovery in this manner, often failed to regain their lines because they ventured too far, misjudged the speed of the wind which was following them on the outward run, and ultimately were forced to earth owing to the exhaustion of the fuel supply during the homeward trip; the increased task imposed upon the motor, which had to battle hard to make headway, caused the fuel consumption per mile to exceed calculations. then the venturesome airman cannot neglect another factor which is adverse to his success. hostile airmen lie in wait, and a fleet of aeroplanes is kept ready for instant service. they permit the invader to penetrate well into their territory and then ascend behind him to cut off his retreat. true, the invader has the advantage of being on the wing, while the ether is wide and deep, without any defined channels of communication. but nine times out of ten the adventurous scout is trapped. his chances of escape are slender, because his antagonists dispose themselves strategically in the air. the invader outpaces one, but in so doing comes within range of another. he is so harassed that he either has to give fight, or, finding his retreat hopelessly cut off, he makes a determined dash, trusting to his high speed to carry him to safety. in these driving tactics the french and british airmen have proved themselves adepts, more particularly the latter, as the chase appeals to their sporting instincts. there is nothing so exhilarating as a quarry who displays a determination to run the gauntlet. the roving teuton scout was considerably in evidence in the early days of the war, but two or three weeks' experience emphasised the sad fact that, in aerial strategy, he was hopelessly outmatched by his opponents. his advantage of speed was nullified by the superior tactical and strategical acumen of his antagonists, the result being that the german airman, who has merely been trained along certain lines, who is in many cases nothing more than a cog-wheel in a machine, and who is proverbially slow-witted, has concluded that he is no match for the airmen of the allies. he found from bitter experience that nothing afforded the anglo-french military aviators such keen delight as to lie in wait for a "rover," and then to swoop into the air to round him up. the proportion of these individual scouts who were either brought down, or only just succeeded in reaching safety within their own lines, and who were able to exhibit serious wounds as evidence of the severity of the aerial tussle, or the narrowness of the escape, has unnerved the teuton airmen as a body to a very considerable extent. often, even when an aeroplane descended within the german lines, it was found that the roving airman had paid the penalty for his rashness with his life, so that his journey had proved in vain, because all the intelligence he had gained had died with him, or, if committed to paper, was so unintelligible as to prove useless. it was the success of the british airmen in this particular field of duty which was responsible for the momentous declaration in field-marshal sir john french's famous despatch:--"the british flying corps has succeeded in establishing an individual ascendancy, which is as serviceable to us as it is damaging to the enemy.... the enemy have been less enterprising in their flights. something in the direction of the mastery of the air has already been gained." the methods of the british airmen are in vivid contrast to the practice of the venturesome teuton aerial rovers described above. while individual flights are undertaken they are not of unknown duration or mileage. the man is given a definite duty to perform and he ascends merely to fulfil it, returning with the information at the earliest possible moment. it is aerial scouting with a method. the intelligence is required and obtained for a specific purpose, to govern a contemplated move in the grim game of war. even then the flight is often undertaken by two or more airmen for the purpose of checking and counterchecking information gained, or to ensure such data being brought back to headquarters, since it is quite possible that one of the party may fall a victim to hostile fire. by operating upon these lines there is very little likelihood of the mission proving a complete failure. even when raids upon certain places such as dusseldorf, friedrichshafen or cuxhaven are planned, complete dependence is not placed on one individual. the machine is accompanied, so that the possibility of the appointed task being consummated is transformed almost into a certainty. the french flying men work upon broadly similar lines. their fleet is divided into small squadrons each numbering four, six, or more machines, according to the nature of the contemplated task. each airman is given an area of territory which is to be reconnoitred thoroughly. in this way perhaps one hundred or more miles of the enemy's front are searched for information at one and the same time. the units of the squadron start out, each taking the appointed direction according to the preconceived plan, and each steering by the aid of compass and map. they are urged to complete the work with all speed and to return to a secret rendezvous. later the air is alive with the whirring of motors. the machines are coming back and all converging to one point. they vol-plane to the earth and gracefully settle down within a short distance of each other at the rendezvous. the pilots collect and each relates the intelligence he has gained. the data are collated and in this manner the general staff is able to learn exactly what is transpiring over a long stretch of the hostile lines, and a considerable distance to the rear of his advance works. possibly five hundred square miles have been reconnoitred in this manner. troops have been massed here, lines of communication extend somewhere else, while convoys are moving at a third place. but all has been observed, and the commanding officer is in a position to re-arrange his forces accordingly. it is a remarkable example of method in military tactics and strategy, and conveys a striking idea of the degree to which aerial operations have been organised. after due deliberation it is decided that the convoys shall be raided, or that massed troops shall be thrown into confusion, if not dispersed. the squadron is ordered to prepare for another aerial journey. the roads along which the convoys are moving are indicated upon the map, or the position of the massed troops in bivouac is similarly shown. the airmen load their machines with a full charge of bombs. when all is ready the leader ascends, followed in rapid succession by the other units, and they whirr through the air in single file. it now becomes a grim game of follow-my-leader. the leader detects the convoy, swoops down, suddenly launches his missiles, and re-ascends. he does not deviate a foot from his path to observe the effects of his discharge, as the succeeding aeroplane is close behind him. if the leader has missed then the next airman may correct his error. one after another the machines repeat the manoeuvre, in precisely the same manner as the units of a battleship squadron emulate the leading vessel when attacking the foe. the tactical evolutions have been laid down, and there is rigid adherence thereto, because only thereby may success be achieved. when the last war-plane has completed its work, the leader swings round and repeats the dash upon the foe. a hail of bullets may scream around the men in the air, but one and all follow faithfully in the leader's trail. one or more machines may fail in the attack, and may even meet with disaster, but nothing interferes with the movements of the squadron as a whole. it is the homogeneity of the attacking fleet which tells, and which undermines the moral of the enemy, even if it does not wreak decisive material devastation. the work accomplished to the best of their ability, the airmen speed back to their lines in the same formation. at first sight reconnoitring from aloft may appear a simple operation, but a little reflection will reveal the difficulties and arduousness of the work. the observer, whether he be specially deputed, or whether the work be placed in the hand of the pilot himself--in this event the operation is rendered additionally trying, as he also has to attend to his machine must keep his eyes glued to the ground beneath and at the same time be able to read the configuration of the panorama revealed to him. he must also keep in touch with his map and compass, so as to be positive of his position and direction. he must be a first-class judge of distances and heights. when flying rapidly at a height of , feet or more, the country below appears as a perfect plane, or flat stretch, although as a matter of fact it may be extremely undulating. consequently, it is by no means a simple matter to distinguish eminences and depressions, or to determine the respective and relative heights of hills. if a rough sketch is required, the observer must be rapid in thought, quick in determination, and facile with his pencil, as the machine, no matter how it may be slowed down, is moving at a relatively high speed. he must consult his map and compass frequently, since an airman who loses his bearings is useless to his commander-in-chief. he must have an eagle eye, so as to be able to search the country unfolded below, in order to gather all the information which is likely to be of value to his superior officers. he must be able to judge accurately the numbers of troops arrayed beneath him, the lines of the defensive works, to distinguish the defended from the dummy lines which are thrown up to baffle him, and to detect instantly the movement of the troops and the direction, as well as the roads, along which they are proceeding. reserves and their complement, artillery, railway-lines, roads, and bridges, if any, over streams and railways must be noted--in short he must obtain an eye photograph of the country he observes and grasp exactly what is happening there. in winter, with the thermometer well down, a blood-freezing wind blowing, wreaths of clouds drifting below and obscuring vision for minutes at a time, the rain possibly pelting down as if presaging a second deluge, the plight of the vigilant human eye aloft is far from enviable. upon the return of the machine to its base, the report must be prepared without delay. the picture recorded by the eye has to be set down clearly and intelligibly with the utmost speed. the requisite indications must be made accurately upon the map. nothing of importance must be omitted: the most trivial detail is often of vital importance. a facile pencil is of inestimable value in such operations. while aloft the observer does not trust to his memory or his eye picture, but commits the essential factors to paper in the form of a code, or what may perhaps be described more accurately as a shorthand pictorial interpretation of the things he has witnessed. to the man in the street such a record would be unintelligible, but it is pregnant with meaning, and when worked out for the guidance of the superior officers is a mass of invaluable detail. at times it so happens that the airman has not been able to complete his duty within the time anticipated by those below. but he has gathered certain information which he wishes to communicate without coming to earth. such data may be dropped from the clouds in the form of maps or messages. although wireless telegraphy is available for this purpose, it suffers from certain drawbacks. if the enemy possesses an equipment which is within range of that of the air-craft and the force to which it belongs, communications may be nullified by the enemy throwing out a continuous stream of useless signals which "jamb" the intelligence of their opponents. if a message--written in code--or a map is to be dropped from aloft it is enclosed within a special metallic cylinder, fitted with a vane tail to ensure direction of flight when launched, and with a detonating head. this is dropped overboard. when it strikes the ground the detonator fires a charge which emits a report without damaging the message container, and at the same time fires a combustible charge emitting considerable smoke. the noise attracts anyone in the vicinity of the spot where the message has fallen, while at the same time the clouds of smoke guide one to the point and enable the cylinder to be recovered. this device is extensively used by the german aviators, and has proved highly serviceable; a similar contrivance is adopted by french airmen. there is one phase of aerial activity which remains to be demonstrated. this is the utilisation of aerial craft by the defenders of a besieged position such as a ring of fortifications or fortified city. the utility of the fourth arm in this province has been the subject of considerable speculation. expert opinion maintains that the advantage in this particular connection would rest with the besiegers. the latter would be able to ascertain the character of the defences and the defending gun-force, by means of the aerial scout, who would prove of inestimable value in directing the fire of the besieging forces. on the other hand it is maintained that an aerial fleet would be useless to the beleaguered. in the first place the latter would experience grave difficulties in ascertaining the positions of the attacking and fortress-reducing artillery, inasmuch as this could be masked effectively, and it is thought that the aerial force of the besieged would be speedily reduced to impotence, since it would be subjected to an effective concentrated fire from the ring of besieging anti-aircraft guns and other weapons. in other words, the theory prevails that an aerial fleet, no matter how efficient, would be rendered ineffective for the simple reason that it would be the initial object of the besieger's attack. possibly the stem test of experience will reveal the fallacy of these contentions as emphatically as it has disproved others. but there is one point upon which authorities are unanimous. if the artillery of the investing forces is exposed and readily distinguishable, the aerial forces of the beleaguered will bring about its speedy annihilation, as the defensive artillery will be concentrated upon that of the besiegers. chapter ix. the airman and artillery there is one field in which the airman has achieved distinctive triumphs. this is in the guidance of artillery fire. the modern battle depends first and foremost upon the fierce effectiveness of big-gun assault, but to ensure this reliable direction is imperative. no force has proved so invaluable for this purpose as the man of-the-air, and consequently this is the province in which he has been exceptionally and successfully active. it will be recalled that in the japanese investiture of port arthur during the russo-japanese war, thousands of lives were expended upon the retention and assault of metre hill. it was the most blood-stained spot upon the whole of the eastern asiatic battlefield. general nogi threw thousands after thousands of his warriors against this rampart while the russians defended it no less resolutely. it was captured and re-captured; in fact, the fighting round this eminence was so intense that it appeared to the outsider to be more important to both sides than even port arthur itself. yet if general nogi had been in the possession of a single aeroplane or dirigible it is safe to assert that scarcely one hundred japanese or russian soldiers would have met their fate upon this hill. its value to the japanese lay in one sole factor. the japanese heavy guns shelling the harbour and the fleet it contained were posted upon the further side of this eminence and the fire of these weapons was more or less haphazard. no means of directing the artillery upon the vital points were available; metre hill interrupted the line of sight. the japanese thereupon resolved to capture the hill, while the russians, equally appreciative of the obstruction it offered to their enemy, as valiantly strove to hold it. once the hill was captured and the fire of the japanese guns could be directed, the fate of the fortress was sealed. similar conditions have prevailed during the present campaign, especially in the western theatre of war, where the ruggedness of the country has tended to render artillery fire ineffective and expensive unless efficiently controlled. when the german army attacked the line of the british forces so vehemently and compelled the retreat at mons, the devastating fire of the enemy's artillery was directed almost exclusively by their airmen, who hovered over the british lines, indicating exactly the point where gun-fire could work the maximum of havoc. the instant concentration of massed artillery fire upon the indicated positions speedily rendered one position after another untenable. the germans maintained the upper hand until at last the aerial forces of the british expeditionary army came into action. these airmen attacked the teuton aerial craft without the slightest hesitation, and in a short while rendered cloudland absolutely unhealthy. the sequel was interesting. as if suddenly blinded, the german artillery fire immediately deteriorated. on the other hand, the british artillery, now having the benefit of aerial guidance, was able to repay the german onslaughts with interest, and speedily compelled that elaborate digging-in of the infantry lines which has now become so characteristic of the opposing forces. so far as the british lines are concerned the men in the trenches keep a sharp look-out for hostile aeroplanes. the moment one is observed to be advancing, all the men seclude themselves and maintain their concealment. to do otherwise is to court a raking artillery outburst. the german aeroplane, detecting the tendency of the trenches describes in the air the location of the vulnerable spot and the precise disposition by flying immediately above the line. twice the manoeuvre is repeated, the second movement evidently being in the character of a check upon the first observation, and in accordance with instructions, whereupon the tommies, to quote their own words, "know they are in for it!" ere the aeroplane has completed the second manoeuvre the german guns ring out. the facility with which artillery fire can be concentrated through the medium of the aeroplane is amazing. in one instance, according to the story related to me by an officer, "a number of our men were resting in an open field immediately behind the second line of trenches, being in fact the reserves intended for the relief of the front lines during the following night. an aeroplane hove in sight. the men dropped their kits and got under cover in an adjacent wood. the aeroplane was flying at a great height and evidently laboured under the impression that the kits were men. twice it flew over the field in the usual manner, and then the storm of shrapnel, 'jack johnsons' and other tokens from the kaiser rained upon the confined space. a round four hundred shells were dropped into that field in the short period of ten minutes, and the range was so accurate that no single shell fell outside the space. had the men not hurried to cover not one would have been left alive to tell the tale, because every square foot of the land was searched through and through. we laughed at the short-sightedness of the airman who had contributed to such a waste of valuable shot and shell, but at the same time appreciated the narrowness of our own escape." the above instance is by no means isolated. it has happened time after time. the slightest sign of activity in a trench when a "taube" is overhead suffices to cause the trench to be blown to fragments, and time after time the british soldiers have had to lie prone in their trenches and suffer partial burial as an alternative to being riddled by shrapnel. the method of ascertaining the range of the target from the indications given by the aeroplane are of the simplest character. the german method is for the aerial craft to fly over the position, and when in vertical line therewith to discharge a handful of tinsel, which, in falling, glitters in the sunlight, or to launch a smoking missile which answers the same purpose as a projectile provided with a tracer. this smoke-ball being dropped over the position leaves a trail of black or whitish smoke according to the climatic conditions which prevail, the object being to enable the signal to be picked up with the greatest facility. the height at which the aerial craft is flying being known, a little triangulation upon the part of the observer at the firing point enables him to calculate the range and to have the guns laid accordingly. when the aerial craft has been entrusted with the especial duty of directing artillery-fire, a system of communication between the aerial observer and the officer in charge of the artillery is established, conducted, of course, by code. in the british army, signalling is both visual and audible. in daylight visual signalling is carried out by means of coloured flags or streamers and smoke-signals, while audible communication is effected by means of a powerful horn working upon the siren principle and similar to those used by automobiles. both flags and sound-signals, however, are restricted owing to the comparatively short distances over which they can be read with any degree of accuracy. the smoke-signal therefore appears to be the most satisfactory and reliable, as the german airmen have proved conclusively, for the simple reason that the trail of smoke may be picked up with comparative ease, even at a distance, by means of field glasses. the tinsel too, is readily distinguishable, particularly in bright weather, for the glittering surface, catching the sun-light, acts some what in the manner of a heliograph. the progress of the airman is followed by two officers at the base from which he started. one is equipped with the director, while the second takes the range. directly this has been found as a result of calculation, the guns are laid ready for firing. in those cases where the enemy's artillery is concealed perhaps behind a hill, the airman is of incalculable value, inasmuch as he is able to reveal a position which otherwise would have to be found by considerable haphazard firing, and which, even if followed by a captive balloon anchored above the firing point, might resist correction. the accuracy of the airman's work in communicating the range has been responsible for the high efficiency of the british and french artillery. the latter, with the millimetre quick-firing gun, is particularly adapted to following up the results of the aeroplane's reconnaissance, especially with the system of rafale fire, because the whole position can be searched through and through within a minute or two. according to information which has been given to me by our artillery officers, the british system also has proved disastrous to the enemy. the practice is to get the range as communicated by the aeroplane, to bring the artillery into position speedily, to discharge salvo after salvo with all speed for a few minutes, and then to wheel the artillery away before any hostile fire can be returned. the celerity with which the british artillery comes into, and goes out of, action has astonished even our own authorities. this mobility is of unique value: it is taking advantage of a somewhat slow-witted enemy with interest. by the time the germans have opened fire upon the point whence the british guns were discharged, the latter have disappeared and are ready to let fly from another point, some distance away, so that the hostile fire is abortive. mobility of such a character is decidedly unnerving and baffling even to a quick-witted opponent. in his search for hostile artillery the airman runs grave risks and displays remarkable resource. it is invariably decided, before he sets out, that he shall always return to a certain altitude to communicate signals. time after time the guns of the enemy have been concealed so cunningly from aerial observation as to pass unnoticed. this trait became more pronounced as the campaigns of the aisne progressed. accordingly the airman adopts a daring procedure. he swoops down over suspicious places, where he thinks guns may be lurking, hoping that the enemy will betray its presence. the ruse is invariably successful. the airman makes a sudden dive towards the earth. the soldiers in hiding below, who have become somewhat demoralised by the accuracy of the british aerial bomb-throwers, have an attack of nerves. they open a spirited fusillade in the hope of bringing the airman to earth. but their very excitement contributes to his safety. the shots are fired without careful aim and expend themselves harmlessly. sweeping once more upwards, the airman regains the pre-determined level, performs a certain evolution in the air which warns the observer at his base that he has made a discovery, and promptly drops his guiding signal directly over the point from which he has drawn fire. operations at night are conducted by means of coloured lights or an electrical searchlight system. in the former instance three lights are generally carried--white, red, and green--each of which has a distinctive meaning. if reliance is placed upon the electric light signalling lamp, then communications are in code. but night operations are somewhat difficult and extremely dangerous, except when the elements are propitious. there is the ground mist which blots everything from sight, rendering reconnaissance purely speculative. but on a clear night the airman is more likely to prove successful. he keeps a vigilant eye upon all ground-lights and by close observation is able to determine their significance. it is for this reason that no lights of any description are permitted in the advance trenches. the striking of a match may easily betray a position to the alert eye above. so far as the british army is concerned a complete code is in operation for communicating between aeroplanes and the ground at night. very's lights are used for this purpose, it being possible to distinguish the respective colours at a distance of six miles and from an altitude of , feet. the lights are used both by the aeroplane and the battery of artillery. the code is varied frequently, but the following conveys a rough idea of how communication is carried out by this means under cover of darkness. the aeroplane has located its objective and has returned to the pre-arranged altitude. a red light is thrown by the airman. it indicates that he is directly over the enemy's position. a similarly coloured light is shown by the artillery officer, which intimates to the airman that his signal has been observed and that the range has been taken. in observing the effects of artillery fire a code of signals is employed between the airman and the artillery officer to indicate whether the shot is "long" or "short," to the right or to the left of the mark, while others intimate whether the fuse is correctly timed or otherwise. it is necessary to change the code fairly frequently, not only lest it should fall into the enemy's hands, but also to baffle the hostile forces; otherwise, after a little experience, the latter would be able to divine the significance of the signals, and, in anticipation of being greeted with a warm fusillade, would complete hurried arrangements to mitigate its effects, if not to vacate the position until the bombardment had ceased. sufficient experience has already been gathered, however, to prove the salient fact that the airman is destined to play an important part in the direction and control of artillery-fire. already he has been responsible for a re-arrangement of strategy and tactics. the man aloft holds such a superior position as to defy subjugation; the alternative is to render his work more difficult, if not absolutely impossible. chapter x. bomb-throwing from air-craft during the piping times of peace the utility of aircraft as weapons of offence was discussed freely in an academic manner. it was urged that the usefulness of such vessels in this particular field would be restricted to bomb-throwing. so far these contentions have been substantiated during the present campaign. at the same time it was averred that even as a bomb-thrower the ship of the air would prove an uncertain quantity, and that the results achieved would be quite contrary to expectations. here again theory has been supported by practice, inasmuch as the damage wrought by bombs has been comparatively insignificant. the zeppelin raids upon antwerp and britain were a fiasco in the military sense. the damage inflicted by the bombs was not at all in proportion to the quantity of explosive used. true, in the case of antwerp, it demoralised the civilian population somewhat effectively, which perhaps was the desired end, but the military results were nil. the zeppelin, and indeed all dirigibles of large size, have one advantage over aeroplanes. they are able to throw bombs of larger size and charged with greater quantities of high explosive and shrapnel than those which can be hurled from heavier-than-air machines. thus it has been stated that the largest zeppelins can drop single charges exceeding one ton in weight, but such a statement is not to be credited. the shell generally used by the zeppelin measures about inches in length by / inches in diameter, and varies in weight from to pounds. where destruction pure and simple is desired, the shell is charged with a high explosive such as picric acid or t.n.t., the colloquial abbreviation for the devastating agent scientifically known as "trinitrotoluene," the base of which, in common with all the high explosives used by the different powers and variously known as lyddite, melinite, cheddite, and so forth, is picric acid. such a bomb, if it strikes the objective, a building, for instance, fairly and squarely, may inflict widespread material damage. on the other hand, where it is desired to scatter death, as well as destruction, far and wide, an elaborate form of shrapnel shell is utilised. the shell in addition to a bursting charge, contains bullets, pieces of iron, and other metallic fragments. when the shell bursts, their contents, together with the pieces of the shell which is likewise broken up by the explosion, are hurled in all directions over a radius of some yards or more, according to the bursting charge. these shells are fired upon impact, a detonator exploding the main charge. the detonator, comprising fulminate of mercury, is placed in the head or tail of the missile. to secure perfect detonation and to distribute the death-dealing contents evenly in all directions, it is essential that the bomb should strike the ground almost at right angles: otherwise the contents are hurled irregularly and perhaps in one direction only. one great objection to the percussion system, as the method of impact detonation is called, is that the damage may be localised. a bomb launched from a height of say , feet attains terrific velocity, due to the force of gravity in conjunction with its own weight, in consonance with the law concerning a falling body, by the time it reaches the ground. it buries itself to a certain depth before bursting so that the forces of the explosion become somewhat muffled as it were. a huge deep hole--a miniature volcano crater--is formed, while all the glass in the immediate vicinity of the explosion may be shattered by the concussion, and the walls of adjacent buildings be bespattered with shrapnel. although it is stated that an airship is able to drop a single missile weighing one ton in weight, there has been no attempt to prove the contention by practice. in all probability the heaviest shell launched from a zeppelin has not exceeded pounds. there is one cogent reason for such a belief. a bomb weighing one ton is equivalent to a similar weight of ballast. if this were discarded suddenly the equilibrium of the dirigible would be seriously disturbed--it would exert a tendency to fly upwards at a rapid speed. it is doubtful whether the planes controlling movement in the vertical plane would ever be able to counteract this enormous vertical thrust. something would have to submit to the strain. even if the dirigible displaced say tons, and a bomb weighing one ton were discharged, the weight of the balloon would be decreased suddenly by approximately five per cent, so that it would shoot upwards at an alarming speed, and some seconds would elapse before control was regained. the method of launching bombs from airships varies considerably. some are released from a cradle, being tilted into position ready for firing, while others are discharged from a tube somewhat reminiscent of that used for firing torpedoes, with the exception that little or no initial impetus is imparted to the missile; the velocity it attains is essentially gravitational. the french favour the tube-launching method since thereby it is stated to be possible to take more accurate aim. the objective is sighted and the bomb launched at the critical moment. in some instances the french employ an automatic detonator which corresponds in a certain measure to the time-fuse of a shrapnel shell fired from a gun. the bomb-thrower reads the altitude of his airship as indicated by his barometer or other recording instrument, and by means of a table at his command ascertains in a moment the time which will elapse before the bomb strikes the ground. the automatic detonator is set in motion and the bomb released to explode approximately at the height to which it is set. when it bursts the full force of the explosion is distributed downwards and laterally. owing to the difficulty of ensuring the explosion of the bomb at the exact height desired, it is also made to explode upon impact so as to make doubly sure of its efficacy. firing timed bombs from aloft, however, is not free from excitement and danger, as the experience of a french airman demonstrates. his dirigible had been commanded to make a night-raid upon a railway station which was a strategical junction for the movement of the enemy's troops. although the hostile searchlights were active, the airship contrived to slip between the spokes of light without being observed. by descending to a comparatively low altitude the pilot was able to pick up the objective. three projectiles were discharged in rapid succession and then the searchlights, being concentrated, struck the airship, revealing its presence to the troops below. instantly a spirited fusillade broke out. the airmen, by throwing ballast and other portable articles overboard pell-mell, rose rapidly, pursued by the hostile shells. in the upward travel the bomb-thrower decided to have a parting shot. the airship was steadied momentarily to enable the range to be taken, the automatic detonator was set going and the bomb slipped into the launching tube. but for some reason or other the missile jambed. the situation was desperate. in a few seconds the bomb would burst and shatter the airship. the bomb-thrower grabbed a tool and climbing into the rigging below hacked away at the bomb-throwing tube until the whole equipment was cut adrift and fell clear of the vessel. almost instantly there was a terrific explosion in mid-air. the blast of air caused the vessel to roll and pitch in a disconcerting manner, but as the airman permitted the craft to continue its upward course unchecked, she soon steadied herself and was brought under control once more. the bomb carried by aeroplanes differs consider ably from that used by dirigibles, is smaller and more convenient to handle, though considering its weight and size it is remarkably destructive. in this instance complete reliance is placed upon detonation by impact. the latest types of british war-plane bombs have been made particularly formidable, those employed in the "raids in force" ranging up to pounds in weight. the type of bomb which has proved to be the most successful is pear-shaped. the tail spindle is given an arrow-head shape, the vanes being utilised to steady the downward flight of the missile. in falling the bomb spins round, the rotating speed increasing as the projectile gathers velocity. the vanes act as a guide, keeping the projectile in as vertical a plane as possible, and ensuring that the rounded head shall strike the ground. the earlier types of bombs were not fitted with these vanes, the result being that sometimes they turned over and over as they fell through the air, while more often than not they failed to explode upon striking the ground. the method of launching the bomb also varies considerably, experience not having indicated the most efficient method of consummating this end. in some cases the bombs are carried in a cradle placed beneath the aeroplane and launched merely by tilting them in a kind of sling, one by one, to enable them to drop to the ground, this action being controlled by means of a lever. in another instance they are dropped over the side of the car by the pilot, the tail of the bomb being fitted with a swivel and ring to facilitate the operation. some of the french aviators favour a still simpler method. the bomb is attached to a thread and lowered over the side. at the critical moment it is released simply by severing the thread. such aeroplane bombs, however, constitute a menace to the machine and to the pilot. should the bomb be struck by hostile rifle or shell fire while the machine is aloft, an explosion is probable; while should the aero plane make an abrupt descent the missiles are likely to be detonated. a bomb which circumvents this menace and which in fact will explode only when it strikes the ground is that devised by mr. marten-hale. this projectile follows the usual pear-shape, and has a rotating tail to preserve direction when in flight. the detonator is held away from the main charge by a collar and ball-bearing which are held in place by the projecting end of a screw-releasing spindle. when the bomb is dropped the rotating tail causes the spindle to screw upwards until the projection moves away from the steel balls, thereby allowing them to fall inward when the collar and the detonator are released. in order to bring about this action the bomb must have a fall of at least feet. when the bomb strikes the ground the detonator falls down on the charge, fires the latter, and thus brings about the bursting of the bomb. the projectile is of the shrapnel type. it weighs pounds complete, is charged with some four pounds of t.n.t., and carries steel balls, which represent a weight of / pounds. the firing mechanism is extremely sensitive and the bomb will burst upon impact with the hull of an airship, water, or soft soil. this projectile, when discharged, speedily assumes the vertical position, so that there is every probability that it will strike the ground fairly and squarely, although at the same time such an impact is not imperative, because it will explode even if the angle of incidence be only degrees. it is remarkably steady in its flight, the balancing and the design of the tail frustrating completely any tendency to wobble or to turn turtle while falling. other types of missile may be used. for instance, incendiary bombs have been thrown with success in certain instances. these bombs are similar in shape to the shrapnel projectile, but are charged with petrol or some other equally highly inflammable mixture, and fitted with a detonator. when they strike the objective the bursting charge breaks up the shell, releasing the contents, and simultaneously ignites the combustible. another shell is the smoke-bomb, which, up to the present, has been used only upon a restricted scale. this missile is charged with a certain quantity of explosive to burst the shell, and a substance which, when ignited, emits copious clouds of dense smoke. the scope of such a shell is somewhat restricted, it is used only for the purpose of obstructing hostile artillery fire. the shells are dropped in front of the artillery position and the clouds of smoke which are emitted naturally inter fere with the operations of the gunners. these bombs have also been used with advantage to denote the position of concealed hostile artillery, although their utility in this connection is somewhat uncertain, owing to the difficulty of dropping the bomb so accurately as to enable the range-finders to pick up the range. dropping bombs from aloft appears to be a very simple operation, but as a matter of fact it is an extremely difficult matter to strike the target, especially from a high altitude. so far as the aeroplane is concerned it is somewhat at a disadvantage as compared with the airship, as the latter is able to hover over a position, and, if a spring-gun is employed to impart an initial velocity to the missile, there is a greater probability of the projectile striking the target provided it has been well-aimed. but even then other conditions are likely to arise, such as air-currents, which may swing the missile to one side of the objective. consequently adequate allowance has to be made for windage, which is a very difficult factor to calculate from aloft. bomb-dropping from an aeroplane is even more difficult. if for instance the aeroplane is speeding along at miles an hour, the bomb when released will have a speed in the horizontal plane of miles an hour, because momentarily it is travelling at the speed of the aeroplane. consequently the shell will describe a curved trajectory, somewhat similar to that shown in fig. . on the other hand, if the aeroplane is travelling slowly, say at miles an hour, the curve of the trajectory will be flatter, and if a head wind be prevailing it may even be swept backwards somewhat after it has lost its forward momentum, and describe a trajectory similar to that in fig. . a bomb released from an altitude of feet seldom, if ever, makes a bee-line for the earth, even if dropped from a stationary airship. accordingly, the airman has to release the bomb before he reaches the target below. the determination of the critical moment for the release is not easy, inasmuch as the airman has to take into his calculations the speed of his machine, his altitude, and the direction and velocity of the air-currents. the difficulty of aiming has been demonstrated upon several occasions at aviation meetings and other similar gatherings. monsieur michelin, who has done so much for aviation in france, offered a prize of l , --$ , --in for bomb-dropping from an aeroplane. the target was a rectangular space marked out upon the ground, measuring feet long by feet broad, and the missiles had to be dropped from a height of , feet. the prize was won by the well-known american airman, lieutenant riley e. scott, formerly of the united states army. he dropped his bombs in groups of three. the first round fell clear of the target, but eight of the remaining missiles fell within the area. in the german competition which was held at gotha in september of the same year the results were somewhat disappointing. two targets were provided. the one represented a military bivouac occupying a superficies of square feet, and the other a captive balloon resembling a zeppelin. the prizes offered were l , l , and l --$ , , $ , and $ --respectively, and were awarded to those who made the greatest number of hits. the conditions were by no means so onerous as those imposed in the michelin contest, inasmuch as the altitude limit was set at feet, while no machine was to descend within feet. the first competitor completely failed to hit the balloon. the second competitor flying at feet landed seven bombs within the square, but only one other competitor succeeded in placing one bomb within the space. bomb-dropping under the above conditions, however, is vastly dissimilar from such work under the grim realities of war. the airman has to act quickly, take his enemy by surprise, avail himself of any protective covering which may exist, and incur great risks. the opposing forces are overwhelmingly against him. the modern rifle, if fired vertically into the air, will hurl the bullet to a height of about , feet, while the weapons which have been designed to combat aircraft have a range of , feet or more. at the latter altitude aggressive tactics are useless. the airman is unable to obtain a clear sharp view of the country beneath owing to the interference offered to vision by atmospheric haze, even in the dearest of weather. in order to obtain reasonable accuracy of aim the corsair of the sky must fly at about feet. in this respect, however, the aeroplane is at a decided advantage, as compared with the dirigible. the machine offers a considerably smaller target and moves with much greater speed. experience of the war has shown that to attempt to hurl bombs from an extreme height is merely a waste of ammunition. true, they do a certain amount of damage, but this is due to luck, not judgment. for success in aerial bomb operations the human element is mainly responsible. the daring airman is likely to achieve the greatest results, as events have proved, especially when his raid is sudden and takes the enemy by surprise. the raids carried out by marix, collet, briggs, babington, sippe and many others have established this fact incontrovertibly. in all these operations the airmen succeeded because of their intrepidity and their decision to take advantage of cover, otherwise a prevailing mist or low-lying clouds. flight-lieutenant collet approached the zeppelin shed at dusseldorf at an altitude of , feet. there was a bank of mist below, which he encountered at , feet. he traversed the depth of this layer and emerged therefrom at a height of only feet above the ground. his objective was barely a quarter of a mile ahead. travelling at high speed he launched his bombs with what proved to be deadly precision, and disappeared into cover almost before the enemy had grasped his intentions. lieutenant-commander, now flight-commander, marix was even more daring. apparently he had no mist in which to conceal himself but trusted almost entirely to the speed of his machine, which probably at times notched miles per hour. although his advent was detected and he was greeted with a spirited fusillade he clung to his determined idea. he headed straight for the zeppelin shed, launched two bombs and swung into the higher reaches of the air without a moment's hesitation. his aim was deadly, since both bombs found their mark, and the zeppelin docked within was blown up. the intrepid airman experienced several narrow escapes, for his aeroplane was struck twenty times, and one or two of the control wires were cut by passing bullets. the raid carried out by commanders briggs and babington in company with lieutenant sippe upon the zeppelin workshops at friedrichshafen was even more daring. leaving the allies' lines they ascended to an altitude of , feet, and at this height held to the pre-arranged course until they encountered a mist, which while protecting them from the alert eyes of the enemy below, was responsible for the separation of the raiders, so that each was forced to act independently and to trust to the compass to bring him out of the ordeal successfully. lieutenant sippe sighted lake constance, and taking advantage of the mist lying low upon the water, descended to such an extent that he found himself only a few feet above the roofs of the houses. swinging round to the lake he descended still lower until at last he was practically skimming the surface of the lake, since he flew at the amazingly low height of barely seven feet off the water. there is no doubt that the noise of his motor was heard plainly by the enemy, but the mist completely enveloped him, and owing to the strange pranks that fog plays with sound deceived his antagonists. at last, climbing above the bank of vapour, he found that he had overshot the mark, so he turned quickly and sped backwards. at the same time he discovered that he had been preceded by commander briggs, who was bombarding the shed furiously, and who himself was the object of a concentrated fire. swooping down once more, lieutenant sippe turned, rained his bombs upon the objective beneath, drawing fire upon himself, but co-operating with commander babington, who had now reached the scene, he manoeuvred above the works and continued the bombardment until their ammunition was expended, when they sped home-wards under the cover of the mist. considering the intensity of the hostile fire, it is surprising that the aeroplanes were not smashed to fragments. undoubtedly the high speed of the machines and the zigzagging courses which were followed nonplussed the enemy. commander briggs was not so fortunate as his colleagues; a bullet pierced his petrol tank, compelling a hurried descent. the most amazing feature of these aerial raids has been the remarkably low height at which the airmen have ventured to fly. while such a procedure facilitates marksmanship it increases the hazards. the airmen have to trust implicitly to the fleetness of their craft and to their own nerve. bearing in mind the vulnerability of the average aeroplane, and the general absence of protective armouring against rifle fire at almost point-blank range, it shows the important part which the human element is compelled to play in bomb-dropping operations. another missile which has been introduced by the french airmen, and which is extremely deadly when hurled against dense masses of men, is the steel arrow, or "flechette" as it is called. it is a fiendish projectile consisting in reality of a pencil of solid polished steel, / inches in length. the lower end has a sharp tapering point, / ths of an inch in length. for a distance of / th of an inch above this point the cylindrical form of the pencil is preserved, but for the succeeding three inches to the upper end, the pencil is provided with four equally spaced angle flanges or vanes. this flanging of the upper end or tail ensures the arrow spinning rapidly as it falls through the air, and at the same times preserves its vertical position during its descent. the weight of the arrow is two-thirds of an ounce. the method of launching this fearsome projectile is ingenious. a hundred or even more are packed in a vertical position in a special receptacle, placed upon the floor of the aeroplane, preferably near the foot of the pilot or observer. this receptacle is fitted with a bottom moving in the manner of a trap-door, and is opened by pressing a lever. the aviator has merely to depress this pedal with his foot, when the box is opened and the whole of the contents are released. the fall at first is somewhat erratic, but this is an advantage, as it enables the darts to scatter and to cover a wide area. as the rotary motion of the arrows increases during the fall, the direct line of flight becomes more pronounced until at last they assume a vertical direction free from all wobbling, so that when they alight upon the target they are quite plumb. when launched from a height they strike the objective with terrific force, and will readily penetrate a soldier's helmet and skull. indeed, when released at a height of , feet they have been known to pierce a mounted soldier's head, and pass vertically through his body and that of his horse also. time after time german soldiers have found themselves pinned to the ground through the arrow striking and penetrating their feet. owing to the extremely light weight of the darts they can be launched in batches of hundreds at a time, and in a promiscuous manner when the objective is a massed body of infantry or cavalry, or a transport convoy. they are extremely effective when thrown among horses even from a comparatively low altitude, not so much from the fatalities they produce, as from the fact that they precipitate a stampede among the animals, which is generally sufficiently serious and frantic to throw cavalry or a transport-train into wild confusion. although aerial craft, when skilfully handled, have proved highly successful as weapons of offence, the possibilities of such aggression as yet are scarcely realised; aerial tactics are in their infancy. developments are moving rapidly. great efforts are being centred upon the evolution of more formidable missiles to be launched from the clouds. the airman is destined to inspire far greater awe than at present, to exercise a still more demoralising influence, and to work infinitely more destruction. chapter xi. armoured aeroplanes the stern test of war has served to reveal conclusively the fact that aerial craft can be put out of action readily and effectively, when once the marksman has picked up the range, whether the gunner be conducting his operations with an anti-aircraft gun stationed upon the ground, or from a hostile machine. it will be remembered that flight-commander briggs, on the occasion of the daring british raid upon the zeppelin sheds at friedrichshafen, was brought to the ground by a bullet which penetrated his fuel tank. several other vessels, british, german, french, and russian alike, have been thrown out of action in a similar manner, and invariably the craft which has been disabled suddenly in this way has fallen precipitately to earth in the fatal headlong dive. previous to the outbreak of hostilities there was considerable divergence of opinion upon this subject. the general opinion was that the outspread wings and the stays which constituted the weakest parts of the structure were most susceptible to gun-fire, and thus were likely to fail. but practice has proved that it is the driving mechanism which is the most vulnerable part of the aeroplane. this vulnerability of the essential feature of the flying machine is a decisive weakness, and exposes the aviator to a constant menace. it may be quite true that less than one bullet in a thousand may hit the machine, but when the lucky missile does find its billet its effect is complete. the fact must not be overlooked that the gunners who work the batteries of anti-aircraft guns are becoming more and more expert as a result of practice, so that as time progresses and improved guns for such duty are rendered available, the work of the aviator is likely to become more dangerous and difficult. experience has proved that the high velocity gun of to-day is able to hurl its projectile or shell to an extreme height--far greater than was previously considered possible--so that considerable discretion has to be exercised by the airman, who literally bears his life in his hands. although elaborate trials were carried out upon the testing ranges with the weapons devised especially for firing upon flying machines, captive balloons being employed as targets, the data thus obtained were neither conclusive nor illuminating. the actual experiences of airmen have given us some very instructive facts upon this point for the first time. it was formerly held that the zone of fire that is to be considered as a serious danger was within a height of about , feet. but this estimate was well within the mark. airmen have found that the modern projectiles devised for this phase of operations are able to inflict distinctly serious damage at an altitude of , feet. the shell itself may have but little of its imparted velocity remaining at this altitude, but it must be remembered that when the missile bursts, the contents thereof are given an independent velocity, and a wide cone of dispersion, which is quite sufficient to achieve the desired end, inasmuch as the mechanism of the modern aeroplane and dirigible is somewhat delicate. it was for this reason that the possibility of armouring the airship was discussed seriously, and many interesting experiments in this field were carried out. at the same time it was decided that the armouring should be effected upon lines analogous to that prevailing in warship engineering. the craft should not only be provided with defensive but also with aggressive armament. this decision was not viewed with general approbation. it was pointed out that questions of weight would arise, especially in relation to the speed of the machine. increased weight, unless it were accompanied by a proportionate augmentation of power in the motor, would react against the efficiency and utility of the machine, would appreciably reduce its speed, and would affect its climbing powers very adversely. in some quarters it was maintained that as a result the machine would even prove unsuited to military operations, inasmuch as high speed is the primary factor in these. consequently it was decided by the foremost aviating experts that machines would have to be classified and allotted to particular spheres of work, just as warships are built in accordance with the special duty which they are expected to perform. in reconnaissance, speed is imperative, because such work in the air coincides with that of the torpedo-boat or scout upon the seas. it is designed to acquire information respecting the movements of the enemy, so as to assist the heavier arms in the plan of campaign. on the other hand, the fighting corsair of the skies might be likened to the cruiser or battleship. it need not possess such a high turn of speed, but must be equipped with hard-hitting powers and be protected against attacking fire. one attempt to secure the adequate protection against gun-fire from the ground assumed the installation of bullet-proof steel plating, about one fifth of an inch thick, below the tank and the motor respectively. the disposition of the plating was such as to offer the minimum of resistance to the air and yet to present a plane surface to the ground below. so far as it went this protection was completely effective, but it failed to armour the vital parts against lateral, cross and downward fire while aloft. as the latter is more to be feared than the fire from the ground, seeing that it may be directed at point blank range, this was a decided defect and the armour was subsequently abandoned as useless. the only effective method of achieving the desired end is to armour the whole of the carriage or fuselage of the adroplane, and this was the principle adopted by the vickers company. the vickers military aeroplane is essentially a military machine. it is built of steel throughout. the skeleton of the machine is formed of an alloy which combines the qualities of aluminium and steel to ensure toughness, strength, and lightness. in fact, metal is employed liberally throughout, except in connection with the wings, which follow the usual lines of construction. the body of the car is sheathed with steel plating which is bullet proof against rifle or even shrapnel fire. the car is designed to carry two persons; the seats are therefore disposed tandem-wise, with the observer or gunner occupying the front seat. the defensive armament is adequate for ordinary purposes. being fitted with a horse-power motor, fairly high speeds are attainable, although the velocity is not equal to that of machines constructed upon conventional lines, inasmuch as there is an appreciable increase in weight. the car is short and designed upon excellent stream lines, so that the minimum of resistance to the air is offered, while at the same time the balancing is perfect. the sides of the car are brought up high enough to protect the aviators, only their heads being visible when they are seated. the prow of the car follows the lines generally adopted in high speed torpedo boat design; there is a sharp knife edge stem with an enclosed fo'c's'le, the latter housing the gun. another craft, designed for scouting operations, may be likened to the mosquito craft of the seas. this machine, while a biplane like the military aeroplane, is of lighter construction, everything being sacrificed to speed in this instance. it is fitted with a horse-power motor and is designed to carry an observer if required. there is no offensive armament, however. the fuel tank capacity, moreover, is limited, being only sufficient for a two or three hours' flight. while this is adequate for general reconnoitring, which for the most part entails short high speed flights, there are occasions when the staff demands more prolonged observations conducted over a greater radius. this requisition can be met by eliminating the observer, whose duties in this instance must be assumed by the pilot, and substituting in place of the former, a second fuel tank of sufficient capacity for a flight of four or five hours, thereby bringing the term of action in the air to about / hours. this machine travels at a very high speed and is eminently adapted to its specific duty, but it is of limited service for general purposes. the arming of an aeroplane, to enable it to defend itself against hostile attack or to participate in raiding operations upon the aerial fleet of the enemy, appears to be a simple task, but as a matter of fact it is an undertaking beset with difficulties innumerable. this is especially the case where the aeroplane is of the tractive type, that is to say where the propellers are placed in the forefront of the machine and in their revolution serve to draw the machine forward. all other considerations must necessarily be sacrificed to the mounting of the propeller. consequently it is by no means easy to allot a position for the installation of a gun, or if such should be found there is grave risk of the angle of fire being severely restricted. in fact, in many instances the mounting of a gun is out of the question: it becomes a greater menace to the machine than to the enemy. the french aeronautical section of the military department devoted considerable study to this subject, but found the problem almost insurmount able. monsieur loiseau met with the greatest measure of success, and his system is being practised in the present campaign. this principle is essentially adapted to tractor aeroplanes. forward of the pilot a special position is reserved for the gunner. a special mounting is provided towards the prow, and upon the upper face of the body of the machine. the gun mounting is disposed in such a manner that it is able to command a wide arc of fire in the vertical plane over the nose of the machine and more particularly in the downward direction. the marksman is provided with a special seat, but when he comes into action he has to stand to manipulate his weapon. the lower part of his body is protected by a front shield of steel plate, a fifth of an inch in thickness, while a light railing extending upon either side and behind enables the gunner to maintain his position when the aeroplane is banking and climbing. the machine gun, of the hotchkiss type, is mounted upon a swivel attached to a tripod, while the latter is built into the bracing of the car, so as to ensure a fairly steady gun platform. while the gun in the hands of a trained marksman may be manipulated with destructive effect, the drawbacks to the arrangement are obvious. the gunner occupies a very exposed position, and, although the bullet-proof shield serves to break the effects of wind when travelling at high speed which renders the sighting and training of the weapon extremely difficult, yet he offers a conspicuous target, more particularly when the enemy is able to assume the upper position in the air as a result of superior speed in travelling. the gun, however, may be elevated to about degrees, which elevation may be accentuated by the inclination of the aeroplane when climbing, while the facility with which the weapon may be moved through the horizontal plane is distinctly favourable. but the aerial marksman suffers from one very pronounced defect: he has a severely restricted survey of everything below, since his vision is interrupted by the planes. the result is that an enemy who has lost ascendancy of position is comparatively safe if he is able to fly immediately below his adversary: the mitrailleuse of the latter cannot be trained upon him. on the other hand the enemy, if equipped with repeating rifles or automatic pistols, is able to inflict appreciable damage upon the craft overhead, the difficulties of firing vertically into the air notwithstanding. in the vickers system, where the propeller is mounted behind the car, the aeroplane thus operating upon the pusher principle, the nose of the car is occupied by the arm, which is a rifle calibre machine gun fitted upon a special mounting. the prow is provided with an embrasure for the weapon and the latter is so installed as to command an angle of degrees on all sides of the longitudinal axis of the machine when in flight. in this instance the marksman is provided with complete protection on all sides, inasmuch as his position is in the prow, where the hood of the fo'c's'le shields him from overhead attack. the gun is protected by a special shield which moves with the gun barrel. this shield is provided with mica windows, through which the gunner is able to sight his arm, so that he is not inconvenienced in any way by the wind draught. one shortcoming of such methods of arming an aeroplane will be observed. ahead firing only is possible; the weapon cannot be trained astern, while similarly the line of fire on either broadside is severely limited. this is one reason why the machine-gun armament of aerial craft of the heavier-than-air type has not undergone extensive development. in many instances the pilot and observer have expressed their preference for repeating high velocity rifles over any form of fixed gun mounting, and have recourse to the latter only when the conditions are extremely favourable to its effective employment. efforts are now being made to equip the military type of aeroplane with both forward and astern firing guns. the urgency of astern fire has been brought home very vividly. suppose, for instance, two hostile aeroplanes, a and b, are in the air. a has the advantage at first, but b is speedier and rapidly overhauls a. during the whole period of the overhauling movement the gun of b can be directed upon a, while the latter, owing to the arc of training being limited to c d cannot reply. obviously in the running fight it would be to the advantage of b, although the fleeter machine, to keep behind a (position ), but the latter is making towards its own lines. under these circumstances a must be headed off, so b crowds on speed to consummate this end. but in the overtaking process b renders his gun-fire ineffective, inasmuch as b passes beyond the arc of his gun which is represented by e f. but in so doing b comes within the firing arc of a (position ). to minimise this danger b ascends to a higher level to obtain the paramount position. if, however, b were equipped with an astern gun the aeroplane a would be within the fire of b when the forward gun of the latter could not be used. similarly if a were also fitted with an astern gun it would be able to attack its pursuer the whole time b was to its rear and in this event, if its gun-fire were superior, it would be able to keep the latter to a safe distance, or compel b to manoeuvre into a superior position, which would entail a certain loss of time. an astern firing gun would be valuable to b in another sense. directly it had passed a or brought the latter within the zone of its astern gun it could maintain its fire at the most advantageous range, because owing to its speed it would be able to dictate the distance over which shots should be exchanged and if mounted with a superior weapon would be able to keep beyond the range of a's guns while at the same time it would keep a within range of its own gun and consequently rake the latter. in the interests of self-preservation a would be compelled to change its course; in fact, b would be able to drive it in any direction he desired, as he would command a's movements by gun-fire. the value of combined ahead and astern firing has been appreciated, but there is one difficulty which at the moment appears to be insuperable the clearance of the propeller. at the moment astern-firing, if such it may be called, is maintained by repeating rifles, but this armament is not to be compared with machine-gun firing, as the latter with its capacity to pour to shots a minute, is far more deadly, particularly when the weapon is manipulated by a crack gunner. up to the present the offensive armament of aeroplanes has been confined to light machine guns such as the hotchkiss, berthier, schwartlose, and maxim weapons. so far as the arming of aeroplanes is concerned the indispensable condition is light weight. with airships this factor is not so vital, the result being that some dirigibles are mounted with guns, throwing one pound bursting shells, fitted either with delay action or percussion fuses, the former for preference. these shells are given a wide cone of dispersion. experiments are also being made with a gun similar to the pom-pom which proved so useful in south africa, the gun throwing small shells varying from four to eight ounces in weight at high velocity and in rapid succession. while such missiles would not be likely to inflict appreciable damage upon an armoured aeroplane, they would nevertheless be disconcerting to the aviators subjected to such fire, and in aerial combats the successful undermining of the adversary's moral is of far greater importance than in land operations, since immediately ascendancy in the artillery operations is attained the final issue is a matter of moments. but the most devastating arm which has yet been contrived for aerial operations is the light machine gun which has recently been perfected. the one objective with this weapon is to disable the hostile aircraft's machinery. it fires an armour piercing projectile which, striking the motor of any aircraft, would instantly put the latter out of action. the shell has a diameter of about. inch and weighs about four ounces. the gun is a hybrid of the mitrailleuse and the french "soixante-quinze," combining the firing rapidity of the former with the recoil mechanism of the latter. this missile has established its ability to penetrate the defensive armouring of any aeroplane and the motor of the machine at , yards' range. this offensive arm is now being manufactured, so that it is likely to be seen in the near future as the main armament of aeroplanes. at the moment widespread efforts are being made in the direction of increasing the offensive efficiency of aircraft. it is one of the phases of ingenuity which has been stimulated into activity as a result of the war. chapter xii. battles in the air ever since the days of jules verne no theme has proved so popular in fiction as fighting in the air. it was a subject which lent itself to vivid imagination and spirited picturesque portrayal. discussion might be provoked, but it inevitably proved abortive, inasmuch as there was a complete absence of data based upon actual experience. the novelist was without any theory: he avowedly depended upon the brilliance of his imagination. the critic could only theorise, and no matter how dogmatic his reasonings, they were certainly as unconvincing as those of the object of his attack. but truth has proved stranger than fiction. the imaginative pictures of the novelist have not only been fulfilled but surpassed, while the theorising critic has been utterly confounded. fighting in the air has become so inseparable from the military operations of to-day that it occurs with startling frequency. a contest between hostile aeroplanes, hundreds of feet above the earth, is no longer regarded as a dramatic, thrilling spectacle: it has become as matter-of-fact as a bayonet melee between opposed forces of infantry. a duel in the clouds differs from any other form of encounter. it is fought mercilessly: there can be no question of quarter or surrender. the white flag is no protection, for the simple reason that science and mechanical ingenuity have failed, so far, to devise a means of taking an aeroplane in tow. the victor has no possible method of forcing the vanquished to the ground in his own territory except driving. if such a move be made there is the risk that the latter will take the advantage of a critical opportunity to effect his escape, or to turn the tables. for these reasons the fight is fought to a conclusive finish. to aspire to success in these combats waged in the trackless blue, speed, initiative, and daring are essential. success falls to the swift in every instance. an aeroplane travelling at a high speed, and pursuing an undulating or irregular trajectory is almost impossible to hit from the ground, as sighting is so extremely difficult. sighting from another machine, which likewise is travelling rapidly, and pursuing an irregular path, is far more so. unless the attacker can approach relatively closely to his enemy the possibility of hitting him is extremely remote. rifle or gun-fire must be absolutely point blank. when a marauding aeroplane is espied the attacking corsair immediately struggles for the strategical position, which is above his adversary. to fire upwards from one aeroplane at another is virtually impossible, at least with any degree of accuracy. the marksman is at a hopeless disadvantage. if the pilot be unaccompanied and entirely dependent upon his own resources he cannot hope to fire vertically above him, for the simple reason that in so doing he must relinquish control of his machine. a rifle cannot possibly be sighted under such conditions, inasmuch as it demands that the rifleman shall lean back so as to obtain control of his weapon and to bring it to bear upon his objective. even if a long range mauser or other automatic pistol of the latest type be employed, two hands are necessary for firing purposes, more particularly as, under such conditions, the machine, if not kept under control, is apt to lurch and pitch disconcertingly. even a colleague carried for the express purpose of aggression is handicapped. if he has a machinegun, such as a maxim or a mitrailleuse, it is almost out of the question to train it vertically. its useful vertical training arc is probably limited to about degrees, and at this elevation the gunner has to assume an extremely uncomfortable position, especially upon an aeroplane, where, under the best of circumstances, he is somewhat cramped. on the other hand the man in the aeroplane above holds the dominating position. he is immediately above his adversary and firing may be carried out with facility. the conditions are wholly in his favour. sighting and firing downwards, even if absolutely vertically, imposes the minimum physical effort, with the result that the marksman is able to bring a steadier aim upon his adversary. even if the machine be carrying only the pilot, the latter is able to fire upon his enemy without necessarily releasing control of his motor, even for a moment. if he is a skilled sharpshooter, and the exigencies demand, he can level, sight, and fire his weapon with one hand, while under such circumstances an automatic self-loading pistol can be trained upon the objective with the greatest ease. if the warplane be carrying a second person, acting as a gunner, the latter can maintain an effective rifle fusillade, and, at the same time, manipulate his machine-gun with no great effort, maintaining rifle fire until the pilot, by manoeuvring, can enable the mitrailleuse or maxim to be used to the greatest advantage. hence the wonderful display of tactical operations when two hostile aeroplanes sight one another. the hunted at first endeavours to learn the turn of speed which his antagonist commands. if the latter is inferior, the pursued can either profit from his advantage and race away to safety, or at once begin to manoeuvre for position. if he is made of stern stuff, he attempts the latter feat without delay. the pursuer, if he realises that he is out classed in pace, divines that his quarry will start climbing if he intends to show fight, so he begins to climb also. now success in this tactical move will accrue to the machine which possesses the finest climbing powers, and here again, of course, speed is certain to count. but, on the other hand, the prowess of the aviator--the human element once more--must not be ignored. the war has demonstrated very convincingly that the personal quality of the aviator often becomes the decisive factor. a spirited contest in the air is one of the grimmest and most thrilling spectacles possible to conceive, and it displays the skill of the aviator in a striking manner. daring sweeps, startling wheels, breathless vol-planes, and remarkable climbs are carried out. one wonders how the machine can possibly withstand the racking strains to which it is subjected. the average aeroplane demands space in which to describe a turn, and the wheel has to be manipulated carefully and dexterously, an operation requiring considerable judgment on the part of the helmsman. but in an aerial duel discretion is flung to the winds. the pilot jambs his helm over in his keen struggle to gain the superior position, causing the machine to groan and almost to heel over. the stem stresses of war have served to reveal the perfection of the modern aeroplane together with the remarkable strength of its construction. in one or two instances, when a victor has come to earth, subsequent examination has revealed the enormous strains to which the aeroplane has been subjected. the machine has been distorted; wires have been broken--wires which have succumbed to the enormous stresses which have been imposed and have not been snapped by rifle fire. one well-known british airman, who was formerly a daring automobilist, confided to me that a fight in the air "is the finest reliability trial for an aeroplane that was ever devised!" in these desperate struggles for aerial supremacy the one party endeavours to bring his opponent well within the point-blank range of his armament: the other on his part strives just as valiantly to keep well out of reach. the latter knows fully well that his opponent is at a serious disadvantage when beyond point-blank range, for the simple reason that in sighting the rifle or automatic pistol, it is difficult, if not impossible while aloft, to judge distances accurately, and to make the correct allowances for windage. if, however, the dominating aviator is armed with a machine gun he occupies the superior position, because he can pour a steady hail of lead upon his enemy. the employment of such a weapon when the contest is being waged over friendly territory has many drawbacks. damage is likely to be inflicted among innocent observers on the earth below; the airman is likely to bombard his friends. for this very reason promiscuous firing, in the hope of a lucky shot finding a billet in the hostile machine, is not practised. both parties appear to reserve their fire until they have drawn within what may be described as fighting distance, otherwise point blank range, which may be anything up to yards. some of the battles between the german and the french or british aeroplanes have been waged with a total disregard of the consequences. both realise that one or the other must perish, and each is equally determined to triumph. it is doubtful whether the animosity between the opposing forces is manifested anywhere so acutely as in the air. in some instances the combat has commenced at feet or so above the earth, and has been fought so desperately, the machines climbing and endeavouring to outmanoeuvre each other, that an altitude of over , feet has been attained before they have come to close grips. the french aviator is nimble, and impetuous: the german aviator is daring, but slow in thought: the british airman is a master of strategy, quick in thought, and prepared to risk anything to achieve his end. the german airman is sent aloft to reconnoitre the enemy and to communicate his information to his headquarters. that is his assigned duty and he performs it mechanically, declining to fight, as the welfare of his colleagues below is considered to be of more vital importance than his personal superiority in an aerial contest. but if he is cornered he fights with a terrible and fatalistic desperation. the bravery of the german airmen is appreciated by the allies. the french flying-man, with his traditional love for individual combat, seeks and keenly enjoys a duel. the british airman regards such a contest as a mere incident in the round of duty, but willingly accepts the challenge when it is offered. it is this manifestation of what may be described as acquiescence in any development that enabled the british flying corps, although numerically inferior, to gain its mastery of the air so unostentatiously and yet so completely. all things considered an aeroplane duel is regarded as a fairly equal combat. but what of a duel between an aeroplane and a dirigible? which holds the advantage? this question has not been settled, at any rate conclusively, but it is generally conceded that up to a certain point the dirigible is superior. it certainly offers a huge and attractive target, but rifle fire at its prominent gas-bag is not going to cause much havoc. the punctures of the envelope may represent so many vents through which the gas within may effect a gradual escape, but considerable time must elapse before the effect of such a bombardment becomes pronounced in its result, unless the gas-bag is absolutely riddled with machine gun-fire, when descent must be accelerated. on the other hand, it is to be presumed that the dirigible is armed. in this event it has a distinct advantage. it has a steady gun-platform enabling the weapons of offence to be trained more easily and an enhanced accuracy of fire to be obtained. in order to achieve success it is practically imperative that an aeroplane should obtain a position above the dirigible, but the latter can ascend in a much shorter space of time, because its ascent is vertical, whereas the aeroplane must describe a spiral in climbing. under these circumstances it is relatively easy for the airship to outmanoeuvre the aeroplane in the vertical plane, and to hold the dominating position. but even should the aeroplane obtain the upper position it is not regarded with fear. some of the latest zeppelins have a machine gun mounted upon the upper surface of the envelope, which can be trained through degrees and elevated to about degrees vertical. owing to the steady gun platform offered it holds command in gun-fire, so that the aeroplane, unless the aviator is exceptionally daring, will not venture within the range of the dirigible. it is stated, however, that this upper gun has proved unsatisfactory, owing to the stresses and strains imposed upon the framework of the envelope of the zeppelin during firing, and it has apparently been abandoned. the position, however, is still available for a sniper or sharpshooter. the position in the sky between two such combatants is closely analogous to that of a torpedo boat and a dreadnought. the latter, so long as it can keep the former at arm's, or rather gun's, distance is perfectly safe. the torpedo boat can only aspire to harass its enemy by buzzing around, hoping that a lucky opportunity will develop to enable it to rush in and to launch its torpedo. it is the same with the aeroplane when arrayed against a zeppelin. it is the mosquito craft of the air. how then can a heavier-than-air machine triumph over the unwieldy lighter-than-air antagonist? two solutions are available. if it can get above the dirigible the adroplane may bring about the dirigible's destruction by the successful launch of a bomb. the detonation of the latter would fire the hydrogen within the gas-bag or bags, in which event the airship would fall to earth a tangled wreck. even if the airship were inflated with a non-inflammable gas--the germans claim that their zeppelins now are so inflated--the damage wrought by the bomb would be so severe as to destroy the airship's buoyancy, and it would be forced to the ground. the alternative is very much more desperate. it involves ramming the dirigible. this is undoubtedly possible owing to the speed and facile control of the aeroplane, but whether the operation would be successful remains to be proved. the aeroplane would be faced with such a concentrated hostile fire as to menace its own existence--its forward rush would be frustrated by the dirigible just as a naval vessel parries the ramming tactics of an enemy by sinking the latter before she reaches her target, while if it did crash into the hull of the dirigible, tearing it to shreds, firing its gas, or destroying its equilibrium, both protagonists would perish in the fatal dive to earth. for this reason ramming in mid-air is not likely to be essayed except when the situation is desperate. what happens when two aeroplanes meet in dire combat in mid-air and one is vanquished? does the unfortunate vessel drop to earth like a stone, or does it descend steadily and reach the ground uninjured? so far as actual experience has proved, either one of the foregoing contingencies may happen. in one such duel the german aeroplane was observed to start suddenly upon a vol-plane to the ground. its descending flight carried it beyond the lines of the allies into the territory of its friends. both came to the conclusion that the aviator had effected his escape. but subsequent investigation revealed the fact that a lucky bullet from the allies' aeroplane had lodged in the brain of the german pilot, killing him instantly. at the moment when death over took him the aviator had set his plane for the descent to the ground, and the machine came to earth in the manner of a glider. but in other instances the descent has been far more tragic. the aeroplane, deprived of its motive power, has taken the deadly headlong dive to earth. it has struck the ground with terrific violence, burying its nose in the soil, showing incidentally that a flying machine is an indifferent plough, and has shattered itself, the debris soaked with the escaping fuel becoming ignited. in any event, after such a fall the machine is certain to be a wreck. the motor may escape damage, in which event it is salvaged, the machine subsequently being purposely sacrificed to the flames, thereby rendering it no longer available to the enemy even if captured. in many instances the hostile fire has smashed some of the stays and wires, causing the aeroplane to lose its equilibrium, and sending it to earth in the manner of the proverbial stone, the aviators either being dashed to pieces or burned to death. what are the vulnerable parts of the aeroplane? while the deliberate intention of either combatant is to put his antagonist hors de combat, the disablement of the machine may be achieved without necessarily killing or even seriously wounding the hostile airman. the prevailing type of aeroplane is highly susceptible to derangement: it is like a ship without armour plate protection. the objective of the antagonist is the motor or the fuel-tank, the vital parts of the machine, as much as the aviator seated within. a well-planted shot, which upsets the mechanism of the engine, or a missile which perforates the fuel tank, thereby depriving the motor of its sustenance, will ensure victory as conclusively as the death of the aviator himself. rifle fire can achieve either of these ends with little difficulty. apart from these two nerve-centres, bombardment is not likely to effect the desired disablement, inasmuch as it cannot be rendered completely effective. the wings may be riddled like a sieve, but the equilibrium of the machine is not seriously imperilled thereby. even many of the stays may be shot away, but bearing in mind the slender objective they offer, their destruction is likely to be due more to luck than judgment. on the other hand, the motor and fuel tank of the conventional machine offer attractive targets: both may be put out of action readily, and the disablement of the motive power of an enemy's craft, be it torpedo-boat, battleship, or aeroplane, immediately places the same at the assailant's mercy. nevertheless, of course, the disablement of the airman brings about the desired end very effectively. it deprives the driving force of its controlling hand; the aeroplane becomes like a ship without a rudder: a vessel whose helmsman has been shot down. it is unmanageable, and likely to become the sport of the element in which it moves. it is for this reason that aviators have been urged to direct their fire upon the men and mechanism of a dirigible in the effort to put it out of action. an uncontrolled airship is more likely to meet with its doom than an aeroplane. the latter will inevitably glide to earth, possibly damaging itself seriously in the process, as events in the war have demonstrated, but a helpless airship at once becomes the sport of the wind, and anyone who has assisted, like myself, in the descent of a vessel charged with gas and floating in the air, can appreciate the difficulties experienced in landing. an uncontrolled zeppelin, for instance, would inevitably pile up in a tangled twisted ruin if forced to descend in the manner of an ordinary balloon. consequently the pilot of a dirigible realises to the full the imperative urgency of keeping beyond the point-blank fire of aerial mosquito craft. the assiduity with which british aviators are prepared to swarm to the attack has been responsible for a display of commendable ingenuity on the part of the german airman. nature has provided some of its creatures, such as the octopus, for instance, with the ways and means of baffling its pursuers. it emits dense clouds of inky fluid when disturbed, and is able to effect its escape under cover of this screen. the german aviator has emulated the octopus. he carries not only explosive bombs but smoke balls as well. when he is pursued and he finds himself in danger of being overtaken, the teuton aviator ignites these missiles and throws them overboard. the aeroplane becomes enveloped in a cloud of thick impenetrable smoke. it is useless to fire haphazard at the cloud, inasmuch as it does not necessarily cover the aviator. he probably has dashed out of the cloud in such a way as to put the screen between himself and his pursuer. in such tactics he has merely profited by a method which is practised freely upon the water. the torpedo boat flotilla when in danger of being overwhelmed by superior forces will throw off copious clouds of smoke. under this cover it is able to steal away, trusting to the speed of the craft to carry them well beyond gunshot. the "smoke screen," as it is called, is an accepted and extensively practised ruse in naval strategy, and is now adopted by its mosquito colleagues of the air. chapter xiii. tricks and ruses to baffle the airman the airman has not been allowed to hold his undisputed sway in military operations for long. desperate situations demand drastic remedies and already considerable and illuminating ingenuity is being displayed to baffle and mislead the scout of the skies. it is a somewhat curious and noteworthy fact, that the germans were among the first to realise the scope of the airman's activities, and the significance of their relation to the conveyance of intimate information and the direction of artillery fire. consequently, they now spare no effort to convey illusory information, in the hope that the hostile force may ultimately make a false move which may culminate in disaster. thus, for instance, as much endeavour is bestowed upon the fashioning of dummy trenches as upon the preparation of the actual lines of defence. and every care will be taken to indicate that the former are strongly held. the dug-outs are complete and at places are apparently cunningly masked. if the airman is flying swiftly, he is likely to fail to distinguish the dummy from the real trenches. to him the defences appear to be far more elaborate and more strongly held than is the actual case. the advantage of this delusion is obvious when a retreat is being made. it enables the enemy to withdraw his forces deliberately and in perfect order, and to assume another and stronger position comparatively at leisure. the difficulty of detecting the dummies is emphasised, inasmuch as now, whenever the sound of an aeroplane is heard, or a glimpse thereof is obtained, the men keep well down and out of sight. not a sign of movement is observable. for all the airman may know to the contrary, the trenches may be completely empty, whereas, as a matter of fact, they are throbbing with alert infantry, anxious for a struggle with the enemy. this is one instance where the dirigible is superior to the aeroplane. the latter can only keep circling round and round over the suspicious position; the movement through the air interferes with close continuous observation. on the other hand, the dirigible can maintain a stationary position aloft for hours on end. then the issue is resolved into a contest of patience, with the advantage to the airman. the soldiers in the trenches fret and fume under cover; confined concealment is irksome and is a supreme test of the nerves. unless the soldiers are made of very stern stuff, physical endurance succumbs. some rash act--apparently very trivial--may be committed; it suffices for the vigilant sentinel overhead. he detects the slender sign of life, forms his own conclusions, and returns to his headquarters with the intelligence that the enemy is playing "brer rabbit." it has also become increasingly difficult for the airman to gather absolutely trustworthy data concerning the disposition and movement of troops. small columns are now strung out along the highways to convey the impression that the moving troops are in far greater force than is actually the case, while the main body is under the cover offered by a friendly wood and is safe from detection. the rapidity with which thousands of men are able to disappear when the word "airman" is passed round is astonishing. they vanish as completely and suddenly as if swallowed by the earth or dissolved into thin air. they conceal themselves under bushes, in ditches, lie prone under hedgerows, dart into houses and outbuildings--in short, take every cover which is available, no matter how slender it may seem, with baffling alacrity. the attenuated column, however, is kept moving along the highway for the express purpose of deceiving the airman. advancing troops also are now urged to move forward under the shelter of trees, even if the task entails marching in single or double file, to escape the prying eyes of the man above. by keeping close to the line of trunks, thus taking full advantage of the overhanging branches, and marching in such a manner as to create little dust, it is possible to escape the aerial scout. the concealment of cavalry, however, is somewhat difficult. an animal, especially if he be unaccustomed to the noise of the aeroplane, is likely to become startled, and to give vent to a frightened and vociferous neighing which invariably provokes a hearty response from his equine comrades. the sharp ear of the airman does not fail to distinguish this sound above the music of his motor. again, he has come to regard all copses and stretches of undergrowth with suspicion. such may or may not harbour the enemy, but there is no risk in making an investigation. he swoops down, and when a short distance above the apparently innocent copse, circles round it two or three times. still undecided, he finally hurls a bomb. its detonation invariably proves effective. the horses stampede and the secret is out. even foot soldiers must be severely trained and experienced to resist the natural inclination to break cover when such a missile is hurled into their midst. frequently a force, which has laboured under the impression that it is safe from detection, has revealed its presence unwittingly and upon the spur of the moment. if the men be steeled against the bomb attack, it is almost impossible to resist the inclination to take a shot when the airman, swooping down, ventures so temptingly near as to render him an enticing target almost impossible to miss. as a rule, however, the observer is on the alert for such a betrayal of a force's existence. when the bomb fails to scatter the enemy, or the men are proof against the temptation to fire a volley, a few rounds from the aeroplane's machine gun often proves effective. if the copse indeed be empty no harm is done, beyond the abortive expenditure of a few rounds of ammunition: if it be occupied, the fruits of the manoeuvre are attractive. cunning is matched against cunning, and the struggle for supremacy in the art of craftiness is keen. the french flying corps have had recourse to an ingenious ruse for accomplishing two ends--the one to draw concealed artillery fire, and the other to pre-occupy the airmen. two german aerial scouts observed a french machine flying at a somewhat venturesome height over their masked artillery. divining the reason for the hostile intrepidity they gave chase. circling round the french machine they assailed it with machine-gun fire. the enemy appeared to take no notice but continued his gradual descent in a steady line. presently the german airmen, having drawn sufficiently near, observed that the french aviator was inert. had he been killed? everything pointed to such a conclusion, especially as they had raked the aeroplane fore and aft with bullets. but still suspicious they continued their circling movements, their attention so concentrated upon their quarry that they had not observed another move. it was the crash of guns from their masked artillery which broke in upon their absorption. looking round, they observed three french aeroplanes soaring around and above them at high speed. scarcely had they realised the situation before a spirited mitraireuse fire was rained upon them. one of the german aeroplanes was speedily disabled. its fuel tank was riddled and it sank rapidly, finally crashing to earth in the deadly dive head foremost, and killing both its occupants in the fall. the second aeroplane hurried away with its pilot wounded. in the excitement of the aerial melee the first french aeroplane had been forgotten. it was now scarcely feet above the german artillery. a capture appeared to be imminent, but the germans received a rude surprise. suddenly the aeroplane exploded and a hail of shrapnel burst over the heads of the artillerymen. the circumstance was decidedly uncanny, but after two or three such experiences of exploding aeroplanes the matter was explained. the apparently helpless aeroplane was merely a glider, which, instead of carrying a man, had a booby-trap aboard. it appears that the french airmen have found a use for the aeroplanes which are considered unsafe for further use. the motor and propeller are removed and the dummy of explosives is strapped into position. the laden glider is then taken aloft by means of an airship, and in the concealment of the clouds is released, the rudder being so set as to ensure a gradual vol-plane towards the suspicious position below. the explosive cargo is set with a time fuse, the arrangement being that the contents will be detonated while the machine is near the ground, unless this end is accelerated by a well-planted shell from an anti-aircraft gun. the decoy glider is generally accompanied by one or two aeroplanes under control, which keep under the cover of the clouds until the hostile aviators have been drawn into the air, when they swoop down to the attack. the raiders are fully aware that they are not likely to become the target of fire from the ground, owing to the fact that the enemy's artillery might hit its friends. consequently the antagonistic airmen are left to settle their own account. in the meantime the dummy machine draws nearer to the ground to explode and to scatter its death-dealing fragments of steel, iron, and bullets in all directions. possibly in no other phase of warfare is subterfuge practised so extensively as in the concealment of guns. the branches of trees constitute the most complete protection and guns are placed in position beneath a liberal cover of this character. the branches also offer a screen for the artillerymen, who can lurk beneath this shelter until the aeroplane has passed. to complete the illusion dummy guns fashioned from tree trunks and the wheels of useless limbers are rigged up, and partially hidden under branches, the idea being to convey the impression to the man aloft that they are the actual artillery. the aerial scout observes the dummies beneath the sparse covering of branches. congratulating himself upon his sharp eyesight, he returns to his base with the intelligence that he has found the enemy's guns he indicates their position upon the map, and in some cases returns to notify the position of the weapons by smoke-ball or tinsel, when they are immediately subjected to a severe bombardment. he follows the shell-fire and sees the arms put out of action. he returns to camp satisfied with his exploit, oblivious of the smiles and laughter of the hostile artillerymen, who have their guns safely in position and well masked some distance away. the dummies are imperfectly concealed purposely, so that they may be discovered by the aerial scout, while the real guns are completely masked and ready to belch forth from another point. in one or two cases the dummies have been rigged up in such a manner as to convey the impression, when seen from aloft, that a whole battery has been put out of action, barrels and wheels as well as broken limbers strewing the ground in all directions. moving masses of soldiers are also resorting to cunning in order to mislead the airman or to escape his observation. at the battle of haelen, during which engagement the german warplanes were exceptionally active, the belgian soldiers covered their heads with bundles of wheat snatched from the standing stooks, and under this cover lurked in a field where the corn was still standing. from aloft their forms defied detection: the improvised headgear completely covered them and blended effectively with the surrounding wheat. in another instance the french misled a german airman somewhat effectively. what appeared to be cavalry was seen to be retreating along the country road, and the airman returned hurriedly to report. a german squadron was dispatched in hasty pursuit. but as it rounded a copse skirting the road it received a murderous fire at close quarters, which decimated the ranks and sent the survivors flying for their lives along the road up which they had ridden so confidently. had the aviator been in a position to observe the horses more closely, he would have found that what appeared to be riders on their backs were in reality sacks stuffed with straw, dressed in old uniforms, and that a mere handful of men were driving the animals forward. the cavalrymen had purposely dismounted and secreted themselves in the wood in anticipation of such a pursuit as was made. while the germans do not appear to be so enterprising in this form of ingenuity they have not been idle. a french airman flying over the teuton lines observed the outermost trenches to be alive with men whose helmets were distinctly visible. the airman reported his observations and the trench was subjected to terrific shell fire. subsequently the french made a spirited charge, but to their dismay found that the outermost german trench was occupied by dummies fashioned from all sorts of materials and crowned with helmets! this ruse had enabled the german lines to be withdrawn to another position in safety and comparatively at leisure. before war was declared the german military experts were emphasising the importance of trees for masking troops and guns against aerial observation. one of the foremost authorities upon military aviation only a few months ago urged the german military staff to encourage the planting of orchards, not for the purpose of benefiting agriculture or in the interests of the farmers, but merely for military exigencies. he pointed to the extensive orchards which exist in alsace-lorraine and baden, the military covering value of which he had determined from personal experience, having conducted aerial operations while military were moving to and fro under the cover of the trees. he declared that the cover was efficient and that under the circumstances the laying out of extensive orchards in strategical places should be carried out without any delay. this, he urged, was a national and not a private obligation. he advocated the bestowal of subsidies on the farmers to encourage the planting of fruit trees. he suggested that the trees should be provided by the state, and given to all who were prepared to plant them; that substantial prizes should be awarded to encourage the rapid growth thereof, and that annual prizes should be awarded to the man who would undertake their cultivation and pruning, not from the fruit-yielding point of view, but for facilitating the movement of troops beneath their dense branches. he even urged the military acquisition of suitable land and its determined, skilful, and discreet exploitation by those who loved the fatherland. he emphasised the necessity for keeping such orchards under military control, only vouchsafing sufficient powers to the local authorities to ensure the desired consummation. he maintained that, if the work were prosecuted upon the right lines and sufficient financial assistance were given, the purpose in view could be achieved without saddling the war department with any unremunerative or excessive burden. he admitted that the process of raising fruit trees to the stage when they would afford adequate cover would be tedious and somewhat prolonged, but argued that the military advantages, such as enabling troops to move below the welcome shelter with absolute freedom and without physical fatigue, would be an ample compensation. the utility of such cover to artillery was another factor he did not fail to emphasise. he dwelt seriously upon the difficulty of rendering permanent gun emplacements and heavy artillery invisible to the airman by resort to the usual type of gun shields. the latter may be located with ease by alert airmen, whereas if the guns were under cover of fruit trees they would be able to accomplish their deadly mission without betraying their presence to the aerial scout. moreover, by pruning the trees in such a manner as to ensure free movement beneath, the artillery would be able to advance without betraying the fact to the enemy. this authority vigorously insisted that the work should be carried out without a moment's delay as it was vital to the fatherland. in the light of recent events, and the excellent cover which is offered by the orchards of the territory he cited as an illustration of his contention, such a disclosure is pregnant with meaning. it throws a new light upon the thorough methods with which the germans carried out their military preparations, and incidentally shows that they were fully alive to every possible development. fruit-raising as a complement to military operations may be a new line of discussion, but it serves to reveal the german in his true light, ready for every contingency, and shows how thoroughly he appreciates the danger from the man in the clouds. chapter xiv. anti-aircraft guns. mobile weapons. when the airship and the aeroplane became accepted units of warfare it was only natural that efforts should be concentrated upon the evolution of ways and means to compass their destruction or, at least, to restrict their field of activity. but aircraft appeared to have an immense advantage in combat. they possess virtually unlimited space in which to manoeuvre, and are able to select the elevation from which to hurl their missiles of destruction. there is another and even more important factor in their favour. a projectile fired, or even dropped, from a height, say of , feet, is favourably affected by the force of gravity, with the result that it travels towards the earth with accumulating energy and strikes the ground with decisive force. on the other hand, a missile discharged into space from a weapon on the earth has to combat this action of gravity, which exercises a powerful nullifying influence upon its flight and velocity, far in excess of the mere resistance offered by the air. in other words, whereas the projectile launched from aloft has the downward pull of the earth or gravitational force in its favour, the shell fired from the ground in the reverse direction has to contend against this downward pull and its decelerating effect. at the time when aircraft entered the realms of warfare very little was known concerning the altitudes to which projectiles could be hurled deliberately. certain conclusive information upon this point was available in connection with heavy howitzer fire, based on calculations of the respective angles at which the projectile rose into the air and fell to the ground, and of the time the missile took to complete its flight from the gun to the objective. but howitzer fire against aircraft was a sheer impossibility: it was like using a six-inch gun to kill a fly on a window pane at a thousand yards' range. some years ago certain experiments in aerial firing with a rifle were undertaken in switzerland. the weapon was set vertically muzzle upwards and discharged. from the time which elapsed between the issue of the bullet from the muzzle until it struck the earth it was possible to make certain deductions, from which it was estimated that the bullet reached an altitude of feet or so. but this was merely conjecture. consequently when artillerists entered upon the study of fighting air-craft with small arms and light guns, they were compelled to struggle in the dark to a very pronounced extent, and this darkness was never satisfactorily dispelled until the present war, for the simple reason that there were no means of getting conclusive information. the german armament manufacturers endeavoured to solve the problem by using smoking shells or missiles fitted with what are known as tracers. by following the ascensional path of the projectiles as revealed by the smoke it was possible to draw certain conclusions. but these were by no means convincing or illuminating, as so many factors affected the issue. despite the peculiar and complex difficulties associated with the problem it was attacked some what boldly. in this trying field of artillery research the prominent german armament manufacturers, krupp of essen and ehrhardt of dusseldorf, played a leading part, the result being that before the airship or the aeroplane was received within the military fold, the anti-aircraft gun had been brought into the field of applied science. the sudden levelling-up serves to illustrate the enterprise of the germans in this respect as well as their perspicacity in connection with the military value of aircraft. any gun we can hope to employ against aircraft with some degree of success must fulfil special conditions, for it has to deal with a difficult and elusive foe. both the lighter-than-air and the heavier than-air craft possess distinctive features and varying degrees of mobility. taking the first-named, the facility with which it can vary its altitude is a disconcerting factor, and is perplexing to the most skilful gunner, inasmuch as he is called upon to judge and change the range suddenly. on the other hand, the artilleryman is favoured in certain directions. the range of utility of the airship is severely limited. if its avowed mission is reconnaissance and conclusive information concerning the disposition of forces, artillery and so forth is required, experience has proved that such work cannot be carried out satisfactorily or with any degree of accuracy at a height exceeding , feet, and a distance beyond six miles. but even under these circumstances the climatic conditions must be extremely favourable. if the elements are unpropitious the airship must venture nearer to its objective. these data were not difficult to collect, inasmuch as they were more or less available from the results of military observations with captive balloons, the conditions being somewhat similar. with the ordinary captive balloon it has been found that, in clear weather, a radius of about / miles at the maximum elevation constitutes its range of reliable utility. with the aeroplane, however, the conditions are very dissimilar. in the first place the machine owing to its diminutive size as compared with the airship, offers a small and inconspicuous target. then there is its high independent speed, which is far beyond that of the airship. furthermore its mobility is greater. it can wheel, turn sharply to the right or to the left, and pursue an irregular undulating flight in the horizontal plane, which renders it well nigh impossible for a gunner to pick it up. the machine moves at a higher relative speed than that at which the gun can be trained. it is the rapid and devious variation which so baffles the gunner, who unless he be highly skilled and patient, is apt to commence to fire wildly after striving for a few moments, and in vain, to pick up the range; he trusts to luck or depends upon blind-shooting, which invariably results in a waste of ammunition. a gun, to be of tangible destructive efficiency when directed against aircraft, especially those depending upon the gas-bag for equilibrium, must be of special design. it must be capable of firing at an angle only a few degrees less than the absolute vertical, and in order to follow the rapid and involved movements of its objective, must be so mobile that it can be trained through a complete circle at any angle of inclination less than its maximum. at the same time, if the weapon is being used in field operations it must be mounted upon a carriage of adequate mobility to enable it to follow the airship, and thereby keep pace with the latter, so that the aerial craft may be sorely harassed if not actually hit. the automobile is the obvious vehicle for this duty, and it has accordingly been extensively used in this service. the automobile and the gun mounted thereon follow widely different lines. some vehicles are designed especially for this duty, while others are improvisations, and be it noted, in passing, that many of the latter have proved more serviceable than the former. still, the first-named is to be preferred, inasmuch as necessarily it is designed to meet the all-round requirements imposed, and consequently is better able to stand up to the intended work, whereas the extemporised vehicle is only serviceable under favourable conditions. the krupp company has evolved many designs of anti-aircraft motor-driven guns--"archibalds" the british airmen term them with emphatic levity. they are sturdily-built vehicles fitted with heavy motors, developing from to horse-power, with the chassis not widely dissimilar from that adopted for motor-omnibus traffic. consequently, they are not necessarily condemned to the high-roads, but within certain limits are able to travel across country, i.e., upon fields or other level expanses, where the soil is not unduly soft. but the very character of the problem rendered the evolution of the vehicle a somewhat perplexing matter. there were many factors which had to be taken into consideration, and it was possible to meet the imposed requirements only within certain limits. in the first place, the weight of the gun itself had to be kept down. it was obviously useless to overload the chassis. again, the weight of the projectile and its velocity had to be borne in mind. a high velocity was imperative. accordingly, an initial velocity varying from , to , feet per second, according to the calibre of the gun, was determined. moreover, as mobility was an indispensable condition, the gun had to be so mounted that it could be fired from the motor-car even if the latter were travelling at high speed. this requirement entailed another difficulty. the gun had to be mounted in such a manner as to enable the gunner to train it easily and readily through the complete circle and through its complete range of vertical inclination. as the result of prolonged experiments it was ascertained that the most suitable arrangement was a pedestal mounting, either within a turret or upon an open deck. to meet the weight of the gun, as well as the strains and stresses incidental to firing, the chassis was strengthened, especially over the rear axle near which the mounting is placed. the heaviest gun of this type is the . centimetre ( / -inch) quick-firer, throwing a shell weighing nearly forty pounds, with an initial velocity of , feet per second. this "archibald" is totally unprotected. the gun is mounted centrally upon the carriage over the rear axle, and occupies the centre of the deck between the driver's seat and that of the gun crew behind. the whole of the deck is clear, thereby offering no obstruction to the gunner in training the weapon, while the space may be widened by dropping down the wings of the vehicle. at the rear is a seat to accommodate the gun crew, beneath which the ammunition is stowed. when travelling and out of action, the gun lies horizontally, the muzzle pointing from the rear of the car. to reduce the strains arising from firing, the arm is fitted with what is known as the "differential recoil." above the breach is an air recuperator and a piston, while there is no hydraulic brake such as is generally used. the compressor is kept under compression while the car is travelling with the gun out of action, so that the arm is available for instant firing. this is a departure from the general practice in connection with such weapons. when the gun is loaded the bolt which holds the compressor back is withdrawn, either by the hand for manual firing, or by the action of the automatic closing of the breech when the arm is being used as a quick-firer. in firing the gun is thrown forward under the pressure of the released air which occurs at the moment of discharge. the energy of the recoil brings the gun back and at the same time recharges the compressed air reservoir. the gun is so mounted upon its pedestal as to enable a maximum vertical inclination of degrees to be obtained. the mounting system also enables the weapon to be trained in any desired direction up to the foregoing maximum elevation throughout a complete circle, and it can be handled with ease and celerity. a smaller "archibald" is the . centimetre ( -inch gun) throwing a . pound shell at an initial velocity of about , feet per second. the turret anti-aircraft gun carried upon a motor-car differs from the foregoing very considerably. this is a protected arm. the gun of . centimetres--approximately . inches--is mounted in the same manner upon the car-deck and over the driving axle, but is enclosed within a sheet steel turret, which is proof against rifle and machine-gun fire. this turret resembles the conning-tower of a battleship, and is sufficiently spacious to house the whole of the gun crew, the internal diameter being about seven feet. access to the turret is obtained through a rear door. this gun has a maximum elevation of about degrees, while its operation and mechanism are similar to those of the unprotected weapon. the vehicle itself is practically identical with the armoured motor-car, which has played such an important part during the present campaign, the driver being protected by a bullet-proof steel screen similar in design to the ordinary glass wind-screen fitted to touring automobiles. this is carried sufficiently high to offer complete protection to his head when seated at the wheel, while through a small orifice in this shield he is able to obtain a clear view of the road. the engine and its vital parts are also adequately protected. the ammunition is carried in a cupboard-like recess forming part of the driver's seat, encased in bullet-proof steel sheeting with flap-doors. this device enables the shells to be withdrawn readily from the side of the car and passed to the crew within the turret. the caisson is of sufficient dimensions to receive shells. the ehrhardt airship fighting ordnance is similarly adapted to motor-car operations, one type being especially powerful. the whole of the vehicle is encased in armour-plating impervious to rifle and machine-gun fire. the driver is provided with a small orifice through which he is able to obtain a clear uninterrupted view of the road ahead, while the armouring over the tonneau is carried to a sufficient height to allow head-room to the gun crew when standing at the gun. all four wheels are of the disk type and fashioned from heavy sheet steel. the motor develops - horse-power and, in one type, in order to mitigate the risk of breakdown or disablement, all four wheels are driven. the gun, a small quick-firer, is mounted on a pedestal in a projecting conning-tower. the mounting is placed behind the driver's seat, and is trained and operated from the tonneau. the maximum elevation is degrees, and like the gun carriage bearing the tube guide it can be moved through a complete circle, being free to rotate in the fixed pivot jack to enable this end to be attained. the foregoing may be said to represent the most powerful types of mobile anti-aircraft weapons used by the austro-german forces to-day. arms of similar design, roughly speaking, have also been introduced into the french and russian services. in addition many semi-armoured weapons of this character are in operation, some specially built for the work, while others have been improvised. in the semi-armoured motor-car the carriage follows the usual lines; it has an open top, the armouring comprising the body of the tonneau and the diskwheels, which are made of light bullet-proof steel. here again the prevailing practice is to mount the gun as nearly above the rear axle as possible, and to work it from the tonneau. the maximum elevation is also degrees, with training throughout the entire circle. another type comprises a very light machine gun of rifle calibre, and this is intended for attachment to an ordinary motor car. there is a pedestal mounting which can be set within the tonneau, while the weapon is pivoted in an outrigger, the latter being free to rotate in its pivot jack. this arrangement enables the arm to cover a wide range, while it also admits of training through an extensive angle of elevation. the allied forces improvised travelling anti-aircraft offences by mounting the latest types of vickers, hotchkiss, and other machine guns in armoured motor cars. some of these have the domed turret form, with the gun projecting through the roof, while others are protected against hostile attack from the side only, the carriage being panelled with bullet-proof steel sheeting. while such weapons are useful, inasmuch as they can maintain a hot fire ranging up to shots per minute, they are not to be compared with the "archibalds," which are able to throw heavy shrapnel and incendiary shells, and have a vertical range of about , to , feet. the improvised motor-gun has not proved a complete success, except in those instances when the hostile aircraft has ventured to approach somewhat closely to the ground. the more formidable weapons cannot be mounted upon ordinary vehicles, inasmuch as the increase in weight, which is appreciable, impairs the efficiency of the vehicle, and at the same time enhances the possibility of breakdown at a critical moment. for such arms a special and substantial chassis is imperative, while the motive power and gearing must be adapted to the circumstances. motor-mounted anti-aircraft weapons, however, have not proved an unqualified success. the fact that the vehicles are condemned to the high roads, or at least to comparatively smooth and level ground, constitutes a severe handicap. again, when travelling at high speed, and this is essential when pursuing a fast aeroplane, the accurate laying of the weapon is extremely difficult, owing to the oscillation of the vehicle itself, especially if the road surface is in a bad condition. the sighting arrangements are of a wonderfully complete character, as described elsewhere, but the irregular rolling movement arising from high speed is a nullifying quantity. it is tolerably easy for the aircraft, especially an aeroplane, to evade successful pursuit, either by rising to an elevation beyond the range of the gun, or by carrying out baffling evolutions such as irregular undulating flight, wheeling, and climbing. according to the reports of the british and french airmen the "archibald" has failed to establish the glowing reputation which was anticipated, for the simple reason that, unless it has a clear straight road and can maintain its high speed, it can easily be out-distanced by the fleet human bird. the motor-car suffers from another serious disability. it cannot manoeuvre with sufficient celerity. for instance, if it is necessary to turn round in a narrow lane, valuable time is lost in the process, and this the airman turns to account. in hilly country it is at a still greater disadvantage, the inclines, gradients, and sinuosities of the roads restricting its effectiveness very pronouncedly. it must also be remembered that, relatively speaking, the "archibald" offers a better target to the airman than the aeroplane offers to the man behind the anti-aircraft gun on the motor below. a few well-placed bombs are sufficient to induce the pursuers to cease their activities. even if the missiles fail to strike the motor-car itself they can wreak disaster in directly by rendering the road impassable or dangerous to negotiate at high speed. on the whole therefore, the "archibald" is a greatly exaggerated weapon of offence against aircraft, and, so far as is known, has failed to fulfil expectations. in fact, the germans have practically abandoned the idea of using it in the manner of a pursuing arm; they work the weapon as a fixture, depending upon the car merely as a means of moving it from point to point. thus, in reality, it has been converted into a light field-piece, and may almost be included in the category of fixed weapons for combating aerial operations. chapter xv. anti-aircraft guns. immobile weapons the immobile anti-aircraft gun, as distinct from that attached to a travelling carriage such as a motor-car, may be subdivided into two classes. the one is the fixed arm which cannot be moved readily, mounted upon a permanent emplacement; the other is the field-piece which, while fired from a stationary position, may be moved from point to point upon a suitable carriage. the distinction has its parallel in ordinary artillery, the first-named weapon coinciding with the heavy siege gun, which is built into and forms part and parcel of the defensive or offensive scheme, while the second is analogous to the field artillery, which may be wheeled from position to position. in this phase of artillery the germans led the way, for the simple reason that they recognised the military value of aerial navigation years in advance of their contemporaries. again, in this field the krupp organisation has played a prominent part. it embarked upon actual construction of weapons while its rivals in other countries were content to prepare their drawings, which were filed against "the day." but it must not be thought that because the german manufacturers of armaments were ahead of their contemporaries they dominated the situation. far from it. their competitors in the market of destruction were every whit as keen, as ingenious, and as enterprising. kruppism saw a commercial opportunity to profit from advertisement and seized it: its rivals were content to work in secret upon paper, to keep pace with the trend of thought, and to perfect their organisations so as to be ready for the crisis when it developed. the first krupp anti-aircraft field-piece was a . centimetre ( / inch) arm. it possessed many interesting features, the most salient of which was the design of the axle of the carriage. the rigid axle for the two wheels was replaced by an axle made in two sections, and joined together in the form of a universal coupling, so that each wheel virtually possessed its own axle, or rather half-axle. this was connected with the cradle of the gun in such a manner that the wheels were laterally pivoted thereon. the result is that each axle can be turned forward together with its wheel, and thus the wheels have their rims brought into line to form an arc of a circle, of which the rear end of the spade of the gun carriage constitutes the centre. this acts as a pivot, about which the gun can be turned, the pair of wheels forming the runners for the achievement of this movement. the setting of the weapon in the firing position or its reversion to the travelling position can be easily and speedily effected merely by the rotation of a handwheel and gearing. with this gun a maximum elevation of degrees is possible, owing to the trunnions being carried well behind the breech in combination with the system of long steady recoil. the balancing spring which encloses the elevating screw is contained in a protected box. the recoil brake, together with the spring recuperator, follows the usual krupp practice in connection with ordinary field pieces, as does also the automatic breech-closing and firing mechanism. in fact there is no pronounced deviation from the prevailing krupp system, and only such modifications as are necessary to adapt the arm to its special duty. when the gun is elevated to high angles the shell, after insertion the breech is prevented from slipping out by means of a special device, so that the proper and automatic closing of the breech is not impaired in any way. in such an arm as this, which is designed essentially for high-angle firing, the sighting and training facilities require to be carried out upon special lines, inasmuch as the objective is necessarily at a considerable altitude above the horizon of the gun. in other words, in firing at a high inclination, distance between the gun and the target cannot be utilised directly for the back sight. on the other hand, it is essential that in proportion as the angle from the horizontal increases, the back sight should be lowered progressively in a manner corresponding to the distance. to assist the range-finder in his task of sighting it is necessary that he should be provided with firing tables set out in a convenient form, which, in conjunction with the telemeter, serve to facilitate training for each successive round. in this way it is possible to pick up the range quickly and to keep the objective in the line of fire until it either has been put hors de combat, or has succeeded in retiring beyond the range of the gun. the sighting arrangements of these krupp anti-aircraft guns are carried out upon these lines. beneath the barrel of the back-sight is an observing glass with an eye-piece for the artillerist, while above and behind the observing glass is another eye-piece, to be used in conjunction with the manipulation of the back-sight. the eye-piece of the observation glass is so made that it can be turned through a vertical plane in proportion as the angle of fire increases in relation to the horizontal. the determination of the distance from the objective and from the corresponding back-sight as well as the observation of the altitude is carried out with the aid of the telemeter. this again carries an observation glass fitted with an eye-piece which can be turned in the vertical plane in the same manner as that of the fore-sight. by means of this ingenious sighting device it is possible to ascertain the range and angle of fire very easily and speedily. the weight of the special krupp anti-aircraft field-piece, exclusive of the protecting shield, is approximately identical with that of the ordinary light artillery field-piece. it throws a shell weighing . pounds with an initial velocity of about , feet per second. although the german armament manufacturers were among the first to enter the field with an anti-aircraft gun of this character they were speedily followed by the french, who devised a superior weapon. in fact, the latter represented such a decisive advance that the german artillerists did not hesitate to appropriate their improvements in sundry essential details, and to incorporate them with their own weapons. this applies especially to the differential recoil system which is utilised in the small anti-aircraft guns now mounted upon the roofs of high buildings of cities throughout germany for the express purpose of repelling aerial attack. the french system is admitted by the leading artillery technicians of the world to be the finest which has ever been designed, its remarkable success being due to the fact that it takes advantage of the laws of nature. in this system the gun is drawn back upon its cradle preparatory to firing. in some instances the barrel is compressed against a spring, but in the more modern guns it is forced to rest against a cushion of compressed air contained within a cylinder. when first bringing the gun into action, the barrel is brought into the preliminary position by manually compressing the air or spring by means of a lever. thereafter the gun works automatically. when the gun is fired the barrel is released and it flies forward. at a critical point in its forward travel the charge is fired and the projectile speeds on its way. the kick or recoil serves to arrest the forward movement of the barrel and finally drives it back again against the strong spring or cushion of compressed air within the cylinder to its normal position, when it is ready for the introduction of the next shell. the outstanding feature of this system is that the projectile is given a higher initial velocity than is possible with the barrel held rigid at the moment of discharge, because the shell is already travelling at the moment of firing. the fixed anti-aircraft guns such as are stationed upon eminences and buildings are of the quick firing type, the object being to hurl a steady, continuous stream of missiles upon the swiftly moving aeroplane. some of the weapons throw a one-pound shell and are closely similar to the pom-pom which proved so effective during the south african war. machine guns also have been extensively adopted for this duty by all the combatants, their range of approximately , yards and rapidity of fire being distinctly valuable when hostile aircraft descend to an altitude which brings them within the range of the weapon. the greatest difficulty in connection with this phase of artillery, however, is not so much the evolution of a serviceable and efficient type of gun, as the determination of the type of projectile which is likely to be most effective. while shrapnel is employed somewhat extensively it has not proved completely satisfactory. it is difficult to set the timing fuse even after the range has been found approximately, which in itself is no easy matter when the aircraft is moving rapidly and irregularly, but reliance is placed thereon in the hope that the machine may happen to be within the cone of dispersion when the shell bursts, and that one or more of the pieces of projectile and bullets may chance to penetrate either the body of the airman or a vital part of the mechanism. it is this uncertainty which has led to a preference for a direct missile such as the bullet discharged from a machine gun. a stream of missiles, even of rifle calibre, maintained at the rate of some shots per minute is certain to be more effective, provided range and aim are correct, than shrapnel. but the ordinary rifle-bullet, unless the objective is within very close range, is not likely to cause much harm, at least not to the mechanism of the aerial vessel. it is for this reason that greater attention is being devoted, especially by the french artillerists, to the chevalier anti-aircraft gun, a weapon perfected by a swiss technician resident in great britain. it projects a formidable missile which in fact is an armour-piercing bullet / - to / -inch in diameter. it is designed for use with an automatic machinegun, which the inventor has devised more or less upon the well-known french system. the bullet has a high velocity--about , feet per second--and a maximum range of , to , feet at the maximum elevation. should such a missile strike the motor or other mechanism of the vessel it would wreak widespread havoc, and probably cause the machine to come to earth. this arm has been designed for the express purpose of disabling the aeroplane, and not for the subjugation of the airman, which is a minor consideration, inasmuch as he is condemned to a descent when his craft receives a mortal wound. attempts have been and still are being made to adapt an explosive projectile to this gun, but so far the measure of success achieved has not proved very promising. there are immense difficulties connected with the design of an explosive shell of this class, charged with a high explosive, especially in connection with the timing. so far as dependence upon percussive detonation is concerned there is practically no difficulty. should such a missile strike, say, the motor of an aeroplane, or even the hull of the craft itself, the latter would be practically destroyed. but all things considered, it is concluded that more successful results are likely to be achieved by the armour-piercing bullet striking the mechanism than by an explosive projectile. the krupp company fully realised the difficulties pertaining to the projectile problem in attacks upon aerial craft. so far as dirigibles are concerned shrapnel is practically useless, inasmuch as even should the bag be riddled by the flying fragments, little effective damage would be wrought--the craft would be able to regain its haven. accordingly efforts were concentrated upon the perfection of two new types of projectiles, both of which were directed more particularly against the dirigible. the one is the incendiary shell--obus fumigene--while the other is a shell, the contents of which, upon coming into contact with the gas contained within the gas-bag, set up certain chemical reactions which precipitate an explosion and fire. the incendiary shells are charged with a certain compound which is ignited by means of a fuse during its flight. this fuse arrangement coincides very closely with that attached to ordinary shrapnel, inasmuch as the timing may be set to induce ignition at different periods, such as either at the moment it leaves the gun, before, or when it strikes the envelope of the dirigible. the shell is fitted with a "tracer," that is to say, upon becoming ignited it leaves a trail of smoke, corresponding with the trail of a rocket, so that its passage through the air may be followed with facility. this shell, however, was designed to fulfil a dual. not only will it fire the gaseous contents out of the dirigible, but it has an explosive effect upon striking an incombustible portion of the aircraft, such as the machinery, propellers or car, when it will cause sufficient damage to throw the craft out of action. the elaborate trials which were carried out with the obus fumigene certainly were spectacular so as they went. two small spherical balloons, feet in diameter, and attached to , feet of cable, were sent aloft. the anti-aircraft guns themselves were placed about , feet distant. owing to the inclement weather the balloons were unable to attain a height of more than feet in a direct vertical line above the ground. the guns were trained and fired, but the one balloon was not hit until the second round, while the third escaped injury until the fifth round. when struck they collapsed instantly. though the test was not particularly conclusive, and afforded no reliable data, one point was ascertained--the trail of smoke emitted by the shell enabled its trajectory to be followed with ease. upon the conclusion of these trials, which were the most successful recorded, quick-firing tests in the horizontal plane were carried out. the best performance in this instance was the discharge of five rounds in eight seconds. in this instance the paths of the projectiles were simple and easy to follow, the flight of the shell being observed until it fell some , feet away. but the krupp firm have found that trials upon the testing ground with a captive balloon differ very materially from stern tests in the field of actual warfare. practically nothing has been heard of the two projectiles during this war, as they have proved an absolute failure. some months ago the world was startled by the announcement that the leading german armament firm had acquired the whole of the interest in an aerial torpedo which had been evolved by the swedish artillerist, gustave unge, and it was predicted that in the next war widespread havoc would be wrought therewith. remarkable claims were advanced for this projectile, the foremost being that it would travel for a considerable distance through the air and alight upon the objective with infallible accuracy. the torpedo in question was subjected to exacting tests in great britain, which failed to substantiate all the claims which were advanced, and it is significant to observe that little has been heard of it during the present conflict. it is urged in certain technical quarters, however, that the aerial torpedo will prove to be the most successful projectile that can be used against aircraft. i shall deal with this question in a later chapter. during the early days of the war anti-aircraft artillery appeared to be a much overrated arm. the successes placed to its credit were insignificant. this was due to the artillerymen being unfamiliar with the new arm, and the conditions which prevail when firing into space. since actual practice became possible great advances in marksmanship have been recorded, and the accuracy of such fire to-day is striking. fortunately the airman possesses the advantage. he can manoeuvre beyond the range of the hostile weapons. at the moment , feet represents the extreme altitude to which projectiles can be hurled from the arms of this character which are now in use, and they lack destructiveness at that range, for their velocity is virtually expended. picking up the range is still as difficult as ever. the practice followed by the germans serves to indicate the teuton thoroughness of method in attacking such problems even if success does not ensue. the favourite german principle of disposing anti-aircraft artillery is to divide the territory to be protected into equilateral triangles, the sides of which have a length of about six miles or less, according to the maximum effective range of the pieces at an elevation of / degrees. the guns are disposed at the corners of the triangles as indicated in figs. - . taking the one triangle as an example, the method of picking up the range may be explained as follows. the several guns at the comers of the triangle, each of which can be trained through the degrees in the horizontal plane, are in telephonic touch with an observer o stationed some distance away. the airman a enters the area of the triangle. the observer takes the range and communicates with the gunner b, who fires his weapon. the shell bursts at emitting a red flame and smoke. the observer notes the altitude and relative position of the explosion in regard to the aircraft, while gunner b himself observes whether the shell has burst to the right or to the left of the objective and corrects accordingly. the observer commands c to fire, and another shell is launched which emits a yellow flame and smoke. it bursts at according to the observer, while gunner c also notes whether it is to the right or to the left of the target and corrects accordingly. now gunner d receives the command to fire and the shell which explodes at throws off a white flame and smoke. gunner d likewise observes whether there is any deviation to right or left of the target and corrects in a similar manner. from the sum of the three rounds the observer corrects the altitude, completes his calculations, and communicates his instructions for correction to the three gunners, who now merely train their weapons for altitude. the objective is to induce the shells hurled from the three corners of the triangle to burst at a common point , which is considered to be the most critical spot for the aviator. the fire is then practically concentrated from the three weapons upon the apex of a triangular cone which is held to bring the machine within the danger zone. this method of finding the range is carried out quickly--two or three seconds being occupied in the task. in the early days of the war the german anti-aircraft artillerymen proved sadly deficient in this work, but practice improved their fire to a marvellous degree, with the result that at the moment it is dangerous for an aviator to essay his task within an altitude of , feet, which is the range of the average anti-aircraft gun. the country occupied by a belligerent is divided up in this manner into a series of triangles. for instance, a machine entering hostile territory from the east, enters the triangle a-b-c, and consequently comes within the range of the guns posted at the comers of the triangle. directly he crosses the line b-c and enters the adjacent triangle he passes beyond the range of gun a but comes within the range of the gun posted at d, and while within the triangular area is under fire from the guns b-c-d. he turns and crosses the line a-c, but in so doing enters another triangle a-c-e, and comes range of the gun posted at e. the accompanying diagram represents an area of country divided up into such triangle and the position of the guns, while the circle round the latter indicate the training arc of the weapons, each of which is a complete circle, in the horizontal plane. the dotted line represents the aviator's line of flight, and it will be seen that no matter how he twists and turns he is always within the danger zone while flying over hostile territory. the moment he outdistances one gun he comes within range of another. the safety of the aviator under these circumstances depends upon his maintaining an altitude exceeding the range of the guns below, the most powerful of which have a range of , to , feet, or on speed combined with rapid twisting and turning, or erratic undulating flight, rendering it extremely difficult for the gun-layer to follow his path with sufficient celerity to ensure accurate firing. at altitudes ranging between , and , feet the aeroplane comes within the range of rifle and machine-gun firing. the former, however, unless discharged in volleys with the shots covering a wide area, is not particularly dangerous, inasmuch as the odds are overwhelmingly against the rifleman. he is not accustomed to following and firing upon a rapidly moving objective, the result being that ninety-nine times out of a hundred he fails to register a hit. on the other hand the advantage accruing from machine-gun fire is, that owing to the continuous stream of bullets projected, there is a greater possibility of the gun being trained upon the objective and putting it hors de combat. but, taking all things into consideration, and notwithstanding the achievements of the artillerist, the advantages are overwhelmingly on the side of the aviator. when one reflects upon the total sum of aircraft which have been brought to earth during the present campaign, it will be realised that the number of prizes is insignificant in comparison with the quantity of ammunition expended. chapter xvi. mining the air while the anti-aircraft gun represents the only force which has been brought to the practical stage for repelling aerial attack, and incidentally is the sole offensive weapon which has established its effectiveness, many other schemes have been devised and suggested to consummate these ends. while some of these schemes are wildly fantastic, others are feasible within certain limitations, as for instance when directed against dirigibles. it has been argued that the atmosphere is akin to the salt seas; that an aerial vessel in its particular element is confronted with dangers identical with those prevailing among the waters of the earth. but such an analogy is fallacious: there is no more similarity between the air and the ocean than there is between an airship and a man-of-war. the waters of the earth conceal from sight innumerable obstructions, such as rocks, shoals, sandbanks, and other dangers which cannot by any means be readily detected. but no such impediments are encountered in the ether. the craft of the air is virtually a free age in the three dimensions. it can go whither it will without let or hindrance so long as the mechanical agencies of man are able to cope with the influences of nature. it can ascend to a height which is out of all proportion to the depth to which the submarine can descend in safety. it is a matter of current knowledge that a submarine cannot sink to a depth of more than feet: an aerial vessel is able to ascend to , , , , or even , feet above the earth, and the higher the altitude it attains the greater is its degree of safety. the limit of ascension is governed merely by the physical capacities of those who are responsible for the aerial vessel's movement. it is for this reason that the defensive measures which are practised in the waters of the earth are inapplicable to the atmosphere. movement by, or in, water is governed by the depth of channels, and these may be rendered impassable or dangerous to negotiate by the planting of mines. a passing ship or submarine may circumvent these explosive obstructions, but such a successful manoeuvre is generally a matter of good luck. so far as submarines are concerned the fact must not be over looked that movements in the sea are carried out under blind conditions: the navigator is unable to see where he is going; the optic faculty is rendered nugatory. contrast the disability of the submarine with the privileges of its consort in the air. the latter is able to profit from vision. the aerial navigator is able to see every inch of his way, at least during daylight. when darkness falls he is condemned to the same helplessness as his confrere in the waters below. a well-known british authority upon aviation suggested that advantage should be taken of this disability, and that the air should be mined during periods of darkness and fog to secure protection against aerial invasion. at first sight the proposal appears to be absolutely grotesque, but a little reflection will suffice to demonstrate its possibilities when the area to be defended is comparatively limited. the suggestion merely proposes to profit from one defect of the dirigible. the latter, when bent upon a daring expedition, naturally prefers to make a bee-line towards its objective: fuel considerations as a matter of fact compel it to do so. consequently it is possible, within certain limits, to anticipate the route which an invading craft will follow: the course is practically as obvious as if the vessel were condemned to a narrow lane marked out by sign-posts. moreover, if approaching under cover of night or during thick weather, it will metaphorically "hug the ground." to attempt to complete its task at a great height is to court failure, as the range of vision is necessarily so limited. under these circumstances the mining of the air could be carried out upon the obvious approaches to a threatened area. the mines, comprising large charges of high-explosive and combustible material, would be attached to small captive balloons similar to the "sounding balloons" which are so much used by meteorologists in operations for sounding the upper strata of the atmosphere. these pilot balloons would be captive, their thin wires being wound upon winches planted at close intervals along the coast-line. the balloon-mines themselves would be sent to varying heights, ranging from , to , feet, and with several attached to each cable, the disposition of the mines in the air in such an irregular manner being in fact closely similar to the practice adopted in the mining of a channel for protection against submarines and hostile ships. the suggestion is that these mines should be sent aloft at dusk or upon the approach of thick and foggy weather, and should be wound in at dawn or when the atmosphere cleared, inasmuch as in fine weather the floating aerial menace would be readily detected by the pilot of a dirigible, and would be carefully avoided. if the network were sufficiently intricate it would not be easy for an airship travelling at night or in foggy weather to steer clear of danger, for the wires holding the balloons captive would be difficult to distinguish. the mines would depend upon detonators to complete their work, and here again they would bear a close resemblance to sea-mines. by looping the mines their deadliness could be increased. the unsuspicious airship, advancing under cover of darkness or thick weather, might foul one of the wires, and, driving forward, would tend to pull one or more mines against itself. under the force of the impact, no matter how gentle, or slight, one or more of the detonating levers would be moved, causing the mine to explode, thus bursting the lifting bag of the vessel, and firing its gaseous contents. an alternative method, especially when a cable carried only a single mine, would be to wind in the captive balloon directly the wire was fouled by an invading aerial craft, the process being continued until the mine was brought against the vessel and thereby detonated. another proposed mining method differs materially in its application. in this instance it is suggested that the mines should be sent aloft, but should not be of the contact type, and should not be fired by impact detonators, but that dependence should be placed rather upon the disturbing forces of a severe concussion in the air. the mines would be floating aloft, and the advance of the airship would be detected. the elevation of the mines in the vicinity of the invading craft would be known, while the altitude of the airship in relation thereto could be calculated. then, it is proposed that a mine within d certain radius of the approaching craft, and, of course, below it, should be fired electrically from the ground. it is maintained that if the charge were sufficiently heavy and an adequate sheet of flame were produced as a result of the ignition, an airship within a hundred yards thereof would be imperilled seriously, while the other mines would also be fired, communicating ignition from one to the other. the equilibrium of the airship is so delicate that it can be readily upset, and taking into account the facts that gas is always exuding from the bag, and that hydrogen has a tendency to spread somewhat in the manner of oil upon water, it is argued that the gas would be ignited, and would bring about the explosion of the airship. another method has even been advocated. it is averred in authoritative circles that when the aerial invasion in force of great britain is attempted, the zeppelins will advance under the cover of clouds. also that the craft will make for one objective--london. doubtless advantage will be taken of clouds, inasmuch as they will extend a measure of protection to the craft, and will probably enable the invading fleet to elude the vigilance of the aeroplane scouts and patrols. under these circumstances it is suggested that balloon-mines should be sent aloft and be concealed in the clouds. it would be impossible to detect the wires holding them captive, so that the precise location of the lurking danger would not be divined by the invader. of course, the chances are that the invading airship would unconsciously miss the mines; on the other hand the possibilities are equally great that it would blunder into one of these traps and be blown to atoms. an english airman has recently suggested a means of mining invading zeppelins which differs completely from the foregoing proposals. his idea is that aeroplanes should be equipped with small mines of the contact type, charged with high explosives, and that the latter should be lowered from the aeroplane and be trawled through the atmosphere. as an illustration i will suppose that a hostile aircraft is sighted by a patrolling aeroplane. the pilot's companion in the latter immediately prepares his aerial mine, fixing the detonator, and attaching the mine to the wire. the latter is then dropped overboard, the wire being paid out from a winch until it has descended to the level of the hostile craft. the airman now manoeuvres in the air circling about the airship, dragging his mine behind him, and endeavouring to throw it across or to bring it into contact with the airship below. naturally the latter, directly it observed the airman's object, would endeavour to elude the pursuing trawling mine, either by crowding on speed or by rising to a greater altitude. the aeroplane, however, would have the advantage both in point of speed and powers of climbing, while there is no doubt that the sight of the mine swinging in the air would exert a decisive moral effect upon those in the airship. attempts to render the mine harmless by discharging it prematurely with the aid of rifle and machine-gun fire would, of course, be made by the crew of the airship, but the trawling mine would prove a very difficult target to strike. if such a missile were used against an airship of the proportions of a zeppelin the mine would inevitably be trawled across the vessel sooner or later. once the airship had been fouled, the aviator would merely have to drive ahead, dragging the wire and its charge across the gas-bag until at last one of the contact levers of the mine was moved by being dragged against some part of the vessel, when the mine would be exploded. in such operations the aviator would run a certain risk, as he would be more or less above the airship, and to a certain degree within the zone of the ultimate explosion. but there is no doubt that he would succeed in his "fishing" exploit within a very short time. this ingenious scheme has already been tested upon a small scale and has been found effective, the trawling bomb being drawn across its target and fired by contact within a few minutes. the experiment seems to prove that it would be simpler and more effectual to attack a hostile aircraft such as a zeppelin in this manner than to drop free bombs at random. moreover, we cannot doubt that the sight of a mine containing even ten or twelve pounds of high explosive dangling at the end of a wire would precipitate a retreat on the part of an airship more speedily than any other combative expedient. the advocate of this mine-trawling method, who is a well-known aviator, anticipates no difficulty in manoeuvring a mine weighing pounds at the end of feet of fine wire. success depends in a great measure on the skill of the aviator in maintaining a constant tension upon the line until it falls across its objective. the process calls for a certain manifestation of skill in manoeuvring the aeroplane in relation to the airship, judgment of distance, and ability to operate the aeroplane speedily. the rapid ascensional capability of the airship, as compared with that of the aeroplane, is a disadvantage, but on the other hand, the superior mobility and speed of the aeroplane would tell decisively for success. among the many wonders which the krupp organisation is stated to have perfected, and which it is claimed will create considerable surprise, is the aerial torpedo. many of the krupp claims are wildly chimerical, as events have already proved, but there is no doubt that considerable effort has been expended upon this latest missile, for which the firm is said to have paid the inventor upwards of l , --$ , . curiously enough the projectile was perfected within gunshot of the british aerodrome of hendon and is stated to have been offered to the british government at the time, and to have met with a chilling reception. one fact, however, is well established. the inventor went to germany, and submitted his idea to krupp, by whom it was tested without delay. upon the completion of the purchase, the great armament manufacturers did not fail to publish broadcast the fact that they had acquired a mysterious new terror of the skies. that was some three years ago, and in the interval the cleverest brains of the german firm have been steadily devoting their time and energies to the improvement of the missile, the first appearance of which was recorded, in a somewhat hazy manner, in the closing days of december. while the exact mechanism of this missile is a secret, the governing principles of its design and operation are known to a select few technicians in this country. strange to say, the projectile was designed in the first instance in the interests of peace and humanity, but while engaged upon his experiments the inventor suddenly concluded that it would be a more profitable asset if devoted to the grim game of war. at the time the military significance of the airship and the aeroplane were becoming apparent; hence the sudden diversion of the idea into a destructive channel. this aerial torpedo is a small missile carrying a charge of high explosive, such as trinitrotoluene, and depends for its detonation upon impact or a time fuse. it is launched into the air from a cradle in the manner of the ordinary torpedo, but the initial velocity is low. the torpedo is fitted with its own motive power, which comes automatically into action as the missile climbs into the air. this self-contained energy is so devised that the maximum power is attained before the missile has lost the velocity imparted in the first instance, the result being that it is able to continue its flight in a horizontal direction from the moment it attains the highest point in its trajectory, which is naturally varied according to requirements. but there is no secret about the means of propulsion. the body is charged with a slow-burning combustible, in the manner of the ordinary rocket, whereby it is given a rapid rotary motion. furthermore it is stated to be fitted with a small gyroscope in the manner of the torpedo used in the seas, for the purpose of maintaining direction during flight, but upon this point there is considerable divergence of opinion among technicians, the general idea being that the torpedo depends upon an application of the principle of the ordinary rocket rather than upon a small engine such as is fitted to the ordinary torpedo. the employment of a slow combustible ensures the maintenance of the missile in the air for a period exceeding that of the ordinary shell. it is claimed by the germans that this projectile will keep aloft for half-an-hour or more, but this is a phantasy. its maintenance of flight is merely a matter of minutes. the belated appearance of this much-lauded projectile and its restricted use suggest that it is unreliable, and perhaps no more effective than the aerial torpedo which appeared in the united states during the spanish-american war, and proved a complete failure. an effective and reliable means of combating or frustrating a dirigible attack, other than by gun-fire or resort to the drastic remedy of ramming the enemy, has yet to be devised. chapter xvii. wireless in aviation in a previous chapter the various methods of signalling between the ground and the airman aloft have been described. seeing that wireless telegraphy has made such enormous strides and has advanced to such a degree of perfection, one naturally would conclude that it constitutes an ideal system of communication under such conditions in military operations. but this is not the case. wireless is utilised only to a very limited extent. this is due to two causes. the one is of a technical, the other of a strategical character. the uninitiated, bearing in mind the comparative ease with which wireless installations may be established at a relatively small expense, would not unreasonably think that no serious difficulties of a technical character could arise: at least none which would defy solution. but these difficulties exist in two or three different fields, each of which is peculiarly complex and demands individual treatment. in the first place, there is the weight of the necessary installation. in the case of the dirigible this may be a secondary consideration, but with the aeroplane it is a matter of primary and vital importance. again, under present conditions, the noise of the motor is apt to render the intelligent deciphering of messages while aloft a matter of extreme difficulty, especially as these are communicated in code. the engine noise might be effectively overcome by the use of a muffler such as, is used with automobiles, but then there is the further difficulty of vibration. this problem is being attacked in an ingenious manner. it is proposed to substitute for audible signals visual interpretations, by the aid of an electric lamp, the fluctuations in which would correspond to the dots and dashes of the morse code. thus the airman would read his messages by sight instead of by sound. this method, however, is quite in its infancy, and although attractive in theory and fascinating as a laboratory experiment or when conducted under experimental conditions, it has not proved reliable or effective in aeronautical operations. but at the same time it indicates a promising line of research and development. then there are the problems of weight and the aerial. so far as present knowledge goes, the most satisfactory form of aerial yet exploited is that known as the trailing wire. from to feet of wire are coiled upon a reel, and when aloft this wire is paid out so that it hangs below the aeroplane. as a matter of fact, when the machine is travelling at high speed it trails horizontally astern, but this is immaterial. one investigator, who strongly disapproves of the trailing aerial, has carried out experiments with a network of wires laid upon and attached to the surface of the aeroplane's wings. but the trailing wire is generally preferred, and certainly up to the present has proved more satisfactory. the greatest obstacle, however, is the necessary apparatus. the average aeroplane designed for military duty is already loaded to the maximum. as a rule it carries the pilot and an observer, and invariably includes a light arm for defence against an aerial enemy, together with an adequate supply of ammunition, while unless short sharp flights are to be made, the fuel supply represents an appreciable load. under these circumstances the item of weight is a vital consideration. it must be kept within a limit of pounds, and the less the equipment weighs the more satisfactory it is likely to prove, other things being equal. the two most successful systems yet exploited are the dubilier and the rouget. the former is an american invention, the latter is of french origin. both have been tested by the british military aeronautical department, and the french authorities have subjected the french system to rigorous trials. both systems, within their limitations, have proved satisfactory. the outstanding feature of the dubilier system is the production of sine waves of musical frequency from continuous current, thus dispensing with the rotary converter. the operating principle is the obtaining of a series of unidirectional impulses by a condenser discharge, the pulsating currents following one another at regular intervals at a frequency of impulses per second, which may be augmented up to , impulses per second. the complete weight of such an apparatus is pounds; the electric generator, which is no larger than the motor used for driving the ordinary table ventilating fan, accounts for pounds of this total. under test at sea, upon the deck of a ship, a range of miles has been obtained. the british government carried out a series of experiments with this system, using a small plant weighing about pounds, with which communication was maintained up to about miles. in the french system the reuget transmitter is employed. the apparatus, including the dynamo, which is extremely small, weighs in all pounds. a small alternator of watts and volts is coupled direct to the aeroplane motor, a new clutch coupler being employed for this purpose. by means of a small transformer the voltage is raised to , volts, at which the condenser is charged. in this instance the musical spark method is employed. the whole of the high tension wiring is placed within a small space so as not to endanger the pilot, while the transformer is hermetically sealed in a box with paraffin. the aerial comprises a trailing wire feet in length, which, however, can be wound in upon its reel within seconds. this reeled antenna, moreover, is fitted with a safety device whereby the wire can be cut adrift in the event of an accident befalling the aeroplane and necessitating an abrupt descent. with this apparatus the french authorities have been able to maintain communication over a distance of miles. in maintaining ethereal communication with aeroplanes, however, a portable or mobile station upon the ground is requisite, and this station must be within the radius of the aerial transmitter, if messages are to be received from aloft with any degree of accuracy and reliability. thus it will be recognised that the land station is as important as the aeroplane equipment, and demands similar consideration. a wide variety of systems have been employed to meet these conditions. there is the travelling automobile station, in which the installation is mounted upon a motor-car. in this instance the whole equipment is carried upon a single vehicle, while the antenna is stowed upon the roof and can be raised or lowered within a few seconds. if motor traction is unavailable, then animal haulage may be employed, but in this instance the installation is divided between two vehicles, one carrying the transmitting and receiving apparatus and the generating plant, the other the fuel supplies and the aerial, together with spare parts. the motive power is supplied by a small air cooled petrol or gasoline motor developing eight horse-power, and coupled direct to a -kilo watt alternator. at one end of the shaft of the latter the disk discharger is mounted, its function being to break up the train of waves into groups of waves, so as to impart a musical sound to the note produced in the receiver. a flexible cable transmits the electric current from the generator to the wagon containing the instruments. the aerial is built up of masts carried in sections. the germans employ a mobile apparatus which is very similar, but in this instance the mast is telescopic. when closed it occupies but little space. by turning the winch handle the mast is extended, and can be carried to any height up to a maximum of about feet. the capacity of these mobile stations varies within wide limits, the range of the largest and most powerful installations being about miles. the disadvantage of these systems, however, is that they are condemned to territories where the ground at the utmost is gently undulating, and where there are roads on which four-wheeled vehicles can travel. for operation in hilly districts, where only trails are to be found, the marconi company, has perfected what may be described as "pack" and "knapsack" installations respectively. in the first named the whole of the installation is mounted upon the backs of four horses. the first carries the generator set, the second the transmitting instruments, the third the receiving equipment, and the fourth the detachable mast and stays. the generator is carried upon the horse's saddle, and is fitted with a pair of legs on each side. on one side of the saddle is mounted a small highspeed explosion motor, while on the opposite side, in axial alignment with the motor, is a small dynamo. when it is desired to erect the installation the saddle carrying this set is removed from the horse's back and placed upon the ground, the legs acting as the support. a length of shaft is then slipped into sockets at the inner ends of the motor and dynamo shafts respectively, thus coupling them directly, while the current is transmitted through a short length of flexible cable to the instruments. the mast itself is made in lengths of about four feet, which are slipped together in the manner of the sections of a fishing rod, and erected, being supported by means of wire guys. in this manner an antenna from to feet in height may be obtained. the feature of this set is its compactness, the equal division of the sections of the installation, and the celerity with which the station may be set up and dismantled in extremely mountainous country such as the vosges, where it is even difficult for a pack-horse to climb to commanding or suitable positions, there is still another set which has been perfected by the marconi company. this is the "knapsack" set, in which the whole of the installation, necessarily light, small, and compact, is divided among four men, and carried in the manner of knapsacks upon their backs. although necessarily of limited radius, such an installation is adequate for communication within the restricted range of air-craft. greater difficulties have to be overcome in the mounting of a wireless installation upon a dirigible. when the zeppelin was finally accepted by the german government, the military authorities emphasised the great part which wireless telegraphy was destined to play in connection with such craft. but have these anticipations been fulfilled? by no means, as a little reflection will suffice to prove. in the first place, a wireless outfit is about the most dangerous piece of equipment which could be carried by such a craft as the zeppelin unless it is exceptionally well protected. as is well known the rigidity of this type of airship is dependent upon a large and complicated network of aluminium, which constitutes the frame. such a huge mass of metal constitutes an excellent collector of electricity from the atmosphere; it becomes charged to the maximum with electricity. in this manner a formidable contributory source of danger to the airship is formed. in fact, this was the reason why "z-iv" vanished suddenly in smoke and flame upon falling foul of the branches of trees during its descent. at the time the zeppelin was a highly charged electrical machine or battery as it were, insulated by the surrounding air. directly the airship touched the trees a short circuit was established, and the resultant spark sufficed to fire the gas, which is continuously exuding from the gas bags. after this accident minute calculations were made and it was ascertained that a potential difference of no less than , volts existed between the framework of the dirigible and the trees. this tension sufficed to produce a spark inches in length. it is not surprising that the establishment of the electric equilibrium by contact with the trees, which produced such a spark should fire the hydrogen inflation charge. in fact the heat generated was so intense that the aluminium metallic framework was fused. the measurements which were made proved that the gas was consumed within seconds and the envelope destroyed within seconds. as a result of this disaster endeavours were made to persuade count zeppelin to abandon the use of aluminium for the framework of his balloon but they were fruitless, a result no doubt due to the fact that the inventor of the airship of this name has but a superficial knowledge of the various sciences which bear upon aeronautics, and fully illustrates the truth of the old adage that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." count zeppelin continues to work upon his original lines, but the danger of his system of construction was not lost upon another german investigator, professor schiitte, who forthwith embarked upon the construction of another rigid system, similar to that of zeppelin, at lanz. in this vessel aluminium was completely abandoned in favour of a framework of ash and poplar. the fact that the aluminium constituted a dangerous collector of electricity rendered the installation of wireless upon the zeppelin not only perilous but difficult. very serious disturbances of an electrical nature were set up, with the result that wireless communication between the travelling dirigible and the ground below was rendered extremely uncertain. in fact, it has never yet been possible to communicate over distances exceeding about miles. apart from this defect, the danger of operating the wireless is obvious, and it is generally believed in technical circles that the majority of the zeppelin disasters from fire have been directly attributable to this, especially those disasters which have occurred when the vessel has suddenly exploded before coming into contact with terrestrial obstructions. in the later vessels of this type the wireless installation is housed in a well insulated compartment. this insulation has been carried, to an extreme degree, which indicates that at last the authorities have recognised the serious menace that wireless offers to the safety of the craft, with the result that every protective device to avoid disaster from this cause has been freely adopted. the fact that it is not possible to maintain communication over a distance exceeding some miles is a severe handicap to the progressive development of wireless telegraphy in this field. it is a totally inadequate radius when the operations of the present war are borne in mind. a round journey of , or even more miles is considered a mere jaunt; it is the long distance flight which counts, and which contributes to the value of an airman's observations. the general impression is that the fighting line or zone comprises merely two or three successive stretches of trenches and other defences, representing a belt five miles or so in width, but this is a fallacy. the fighting zone is at least miles in width; that is to say, the occupied territory in which vital movements take place represents a distance of miles from the foremost line of trenches to the extreme rear, and then comes the secondary zone, which may be a further miles or more in depth. consequently the airman must fly at least miles in a bee-line to cover the transverse belt of the enemy's field of operations. upon the german and russian sides this zone is of far greater depth, ranging up to miles or so in width. in these circumstances the difficulties of ethereal communication 'twixt air and earth may be realised under the present limitations of radius from which it is possible to transmit. but there are reasons still more cogent to explain why wireless telegraphy has not been used upon a more extensive scale during the present campaign. wireless communication is not secretive. in other words, its messages may be picked up by friend and foe alike with equal facility. true, the messages are sent in code, which may be unintelligible to the enemy. in this event the opponent endeavours to render the communications undecipherable to one and all by what is known as "jambing." that is to say, he sends out an aimless string of signals for the purpose of confusing senders and receivers, and this is continued without cessation and at a rapid rate. the result is that messages become blurred and undecipherable. but there is another danger attending the use of wireless upon the battlefield. the fact that the stations are of limited range is well known to the opposing forces, and they are equally well aware of the fact that aerial craft cannot communicate over long distances. for instance, a sends his airmen aloft and conversation begins between the clouds and the ground. presently the receivers of b begin to record faint signals. they fluctuate in intensity, but within a few seconds b gathers that an aeroplane is aloft and communicating with its base. by the aid of the field telephone b gets into touch with his whole string of wireless stations and orders a keen look-out and a listening ear to ascertain whether they have heard the same signals. some report that the signals are quite distinct and growing louder, while others declare that the signals are growing fainter and intermittent. in this manner b is able to deduce in which direction the aeroplane is flying. thus if those to the east report that signals are growing stronger, while the stations on the west state that they are diminishing, it is obvious that the aeroplane is flying west to east, and vice versa when the west hears more plainly at the expense of the east. if, however, both should report that signals are growing stronger, then it is obvious that the aircraft is advancing directly towards them. it was this ability to deduce direction from the sound of the signals which led to the location of the zeppelin which came down at luneville some months previous to the war, and which threatened to develop into a diplomatic incident of serious importance. the french wireless stations running south-east to north-west were vigilant, and the outer station on the north-west side picked up the zeppelin's conversation. it maintained a discreet silence, but communicated by telephone to its colleagues behind. presently no. station came within range, followed by nos. , , , , and so on in turn. thus the track of the zeppelin was dogged silently through the air by its wireless conversation as easily and as positively as if its flight had been followed by the naked eye. the zeppelin travellers were quite ignorant of this action upon the part of the french and were surprised when they were rounded-up to learn that they had been tracked so ruthlessly. every message which the wireless of the zeppelin had transmitted had been received and filed by the french. under these circumstances it is doubtful whether wireless telegraphy between aircraft and the forces beneath will be adopted extensively during the present campaign. of course, should some radical improvement be perfected, whereby communication may be rendered absolutely secretive, while no intimation is conveyed to the enemy that ethereal conversation is in progress, then the whole situation will be changed, and there may be remarkable developments. chapter xviii. aircraft and naval operations when once the flying machine had indicated its possibilities in connection with land operations it was only natural that endeavours should be made to adapt it to the more rigorous requirements of the naval service. but the conditions are so vastly dissimilar that only a meagre measure of success has been recorded. bomb-throwing from aloft upon the decks of battleships appeals vividly to the popular imagination, and the widespread destruction which may be caused by dropping such an agent down the funnel of a vessel into the boiler-room is a favourite theme among writers of fiction and artists. but hitting such an objective while it is tearing at high speed through the water, from a height of several thousand feet is a vastly different task from throwing sticks and balls at an aunt sally on terra firma: the target is so small and elusive. practically it is impossible to employ the flying machine, whether it be a dirigible or an aeroplane, in this field. many factors militate against such an application. in the first place there is a very wide difference between dry land and a stretch of water as an area over which to manoeuvre. so far as the land is concerned descent is practicable at any time and almost anywhere. but an attempt to descend upon the open sea even when the latter is as calm as the proverbial mill-pond is fraught with considerable danger. the air-currents immediately above the water differ radically from those prevailing above the surface of the land. solar radiation also plays a very vital part. in fact the dirigible dare not venture to make such a landing even if it be provided with floats. the chances are a thousand to one that the cars will become water-logged, rendering re-ascent a matter of extreme difficulty, if not absolutely impossible. on the other hand, the aeroplane when equipped with floats, is able to alight upon the water, and to rest thereon for a time. it may even take in a new supply of fuel if the elements be propitious, and may be able to re-ascend, but the occasions are rare when such operations can be carried out successfully. in operations over water the airman is confronted with one serious danger--the risk of losing his bearings and his way. for instance, many attempts have been made to cross the north sea by aeroplane, but only one has proved successful so far. the intrepid aviator did succeed in passing from the shore of britain to the coast of scandinavia. many people suppose that because an airman is equipped with a compass he must be able to find his way, but this is a fallacy. the aviator is in the same plight as a mariner who is compelled from circumstances to rely upon his compass alone, and who is debarred by inclement weather from deciding his precise position by taking the sun. a ship ploughing the waters has to contend against the action of cross currents, the speed of which varies considerably, as well as adverse winds. unless absolute correction for these influences can be made the ship will wander considerably from its course. the airman is placed in a worse position. he has no means of determining the direction and velocity of the currents prevailing in the atmosphere, and his compass cannot give him any help in this connection, because it merely indicates direction. unless the airman has some means of determining his position, such as landmarks, he fails to realise the fact that he is drifting, or, even if he becomes aware of this fact, it is by no means a simple straightforward matter for him to make adequate allowance for the factor. side-drift is the aviator's greatest enemy. it cannot be determined with any degree of accuracy. if the compass were an infallible guide the airman would be able to complete a given journey in dense fog just as easily as in clear weather. it is the action of the cross currents and the unconscious drift which render movement in the air during fog as impracticable with safety as manoeuvring through the water under similar conditions. more than one bold and skilful aviator has essayed the crossing of the english channel and, being overtaken by fog, has failed to make the opposite coast. his compass has given him the proper direction, but the side-drift has proved his undoing, with the result that he has missed his objective. the fickle character of the winds over the water, especially over such expanses as the north sea, constitutes another and seriously adverse factor. storms, squalls, gales, and, in winter, blizzards, spring up with magical suddenness, and are so severe that no aircraft could hope to live in them. but such visitations are more to be dreaded by the lighter-than-air than by the heavier-than-air machines. the former offers a considerable area of resistance to the tempest and is caught up by the whirlwind before the pilot fully grasps the significant chance of the natural phenomenon. once a dirigible is swept out of the hands of its pilot its doom is sealed. on the other hand, the speed attainable by the aeroplane constitutes its safety. it can run before the wind, and meantime can climb steadily and rapidly to a higher altitude, until at last it enters a contrary wind or even a tolerably quiescent atmosphere. even if it encounters the tempest head on there is no immediate danger if the aviator keep cool. this fact has been established times out of number and the airman has been sufficiently skilful and quick-witted to succeed in frustrating the destructive tactics of his natural enemy. only a short while ago in france, british airmen who went aloft in a gale found the latter too strong for them. although the machine was driven full speed ahead it was forced backwards at the rate of miles per hour because the independent speed of the aeroplane was less than the velocity of the wind. but a dirigible has never succeeded in weathering a gale; its bulk, area, and weight, combined with its relatively slow movement, are against it, with the result that it is hurled to destruction. all things considered, the dirigible is regarded as an impracticable acquisition to a fleet, except in the eyes of the germans, who have been induced to place implicit reliance upon their monsters. the gullible teuton public confidently believes that their dreadnoughts of the air will complete the destruction of the british fleet, but responsible persons know full well that they will not play such a part, but must be reserved for scouting. hitherto, in naval operations, mosquito water-craft, such as torpedo-boats, have been employed in this service. but these swift vessels suffer from one serious disability. the range of vision is necessarily limited, and a slight mist hanging over the water blinds them; the enemy may even pass within half-a-mile of them and escape detection. the zeppelin from its position , feet or more above the water, in clear weather, has a tremendous range of vision; the horizon is about miles distant, as compared with approximately miles in the case of the torpedo-boat. of course an object, such as a battleship, may be detected at a far greater range. consequently the german naval programme is to send the zeppelin a certain distance ahead of the battleship squadron. the dirigible from its coign of vantage would be able to sight a hostile squadron if it were within visual range and would communicate the fact to the commander of the fleet below. the latter would decide his course according to information received; thus he would be enabled to elude his enemy, or, if the tidings received from the aerial scout should be favourable, to dispose his vessels in the most favourable array for attack. the german code of naval tactics does not foreshadow the use of dirigible aircraft as vessels of attack. scouting is the primary and indeed the only useful duty of the dirigible, although it is quite possible that the aerial craft might participate in a subsequent naval engagement, as, indeed, has been the case. its participation, however, would be governed entirely by climatic conditions. the fact that the dirigible is a weak unit of attack in naval operations is fully appreciated by all the belligerents. the picture of a sky "black with zeppelins" may appeal to the popular imagination, and may induce the uninitiated to cherish the belief that such an array would strike terror into the hearts of the foe, but the naval authorities are well aware that no material advantage would accrue from such a force. in the first place they would constitute an ideal target for the enemy's vessels. they would be compelled to draw within range in order to render their own attack effective, and promiscuous shooting from below would probably achieve the desired end. one or more of the hostile aircraft would be hit within a short while. such disasters would undoubtedly throw the aerial fleet into confusion, and possibly might interfere with the tactical developments of its own friends upon the water below. the shells hurled from the zeppelins would probably inflict but little damage upon the warships beneath. let it be conceded that they weigh about pounds, which is two-thirds of the weight of the projectile hurled from the krupp -centimetre howitzer. such a missile would have but little destructive effect if dropped from a height of , feet. to achieve a result commensurate with that of the -centimetre howitzer the airship would have to launch the missile from a height of about , feet. to take aim from such an altitude is impossible, especially at a rapidly moving target such as a battle-cruiser. the fact must not be forgotten that count zeppelin himself has expressed the opinion, the result of careful and prolonged experiments, that his craft is practically useless at a height exceeding , feet. another point must not be overlooked. in a spirited naval engagement the combatants would speedily be obliterated from the view of those aloft by the thick pall of smoke--the combination of gun-fire and emission from the furnaces and a blind attack would be just as likely to damage friend as foe. even if the aircraft ventured to descend as low as , feet it would be faced with another adverse influence. the discharge of the heavy battleship guns would bring about such an agitation of the air above as to imperil the delicate equilibrium of an airship. nor must one overlook the circumstance that in such an engagement the zeppelins would become the prey of hostile aeroplanes. the latter, being swifter and nimbler, would harry the cumbersome and slow-moving dirigible in the manner of a dog baiting a bear to such a degree that the dirigible would be compelled to sheer off to secure its own safety. desperate bravery and grim determination may be magnificent physical attributes, ut they would have to be superhuman to face the stinging recurrent attacks of mosquito-aeroplanes. the limitations of the zeppelin, and in fact of all dirigible aircraft, were emphasised upon the occasion of the british aerial raid upon cuxhaven. two zeppelins bravely put out to overwhelm the cruisers and torpedo boats which accompanied and supported the british sea-planes, but when confronted with well-placed firing from the guns of the vessels below they quickly decided that discretion was the better part of valour and drew off. in naval operations the aeroplane is a far more formidable foe, although here again there are many limitations. the first and most serious is the severely limited radius of action. the aeroplane motor is a hungry engine, while the fuel capacity of the tank is restricted. the german military authorities speedily realised the significance of this factor and its bearing upon useful operations, and forth with carried out elaborate endurance tests. in numerable flights were made with the express purpose of determining how long a machine could remain in the air upon a single fuel supply. the results of these flights were collated and the achievements of each machine in this direction carefully analysed, a mean average drawn up, and then pigeon-holed. the results were kept secret, only the more sensational records being published to the world. as the policy of standardisation in the construction of aeroplanes was adopted the radius of action of each type became established. it is true that variations of this factor even among vessels exactly similar in every respect are inevitable, but it was possible to establish a reliable mean average for general guidance. the archives of the berlin military department are crowded with facts and figures relating to this particular essential, so that the radius of action, that is the mileage upon a single fuel charge, of any class and type of machine may be ascertained in a moment. the consequence is that the military authorities are able to decide the type of aeroplane which is best suited to a certain projected task. according to the dossier in the pigeon-hole, wherein the results of the type are filed, the aeroplane will be able to go so far, and upon arriving at that point will be able to accomplish so much work, and then be able to return home. consequently it is dispatched upon the especial duty without any feeling of uncertainty. unfortunately, these experimental processes were too methodical to prove reliable. the endurance data were prepared from tests carried out in the aerodrome and from cross-country trials accomplished under ideal or fair-weather conditions. the result is that calculations have been often upset somewhat rudely by weather conditions of a totally unexpected character, which bring home vividly the striking difference between theory and practice. the british and french aviation authorities have not adopted such methodical standardisation or rule of thumb inferences, but rather have fostered individual enterprise and initiative. this stimulation of research has been responsible for the creation of a type of aeroplane specially adapted to naval service, and generically known as the water plane, the outstanding point of difference from the aeroplane being the substitution of canoes or floats for the wheeled chassis peculiar to the land machine. the flier is sturdily built, while the floats are sufficiently substantial to support the craft upon the water in calm weather. perhaps it was the insular situation of the british nation which was responsible for this trend of development, because so far as britain is concerned the sea-going aeroplane is in dispensable. but the salient fact remains that to-day the waterplane service of great britain is the most efficient in the world, the craft being speedy, designed and built to meet the rough weather conditions which are experienced around these islands, and ideal vessels for patrol and raiding duties. so far as the british practice is concerned the waterplane is designed to operate in conjunction with, and not apart from, the navy. it has been made the eyes of the navy in the strictest interpretation of the term. in any such combination the great difficulty is the establishment of what may be termed a mobile base, inasmuch as the waterplane must move with the fleet. this end has been achieved by the evolution of a means of carrying a waterplane upon, and launching it from, a battleship, if necessary. for this purpose a docking cradle or way has been provided aft where the aeroplane may be housed until the moment arrives for its employment. several vessels have been devoted to this nursing duty and are known as parent ships to the waterplane service. all that is requisite when the time arrives for the use of the seaplane is to lift it bodily by derrick or crane from its cradle and to lower it upon the water. it will be remembered that the american naval authorities made an experiment with a scheme for directly launching the warplane from the deck of a battleship in the orthodox, as well as offering it a spot upon which to alight upon returning from a flight, while wing-commander samson, r.n., d.s.o., the famous british airman, repeated the experiment by flying from a similar launching way installed upon h.m.s. hibernia. but this practice has many shortcomings. so far as the british and french navies are concerned, the former process is preferred. again, when the waterplane returns from a flight it is admitted that it is simpler, quicker, and safer for it to settle upon the water near the parent ship and to be lifted on board. as a sea-scout the waterplane is overwhelmingly superior to the dirigible as events have conclusively proved. its greater mobility and speed stand it in excellent stead because it is able to cover a larger area within a shorter space of time than its huge and unwieldy contemporary. furthermore, it is a difficult target to hit and accordingly is not so likely to be brought down by hostile fire. there is another point in its favour. the experience of the war has proved that the numerically inferior enemy prefers to carry out his naval operations under the cover of the mist and haze which settle upon the water, and yet are of sufficient depth to conceal his identity and composition. such mists as a rule comprise a relatively thin bank of low-lying vapour, which while enveloping the surface of the water in an impenetrable pall, yet permits the mast-heads of the vessels to stand out clearly, although they cannot be detected from the water-level or even from the control and fighting tops of a warship. a scouting waterplane, however, is able to observe them and note their movement, and accordingly can collect useful information concerning the apparent composition of the hidden force, the course it is following, its travelling speed, and so forth, which it can convey immediately to its friends. the aeroplane has established its value in another manner. coal-burning vessels when moving at any pronounced speed invariably throw off large quantities of smoke, which may be detected easily from above, even when the vessels themselves are completely hidden in the mist. it was this circumstance which revealed the presence of the british squadron in the affair of the bight of heligoland. the german airman on patrol duty from the adjacent base on the island of heligoland detected the presence of this smoke, above the low-lying bank of fog, although there were no other visible signs of any vessels. fully cognisant of the fact that the german fleet was at anchor in a safe place he naturally divined that the smoke proceeded from a hostile squadron, evidently bent upon a raid. he returned to his headquarters, conveyed the intelligence he had collected to his superior officers, upon receipt of which a german cruiser squadron was sent out and engaged the british vessels to its own discomfiture. but for the airman's vigilance and smartness there is no doubt that the british squadron would have accomplished a great coup. this incident, however, served to reveal that the aerial scout is prone to suffer from over-keenness and to collect only a partial amount of information. upon this occasion the german watchman detected the presence of the british torpedo-boat and light cruiser force. had he continued his investigations and made a wider sweep he would have discovered the proximity of the british battle-cruiser squadron which routed the german force, the latter having acted on incomplete information. while the low-lying sea-fog is the navigator's worst enemy, it is the airman's greatest friend and protection. it not only preserves him against visual discovery from below, but is an excellent insulator of sound, so that his whereabouts is not betrayed by the noise of his motor. it is of in calculable value in another way. when a fog prevails the sea is generally as smooth as the pro verbial mirror, enabling the waterplanes to be brought up under cover to a suitable point from which they may be dispatched. upon their release by climbing to a height of a few hundred feet the airmen are able to reach a clear atmosphere, where by means of the compass it is possible to advance in approximately the desired direction, safe from discovery from below owing to the fog. if they are "spotted" they can dive into its friendly depths, complete their work, and make for the parent ship. low-lying sea-fogs are favourable to aerial raids provided the scout is able to catch sight of the upper parts of landmarks to enable him to be sure of the correctness of his line of flight-in cases where the distance is very short compass direction is sufficiently reliable-because the bank of vapour not only constitutes a perfect screen, but serves as a blanket to the motor exhaust, if not completely, at least sufficiently to mislead those below. fogs, as every mariner will testify, play strange tricks with the transmission of sound. hence, although those on the vessels below might detect a slight hum, it might possibly be so faint as to convey the impression that the aviator was miles away, when, as a matter of fact, he was directly overhead. this confusion arising from sound aberration is a useful protection in itself, as it tends to lure a naval force lying in or moving through the fog into a false sense of security. the development of the submarine revealed the incontrovertible fact that this arm would play a prominent part in future operations upon the water: a presage which has been adequately fulfilled during the present conflict. the instinct of self-preservation at once provoked a discussion of the most effective ways and means of disguising its whereabouts when it travels submerged. to this end the german naval authorities conducted a series of elaborate and interesting experiments off the island of heligoland. as is well known, when one is directly above a stretch of shallow water, the bottom of the latter can be seen quite distinctly. consequently, it was decided to employ aerial craft as detectives. both the aeroplane and the dirigible took part in these experiments, being flown at varying heights, while the submarine was maneouvred at different depths immediately below. the sum of these investigations proved conclusively that a submarine may be detected from aloft when moving at a depth of from to feet. the outline of the submerged craft is certainly somewhat blurred, but nevertheless it is sufficiently distinct to enable its identity to be determined really against the background or bottom of the sea. to combat this detection from an aerial position it will be necessary inter alia to evolve a more harmonious or protective colour-scheme for the submarine. their investigations were responsible for the inauguration of the elaborate german aerial patrol of harbours, the base for such aerial operations being established upon the island of heligoland. so far the stern test of war as applied to the science of aeronautics has emphasised the fact that as a naval unit the dirigible is a complete failure. whether experience will bring about a modification of these views time alone will show, but it is certain that existing principles of design will have to undergo a radical revision to achieve any notable results. the aeroplane alone has proved successful in this domain, and it is upon this type of aerial craft that dependence will have to be placed. chapter xix. the navies of the air less than three years ago the momentous and spectacular race among the powers of europe for the supremacy of the air began. at first the struggle was confined to two rivals--france and germany--but as time progressed and the importance of aerial fleets was recognised, other nations, notably great britain, entered the field. germany obtained an advantage. experiment and research were taken up at a point which had been reached by french effort; further experiments and researches were carried out in german circles with secret and feverish haste, with the result that within a short time a pronounced degree of efficiency according to german ideals had been attained. the degree of perfection achieved was not regarded with mere academic interest; it marked the parting of the ways: the point where scientific endeavour commanded practical appreciation by turning the success of the laboratory and aerodrome into the channel of commercial manufacture. in other words, systematic and wholesale production was undertaken upon an extensive scale. the component parts were standardised and arrangements were completed with various establishments possessed of the most suitable machinery to perfect a programme for turning out aeronautical requirements in a steady, continuous stream from the moment the crisis developed. the wisdom of completing these arrangements in anticipation is now apparent. upon the outbreak of hostilities many german establishments devoted to the production of articles required in the infinite ramifications of commerce found themselves deprived of their markets, but there was no risk that their large plants would be brought to a standstill: the government ordered the manufacture of aeroplane parts and motors upon an extensive scale. in this manner not only were the industrial establishments kept going, but their production of aeronautical requirements relieved those organisations devoted to the manufacture of armaments, so that the whole resources and facilities of these could be concentrated upon the supply of munitions of war. in france the air-fleet, although extensive upon the outbreak of war, was somewhat heterogeneous. experiment was still being pursued: no type had met with definite official recognition, the result being that no arrangements had been completed for the production of one or more standard types upon an elaborate scale comparable with that maintained by germany. in fact some six months after the outbreak of war there was an appreciable lack of precision on this point in french military. many of the types which had established their success were forbidden by military decree as mentioned in a previous chapter, while manufacturing arrangements were still somewhat chaotic. great britain was still more backward in the new movement. but this state of affairs was in a measure due to the division of the fourth arm among the two services. a well-organised government manufactory for the production of aeroplanes and other aircraft necessities had been established, while the private manufacturers had completed preparations for wholesale production. but it was not until the admiralty accepted responsibility for the aerial service that work was essayed in grim earnest. the allocation of the aerial responsibilities of great britain to the admiralty was a wise move. experience has revealed the advantages accruing from the perfection of homogeneous squadrons upon the water, that is to say groups of ships which are virtually sister-craft of identical speed, armament, and so on, thus enabling the whole to act together as a complete effective unit. as this plan had proved so successful upon the water, the admiralty decided to apply it to the fleet designed for service in the air above. at the time this plan of campaign was definitely settled great britain as an aerial power was a long way behind her most formidable rival, but strenuous efforts were made to reduce the handicap, and within a short while the greater part of this leeway had been made up. upon the outbreak of war great britain undoubtedly was inferior to germany in point of numbers of aircraft, but the latter power was completely outclassed in efficiency, and from the point of view of personnel. the british had developed the waterplane as an essential auxiliary to naval operations, and here was in advance of her rival, who had practically neglected this line of experiment and evolution, resting secure in the assurance of her advisers that the huge dirigibles would be adequate for all exigencies on the water. indeed, when war was declared, all the powers were found more or less wanting so far as their aerial fleets were concerned. if germany's huge aerial navy had been in readiness for instant service when she invaded belgium, she would have overcome that little country's resistance in a far shorter time and with much less waste of life. it was the belgians who first brought home to the belligerents the prominent part that aircraft were destined to play in war, and the military possibilities of the aeroplane. true, the belgians had a very small aerial navy, but it was put to work without delay and accomplished magnificent results, ascertaining the german positions and dispositions with unerring accuracy and incredible ease, and thus enabling the commander of the belgian army to dispose his relatively tiny force to the best advantage, and to offer the most effective resistance. great britain's aerial navy, while likewise some what small, was also ready for instant service. the british expeditionary force was supported by a very efficient aerial fleet, the majority of the vessels forming which flew across the channel at high speed to the british headquarters in france so as to be available directly military preparations were begun, and the value of this support proved to be inestimable, since it speedily demoralised the numerically superior enemy. france, like germany, was somewhat dilatory, but this was attributable rather to the time occupied in the mobilisation of the fourth arm than to lack of energy. there were a round , aeroplanes ostensibly ready for service, in addition to some dirigibles. but the fleet was somewhat scattered, while many of the craft were not immediately available, being in the shops or in dock for repairs and overhaul. during the period of mobilisation the so-called standing military force was augmented by about machines which were acquired from private owners. the aeroplane factories were also, overhauled and re-organised so as to be in a position to remedy the inevitable wastage, but these organisation efforts were somewhat handicapped by the shortage of labour arising from the call to arms. france, moreover, imperilled her aerial strength by forbidding the use of machines which were ready for service. germany's aerial fleet was of similar proportions to that of her gallic neighbour, but curiously enough, and in strange contrast, there appeared to be a lack of readiness in this ramification of the teuton war machine. the military establishment possessed about , machines--active and reserve--of which it is estimated were available for instant service. during the period of mobilisation a further machines were added to the fleet, drawn for the most part from private owners. so far as the dirigibles were concerned zeppelins were ready for duty, while others were under construction or undergoing overhaul and repair. a few other types were also in commission or acquired during mobilisation, bringing the dirigible force to machines all told. but the greatest surprise was probably offered by russia. very little was known concerning russian activities in this particular field, although it was stated that large orders for machines had been placed with various foreign manufactories. certain factories also had been established within the empire, although the character of their work and its results and achievements were concealed from prying eyes. in russia, however, an appreciable number of private aeroplanes were in operation, and these, of course, were placed at the disposal of the authorities the moment the crisis developed. the british and french aeroplane manufacturers had been busy upon russian orders for many months previous to the outbreak of hostilities, while heavy shipments of component parts had been made, the assembling and completion of the machines being carried out in the country. it is generally believed that upon the outbreak of war russia had a fleet of aeroplanes in hand, of which total were contributed from private sources. even the dirigible had not been overlooked, there being nearly of these craft attached to the russian army, although for the most part they are small vessels. in comparison with the foregoing large aerial navies, that of great britain appeared to be puny. at the moment great britain possesses about machines, of which about are waterplanes. in addition, according to the secretary of the admiralty, dirigibles should be in service. private enterprise is supported by the government, which maintains a factory for the manufacture of these craft. during the two years preceding the outbreak of war the various powers grew remarkably reticent concerning the composition and enlargement of their respective aerial fleets. no official figures were published. but at the same time it is a well-known fact that during the year france augmented her flying force by no fewer than aeroplanes. germany was no less energetic, the military acquisition in this branch, and during the self-same year, approaching machines according to the semi-official reports published in that country. the arrangements concluded for the manufacture of additional craft during the war are equally remarkable. the principal factory in germany, (now devoting its energies to the production of these craft, although in happier days its normal complement of , men were responsible for the production of another commercial article) possesses facilities for turning out complete aeroplanes per week, according to the statement of its managing director. but it is averred that this statement is purposely misleading, inasmuch as during the first fortnight of the campaign it was producing over aeroplanes per week. it must be remembered that germany is responsible for the supply of the majority of such craft for the austrian armies, that country purchasing these vessels in large numbers, because in the early days of the conflict it was notoriously weak in this arm. since the declaration of war strenuous efforts have been made to remedy this state of affairs, particularly upon the unexpected revelation of russia's aerial strength. it is computed that upon the outbreak of war the various powers were in the position to show an aggregate of , aircraft of all descriptions, both for active service and reserve. this is a colossal fleet, but it serves to convey in a graphic manner the importance attached to the adrial vessel by the respective belligerents. so far as germany is concerned she is sorely in need of additional machines. her fleet of the air has lost its formidable character, owing to the fact that it has to be divided between two frontiers, while she has been further weakened by the enormous lengths of the two battle-fronts. russia has been able to concentrate her aerial force, which has proved of incalculable value to the grand duke nicholas, who has expressed his appreciation of the services rendered by his fliers. the french likewise have been favoured by fortune in this respect. their aerial navy is likewise concentrated upon a single frontier, although a pronounced proportion has been reserved for service upon the mediterranean sea-board for co-operation with the fleet. france suffers, however, to a certain degree from the length of her battle-line, which is over miles in length. the french aerial fleet has been particularly active in the vosges and the argonne, where the difficult, mountainous, and densely wooded country has rendered other systems of observation of the enemy's movements a matter of extreme difficulty. the germans have laboured under a similar handicap in this territory, and have likewise been compelled to centre a considerable proportion of their aerial fleet upon this corner of the extended battlefield. it is in this region that the greatest wastage has been manifest. i have been informed by one correspondent who is fighting in this sternly contested area, that at one time a daily loss of ten german machines was a fair average, while highwater mark was reached, so far as his own observations and ability to glean information were concerned by the loss of machines during a single day. the french wastage, while not so heavy upon the average, has been considerable at times. the term wastage is somewhat misleading, if not erroneous. it does not necessarily imply the total loss of a machine, such as its descent upon hostile territory, but includes damage to machines, no matter how slight, landing within their own lines. in the difficult country of the vosges many aeroplanes have come to earth somewhat heavily, and have suffered such damage as to render them inoperative, compelling their removal from the effective list until they have undergone complete overhaul or reconstruction. upon occasions this wastage has been so pronounced that the french aviators, including some of the foremost fliers serving with the forces, have been without a machine and have been compelled to wait their turn. i am informed that one day four machines, returning from a reconnaissance in force, crashed successively to the ground, and each had to be hauled away to the repair sheds, necessitating withdrawal from service for several days. unfortunately the french, owing to their decision to rule out certain machines as unsuited to military service, have not yet perfected their organisation for making good this wastage, although latterly it has been appreciably reduced by greater care among the aviators in handling their vessels. the fast vessels of the french aerial fleet have proved exceptionally valuable. with these craft speeds of and miles or more per hour have been attained under favourable conditions, and pace has proved distinctly advantageous, inasmuch as it gives the french aviators a superiority of about per cent over the average german machine. it was the activity and daring of the french fliers upon these high speed machines which induced the german airmen to change their tactics. individual effort and isolated raiding operations were abandoned in favour of what might be described as combined or squadron attack. six or eight machines advancing together towards the french lines somewhat nonplussed these fleet french mosquito craft, and to a certain degree nullified their superiority in pace. speed was discounted, for the simple reason that the enemy when so massed evinced a disposition to fight and to follow harassing tactics when one of the slowest french machines ventured into the air. it is interesting to observe that aerial operations, now that they are being conducted upon what may be termed methodical lines as distinct from corsair movements, are following the broad fundamental principles of naval tactics. homogeneous squadrons, that is, squadrons composed of vessels of similar type and armament, put out and follow roughly the "single line ahead" formation. upon sighting the enemy there is the manoeuvring for position advantage which must accrue to the speedier protagonist. one then, witnesses what might almost be described as an application of the process of capping the line or "crossing the 't.'" this tends to throw the slower squadron into confusion by bending it back upon itself, meanwhile exposing it to a demoralizing fire. the analogy is not precisely correct but sufficiently so to indicate that aerial battles will be fought much upon the same lines, as engagements between vessels upon the water. if the manoeuvres accomplish nothing beyond breaking up and scattering the foe, the result is satisfactory in as much as in this event it is possible to exert a driving tendency and to force him back upon the lines of the superior force, when the scattered vessels may be brought within the zone of spirited fire from the ground. attacks in force are more likely to prove successful than individual raiding tactics, as recent events upon the battlefield of europe have demonstrated more or less convincingly. an attack in force is likely to cause the defenders upon the ground beneath to lose their heads and to fire wildly and at random, with the result that the airmen may achieve their object with but little damage to themselves. this method of attacking in force was essayed for the first time by the british aerial fleet, which perhaps is not surprising, seeing that the machines are manned and the operations supervised by officers who have excelled in naval training, and who are skilled in such movements. no doubt this practice, combined with the daring of the british aviators, contributed very materially to the utter demoralisation of the german aerial forces, and was responsible for that hesitancy to attack a position in the vicinity of the british craft which became so manifest in the course of a few weeks after the outbreak of hostilities. one of the foremost military experts of the united states, who passed some time in the fighting zone, expressed his opinion that the british aerial force is the most efficient among the belligerents when considered as a unit, the french flier being described by the same authority as most effective when acting individually, owing to personal intrepidity. as a scout the french aviator is probably unequalled, because he is quick to perceive and to collect the data required, and when provided with a fast machine is remarkably nimble and venturesome in the air. the british aviators, however, work as a whole, and in the particular phases where such tactics are profitable have established incontestable superiority. at first the german aerial force appeared to possess no settled system of operation. individual effort was pronounced, but it lacked method. the germans have, however, profited from the lessons taught by their antagonists, and now are emulating their tactics, but owing to their imperfect training and knowledge the results they achieve appear to be negligible. the dirigible still remains an unknown quantity in these activities, although strange to relate, in the early days of the war, the work accomplished by the british craft, despite their comparatively low speed and small dimensions, excelled in value that achieved by the warplanes. this was particularly noticeable in matters pertaining to reconnaissance, more especially at night, when the british vessels often remained for hours together in the air, manoeuvring over the hostile lines, and gathering invaluable information as to the disposition and movements of the opposing forces. but it is probably in connection with naval operations that the british aerial fleet excels. the waterplanes have established their supremacy over the naval dirigible in a striking manner. british endeavour fostered the waterplane movement and has carried it to a high degree of perfection. the waterplane is not primarily designed to perform long flights, although such may be carried out if the exigencies demand. the practice of deputing certain vessels to art as "parent ships" to a covey of waterplanes has proved as successful in practice, as in theory. again, the arrangements for conveying these machines by such means to a rendezvous, and there putting them into the water to complete a certain duty, have been triumphantly vindicated. at the time this idea was embraced it met with a certain degree of hostile criticism: it was argued that the association of the two fighting, machines would tend towards confusion, and impair the efficiency of both. practice has refuted this theory. the british aerial raids upon cuxhaven and other places would have been impossible, and probably valueless as an effective move, but for the fact that it was possible to release the machines from a certain point upon the open sea, within easy reach of the cooperating naval squadron. true, the latter was exposed to hostile attack from submarines, but as results proved this was easy to repel. the aircraft were enabled to return to their base, as represented by the rendezvous, to be picked up, and to communicate the intelligence gained from their flight to the authorities in a shorter period of time than would have been possible under any other circumstances, while the risk to the airmen was proportionately reduced. the fact that the belligerents have built up such huge aerial navies conclusively proves that the military value of the fourth arm has been fully appreciated. from the results so far achieved there is every indication that activity in this direction will be increased rather than diminished. tom swift and his aerial warship or the naval terror of the seas by victor appleton contents chapter i tom is puzzled ii a fire alarm iii a desperate battle iv suspicions v a queer stranger vi the aerial warship vii warnings viii a suspected plot ix the recoil check x the new men xi a day off xii a night alarm xiii the capture xiv the first flight xv in danger xvi tom is worried xvii an ocean flight xviii in a storm xix queer happenings xx the stowaways xxi prisoners xxii apprehensions xxiii across the sea xxiv the lightning bolt xxv freedom tom swift and his aerial warship chapter i tom is puzzled "what's the matter, tom? you look rather blue!" "blue! say, ned, i'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if i thought it would help matters any." "whew!" ned newton, the chum and companion of tom swift, gave vent to a whistle of surprise, as he gazed at the young fellow sitting opposite him, near a bench covered with strange-looking tools and machinery, while blueprints and drawings were scattered about. ranged on the sides of the room were models of many queer craft, most of them flying machines of one sort or another, while through the open door that led into a large shed could be seen the outlines of a speedy monoplane. "as bad as that, eh, tom?" went on ned. "i thought something was up when i first came in, but, if you'll excuse a second mention of the color scheme, i should say it was blue--decidedly blue. you look as though you had lost your last friend, and i want to assure you that if you do feel that way, it's dead wrong. there's myself, for one, and i'm sure mr. damon--" "bless my gasoline tank!" exclaimed tom, with a laugh, in imitation of the gentleman ned newton had mentioned, "i know that! i'm not worrying over the loss of any friends." "and there are eradicate, and koku, the giant, just to mention a couple of others," went on ned, with a smile. "that's enough!" exclaimed tom. "it isn't that, i tell you." "well, what is it then? here i go and get a half-holiday off from the bank, and just at the busiest time, too, to come and see you, and i find you in a brown study, looking as blue as indigo, and maybe you're all yellow inside from a bilious attack, for all i know." "quite a combination of colors," admitted tom. "but it isn't what you think. it's just that i'm puzzled, ned." "puzzled?" and ned raised his eyebrows to indicate how surprised he was that anything should puzzle his friend. "yes, genuinely puzzled." "has anything gone wrong?" ned asked. "no one is trying to take any of your pet inventions away from you, is there?" "no, not exactly that, though it is about one of my inventions i am puzzled. i guess i haven't shown you my very latest; have i, ned?" "well, i don't know, tom. time was when i could keep track of you and your inventions, but that was in your early days, when you started with a motorcycle and were glad enough to have a motorboat. but, since you've taken to aerial navigation and submarine work, not to mention one or two other lines of activity, i give up. i don't know where to look next, tom, for something new." "well, this isn't so very new," went on the young inventor, for tom swift had designed and patented many new machines of the air, earth and water. "i'm just trying to work out some new problems in aerial navigation, ned," he went on. "i thought there weren't any more," spoke ned, soberly enough. "come, now, none of that!" exclaimed tom, with a laugh. "why, the surface of aerial navigation has only been scratched. the science is far from being understood, or even made safe, not to say perfected, as water and land travel have been. there's lots of chance yet." "and you're working on something new?" asked ned, as he looked around the shop where he and tom were sitting. as the young bank employee had said, he had come away from the institution that afternoon to have a little holiday with his chum, but tom, seated in the midst of his inventions, seemed little inclined to jollity. through the open windows came the hum of distant machinery, for tom swift and his father were the heads of a company founded to manufacture and market their many inventions, and about their home were grouped several buildings. from a small plant the business had grown to be a great tree, under the direction of tom and his father. "yes, i'm working on something new," admitted tom, after a moment of silence. "and, ned," he went on, "there's no reason why you shouldn't see it. i've been keeping it a bit secret, until i had it a little further advanced, but i've got to a point now where i'm stuck, and perhaps it will do me good to talk to someone about it." "not to talk to me, though, i'm afraid. what i don't know about machinery, tom, would fill a great many books. i don't see how i can help you," and ned laughed. "well, perhaps you can, just the same, though you may not know a lot of technical things about machines. it sometimes helps me just to tell my troubles to a disinterested person, and hear him ask questions. i've got dad half distracted trying to solve the problem, so i've had to let up on him for a while. come on out and see what you make of it." "sure, tom, anything to oblige. if you want me to sit in front of your photo-telephone, and have my picture taken, i'm agreeable, even if you shoot off a flashlight at my ear. or, if you want me to see how long i can stay under water without breathing i'll try that, too, provided you don't leave me under too long, lead the way--i'm agreeable as far as i'm able, old man." "oh, it isn't anything like that," tom answered with a laugh. "i might as well give you a few hints, so you'll know what i'm driving at. then i'll take you out and show it to you." "what is it--air, earth or water?" asked ned newton, for he knew his chum's activities led along all three lines. "this happens to be air." "a new balloon?" "something like that. i call it my aerial warship, though." "aerial warship, tom! that sounds rather dangerous!" "it will be dangerous, too, if i can get it to work. that's what it's intended for." "but a warship of the air!" cried ned. "you can't mean it. a warship carries guns, mortars, bombs, and--" "yes, i know," interrupted tom, "and i appreciate all that when i called my newest craft an aerial warship." "but," objected ned, "an aircraft that will carry big guns will be so large that--" "oh, mine is large enough," tom broke in. "then it's finished!" cried ned eagerly, for he was much interested in his chum's inventions. "well, not exactly," tom said. "but what i was going to tell you was that all guns are not necessarily large. you can get big results with small guns and projectiles now, for high-powered explosives come in small packages. so it isn't altogether a question of carrying a certain amount of weight. of course, an aerial warship will have to be big, for it will have to carry extra machinery to give it extra speed, and it will have to carry a certain armament, and a large crew will be needed. so, as i said, it will need to be large. but that problem isn't worrying me." "well, what is it, then?" asked ned. "it's the recoil," said tom, with a gesture of despair. "the recoil?" questioned ned, wonderingly. "yes, from the guns, you know. i haven't been able to overcome that, and, until i do, i'm afraid my latest invention will be a failure." ned shook his head. "i'm afraid i can't help you any," he said. "the only thing i know about recoils is connected with an old shotgun my father used to own. "i took that once, when he didn't know it," ned proceeded. "it was pretty heavily loaded, for the crows had been having fun in our cornfield, and dad had been shooting at them. this time i thought i'd take a chance. "well, i fired the gun. but it must have had a double charge in it and been rusted at that. all i know is that after i pulled the trigger i thought the end of the world had come. i heard a clap of thunder, and then i went flying over backward into a blackberry patch." "that was the recoil," said tom. "the what?" asked ned. "the recoil. the recoil of the gun knocked you over." "oh, yes," observed ned, rubbing his shoulder in a reflective sort of way. "i always thought it was something like that. but, at the time i put it down to an explosion, and let it go at that." "no, it wasn't an explosion, properly speaking," said tom. "you see, when powder explodes, in a gun, or otherwise, its force is exerted in all directions, up, down and every way." "this went mostly backward--in my direction," said ned ruefully. "you only thought so," returned tom. "most of the power went out in front, to force out the shot. part of it, of course, was exerted on the barrel of the gun--that was sideways--but the strength of the steel held it in. and part of the force went backward against your shoulder. that part was the recoil, and it is the recoil of the guns i figure on putting aboard my aerial warship that is giving me such trouble." "is that what makes you look so blue?" asked ned. "that's it. i can't seem to find a way by which to take up the recoil, and the force of it, from all the guns i want to carry, will just about tear my ship to pieces, i figure." "then you haven't actually tried it out yet?" asked ned. "not the guns, no. i have the warship of the air nearly done, but i've worked out on paper the problem of the guns far enough so that i know i'm up against it. it can't be done, and an aerial warship without guns wouldn't be worth much, i'm afraid." "i suppose not," agreed ned. "and is it only the recoil that is bothering you?" "mostly. but come, take a look at my latest pet," and tom arose to lead the way to another shed, a large one in the distance, toward which he waved his hand to indicate to his chum that there was housed the wonderful invention. the two chums crossed the yard, threading their way through the various buildings, until they stood in front of the structure to which tom had called attention. "it's in here," he said. "i don't mind admitting that i'm quite proud of it, ned; that is, proud as far as i've gone. but the gun business sure has me worried. i'm going to talk it off on you. hello!" cried tom suddenly, as he put a key in the complicated lock on the door, "someone has been in here. i wonder who it is?" ned was a little startled at the look on tom's face and the sound of alarm in his chum's voice. chapter ii a fire alarm tom swift quickly opened the door of the big shed. it was built to house a dirigible balloon, or airship of some sort. ned could easily tell that from his knowledge of tom's previous inventions. "something wrong?" asked the young bank clerk. "i don't know," returned tom, and then as he looked inside the place, he breathed a sigh of relief. "oh, it's you, is it, koku?" he asked, as a veritable giant of a man came forward. "yes, master, it is only koku and your father," spoke the big chap, with rather a strange accent. "oh, is my father here?" asked tom. "i was wondering who had opened the door of this shed." "yes, tom," responded the elder swift, coming up to them, "i had a new idea in regard to some of those side guy wires, and i wanted to try it out. i brought koku with me to use his strength on some of them." "that's all right, dad. ned and i came out to wrestle with that recoil problem again. i want to try some guns on the craft soon, but--" "you'd better not, tom," warned his father. "it will never work, i tell you. you can't expect to take up quick-firing guns and bombs in an airship, and have them work properly. better give it up." "i never will. i'll make it work, dad!" "i don't believe you will, tom. this time you have bitten off more than you can chew, to use a homely but expressive statement." "well, dad, we'll see," began tom easily. "there she is, ned," he went on. "now, if you'll come around here..." but tom never finished that sentence, for at that moment there came running into the airship shed an elderly, short, stout, fussy gentleman, followed by an aged colored man. both of them seemed very much excited. "bless my socks, tom!" cried the short, stout man. "there sure is trouble!" "i should say so, massa tom!" added the colored man. "i done did prognosticate dat some day de combustible material of which dat shed am composed would conflaggrate--" "what's the matter?" interrupted tom, jumping forward. "speak out! eradicate! mr. damon, what is it?" "the red shed!" cried the short little man. "the red shed, tom!" "it's on fire!" yelled the colored man. "great thunderclaps!" cried tom. "come on--everybody on the job!" he yelled. "koku, pull the alarm! if that red shed goes--" instantly the place was in confusion. tom and ned, looking from a window of the hangar, saw a billow of black smoke roll across the yard. but already the private fire bell was clanging out its warning. and, while the work of fighting the flames is under way, i will halt the progress of this story long enough to give my new readers a little idea of who tom swift is, so they may read this book more intelligently. those of you who have perused the previous volumes may skip this part. tom swift, though rather young in years, was an inventor of note. his tastes and talents were developed along the line of machinery and locomotion. motorcycles, automobiles, motorboats, submarine craft, and, latest of all, craft of the air, had occupied the attention of tom swift and his father for some years. mr. swift was a widower, and lived with tom, his only son, in the village of shopton, new york state. mrs. baggert kept house for them, and an aged colored man, eradicate sampson, with his mule, boomerang, did "odd jobs" about the shopton home and factories. among tom's friends was a mr. wakefield damon, from a nearby village. mr. damon was always blessing something, from his hat to his shoes, a harmless sort of habit that seemed to afford him much comfort. then there was ned newton, a boyhood chum of tom's, who worked in the shopton bank. i will just mention mary nestor, a young lady of shopton, in whom tom was more than ordinarily interested. i have spoken of koku, the giant. he really was a giant of a man, of enormous strength, and was one of two whom tom had brought with him from a strange land where tom was held captive for a time. you may read about it in a book devoted to those adventures. tom took koku into his service, somewhat to the dismay of eradicate, who was desperately jealous. but poor eradicate was getting old, and could not do as much as he thought he could. so, in a great measure, koku replaced him, and tom found much use for the giant's strength. tom had begun his inventive work when, some years before this story opens, he had bargained for mr. damon's motorcycle, after that machine had shot its owner into a tree. mr. damon was, naturally, perhaps, much disgusted, and sold the affair cheap. tom repaired it, made some improvements, and, in the first volume of this series, entitled "tom swift and his motor-cycle," you may read of his rather thrilling adventures on his speedy road-steed. from then on tom had passed a busy life, making many machines and having some thrilling times with them. just previous to the opening of this story tom had made a peculiar instrument, described in the volume entitled "tom swift and his photo-telephone." with that a person talking could not only see the features of the person with whom he was conversing, but, by means of a selenium plate and a sort of camera, a permanent picture could be taken of the person at either end of the wire. by means of this invention tom had been able to make a picture that had saved a fortune. but tom did not stop there. with him to invent was as natural and necessary as breathing. he simply could not stop it. and so we find him now about to show to his chum, ned newton, his latest patent, an aerial warship, which, however, was not the success tom had hoped for. but just at present other matters than the warship were in tom's mind. the red shed was on fire. that mere statement might not mean anything special to the ordinary person, but to tom, his father, and those who knew about his shops, it meant much. "the red shed!" tom cried. "we mustn't let that get the best of us! everybody at work! father, not you, though. you mustn't excite yourself!" even in the midst of the alarm tom thought of his father, for the aged man had a weak heart, and had on one occasion nearly expired, being saved just in time by the arrival of a doctor, whom tom brought to the scene after a wonderful race through the air. "but, tom, i can help," objected the aged inventor. "now, you just take care of yourself, father!" tom cried. "there are enough of us to look after this fire, i think." "but, tom, it--it's the red shed!" gasped mr. swift. "i realize that, dad. but it can't have much of a start yet. is the alarm ringing, koku?" "yes, master," replied the giant, in correct but stilted english. "i have set the indicator to signal the alarm in every shop on the premises." "that's right." tom sprang toward the door. "eradicate!" he called. "yais, sah! heah i is!" answered the colored man. "i'll go git mah mule, boomerang, right away, an' he--" "don't you bring boomerang on the scene!" tom yelled. "when i want that shed kicked apart i can do it better than by using a mule's heels. and you know you can't do a thing with boomerang when he sees fire." "now dat's so, massa tom. but i could put blinkers on him, an'--" "no, you let boomerang stay where he is. come on, ned. we'll see what we can do. mr. damon--" "yes, tom, i'm right here," answered the peculiar man, for he had come over from his home in waterford to pay a visit to his friends, tom and mr. swift. "i'll do anything i can to help you, tom, bless my necktie!" he went on. "only say the word!" "we've got to get some of the stuff out of the place!" tom cried. "we may be able to save it, but i can't take a chance on putting out the fire and letting some of the things in there go up in smoke. come on!" those in the shed where was housed what tom hoped would prove to be a successful aerial warship rushed to the open. from the other shops and buildings nearby were pouring men and boys, for the swift plant employed a number of hands now. above the shouts and yells, above the crackle of flames, could be heard the clanging of the alarm bell, set ringing by koku, who had pulled the signal in the airship shed. from there it had gone to every building in the plant, being relayed by the telephone operator, whose duty it was to look after that. "my, you've got a big enough fire-fighting force, tom!" cried ned in his chum's ear. "yes, i guess we can master it, if it hasn't gotten the best of us. say, it's going some, though!" tom pointed to where a shed, painted red--a sign of danger--could be seen partly enveloped in smoke, amid the black clouds of which shot out red tongues of flame. "what have you got it painted red for?" ned asked pantingly, as they ran on. "because--" tom began, but the rest of the sentence was lost in a yell. tom had caught sight of eradicate and the giant, koku, unreeling from a central standpipe a long line of hose. "don't take that!" tom cried. "don't use that hose! drop it!" "what's the matter? is it rotten?" ned wanted to know. "no, but if they pull it out the water will be turned on automatically." "well, isn't that what you want at a fire--water?" ned demanded. "not at this fire," was tom's answer. "there's a lot of calcium carbide in that red shed--that's why it's red--to warn the men of danger. you know what happens when water gets on carbide--there's an explosion, and there's enough carbide in that shed to send the whole works sky high. "drop that hose!" yelled tom in louder tones. "drop it, rad--koku! do you want to kill us all!" chapter iii a desperate battle tom's tones and voice were so insistent that the giant and the colored man had no choice but to obey. they dropped the hose which, half unreeled, lay like some twisted snake in the grass. had it been pulled out all the way the water would have spurted from the nozzle, for it was of the automatic variety, with which tom had equipped all his plant. "but what are you going to do, tom, if you don't use water?" asked ned, wonderingly. "i don't know--yet, but i know water is the worst thing you can put on carbide," returned tom. for all he spoke slowly his brain was working fast. already, even now, he was planning how best to give battle to the flames. it needed but an instant's thought on the part of ned to make him understand that tom was right. it would be well-nigh fatal to use water on carbide. those of you who have bicycle lanterns, in which that not very pleasant-smelling chemical is used, know that if a few drops of water are allowed to drip slowly on the gray crystals acetylene gas is generated, which makes a brilliant light. but, if the water drips too fast, the gas is generated too quickly, and an explosion results. in lamps, of course, and in lighting plants where carbide is used, there are automatic arrangements to prevent the water flowing too freely to the chemical. but tom knew if the hose were turned on the fire in the red shed a great explosion would result, for some of the tins of carbide would be melted by the heat. yet the fire needed to be coped with. already the flames were coming through the roof, and the windows and door were spouting red fire and volumes of smoke. several other employees of tom's plant had made ready to unreel more hose, but the warning of the young inventor, shouted to eradicate and koku, had had its effect. every man dropped the line he had begun to unreel. "ha! massa tom say drop de hose, but how yo' gwine t' squirt watah on a fire wifout a hose; answer me dat?" and eradicate looked at koku. "me no know," was the slow answer. "i guess koku go pull shed down and stamp out fire." "huh! maybe yo' could do dat in cannibal land, where yo' all come from," spoke eradicate, "but yo' can't do dat heah! 'sides, de red shed will blow up soon. dere's suffin' else in dere except carbide, an' dat's gwine t' go up soon, dat's suah!" "maybe you get your strong man-mule, boomerang," suggested koku. "nothing ever hurt him--explosion or nothing. he can kick shed all to pieces, and put out fire." "dat's what i wanted t' do, but massa tom say i cain't," explained the colored man. "golly! look at dat fire!" indeed the blaze was now assuming alarming proportions. the red shed, which was not a small structure, was blazing on all sides. about it stood the men from the various shops. "tom, you must do something," said mr. swift. "if the flames once reach that helmanite--" "i know, father. but that explosive is in double vacuum containers, and it will be safe for some time yet. besides, it's in the cellar. it's the carbide i'm most worried about. we daren't use water." "but something will have to be done!" exclaimed mr. damon. "bless my red necktie, if we don't--" "better get back a way," suggested tom. "something may go off!" his words of warning had their effect, and the whole circle moved back several paces. "is there anything of value in the shed?" asked ned. "i should say there was!" tom answered. "i hoped we could get some of them out, but we can't now--until the fire dies down a bit, at any rate." "look, tom! the pattern shop roof is catching!" shouted mr. swift, pointing to where a little spurt of flame showed on the roof of a distant building. "it's from sparks!" tom said. "any danger of using water there?" ned wanted to know. "no, use all you like! that's the only thing to do. come on, you with the hose!" tom yelled. "save the other buildings!" "but are you going to let the red shed burn?" asked mr. swift. "you know what it means, tom." "yes, father, i know. and i'm going to fight that fire in a new way. but we must save the other buildings, too. play water on all the other sheds and structures!" ordered the young inventor. "i'll tackle this one myself. oh, ned!" he called. "yes," answered his chum. "what is it?" "you take charge of protecting the place where the new aerial warship is stored. will you? i can't afford to lose that." "i'll look after it, tom. no harm in using water there, though; is there?" "not if you don't use too much. some of the woodwork isn't varnished yet, and i wouldn't want it to be wet. but do the best you can. take koku and eradicate with you. they can't do any good here." "do you mean to say you're going to give up and let this burn?" "not a bit of it, ned. but i have another plan i want to try. lively now! the wind's changing, and it's blowing over toward my aerial warship shed. if that catches--" tom shook his head protestingly, and ned set off on the run, calling to the colored man and the giant to get out another line of hose. "i wonder what tom is going to do?" mused ned, as he neared the big shed he and the others had left on the alarm of fire. tom, himself, seemed in no doubt as to his procedure. with one look at the blazing red shed, as if to form an opinion as to how much longer it could burn without getting entirely beyond control, tom set off on a run toward another large structure. ned, glancing toward his chum, observed: "the dirigible shed! i wonder what his game is? surely that can't be in danger--it's too far off!" ned was right as to the last statement. the shed, where was housed a great dirigible balloon tom had made, but which he seldom used of late, was sufficiently removed from the zone of fire to be out of danger. meanwhile several members of the fire-fighting force that had been summoned from the various shops by the alarm, had made an effort to save from the red shed some of the more valuable of the contents. there were some machines in there, as well as explosives and chemicals, in addition to the store of carbide. but the fire was now too hot to enable much to be done in the way of salvage. one or two small things were carried out from a little addition to the main structure, and then the rescuers were driven back by the heat of the flames, as well as by the rolling clouds of black smoke. "keep away!" warned mr. swift. "it will explode soon. keep back!" "that's right!" added mr. damon. "bless my powder-horn! we may all be going sky-high soon, and without aid from any of tom swift's aeroplanes, either." warned by the aged inventor, the throng of men began slowly moving away from the immediate neighborhood of the blazing shed. though it may seem to the reader that some time has elapsed since the first sounding of the alarm, all that i have set down took place in a very short period--hardly three minutes elapsing since tom and the others came rushing out of the aerial warship building. suddenly a cry arose from the crowd of men near the red shed. ned, who stood ready with several lines of hose, in charge of koku, eradicate and others, to turn them on the airship shed, in case of need, looked in the direction of the excited throng. the young bank clerk saw a strange sight. from the top of the dirigible balloon shed a long, black, cigar-shaped body arose, floating gradually upward. the very roof of the shed slid back out of the way, as tom pressed the operating lever, and the dirigible was free to rise--as free as though it had been in an open field. "he's going up!" cried ned in surprise. "making an ascent at a time like this, when he ought to stay here to fight the fire! what's gotten into tom, i'd like to know? i wonder if he can be--" ned did not finish his half-formed sentence. a dreadful thought came into his mind. what if the sudden fire, and the threatened danger, as well as the prospective loss that confronted tom, had affected his mind? "it certainly looks so," mused ned, as he saw the big balloon float free from the shed. there was no doubt but that tom was in it. he could be seen standing within the pilot-house, operating the various wheels and levers that controlled the ship of the air. "what can he be up to?" marveled ned. "is he going to run away from the fire?" koku, eradicate and several others were attracted by the sight of the great dirigible, now a considerable distance up in the air. certainly it looked as though tom swift were running away. yet ned knew his chum better than that. then, as they watched, ned and the others saw the direction of the balloon change. she turned around in response to the influence of the rudders and propellers, and was headed straight for the blazing shed, but some distance above it. "what can he be planning?" wondered ned. he did not have long to wait to find out. an instant later tom's plan was made clear to his chum. he saw tom circling over the burning red shed, and then the bank clerk saw what looked like fine rain dropping from the lower part of the balloon straight into the flames. "he can't be dousing water on from up above there," reasoned ned. "pouring water on carbide from a height is just as bad as spurting it on from a hose, though perhaps not so dangerous to the persons doing it. but it can't be--" "by jove!" suddenly exclaimed ned, as he had a better view of what was going on. "it's sand, that's what it is! tom is giving battle to the flames with sand from the ballast bags of the dirigible! hurray? that's the ticket! sand! the only thing safe to use in case of an explosive chemical fire. "fine for you. tom swift! fine!" chapter iv suspicions high up aloft, over the blazing red shed, with its dangerous contents that any moment might explode, tom swift continued to hold his big dirigible balloon as near the flames as possible. and as he stood outside on the small deck in front of the pilot-house, where were located the various controls, the young inventor pulled the levers that emptied bag after bag of fine sand on the spouting flames that, already, were beginning to die down as a result of this effectual quenching. "tom's done the trick!" yelled ned, paying little attention now to the big airship shed, since he saw that the danger was about over. "dhat's what he suah hab done!" agreed eradicate. "mah ole mule boomerang couldn't 'a' done any better." "huh! your mule afraid of fire," remarked koku. "what's dat? mah mule afraid ob fire?" cried the colored man. "look heah, yo' great, big, overgrowed specimen ob an equilateral quadruped, i'll hab yo' all understand dat when yo' all speaks dat way about a friend ob mine dat yo'--" "that'll do, rad!" broke in ned, with a laugh. he knew that when tom's helper grew excited on the subject of his mule there was no stopping him, and boomerang was a point on which eradicate and koku were always arguing. "the fire is under control now." "yes, it seems to have gone visiting," observed koku. "visiting?" queried ned, in some surprise. "yes, that is, it is going out," went on koku. "oh, i understand!" laughed ned. "yes, and i hope it doesn't pay us another visit soon. oh, look at tom, would you!" he cried, for the young aviator had swung his ship about over the flames, to bring another row of sand bags directly above a place where the fire was hottest. down showered more sand from the bags which tom opened. no fire could long continue to blaze under that treatment. the supply of air was cut off, and without that no fire can exist. water would have been worse than useless, because of the carbide, but the sand covered it up so that it was made perfectly harmless. moving slowly, the airship hovered over every part of the now slowly expiring flames, the burned opening in the roof of the shed making it possible for the sand to reach the spots where it was most needed. the flames died out in section after section, until no more could be seen--only clouds of black smoke. "how is it now?" came tom's voice, as he spoke from the deck of the balloon through a megaphone. "almost out," answered mr. damon. "a little more sand, tom." the eccentric man had caught up a piece of paper and, rolling it into a cone, made an improvised megaphone of that. "haven't much more sand left," was tom's comment, as he sent down a last shower. "that will have to do. hustle that carbide and other explosive stuff out of there now, while you have a chance." "that's it!" cried ned, who caught his chums meaning. "come on, koku. there's work for you." "me like work," answered the giant, stretching out his great arms. the last of the sand had completely smothered the fire, and tom, observing from aloft that his work was well done, moved away in the dirigible, sending it to a landing space some little distance away from the shed whence it had arisen. it was impossible to drop it back again through the roof of the hangar, as the balloon was of such bulk that even a little breeze would deflect it so that it could not be accurately anchored. but tom had it under very good control, and soon it was being held down on the ground by some of his helpers. as all the sand ballast had been allowed to run out tom was obliged to open the gas-valves and let some of the lifting vapor escape, or he could not have descended. "come on, now!" cried the inventor, as he leaped from the deck of his sky craft. "let's clean out the red shed. that fire is only smothered, and there may be sparks smoldering under that sand, which will burst into flame, if we're not careful. let's get the explosives out of the way." "bless my insurance policy, yes," exclaimed mr. damon. "that was a fine move of yours." "it was the only way i could think of to put out the fire," tom replied. "i knew water was out of the question, and sand was the next thing." "but i didn't know where to get any until i happened to think of the ballast bags of my dirigible. then i knew, if i could get above the fire, i could do the trick. i had to fly pretty high, though, as the fire was hot, and i was afraid it might explode the gas bag and wreck me." "you were taking a chance," remarked ned. "oh, well, you have to take chances in this business," observed tom, with a smile. "now, then, let's finish this work." the sand, falling from the ballast bags of the dirigible, had so effectually quenched the fire that it was soon cool enough to permit close approach. koku, tom and some of the men who best knew how to handle the explosives, were soon engaged in the work of salvage. "i wish i could help you, tom," said his aged father. "i don't seem able to do anything but stand here and look on," and he gazed about him rather sadly. "never you mind, dad!" tom exclaimed. "we'll get along all right now. you'd better go up to the house. mr. damon will go with you." "yes, of course!" exclaimed the odd man, catching a wink from tom, who wanted his father not to get too excited on account of his weak heart. "come along, professor swift. the danger is all over." "all right," assented the aged inventor, with a look at the still smoking shed. "and, dad, when you haven't anything else to do," went on tom, rather whimsically, "you might be thinking up some plan to take up the recoil of those guns on my aerial warship. i confess i'm clean stumped on that point." "your aerial warship will never be a success," declared mr. swift. "you might as well give that up, tom." "don't you believe it, dad!" cried tom, with more of a jolly air of one chum toward another than as though the talk was between father and son. "you solve the recoil problem for me, and i'll take care of the rest, and make the air warship sail. but we've got something else to do just now. lively, boys." while mr. swift, taking mr. damon's arm, walked toward the house, tom, ned, koku, and some of the workmen began carrying out the explosives which had so narrowly escaped the fire. with long hooks the men pulled the shed apart, where the side walls had partly been burned through. tom maintained an efficient firefighting force at his works, and the men had the proper tools with which to work. soon large openings were made on three sides of the red shed, or rather, what was left of it, and through these the dangerous chemicals and carbide, in sheet-iron cans, were carried out to a place of safety. in a little while nothing remained but a heap of hot sand, some charred embers and certain material that had been burned. "much loss, tom?" asked ned, as they surveyed the ruins. they were both black and grimy, tired and dirty, but there was a great sense of satisfaction. "well, yes, there's more lost than i like to think of," answered tom slowly, "but it would have been a heap sight worse if the stuff had gone up. still, i can replace what i've lost, except a few models i kept in this place. i really oughtn't to have stored them here, but since i've been working on my new aerial warship i have sort of let other matters slide. i intended to make the red shed nothing but a storehouse for explosive chemicals, but i still had some of my plans and models in it when it caught." "only for the sand the whole place might have gone," said ned in a low voice. "yes. it's lucky i had plenty of ballast aboard the dirigible. you see, i've been running it alone lately, and i had to take on plenty of sand to make up for the weight of the several passengers i usually carry. so i had plenty of stuff to shower down on the fire. i wonder how it started, anyhow? i must investigate this." "mr. damon and eradicate seem to have seen it first," remarked ned. "yes. at least they gave the alarm. guess i'll ask eradicate how he happened to notice. oh, i say, rad!" tom called to the colored man. "yais, sah, massa tom! i'se comin'!" the darky cried, as he finished piling up, at a safe distance from the fire, a number of cans of carbide. "how'd you happen to see the red shed ablaze?" tom asked. "why, it was jest dish yeah way, massa tom," began the colored man. "i had jest been feedin' mah mule, boomerang. he were pow'ful hungry, boomerang were, an', when i give him some oats, wif a carrot sliced up in 'em--no, hole on--did i gib him a carrot t'day, or was it yist'day?--i done fo'got. no, it were yist'day i done gib him de carrot, i 'member now, 'case--" "oh, never mind the carrot, or boomerang, either, rad!" broke in tom, "i'm asking you about the fire." "an' i'se tellin' yo', massa tom," declared eradicate, with a rather reproachful look at his master. "but i wanted t' do it right an' proper. i were comin' from boomerang's stable, an' i see suffin' red spoutin' up at one corner ob de red shed. i knowed it were fire right away, an' i yelled." "yes, i heard you yell," tom said. "but what i wanted to know is, did you see anyone near the red shed at the time?" "no, massa tom, i done didn't." "i wonder if mr. damon did? i must ask him," went on the young inventor. "come, on, ned, we'll go up to the house. everything is all right here, i think. whew! but that was some excitement. and i didn't show you my aerial warship after all! nor have you settled that recoil problem for me." "time enough, i guess," responded ned. "you sure did have a lucky escape, tom." "that's right. well, koku, what is it?" for the giant had approached, holding out something in his hand. "koku found this in red shed," went on the giant, holding out a round, blackened object. "maybe him powder; go bang-bang!" "oh, you think it's something explosive, eh?" asked tom, as he took the object from the giant. "koku no think much," was the answer. "him look funny." tom did not speak for a moment. then he cried: "look funny! i should say it did! see here, ned, if this isn't suspicious i'll eat my hat!" and tom beckoned excitedly to his chum, who had walked on a little in advance. chapter v a queer stranger what tom swift held in his hand looked like a small cannon ball, but it could not have been solid or the young aviator would not so easily have held it out at arm's length for his friend ned newton to look at. "this puts a different face on it, ned," tom went on, as he turned the object over. "is that likely to go off?" the bank clerk asked, as he came to a halt a little distance from his friend. "go off? no, it's done all the damage it could, i guess." "damage? it looks to me as though it had suffered the most damage itself. what is it, one of your models? looks like a bomb to me." "and that's what it is, ned." "not one of those you're going to use on your aerial warship, is it, tom?" "not exactly. i never saw this before, but it's what started the fire in the red shed all right; i'm sure of that." "do you really mean it?" cried ned. "i sure do." "well, if that's the case, i wouldn't leave such dangerous things around where there are explosives, tom." "i didn't, ned. i wouldn't have had this within a hundred miles of my shed, if i could have had my way. it's a fire bomb, and it was set to go off at a certain time. only i think something went wrong, and the bomb started a fire ahead of time. "if it had worked at night, when we were all asleep, we might not have put the fire out so easily. this sure is suspicious! i'm glad you found this, koku." tom was carefully examining the bomb, as ned had correctly named it. the bank clerk, now that he was assured by his chum that the object had done all the harm it could, approached closer. what he saw was merely a hollow shell of iron, with a small opening in it, as though intended for a place through which to put a charge of explosives and a fuse. "but there was no explosion, tom," explained ned. "i know it," said tom quietly. "it wasn't an explosive bomb. smell that!" he held the object under ned's nose so suddenly that the young bank clerk jumped back. "oh, don't get nervous," laughed tom. "it can't hurt you now. but what does that smell like?" ned sniffed, sniffed again, thought for a moment, and then sniffed a third time. "why," he said slowly, "i don't just know the name of it, but it's that funny stuff you mix up sometimes to put in the oxygen tanks when we go up in the rarefied atmosphere in the balloon or airship." "manganese and potash," spoke tom. "that and two or three other things that form a chemical combination which goes off by itself of spontaneous combustion after a certain time. only the person who put this bomb together didn't get the chemical mixture just right, and it went off ahead of time; for which we have to be duly thankful." "do you really think that, tom?" cried ned. "i'm positive of it," was the quiet answer. "why--why--that would mean some one tried to set fire to the red shed, tom!" "they not only tried it, but did it," responded tom, more coolly than seemed natural under the circumstances. "only for the fact that the mixture went off before it was intended to, and found us all alert and ready--well, i don't like to think what might have happened," and tom cast a look about at his group of buildings with their valuable contents. "you mean some one purposely put that bomb in the red shed, tom?" "that's exactly what i mean. some enemy, who wanted to do me an injury, planned this thing deliberately. he filled this steel shell with chemicals which, of themselves, after a certain time, would send out a hot tongue of flame through this hole," and tom pointed to the opening in the round steel shell. "he knew the fire would be practically unquenchable by ordinary means, and he counted on its soon eating its way into the carbide and other explosives. only it didn't." "why, tom!" cried ned. "it was just like one of those alarm-clock dynamite bombs--set to go off at a certain time." "exactly," tom said, "only this was more delicate, and, if it had worked properly, there wouldn't have been a vestige left to give us a clue. but the fire, thanks to the ballast sand in the dirigible, was put out in time. the fuse burned itself out, but i can tell by the smell that chemicals were in it. that's all, koku," he went on to the giant who had stood waiting, not understanding all the talk between tom and ned. "i'll take care of this now." "bad man put it there?" asked the giant, who at least comprehended that something was wrong. "well, yes, i guess you could say it was a bad man," replied tom. "ha! if koku find bad man--bad for that man!" muttered the giant, as he clasped his two enormous hands together, as though they were already on the fellow who had tried to do tom swift such an injury. "i wouldn't like to be that man, if koku catches him," observed ned. "have you any idea who it could be, tom?" "not the least. of course i know i have enemies, ned. every successful inventor has persons who imagine he has stolen their ideas, whether he has ever seen them or not. it may have been one of those persons, or some half-mad crank, who was jealous. it would be impossible to say, ned." "it wouldn't be andy foger, would it?" "no; i don't believe andy has been in this neighborhood for some time. the last lesson we gave him sickened him, i guess." "how about those diamond-makers, whose secret you discovered? they wouldn't be trying to get back at you, would they?" "well, it's possible, ned. but i don't imagine so. they seem to have been pretty well broken up. no, i don't believe it was the diamond-makers who put this fire bomb in the red shed. their line of activities didn't include this branch. it takes a chemist to know just how to blend the things contained in the bomb, and even a good chemist is likely to fail--as this one did, as far as time went." "what are you going to do about it?" ned asked. "i don't know," and tom spoke slowly, "i hoped i was done with all that sort of thing," he went on; "fighting enemies whom i have never knowingly injured. but it seems they are still after me. well, ned, this gives us something to do, at all events." "you mean trying to find out who these fellows are?" "yes; that is, if you are willing to help." "well, i guess i am!" cried the bank clerk with sparkling eyes. "i wouldn't ask anything better. we've been in things like this before, tom, and we'll go in again--and win! i'll help you all i can. now, let's see if we can pick up any other clues. this is like old times!" and ned laughed, for he, like tom, enjoyed a good "fight," and one in which the odds were against them. "we sure will have our hands full," declared the young inventor. "trying to solve the problem of carrying guns on an aerial warship, and finding out who set this fire." "then you're not going to give up your aerial warship idea?" "no, indeed!" tom cried. "what made you think that?" "well, the way your father spoke--" "oh, dear old dad!" exclaimed tom affectionately. "i don't want to argue with him, but he's dead wrong!" "then you are going to make a go of it?" "i sure am, ned! all i have to solve is the recoil proposition, and, as soon as we get straightened out from this fire, we'll tackle that problem again--you and i. but i sure would like to know who put this in my red shed," and tom looked in a puzzled manner at the empty fire bomb he still held. tom paused, on his way to the house, to put the bomb in one of his offices. "no use letting dad know about this," he went on. "it would only be something else for him to worry about." "that's right," agreed ned. by this time nearly all evidences of the fire, except for the blackened ruins of the shed, had been cleared away. high in the air hung a cloud of black smoke, caused by some chemicals that had burned harmlessly save for that pall. tom swift had indeed had a lucky escape. the young inventor, finding his father quieted down and conversing easily with mr. damon, who was blessing everything he could think of, motioned to ned to follow him out of the house again. "we'll leave dad here," said tom, "and do a little investigating on our own account. we'll look for clues while they're fresh." but, it must be confessed, after tom and ned had spent the rest of that day in and about the burned shed, they were little wiser than when they started. they found the place where the fire bomb had evidently been placed, right inside the main entrance to the shed. tom knew it had been there because there were peculiar marks on the charred wood, and a certain queer smell of chemicals that confirmed his belief. "they put the bomb there to prevent anyone going in at the first alarm and saving anything," tom said. "they didn't count on the roof burning through first, giving me a chance to use the sand. i made the roof of the red shed flimsy just on that account, so the force of the explosion if one ever came, would be mostly upward. you know the expanding gases, caused by an explosion or by rapid combustion, always do just as electricity does, seek the shortest and easiest route. in this case i made the roof the easiest route." "a lucky provision," observed ned. that night tom had to confess himself beaten, as far as finding clues was concerned. the empty fire bomb was the only one, and that seemed valueless. close questioning of the workmen failed to disclose anything. tom was particularly anxious to discover if any mysterious strangers had been seen about the works. there was a strict rule about admitting them to the plant, however, and it could not be learned that this had been violated. "well, we'll just have to lay that aside for a while," tom said the next day, when ned again came to pay a visit. "now, what do you say to tackling, with me, that recoil problem on the aerial warship?" "i'm ready, if you are," ned agreed, "though i know about as much of those things as a snake does about dancing. but i'm game." the two friends walked out toward the shed where tom's new craft was housed. as yet ned had not seen it. on the way they saw eradicate walking along, talking to himself, as he often did. "i wonder what he has on his mind," remarked ned musingly. "something does seem to be worrying him," agreed tom. as they neared the colored man, they could hear him saying: "he suah did hab nerve, dat's what he did! de idea ob askin' me all dem questions, an' den wantin' t' know if i'd sell him!" "what's that, eradicate?" asked tom. "oh, it's a man i met when i were comin' back from de ash dump," eradicate explained. one of the colored man's duties was to cart ashes away from tom's various shops, and dump them in a certain swampy lot. with an old ramshackle cart, and his mule, boomerang, eradicate did this task to perfection. "a man--what sort of a man?" asked tom, always ready to be suspicious of anything unusual. "he were a queer man," went on the aged colored helper. "first he stopped me an' asted me fo' a ride. he was a dressed-up gen'man, too, an' i were suah s'prised at him wantin' t' set in mah ole ash cart," said eradicate. "but i done was polite t' him, an' fixed a blanket so's he wouldn't git too dirty. den he asted me ef i didn't wuk fo' yo', massa tom, an' of course i says as how i did. den he asted me about de fire, an' how much damage it done, an' how we put it out. an' he end up by sayin' he'd laik t' buy mah mule, boomerang, an' he wants t' come heah dis arternoon an' talk t' me about it." "he does, eh?" cried tom. "what sort of a man was he, rad?" "well, a gen'man sort ob man, massa tom. stranger t' me. i nebber seed him afo'. he suah was monstrous polite t' ole black eradicate, an' he gib me a half-dollar, too, jest fo' a little ride. but i aint' gwine t' sell boomerang, no indeedy, i ain't!" and eradicate shook his gray, kinky head decidedly. "ned, there may be something in this!" said tom, in an excited whisper to his chum. "i don't like the idea of a mysterious stranger questioning eradicate!" chapter vi the aerial warship ned newton looked at tom questioningly. then he glanced at the unsuspicious colored man, who was industriously polishing the half-dollar the mysterious stranger had given him. "rad, just exactly what sort of a man was this one you speak of?" asked tom. "why, he were a gen'man--" "yes, i know that much. you've said it before. but was he an englishman, an american--or--" tom paused and waited for an answer. "i think he were a frenchman," spoke eradicate. "i done didn't see him eat no frogs' laigs, but he smoked a cigarette dat had a funny smell, and he suah was monstrous polite. he suah was a frenchman. i think." tom and ned laughed at eradicate's description of the man, but tom's face was soon grave again. "tell us more about him, rad," he suggested. "did he seem especially interested in the fire?" "no, sah, massa tom, he seemed laik he was more special interested in mah mule, boomerang. he done asted how long i had him, an' how much i wanted fo' him, an' how old he was." "but every once in a while he put in some question about the fire, or about our shops, didn't he, rad?" tom wanted to know. the colored man scratched his kinky head, and glanced with a queer look at tom. "how yo' all done guess dat?" he asked. "answer my question," insisted tom. "yes, sah, he done did ask about yo', and de wuks, ebery now and den," rad confessed. "but how yo' all knowed dat, massa tom, when i were a-tellin' yo' all about him astin' fo' mah mule, done gets me--dat's what it suah does." "never mind, rad. he asked questions about the plant, that's all i want to know. but you didn't tell him much, did you?" eradicate looked reproachfully at his master. "yo' all done knows me bettah dan dat, massa tom," the old colored man said. "yo' all know yo' done gib orders fo' nobody t' talk about yo' projections." "yes, i know i gave those orders," tom said, with a smile, "but i want to make sure that they have been followed." "well, i done follered 'em, massa tom." "then you didn't tell this queer stranger, frenchman, or whatever he is, much about my place?" "i didn't tell him nuffin', sah. i done frowed dust in his eyes." ned uttered an exclamation of surprise. "eradicate is speaking figuratively," tom said, with a laugh. "dat's what i means," the colored man went on. "i done fooled him. when he asted me about de fire i said it didn't do no damage at all--in fack dat we'd rather hab de fire dan not hab it, 'case it done gib us a chance t' practice our hose drill." "that's good," laughed tom. "what else?" "well, he done sort ob hinted t' me ef we all knowed how de fire done start. i says as how we did, dat we done start it ourse'ves fo' practice, an dat we done expected it all along, an' were ready fo' it. course i knows dat were a sort of fairy story, massa tom, but den dat cigarette-smokin' frenchman didn't hab no right t' asted me so many questions, did he?" "no, indeed, rad. and i'm glad you didn't give him straight answers. so he's coming here later on, is he?" "t' see ef i wants t' sell mah mule, boomerang, yais, sah. i sort ob thought maybe you'd want t' hab a look at dat man, so i tole him t' come on. course i doan't want t' sell boomerang, but ef he was t' offer me a big lot ob money fo' him i'd take it." "of course," tom answered. "very well, rad. you may go on now, and don't say anything to anyone about what you have told me." "i won't, massa tom," promised the colored man, as he went off muttering to himself. "well, what do you make of it, tom?" asked ned of his chum, as they walked on toward the shed of the new, big aerial warship. "i don't know just what to think, ned. of course things like this have happened before--persons trying to worm secrets out of eradicate, or some of the other men." "they never succeeded in getting much, i'm glad to say, but it always keeps me worried for fear something will happen," tom concluded. "but about this frenchman?" "well, he must be a new one. and, now i come to think of it, i did hear some of the men speaking about a foreigner--a stranger--being around town last week. it was just a casual reference, and i paid little attention to it. now it looks as though there might be something in it." "do you think he'll come to bargain with eradicate about the mule?" ned asked. "hardly. that was only talk to make eradicate unsuspicious. the stranger, whoever he was, sized rad up partly right. i surmised, when rad said he asked a lot of questions about the mule, that was only to divert suspicion, and that he'd come back to the subject of the fire every chance he got." "and you were right." "yes, so it seems. but i don't believe the fellow will come around here. it would be too risky. all the same, we'll be prepared for him. i'll just rig up one of my photo-telephone machines, so that, if he does come to have a talk with rad, we can both see and hear him." "that's great, tom! but do you think this fellow had anything to do with the fire?" "i don't know. he knew about it, of course. this isn't the first fire we've had in the works, and, though we always fight them ourselves, still news of it will leak out to the town. so he could easily have known about it. and he might be in with those who set it, for i firmly believe the fire was set by someone who has an object in injuring me." "it's too bad!" declared ned. "seems as though they might let you alone, if they haven't gumption enough to invent things for themselves." "well, don't worry. maybe it will come out all right," returned tom. "now, let's go and have a look at my aerial warship. i haven't shown it to you yet. then we'll get ready for that mysterious frenchman, if he comes--but i don't believe he will." the young inventor unlocked the door of the shed where he kept his latest "pet," and at the sight which met his eyes ned newton uttered an exclamation of surprise. "tom, what is it?" he cried in an awed voice. "my aerial warship!" was the quiet answer. ned newton gave vent to a long whistle, and then began a detailed examination of the wonderful craft he saw before him. that is, he made as detailed an examination as was possible under the circumstances, for it was a long time before the young bank clerk fully appreciated all tom swift had accomplished in building the mars, which was the warlike name painted in red letters on the big gas container that tugged and swayed overhead. "tom, however did you do it?" gasped ned at length. "by hard work," was the modest reply. "i've been at this for a longer time than you'd suppose, working on it at odd moments. i had a lot of help, too, or i never could have done it. and now it is nearly all finished, as far as the ship itself is concerned. the only thing that bothers me is to provide for the recoil of the guns i want to carry. maybe you can help me with that. come on, now, i'll explain how the affair works, and what i hope to accomplish with it." in brief tom's aerial warship was a sort of german zeppelin type of dirigible balloon, rising in the air by means of a gas container, or, rather, several of them, for the section for holding the lifting gas element was divided by bulkheads. the chief difference between dirigible balloons and ordinary aeroplanes, as you all know, is that the former are lifted from the earth by a gas, such as hydrogen, which is lighter than air, while the aeroplane lifts itself by getting into motion, when broad, flat planes, or surfaces, hold it up, just as a flat stone is held up when you sail it through the air. the moment the stone, or aeroplane, loses its forward motion, it begins to fall. this is not so with a dirigible balloon. it is held in the air by means of the lifting gas, and once so in the air can be sent in any direction by means of propellers and rudders. tom's aerial warship contained many new features. while it was as large as some of the war-type zeppelins, it differed from them materially. but the details would be of more interest to a scientific builder of such things than to the ordinary reader, so i will not weary you with them. sufficient to say that tom's craft consisted first of a great semi-rigid bag, or envelope, made of specially prepared oiled silk and aluminum, to hold the gas, which was manufactured on board. there were a number of gas-tight compartments, so that if one, or even if a number of them burst, or were shot by an enemy, the craft would still remain afloat. below the big gas bag was the ship proper, a light but strong and rigid framework about which were built enclosed cabins. these cabins, or compartments, housed the driving machinery, the gas-generating plant, living, sleeping and dining quarters, and a pilot-house, whence the ship could be controlled. but this was not all. ned, making a tour of the mars, as she swayed gently in the big shed, saw where several aluminum pedestals were mounted, fore and aft and on either beam of the ship. "they look just like places where you intend to mount guns," said ned to tom. "and that's exactly what they are," the young inventor replied. "i have the guns nearly ready for mounting, but i can't seem to think of a way of providing for the recoil. and if i don't take care of that, i'm likely to find my ship coming apart under me, after we bombard the enemy with a broadside or two." "then you intend to fight with this ship?" asked ned. "well, no; not exactly personally. i was thinking of offering it to the united states government. foreign nations are getting ready large fleets of aerial warships, so why shouldn't we? matters in europe are mighty uncertain. there may be a great war there in which aerial craft will play a big part. i am conceited enough to think i can build one that will measure up to the foreign ones, and i'll soon be in a position to know." "what do you mean?" "i mean i have already communicated with our government experts, and they are soon to come and inspect this craft. i have sent them word that it is about finished. there is only the matter of the guns, and some of the ordnance officers may be able to help me out with a suggestion, for i admit i am stuck!" exclaimed tom. "then you're going to do the same with this aerial warship as you did with your big lantern and that immense gun you perfected?" asked ned. "that's right," confirmed tom. my former readers will know to what ned newton referred, and those of you who do not may learn the details of how tom helped uncle sam, by reading the previous volumes, "tom swift and his great searchlight," and "tom swift and his giant cannon." "when do you expect the government experts?" ned asked. "within a few days, now. but i'll have to hustle to get ready for them, as this fire has put me back. there are quite a number of details i need to change. well, now, let me explain about that gun recoil business. maybe you can help me." "fire away," laughed ned. "i'll do the best i can." tom led the way from the main shed, where the aerial warship was housed, to a small private office. as ned entered, the door, pulled by a strong spring, swung after him. he held back his hand to prevent it from slamming, but there was no need, for a patent arrangement took up all the force, and the door closed gently. ned looked around, not much surprised, for the same sort of door-check was in use at his bank. but a sudden idea came to him. "there you are, tom!" he cried. "why not take up the recoil of the guns on your aerial warship by some such device as that?" and ned pointed to the door-check. chapter vii warnings for a moment or two tom swift did not seem to comprehend what ned had said. he remained staring, first at his chum, who stood pointing, and from him tom's gaze wandered to the top of the door. it may have been, and probably was, that tom was thinking of other matters at that instant. but ned said again: "wouldn't that do, tom? check the recoil of the gun with whatever stuff is in that arrangement!" a sudden change came over tom's face. it was lighted up with a gleam of understanding. "by jove, ned, old man!" he cried. "i believe you've struck it! and to think that has been under my nose, or, rather, over my head, all this while, and i never thought of it. hurray! that will solve the problem!" "do you think it will?" asked ned, glad that he had contributed something, if only an idea, to tom's aerial warship. "i'm almost sure it will. i'll give it a trial right away." "what's in that door-check?" ned asked. "i never stopped before to think what useful things they are, though at the bank, with the big, heavy doors, they are mighty useful." "they are a combination of springs and hydrostatic valves," began tom. "good-night!" laughed ned. "excuse the slang, tom, but what in the world is a hydrostatic valve?" "a valve through which liquids pass. in this door-check there may be a mixture of water, alcohol and glycerine, the alcohol to prevent freezing in cold weather, and the glycerine to give body to the mixture so it will not flow through the valves too freely." "and do you think you can put something like that on your guns, so the recoil will be taken up?" ned wanted to know. "i think so," spoke tom. "i'm going to work on it right away, and we'll soon see how it will turn out. it's mighty lucky you thought of that, for i sure was up against it, as the boys say." "it just seemed to come to me," spoke ned, "seeing how easily the door closed." "if the thing works i'll give you due credit for it," promised tom. "now, i've got to figure out how much force a modified hydrostatic valve check like that will take up, and how much recoil my biggest gun will have." "then you're going to put several guns on the mars?" asked ned. "yes, four quick-firers, at least, two on each side, and heavier guns at the bow and stern, to throw explosive shells in a horizontal or upward direction. for a downward direction we won't need any guns, we can simply drop the bombs, or shells, from a release clutch." "drop them on other air craft?" ned wanted to know. "well, if it's necessary, yes. though i guess there won't be much chance of doing that to a rival aeroplane or dirigible. but in flying over cities or forts, explosive bombs can be dropped very nicely. for use in attacking other air craft i am going to depend on my lateral fire, from the guns mounted on either beam, and in the bow and stern." "you speak as though you, yourself, were going into a battle of the air," said ned. "no, i don't believe i'll go that far," tom replied. "though, if the government wants my craft, i may have to go aloft and fire shots at targets for them to show them how things work. "please don't think that i am in favor of war, ned," went on tom earnestly. "i hate it, and i wish the time would come when all nations would disarm. but if the other countries are laying themselves out to have aerial battleships, it is time the united states did also. we must not be left behind, especially in view of what is taking place in europe." "i suppose that's right," agreed ned. "have you any of your guns ready?" "yes, all but the mounting of them on the supports aboard the mars. i haven't dared do that yet, and fire them, until i provided some means of taking up the recoil. now i'm going to get right to work on that problem." there was considerable detailed figuring and computation work ahead of tom swift, and i will not weary you by going into the details of higher mathematics. even ned lost interest after the start of the problem, though he was interested when tom took down the door-check and began measuring the amount of force it would take up, computing it on scales and spring balances. once this had been done, and tom had figured just how much force could be expected to be taken up by a larger check, with stronger hydrostatic valves, the young inventor explained: "and now to see how much recoil force my guns develop!" "are you really going to fire the guns?" asked ned. "surely," answered tom. "that's the only way to get at real results. i'll have the guns taken out and mounted in a big field. then we'll fire them, and measure the recoil." "well, that may be some fun," spoke ned, with a grin. "more fun than all these figures," and he looked at the mass of details on tom's desk. this was the second or third day after the fire in the red shed, and in the interim tom had been busy making computations. these were about finished. meanwhile further investigation had been made of clues leading to the origin of the blaze in the shed, but nothing had been learned. a photo-telephone had been installed near eradicate's quarters, in the hope that the mysterious stranger might keep his promise, and come to see about the mule. in that case something would have been learned about him. but, as tom feared, the man did not appear. ned was much interested in the guns, and, a little later, he helped tom and koku mount them in a vacant lot. the giant's strength came in handy in handling the big parts. mr. swift strolled past, as the guns were being mounted for the preliminary test, and inquired what his son was doing. "it will never work, tom, never!" declared the aged inventor, when informed. "you can't take up those guns in your air craft, and fire them with any degree of safety." "you wait, dad," laughed tom. "you haven't yet seen how the newton hydrostatic recoil operates." ned smiled with pleasure at this. it took nearly a week to get all the guns mounted, for some of them required considerable work, and it was also necessary to attach gauges to them to register the recoil and pressure. in the meanwhile tom had been in further communication with government experts who were soon to call on him to inspect the aerial warship, with a view to purchase. "when are they coming?" asked ned, as he and tom went out one morning to make the first test of the guns. "they will be here any day, now. they didn't set any definite date. i suppose they want to take us unawares, to see that i don't 'frame-up' any game on them. well, i'll be ready any time they come. now, koku, bring along those shells, and don't drop any of them, for that new powder is freakish stuff." "me no drop any, master," spoke the giant, as he lifted the boxes of explosives in his strong arms. the largest gun was loaded and aimed at a distant hill, for tom knew that if the recoil apparatus would take care of the excess force of his largest gun, the problem of the smaller ones would be easy to solve. "here, rad, where are you going?" tom asked, as he noticed the colored man walking away, after having completed a task assigned to him. "where's i gwine, massa tom?" "yes, rad, that's what i asked you." "i--i'se gwine t' feed mah mule, boomerang," said the colored man slowly. "it's his eatin' time, jest now, massa tom." "nonsense! it isn't anywhere near noon yet." "yais, sab, massa tom, i knows dat," said eradicate, as he carefully edged away from the big gun, "but i'se done changed de eatin' hours ob dat mule. he had a little touch ob indigestion de udder day, an' i'se feedin' him diff'rent now. so i guess as how yo'll hab t' 'scuse me now, massa tom." "oh, well, trot along," laughed the young inventor. "i guess we won't need you. is everything all right there, koku?" "all right, master." "now, ned, if you'll stand here," went on tom, "and note the extreme point to which the hand on the pressure gauge goes, i'll be obliged to you. just jot it down on this pad." "here comes someone," remarked the bank clerk, as he saw that his pencil was sharpened. he pointed to the field back of them. "it's mr. damon," observed tom. "we'll wait until he arrives. he'll be interested in this." "bless my collar button, tom! what's going on?" asked the eccentric man, as he came up. "has war been declared?" "just practicing," replied the young inventor. "getting ready to put the armament on my aerial warship." "well, as long as i'm behind the guns i'm all right, i suppose?" "perfectly," tom replied. "now then, ned, i think we'll fire." there was a moment of inspection, to see that nothing had been forgotten, and then the big gun was discharged. there was a loud report, not as heavy, though, as ned had expected, but there was no puff of smoke, for tom was using smokeless powder. only a little flash of flame was observed. "catch the figure, ned!" tom cried. "i have it!" was the answer. "eighty thousand!" "good! and i can build a recoil check that will take up to one hundred and twenty thousand pounds pressure. that ought to be margin of safety enough. now we'll try another shot." the echoes of the first had hardly died away before the second gun was ready for the test. that, too, was satisfactory, and then the smaller ones were operated. these were not quite so satisfactory, as the recoil developed was larger, in proportion to their size, than tom had figured. "but i can easily put a larger hydrostatic check on them," he said. "now, we'll fire by batteries, and see what the total is." then began a perfect bombardment of the distant hillside, service charges being used, and explosive shells sent out so that dirt, stones and gravel flew in all directions. danger signs and flags had been posted, and a cordon of tom's men kept spectators away from the hill, so no one would be in the danger zone. the young inventor was busy making some calculations after the last of the firing had been completed. koku was packing up the unfired shells, and mr. damon was blessing his ear-drums, and the pieces of cotton he had stuffed in to protect them, when a tall, erect man was observed strolling over the fields in the direction of the guns. "somebody's coming, tom," warned ned. "yes, and a stranger, too," observed tom. "i wonder if that can be eradicate's frenchman?" but a look at the stranger's face disproved that surmise. he had a frank and pleasant countenance, obviously american. "i beg your pardon," he began, addressing everyone in general, "but i am looking for tom swift. i was told he was here." "i am tom swift," replied our hero. "ah! well, i am lieutenant marbury, with whom you had some correspondence recently about--" "oh, yes, lieutenant marbury, of the united states navy," interrupted tom. "i'm glad to see you," he went on, holding out his hand. "we are just completing some tests with the guns. you called, i presume, in reference to my aerial warship?" "that is it--yes. have you it ready for a trial flight?" "well, almost. it can be made ready in a few hours. you see, i have been delayed. there was a fire in the plant." "a fire!" exclaimed the officer in surprise. "how was that? we heard nothing of it in washington." "no, i kept it rather quiet," tom explained. "we had reason to suspect that it was a fire purposely set, in a shed where i kept a quantity of explosives." "ha!" exclaimed lieutenant marbury. "this fits in with what i have heard. and did you not receive warning?" he asked tom. "warning? no. of what?" "of foreign spies!" was the unexpected answer. "i am sorry. some of our secret service men unearthed something of a plot against you, and i presumed you had been told to watch out. if you had, the fire might not have occurred. there must have been some error in washington. but let me tell you now, tom swift--be on your guard!" chapter viii a suspected plot the officer's words were so filled with meaning that tom started. ned newton, too, showed the effect he felt. "do you really mean that?" asked the young inventor, looking around to make sure his father was not present. on account of professor swift's weak heart, tom wished to spare him all possible worry. "i certainly do mean it," insisted lieutenant marbury. "and, while i am rather amazed at the news of the fire, for i did not think the plotters would be so bold as that, it is in line with what i expected, and what we suspected in washington." "and that was--what?" asked tom. "the existence of a well-laid plot, not only against our government, but against you!" "and why have they singled me out?" tom demanded. "i might as well tell it from the beginning," the officer went on. "as long as you have not received any official warning from washington you had better hear the whole story. but are you sure you had no word?" "well, now, i won't be so sure," tom confessed. "i have been working very hard, the last two days, making some intricate calculations. i have rather neglected my mail, to tell you the truth. "and, come to think of it, there were several letters received with the washington postmark. but, i supposed they had to do with some of my patents, and i only casually glanced over them. there was one letter, though, that i couldn't make head or tail of." "ha! that was it!" cried the lieutenant. "it was the warning in cipher or code. i didn't think they would neglect to send it to you." "but what good would it do me if i couldn't read it?" asked tom. "you must also have received a method of deciphering the message," the officer said. "probably you overlooked that. the secret service men sent you the warning in code, so it would not be found out by the plotters, and, to make sure you could understand it, a method of translating the cipher was sent in a separate envelope. it is too bad you missed it." "yes, for i might have been on my guard," agreed tom. "the red shed might not have burned, but, as it was, only slight damage was done." "owing to the fact that tom put the fire out with sand ballast from his dirigible!" cried ned. "you should have seen it!" "i should have liked to be here," the lieutenant spoke. "but, if i were you, tom swift, i would take means to prevent a repetition of such things." "i shall," tom decided. "but, if we want to talk, we had better go to my office, where we can be more private. i don't want the workmen to hear too much." now that the firing was over, a number of tom's men from the shops had assembled around the cannon. most of them, the young inventor felt, could be trusted, but in so large a gathering one could never be sure. "did you come on from washington yesterday?" asked tom, as he, ned and the officer strolled toward the shed where was housed the aerial warship. "yes, and i spent the night in new york. i arrived in town a short time ago, and came right on out here. at your house i was told you were over in the fields conducting experiments, so i came on here." "glad you did," tom said. "i'll soon have something to show you, i hope. but i am interested in hearing the details of this suspected plot. are you sure one exists?" "perfectly sure," was the answer. "we don't know all the details yet, nor who are concerned in it, but we are working on the case. the secret service has several agents in the field. "we are convinced in washington," went on lieutenant marbury, when he, tom and ned were seated in the private office, "that foreign spies are at work against you and against our government." "why against me?" asked tom, in wonder. "because of the inventions you have perfected and turned over to uncle sam--notably the giant cannon, which rivals anything foreign european powers have, and the great searchlight, which proved so effective against the border smugglers. the success of those two alone, to say nothing of your submarine, has not only made foreign nations jealous, but they fear you--and us," the officer went on. "well, if they only take it out in fear--" "but they won't!" interrupted the officer--"they are seeking to destroy those inventions. more than once, of late, we have nipped a plot just in time." "have they really tried to damage the big gun?" asked tom, referring to one he had built and set up at panama. "they have. and now this fire proves that they are taking other measures--they are working directly against you." "why, i wonder?" "either to prevent you from making further inventions, or to stop you from completing your latest--the aerial warship." "but i didn't know the foreign governments knew about that," tom exclaimed. "it was a secret." "few secrets are safe from foreign spies," declared lieutenant marbury. "they have a great ferreting-out system on the other side. we are just beginning to appreciate it. but our own men have not been idle." "have they really learned anything?" tom asked. "nothing definite enough to warrant us in acting," was the answer of the government man. "but we know enough to let us see that the plot is far-reaching." "are the french in it?" asked ned impulsively. "the french! why do you ask that?" "tell him about eradicate, and the man who wanted to buy the mule, tom," suggested ned. thereupon the young inventor mentioned the story told by eradicate. he also brought out the fire-bomb, and explained his theory as to how it had operated to set the red shed ablaze. "i think you are right," said lieutenant marbury. "and, as regards the french, i might say they are not the only nation banded to obtain our secrets--yours and the government's!" "but i thought the french and the english were friendly toward us!" ned exclaimed. "so they are, in a certain measure," the officer went on. "and russia is, too. but, in all foreign countries there are two parties, the war party, as it might be called, and the peace element. "but i might add that it is neither france, england, nor russia that we must fear. it is a certain other great nation, which at present i will not name." "and you think spies set this fire?" "i certainly do." "but what measures shall i adopt against this plot?" tom asked. "we will talk that over," said lieutenant marbury. "but, before i go into details, i want to give you another warning. you must be very careful about--" a sudden knock on the door interrupted the speaker. chapter ix the recoil check "who is that?" asked ned newton, with a quick glance at his chum. "i don't know," tom answered. "i left orders we weren't to be disturbed unless it was something important." "may be something has happened," suggested the navy officer, "another fire, perhaps, or a--" "it isn't a fire," tom answered. "the automatic alarm would be ringing before this in that case." the knock was repeated. tom went softly to the door and opened it quickly, to disclose, standing in the corridor, one of the messengers employed about the shops. "well, what is it?" asked tom a bit sharply. "oh, if you please, mr. swift," said the boy, "a man has applied for work at the main office, and you know you left orders there that if any machinists came along, we were to--" "oh, so i did," tom exclaimed. "i had forgotten about that," he went on to lieutenant marbury and ned. "i am in need of helpers to rush through the finishing touches on my aerial warship, and i left word, if any applied, as they often do, coming here from other cities, that i wanted to see them. how many are there?" tom asked of the messenger. "two, this time. they both say they're good mechanics." "that's what they all say," interposed tom, with a smile. "but, though they may be good mechanics in their own line, they need to have special qualifications to work on airships. tell them to wait, rodney," tom went on to the lad, "and i'll see them presently." as the boy went away, and tom closed the door, he turned to lieutenant marbury. "you were about to give me another warning when that interruption came. you might complete it now." "yes, it was another warning," spoke the officer, "and one i hope you will heed. it concerns yourself, personally." "do you mean he is in danger?" asked ned quickly. "that's exactly what i do mean," was the prompt reply. "in danger of personal injury, if not something worse." tom did not seem as alarmed as he might reasonably have been under the circumstances. "danger, eh?" he repeated coolly. "on the part of whom?" "that's just where i can't warn you," the officer replied. "i can only give you that hint, and beg of you to be careful." "do you mean you are not allowed to tell?" asked ned. "no, indeed; it isn't that!" the lieutenant hastened to assure the young man. "i would gladly tell, if i knew. but this plot, like the other one, directed against the inventions themselves, is so shrouded in mystery that i cannot get to the bottom of it. "our secret service men have been working on it for some time, not only in order to protect you, because of what you have done for the government, but because uncle sam wishes to protect his own property, especially the searchlight and the big cannon. but, though our agents have worked hard, they have not been able to get any clues that would put them on the right trail. "so we can only warn you to be careful, and this i do in all earnestness. that was part of my errand in coming here, though, of course, i am anxious to inspect the new aerial warship you have constructed. so watch out for two things--your inventions, and, more than all, your life!" "do you really think they would do me bodily harm?" tom asked, a trifle skeptical. "i certainly do. these foreign spies are desperate. if they cannot secure the use of these inventions to their own country, they are determined not to let this country have the benefit of them." "well, i'll be careful," tom promised. "i'm no more anxious than anyone else to run my head into danger, and i certainly don't want any of my shops or inventions destroyed. the fire in the red shed was as close as i want anything to come." "that's right!" agreed ned. "and, if there's anything i can do, tom, don't hesitate to call on me." "all right, old man. i won't forget. and now, perhaps, you would like to see the mars," he said to the lieutenant. "i certainly would," was the ready answer. "but hadn't you better see those men who are waiting to find out about positions here?" "there's no hurry about them," tom said. "we have applicants every day, and it's earlier than the hour when i usually see them. they can wait. now i want your opinion on my new craft. but, you must remember that it is not yet completed, and only recently did i begin to solve the problem of mounting the guns. so be a little easy with your criticisms." followed by ned and lieutenant marbury, tom led the way into the big airship shed. there, swaying about at its moorings, was the immense aerial warship. to ned's eyes it looked complete enough, but, when tom pointed out the various parts, and explained to the government officer how it was going to work, ned understood that considerable yet remained to be done on it. tom showed his official guest how a new system of elevation and depressing rudders had been adopted, how a new type of propeller was to be used and indicated several other improvements. the lower, or cabin, part of the aircraft could be entered by mounting a short ladder from the ground, and tom took ned and lieutenant marbury through the engine-room and other compartments of the mars. "it certainly is most complete," the officer observed. "and when you get the guns mounted i shall be glad to make an official test. you understand," he went on, to tom, "that we are vitally interested in the guns, since we now have many aircraft that can be used purely for scouting purposes. what we want is something for offense, a veritable naval terror of the seas." "i understand," tom answered. "and i am going to begin work on mounting the guns at once. i am going to use the newton recoil check," he added. "ned, here, is responsible for that." "is that so?" asked the lieutenant, as tom clapped his chum on the back. "yes, that's his invention." "oh, it isn't anything of the sort," ned objected. "i just--" "yes, he just happened to solve the problem for me!" interrupted tom, as he told the story of the door-spring. "a good idea!" commented lieutenant marbury. tom then briefly described the principle on which his aerial warship would work, explaining how the lifting gas would raise it, with its load of crew, guns and explosives, high into the air; how it could then be sent ahead, backward, to either side, or around in a circle, by means of the propellers and the rudders, and how it could be raised or lowered, either by rudders or by forcing more gas into the lifting bags, or by letting some of the vapor out. and, while this was being done by the pilot or captain in charge, the crew could be manning the guns with which hostile airships would be attacked, and bombs dropped on the forts or battleships of the enemy. "it seems very complete," observed the lieutenant. "i shall be glad when i can give it an official test." "which ought to be in about a week," tom said. "meanwhile i shall be glad if you will be my guest here." and so that was arranged. leaving ned and the lieutenant to entertain each other, tom went to see the mechanics who had applied for places. he found them satisfactory and engaged them. one of them had worked for him before. the other was a stranger, but he had been employed in a large aeroplane factory, and brought good recommendations. there followed busy days at the swift plant, and work was pushed on the aerial warship. the hardest task was the mounting of the guns, and equipping them with the recoil check, without which it would be impossible to fire them with the craft sailing through the air. but finally one of the big guns, and two of the smaller ones were in place, with the apparatus designed to reduce the recoil shock, and then tom decided to have a test of the mars. "up in the air, do you mean?" asked ned, who was spending all his spare time with his chum. "well, a little way up in the air, at least," tom answered. "i'll make a sort of captive balloon of my craft, and see how she behaves. i don't want to take too many chances with that new recoil check, though it seems to work perfectly in theory." the day came when, for the first time, the mars was to come out of the big shed where she had been constructed. the craft was not completed for a flight as yet, but could be made so in a few days, with rush work. the roof of the great shed slid back, and the big envelope containing the buoyant gas rose slowly upward. there was a cry of surprise from the many workmen in the yard, as they saw, most of them for the first time, the wonderful new craft. it did not go up very high, being held in place with anchor ropes. the sun glistened on the bright brass and nickel parts, and glinted from the gleaming barrels of the quick-firing guns. "that's enough!" tom called to the men below, who were paying out the ropes from the windlasses. "hold her there." tom, ned, lieutenant marbury and mr. damon were aboard the captive mars. looking about, to see that all was in readiness, tom gave orders to load the guns, blank charges being used, of course. the recoil apparatus was in place, and it now remained to see if it would do the work for which it was designed. "all ready?" asked the young inventor. "bless my accident insurance policy!" exclaimed mr. damon. "i'm as ready as ever i shall be, tom. let 'em go!" "hold fast!" cried tom, as he prepared to press the electrical switch which would set off the guns. ned and lieutenant marbury stood near the indicators to notice how much of the recoil would be neutralized by the check apparatus. "here we go!" cried the young inventor, and, at the same moment, from down below on the ground, came a warning cry: "don't shoot, massa tom. don't shoot! mah mule, boomerang--" but eradicate had spoken too late. tom pressed the switch; there was a deafening crash, a spurt of flame, and then followed wild cries and confused shouts, while the echoes of the reports rolled about the hills surrounding shopton. chapter x the new men "what was the matter down there?" "was anyone hurt?" "don't forget to look at those pressure gauges!" "bless my ham sandwich!" thus came the cries from those aboard the captive mars. ned, lieutenant marbury and tom had called out in the order named. and, of course, i do not need to tell you what remark mr. damon made. tom glanced toward where ned and the government man stood, and saw that they had made notes of the pressure recorded on the recoil checks directly after the guns were fired. mr. damon, blessing innumerable objects under his breath, was looking over the side of the rail to discover the cause of the commotion and cries of warning from below. "i don't believe it was anything serious, tom," said the odd man. "no one seems to be hurt." "look at eradicate!" suddenly exclaimed ned. "and his mule! i guess that's what the trouble was, tom!" they looked to where the young bank employee pointed, and saw the old colored man, seated on the seat of his ramshackle wagon, doing his best to pull down to a walk the big galloping mule, which was dragging the vehicle around in a circle. "whoa, dere!" eradicate was shouting, as he pulled on the lines. "whoa, dere! dat's jest laik yo', boomerang, t' run when dere ain't no call fo' it, nohow! ef i done wanted yo' t' git a move on, yo'd lay down 'side de road an' go to sleep. whoa, now!" but the noise of the shots had evidently frightened the long-eared animal, and he was in no mood for stopping, now that he had once started. it was not until some of the workmen ran out from the group where they had gathered to watch tom's test, and got in front of boomerang, that they succeeded in bringing him to a halt. eradicate climbed slowly down from the seat, and limped around until he stood in front of his pet. "yo'--yo're a nice one, ain't yo'?" he demanded in sarcastic tones. "yo' done enough runnin' in a few minutes fo' a week ob sundays, an' now i won't be able t' git a move out ob ye! i'se ashamed ob yo', dat's what i is! puffickly ashamed ob yo'. go 'long, now, an' yo' won't git no oats dish yeah day! no sah!" and, highly indignant, eradicate led the now slowly-ambling mule off to the stable. "i won't shoot again until you have him shut up, rad!" laughed tom. "i didn't know you were so close when i set off those guns." "dat's all right, massa tom," was the reply. "i done called t' you t' wait, but yo' didn't heah me, i 'spects. but it doan't mattah, now. shoot all yo' laik, boomerang won't run any mo' dis week. he done runned his laigs off now. shoot away!" but tom was not quite ready to do this. he wanted to see what effect the first shots had had on his aerial warship, and to learn whether or not the newly devised recoil check had done what was expected of it. "no more shooting right away," called the young inventor. "i want to see how we made out with the first round. how did she check up, ned?" "fine, as far as i can tell." "yes, indeed," added lieutenant marbury. "the recoil was hardly noticeable, though, of course, with the full battery of guns in use, it might be more so." "i hope not," answered tom. "i haven't used the full strength of the recoil check yet. i can tune it up more, and when i do, and when i have it attached to all the guns, big and little, i think we'll do the trick. but now for a harder test." the rest of that day was spent in trying out the guns, firing them with practice and service charges, though none of the shells used contained projectiles. it would not have been possible to shoot these, with the mars held in place in the midst of tom's factory buildings. "well, is she a success, tom?" asked ned, when the experimenting was over for the time being. "i think i can say so--yes," was the answer, with a questioning look at the officer. "indeed it is--a great success! we must give the newton shock absorber due credit." ned blushed with pleasure. "it was only my suggestion," he said. "tom worked it all out." "but i needed the suggestion to start with," the young inventor replied. "of course something may develop when you take your craft high in the air, and discharge the guns there," said the lieutenant. "in a rarefied atmosphere the recoil check may not be as effective as at the earth's surface. but, in such case doubtless, you can increase the strength of the springs and the hydrostatic valves." "yes, i counted on that," tom explained. "i shall have to work out that formula, though, and be ready for it. but, on the whole, i am pretty well satisfied." "and indeed you may well feel that way," commented the government official. the mars was hauled back into the shed, and the roof slid shut over the craft. much yet remained to do on it, but now that tom was sure the important item of armament was taken care of, he could devote his entire time to the finishing touches. as his plant was working on several other pieces of machinery, some of it for the united states government, and some designed for his own use, tom found himself obliged to hire several new hands. an advertisement in a new york newspaper brought a large number of replies, and for a day or two tom was kept busy sifting out the least desirable, and arranging to see those whose answers showed they knew something of the business requirements. meanwhile lieutenant marbury remained as tom's guest, and was helpful in making suggestions that would enable the young inventor to meet the government's requirements. "i'd like, also, to get on the track of those spies who, i am sure, wish to do you harm," said the lieutenant, "but clues seem to be scarce around here." "they are, indeed," agreed tom. "i guess the way in which we handled that fire in the red shed sort of discouraged them." lieutenant marbury shook his head. "they're not so easily discouraged as that," he remarked. "and, with the situation in europe growing more acute every day, i am afraid some of those foreigners will take desperate measures to gain their ends." "what particular ends do you mean?" "well, i think they will either try to so injure you that you will not be able to finish this aerial warship, or they will damage the craft itself, steal your plans, or damage some of your other inventions." "but what object would they have in doing such a thing?" tom wanted to know. "how would that help france, germany or russia, to do me an injury?" "they are seeking to strike at the united states through you," was the answer. "they don't want uncle sam to have such formidable weapons as your great searchlight, the giant cannon, or this new warship of the clouds." "but why not, as long as the united states does not intend to go to war with any of the foreign nations?" tom inquired. "no, it is true we do not intend to go to war with any of the conflicting european nations," admitted lieutenant marbury, "but you have no idea how jealous each of those foreign nations is of all the others. each one fears that the united states will cease to be neutral, and will aid one or the other." "oh, so that's it?" exclaimed tom. "yes, each nation, which may, at a moments notice, be drawn into a war with one or more rival nations, fears that we may throw in our lot with its enemies." "and, to prevent that, they want to destroy some of my inventions?" asked tom. "that's the way i believe it will work out. so you must be careful, especially since you have taken on so many new men." "that's so," agreed the young inventor. "i have had to engage more strangers than ever before, for i am anxious to get the mars finished and give it a good test. and, now that you have mentioned it, there are some of those men of whom i am a bit suspicious." "have they done anything to make you feel that way?" asked the lieutenant. "well, not exactly; it is more their bearing, and the manner in which they go about the works. i must keep my eye on them, for it takes only a few discontented men to spoil a whole shop full. i will be on my guard." "and not only about your new airship and other inventions," said the officer, "but about yourself, personally. will you do that?" "yes, though i don't imagine anything like that will happen." "well, be on your guard, at all events," warned lieutenant marbury. as tom had said, he had been obliged to hire a number of new men. some of these were machinists who had worked for him, or his father, on previous occasions, and, when tasks were few, had been dismissed, to go to other shops. these men, tom felt sure, could be relied upon. but there were a number of others, from new york, and other large cities, of whom tom was not so sure. "you have more foreigners than i ever knew you to hire before, tom," his father said to him one day, coming back from a tour of the shops. "yes, i have quite a number," tom admitted. "but they are all good workmen. they stood the test." "yes, some of them are too good," observed the older inventor. "i saw one of them making up a small motor the other day, and he was winding the armature a new way. i spoke to him about it, and he tried to prove that his way was an improvement on yours. why, he'd have had it short-circuited in no time if i hadn't stopped him." "is that so?" asked tom. "that is news to me. i must look into this." "are any of the new men employed on the mars?" mr. swift asked. "no, not yet, but i shall have to shift some there from other work i think, in order to get finished on time." "well, they will bear watching i think," his father said. "why, have you seen anything--do you--" began the young man, for mr. swift had not been told of the suspicions of the lieutenant. "oh, it isn't anything special," the older inventor went on. "only i wouldn't let a man i didn't know much about get too much knowledge of my latest invention." "i won't, dad. thanks for telling me. this latest craft is sure going to be a beauty." "then you think it will work, tom?" "i'm sure of it, dad!" mr. swift shook his head in doubt. chapter xi a day off tom swift pondered long and intently over what his father had said to him. he sat for several minutes in his private office, after the aged inventor had passed out, reviewing in his mind the talk just finished. "i wonder," said tom slowly, "if any of the new men could have obtained work here for the purpose of furthering that plot the lieutenant suspects? i wonder if that could be true?" and the more tom thought of it, the more he was convinced that such a thing was at least possible. "i must make a close inspection, and weed out any suspicious characters," he decided, "though i need every man i have working now, to get the mars finished in time. yes, i must look into this." tom had reached a point in his work where he could leave much to his helpers. he had several good foremen, and, with his father to take general supervision over more important details, the young inventor had more time to himself. of course he did not lay too many burdens on his father's shoulders since mr. swift's health was not of the best. but tom's latest idea, the aerial warship, was so well on toward completion that his presence was not needed in that shop more than two or three times a day. "when i'm not there i'll go about in the other shops, and sort of size up the situation," he decided. "i may be able to get a line on some of those plotters, if there are any here." lieutenant marbury had departed for a time, to look after some personal matters, but he was to return inside of a week, when it was hoped to give the aerial warship its first real test in flight, and under some of the conditions that it would meet with in actual warfare. as tom was about to leave his office, to put into effect his new resolution to make a casual inspection of the other shops, he met koku, the giant, coming in. koku's hands and face were black with oil and machine filings. "well, what have you been doing?" tom wanted to know. "did you have an accident?" for koku had no knowledge of machinery, and could not even be trusted to tighten up a simple nut by himself. but if some one stood near him, and directed him how to apply his enormous strength, koku could do more than several machines. "no accident, master," he replied. "i help man lift that hammer-hammer thing that pounds so. it get stuck!" "what, the hammer of the drop forger?" cried tom. "was that out of order again?" "him stuck," explained koku simply. there was an automatic trip-hammer in one of the shops, used for pounding out drop forgings, and this hammer seemed to take especial delight in getting out of order. very often it jammed, or "stuck," as koku described it, and if the hammer could not be forced back on the channel or upright guide-plates, it meant that it must be taken apart, and valuable time lost. once koku had been near when the hammer got out of order, and while the workmen were preparing to dismantle it, the giant seized the big block of steel, and with a heave of his mighty shoulders forced it back on the guides. "and is that what you did this time?" asked tom. "yes, master. me fix hammer," koku answered. "i get dirty, i no care. man say i no can fix. i show him i can!" "what man said that?" "man who run hammer. ha! i lift him by one finger! he say he no like to work on hammer. he want to work on airship. i tell him i tell you, maybe you give him job--he baby! koku can work hammer. me fix it when it get stuck." "well, maybe you know what you're talking about, but i don't," said tom, with a pleasant smile at his big helper. "come on, koku, we'll go see what it all means." "koku work hammer, maybe?" asked the giant hope fully. "well, i'll see," half promised tom. "if it's going to get out of gear all the while it might pay me to keep you at it so you could get it back in place whenever it kicked up a fuss, and so save time. i'll see about it." koku led the way to the shop where the triphammer was installed. it was working perfectly now, as tom could tell by the thundering blows it struck. the man operating it looked up as tom approached, and, at a gesture from the young inventor, shut off the power. "been having trouble here?" asked tom, noting that the workman was one of the new hands he had hired. "yes, sir, a little," was the respectful answer. "this hammer goes on a strike every now and then, and gets jammed. your giant there forced it back into place, which is more than i could do with a big bar for a lever. he sure has some muscle." "yes," agreed tom, "he's pretty strong. but what's this you said about wanting to give up this job, and go on the airship construction." the man turned red under his coat of grime. "i didn't intend him to repeat that to you, mr. swift," he said. "i was a little put out at the way this hammer worked. i lose so much time at it that i said i'd like to be transferred to the airship department. i've worked in one before. but i'm not making a kick," he added quickly. "work is too scarce for that." "i understand," said tom. "i have been thinking of making a change. koku seems to like this hammer, and knows how to get it in order once it gets off the guides. you say you have had experience in airship construction?" "yes, sir. i've worked on the engines, and on the planes." "know anything about dirigible balloons?" "yes, i've worked on them, too, but the engineering part is my specialty. i'm a little out of my element on a trip-hammer." "i see. well, perhaps i'll give you a trial. meanwhile you might break koku in on operating this machine. if i transfer you i'll put him on this hammer." "thank you, mr. swift! i'll show him all i know about it. oh, there goes the hammer again!" he exclaimed, for, as he started it up, as tom turned away, the big piece of steel once more jammed on the channel-plates. "me fix!" exclaimed the giant eagerly, anxious for a chance to exhibit his great strength. "wait a minute!" exclaimed tom. "i want to get a look at that machine." he inspected it carefully before he signaled for koku to force the hammer back into place. but, if tom saw anything suspicious, he said nothing. there was, however, a queer look on his face as he turned aside, and he murmured to himself, as he walked away: "so you want to be transferred to the airship department, do you? well, we'll see about that. we'll see." tom had more problems to solve than those of making an aerial warship that would be acceptable to the united states government. ned newton called on his chum that evening. the two talked of many things, gradually veering around to the subject uppermost in tom's mind--his new aircraft. "you're thinking too much of that." ned warned him. "you're as bad as the time you went for your first flight." "i suppose i am," admitted tom. "but the success of the mars means a whole lot to me. and that's something i nearly forgot. i've got to go out to the shop now. want to come along, ned?" "sure, though i tell you that you're working too hard--burning the electric light at both ends." "this is just something simple," tom said. "it won't take long." he went out, followed by his chum. "but this isn't the way to the airship shed," objected the young bank clerk, as he noted in which direction tom was leading him. "i know it isn't," tom replied. "but i want to look at one of the trip-hammers in the forge shop when none of the men is around. i've been having a little trouble there." "trouble!" exclaimed his chum. "has that plot lieutenant marbury spoke of developed?" "not exactly. this is something else," and tom told of the trouble with the big hammer. "i had an idea," the young inventor said, "that the man at the machine let it get out of order purposely, so i'd change him. i want to see if my suspicions are correct." tom carefully inspected the hammer by the light of a powerful portable electric lamp ned held. "ha! there it is!" tom suddenly exclaimed. "something wrong?" ned inquired. "yes. this is what's been throwing the hammer off the guides all the while," and tom pulled out a small steel bolt that had been slipped into an oil hole. a certain amount of vibration, he explained to ned, would rattle the bolt out so that it would force the hammer to one side, throwing it off the channel-plates, and rendering it useless for the time being. "a foxy trick," commented tom. "no wonder the machine got out of kilter so easily." "do you think it was done purposely?" "well, i'm not going to say. but i'm going to watch that man. he wants to be transferred to the airship department. he put this in the hammer, perhaps, to have an excuse for a change. well, i'll give it to him." "you don't mean that you'd take a fellow like that and put him to work on your new aerial warship, do you, tom?" "yes, i think i will, ned. you see, i look at it this way: i haven't any real proof against him now. he could only laugh at me if i accused him. but you've heard the proverb about giving a calf rope enough and he'll hang himself, haven't you?" "i think i have." "well, i'm going to give this fellow a little rope. i'll transfer him, as he asks, and i'll keep a close watch on him." "but won't it be risky?" "perhaps, but no more so than leaving him in here to work mischief. if he is hatching a plot, the sooner it's over with the better i shall like it. i don't like a shot to hang fire. i'm warned now, and i'll be ready for him. i have a line on whom to suspect. this is the first clue," and tom held up the incriminating bolt. "i think you're taking too big a risk, tom," his chum said. "why not discharge the man?" "because that might only smooth things over for a time. if this plot is being laid the sooner it comes to a head, and breaks, the better. have it done, short, sharp and quick, is my motto. yes, i'll shift him in the morning. oh, but i wish it was all over, and the mars was accepted by uncle sam!" and tom put his hand to his head with a tired gesture. "say, old man!" exclaimed ned, "what you want is a day off, and i'm going to see that you get it. you need a little vacation." "perhaps i do," assented tom wearily. "then you'll have it!" cried ned. "there's going to be a little picnic to-morrow. why can't you go with mary nestor? she'd like you to take her, i'm sure. her cousin, helen randall, is on from new york, and she wants to go, also." "how do you know?" asked tom quickly. "because she said so," laughed ned. "i was over to the house to call. i have met helen before, and i suggested that you and i would take the two girls, and have a day off. you'll come, won't you?" "well, i don't know," spoke tom slowly. "i ought to--" "nonsense! give up work for one day!" urged ned. "come along. it'll do you good--get the cobwebs out of your head." "all right, i'll go," assented tom, after a moment's thought. the next day, having instructed his father and the foremen to look well to the various shops, and having seen that the work on the new aerial warship was progressing favorably, tom left for a day's outing with his chum and the two girls. the picnic was held in a grove that surrounded a small lake, and after luncheon the four friends went for a ride in a launch tom hired. they went to the upper end of the lake, in rather a pretty but lonesome locality. "tom, you look tired," said mary. "i'm sure you've been working too hard!" "why, i'm not working any harder than usual," tom insisted. "yes, he is, too!" declared ned, "and he's running more chances, too." "chances?" repeated mary. "oh, that's all bosh!" laughed tom. "come on, let's go ashore and walk." "that suits me," spoke ned. helen and mary assented, and soon the four young persons were strolling through the shady wood. after a bit the couples became separated, and tom found himself walking beside mary in a woodland path. the girl glanced at her companion's face, and ventured: "a penny for your thoughts, tom." "they're worth more than that," he replied gallantly. "i was thinking of--you." "oh, how nicely you say it!" she laughed. "but i know better! you're puzzling over some problem. tell me, what did ned mean when he hinted at danger? is there any, tom?" "none at all," he assured her. "it's just a sort of notion--" mary made a sudden gesture of silence. "hark!" she whispered to tom, "i heard someone mention your name then. listen!" chapter xii a night alarm mary nestor spoke with such earnestness, and her action in catching hold of tom's arm to enjoin silence was so pronounced that, though he had at first regarded the matter in the light of a joke, he soon thought otherwise. he glanced from the girl's face to the dense underbrush on either side of the woodland path. "what is it, mary?" he asked in a whisper. "i don't just know. i heard whispering, and thought it was the rustling of the leaves of the trees. then someone spoke your name quite loudly. didn't you hear it?" tom shook his head in negation. "it may be ned and his friend," he whispered, his lips close to mary's ear. "i think not," was her answer. "listen; there it is again." distinctly then, tom heard, from some opening in the screen of bushes, his own name spoken. "did you hear it?" asked mary, barely forming the words with her lips. but tom could read their motion. "yes," he nodded. then, motioning to mary to remain where she was, he stepped forward, taking care to tread only on grassy places where there were no little twigs or branches to break and betray his presence. he was working his way toward the sound of the unseen voice. there was a sudden movement in the bushes, just beyond the spot tom was making for. he halted quickly and peered ahead. mary, too, was looking on anxiously. tom saw the forms of two men, partially concealed by bushes, walking away from him. the men took no pains to conceal their movements, so tom was emboldened to advance with less caution. he hurried to where he could get a good view, and, at the sight of one of the men, he uttered an exclamation. "what is it?" asked mary, who was now at his side. she had seen that tom had thrown aside caution, and she had come up to join him. "that man--i know him!" the young inventor exclaimed. "it is feldman--the one who wanted to be changed from the trip-hammer to the airship department. but who is that with him?" as tom spoke the other turned, and at the sight of his face mary nestor said: "he looks like a frenchman, with that little mustache and imperial." "so he is!" exclaimed tom, in a hoarse whisper. "he must be the frenchman that eradicate spoke about. i wonder what this can mean? i didn't know feldman had left the shop." "you may know what you're talking about, but i don't, tom," said mary, with a smile at her companion. "are they friends of yours?" "hardly," spoke the young inventor dryly. "that one, feldman, is one of my workmen. he had charge of a drop-forge press and trip-hammer that--" "spare me the details, tom!" interrupted mary. "you know i don't understand a thing about machinery. the wireless you erected on earthquake island was as much as i could comprehend." "well, a trip-hammer isn't as complicated as that," spoke tom, with a laugh, as he noticed that the two men were far enough away so they could not hear him. "what i was going to say was, that one of those men works in our shops. the other i don't know, but i agree with you that he does look like a frenchman, and old eradicate had a meeting with a man whom he described as being of that nationality." "and you say they are not friends of yours?" "i have no reason to believe they are." "then they must be enemies!" exclaimed mary with quick intuition. "oh, tom, you will be careful, won't you?" "of course i will, little girl," he said, a note of fondness creeping into his voice, as he covered the small hand with his own large one. "but there is no danger." "then why were these men discussing you?" "i don't know that they were, mary." "they mentioned your name." "well, that may be. probably one of them, feldman, who works for me, was speaking to his companion about the chance for a position. my father and i employ a number of men, you know." "well, i suppose it is all right, tom, and i surely hope it is. but you will be careful, won't you? and you look more worried than you used to. has anything gone wrong?" "not a thing, little girl. everything is going fine. my new aerial warship will soon make a trial flight, and i'd be pleased to have you as a passenger." "would you really, tom?" "of course. consider that you have the first invitation." "that's awfully nice of you. but you do look worried, tom. has anything troubled you?" "no, not much. everything is going all right now. we did have a little trouble at a fire in one of my buildings--" "a fire! oh, tom! you never told me!" "well, it didn't amount to much--the only suspicious fact about it was that it seemed to have been of incendiary origin." mary seemed much alarmed, and again begged tom to be on his guard, which he promised to do. had mary known the warnings uttered by lieutenant marbury she might have had more occasion for worry. "do you suppose that hammer man of yours came to these woods to meet that frenchman and talk about you, tom?" asked his companion, when the two men had strolled out of sight, and the young people were on their way back to the launch. "well, it's possible. i have been warned that foreign spies are trying to get hold of some of my patents, and also to hamper the government in the use of some others i have sold. but they'll have their own troubles to get away with anything. the works are pretty well guarded, and you forget i have the giant, koku, who is almost a personal bodyguard." "yes, but he can't be everywhere at once. oh, you will be careful, won't you, tom?" "yes, mary, i will," promised the young inventor. "but don't say anything to ned about what we just saw and heard." "why not?" "because he's been at me to hire a couple of detectives to watch over me, and this would give him another excuse. just don't say anything, and i'll adopt all the precautions i think are needful." "i will on condition that you do that." "and i promise i will." with that mary had to be content. a little later they joined ned and his friend, and soon they were moving swiftly down the lake in the launch. "well, hasn't it done you good to take a day off?" ned demanded of his chum, when they were on their homeward way. "yes, i think it has," agreed tom. "you swung your thoughts into a new channel, didn't you?" "oh, yes, i found something new to think about," admitted the young inventor, with a quick look at mary. but, though tom thus passed off lightly the little incident of the day, he gave it serious thought when he was alone. "those fellows were certainly talking about me," he reasoned. "i wonder what for? and feldman left the shop without my knowledge. i'll have to look into that. i wonder if that frenchy looking chap i saw was the one who tried to pump eradicate? another point to settle." the last was easily disposed of, for, on reaching his shops that afternoon, tom cross-questioned the colored man, and obtained a most accurate description of the odd foreigner. it tallied in every detail with the man tom had seen in the woods. "and now about feldman," mused tom, as he went to the foreman of the shop where the suspected man had been employed. "yes, feldman asked for a day off," the foreman said in response to tom's question. "he claimed his mother was sick, and he wanted to go to see her. i knew you wouldn't object, as we were not rushed in his department." "oh, that's all right," said tom quickly. "did he say where his mother lived?" "over lafayette way." "humph!" murmured tom. to himself he added: "queer that he should be near lake loraine, in an opposite direction from lafayette. this will bear an investigation." the next day tom made it his business to pass near the hammer that was so frequently out of order. he found feldman busy instructing koku in its operation. tom resolved on a little strategy. "how is it working, feldman?" he asked. "very well, mr. swift. there doesn't seem to be any trouble at all, but it may happen any minute. koku seems to take to it like a duck to water." "well, when he is ready to assume charge let me know." "and then am i to go into the aeroplane shop?" "i'll see. by the way, how is your mother?" he asked quickly, looking feldman full in the face. "she is much better. i took a day off yesterday to go to see her," the man replied quietly enough, and without sign of embarrassment. "that's good. let me see, she lives over near lake loraine, doesn't she?" this time feldman could not repress a start. but he covered it admirably by stooping over to pick up a tool that fell to the floor. "no, my mother is in lafayette," he said. "i don't know where lake loraine is." "oh," said tom, as he turned aside to hide a smile. he was sure now he knew at least one of the plotters. but tom was not yet ready to show his hand. he wanted better evidence than any he yet possessed. it would take a little more time. work on the aerial warship was rushed, and it seemed likely that a trial flight could be made before the date set. lieutenant marbury sent word that he would be on hand when needed, and in some of the shops, where fittings for the mars were being made, night and day shifts were working. "well, if everything goes well, we'll take her for a trial flight to-morrow," said tom, coming in from the shops one evening. "guns and all?" asked ned, who had come over to pay his chum a visit. mr. damon was also on hand, invoking occasional blessings. "guns and all," replied tom. ned had a little vacation from the bank, and was to stay all night, as was mr. damon. what time it was, save that it must be near midnight, tom could not tell, but he was suddenly awakened by hearing yells from eradicate: "massa tom! massa tom!" yelled the excited colored man. "git up! git up! suffin' turrible am happenin' in de balloon shop. hurry! an' yo' stan' still, boomerang, or i'll twist yo' tail, dat's what i will! hurry, massa tom!" tom leaped out of bed. chapter xiii the capture tom swift was something like a fireman. he had lived so long in an atmosphere of constant alarms and danger, that he was always ready for almost any emergency. his room was equipped with the end in view that he could act promptly and effectively. so, when he heard eradicate's alarm, though he wondered what the old colored man was doing out of bed at that hour, tom did not stop to reason out that puzzle. he acted quickly. his first care was to throw on the main switch, connected with a big storage battery, and to which were attached the wires of the lighting system. this at once illuminated every shop in the plant, and also the grounds themselves. tom wanted to see what was going on. the use of a storage battery eliminated the running of the dynamo all night. and once he had done this, tom began pulling on some clothes and a pair of shoes. at the same time he reached out with one hand and pressed a button that sounded an alarm in the sleeping quarters of koku, the giant, and in the rooms of some of the older and most trusted men. all this while eradicate was shouting away, down in the yard. "massa tom! massa tom!" he called. "hurry! hurry! dey is killin' koku!" "killing koku!" exclaimed tom, as he finished his hasty dressing. "then my giant must already be in the fracas. i wonder what it's all about, anyhow." "what's up, tom?" came ned's voice from the adjoining room. "i thought i heard a noise." "your thoughts do you credit, ned!" tom answered. "if you listen right close, you'll hear several noises." "by jove! you're right, old man!" tom could hear his chum bound out of bed to the floor, and, at the same time, from the big shed where tom was building his aerial warship came a series of yells and shouts. "that's koku's voice!" tom exclaimed, as he recognized the tones of the giant. "i'm coming, tom!" ned informed his chum. "wait a minute." "no time to wait," tom replied, buttoning his coat as he sped down the hall. "oh, tom, what is it?" asked mrs. baggert, the housekeeper, looking from her room. "i don't know. but don't let dad get excited, no matter what happens. just put him off until i come back. i think it isn't anything serious." mr. damon, who roomed next to ned, came out of his own apartment partially dressed. "bless my suspenders!" he cried to tom, those articles just then dangling over his hips. "what is it? what has happened? bless my steam gauge, don't tell me it's a fire!" "i think it isn't that," tom answered. "no alarm has rung. koku seems to be in trouble." "well, he's big enough to look after himself, that's one consolation," chuckled mr. damon. "i'll be right with you." by this time ned had run out into the hall, and, together, he and tom sped down the corridor. they could not hear the shouts of eradicate so plainly now, as he was on the other side of the house. but when the two young men reached the front porch, they could hear the yells given with redoubled vigor. and, in the glare of the electric lights, tom saw eradicate leading along boomerang, the old mule. "what is it, rad? what is it?" demanded the young inventor breathlessly. "trouble, massa tom! dat's what it am! trouble!" "i know that--but what kind?" "de worstest kind, i 'spects, massa tom. listen to it!" from the interior of the big shed, not far from the house, tom and ned heard a confused jumble of shouts, cries and pleadings, mingled with the rattle of pieces of metal, and the banging of bits of wood. and, above all that, like the bellowing of a bull, was noted the rumbling voice of koku, the giant. "come on, ned!" tom cried. "it's suah trouble, all right," went on eradicate. "mah mule, boomerang, had a touch ob de colic, an' i got up t' gib him some hot drops an' walk him around, when i heard de mostest terrific racket-sound, and den i 'spected trouble was comm." "it isn't coming--it's here!" called tom, as he sped toward the big shop. ned was but a step behind him. the big workshop where the aerial warship was being built was, like the other buildings, brilliantly illuminated by the lights tom had switched on. the young inventor also saw several of his employees speeding toward the same point. tom was the first to reach the small door of the shed. this was built in one of the two large main doors, which could be swung open when it was desired to slide the mars in from the ground, and not admit it through the roof. "look!" cried tom, pointing. ned looked over his chum's shoulder and saw the giant, koku, struggling with four men--powerful men they were, too, and they seemed bent on mischief. for they came at koku from four sides, seeking to hold his hands and feet so that he could not fight them back. on the floor near where the struggle was taking place was a coil of rope, and it was evident that it had been the intention of the men to overcome koku and truss him up, so that he would not interfere with what they intended to do. but koku was a match for even the four men, powerful as they were. "we're here, koku!" cried tom. "watch for an opening, ned!" he called to his chum. the sound of tom's voice disconcerted at least two of the attackers, for they looked around quickly, and this was fatal to their chances. though such a big man, koku was exceptionally quick, and no sooner did he see his advantage, as two of the men turned their gaze away from him, than he seized it. suddenly tearing loose his hands from the grip of the two men who had looked around, koku shot out his right and left fists, and secured good hold on the necks of two of his enemies. the other two, at his back, were endeavoring to pull him over, but the giant's sturdy legs still held. so big was koku's hands that they almost encircled the necks of his antagonists. then happened a curious thing. with a shout that might have done credit to some ancient cave-dweller of the stone age, koku spread out his mighty arms, and held apart the two men he had grasped. in vain they struggled to free themselves from that terrible grip. their faces turned purple, and their eyes bulged out. "he's choking them to death!" shouted ned. but koku was not needlessly cruel. a moment later, with a quick and sudden motion he bent his arms, bringing toward each other the two men he held as captives. their heads came together with a dull thud, and a second later koku allowed two limp bodies to slip from his grip to the floor. "he's done for them!" tom cried. "knocked them unconscious. good for you, koku!" the giant grunted, and then, with a quick motion, slung himself around, hoping to bring the enemies at his back within reach of his powerful arms. but there was no need of this. as soon as the other two ruffians had seen their companions fall to the floor of the shop they turned and fled, leaping from an open window. "there they go!" cried ned. "some of the other men can chase them," said the young inventor. "we'll tie up the two koku has captured." as he approached nearer to the unconscious captives tom uttered a cry of surprise, for he recognized them as two of the new men he had employed. "what can this mean?" he asked wonderingly. he glanced toward the window through which the two men had jumped to escape, and he was just in time to see one of them run past the open door. the face of this one was under a powerful electric light, and tom at once recognized the man as feldman, the worker who had had so much trouble with the trip-hammer. "this sure is a puzzle," marveled tom. "my own men in the plot! but why did they attack koku?" the giant, bending over the men he had knocked unconscious by beating their heads together, seemed little worse for the attack. "we tie 'em up," he said grimly, as he brought over the rope that had been intended for himself. chapter xiv the first flight little time was lost in securing the two men who had been so effectively rendered helpless by koku's ready, if rough, measures. one of them was showing signs of returning consciousness now, and tom, not willing to inflict needless pain, even on an enemy, told one of his men, summoned by the alarm, to bring water. soon the two men opened their eyes, and looked about them in dazed fashion. "did--did anything hit me?" asked one meekly. "it must have been a thunderbolt," spoke the other dreamily. "but it didn't look like a storm." "oh, dere was a storm, all right," chuckled eradicate, who, having left his mule, boomerang outside, came into the shed. "it was a giant storm all right." the men put their hands to their heads, and seemed to comprehend. they looked at the rope that bound their feet. their forearms had been loosened to allow them to take a drink of water. "what does this mean--ransom--kurdy?" asked tom sternly, when the men seemed able to talk. "did you attack koku?" "it looks as though he had the best of us, whether we did or not," said the man tom knew as kurdy. "whew, how my head aches!" "me sorry," said koku simply. "not half as sorry as we are," returned ransom ruefully. "what does it mean?" asked tom sternly. "there were four of you. feldman and one other got away." "oh, trust feldman for getting away," sneered kurdy. "he always leaves his friends in the lurch." "was this a conspiracy?" demanded tom. the two captives looked at one another, sitting bound on the floor of the shop, their backs against some boxes. "i guess it's all up, and we might as well make a clean breast of it," admitted kurdy. "perhaps it would be better," said tom quietly. "eradicate," he went on, to the colored man, "go to the house and tell mrs. baggert that everything is all right and no one hurt." "no one hurt, massa tom? what about dem dere fellers?" and the colored man pointed to the captives. "well, they're not hurt much," and tom permitted himself a little smile. "i don't want my father to worry. tell him everything is all right." "all right, massa tom. i'se gwine right off. i'se got t' look after mah mule, boomerang, too. i'se gwine," and he shuffled away. "who else besides feldman got away?" asked tom, looking alternately at the prisoners. they hesitated a moment about answering. "we might as well give up, i tell you," spoke kurdy to ransom. "all right, go ahead, we'll have to take our medicine. i might have known it would turn out this way--going in for this sort of thing. it's the first bit of crooked business i ever tried," the man said earnestly, "and it will be the last--believe me!" "who was the fourth man?" tom repeated. "harrison," answered kurdy, naming one of the most efficient of the new machinists tom had hired during the rush. "harrison, who has been working on the motor?" cried the young inventor. "yes," said ransom. "i'm sorry to learn that," tom went on in a low voice. "he was an expert in his line. but what was your object, anyhow, in attacking koku?" "we didn't intend to attack him," explained ransom, "but he came in when we were at work, and as he went for us we tried to stand him off. then your colored man heard the racket, and--well, i guess you know the rest." "but i don't understand why you came into this shed at night," went on tom. "no one is allowed in here. you had no right, and koku knew that. what did you want?" "look here!" exclaimed kurdy, "i said we'd make a clean breast of it, and we will. we're only a couple of tools, and we were foolish ever to go in with those fellows; or rather, in with that frenchman, who promised us big money if we succeeded." "succeeded in what?" demanded the young inventor. "in damaging your new aerial warship, or in getting certain parts of it so he could take them away with him." tom gave a surprised whistle. "a frenchman!" he exclaimed. "is he one of the--?" "yes, he's one of the foreign spies," interrupted ransom. "you'd find it out, anyhow, if we didn't tell you. they are after you, tom swift, and after your machines. they had vowed to get them by fair means or foul, for some of the european governments are desperate." "but we were only tools in their hands. so were feldman and harrison, but they knew more about the details. we were only helping them." "then we must try to capture them," decided tom. "ned, see if the chase had any results. i'll look after these chaps--koku and i." "oh, we give in," admitted kurdy. "we know when we've had enough," and he rubbed his head gently where the giant had banged it against that of his fellow-conspirator. "do you mean that you four came into this shop, at midnight, to damage the mars?" asked tom. "that's about it, mr. swift," replied kurdy rather shamefacedly. "we were to damage it beyond repair, set fire to the whole place, if need be, and, at the same time, take away certain vital parts. "harrison, feldman, ransom and i came in, thinking the coast was clear. but koku must have seen us enter, or he suspected we were here, for he came in after us, and the fight began. we couldn't stop him, and he did for us. i'm rather glad of it, too, for i never liked the work. it was only that they tempted me with a promise of big money." "who tempted you?" demanded tom. "that frenchman--la foy, he calls himself, and some other foreigners in your shops." "are there foreigners here?" cried tom. "bless my chest protector!" cried mr. damon, who had come in and had been a silent listener to this. "can it be possible?" "that's the case," went on kurdy. "a lot of the new men you took on are foreign spies from different european nations. they are trying to learn all they can about your plans, mr. swift!" "are they friendly among themselves?" asked tom. "no; each one is trying to get ahead of the other. so far the frenchman seems to have had the best of it. but to-night his plan failed." "tell me more about it," urged tom. "that's about all we know," spoke ransom. "we were only hired to do the rough work. those higher up didn't appear. feldman was only a step above us." "then my suspicions of him were justified," thought tom. "he evidently met la foy in the woods to make plans. but koku and eradicate spoiled them." the two captives seemed willing enough to make a confession, but they did not know much. as they said, they were merely tools, acting for others. and events had happened just as they had said. the four conspirators had managed, by means of a false key, and by disconnecting the burglar alarm, to enter the airship shed. they were about to proceed with their work of destruction when koku came on the scene. the giant's appearance was due to accident. he acted as a sort of night watchman, making a tour of the buildings, but he entered the shed where the mars was because, that day, he had left his knife in there, and wanted to get it. only for that he would not have gone in. when he entered he surprised the four men. of course he attacked them at once, and they sprang at him. then ensued a terrific fight. eradicate, arising to doctor his mule, as he had said, heard the noise, and saw what was going on. he gave the alarm. "well, ned, any luck?" asked tom, as his chum came in. "no, they got away, tom. i had a lot of your men out helping me search the grounds, but it wasn't of much use." "particularly if you depended on some of my men," said tom bitterly. "what do you mean?" "i mean that the place is filled with spies, ned! but we will sift them out in the morning. this has been a lucky night for me. it was touch and go. now, then, koku, take these fellows and lock them up somewhere until morning. ned, you and i will remain on guard here the rest of the night." "i'm with you, tom." "will you be a bit easy on us, considering what we told you?" asked kurdy. "i'll do the best i can," said tom, gently, making no promises. the two captives were put in secure quarters, and the rest of the night passed quietly. during the fight in the airship shed some machinery and tools had been broken, but no great amount of damage was done. tom and ned passed the remaining hours of darkness there. a further search was made in the morning for the two conspirators who had escaped, but no trace of them was found. tom then realized why feldman was so anxious to be placed in the aeroplane department--it was in order that he might have easier access to the mars. a technical charge was made against the two prisoners, sufficient to hold them for some time. then tom devoted a day to weeding out the suspected foreigners in his place. all the new men were discharged, though some protested against this action. "probably i am hitting some of the innocent in punishing those who, if they had the chance, would become guilty," tom said to his chum, "but it cannot be helped--i can't afford to take any chances." the mars was being put in shape for her first flight. the guns, fitted with the recoil shock absorbers, were mounted, and lieutenant marbury had returned to go aloft in the big aerial warship. he congratulated tom on discovering at least one plot in time. "but there may be more," he warned the young inventor. "you are not done with them yet." the mars was floated out of her hangar, and made ready for an ascent. tom, ned, lieutenant marbury, mr. damon, and several workmen were to be the first passengers. tom was busy going over the various parts to see that nothing had been forgotten. "well, i guess we're ready," he finally announced. "all aboard!" "bless my insurance policy!" exclaimed mr. damon. "now that the time comes i almost wish i wasn't going." "nonsense!" exclaimed tom. "you're not going to back out at the last minute. all aboard! cast off the ropes!" he cried to the assistants. a moment later the mars, the biggest airship tom swift had ever constructed, arose from the earth like some great bird, and soared aloft. chapter xv in danger "well, tom, we're moving!" cried ned newton, clapping his chum on the back, as he stood near him in the pilot-house. "we're going up, old sport!" "of course we are," replied tom. "you didn't think it wouldn't go up, did you?" "well, i wasn't quite sure," ned confessed. "you know you were so worried about--" "not about the ship sailing," interrupted tom. "it was only the effect the firing of the guns might have. but i think we have that taken care of." "bless my pin cushion!" cried mr. damon, as he looked over the rail at the earth below. "we're moving fast, tom." "yes, we can make a quicker ascent in this than in most aeroplanes," tom said, "for they have to go up in a slanting direction. but we can't quite equal their lateral speed." "just how fast do you think you can travel when you are in first-class shape?" asked lieutenant marbury, as he noted how the mars was behaving on this, the first trip. "well, i set a limit of seventy-five miles an hour," the young inventor replied, as he shifted various levers and handles, to change the speed of the mechanism. "but i'm afraid we won't quite equal that with all our guns on board. but i'm safe in saying sixty, i think." "that will more than satisfy the government requirements," the officer said. "but, of course, your craft will have to come up to expectations and requirements in the matter of armament." "i'll give you every test you want," declared tom, with a smile. "and now we'll see what the mars can do when put to it." up and up went the big dirigible aerial warship. had you been fortunate enough to have seen her you would have observed a craft not unlike, in shape, the german zeppelins. but it differed from those war balloons in several important particulars. tom's craft was about six hundred feet long, and the diameter of the gas bag, amidships, was sixty feet, slightly larger than the largest zeppelin. below the bag, which, as i have explained, was made up of a number of gas-tight compartments, hung from wire cables three cabins. the forward one was a sort of pilot-house, containing various instruments for navigating the ship of the air, observation rooms, gauges for calculating firing ranges, and the steering apparatus. amidships, suspended below the great bag, were the living and sleeping quarters, where food was cooked and served and where those who operated the craft could spend their leisure time. extra supplies were also stored there. at the stern of the big bag was the motor-room, where gas was generated to fill the balloon compartments when necessary, where the gasoline and electrical apparatus were installed, and where the real motive power of the craft was located. here, also, was carried the large quantity of gasoline and oil needed for a long voyage. the mars could carry sufficient fuel to last for over a week, provided no accidents occurred. there was also an arrangement in the motor compartment, so that the ship could be steered and operated from there. this was in case the forward pilot-house should be shot away by an enemy. and, also, in the motor compartment were the sleeping quarters for the crew. all three suspended cabins were connected by a long covered runway, so that one could pass from the pilot-house to the motor-room and back again through the amidship cabin. at the extreme end of the big bag were the various rudders and planes, designed to keep the craft on a level keel, automatically, and to enable it to make headway against a strong wind. the motive power consisted of three double-bladed wooden propellers, which could be operated together or independently. a powerful gasoline engine was the chief motive power, though there was an auxiliary storage battery, which would operate an electrical motor and send the ship along for more than twenty-four hours in case of accident to the gasoline engine. there were many other pieces of apparatus aboard, some not completely installed, the uses of which i shall mention from time to time, as the story progresses. the gas-generating machine was of importance, for there would be a leakage and shrinking of the vapor from the big bag, and some means must be provided for replenishing it. "you don't seem to have forgotten anything, tom," said ned admiringly, as they soared upward. "we can tell better after we've flown about a bit," observed the young inventor, with a smile. "i expect we shall have to make quite a number of changes." "are you going far?" asked mr. damon. "why, you're not frightened, are you?" inquired tom. "you have been up in airships with me before." "oh, no, i'm not frightened!" exclaimed the odd man. "bless my suspenders, no! but i promised my wife i'd be back this evening, and..." "we'll sail over toward waterford," broke in tom, "and i'll drop you down in your front yard." "no, don't do that! don't! i beg of you!" cried mr. damon. "you see--er--tom, my wife doesn't like me to make these trips. of course, i understand there is no danger, and i like them. but it's just as well not to make her worry-you understand!" "oh, all right," replied tom, with a laugh. "well, we're not going far on this trip. what i want to do, most of all, is to test the guns, and see if the recoil check will work as well when we are aloft as it did down on the ground. you know a balloon isn't a very stable base for a gun, even one of light caliber." "no, it certainly is not," agreed lieutenant marbury, "and i am interested in seeing how you will overcome the recoil." "we'll have a test soon," announced tom. meanwhile the mars, having reached a considerable height, being up so far, in fact, that the village of shopton could scarcely be distinguished, tom set the signal that told the engine-room force to start the propellers. this would send them ahead. some of tom's most trusted workmen formed the operating crew, the young inventor taking charge of the pilot-house himself. "well she seems to run all right," observed lieutenant marbury, as the big craft surged ahead just below a stratum of white, fleecy clouds. "yes, but not as fast as i'd like to see her go," tom replied. "of course the machinery is new, and it will take some little time for it to wear down smooth. i'll speed her up a little now." they had been running for perhaps ten minutes when tom shoved over the hand of an indicator that communicated with the engine-room from the pilot-house. at once the mars increased her speed. "she can do it!" cried ned. "bless my-hat! i should say so!" cried mr. damon, for he was standing outside the pilot-house just then, on the "bridge," and the sudden increase of speed lifted his hat from his head. "there you are--caught on the fly!" cried ned, as he put up his hand just in time to catch the article in question. "thanks! guess i'd better tie it fast," remarked the odd man, putting his hat on tightly. the aerial warship was put through several evolutions to test her stability, and to each one she responded well, earning the praise of the government officer. up and down, to one side and the other, around in big circles, and even reversing, tom sent his craft with a true hand and eye. in a speed test fifty-five miles was registered against a slight wind, and the young inventor said he knew he could do better than that as soon as some of the machinery was running more smoothly. "and now suppose we get ready for the gun tests," suggested tom, when they had been running for about an hour. "that's what i'm mostly interested in," said lieutenant marbury. "it's easy enough to get several good types of dirigible balloons, but few of them will stand having a gun fired from them, to say nothing of several guns." "well, i'm not making any rash promises," tom went on, "but i think we can turn the trick." the armament of the mars was located around the center cabin. there were two large guns, fore and aft, throwing a four-inch projectile, and two smaller calibered quick-firers on either beam. the guns were mounted on pedestals that enabled the weapons to fire in almost any direction, save straight up, and of course the balloon bag being above them prevented this. however, there was an arrangement whereby a small automatic quick-firer could be sent up to a platform built on top of the gas envelope itself, and a man stationed there could shoot at a rival airship directly overhead. but the main deck guns could be elevated to an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, so they could take care of nearly any hostile aircraft that approached. "but where are the bombs i heard you speaking of?" asked ned, as they finished looking at the guns. "here they are," spoke tom, as he pointed to a space in the middle of the main cabin floor. he lifted a brass plate, and disclosed three holes, covered with a strong wire netting that could be removed. "the bombs will be dropped through those holes," explained the young inventor, "being released by a magnetic control when the operator thinks he has reached a spot over the enemy's city or fortification where the most damage will be done. i'll show you how they work a little later. now we'll have a test of some of the guns." tom called for some of his men to take charge of the steering and running of the mars while he and lieutenant marbury prepared to fire the two larger weapons. this was to be one of the most important tests. service charges had been put in, though, of course, no projectiles would be used, since they were then flying over a large city not far from shopton. "we'll have to wait until we get out over the ocean to give a complete test, with a bursting shell," tom said. he and lieutenant marbury were beside a gun, and were about to fire it, when suddenly, from the stern of the ship, came a ripping, tearing sound, and, at the same time, confused shouts came from the crew's quarters. "what is it?" cried tom. "one of the propellers!" was the answer. "it's split, and has torn a big hole in the gas bag!" "bless my overshoes!" cried mr. damon. "we're going down!" all on board the mars became aware of a sudden sinking sensation. chapter xvi tom is worried "steady, all!" came in even tones from tom swift. not for an instant had he lost his composure. for it was an accident, that much was certain, and one that might endanger the lives of all on board. above the noise of the machinery in the motor room could be heard the thrashing and banging of the broken or loose propeller-blade. just what its condition was, could not be told, as a bulge of the gas bag hid it from the view of those gathered about the gun, which was about to be fired when the alarm was given. "we're sinking!" cried mr. damon. "we're going down, tom!" "that's nothing," was the cool answer. "it is only for a moment. only a few of the gas compartments can be torn. there will soon enough additional gas in the others to lift us again." and so it proved. the moment the pressure of the lifting gas in the big oiled silk and aluminum container was lowered, it started the generating machine, and enough extra gas was pumped into the uninjured compartments to compensate for the loss. "we're not falling so fast now," observed ned. "no, and we'll soon stop falling altogether," calmly declared tom. "too bad this accident had to happen, though." "it might have been much worse, my boy!" exclaimed the lieutenant. "that's a great arrangement of yours--the automatic gas machine." "it's on the same principle as the air brakes of a trolley car," explained tom, when a look at the indicators showed that the mars had ceased falling and remained stationary in the air. tom had also sent a signal to the engine-room to shut off the power, so that the two undamaged propellers, as well as the broken one, ceased revolving. "in a trolley car, you see," tom went on, when the excitement had calmed down, "as soon as the air pressure in the tanks gets below a certain point, caused by using the air for a number of applications of the brakes, it lets a magnetized bar fall, and this establishes an electrical connection, starting the air pump. the pump forces more air into the tanks until the pressure is enough to throw the pump switch out of connection, when the pump stops. i use the same thing here." "and very clever it is," said mr. damon. "do you suppose the danger is all over, tom?" "for the time being, yes. but we must unship that damaged propeller, and go on with the two." the necessary orders were given, and several men from the engine-room at once began the removal of the damaged blades. as several spare ones were carried aboard one could be put on in place of the broken one, had this been desired. but tom thought the accident a good chance to see how his craft would act with only two-thirds of her motive force available, so he did not order the damaged propeller replaced. when it was lowered to the deck it was carefully examined. "what made it break?" ned wanted to know. "that's a question i can't answer," tom replied. "there may have been a defect in the wood, but i had it all carefully examined before i used it." the propeller was one of the "built-up" type, with alternate layers of ash and mahogany, but some powerful force had torn and twisted the blades. the wood was splintered and split, and some jagged pieces, flying off at a tangent, so great was the centrifugal force, had torn holes in the strong gas bag. "did something hit it; or did it hit something?" asked ned as he saw tom carefully examining the broken blades. "hard to say. i'll have a good look at this when we get back. just now i want to finish that gun test we didn't get a chance to start." "you don't mean to say you're going to keep on, and with the balloon damaged; are you?" cried mr. damon, in surprise. "certainly--why not?" tom replied. "in warfare accidents may happen, and if the mars can't go on, after a little damage like this, what is going to happen when she's fired on by a hostile ship? of course i'm going on!" "bless my necktie!" ejaculated the odd man. "that's the way to talk!" exclaimed lieutenant marbury. "i'm with you." there really was very little danger in proceeding. the mars was just as buoyant as before, for more gas had been automatically made, and forced into the uninjured compartments of the bag. at the same time enough sand ballast had been allowed to run out to make the weight to be lifted less in proportion to the power remaining. true, the speed would be less, with two propellers instead of three, and the craft would not steer as well, with the torn ends of the gas bag floating out behind. but this made a nearer approach to war conditions, and tom was always glad to give his inventions the most severe tests possible. so, after a little while, during which it was seen that the mars was proceeding almost normally, the matter of discharging the guns was taken up again. the weapons were all ready to fire, and when tom had attached the pressure gauges to note how much energy was expended in the recoil, he gave the word to fire. the two big weapons were discharged together, and for a moment after the report echoed out among the cloud masses every soul on the ship feared another accident had happened. for the big craft rolled and twisted, and seemed about to turn turtle. her forward progress was halted, momentarily, and a cry of fear came from several of the members of the crew, who had had only a little experience in aircraft. "what's the matter?" cried ned. "something go wrong?" "a little," admitted tom, with a rueful look on his face. "those recoil checks didn't work as well in practice as they did in theory." "are you sure they are strong enough?" asked lieutenant marbury. "i thought so," spoke tom. "i'll put more tension on the spring next time." "bless my watch chain!" cried mr. damon. "you aren't going to fire those guns again; are you, tom?" "why not? we can't tell what's the matter, nor get things right without experimenting. there's no danger." "no danger! don't you call nearly upsetting the ship danger?" "oh, well, if she turns over she'll right herself again," tom said. "the center of gravity is low, you see. she can't float in any position but right side up, though she may turn over once or twice." "excuse me!" said mr. damon firmly. "i'd rather go down, if it's all the same to you. if my wife ever knew i was here i'd never hear the last of it!" "we'll go down soon," tom promised. "but i must fire a couple of shots more. you wouldn't call the recoil checks a success, would you?" and the young inventor appealed to the government inspector. "no, i certainly would not," was the prompt answer. "i am sorry, too, for they seemed to be just what was needed. of course i understand this is not an official test, and i am not obliged to make a report of this trial. but had it been, i should have had to score against you. "i realize that, and i'm not asking any favors, but i'll try it again with the recoil checks tightened up. i think the hydrostatic valves were open too much, also." preparations were now made for firing the four-inch guns once more. all this while the mars had been speeding around in space, being about two miles up in the air. tom's craft was not designed to reach as great an elevation as would be possible in an aeroplane, since to work havoc to an enemy's fortifications by means of aerial bombs they do not need to be dropped from a great height. in fact, experiments in germany have shown that bombs falling from a great height are less effective than those falling from an airship nearer the earth. for a bomb, falling from a height of two miles, acquires enough momentum to penetrate far into the earth, so that much of the resultant explosive force is expended in a downward direction, and little damage is done to the fortifications. a bomb dropped from a lower altitude, expending its force on all sides, does much more damage. on the other hand, in destroying buildings, it has been found desirable to drop a bomb from a good height so that it may penetrate even a protected roof, and explode inside. once more tom made ready to fire, this time having given the recoil checks greater resistance. but though there was less motion imparted to the airship when the guns were discharged, there was still too much for comfort, or even safety. "well, something's wrong, that's sure," remarked tom, in rather disappointed tones as he noted the effect of the second shots. "if we get as much recoil from the two guns, what would happen if we fired them all at once?" "don't do it! don't do it, i beg of you!" entreated mr. damon. "bless my toothbrush--don't do it!" "i won't--just at present," tom said, ruefully. "i'm afraid i'll have to begin all over again, and proceed along new lines." "well, perhaps you will," said the lieutenant. "but you may invent something much better than anything you have now. there is no great rush. take your time, and do something good." "oh, i'll get busy on it right away," tom declared. "we'll go down now, and start right to work. i'm afraid, ned, that our idea of a door-spring check isn't going to work." "i might have known my idea wouldn't amount to anything," said the young bank clerk. "oh, the idea is all right," declared tom, "but it wants modifying. there is more power to those recoils than i figured, though our first experiments seemed to warrant us in believing that we had solved the problem." "are you going to try the bomb-dropping device?" asked the lieutenant. "yes, there can't be any recoil from that," tom said. "i'll drop a few blank ones, and see how accurate the range finders are." while his men were getting ready for this test tom bent over the broken propeller, looking from that to the recoil checks, which had not come up to expectations. then he shook his head in a worried and puzzled manner. chapter xvii an ocean flight dropping bombs from an aeroplane, or a dirigible balloon, is a comparatively simple matter. of course there are complications that may ensue, from the danger of carrying high explosives in the limited quarters of an airship, with its inflammable gasoline fuel, and ever-present electric spark, to the possible premature explosion of the bomb itself. but they seem to be considered minor details now. on the other hand, while it is comparatively easy to drop a bomb from a moving aeroplane, or dirigible balloon, it is another matter to make the bomb fall just where it will do the most damage to the enemy. it is not easy to gauge distances, high up in the air, and then, too, allowance must be made for the speed of the aircraft, the ever-increasing velocity of a falling body, and the deflection caused by air currents. the law of velocity governing falling bodies is well known. it varies, of course, according to the height, but in general a body falling freely toward the earth, as all high-school boys know, is accelerated at the rate of thirty-two feet per second. this law has been taken advantage of by the french in the present european war. the french drop from balloons, or aeroplanes, a steel dart about the size of a lead pencil, and sharpened in about the same manner. dropping from a height of a mile or so, that dart will acquire enough velocity to penetrate a man from his head all the way through his body to his feet. but in dropping bombs from an airship the damage intended does not so much depend on velocity. it is necessary to know how fast the bomb falls in order to know when to set the time fuse that will explode it; though some bombs will explode on concussion. at aeroplane meets there are often bomb-dropping contests, and balls filled with a white powder (that will make a dust-cloud on falling, and so show where they strike) are used to demonstrate the birdman's accuracy. "we'll see how our bomb-release works," tom went on. "but we'll have to descend a bit in order to watch the effect." "you're not going to use real bombs, are you, tom?" asked ned. "indeed not. just chalk-dust ones for practice. now here is where the bombs will be placed," and he pointed to the three openings in the floor of the amidship cabin. the wire nettings were taken out and one could look down through the holes to the earth below, the ground being nearer now, as tom had let out some of the lifting gas. "here is the range-finder and the speed calculator," the young inventor went on as he indicated the various instruments. "the operator sits here, where he can tell when is the most favorable moment for releasing the bomb." tom took his place before a complicated set of instruments, and began manipulating them. one of his assistants, under the direction of lieutenant marbury, placed in the three openings bombs, made of light cardboard, just the size of a regular bomb, but filled with a white powder that would, on breaking, make a dust-cloud which could be observed from the airship. "i have first to determine where i want to drop the bomb," tom explained, "and then i have to get my distance from it on the range-finder. next i have to know how fast i am traveling, and how far up in the air i am, to tell what the velocity of the falling bomb will attain at a certain time. this i can do by means of these instruments, some of which i have adapted from those used by the government," he said, with a nod to the officer. "that's right--take all the information you can get," was the smiling response. "we will now assume that the bombs are in place in the holes in the floor of the cabin," tom went on. "as i sit here i have before me three buttons. they control the magnets that hold the bombs in place. if i press one of the buttons it breaks the electrical current, the magnet no longer has any attraction, and it releases the explosive. now look down. i am going to try and drop a chalk bomb near that stone fence." the mars was then flying over a large field and a stone fence was in plain view. "here she goes!" cried tom, as he made some rapid calculations from his gauge instruments. there was a little click and the chalk bomb dropped. there was a plate glass floor in part of the cabin, and through this the progress of the pasteboard bomb could be observed. "she'll never go anywhere near the fence!" declared ned. "you let it drop too soon, tom!" "did i? you just watch. i had to allow for the momentum that would be given the bomb by the forward motion of the balloon." hardly had tom spoken than a puff of white was seen on the very top of the fence. "there it goes?" cried the lieutenant. "you did the trick, swift!" "yes, i thought i would. well, that shows my gauges are correct, anyhow. now we'll try the other two bombs." in succession they were released from the bottom of the cabin, at other designated objects. the second one was near a tree. it struck within five feet, which was considered good. "and i'll let the last one down near that scarecrow in the field," said tom, pointing to a ragged figure in the middle of a patch of corn. down went the cardboard bomb, and so good was the aim of the young inventor that the white dust arose in a cloud directly back of the scarecrow. and then a queer thing happened. for the figure seemed to come to life, and ned, who was watching through a telescope, saw a very much excited farmer looking up with an expression of the greatest wonder on his face. he saw the balloon over his head, and shook his fist at it, evidently thinking he had had a narrow escape. but the pasteboard bomb was so light that, had it hit him, he would not have been injured, though he might have been well dusted. "why, that was a man! bless my pocketbook!" cried mr. damon. "i guess it was," agreed tom. "i took it for a scarecrow." "well, it proved the accuracy of your aim, at any rate," observed lieutenant marbury. "the bomb dropping device of your aerial warship is perfect--i can testify to that." "and i'll have the guns fixed soon, so there will be no danger of a recoil, too," added tom swift, with a determined look on his face. "what's next?" asked mr. damon, looking at his watch. "i really ought to be home, tom." "we're going back now, and down. are you sure you don't want me to drop you in your own front yard, or even on your roof? i think i could manage that." "bless my stovepipe, no, tom! my wife would have hysterics. just land me at shopton and i'll take a car home." the damaged airship seemed little the worse for the test to which she had been subjected, and made her way at good speed in the direction of tom's home. several little experiments were tried on the way back. they all worked well, and the only two problems tom had to solve were the taking care of the recoil from the guns and finding out why the propeller had broken. a safe landing was made, and the mars once more put away in her hangar. mr. damon departed for his home, and lieutenant marbury again took up his residence in the swift household. "well, tom, how did it go?" asked his father. "not so very well. too much recoil from the guns." "i was afraid so. you had better drop this line of work, and go at something else." "no, dad!" tom cried. "i'm going to make this work. i never had anything stump me yet, and i'm not going to begin now!" "well, that's a good spirit to show," said the aged inventor, with a shake of his head, "but i don't believe you'll succeed, tom." "yes i will, dad! you just wait." tom decided to begin on the problem of the propeller first, as that seemed more simple. he knew that the gun question would take longer. "just what are you trying to find out, tom?" asked ned, a few nights later, when he found his chum looking at the broken parts of the propeller. "trying to discover what made this blade break up and splinter that way. it couldn't have been centrifugal force, for it wasn't strong enough." tom was "poking" away amid splinters, and bits of broken wood, when he suddenly uttered an exclamation, and held up something. "look!" he cried. "i believe i've found it." "what?" asked ned. "the thing that weakened the propeller. look at this, and smell!" he held out a piece of wood toward ned. the bank employee saw where a half-round hole had been bored in what remained of the blade, and from that hole came a peculiar odor. "it's some kind of acid," ventured ned. "that's it!" cried tom. "someone bored a hole in the propeller, and put in some sort of receptacle, or capsule, containing a corrosive acid. in due time, which happened to be when we took our first flight, the acid ate through whatever it was contained in, and then attacked the wood of the propeller blade. it weakened the wood so that the force used in whirling it around broke it." "are you sure of that?" asked ned. "as sure as i am that i'm here! now i know what caused the accident!" "but who would play such a trick?" asked ned. "we might all have been killed." "yes, i know we might," said tom. "it must be the work of some of those foreign spies whose first plot we nipped in the bud. i must tell marbury of this, but don't mention it to dad." "i won't," promised ned. lieutenant marbury agreed with tom that someone had surreptitiously bored a small hole in the propeller blade, and had inserted a corrosive acid that would take many hours to operate. the hole had been varnished over, probably, so it would not show. "and that means i've got to examine the other two blades," tom said. "they may be doctored too." but they did not prove to be. a careful examination showed nothing wrong. an effort was made to find out who had tried to destroy the mars in midair, but it came to nothing. the two men in custody declared they knew nothing of it, and there was no way of proving that they did. meanwhile, the torn gas bag was repaired, and tom began working on the problem of doing away with the gun recoil. he tried several schemes, and almost was on the point of giving up when suddenly he received a hint by reading an account of how the recoil was taken care of on some of the german zeppelins. the guns there were made double, with the extra barrel filled with water or sand, that could be shot out as was the regular charge. as both barrels were fired at the same time, and in opposite directions, with the same amount of powder, one neutralized the other, and the recoil was canceled, the ship remaining steady after fire. "by jove! i believe that will do the trick!" cried tom. "i'm going to try it." "good luck to you!" cried ned. it was no easy matter to change all the guns of the mars, and fit them with double barrels. but by working day and night shifts tom managed it. meanwhile, a careful watch was kept over the shops. several new men applied for work, and some of them were suspicious enough in looks, but tom took on no new hands. finally the new guns were made, and tried with the mars held on the ground. they behaved perfectly, the shooting of sand or water from the dummy barrel neutralizing the shot from the service barrel. "and now to see how it works in practice!" cried tom one day. "are you with me for a long flight, ned?" "i sure am!" the next evening the mars, with a larger crew than before, and with tom, ned, mr. damon and lieutenant marbury aboard, set sail. "but why start at night?" asked ned. "you'll see in the morning," tom answered. the mars flew slowly all night, life aboard her, at about the level of the clouds, going on almost as naturally as though the occupants of the cabins were on the earth. excellent meals were served. "but when are you going to try the guns?" asked ned, as he got ready to turn in. "tell you in the morning," replied tom, with a smile. and, in the morning, when ned looked down through the plate glass in the cabin floor, he uttered a cry. "why, tom! we're over the ocean!" he cried. "i rather thought we'd be," was the calm reply. "i told george to head straight for the atlantic. now we'll have a test with service charges and projectiles!" chapter xviii in a storm surprise, for the moment, held mr. damon, ned and lieutenant marbury speechless. they looked from the heaving waters of the ocean below them to the young pilot of the mars. he smiled at their astonishment. "what--what does it mean, tom?" asked ned. "you never said you were going to take a trip as far as this." "that's right," chimed in mr. damon. "bless my nightcap! if i had known i was going to be brought so far away from home i'd never have come." "you're not so very far from waterford," put in tom. "we didn't make any kind of speed coming from shopton, and we could be back again inside of four hours if we had to." "then you didn't travel fast during the night?" asked the government man. "no, we just drifted along," tom answered. "i gave orders to run the machinery slowly, as i wanted to get it in good shape for the other tests that will come soon. but i told george, whom i left in charge when i turned in, to head for new york. i wanted to get out over the ocean to try the guns with the new recoil arrangement." "well, we're over the ocean all right," spoke ned, as he looked down at the heaving waters. "it isn't the first time," replied tom cheerfully. "koku, you may serve breakfast now," for the giant had been taken along as a sort of cook and waiter. koku manifested no surprise or alarm when he found the airship floating over the sea. whatever tom did was right to him. he had great confidence in his master. "no, it isn't the first time we've taken a water flight," spoke ned. "i was only surprised at the suddenness of it, that's all." "it's my first experience so far out above the water," observed lieutenant marbury, "though of course i've sailed on many seas. why, we're out of sight of land." "about ten miles out, yes," admitted tom. "far enough to make it safe to test the guns with real projectiles. that is what i want to do." "and we've been running all night?" asked mr. damon. "yes, but at slow speed. the engines are in better shape now than ever before," tom said. "well, if you're ready we'll have breakfast." the meal was served by koku with as much unconcern as though they were in the swift homestead back in shopton, instead of floating near the clouds. and while it was being eaten in the main cabin, and while the crew was having breakfast in their quarters, the aerial warship was moving along over the ocean in charge of george watson, one of tom's engineers, who was stationed in the forward pilot-house. "so you're going to give the guns a real test this time, is that it, tom?" asked ned, as he pushed back his plate, a signal that he had eaten enough. "that's about it." "but don't you think it's a bit risky out over the water this way. supposing something should--should happen?" ned hesitated. "you mean we might fall?" asked tom, with a smile. "yes; or turn upside down." "nothing like that could happen. i'm so sure that i have solved the problem of the recoil of the guns that i'm willing to take chances. but if any of you want to get off the mars while the test is being made, i have a small boat i can lower, and let you row about in that until--" "no, thank you!" interrupted mr. damon, as he looked below. there was quite a heavy swell on, and the ocean did not appear very attractive. they would be much more comfortable in the big mars. "i think you won't have any trouble," asserted lieutenant marbury. "i believe tom swift has the right idea about the guns, and there will be so small a shock from the recoil that it will not be noticeable." "we'll soon know," spoke tom. "i'm going to get ready for the test now." they were now well out from shore, over the atlantic, but to make certain no ships would be endangered by the projectiles, tom and the others searched the waters to the horizon with powerful glasses. nothing was seen and the work of loading the guns was begun. the bomb tubes, in the main cabin, were also to be given a test. as service charges were to be used, and as the projectiles were filled with explosives, great care was needed in handling them. "we'll try dropping bombs first," tom suggested. "we know they will work, and that will be so much out of the way." to make the test a severe one, small floating targets were first dropped overboard from the mars. then the aerial warship, circling about, came on toward them. tom, seated at the range-finders, pressed the button that released the shells containing the explosives. one after another they dropped into the sea, exploding as they fell, and sending up a great column of salt water. "every one a hit!" reported lieutenant marbury, who was keeping "score." "that's good," responded tom. "but the others won't be so easy. we have nothing to shoot at." they had to fire the other guns without targets at which to aim. but, after all, it was the absence of recoil they wanted to establish, and this could be done without shooting at any particular object. one after another the guns were loaded. as has been explained, they were now made double, one barrel carrying the projectile, and the other a charge of water. "are you ready?" asked tom, when it was time to fire. lieutenant marbury, ned and mr. damon were helping, by being stationed at the pressure gauges to note the results. "all ready," answered ned. "do you think we'd better put on life preservers, tom?" asked mr. damon. "nonsense! what for?" "in case--in case anything happens." "nothing will happen. look out now, i'm going to fire." the guns were to be fired simultaneously by means of an electric current, when tom pressed a button. "here they go!" exclaimed the young inventor. there was a moment of waiting, and then came a thundering roar. the mars trembled, but she did not shift to either side from an even keel. from one barrel of the guns shot out the explosive projectiles, and from the other spurted a jet of water, sent out by a charge of powder, equal in weight to that which forced out the shot. as the projectile was fired in one direction, and the water in one directly opposite, the two discharges neutralized one another. out flew the pointed steel shells, to fall harmlessly into the sea, where they exploded, sending up columns of water. "well!" cried tom as the echoes died away. "how was it?" "couldn't have been better," declared lieutenant marbury. "there wasn't the least shock of recoil. tom swift, you have solved the problem, i do believe! your aerial warship is a success!" "i'm glad to hear you say so. there are one or two little things that need changing, but i really think i have about what the united states government wants." "i am, also, of that belief, tom. if only--" the officer stopped suddenly. "well?" asked tom suggestively. "i was going to say if only those foreign spies don't make trouble." "i think we've seen the last of them," tom declared. "now we'll go on with the tests." more guns were fired, singly and in batteries, and in each case the mars stood the test perfectly. the double barrel had solved the recoil problem. for some little time longer they remained out over the sea, going through some evolutions to test the rudder control, and then as their present object had been accomplished tom gave orders to head back to shopton, which place was reached in due time. "well, tom, how was it?" asked mr. swift, for though his son had said nothing to his friends about the prospective test, the aged inventor knew about it. "successful, dad, in every particular." "that's good. i didn't think you could do it. but you did. i tell you it isn't much that can get the best of a swift!" exclaimed the aged man proudly. "oh, by the way, tom, here's a telegram that came while you were gone," and he handed his son the yellow envelope. tom ripped it open with a single gesture, and in a flash his eyes took in the words. he read: "look out for spies during trial flights." the message was signed with a name tom did not recognize. "any bad news?" asked mr. swift. "no--oh, no," replied tom, as he crumpled up the paper and thrust it into his pocket. "no bad news, dad." "well, i'm glad to hear that," went on mr. swift. "i don't like telegrams." when tom showed the message to lieutenant marbury, that official, after one glance at the signature, said: "pierson, eh? well, when he sends out a warning it generally means something." "who's pierson?" asked tom. "head of the secret service department that has charge of this airship matter. there must be something in the wind, tom." extra precautions were taken about the shops. strangers were not permitted to enter, and all future work on the mars was kept secret. nevertheless, tom was worried. he did not want his work to be spoiled just when it was about to be a success. for that it was a success, lieutenant marbury assured him. the government man said he would have no hesitation in recommending the purchase of tom's aerial warship. "there's just one other test i want to see made," he said. "what is that?" tom inquired. "in a storm. you know we can't always count on having good weather, and i'd like to see how she behaves in a gale." "you shall!" declared the young inventor. for the next week, during which finishing touches were put on the big craft, tom anxiously waited for signs of a storm. at last they came. danger signals were put up all along the coast, and warnings were sent out broadcast by the weather bureau at washington. one dull gray morning tom roused his friends early and announced that the mars was going up. "a big storm is headed this way," tom said, "and we'll have a chance to see how she behaves in it." and even as the flight began, the forerunning wind and rain came in a gust of fury. into the midst of it shot the big aerial warship, with her powerful propellers beating the moisture-laden air. chapter xix queer happenings "say, tom, are you sure you're all right?" "of course i am! what do you mean?" it was ned newton who asked the question, and tom swift who answered it. the chums were in the pilot-house of the dipping, swaying mars, which was nosing her way into the storm, fighting on an upward slant, trying, if possible, to get above the area of atmospheric disturbance. "well, i mean are you sure your craft will stand all this straining, pulling and hauling?" went on ned, as he clung to a brass hand rail, built in the side of the pilot-house wall for the very purpose to which it was now being put. "if she doesn't stand it she's no good!" cried tom, as he clung to the steering wheel, which was nearly torn from his hands by the deflections of the rudders. "well, it's taking a big chance, it seems to me," went on ned, as he peered through the rain-spotted bull's-eyes of the pilot-house. "there's no danger," declared tom. "i wanted to give the ship the hardest test possible before i formally offered her to the government. if she can't stand a blow like this she isn't what i thought her, and i'll have to build another. but i'm sure she will stand the racket, ned. she's built strongly, and even if part of the gas bag is carried away, as it was when our propeller shattered, we can still sail. if you think this is anything, wait until we turn about and begin to fight our way against the wind." "are you going to do that, tom?" "i certainly am. we're going with the gale now, to see what is the highest rate of speed we can attain. pretty soon i'm going to turn her around, and see if she can make any headway in the other direction. of course i know she won't make much, if any speed, against the gale; but i must give her that test." "well, tom, you know best, of course," admitted ned. "but to me it seems like taking a big risk." and indeed it did seem, not only to ned, but to some of the experienced men of tom's crew, that the young inventor was taking more chances than ever before, and tom, as my old readers well know, had, in his career, taken some big ones. the storm grew worse as the day progressed, until it was a veritable hurricane of wind and rain. the warnings of the weather bureau had not been exaggerated. but through the fierce blow the mars fought her way. as tom had said, she was going with the wind. this was comparatively easy. but what would happen when she headed into the storm? mr. damon, in the main cabin, sat and looked at lieutenant marbury, the eccentric man now and then blessing something as he happened to think of it. "do you--do you think we are in any danger?" he finally asked. "not at present," replied the government expert. "you mean we will be--later?" "it's hard to say. i guess tom swift knows his business, though." "bless my accident insurance policy!" murmured mr. damon. "i wish i had stayed home. if my wife ever hears of this--" he did not seem able to finish the sentence. in the engine-room the crew were busy over the various machines. some of the apparatus was being strained to keep the ship on her course in the powerful wind, and would be under a worse stress when tom turned his craft about. but, so far, nothing had given way, and everything was working smoothly. as hour succeeded hour and nothing happened, the timid ones aboard began to take more courage. tom never for a moment lost heart. he knew what his craft could do, and he had taken her up in a terrific storm with a definite purpose in view. he was the calmest person aboard, with the exception, perhaps, of koku. the giant did not seem to know what fear was. he depended entirely on tom, and as long as his young master had charge of matters the giant was content to obey orders. there was to be no test of the guns this time. they had worked sufficiently well, and, if need be, could have been fired in the gale. but tom did not want his men to take unnecessary risks, nor was he foolhardy himself. "we'll have our hands full when we turn around and head into the wind," he said to his chum. "that will be enough." "then you're really going to give the mars that test?" "i surely am. i don't want any comebacks from uncle sam after he accepts my aerial warship. i've guaranteed that she'll stand up and make headway against a gale, and i'm going to prove it." lieutenant marbury was told of the coming trial, and he prepared to take official note of it. while matters were being gotten in readiness tom turned the wheel over to his assistant pilot and went to the engine-room to see that everything was in good shape to cope with any emergency. the rudders had been carefully examined before the flight was made, to make sure they would not fail, for on them depended the progress of the ship against the powerful wind. "i rather guess those foreign spies have given up trying to do tom an injury," remarked ned to the lieutenant as they sat in the main cabin, listening to the howl of the wind, and the dash of the rain. "well, i certainly hope so," was the answer. "but i wouldn't be too sure. the folks in washington evidently think something is likely to happen, or they wouldn't have sent that warning telegram." "but we haven't seen anything of the spies," ned remarked. "no, but that isn't any sign they are not getting ready to make trouble. this may be the calm before the storm. tom must still be on the lookout. it isn't as though his inventions alone were in danger, for they would not hesitate to inflict serious personal injury if their plans were thwarted." "they must be desperate." "they are. but here comes tom now. he looks as though something new was about to happen." "take care of yourselves now," advised the young aero-inventor, as he entered the cabin, finding it hard work to close the door against the terrific wind pressure. "why?" asked ned. "because we are going to turn around and fight our way back against the gale. we may be turned topsy-turvy for a second or two." "bless my shoe-horn!" cried mr. damon. "do you mean upside down, tom?" "no, not that exactly. but watch out!" tom went forward to the pilot-house, followed by ned and the lieutenant. the latter wanted to take official note of what happened. tom relieved the man at the wheel, and gradually began to alter the direction of the craft. at first no change was noticeable. so strong was the force of the wind that it seemed as though the mars was going in the same direction. but ned, noticing a direction compass on the wall, saw that the needle was gradually shifting. "hold fast!" cried tom suddenly. then with a quick shift of the rudder something happened. it seemed as though the mars was trying to turn over, and slide along on her side, or as if she wanted to turn about and scud before the gale, instead of facing it. but tom held her to the reverse course. "can you get her around?" cried the lieutenant above the roar of the gale. "i--i'm going to!" muttered tom through his set teeth. inch by inch he fought the big craft through the storm. inch by inch the indicator showed the turning, until at last the grip of the gale was overcome. "now she's headed right into it!" cried tom in exultation. "she's nosing right into it!" and the mars was. there was no doubt of it. she had succeeded, under tom's direction, in changing squarely about, and was now going against the wind, instead of with it. "but we can't expect to make much speed," tom said, as he signaled for more power, for he had lowered it somewhat in making the turn. but tom himself scarcely had reckoned on the force of his craft, for as the propellers whirled more rapidly the aerial warship did begin to make headway, and that in the teeth of a terrific wind. "she's doing it, tom! she's doing it!" cried ned exultingly. "i believe she is," agreed the lieutenant. "well, so much the better," tom said, trying to be calm. "if she can keep this up a little while i'll give her a rest and we'll go up above the storm area, and beat back home." the mars, so far, had met every test. tom had decided on ten minutes more of gale-fighting, when from the tube that communicated with the engine-room came a shrill whistle. "see what that is, ned," tom directed. "yes," called ned into the mouthpiece. "what's the matter?" "short circuit in the big motor," was the reply. "we've got to run on storage battery. send tom back here! something queer has happened!" chapter xx the stowaways ned repeated the message breathlessly. "short circuit!" gasped tom. "run on storage battery! i'll have to see to that. take the wheel somebody!" "wouldn't it be better to turn about, and run before the wind, so as not to put too great a strain on the machinery?" asked lieutenant marbury. "perhaps," agreed tom. "hold her this way, though, until i see what's wrong!" ned and the government man took the wheel, while tom hurried along the runway leading from the pilot-house to the machinery cabin. the gale was still blowing fiercely. the young inventor cast a hasty look about the interior of the place as he entered. he sniffed the air suspiciously, and was aware of the odor of burning insulation. "what happened?" he asked, noting that already the principal motive power was coming from the big storage battery. the shift had been made automatically, when the main motor gave out. "it's hard to say," was the answer of the chief engineer. "we were running along all right, and we got your word to switch on more power, after the turn. we did that all right, and she was running as smooth as a sewing-machine, when, all of a sudden, she short-circuited, and the storage battery cut in automatically." "think you put too heavy a load on the motor?" tom asked. "couldn't have been that. the shunt box would have taken that up, and the circuit-breaker would have worked, saving us a burn-out, and that's what happened--a burn-out. the motor will have to be rewound." "well, no use trying to fight this gale with the storage battery," tom said, after a moment's thought. "we'll run before it. that's the easiest way. then we'll try to rise above the wind." he sent the necessary message to the pilot-house. a moment later the shift was made, and once more the mars was scudding before the storm. then tom gave his serious attention to what had happened in the engine room. as he bent over the burned-out motor, looking at the big shiny connections, he saw something that startled him. with a quick motion tom swift picked up a bar of copper. it was hot to the touch--so hot that he dropped it with a cry of pain, though he had let go so quickly that the burn was only momentary. "what's the matter?" asked jerry mound, tom's engineer. "matter!" cried tom. "a whole lot is the matter! that copper bar is what made the short circuit. it's hot yet from the electric current. how did it fall on the motor connections?" the engine room force gathered about the young inventor. no one could explain how the copper bar came to be where it was. certainly no one of tom's employees had put it there, and it could not have fallen by accident, for the motor connections were protected by a mesh of wire, and a hand would have to be thrust under them to put the bar in place. tom gave a quick look at his men. he knew he could trust them--every one. but this was a queer happening. for a moment tom did not know what to think, and then, as the memory of that warning telegram came to him, he had an idea. "were any strangers in this cabin before the start was made?" he asked mr. mound. "not that i know of," was the answer. "well, there may be some here now," tom said grimly. "look about." but a careful search revealed no one. yet the young inventor was sure the bar of copper, which had done the mischief of short-circuiting the motor, had been put in place deliberately. in reality there was no danger to the craft, since there was power enough in the storage battery to run it for several hours. but the happening showed tom he had still to reckon with his enemies. he looked at the height gauge on the wall of the motor-room, and noted that the mars was going up. in accordance with tom's instructions they were sending her above the storm area. once there, with no gale to fight, they could easily beat their way back to a point above shopton, and make the best descent possible. and that was done while, under tom's direction, his men took the damaged motor apart, with a view to repairing it. "what was it, tom?" asked ned, coming back to join his chum, after george ventor, the assistant pilot, had taken charge of the wheel. "i don't exactly know, ned," was the answer. "but i feel certain that some of my enemies came aboard here and worked this mischief." "your enemies came aboard?" "yes, and they must be here now. the placing of that copper bar proves it." "then let's make a search and find them, tom. it must be some of those foreign spies." "just what i think." but a more careful search of the craft than the one tom had casually made revealed the presence of no one. all the crew and helpers were accounted for, and, as they had been in tom's service for some time, they were beyond suspicion. yet the fact remained that a seemingly human agency had acted to put the main motor out of commission. tom could not understand it. "well, it sure is queer," observed ned, as the search came to nothing. "it's worse than queer," declared tom, "it's alarming! i don't know when i'll be safe if we have ghosts aboard." "ghosts?" repeated ned. "well, when we can't find out who put that bar in place i might as well admit it was a ghost," spoke tom. "certainly, if it was done by a man, he didn't jump overboard after doing it, and he isn't here now. it sure is queer!" ned agreed with the last statement, at any rate. in due time the mars, having fought her way above the storm, came over shopton, and then, the wind having somewhat died out, she fought her way down, and, after no little trouble, was housed in the hangar. tom cautioned his friends and workmen to say nothing to his father about the mysterious happening on board. "i'll just tell him we had a slight accident, and let it go at that," tom decided. "no use in causing him worry." "but what are you going to do about it?" asked ned. "i'm going to keep careful watch over the aerial warship, at any rate," declared tom. "if there's a hidden enemy aboard, i'll starve him out." accordingly, a guard, under the direction of koku, was posted about the big shed, but nothing came of it. no stranger was observed to sneak out of the ship, after it had been deserted by the crew. the mystery seemed deeper than ever. it took nearly a week to repair the big motor, and, during this time, tom put some improvements on the airship, and added the finishing touches. he was getting it ready for the final government test, for the authorities in washington had sent word that they would have captain warner, in addition to lieutenant marbury, make the final inspection and write a report. meanwhile several little things occurred to annoy tom. he was besieged with applications from new men who wanted to work, and many of these men seemed to be foreigners. tom was sure they were either spies of some european nations, or the agents of spies, and they got no further than the outer gate. but some strangers did manage to sneak into the works, though they were quickly detected and sent about their business. also, once or twice, small fires were discovered in outbuildings, but they were soon extinguished with little damage. extra vigilance was the watchword. "and yet, with all my precautions, they may get me, or damage something," declared tom. "it is very annoying!" "it is," agreed ned, "and we must be doubly on the lookout." so impressed was ned with the necessity for caution that he arranged to take his vacation at this time, so as to be on hand to help his chum, if necessary. the mars was nearing completion. the repaired motor was better than ever, and everything was in shape for the final test. mr. damon was persuaded to go along, and koku was to be taken, as well as the two government officials. the night before the trip the guards about the airship shed were doubled, and tom made two visits to the place before midnight. but there was no alarm. consequently, when the mars started off on her final test, it was thought that all danger from the spies was over. "she certainly is a beauty," said captain warner, as the big craft shot upward. "i shall be interested in seeing how she stands gun fire, though." "oh, she'll stand it," declared lieutenant marbury. the trip was to consume several days of continuous flying, to test the engines. a large supply of food and ammunition was aboard. it was after supper of the first day out, and our friends were seated in the main cabin laying out a program for the next day, when sudden yells came from a part of the motor cabin devoted to storage. koku, who had been sent to get out a barrel of oil, was heard to shout. "what's up?" asked tom, starting to his feet. he was answered almost at once by more yells. "oh, master! come quickly!" cried the giant. "there are many men here. there are stowaways aboard!" chapter xxi prisoners for a moment, after hearing koku's reply, neither tom nor his friends spoke. then ned, in a dazed sort of way, repeated: "stowaways!" "bless my--" began mr. damon, but that was as far as he got. from the engine compartment, back of the amidship cabin, came a sound of cries and heavy blows. the yells of koku could be heard above those of the others. then the door of the cabin where tom swift and his friends were was suddenly burst open, and seven or eight men threw themselves within. they were led by a man with a small, dark mustache and a little tuft of whiskers on his chin--an imperial. he looked the typical frenchman, and his words, snapped out, bore out that belief. what he said was in french, as tom understood, though he knew little of that language. also, what the frenchman said produced an immediate result, for the men following him sprang at our friends with overwhelming fierceness. before tom, ned, captain warner, mr. damon or lieutenant marbury could grasp any weapon with which to defend themselves, had their intentions been to do so, they were seized. against such odds little could be done, though our friends did not give up without a struggle. "what does this mean?" angrily demanded tom swift. "who are you? what are you doing aboard my craft? who are--" his words were lost in smothered tones, for one of his assailants put a heavy cloth over his mouth, and tied it there, gagging him. another man, with a quick motion, whipped a rope about tom's hands and feet, and he was soon securely bound. in like manner the others were treated, and, despite the struggles of mr. damon, the two government men and ned, they were soon put in a position where they could do nothing--helplessly bound, and laid on a bench in the main cabin, staring blankly up at the ceiling. each one was gagged so effectively that he could not utter more than a faint moan. of the riot of thoughts that ran through the heads of each one, i leave you to imagine. what did it all mean? where had the strange men come from? what did they mean by thus assaulting tom and his companions? and what had happened to the others of the crew--koku, jerry mound, the engineer, and george ventor, the assistant pilot? these were only a few of the questions tom asked himself, as he lay there, bound and helpless. doubtless mr. damon and the others were asking themselves similar questions. one thing was certain--whatever the stowaways, as koku had called them, had done, they had not neglected the mars, for she was running along at about the same speed, though in what direction tom could not tell. he strained to get a view of the compass on the forward wall of the cabin, but he could not see it. it had been a rough-and-tumble fight, by which our friends were made prisoners, but no one seemed to have been seriously, or even slightly, hurt. the invaders, under the leadership of the frenchman, were rather ruffled, but that was all. pantingly they stood in line, surveying their captives, while the man with the mustache and imperial smiled in a rather superior fashion at the row of bound ones. he spoke in his own tongue to the men, who, with the exception of one, filed out, going, as tom and the others could note, to the engine-room in the rear. "i hope i have not had to hurt any of you," the frenchman observed, with sarcastic politeness. "i regret the necessity that caused me to do this, but, believe me, it was unavoidable." he spoke with some accent, and tom at once decided this was the same man who had once approached eradicate. he also recognized him as the man he had seen in the woods the day of the outing. "he's one of the foreign spies," thought tom "and he's got us and the ship, too. they were too many for us!" tom's anxiety to speak, to hold some converse with the captor, was so obvious that the frenchman said: "i am going to treat you as well as i can under the circumstances. you and your other friends, who are also made prisoners, will be allowed to be together, and then you can talk to your hearts' content." the other man, who had remained with the evident ringleader of the stowaways, asked a question, in french, and he used the name la foy. "ah!" thought tom. "this is the leader of the gang that attacked koku in the shop that night. they have been waiting their chance, and now they have made good. but where did they come from? could they have boarded us from some other airship?" yet, as tom asked himself that question, he knew it could hardly have been possible. the men must have been in hiding on his own craft, they must have been, as koku had cried out--stowaways--and have come out at a preconcerted signal to overpower the aviators. "if you will but have patience a little longer," went on la foy, for that was evidently the name of the leader, "you will all be together. we are just considering where best to put you so that you will not suffer too much. it is quite a problem to deal with so many prisoners, but we have no choice." the two frenchmen conversed rapidly in their own language for a few minutes, and then there came into the cabin another of the men who had helped overpower tom and his friends. what he told la foy seemed to give that individual satisfaction, for he smiled. "we are going to put you all together in the largest storeroom, which is partly empty," la foy said. "there you will be given food and drink, and treated as well as possible under the circumstances. you will also be unbound, and may converse among yourselves. i need hardly point out," he went on, "that calling for help will be useless. we are a mile or so in the air, and have no intention of descending," and he smiled mockingly. "they must know how to navigate my aerial warship," thought tom. "i wonder what their game is, anyhow?" night had fallen, but the cabin was aglow with electric lights. the foreigners in charge of the mars seemed to know their way about perfectly, and how to manage the big craft. by the vibration tom could tell that the motor was running evenly and well. "but what happened to the others--to mound, ventor and koku?" wondered tom. a moment later several of the foreigners entered. some of them did not look at all like frenchmen, and tom was sure one was a german and another a russian. "this will be your prison--for a while," said la foy significantly, and tom wondered how long this would be the case. a sharp thought came to him--how long would they be prisoners? did not some other, and more terrible, fate await them? as la foy spoke, he opened a storeroom door that led off from the main, or amidship, cabin. this room was intended to contain the supplies and stores that would be taken on a long voyage. it was one of two, being the larger, and now contained only a few odds and ends of little importance. it made a strong prison, as tom well knew, having planned it. one by one, beginning with tom, the prisoners were taken up and placed in a recumbent position on the floor of the storeroom. then were brought in the engineer and assistant pilot, as well as koku and a machinist whom tom had brought along to help him. now the young inventor and all his friends were together. it took four men to carry koku in, the giant being covered with a network of ropes. "on second thought," said la foy, as he saw koku being placed with his friends, "i think we will keep the big man with us. we had trouble enough to subdue him. carry him back to the engine-room." so koku, trussed up like some roped steer, was taken out again. "now then," said la foy to his prisoners, as he stood in the door of the room, "i will unbind one of you, and he may loose the bonds of the others." as he spoke, he took the rope from tom's hands, and then, quickly slipping out, locked and barred the door. chapter xxii apprehensions for a moment or two, after the ropes binding his hands were loosed, tom swift did nothing. he was not only stunned mentally, but the bonds had been pulled so tightly about his wrists that the circulation was impeded, and his cramped muscles required a little time in which to respond. but presently he felt the tingle of the coursing blood, and he found he could move his arms. he raised them to his head, and then his first care was to remove the pad of cloth that formed a gag over his mouth. now he could talk. "i--i'll loosen you all in just a second," he said, as he bent over to pick at the knot of the rope around his legs. his own voice sounded strange to him. "i don't know what it's all about, any more than you do," he went on, speaking to the others. "it's a fierce game we're up against, and we've got to make the best of it. as soon as we can move, and talk, we'll decide what's best to do. whoever these fellows are, and i believe they are the foreign spies i've been warned about, they are in complete possession of the airship." tom found it no easy matter to loosen the bonds on his feet. the ropes were well tied, and tom's fingers were stiff from the lack of circulation of blood. but finally he managed to free himself. when he stood up in the dim storeroom, that was now a prison for all save koku, he found that he could not walk. he almost toppled over, so weak were his legs from the tightness of the ropes. he sat down and worked his muscles until they felt normal again. a few minutes later, weak and rather tottery, he managed to reach mr. damon, whom he first unbound. he realized that mr. damon was the oldest of his friends, and, consequently, would suffer most. and it was characteristic of the eccentric gentleman that, as soon as his gag was removed he burst out with: "bless my wristlets, tom! what does it all mean?" "that's more than i can say, mr. damon," replied tom, with a mournful shake of his head. "i'm very sorry it happened, for it looks as though i hadn't taken proper care. the idea of those men stowing themselves away on board here, and me not knowing it; and then coming out unexpectedly and getting possession of the craft! it doesn't speak very well for my smartness." "oh, well, tom, anyone might have been fooled by those plotting foreigners," said mr. damon. "now, we'll try to turn matters about and get the best of them. oh, but it feels good to be free once more!" he stretched his benumbed and stiffened limbs and then helped tom free the others. they stood up, looking at each other in their dimly lighted prison. "well, if this isn't the limit i don't know what is!" cried ned newton. "they got the best of you, tom," spoke lieutenant marbury. "are they really foreign spies?" asked captain warner. "yes," replied his assistant. "they managed to carry out the plot we tried to frustrate. it was a good trick, too, hiding on board, and coming out with a rush." "is that what they did?" asked mr. damon. "it looks so," observed tom. "the attack must have started in the engine-room," he went on, with a look at mound and ventor. "what happened there?" he asked. "well, that's about the way it was," answered the engineer. "we were working away, making some adjustments, oiling the parts and seeing that everything was running smoothly, when, all at once, i heard koku yell. he had gone in the oil room. at first i thought something had gone wrong with the ship, but, when i looked at the giant, i saw he was being attacked by four strange men. and, before i, or any of the other men, could do anything, they all swarmed down on us. "there must have been a dozen of them, and they simply overwhelmed us. one of them hit koku on the head with an iron bar, and that took all the fight out of the giant, or the story might have been a different one. as it was, we were overpowered, and that's all i know until we were carried in here, and saw you folks all tied up as we were." "they burst in on us in the same way," tom explained. "but where did they come from? where were they hiding?" "in the oil and gasoline storeroom that opens out of the motor compartment," answered mound, the engineer. "it isn't half full, you know, and there's room for more than a dozen men in it. they must have gone in some time last night, when the airship was in the hangar, and remained hidden among the boxes and barrels until they got ready to come out and overpower us." "that's it," decided tom. "but i don't understand how they got in. the hangar was well guarded all night." "some of your men might have been bribed," suggested ned. "yes, that is so," admitted tom, and, later, he learned that such had been the case. the foreign spies, for such they were, had managed to corrupt one of tom's trusted employees, who had looked the other way when la foy and his fellow-conspirators sneaked into the airship shed and secreted themselves. "well, discussing how they got on board isn't going to do us any good now," tom remarked ruefully. "the question is--what are we going to do?" "bless my fountain pen!" cried mr. damon. "there's only one thing to do!" "what is that?" asked ned. "why, get out of here, call a policeman, and have these scoundrels arrested. i'll prosecute them! i'll have my lawyer on hand to see that they get the longest terms the statutes call for! bless my pocketbook, but i will!" and mr. damon waxed quite indignant. "that's easier said than done," observed tom swift, quietly. "in the first place, it isn't going to be an easy matter to get out of here." he looked around the storeroom, which was then their prison. it was illuminated by a single electric light, which showed some boxes and barrels piled in the rear. "nothing in them to help us get out," tom went on, for he knew what the contents were. "oh, we'll get out," declared ned confidently, "but i don't believe we'll find a policeman ready to take our complaint. the upper air isn't very well patrolled as yet." "that's so," agreed mr. damon. "i forgot that we were in an airship. but what is to be done, tom? we really are captives aboard our own craft." "yes, worse luck," returned the young inventor. "i feel foolish when i think how we let them take us prisoners." "we couldn't help it," ned commented. "they came on us too suddenly. we didn't have a chance. and they outnumbered us two to one. if they could take care of big koku, what chance did we have?" "very little," said engineer mound. "they were desperate fellows. they know something about aircraft, too. for, as soon as koku, ventor and i were disposed of, some of them went at the machinery as if they had been used to running it all their lives." "oh, the foreigners are experts when it comes to craft of the air," said captain warner. "well, they seem to be running her, all right," admitted the young inventor, "and at good speed, too. they have increased our running rate, if i am any judge." "by several miles an hour," confirmed the assistant pilot. "though in which direction they are heading, and what they are going to do with us is more than i can guess." "that's so!" agreed mr. damon. "what is to become of us? they may heave us overboard into the ocean!" "into the ocean!" cried ned apprehensively. "are we near the sea?" "we must be, by this time," spoke tom. "we were headed in that direction, and we have come almost far enough to put us somewhere over the atlantic, off the jersey coast." a look of apprehension was on the faces of all. but tom's face did not remain clouded long. "we won't try to swim until we have to," he said. "now, let's take an account of stock, and see if we have any means of getting out of this prison." chapter xxiii across the sea with one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets. probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife. but blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty. "not a thing!" exclaimed mr. damon. "not a blessed thing! they have even taken my keys and--my fountain pen!" "i guess they searched us all while they were struggling with us, tying us up," suggested ned. "i had a knife with a big, strong blade, but it's gone." "so is mine," echoed tom. "and i haven't even a screwdriver, or a pocket-wrench," declared the engineer, "though i had both." "they evidently knew what they were doing," said lieutenant marbury. "i don't usually carry a revolver, but of late i have had a small automatic in my pocket. that's gone, too." "and so are all my things," went on his naval friend. "that frenchman, la foy, was taking no chances." "well, if we haven't any weapons, or means of getting out of here, we must make them," said tom, as hopefully as he could under the circumstances. "i don't know all the things that were put in this storeroom, and perhaps there may be something we can use." "shall we make the try now?" asked ned. "i'm getting thirsty, at least. lucky we had supper before they came out at us." "well, there isn't any water in here, or anything to eat, of so much i am sure," went on tom "so we will have to depend on our captors for that." "at least we can shout and ask for water," said lieutenant marbury. "they have no excuse for being needlessly cruel." they all agreed that this might not be a bad plan, and were preparing to raise a united shout, when there came a knock on the door of their prison. "are you willing to listen to reason?" asked a voice they recognized as that of la foy. "what do you mean by reason?" asked tom bitterly. "you have no right to impose any conditions on us." "i have the right of might, and i intend exercising it," was the sharp rejoinder. "if you will listen to reason--" "which kind--yours or ours?" asked tom pointedly. "mine, in this case," snapped back the frenchman. "what i was going to say was that i do not intend to starve you, or cause you discomfort by thirst. i am going to open the door and put in food and water. but i warn you that any attempt to escape will be met with severe measures. "we are in sufficient force to cope with you. i think you have seen that." he spoke calmly and in perfect english, though with a marked accent. "my men are armed, and will stand here ready to meet violence with violence," he went on. "is that understood?" for a moment none of the captives replied. "i think it will be better to give in to him at least for a while," said captain warner in a low voice to tom. "we need water, and will soon need food. we can think and plan better if we are well nourished." "then you think i should promise not to raise a row?" "for the time being--yes." "well, i am waiting!" came in sharp tones from the other side of the portal. "our answer is--yes," spoke tom. "we will not try to get out--just yet," he added significantly. a key was heard grating in the lock, and, a moment later, the door slid back. through the opening could be seen la foy and some of his men standing armed. others had packages of food and jugs of water. a plentiful supply of the latter was carried aboard the mars. "keep back from the door!" was the stern command of la foy. "the food and drink will be passed in only if you keep away from the entrance. remember my men are armed!" the warning was hardly needed, for the weapons could plainly be seen. tom had half a notion that perhaps a concerted rush would carry the day for him and his friends, but he was forced to abandon that idea. while the guards looked on, others of the "pirate crew," as ned dubbed them, passed in food and water. then the door was locked again. they all felt better after drinking the water, which was made cool by evaporation, for the airship was quite high above the earth when tom's enemies captured it, and the young inventor felt sure it had not descended any. no one felt much like eating, however, so the food was put away for a time. and then, somewhat refreshed, they began looking about for some means of getting out of their prison. "of course we might batter down the door, in time, by using some of these boxes as rams," said tom. "but the trouble is, that would make a noise, and they could stand outside and drive us back with guns and pistols, of which they seem to have plenty." "yes, and they could turn some of your own quick-firers on us," added captain warner. "no, we must work quietly, i think, and take them unawares, as they took us. that is our only plan." "we will be better able to see what we have here by daylight," tom said. "suppose we wait until morning?" that plan was deemed best, and preparations made for spending the night in their prison. it was a most uncomfortable night for all of them. the floor was their only bed, and their only covering some empty bags that had contained supplies. but even under these circumstances they managed to doze off fitfully. once they were all awakened by a violent plunging of the airship. the craft seemed to be trying to stand on her head, and then she rocked violently from side to side, nearly turning turtle. "what is it?" gasped ned, who was lying next to tom. "they must be trying some violent stunts," replied the young inventor, "or else we have run into a storm." "i think the latter is the case," observed lieutenant marbury. and, as the motion of the craft kept up, though less violently, this was accepted as the explanation. through the night the mars flew, but whither the captives knew not. the first gray streaks of dawn finally shone through the only window of their prison. sore, lame and stiff, wearied in body and disturbed in mind, the captives awoke. tom's first move was toward the window. it was high up, but, by standing on a box, he could look through it. he uttered an exclamation. "what is it?" asked ned, swaying to and fro from the violent motion of the aerial warship. "we are away out over the sea," spoke tom, "and in the midst of a bad storm." chapter xxiv the lightning bolt tom turned away from the window, to find his companions regarding him anxiously. "a storm," repeated ned. "what sort?" "it might turn into any sort," replied tom. "all i can see now is a lot of black clouds, and the wind must be blowing pretty hard, for there's quite a sea on." "bless my galvanometer!" cried mr. damon. "then we are out over the ocean again, tom?" "yes, there's no doubt of it." "what part?" asked the assistant pilot. "that's more than i can tell," tom answered. "suppose i take a look?" suggested captain warner. "i've done quite a bit of sailing in my time." but, when he had taken a look through the window at which tom had been standing, the naval officer descended, shaking his head. "there isn't a landmark in sight," he announced. "we might be over the middle of the atlantic, for all i could tell." "hardly as far as that," spoke tom. "they haven't been pushing the mars at that speed. but we may be across to the other side before we realize it." "how's that?" asked ned. "well, the ship is in the possession of these foreign spies," went on tom. "all their interests are in europe, though it would be hard to say what nationality is in command here. i think there are even some englishmen among those who attacked us, as well as french, germans, italians and russians." "yes, it seems to be a combination of european nations against us," admitted captain warner. "probably, after they have made good their seizure of tom's aerial warship, they will portion her out among themselves, or use her as a model from which to make others." "do you think that is their object?" asked mr. damon. "undoubtedly," was the captain's answer. "it has been the object of these foreign spies, all along, not only to prevent the united states from enjoying the benefits of these progressive inventions, but to use them for themselves. they would stop at nothing to gain their ends. it seems we did not sufficiently appreciate their power and daring." "well, they've got us, at any rate," observed tom, "and they may take us and the ship to some far-off foreign country." "if they don't heave us overboard half-way there," commented ned, in rather gloomy tones. "well, of course, there's that possibility," admitted tom. "they are desperate characters." "well, we must do something," declared lieutenant marbury. "come, it's daylight now, and we can see to work better. let's see if we can't find a way to get out of this prison. say, but this sure is a storm!" he cried, as the airship rolled and pitched violently. "they are handling her well, though," observed tom, as the craft came quickly to an even keel. "either they have a number of expert birdmen on board, or they can easily adapt themselves to a new aircraft. she is sailing splendidly." "well, let's eat something, and set to work," proposed ned. they brought out the food which had been given to them the night before, but before they could eat this, there came a knock on the door, and more food and fresh water was handed in, under the same precautions as before. tom and his companions indignantly demanded to be released, but their protests were only laughed at, and while the guards stood with ready weapons the door was again shut and locked. but the prisoners were not the kind to sit idly down in the face of this. under tom's direction they set about looking through their place of captivity for something by which they could release themselves. at first they found nothing, and ned even suggested trying to cut a way through the wooden walls with a fingernail file, which he found in one of his pockets, when tom, who had gone to the far end of the storeroom, uttered a cry. "what is it--a way out?" asked lieutenant marbury anxiously. "no, but means to that end," tom replied. "look, a file and a saw, left here by some of my workmen, perhaps," and he brought out the tools. he had found them behind a barrel in the far end of the compartment. "hurray!" cried ned. "that's the ticket! now we'll soon show these fellows what's what!" "go easy!" cautioned tom. "we must work carefully. it won't do to slam around and try to break down the door with these. i think we had better select a place on the side wall, break through that, and make an opening where we can come out unnoticed. then, when we are ready, we can take them by surprise. we'll have to do something like that, for they outnumber us, you know." "that is so," agreed captain warner. "we must use strategy." "well, where would be a good place to begin to burrow out?" asked ned. "here," said tom, indicating a place far back in the room. "we can work there in turns, sawing a hole through the wall. it will bring us out in the passage between the aft and amidship cabins, and we can go either way." "then let's begin!" cried ned enthusiastically, and they set to work. while the aerial warship pitched and tossed in the storm, over some part of the atlantic, tom and his friends took turns in working their way to freedom. with the sharp end of the file a small hole was made, the work being done as slowly as a rat gnaws, so as to make no noise that would be heard by their captors. in time the hole was large enough to admit the end of the saw. but this took many hours, and it was not until the second day of their captivity that they had the hole nearly large enough for the passage of one person at a time. they had not been discovered, they thought. meanwhile they had been given food and water at intervals, but to all demands that they be released, or at least told why they were held prisoners, a deaf ear was turned. they could only guess at the fate of koku. probably the giant was kept bound, for once he got the chance to use his enormous strength it might go hard with the foreigners. the mars continued to fly through the air. sometimes, as tom and his friends could tell by the motion, she was almost stationary in the upper regions, and again she seemed to be flying at top speed. occasionally there came the sound of firing. "they're trying my guns," observed tom grimly. "do you suppose they are being attacked?" asked ned, hopefully. "hardly," replied captain warner. "the united states possesses no craft able to cope with this one in aerial warfare, and they are hardly engaging in part of the european war yet. i think they are just trying tom's new guns." later our friends learned that such was the case. the storm had either passed, or the mars had run out of the path of it, for, after the first few hours of pitching and tossing, the atmosphere seemed reduced to a state of calm. all the while they were secretly working to gain their freedom so they might attack and overpower their enemies, they took occasional observations from the small window. but they could learn nothing of their whereabouts. they could only view the heaving ocean, far below them, or see a mass of cloud-mist, which hid the earth, if so be that the mars was sailing over land. "but how much longer can they keep it up?" asked ned. "well, we have fuel and supplies aboard for nearly two weeks," tom answered. "and by the end of that time we may all be dead," spoke the young bank clerk despondently. "no, we'll be out of here before then!" declared lieutenant marbury. indeed the hole was now almost large enough to enable them to crawl out one at a time. they could not, of course, see how it looked from the outside, but tom had selected a place for its cutting so that the sawdust and the mark of the panel that was being removed, would not ordinarily be noticeable. they set night as the time for making the attempt--late at night, when it was hoped that most of their captors would be asleep. finally the last cut was made, and a piece of wood hung over the opening only by a shred, all ready to knock out. "we'll do it at midnight," announced tom. anxious, indeed, were those last hours of waiting. the time had almost arrived for the attempt, when tom, who had been nervously pacing to and fro, remarked: "we must be running into another storm. feel how she heaves and rolls!" indeed the mars was most unsteady. "it sure is a storm!" cried ned, "and a heavy one, too," for there came a burst of thunder, that seemed like a report of tom's giant cannon. in another instant they were in the midst of a violent thunderstorm, the airship pitching and tossing in a manner to almost throw them from their feet. as tom reached up to switch on the electric light again, there came a flash of lightning that well nigh blinded them. and so close after it as to seem simultaneous, there came such a crash of thunder as to stun them all. there was a tingling, as of a thousand pins and needles in the body of each of the captives, and a strong smell of sulphur. then, as the echoes of the clap died away, tom yelled: "she's been struck! the airship has been struck!" chapter xxv freedom for a moment there was silence, following tom's wild cry and the noise of the thunderclap. then, as other, though less loud reverberations of the storm continued to sound, the captives awoke to a realization of what had happened. they had been partially stunned, and were almost as in a dream. "are--are we all right?" stammered ned. "bless my soul! what has happened?" cried mr. damon. "we've been struck by lightning!" tom repeated. "i don't know whether we're all right or not." "we seem to be falling!" exclaimed lieutenant marbury. "if the whole gas bag isn't ripped to pieces we're lucky," commented jerry mound. indeed, it was evident that the mars was sinking rapidly. to all there came the sensation of riding in an elevator in a skyscraper and being dropped a score of stories. then, as they stood there in the darkness, illuminated only by flashes from the lightning outside the window, waiting for an unknown fate, tom swift uttered a cry of delight. "we've stopped falling!" he cried. "the automatic gas machine is pumping. part of the gas bag was punctured, but the unbroken compartments hold!" "if part of the gas leaked out i don't see why it wasn't all set on fire and exploded," observed captain warner. "it's a non-burnable gas," tom quickly explained. "but come on. this may be our very chance. there seems to be something going on that may be in our favor." indeed the captives could hear confused cries and the running to and fro of many feet. he made for the sawed panel, and, in another instant, had burst out and was through it, out into the passageway between the after and amidship cabins. his companions followed him. they looked into the rear cabin, or motor compartment, and a scene of confusion met their gaze. two of the foreign men who had seized the ship lay stretched out on the floor near the humming machinery, which had been left to run itself. a look in the other direction, toward the main cabin, showed a group of the foreign spies bending over the inert body of la foy, the frenchman, stretched out on a couch. "what has happened?" cried ned. "what does it all mean?' "the lightning!" exclaimed tom. "the bolt that struck the ship has knocked out some of our enemies! now is the time to attack them!" the mars seemed to have passed completely through a narrow storm belt. she was now in a quiet atmosphere, though behind her could be seen the fitful play of lightning, and there could be heard the distant rumble of thunder. "come on!" cried tom. "we must act quickly, while they are demoralized! come on!" his friends needed no further urging. jerry mound and the machinist rushed to the engine-room, to look after any of the enemy that might be there, while tom, ned and the others ran into the middle cabin. "grab 'em! tie 'em up!" cried tom, for they had no weapons with which to make an attack. but none were needed. so stunned were the foreigners by the lightning bolt, which had miraculously passed our friends, and so unnerved by the striking down of la foy, their leader, that they seemed like men half asleep. before they could offer any resistance they were bound with the same ropes that had held our friends in bondage. that is, all but the big frenchman himself. he seemed beyond the need of binding. mound, the engineer, and his assistant, came hurrying in from the motor-room, followed by koku. "we found him chained up," jerry explained, as the big giant, freed from his captivity, rubbed his chafed wrists. "are there any of the foreigners back there?' "only those two knocked out by the lightning," the engineer explained. "we've made them secure. i see you've got things here in shape." "yes," replied tom. "and now to see where we are, and to get back home. whew! but this has been a time! koku, what happened to you?" "they no let anything happen. i be in chains all the while," the giant answered. "jump on me before i can do anything!" "well, you're out, now, and i think we'll have you stand guard over these men. the tables are turned, koku." the bound ones were carried to the same prison whence our friends had escaped, but their bonds were not taken off, and koku was put in the place with them. by this time la foy and the two other stricken men showed signs of returning life. they had only been stunned. the young inventor and his friends, once more in possession of their airship, lost little time in planning to return. they found that the spies were all expert aeronauts, and had kept a careful chart of their location. they were then halfway across the atlantic, and in a short time longer would probably have been in some foreign country. but tom turned the mars about. the craft had only been slightly damaged by the lightning bolt, though three of the gas bag compartments were torn, the others sufficed, however, to make the ship sufficiently buoyant. when morning came tom and his friends had matters running almost as smoothly as before their capture. the prisoners had no chance to escape, and, indeed, they seemed to have been broken in spirit. la foy was no longer the insolent, mocking frenchman that he had been, and the two chief foreign engineers seemed to have lost some of their reason when the lightning struck them. "but it was a mighty lucky and narrow escape for us," said ned, as he and tom sat in the pilot-house the second day of the return trip. "that's right," agreed his chum. once again they were above the earth, and, desiring to get rid as soon as possible of the presence of the spies, a landing was made near new york city, and the government authorities communicated with. captain warner and lieutenant marbury took charge of the prisoners, with some secret service men, and the foreigners were soon safely locked up. "and now what are you going to do, tom?" asked ned, when, once more, they had the airship to themselves. "i'm going back to shopton, fix up the gas bag, and give her another government trial," was the answer. and, in due time, this was done. tom added some improvements to the aircraft, making it better than ever, and when she was given the test required by the government, she was an unqualified success, and the rights to the mars were purchased for a large sum. in sailing, and in the matter of guns and bombs, tom's craft answered every test. "so you see i was right, after all, dad," the young inventor said, when informed that he had succeeded. "we can shoot off even bigger guns than i thought from the deck of the mars." "yes, tom," replied the aged inventor, "i admit i was wrong." tom's aerial warship was even a bigger success than he had dared to hope. once the government men fully understood how to run it, in which tom played a prominent part in giving instructions, they put the mars to a severe test. she was taken out over the ocean, and her guns trained on an obsolete battleship. her bombs and projectiles blew the craft to pieces. "the mars will be the naval terror of the seas in any future war," predicted captain warner. the secret service men succeeded in unearthing all the details of the plot against tom. his life, at times, had been in danger, but at the last minute the man detailed to harm him lost his nerve. it was tom's enemies who had set on fire the red shed, and who later tried to destroy the ship by putting a corrosive acid in one of the propellers. that plot, though, was not wholly successful. then came the time when one of the spies hid on board, and dropped the copper bar on the motor, short-circuiting it. but for the storage-battery that scheme might have wrought fearful damage. the spy who had stowed himself away on the craft escaped at night by the connivance of one of tom's corrupt employees. the foreign spies were tried and found guilty, receiving merited punishment. of course the governments to which they belonged disclaimed any part in the seizure of tom's aerial warship. it came out at the trial that one of tom's most trusted employees had proved a traitor, and had the night before the test, allowed the foreign spies to secrete themselves on board, to rush out at an opportune time to overpower our hero and his friends. but luck was with tom at the end. "well, what are you going to tackle next, tom?" asked ned, one day about a month after these exciting experiences. "i don't know," was the slow answer. "i think a self-swinging hammock, under an apple tree, with a never-emptying pitcher of ice-cold lemonade would be about the thing." "good, tom! and, if you'll invent that, i'll share it with you." "well, come on, let's begin now," laughed tom. "i need a vacation, anyhow." but it is very much to be doubted if tom swift, even on a vacation, could refrain from trying to invent something, either in the line of airships, water, or land craft. and so, until he again comes to the front with something new, we will take leave of him. the tom swift series by victor appleton these spirited tales convey in a realistic way, the wonderful advances in land and sea locomotion. stories like these are impressed upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good. tom swift and his motor cycle tom swift and his motor boat tom swift and his airship tom swift and his submarine boat tom swift and his electric runabout tom swift and his wireless message tom swift among the diamond makers tom swift in the caves of ice tom swift and his sky racer tom swift and his electric rifle tom swift in the city of gold tom swift and his air glider tom swift in captivity tom swift and his wizard camera tom swift and his great searchlight tom swift and his giant cannon tom swift and his photo telephone tom swift and his aerial warship tom swift and his big tunnel tom swift in the land of wonders tom swift and his war tank tom swift and his air scout tom swift and his undersea search tom swift among the fire fighters tom swift and his electric locomotive the moving picture boys series by victor appleton moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in this line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films are made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in the wild west, among the cowboys and indians, thrilling rescues along the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of earthquakes. the volumes teem with adventures and will be found interesting from first chapter to last. the moving picture boys the moving picture boys in the west the moving picture boys on the coast the moving picture boys in the jungle the moving picture boys in earthquake land the moving picture boys and the flood the moving picture boys at panama the moving picture boys under the sea the moving picture boys on the war front the moving picture boys on french battlefields moving picture boys first showhouse moving picture boys at seaside park moving picture boys on broadway the moving picture boys outdoor exhibition the moving picture boys new idea dick hamilton's airship; or, a young millionaire in the clouds by howard r. garis contents i the falling biplane ii the colonel's offer iii dick's resolve iv the army aviators v suspicions vi dick's first flight vii a queer landing viii at hamilton corners ix uncle ezra's visit x building the airship xi a surprise xii larson sees uncle ezra xiii uncle ezra acts queerly xiv the trial flight xv in danger xvi dick is warned xvii off for the start xviii uncle ezra flies xix uncle ezra's accident xx in new york xxi off for the pacific xxii uncle ezra starts off xxiii an impromptu race xxiv grit's grip xxv a forced landing xxvi on lack michigan xxvii a howling gale xxviii ablaze in the clouds xxix the rival airship xxx an attack xxxi the wreck xxxii saving uncle ezra xxxiii with uncle ezra's help chapter i the falling biplane "she sure is a fine boat, dick." "and she can go some, too!" "glad you like her, fellows," replied dick hamilton, to the remarks of his chums, paul drew and innis beeby, as he turned the wheel of a new motor-boat and sent the craft about in a graceful sweep toward a small dock which connected with a little excursion resort on the kentfield river. "like her! who could help it?" asked paul, looking about admiringly at the fittings of the craft. "why, you could go on a regular cruise in her!" "you might if you kept near your base of supplies," remarked dick. "base of supplies!" laughed innis. "can't you forget, for a while, that you're at a military school, old man, and not give us the sort of stuff we get in class all the while?" "well, what i meant," explained the young millionaire owner of the motor-boat, "was that you couldn't carry enough food aboard, and have room to move about, if you went on a very long trip." "that's right, you couldn't," agreed paul. "and of late i seem to have acquired the eating habit in its worst form." "i never knew the time when you didn't have it," responded dick. "i'm going to give you a chance to indulge in it right now, and i'm going to profit by your example." "what's doing?" asked innis, as he straightened the collar of his military blouse, for the three were in the fatigue uniforms of the kentfield military academy, where dick and his chums attended. lessons and practice were over for the day, and the young millionaire had invited his friends out for a little trip in his new motor-boat. "i thought we'd just stop at bruce's place, and get a sandwich and a cup of coffee," suggested dick. "then we can go on down the river and we won't have to be back until time for guard-mount. we'll be better able to stand it, if we get a bite to eat." "right you are, old chap!" exclaimed paul, and then he, too, began to smooth the wrinkles out of his blouse and to ease his rather tight trousers at the knees. "say, what's the matter with you dudes, anyhow?" asked dick, who, after glancing ahead to see that he was on the right course to the dock, looked back to give some attention to the motor. "matter! i don't see anything the matter," remarked innis in casual tones, while he flicked some dust from his shoes with a spare pocket handkerchief. "why, you two are fussing as though you were a couple of girls at your first dance," declared dick, as he adjusted the valves of the oil cups to supply a little more lubricant to the new motor, which had not yet warmed up to its work. "innis acts as though he were sorry he hadn't come out in his dress uniform, and as for you, paul, i'm beginning to think you are afraid you hadn't shaved. what's it all about, anyhow? old man bruce won't care whether you have on one tan shoe and one black one; or whether your hair is parted, or not." then dick, having gotten the motor running to his satisfaction, looked toward the dock which he was rapidly nearing in his boat. the next moment he gave a whistle of surprise. "ah, ha! no wonder!" he cried. "the girls? so that's why you fellows were fixing up, and getting yourselves to look pretty. and you let me monkey with the motor, and get all grease and dirt while you-- say, i guess we'll call off this eating stunt," and he swung over the steering wheel. "oh, i say?" protested innis. "don't be mean?" added paul. "we haven't seen the girls in some time, and there's three of 'em--" dick laughed. on the dock, under the shade of an awning, he had caught sight of three pretty girls from town--girls he and his chums knew quite well. they were mabel hanford, in whom dick was more than ordinarily interested, grace knox, and irene martin. "i thought i'd get a rise out of you fellows," the young millionaire went on. "trying to get me in bad, were you!" the boat swerved away from the dock. the girls, who had arisen, evidently to come down to the float, and welcome the approaching cadets, seemed disappointed. one of them had waved her handkerchief in response to a salute from paul. "here, take some of this and clean your face," suggested paul, handing dick some cotton waste from a seat locker. "and here's a bit for your shoes," added innis, performing a like service. "you'll look as good as we do." "what about my hands?" asked dick. "think i want to go up and sit alongside of a girl with paws like these?" and he held out one that was black and oily. "haven't you any soap aboard?" asked innis, for he, like paul, seemed anxious that dick should land them at the dock where the girls were. "oh, well, if you fellows are as anxious as all that i s'pose i'll have to humor you," agreed dick, with a grin. "i dare say bruce can let me wash up in his place," and he turned the craft back on the course he had previously been holding. a little later the motor-boat was made fast to the float, and the three cadets were greeting the three girls. "look out for my hands!" warned dick, as miss hanford's light summer dress brushed near him. "i'm all oil and grease. i'll go scrub up, if you'll excuse me." "certainly," said mabel hanford, with a rippling laugh. when dick returned, he ordered a little lunch served out on the end of the dock, where they could sit and enjoy the cool breezes, and look at the river on which were many pleasure craft. "where were you boys going?" asked grace knox, as she toyed with her ice-cream spoon. "coming to see you," answered paul promptly. "as if we'd believe that!" mocked irene. "why, you were going right past here, and only turned in when you saw us!" "dick didn't want to come at all," said innis. "he didn't! why not?" demanded mabel. "bashful, i guess," murmured paul. "no, it was because i didn't want to inflict the company of these two bores on you ladies!" exclaimed dick, thus "getting back." there was much gay talk and laughter, and, as the afternoon was still young, dick proposed taking the girls out for a little jaunt in his new craft he had only recently purchased it, and, after using it at kentfield, he intended taking it with him to a large lake, where he and his father expected to spend the summer. "oh, that was just fine!" cried mabel, when the ride was over, and the party was back at the pier. "thank you, so much, dick!" "humph! you have us to thank--not him!" declared paul. "he wouldn't have turned in here if we hadn't made him. and just because his hands had a little oil on!" "say, don't believe him!" protested the young millionaire. "i had proposed coming here before i knew you girls were on the dock." "well, we thank all three of you!" cried irene, with a bow that included the trio of cadets. "salute!" exclaimed paul, and the young soldiers drew themselves up stiffly, and, in the most approved manner taught at kentfield, brought their hands to their heads. "'bout face! forward--march!" cried grace, imitating an officer's orders, and the boys, with laughs stood "at ease." "see you at the junior prom!" "yes, don't forget." "and save me a couple of hesitation waltzes!" "can you come for a ride tomorrow?" "surely!" this last was the answer of the girls to dick's invitation, and the exclamations before that were the good-byes between the girls and boys, reference being made to a coming dance of the junior class. then dick and his chums entered the motor-boat and started back for the military academy. "you've got to go some to get back in time to let us tog up for guard-mount," remarked paul, looking at his watch. "that's right," added innis. "i don't want to get a call-down. i'm about up to my limit now. "we'll do it all right," announced dick. "i haven't speeded the motor yet. i've been warming it up. i'll show you what she can do!" he opened wider the gasoline throttle of the engine, and advanced the timer. instantly the boat shot ahead, as the motor ran at twice the number of revolutions. "that's something like!" cried paul admiringly. "she sure has got speed," murmured innis. on they sped, talking of the girls, of their plans for the summer, and the coming examinations. "hark! what's that?" suddenly asked paul, holding up his hand for silence. they were made aware of a curious, humming, throbbing sound. "some speed boat," ventured dick. "none in sight," objected paul, with a glance up and down the river, which at this point ran in a straight stretch for two miles or more. "you could see a boat if you could hear it as plainly as that." "it's getting louder," announced innis. indeed the sound was now more plainly to be heard. paul gave a quick glance upward. "look, fellows!" he exclaimed. "an airship!" the sound was right over their heads now, and as all three looked up they saw, soaring over them, a large biplane, containing three figures. it was low enough for the forms to be distinguished clearly. "some airship!" cried dick, admiringly. "and making time, too," remarked innis. aircraft were no novelties to the cadets. in fact part of the instruction at kentfield included wireless, and the theoretical use of aeroplanes in war. the cadets had gone in a body to several aviation meets, and once had been taken by major franklin webster, the instructor in military tactics, to an army meet where several new forms of biplanes and monoplanes had been tried out, to see which should be given official recognition. "i never saw one like that before," remarked paul, as they watched the evolutions of the craft above them. "neither did i," admitted dick. "i've seen one something like that," spoke innis. "where?" his chums wanted to know, as dick slowed down his boat, the better to watch the biplane, which was now circling over the river. "why, a cousin of mine, whitfield vardon by name, has the airship craze pretty bad," resumed innis. "he has an idea he can make one that will maintain its equilibrium no matter how the wind blows or what happens. but, poor fellow, he's spent all his money on experiments and he hasn't succeeded. the last i heard, he was about down and out, poor chap. he showed me a model of his machine once, and it looked a lot like this. but this one seems to work, and his didn't--at least when i saw it." "it's mighty interesting to watch, all right," spoke paul, "but we'll be in for a wigging if we miss guard-mount. better speed her along, dick." "yes, i guess so. but we've got time--" dick never finished that sentence. innis interrupted him with a cry of: "look, something's wrong on that aircraft!" "i should say so!" yelled paul. "they've lost control of her!" the big biplane was in serious difficulties, for it gave a lurch, turned turtle, and then, suddenly righting, shot downward for the river. "they're going to get a ducking, all right!" cried innis. "yes, and they may be killed, or drowned," added paul. "i'll do what i can to save 'em!" murmured dick, as he turned on more power, and headed his boat for the place where the aircraft was likely to plunge into the water. hardly had he done so when, with a great splash, and a sound as of an explosion, while a cloud of steam arose as the water sprayed on the hot motor, the aircraft shot beneath the waves raised by the rapidly-whirling propellers. "stand ready now!" "get out a preserver!" "toss 'em that life ring!" "ready with the boat hook! slow down your engine, dick." the motor-boat was at the scene of the accident, and when one of the occupants of the wrecked airship came up to the surface dick made a grab for him, catching the boat hook in the neck of his coat. the next instant dick gave a cry of surprise. "larry dexter--the reporter!" he fairly shouted. "how in the world--" "let me get aboard--i'll talk when--when i get rid of--of--some of this water!" panted larry dexter. "can you save the others?" "i've got one!" shouted paul. "give me a hand, innis!" together the two cadets lifted into the motorboat a limp and bedraggled figure. and, no sooner had he gotten a glimpse of the man's face, than innis beeby cried: "by jove! if it isn't my cousin, whitfield vardon!" chapter ii the colonel's offer two more surprised youths than dick hamilton and innis beeby would have been hard to find. that the young millionaire should meet larry dexter, a newspaper reporter with whom he had been acquainted some time, in this startling fashion was one thing to wonder at, but that innis should help in the rescue of his cousin, of whom he had just been speaking, was rather too much to crowd into a few strenuous moments. "whitfield!" gasped innis, when his cousin had been safely gotten aboard. "how in the world did you get here? and was that your craft?" "yes. but don't stop to talk now!" gasped the rescued aviator. "my machinist, jack butt, went down with us! can you see anything of him?" eagerly the eyes of the cadets searched the waters that had now subsided from the commotion caused by the plunging down of the wrecked aircraft. then dick cried: "i see something moving! right over there!" he pointed to where the water was swirling, and the next moment he threw in the clutch of his motor. the propeller churned the water to foam, and the craft shot ahead. the next instant a body came to the surface. a man began to strike out feebly, but it was evident he was nearly drowned. "that's jack! that's my helper!" cried mr. vardon. "can you save him?" "take the wheel!" shouted dick to paul. and then, as the motor-boat shot ahead, the rich youth leaned over the gunwale, and, holding on to a forward deck cleat with one hand, he reached over, and with the other, caught the coat collar of the swimmer, who had thrown up his arms, and was about to sink again. "i'll give you a hand!" cried innis, and between them the cadets lifted into the boat the now inert form of jack butt. "stop the motor!" "first aid!" "we've got to try artificial respiration!" in turn innis, paul and dick shot out these words. and, seeing that the other two rescued ones were in no need of attention, the cadets proceeded to put to practical use the lessons in first aid to the drowning they had learned at kentfield. and, while this is going on i am going to take just a few moments, in which to tell my new readers something about the previous books in this series. the only son of mortimer hamilton, of hamilton corners, in new york state, dick was a millionaire in his own right. his mother had left him a large estate, and in the first volume of this series, entitled, "dick hamilton's fortune; or, the stirring doings of a millionaire's son," i related what dick had to do in order to become fully possessed of a large sum of money. he had to prove that he was really capable of handling it, and he nearly came to grief in doing this, as many a better youth might have done. dick's uncle, ezra larabee, of dankville, was a rich man, but a miser. he was not in sympathy with dick, nor with the plans his sister, dick's mother, had made for her son. consequently, uncle ezra did all he could to make it unpleasant for dick while the latter was paying him a visit of importance. but dick triumphed over his uncle, and also over certain sharpers who tried to get the best of him. my second volume, entitled, "dick hamilton's cadet days, or, the handicap of a millionaire's son," deals with our hero's activities at the kentfield military academy. this was a well-known school, at the head of which was colonel masterly. major henry rockford was the commandant, and the institution turned out many first-class young men, with a groundwork of military training. the school was under the supervision of officers from the regular army, the resident one being major webster. dick had rather a hard time at kentfield--at first--for he had to get over the handicap of being a millionaire. but how he did it you may read, and, i trust, enjoy. in "dick hamilton's steam yacht; or, a young millionaire and the kidnappers," dick got into a "peck of trouble," to quote his chum, innis beeby. but the rich youth finally triumphed over the designs of uncle ezra, and was able to foil some plotters. "dick hamilton's football team; or, a young millionaire on the gridiron," tells of the efforts of dick to make a first-class eleven from the rather poor material he found at kentfield. how he did it, though not without hard work, and how the team finally triumphed over the blue hill players, you will find set down at length in the book. "dick hamilton's touring car; or, a young millionaire's race for a fortune," took our hero on a long trip, and in one of the largest, finest and most completely equipped automobiles that a certain firm had ever turned out. i have mentioned larry dexter, and i might say that in a line entitled, "the young reporter series," i have give an account of the doings of this youth who rose from the position of office boy on a new york newspaper to be a "star" man, that is, one entrusted with writing only the biggest kind of stories. dick had met larry while in new york, and larry had profited by the acquaintanceship by getting a "beat," or exclusive story, about the young millionaire. on the return of dick and his cadet chums from a trip to california, the rich youth had again taken up his studies at kentfield. and now we behold him, out in his motor-boat, having just succeeded in helping rescue the master and "crew" of the aircraft that had plunged into the river. "there; he breathed." "i think he's coming around now." "better get him to shore though. he'll need a doctor!" thus remarked dick, paul and innis as they labored over the unfortunate mechanician of the biplane. they had used artificial respiration on him until he breathed naturally. "i'll start the boat," announced dick, for the craft had been allowed to drift while the lifesaving work was going on. "we want to make time back." "this certainly is a surprise," remarked larry dexter, as he tried to wring some of the water out of his clothes. "more to me than it is to you, i guess," suggested dick. "i suppose you birdmen are used to accidents like this?" "more or less," answered the cousin of innis beeby. "but i never expected to come to grief, and be rescued by innis." "nor did i expect to see you," said the cadet. "we were just speaking of you, or, rather i was, as we saw your craft in the air. i was wondering if you had perfected your patent." "it doesn't look so--does it?" asked the airship inventor, with a rueful smile in the direction of the sunken aircraft. "i guess i'm at the end of my rope," he added, sadly. "but i'm glad none of us was killed." "so am i!" exclaimed dick. "but how in the world did you come to take up aviation, larry?" he asked, of the young newspaper man. "have you given up reporting?" "no indeed," replied larry dexter. "but this air game is getting to be so important, especially the army and navy end of it, that my paper decided we ought to have an expert of our own to keep up with the times. so they assigned me to the job, and i'm learning how to manage an aircraft. i guess the paper figures on sending me out to scout in the clouds for news. though if i don't make out better than this, they'll get someone else in my place." "something went wrong--i can't understand it," said the aircraft inventor, shaking his head. "the machine ought not to have plunged down like that. i can't understand it." "i'd like to send the story back to my paper," went on larry. "always on the lookout for news!" remarked dick. "we'll see that you send off your yarn all right. there's a telegraph office in the academy now. i'll fix it for you." the run to the school dock was soon made, and the arrival of dick's motor-boat, with the rescued ones from the airship, which had been seen flying over the parade grounds a little while before, made some commotion. "we've missed guard-mount!" remarked innis, as he saw the other cadets at the drill. "can't be helped. we had a good excuse," said dick. "now we've got to attend to him," and he nodded at jack butt, who seemed to have collapsed again. with military promptness, the mechanic was carried to the hospital, and the school doctor was soon working over him. meanwhile, dry garments had been supplied to larry and mr. vardon. a messenger came from colonel masterly to learn what was going on, and, when he heard of the rescue, dick and his chums were excused from taking part in the day's closing drill. "he's coming around all right," the physician remarked to the young millionaire, on the way from the hospital, where he had been attending jack butt. "it seems that he was entangled in some part of the aircraft, and couldn't get to the surface until he was nearly drowned. but he's all right now, though he needs rest and care." "i wonder if he can stay here?" asked dick. "oh, yes, i'll attend to that for you," the doctor promised. "i'll arrange with colonel masterly about that. and your other friends--i think they should remain, too. they probably are in rather an unpleasant plight." "i'll look after them," said dick. "i can put them up. one is a newspaper man, and the other a cousin of beeby's. he's an airship inventor." "is that so? colonel masterly might be interested to know that." "why?" asked dick. "because i understand that he is about to add a course in aviation to the studies here. it has been discussed in faculty meetings, so it is no secret." "an aviation course at kentfield!" cried dick, with shining eyes. "yes. are you interested?" the doctor asked. "well, i hadn't thought about it, but i believe i should like to have an airship," the young millionaire went on. "down, grit, down!" he commanded, as a beautiful bulldog came racing from the stables to fawn upon his master. i used the word "beautiful" with certain restrictions, for grit was about the homeliest bulldog in existence. but his very hideousness made him "beautiful" to a lover of dogs. he jumped about in delight at seeing dick again, for he had been shut up, so he would not insist on going out in the motor-boat. quarters were provided for larry dexter, who sent off a brief account of the accident to the airship, and mr. vardon was looked after by innis. butt, of course, remained in the hospital. dr. morrison was right when he said that colonel masterly would be interested in meeting the luckless aviator. innis took his cousin to the head of the school, and mr. vardon told of his invention, briefly, and also of the mishap to his biplane. "perhaps this is providential," said the colonel musingly. "for some time i have been considering the starting of an aviation course here, and it may be you would like to assist me in it. i want the cadets to learn something about the fundamentals of heavier-than-air machines. will you accept a position as instructor?" "i will, gladly," said mr. vardon. "i might as well admit that i have no further funds to pursue my experiments, though i am satisfied that i am on the right track. but my machine is wrecked." "perhaps it can be raised," said the colonel, cheerfully. "we will talk about that later. and we may find a way to have you conduct your experiments here." "i can not thank you enough, sir," returned the aviator. "and i am also deeply indebted to my cousin's chum--dick hamilton. but for him, and the other cadets in the boat, we might all have been drowned." "i'm glad we were on hand," said dick, with a smile. chapter iii dick's resolve "what do you know about that?" "a regular course in aviation!" "and birdmen from the united states army to came here and show us how to do stunts!" "well, you fellows can go in for it if you like, but automobiling is dangerous enough sport for me." "ah, what's the matter with you? flying is pretty nearly as safe now as walking! not half as many birdmen have been killed as there have railroad travelers." "no, because there are more railroad travelers to be killed. no cloud flights for mine!" a group of cadets, dick, innis and paul among them, were discussing the latest news at kentfield. it was the day following the accident to the biplane. after a brief consultation with mr. vardon, and a calling together of his faculty members, colonel masterly had made formal announcement that a course in aviation would be open at kentfield for those who cared to take it. "i think it will be great!" cried dick. "are you going in for it?" asked paul. "i sure am--if dad will let me." "oh, i guess he will all right," spoke innis, "he lets you do almost anything you want to--in reason. but i know a certain person who will object." "who?" asked dick, fondling his dog. "your uncle ezra!" "i guess that's so!" laughed dick. "he'll say it's expensive, and all that sort of thing, and that i'll be sure to break my neck, or at least fracture an arm. but we saw one accident that came out pretty well. i think i'll take a chance." "so will i!" cried paul. "i guess you can count me in," agreed innis, slowly. "how about it, larry?" asked dick, as the young reporter came across the campus. "how does it feel to sail above the clouds?" "well, i haven't yet gone up that far. this is only about my fifth flight, and we only did 'grass cutting' for the first few--that is going up only a little way above the ground. i had to get used to it gradually. "but it's great! i like it, and you're only afraid the first few minutes. after that you don't mind it a bit--that is not until you get into trouble, as we did." "and i can't understand that trouble, either," said mr. vardon, who had joined the group of cadets. "something went wrong!" "you mean something was made to go wrong," put in jack butt, who had now recovered sufficiently to be about. "something made to go wrong?" repeated dick hamilton, wonderingly. "that's what i said. that machine was tampered with before we started on our flight. i'm sure of it, and if we could get it up from the bottom of the river i could prove it." "be careful," warned the aviator. "do you know what you are saying, jack? who would tamper with my machine?" "well, there are many who might have done it," the machinist went on. "some of the mechanics you have discharged for not doing their work properly might have done it. but the fellow i suspect is that young army officer who got huffy because you wouldn't explain all about your equalizing gyroscope, or stabilizer." "oh--you mean him?" gasped the aviator. "that's the man," declared jack. "he went off mad when you turned him down, and i heard him muttering to himself about 'getting even.' i'm sure he's the chap to blame for our accident." "i should dislike to think that of anyone," said mr. vardon, slowly. "but i am sure something was wrong with my aircraft. it had worked perfectly in other trials, and then it suddenly went back on me. i should like a chance to examine it." "we'll try and give you that chance," said colonel masterly, who came up at that moment. "we are to have a drill in building a pontoon bridge across the river tomorrow, and i will order it thrown across the stream at the point where your airship went down. then we may be able to raise the craft." "that will be fine!" exclaimed the airship man. "i may even be able to save part of my craft, to use in demonstration purposes. i may even be able, to use part of it in building another. it was a fine machine, but something went wrong." "something was made to go wrong!" growled jack butt. "if ever we raise her i'll prove it, too." "well, young gentlemen, i suppose you have heard the news?" questioned the colonel, as the aviator-inventor and his helper walked off to one side of the campus, talking earnestly together. "you mean about the airship instruction we are to get here, sir?" asked dick. "that's it. and i am also glad to announce that i have heard from the war department, and they are going to send some army aviators here to give us the benefit of their work, and also to show some of you cadets how to fly." there was a cheer at this, though some of the lads looked a bit dubious. "are you really going in for it, dick?" asked innis, after there had been an informal discussion among the colonel and some of the boys about the aviation instruction. "well, i am, unless i change my mind," replied dick, with a smile. "of course, after i make my first flight, if i ever do, it may be my last one." "huh! you're not taking a very cheerful view of it," retorted innis, "to think that you're going to come a smash the first shot out of the locker." "oh, i didn't mean just that," replied dick, quickly. "i meant that i might lose my nerve after the first flight, and not go up again." "guess there isn't much danger of you losing your nerve," said paul drew, admiringly. "i've generally noticed that you have it with you on most occasions." "thanks!" exclaimed dick, with a mock salute. strolling over the campus, dick and his chums talked airships and aviation matters until it was time for guard-mount. during the next day or two it might have been noticed that dick hamilton was rather more quiet than usual. in fact his chums did notice, and comment on it. a number of times they had seen the young millionaire in a brown study, walking off by himself, and again he could be observed strolling about, gazing earnestly up at the clouds and sky. "say, i wonder what's come over dick?" asked paul of innis one afternoon. "blessed if i know," was the answer, "unless he's fallen in love." "get out! he's too sensible. but he sure has something on his mind." "i agree with you. well, if he wants to know he'll tell us." so they let the matter drop for the time being. but dick's abstraction grew deeper. he wrote a number of letters, and sent some telegrams, and his friends began to wonder if matters at dick's home were not altogether right. but the secret, if such it could be called, was solved by the unexpected arrival of mr. hamilton at kentfield. he appeared on the campus after drill one day, and dick greeted his parent enthusiastically. "so you got here, after all, dad?" he cried, as he shook hands, paul and innis also coming over to meet the millionaire. "well, i felt i just had to come, dick, after all you wrote and telegraphed me," replied mr. hamilton. "i thought we could do better by having a talk than by correspondence. but, i tell you, frankly, i don't approve of what you are going to do." dick's chums looked curiously at him. "i may as well confess," laughed the young millionaire, "i'm thinking of buying an airship, fellows." "whew!" whistled paul. "that's going some, as the boys say," commented innis. "tell us all about it." "i will," said dick, frankly. "it's been on my mind the last few days, and--" "so that's been your worry!" interrupted paul. "i knew it was something, but i never guessed it was that. fire ahead." "ever since your cousin came here, innis, in his craft, and since the colonel has arranged for aviation instruction, i've been thinking of having an airship of my own," dick resumed. "i wrote to dad about it, but he didn't seem to take to the idea very much." "no, i can't say that i did," said mr. hamilton, decidedly. "i consider it dangerous." "it's getting more safe every day, dad. look how dangerous automobiling was at the start, and yet that's nearly perfect now, though of course there'll always be accidents. but i won't go in for this thing, dad, if you really don't want me to." "well, i won't say no, and i'll not say yes--at least not just yet," said mr. hamilton slowly. "i want to think it over, have a talk with some of these 'birdmen' as you call them, and then you and i'll consider it together, dick. that's why i came on. i want to know more about it before i make up my mind." mr. hamilton became the guest of the colonel, as he had done on several occasions before, and, in the following days, he made as careful a study of aviation as was possible under the circumstances. he also had several interviews with mr. vardon. "have you decided to let your son have an airship of his own?" the colonel asked, when the millionaire announced that he would start for new york the following morning. "well, i've been thinking pretty hard about the matter," was the answer. "i hardly know what to do. i'm afraid it's only another one of dick's hare-brained ideas, and if he goes in for it, he'll come a cropper. "and, maybe, on the whole, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let him go in for it, and make a fizzle of it. it would be a good lesson to him, though i would certainly regret, exceedingly, if he were even slightly injured. "on the other hand dick is pretty lucky. he may come out all right. i suppose he'll go in and try to win some prizes at these aviation meets they hold every once in a while." "yes, there are to be several," spoke the colonel. "i heard something about the government offering a big prize for a successful trans-continental flight--from the atlantic to the pacific, but i know nothing of the details." "well, i suppose dick would be rash enough to try for that, if he hears about it," murmured mr. hamilton. "i guess, taking it on all sides, that i'll let him have an airship, if only to prove that he can't work it. he needs a little toning down, most young chaps do, i fancy. i know i did when i was a lad. yes, if he makes a fizzle of it, the lesson may be worth something to him--throwing his money away on an airship. but i'll give my consent." and when dick was told by his parent, not very enthusiastically, that he might secure an aircraft, the young cadet's delight was great. "that's fine!" he cried, shaking hands heartily with his father. "well, i hope you succeed in flying your machine, when you get it, but, as the scotchman said, 'i have my doubts,'" said mr. hamilton, grimly. "humph!" mused dick later. "dad doesn't think much of me in the aviator class, i guess. but i'll go in for this thing now, if only to show him that i can do it! i've done harder stunts, and if the hamilton luck doesn't fail, i'll do this. i'll make a long flight, and put one over on dad again. he thinks i can't do it--but i'll show him i can!" exclaimed dick, with sparkling eyes. dick communicated his father's decision to paul and innis. "i'm going to have an airship!" he cried. "it wasn't easy to get dad's consent, but he gave it. now, how about you fellows coming on a cruise in the clouds with me?" "say, how big a machine are you going to have?" paul wanted to know. "well, my ideas are rather hazy yet," admitted the young millionaire, "but if i can get it built, it's going to be one of the biggest airships yet made. we'll travel in style, if we travel at all," he said, with a laugh. "i'm thinking of having an aircraft with some sort of enclosed cabin on it." "say, that will be quite an elaborate affair," commented innis. "the question is, will you fellows take a chance with me in it?" asked dick. "well, i guess so," responded paul, slowly. innis nodded in rather a faint-hearted fashion. "now," said dick, "i want to see--" he was interrupted by shouts in the direction of the river. "there she is!" "she's floating down!" "let's get her!" a number of cadets were thus crying out. "come on!" yelled dick. "something's happened! maybe my motor-boat is adrift!" chapter iv the army aviators dick, paul and innis set off at a quick pace toward the stream which flowed at the foot of the broad expanse of green campus and parade ground. as they hurried on they were joined by other cadets in like haste. "what is it?" asked the young millionaire. "don't know," was the answer. "something happened on the river, that's all i heard." dick and his chums were soon in a position to see for themselves, and what they beheld was a curious sort of raft, with torn sails, or so at least it seemed, floating down with the current. then, as the waters swirled about the odd craft, a piece, like the tail of some great fish, arose for a moment. "what in the name of gatling guns is it?" asked paul, wonderingly. "it's the airship!" cried innis. "my cousin's wrecked airship! it must have been stuck in the mud, or held by some snag, and now it's come to the surface. we ought to get it. he'll want to save it. maybe he can use part of the engine again, and he's out of funds to buy a new one, i know." "besides, he wants to see if it had been tampered with by someone so as to bring about an accident," suggested paul. "we'll get it!" cried dick. "come on! in my motor-boat!" the speedy watercraft was in readiness for a run, and the three cadets, racing down to her, soon had the motor started and the bow of the boat pointed to the floating airship. the latter was moving slowly from the force of the current, which was not rapid here. the affair of wings, struts, planes and machinery floated, half submerged, and probably would not have sunk when the accident occurred except that the great speed at which it was travelling forced it below the surface, even as one can force under a piece of wood. but the wood rises, and the buoyant airship would have done the same, perhaps, save for the fact that it had become caught. now it was freed. "make this rope fast to it," directed dick, as he guided his motor-boat close to the airship. "we'll tow it to the dock." paul and innis undertook this part of the work, and in a few moments the mabel, dick's boat, was headed toward shore, towing the wrecked airship. a crowd of the cadets awaited with interest the arrival. when the mabel had been made fast to the dock, other ropes were attached to the aircraft that floated at her stern, and the wrecked biplane was slowly hauled up the sloping bank of the stream. "some smash, that!" "look at the planes, all bent and twisted!" "but the motor is all there!" "say, she's bigger than i thought she was!" thus the young cadets commented on the appearance of the craft as it was hauled out. word had been sent to mr. vardon and his helper to come and look at the salvaged wreck, and they were goon on the scene, together with larry dexter, who, as usual, was always on hand when there was a chance to get an item of news. "i'll get another scoop out of this for my paper!" he exclaimed to dick. "then i guess i'd better be getting back to new york. they may want to send me on some other assignment, for it doesn't look as though i'd do any more flying through the air in that machine." "say, don't be in too much of a hurry to go away," remarked dick, as he ceased from pulling on the rope attached to the wrecked airship. "why not?" asked larry. "what do you mean?" "well, you're not on any regular news stunt just now; are you?" inquired dick, of the young reporter. "that is, you don't have to report back to the office at any special time." "no," replied larry. "i'm a sort of free lance. i'm supposed to be learning how to run an airship so i can qualify, and get a license, and be able to help out the paper on such a stunt if they need me. they assigned me to this mr. vardon because it looked as though he had a good thing. now that it's busted i suppose i'll be sent out with some other aviator, and i'd better be getting back to new york and find out what the paper wants me to do." "well, as i said, don't be in too much of a hurry," went on dick with a smile. "you talk and act as though there was something in the wind," remarked larry. "there is, and there's going to be something more in the wind soon, or, rather, in the air," said dick. "i might as well tell you, i'm going to have an airship, and--" "you are!" interrupted larry. "good for you! i'll give you a good write-up when you make your first flight." "i wasn't thinking so much of that," proceeded the young millionaire. "but when i do get my airship i'd like to have you make some flights with me. that might serve your end as well as going with some other aviator, and you could be getting in the practice that your paper wants for you." "fine and dandy!" cried larry. "i'm with you, dick. i'll send off a wire at once, and let the managing editor know i'm going to get right on the flying job again. this will be great!" "i don't know that there'll be such an awful lot of news in it at first," went on dick, "for i've got to learn this art of flying, and i don't expect to do any hair-raising stunts right off the reel. "but, larry, there may be other news for you around this academy soon." "real news?" "yes. you probably heard what mr. vardon said about his machine being tampered with." "i sure did. and i think the same thing myself. it worked to perfection the day before, and then, all at once, she turned turtle. the gyroscope equilibrizer must have broken." "well, you can see what happened, for we've got her out of the water now," said dick. "and there may be more news when the army aviators arrive." "are they coming here? i hadn't heard. i've been so busy getting straightened out after my plunge into the river." "yes, they're coming here to give us instructions, and there may be all sorts of stunts pulled off. so you'd better stick." "i will, thanks. but i'm mostly interested in your airship. it sure will be great to take a flight with you. but there's mr. vardon. i want to hear what he says." the aviator, and his helper, who had almost fully recovered from their narrow escape from death, were carefully examining the airship which was now hauled out on a level spot in the campus, just above the river bank. eagerly the cadets crowded around the machine. "come here, grit!" called dick to his prize bulldog. "first you know someone will step on you, and you'll just naturally take a piece out of his leg. you don't belong in a crowd." grit came at the word of command, and dick, slipping on the leash, gave the animal in charge of one of the orderlies to be taken to the stable. grit whined and barked in protest at being separated from his master, but dick wanted no accidents. "do you find anything wrong?" asked innis of his cousin, as the latter went carefully over each part of the wrecked airship. "well, it's hard to say, on account of there being so many broken places," was the answer. "the engine is not as badly smashed as i expected, but it will take some time to examine and test the gyroscope attachment. i shall remove it and set it up separately." "well, it's my opinion that it was monkeyed with, and done on purpose, too!" declared jack butt. "and i could almost name the fellow who did it. he was--" "hush! no names, if you please," interrupted the aviator. "we will investigate first." "all right, sir! just as you say," grudgingly agreed the other. "but if ever i get my hands on him--!" jack butt looked rather vindictive, and probably with good reason. for had he not been near to death; and, as he thought, through the evil work of some enemy. the wrecked aircraft was hauled to one of the barrack sheds, which mr. vardon announced would be his temporary workshop for possible repairs. the rest of that day, and all of the next, was spent by mr. vardon in taking his wrecked machine apart, saving that which could be used again, and looking particularly for defects in the gyroscope stabilizer, or equilibrizer. larry and jack butt helped at this work, and dick, and the other cadets, spent as much time as they could from their lessons and drills watching the operations. for the students were much interested in aviation, and, now that it was known that the army aviators were to come to kentfield, and that dick hamilton, one of the best liked of the cadets, was to have a big airship of his own, many who had said they would never make a flight, were changing their minds. it was one afternoon, about a week following the wrecking of mr. vardon's machine, that, as the cadets in their natty uniforms were going through the last drill of the day, a peculiar sound was heard in the air over the parade ground. there was a humming and popping, a throbbing moan, as it were, and despite the fact that the orders were "eyes front!" most of the cadets looked up. and they saw, soaring downward toward the campus which made an ideal landing spot, two big aircraft. "the army aviators!" someone cried, nor was there any rebuke from the officers. "the army aviators!" "at ease!" came the order, for the commandant realized that the students could hardly be expected to stand at attention when there was the chance to see an airship land. then a few seconds later, the two craft came gently down to the ground, undulating until they could drop as lightly as a boy's kite. and, as they came to a stop with the application of the drag brake, after rolling a short distance on the bicycle wheels, the craft were surrounded by the eager cadets. chapter v suspicions casting aside the straps that bound them to their machines, the army aviators leaped lightly from their seats. the big propellers, from which the power had been cut off, as the birdmen started to volplane to the ground, ceased revolving, and the hum and roar of the powerful motors was no more heard. in their big, leather helmets, and leather jackets, and with their enormous goggles on, the birdmen looked like anything but spick-and-span soldiers of uncle sam. but dress in the army has undergone a radical change. the "fuss and feathers" are gradually disappearing, and utility is the word. it was so in regard to the aviators. they were not hampered by uniforms. "kentfield military academy?" inquired one of the officers, evidently in command. he looked about for someone in authority. "kentfield academy, sir," replied colonel masterly who had come up. "i am in charge here," and he introduced himself. the army man, who wore a captain's shoulder straps, saluted and remarked: "i am captain grantly, in charge. that is captain wakefield, in the other machine. with him is lieutenant mcbride, and my companion is lieutenant larson. i presume you expected us?" "oh, yes," said colonel masterly, as he shook hands with the visitors. "i'm sure we are all glad to see you." dick and his chums looked on with interest. the army aviators seemed efficient and pleasant men--that is all but one. the first sight he had of the face of lieutenant larson, after the latter had removed his protecting helmet and goggles, made dick say to himself: "that fellow will bear watching! i don't like the look in his eyes." but dick said nothing of this to paul or innis. he made up his mind he would learn their impressions later. "we thought we might as well come on in the machines, as to have them taken down, shipped here, and then have to assemble them again, would take too much time," went on captain grantly. "though we expect, later, to give your students a practical demonstration in how the biplanes are put together, so they may understand something of how to make repairs. "we came on from the nearest army aviation grounds, and had a most successful flight. i must send back word to major dalton." "our telephone, or telegraph service, is at your disposal," said colonel masterly. "if you will come with me--" "excuse me, but we carry with us our own means of communication," said captain grantly with a smile. "we are going on the assumption, constantly, that we are in an enemy's country. "consequently we go prepared as though there were a state of war. we shall communicate with our base by means of wireless." "i am afraid we can't accommodate you there," went on the head of the military school. "we are installing a wireless outfit, but it is not yet completed," the colonel said. "oh, we carry our own!" was the unexpected retort. "lieutenant larson, if you and lieutenant mcbride will get the balloon ready, captain wakefield and myself will work out the cipher dispatch, and send it. "we use a code in our wireless," he went on to explain, "and it takes a few minutes to make up the message." "but i heard you speak of a balloon," said colonel masterly. "i don't see how you carry one on your machine." "here it is," was the answer, and a deflated rubberized silk bag was produced from a locker back of the pilot's seat. "this is the latest idea in airship wireless," went on captain grantly, as he directed the lieutenants to get out the rest of the apparatus. "we carry with us a deflated balloon, which will contain about two hundred cubic yards of lifting gas. the gas itself, greatly compressed, is in this cylinder. there's enough for several chargings. "we fill the balloon, and attach to it our aerial wires. the balloon takes them up about four hundred feet--the wires weigh about twenty pounds, i might say. then we carry a light sending instrument. it has a considerable range, though we can receive messages from a much greater distance than we can send, as our force for a sending current is limited." as he was talking the others were working, and the cadets looked on interestedly. the drill had been abandoned, and officers and students crowded up near the army aviators to see what was going on. with a sharp hiss the compressed gas rushed from the containing cylinder into the deflated balloon. the silken sides puffed out, losing their wrinkles. the balloon gradually assumed larger proportions. "ready with the wires?" asked captain grantly. "all ready, sir," replied lieutenant larson. dick now heard him speak for the first time, and did not like his voice. there are some persons who make a bad impression on you at the first meeting. often this may he unjustified, but dick's first impressions were seldom wrong. the wires, forming the wireless aerial, were carried up on two light spreaders, hanging down from a network that went over the balloon bag. from the aerials depended the wires that were attached to the receiving and sending apparatus. these wires were on a reel, and would he uncoiled as the balloon arose. the earth-end would be attached to the telephone receivers and to the apparatus, consisting of a spark-gap wheel and other instruments designed to send into space the electrical impulses that could be broken up into dots, dashes and spaces, spelling out words according to the morse or continental code--whichever was used. captain grantly looked over everything. his assistants signified that every connection was made. "send her up," ordered the commander, and as the catch, holding the balloon, was released the spherical bag of gas shot into the air, carrying with it the aerials, and unreeling the connecting wires. quickly it rose to nearly five hundred feet, and, when it had been anchored, all was soon in readiness. meanwhile a code dispatch had been written out, and as it was handed to captain wakefield, who was to operate the wireless, he began depressing the key that made and broke the electrical current. the current itself came from a small, but powerful, storage battery, and it had been switched on. the current also set in motion a toothed wheel of brass. this wheel revolved on its axis with the points, or teeth, passing rapidly in front of a platinum contact point. as each tooth thus came in opposition to the point, a blue spark of electricity would shoot out with a vicious snap; that is if the connection key were pressed down. if the key were not depressed no current flowed. i presume most of you understand how the wireless works, so i will not give you a complete description save to say that it is just like a telegraph system, in fundamentals. the only difference is that no connecting metallic wires are needed between stations. a group of wires in parallels, called "aerials," are hung in the air at one point, or station, and a similar set is suspended at the other station. the electrical current jumps through the air from one group of wires to the other, without being directly connected, hence the name "wireless," though really some wires are used. the electrical impulse can be sent for thousands of miles through the air, without any directly connecting wires. and the method of communication is by means of dots, dashes and spaces. you have doubtless heard the railroad or other telegraph instruments clicking. you can hold your table knife blade between two tines of your fork, and imitate the sound of the telegraph very easily. if you move your knife blade up and down once, quickly, that will represent a dot. if you move it more slowly, holding it down for a moment, that would be a dash. a space would be the interval between a dot and a dash, or between two dots or two dashes. thus, by combinations of dots, dashes and spaces, the letters of the alphabet may be made and words spelled out. for instance a dot and a dash is "a." in telegraphing, of course, the operator listens to the clicking of the brass sounder in front of him on the desk. but in wireless the electrical waves, or current received, is so weak that it would not operate the sounder. so a delicate telephone receiver is used. this is connected to the receiving wires, and as the sender at his station, perhaps a thousand miles away, presses down his key, and allows it to come up, thus making dots, dashes and spaces, corresponding clicks are made in the telephone receiver, at the ear of the other operator. it takes skill to thus listen to the faint clicks that may be spelled out into words, but the operators are very skillful. in sending messages a very high tension current is needed, as most of it is wasted, leaping through the air as it does. so that though the clicks may sound very loud at the sending apparatus, and the blue sparks be very bright, still only faint clicks can be heard in the head-telephone receiver at the other end. "you may send," directed captain grantly to captain wakefield, and the blue sparks shot out in a dazzling succession, as the spiked wheel spun around. this was kept up for some little time, after the receiving operator at the army headquarters had signified that he was at attention. then came a period of silence. captain wakefield was receiving a message through space, but he alone could hear this through the telephone receiver. he wrote it out in the cipher code, and soon it was translated. "i informed them that we had arrived safely," said captain grantly to colonel masterly, "and they have informed me that we are to remain here until further notice, instructing your cadets in the use of the aircraft." "and we are very glad to have you here," replied the commandant of kentfield. "if you will come with me i will assign you to quarters." "we had better put away our biplanes, and haul down our wireless outfit," suggested captain grantly. "allow me to assign some of the cadets to help you," suggested the colonel, and this offer being accepted, dick, to his delight, was one of those detailed, as were innis and paul. giving his instructions to the two lieutenants, captain grantly, with the junior captain, accompanied colonel masterly to the main buildings of the academy. "well, let's dig in, and get through with this job," suggested lieutenant larson, in surly tones to his companion. "then i'm going to ask for leave and go to town. i'm tired." "so am i, but we've got to tighten up some of those guy wires. they are loose and need attention. they might order a flight any time," his fellow lieutenant said. "well, you can stay and tighten 'em if you like. i'm not," was the growling retort. "i'm sick of this business anyhow! let some of the kids do the work." "they don't know how," was the good-natured answer of lieutenant mcbride. "there is a professional aviator here now," said dick, as he recalled mr. vardon. "we might get him to help you." "i don't care," said lieutenant larson, as he began hauling down the suspended balloon. "i only know i'm sick of so much work. i think i'll go back into the artillery." dick and his chums naturally did not care much for the surly soldier, but they liked lieutenant mcbride at once. he smilingly told them what to do, and the boys helped to push the machines to a shed that had been set aside for them. the wireless apparatus was taken apart and stored away, the gas being let out of the balloon. the work was almost finished, when larry dexter, with mr. vardon and the latter's helper, jack, came across to the sheds. they had come to see the army airships. by this time lieutenant larson had finished what he considered was his share of the work, and was on his way to get a brief leave of absence from his captain. at the entrance to the shed he came face to face with mr. vardon and jack. "oh, so you're the professional aviator they spoke of," said larson, with a sneer in his tone. "yes, i'm here," replied mr. vardon, quietly. "i did not expect to see you here, though." "the surprise is mutual," mocked the other. "i read about your failure. i suppose now, you will quit fooling with that gyroscope of yours, and give my method a trial." "i never will. i am convinced that i am right, and that you are wrong." "you're foolish," was the retort. jack butt stepped forward and whispered in the ear of his employer, so that at least dick heard what he said. "i believe he did it!" were the tense words of the machinist. chapter vi dick's first flight mr. vardon gave his helper a quick and warning glance. "hush!" he exclaimed, as he looked to see if lieutenant larson had heard what jack had said. but the army man evidently had not. he gave the machinist a glance, however, that was not the most pleasant in the world. it was evident that there was some feeling between the two. dick wondered what it was, and what jack's ominous words meant. having put away the two biplanes, and requested the cadets to look at them as much as they liked, but not to meddle with the apparatus, the two lieutenants left the sheds, to report to their respective captains. mr. vardon and his helper remained with dick and his chums. "very fine machines," said the aviator. "compared to my poor pile of junk, very fine machines indeed!" "but part of yours is good; isn't it?" asked dick. "you can use part of it, i should think." "very little," was the hopeless reply. "the damage was worse than i thought. my gyroscope attachment is a total wreck, and it will cost money to build a new one." "yes, and that gyroscope was tampered with before we started on this last flight!" declared jack, with conviction. "and i'm sure he did it!" he added, pointing an accusing finger at the retreating form of lieutenant larson. "you must not say such things!" cried the aviator. "you have no proof!" "i have all the proof i want as far as he is concerned," declared jack. "maybe he didn't intend to kill us, or hurt us, but he sure did want to wreck the machine when he tampered with the gyroscope." "what is the gyroscope?" asked dick. "it is an invention of mine, and one over which lieutenant larson and i had some argument," said mr. vardon. "you probably know," the aviator went on, while dick, paul, and innis, with several other cadets, listened interestedly, "you probably know that one of the great problems of aviation is how to keep a machine from turning turtle, or turning over, when it strikes an unexpected current, or 'air pocket' in the upper regions. of course a birdman may, by warping his wings, or changing the elevation of his rudder, come out safely, but there is always a chance of danger or death. "if there was some automatic arrangement by which the airship would right itself, and take care of the unexpected tilting, there would be practically no danger. "i realized that as soon as i began making airships, and so i devised what i call a gyroscope equilibrizer or stabilizer. a gyroscope, you know, is a heavy wheel, spinning at enormous speed, on an anti-friction axle. its great speed tends to keep it in stable equilibrium, and, if displaced by outside forces, it will return to its original position. "you have probably seen toy ones; a heavy lead wheel inside a ring. when the wheel is spinning that, and the ring in which it is contained, may be placed in almost any position, on a very slender support and they will remain stable, or at rest. "so i put a gyroscope on my airship, and i found that it kept the machine in a state of equilibrium no matter what position we were forced to take by reason of adverse currents. of course it was not an entire success, but i was coming to that. "in the biplane which was wrecked in the river i had my latest gyroscope. it seemed to be perfect, and, with jack and harry, i had made a number of beautiful flights. i even flew alone upside down, and had no trouble. "before that i had made the acquaintance of lieutenant larson, who is also an expert aviator. he worked for me before he went in the army. he had his own ideas about equilibrium, and his plan, which he wanted me to adopt, consists of tubes of mercury that can automatically be tilted at different angles. i do not believe they will ever work, and i told him so. i refused to use them, and he and i parted, not the best of friends. he wanted his invention exploited, but i refused to try it, as i thought it dangerous. "when my gyroscope worked fairly well, i presume lieutenant larson was professionally jealous. at any rate he, left me, and i am glad of it." "but he was around our workshop just before we made this last flight!" insisted jack. "he came in pretending he had left some of his important drawings behind when he went away, but i noticed that he hung around the airship a good bit. i saw him looking at, and running the gyroscope, and i'm sure he did something to it that caused it to fail to work, and so wrecked us." "you should not say such things," chided mr. vardon. "well, i believe it's true," insisted jack. "and you found something wrong with the gyroscope, when you took it from the airship; didn't you?" "yes, but that may have occurred in the wreck." "no, that gyroscope began to act wrong before we started to fall," went on the helper. "i noticed it, and i believe that mean lieutenant monkeyed with it. he wanted you to think your plans were failures." "i should dislike to believe that of anyone," spoke mr. vardon, seriously. "well, i'm going to keep my eye on him," said jack. "he won't get another chance at any of our machines." it was a day or so after this conversation that dick came upon his chum innis, talking to mr. vardon. they seemed very much in earnest, and at dick's approach the aviator strolled away. innis stood regarding him a moment, and remarked, in a low tone: "poor chap!" "what's the trouble?" asked dick, quickly. "has anything happened to him?" "yes, dick, a whole lot of things!" replied innis earnestly. "i feel mighty sorry for him. you know how his airship was wrecked, but that's only one of his troubles. he's practically lost every cent he has in the world, and he's deeply in debt, for he borrowed money to build his aircraft, and perfect his stabilizer. he's just about down and out, poor chap, and he feels mighty blue, i can tell you. "when you came up i was just trying to figure out a way to help him. but i don't see how i can. my dad hasn't any too much money himself, since some of his investments failed, or he'd pull my cousin out of this hole. but, as it is, i don't see what's to be done. and his gyroscope stabilizer will work, too, only he won't get a chance to prove it, now." dick was silent a moment, and then he asked: "say, innis, would it help your cousin any if he had a contract to build airships, and could install his stabilizer on one of them?" "why, of course it would, dick! that would be just the very thing he'd want. but who'd give him such a contract, especially after this accident? and he hasn't any money to back up his claims. in fact he's a bankrupt. nobody would give him such a chance." "yes, i think someone would," said dick, quietly. "who?" asked innis, quickly. "i would. it's this way," the young millionaire went on. "i've fully made up my mind to have an airship, since dad consented, though i believe he's secretly laughing at me. now the kind of craft i want doesn't come ready made--it will have to be built to order. "so why can't i contract with your cousin to make my airship for me? i'd be willing to pay all expenses and whatever his services were worth, so he could make some money that way. i'd a good deal rather give him a chance on the work, than some stranger. besides, i like his idea of a gyroscope, and, even if he doesn't want to build my craft, i'd like to arrange to buy one of his stabilizers. do yon think he would like to take the contract from me?" "do i?" cried innis earnestly. "say, he'll jump at the chance! you try him, and see! say, this is fine of you, old man!" "oh, nonsense! it isn't anything of the sort," protested dick. "i've got to have somebody build my airship, and i'd rather it would be your cousin than anyone else." "it's fine and dandy!" innis exclaimed. "come on; let's find him and tell him. he needs something to cheer him up, for he's got the blues horribly. come along, dick." to say that mr. vardon was delighted to accept dick's offer is putting it mildly. yet he was not too demonstrative. "this is the best news i've heard in a long while," he said. "i guess my cousin has told you i'm pretty badly embarrassed financially," he added. "yes," assented dick. "well, i happen to have plenty of money, through no fault of my own, and we'll do this airship business up properly. "i'd like you to get started at it as soon as you can, and as there will be preliminary expenses, i'm going to advance you some cash. you'll have to order certain parts made up, won't you?" he asked. "yes, i presume so," agreed the aviator. "and, of course, i'll want your stabilizer on my craft." "that's very good of you to say. it will give me a fine chance to demonstrate it," said mr. vardon. later in the day, dick, his chums, the aviator and larry dexter were talking about some of the flights made in the army machines that afternoon. "can you arrange to have a wireless outfit on my airship?" asked the young millionaire, as an exchange of wireless talk had been a feature of the exhibition that day. "oh, yes, that can easily be done," assented the birdman. "say, you're going to have a fine outfit!" complimented paul. "might as well have a good one while i'm at it," answered dick, with a laugh. "i've got to make good on dad's account anyhow. i can't stand him laughing at me. i wish i had my airship now." "i'll start building it, soon," promised mr. vardon. "i'll want it in time for the summer vacation," went on dick. "i'm going to spend a lot of time in the air." "why don't you make a try for the prize?" suggested mr. vardon. "what prize?" dick wanted to know. "why the united states government, to increase interest in airship navigation, and construction, especially for army purposes, has offered a prize of twenty thousand dollars for the first flight from the atlantic to the pacific, or from new york to san francisco, by an airship carrying at least three persons. only two landings are allowed during the flight, to take on gasolene, or make repairs. why don't you try for that?" "what, me try for that prize in the first airship i ever owned!" exclaimed dick. "i wouldn't have the nerve! i guess the government doesn't want amateurs in the trans-continental flight." "it doesn't make a bit of difference," declared mr. vardon. "it is going to be an open competition. and, let me tell you, amateurs have done as much, if not more, than the professionals, to advance and improve aviation. why, as a matter of fact, we're all amateurs. we are learning something new every day. the art, or business, of flying is too new to have in it anything but amateurs. don't let that stop you, dick." "well, i'll think about it," said the young millionaire. dick obtained some detailed information, and entry blanks for the government prize contest, and a little later announced to his chums: "well, fellows, in view of what mr. vardon said about amateurs, maybe i will have a try for that prize. it will give us an object, instead of merely flying aimlessly about. and if i should win, wouldn't i have the laugh on dad! yes, i'll make a try for it!" he added. "and we'll help you!" cried paul. "and i'll make a good story of it," promised larry dexter. "i guess we'd better get the airship first," suggested innis, dryly. "oh, i'll look after that," promised his aviator cousin. the days that followed were busy ones at kentfield academy. a course of instruction was arranged concerning the making and flying of airships. in the former mr. vardon was the chief lecturer, as he had had more practical experience in building the aircraft than had either of the army captains. but the army men had made a study of air currents, and the management of biplanes and monoplanes, and were equal to mr. vardon in this respect. and so the cadets looked on and listened, watching the army aviators test their machines, run them over the starting ground, and finally, by a tilting of the rudders, send the machines up like big birds. "young gentlemen," announced colonel masterly after chapel exercises one morning, "i have an important announcement to make. you have been studying aviation for some time now, and it is necessary, if you keep on with it, to have practical work. therefore we have decided that, taking turns, those cadets in this course will make a flight, beginning with today. you will go up, one in each aeroplane, with the two army officers, who will look after and instruct you. "i will now call for volunteers to make the first flight. don't all speak at once," added the colonel, with a grim smile. there was a moment of breathless pause, and then, from where he sat, dick arose. with a salute he said: "i'll volunteer, sir." "good!" came in whispered comment that the colonel did not try to check. "and i'll also volunteer!" spoke innis, quickly. "so will i!" added paul, and then several more announced their intention. that afternoon came around very quickly, it seemed. out on the starting ground were the two big machines, being looked over by the army men. the cadets were drawn up in files. "all ready, sir," announced captain grantly to major rockford. "the first cadet will take his place." "dick hamilton!" called the commandant, and our hero stepped forward for his first airship flight. chapter vii a queer landing "now don't get nervous," said captain grantly to dick, with a grim smile, as the young millionaire took his seat in the place provided for the third occupant of the biplane. "well, i'll try my best," answered dick, smiling ruefully. "am i to do anything?" "not a thing," captain grantly assured him. "just sit still; that's all." dick rather wished he could have gone in the other machine, for he had no liking for the surly lieutenant with the captain. but dick had been assigned to this craft, and military rules prevailed at kentfield. you did as you were told without question. dick took his place, and watched with interest the operations of captain grantly and his lieutenant. whatever one thought of the latter, personally, it must be admitted that he knew his business when it came to airships. in some matters even his superior officer, captain grantley, deferred to the judgment of larson. "you won't have to do a thing," went on the lieutenant to dick. "just sit still, and, above all, no matter what happens, don't touch any of the wheels or levers." "no, that might wreck us," added the captain. "we'll manipulate the machine, at the same time telling you, and showing you, how to do it. in time you will run it yourself, with us looking on, and i believe it is the intention of colonel masterly to have you cadets finally operate a machine on your own responsibility." "i hope i may learn to do so," spoke dick, "for i'm going to have a craft of my own." "are you indeed?" asked the captain, interestedly. "it's rather an expensive pleasure--not like automobiling." "well, luckily or not, i happen to have plenty of money," said dick. "i'm going to have quite a large machine built." was it fancy, or did lieutenant larson look at dick with peculiar meaning in his rather shifty eyes. dick, however, was too much occupied in the coming flight to pay much attention to this. "if you're going to have a machine, perhaps you're going to have a try for the twenty thousand dollar prize," suggested captain grantly, as he tested the gasolene and spark levers, and looked at several turn-buckles which tightened the guy wires. "well, i have about decided to," answered dick, looking over at the other aircraft, in which paul drew was to make an ascent. "jove! i wish i had that chance!" exclaimed larson. "i'm sure, with my mercury balancer i could--" "there you go again!" cried captain grantly. "i tell you your idea is all wrong about that balancer! wing warping is the only proper way." "but that isn't automatic, and what is needed is an automatic balancer or equilibrizer," insisted the lieutenant. "well, we won't discuss it now," went on the captain. "are you all ready, mr. hamilton?" "all ready, yes, sir." the captain and lieutenant larson took their places, one on either side of dick. some of the orderlies at the academy had been detailed to assist in the start, holding back on the biplane until the engine had attained the necessary speed. there was an arrangement whereby the machine could be held in leash, as it were, by a rope, and when the necessary pressure developed from the propeller blades, the rope could be loosed from the aviator's seat. but that attachment was not in use at kentfield then. the powerful motor hummed and throbbed, for a muffler was temporarily dispensed with on account of its weight. every unnecessary ounce counts on an airship, as it is needful to carry as much oil and gasolene as possible, and the weight given over to a muffler could be more advantageously applied to gasolene, on the smaller craft. faster and faster whirled the big blades, cutting through the air. the captain kept his eyes on a balance scale, by which was registered the pull of the propellers. "that's enough!" he cried. "let her go!" dick felt the machine move slowly forward on the rubber tired bicycle wheels over the grassy starting ground, gradually acquiring speed before it would mount upward into the air. perhaps a word of explanation about airships may not be out of place. those of you who know the principle on which they work, or who have seen them, may skip this part if you wish. the main difference between a balloon and an aeroplane, is that the balloon is lighter than air, being filled with a very light gas, which causes it to rise. an aeroplane is heavier than air, and, in order to keep suspended, must be constantly in motion. the moment it stops moving forward it begins to fall downward. there are several kinds of airships, but the principle ones are monoplanes and biplanes. mono means one, and monoplane has but one set of "wings," being built much after the fashion of a bird. a biplane, as the name indicates, consists of two sets of planes, one above the other. there are some triplanes, but they have not been very successful, and there are some freak aeroplanes built with as many as eight sets. if you will scale a sheet of tin, or a thin, flat stone, or even a slate from a roof, into the air, you will have the simplest form of an aeroplane. the stone, or tin, is heavier than the amount of air it displaces, but it stays up for a comparatively long time because it is in motion. the moment the impulse you have given it by throwing fails, then it begins to fall. the engine, or motor, aboard an aeroplane keeps it constantly in motion, and it glides along through the air, resting on the atmosphere, by means of the planes or wings. if you will take a clam shell, and, holding it with the concave side toward the ground, scale it into the air, you will see it gradually mount upward. if you hold the convex side toward the ground and throw it, you will see the clam shell curve downward. that is the principle on which airships mount upward and descend while in motion. in a biplane there is either a forward or rear deflecting rudder, as well as one for steering from side to side. the latter works an the same principle as does the rudder of a boat in the water. if this rudder is bent to the right, the craft goes to the right, because of the pressure of air or water on the rudder twisted in that direction. and if the rudder is deflected to the left, the head of the craft takes that direction. just as the curve of a clam shell helps it to mount upward, so the curve of the elevating or depressing rudder on an airship helps it to go up or down. if the rudder is inclined upward the aeroplane shoots toward the clouds. when the rudder is parallel to the plane of the earth's surface, the airship flies in a straight line. when the rudder is tilted downward, down goes the craft. i hope i have not wearied you with this description, but it was, perhaps, needful, to enable those who have never seen an aeroplane to understand the working principle. one point more. a gasolene motor, very powerful, is used to whirl the wooden propeller blades that shove the airship through the air, as the propeller of a motor-boat shoves that craft through the water. faster and faster across the grassy ground went the biplane containing dick hamilton and the army officers. it was necessary to get this "running start" to acquire enough momentum so that the craft would rise, just as a heavy bird has sometimes to run along the ground a few steps before its wings will take it up. "here we go!" suddenly exclaimed the captain, and as he raised the elevating rudder the big craft slowly mounted on a slant. dick caught his breath sharply as he felt himself leaving the earth. he had once gone up in a captive balloon at a fair, but then the earth seemed sinking away beneath him. this time it seemed that he was leaving the earth behind. higher and higher they went, and dick could feel the strong wind in his face. his eyes were protected by goggles, made of celluloid to avoid accidents from broken glass in case of a fall, and on his head he wore a heavy leather helmet, not unlike those used by football players. he was strapped to his seat, as were the others, in case the machine should turn turtle. the straps would then prevent them from falling out, and give them a chance to right the craft. for this can be done, and now some aviators practice plying upside down to get used to doing it in case they have to by some accidental shift of the wind. some of them can turn complete somersaults, though this is mostly done in monoplanes, and seldom in a biplane, which is much more stable in the air. "feel all right?" asked captain grantly of dick. he asked this, but dick could not hear a word, on account of the great noise of the motor. but he could read the officer's lip motions. "yes, i'm all right," the young millionaire nodded back. he was surprised to find, that, after that first sinking sensation at the pit of his stomach, he was not afraid. he now felt a glorious sense of elation and delight. he was actually flying, or the next thing to it. "we'll go a little higher," said the captain, as he elevated the rudder a little more. the aeroplane kept on ascending. dick looked down. he did not feel dizzy as he had half expected. far below him were the buildings of kentfield, and the green parade ground. but what were those things like little ants, crawling over the campus? why the cadets, of course! they looked like flies, or specks. dick was ready to laugh. on a level keel they now darted ahead at greater speed as lieutenant larson turned on more gasolene. then, when dick had become a little used to the novel sensation, they showed him how to work the different levers. the motor was controlled by spark and gasolene exactly as is an automobile. but there was no water radiator, the engine being an up-to-date rotating one, and cooling in the air. the use of the wing-warping devices, by which the alerons, or wing-tips are "warped" to allow for "banking" in going around a curve, were also explained to dick by means of the levers controlling them. you know that a horse, a bicyclist, or a runner leans in toward the centre of the circle in making a curve. this is called "banking" and is done to prevent the centrifugal force of motion from taking one off in a straight line. the same thing must be done in an airship. that is, it must be inclined at an angle in making a curve. and this is accomplished by means of bending down the tips of the planes, pulling them to the desired position by means of long wires. it can also he accomplished by small auxiliary planes, called alerons, placed between the two larger, or main, planes. there is an aleron at the end of each main wing. straight ahead flew the army men and dick, and then, when the cadet was more used to it, they went around on a sharp curve. it made the young millionaire catch his breath, at first, for the airship seemed to tilt at a dangerous angle. but it was soon righted and straightened out again. suddenly a shadow seemed to pass over dick's head. he looked up, thinking it was a dark cloud, low down, but, to his surprise, it was the other army craft flying above them. "a race!" thought dick, and he wondered how his chum paul was faring. there was an impromptu race between the two aircraft, and then they separated, neither one gaining much advantage. back and forth they went, over the school grounds, and then in circles. dick was rapidly acquiring knowledge of how to operate the big biplane. "we'll go down now!" spoke the captain, though dick could not hear the words. the young millionaire made up his mind that he would have a muffler on his airship, and also more room to move about. he intended to make rather a long flight. the deflecting rudder was tilted downward, and the descent began. they were some distance out from the kentfield grounds now, but were headed for them on a long slant. dick wondered if they would reach them. at a nod from the captain, lieutenant larson reached up and shut off the motor. the sudden silence was startling. dick understood what was to be done. they were to glide, or as it is called "volplane" (pronounced vol-pla-nay, with the accent on the last syllable) to the ground. "i hope we make it safely," mused dick. but it did not look as though they had been near enough the landing place when the motor was cut off. dick saw the two army men glance rather apprehensively at one another. was something wrong? dick was sure of it a moment later when, as captain grantly pulled the lever of the deflecting rudder toward him, there was a snapping, breaking sound. "lost control!" cried the captain. "wire snapped! look out, everybody!" dick wanted to jump, but he knew that would be rash, as they were still some distance above the ground. "can't you guide her?" asked larson. "no! we've got to land the best we can!" was the answer. they were right over a little farm now, and seemed to be headed directly for a small, low building. "something is going to smash!" thought dick grimly. the next moment the airship had come down on the roof of the low farm building, crashing right through it, and a second later dick and his companions found themselves in the midst of a squealing lot of pigs, that fairly rushed over them. chapter viii at hamilton corners instinctively, as he felt the airship falling, without being under control, dick had loosed the strap that held him to his seat. this advice had been given as one of the first instructions, to enable the aviator to leap clear of the craft as it struck. but, in this case the landing had been such a queer one that there was no time for any of the three to do the latter. down on the roof of the pig sty they had come, crashing through it, for the place was old and rotten. it was this very fact, however, that saved them from more serious injuries than severe joltings. the roof had collapsed, had broken in the middle, and the squealing porkers were now running wild. most of them seemed to prefer the vicinity of the spot near where the three aviators were now tumbled in a heap, having been thus thrown by the concussion. "get out of here, you razor-back!" cried dick, as a pig fairly walked over him. he managed to struggle to his feet, but another pig took that, seemingly, as an invitation to dart between the legs of the young millionaire, and upset him. dick fell directly back on the form of captain grantly, who grunted at the impact. then, as lieutenant larson tried to get up, he, too, was bowled over by a rush of some more pigs. but the two army officers, and dick, were football players, and they knew how to take a fall, so were not harmed. fortunately they had been tossed out on a grassy part of the pen, and away from the muddy slough where the porkers were in the habit of wallowing. "get out, you brutes!" cried dick, striking at the pigs with a part of one of the pen roof boards. then, with the army men to help him, he succeeded in driving the swine out of their way. this done, the aviators looked at one another and "took an account of stock." "are you hurt?" asked the captain of dick, grimly. "no, only bruised a bit. as the old lady said of the train that came to a sudden halt because of a collision, 'do you always land this way?'" "no, indeed!" exclaimed the captain, as he looked at the ruin of the shed, amid which the airship was. "this is my first accident of this kind. the lever of the vertical rudder snapped, and i couldn't control her. luckily the roof was rotten, or we might have smashed everything." "as it is, nothing seems to be much damaged," said the lieutenant. "i wonder if we can fly back?" "it is doubtful," the captain answered. "we'll try and get her out, first." as they were climbing over the pile of broken boards to get a view of the aeroplane, an excited farmer came rushing out of a barn, a short distance away. "hey, what do you fellers mean--smashing down out of the clouds, bustin' up my pig pen, and scatterin' 'em to the four winds?" he yelled. "i'll have th' law on you for this! i'll make you pay damages! you killed a lot of my pigs, i reckon!" "i don't see any dead ones," spoke the captain, calmly. "it was an accident." "that's what them autermobile fellers says when they run over my chickens," snarled the unpleasant farmer. "but they has t' pay for 'em all the same." "and we are willing to pay you anything in reason," said the captain. "i don't believe we killed any of your pigs, however. but the shed was so rotten it was ready to fall down of itself, which was a good thing for us. how much do you want?" "well, i want a hundred dollars--that's what i want." "the shed, when new, wasn't worth a quarter of that." "i don't care!" snapped the farmer. "that's my price. some of my pigs may be lost for all i know, and pork's goin' t' be high this year. i want a hundred dollars, or you don't take your old shebang offen my premises. i'll hold it till you pay me." the army officers looked serious at this. clearly the farmer had a right to damages, but a hundred dollars was excessive. "i'll give you fifty, cash," said dick, as he pulled out a roll of bills. "will that satisfy you?" the farmer's eyes gleamed at the sight of the money. and, as dick looked at his companions, he caught a greedy glint in the eyes of lieutenant larson. "it's wuth a hundred; smashin' my shed, an' all the trouble you've caused me," grumbled the farmer. "but i'll take sixty." "no you won't. you'll take fifty or you can bring a lawsuit," replied dick, sharply. "i guess you know who i am. i'm hamilton, from the kentfield academy. colonel masterly buys some garden stuff of you, and if i tell him--" "oh, shucks, give me the fifty!" cried the farmer, eagerly, as he held out his hand for the money. "and don't you try any more tricks like that ag'in!" "we haven't any desire to," said captain grantly. "now we'll see if we can navigate." "and i've got t' see if i kin get them pigs together," grumbled the farmer, as he pocketed dick's money. "you can put in a requisition for this, i suppose," suggested the lieutenant. "i don't know whether uncle sam ought to reimburse you, or we, personally." "don't mention it!" exclaimed dick. "i'm always willing to pay for damages, though i suppose if my uncle ezra larabee was here he'd haggle with that farmer and make him throw in a pig or two for luck." "who is uncle ezra larabee?" asked the lieutenant, curiously. "a relative of mine," answered dick. "rather 'close' as regards money." "is he rich?" "yes, quite wealthy, but you'd never know it. he lives in dankville, and he and my dog grit never can get along together. he hates grit and i guess grit doesn't love him. but shall we try to get this machine out of the shed?" "i guess it's the best thing to do, now that the pigs are out of the way," agreed the captain. and, while the farmer and his hired man were chasing after the escaped pigs, the army officers and dick began extricating the airship. the splintered boards of the pig-shed were pulled to one side, and then it was seen that, aside from a broken landing wheel, little damage had been done. the engine was not harmed in the least and the snapped wire that had prevented the rudder being set to make a proper landing, was easy to splice. "and, as we've got a spare wheel we can put that on and soon start back," said the lieutenant. "say, this is getting off better than even in an automobile accident," spoke dick, with a laugh. "i didn't know you carried spare parts." "we do the wheels, as they are very light," the captain said. "now let's roll her out and see what we can do." the smashed wheel was removed from the axle, and the spare one substituted. the broken wire was repaired and the aeroplane was now about the same as before. it was rolled to a level place, and the motor tested. it ran perfectly. the farmer, having collected all his pigs, and perhaps feeling joyful because of the fifty dollars in his pocket, agreed to "hold back" on the craft, to steady it until the necessary speed of the motor had been attained. his hired man helped him. just as the captain was about to give the word to "let go" the other airship was seen coming to look for the missing one. but there was now no need of assistance, and, a moment later, dick and his companions again arose in the air. a quick return was made to the academy, those in the other airship being informed, by a signal, that all was now right. when the story of the queer landing was told, dick was regarded as a hero by his companions. "just think!" complained paul, whimsically, "your first trip, and you have an accident and you don't get so much as a scratch." "yes, but i got run over and knocked down by a pig," laughed dick. "i'll take the scratches, please. no more pigs!" "and after that, are you still going to build an airship?" asked innis. "i sure am! it's the greatest sensation in the world--aviation! i wouldn't miss it for a fortune. and i'm going to pull down that twenty thousand dollar prize; don't forget that, fellows." "good luck!" wished paul. in the days that followed there were many more airship flights, but no accidents of moment. dick went up again several times, and at last was allowed to run the aeroplane himself, with the captain and lieutenant to coach him. then only one officer went along, another cadet being taken up with dick. and finally the day came when dick was qualified to take the craft up alone, with two other cadets. he had graduated as a pilot of the air, and properly proud he was of the honor. "all you want now is experience," said captain grantly, as dick came back after a successful flight with paul and innis. "and that takes time." dick's two intimate chums also qualified as amateur pilots, and a number of other cadets were equally successful. the aviation course at kentfield was very popular. then came the end of the term, and the summer vacation was at hand. the last drills and guard-mounts were held. the graduation exercises were finished in a "blaze of glory." the juniors gave a gay dance, at which dick and his chums met the pretty girls whom they had seen at the dock that day. "and now for hamilton corners!" cried the young millionaire, when the academy was formally closed for the term. "i want you fellows to come out with me, and watch my airship being built." mr. vardon had found he could not build for dick at kentfield the craft he wanted. it would take too long, and there were not the facilities. so he and his helper went to hamilton corners, to do the preliminary work. dick and his chums were to follow as soon as school was over. larry dexter went back to new york, but promised to join dick in time for the flight for the big government prize. "well, dad, how are you?" cried dick, as he greeted his father at the family mansion in hamilton corners. "fine, my boy! there's no use asking how you are, i can see you are fine!" "did vardon and jack get here? have they started work?" dick wanted to know. "yes, i did just as you asked me to in your letter. i let them have the run of the place, and they've been busy ever since they came. i hope you are successful, dick, but, i have my doubts." "i'll show you!" cried the cadet enthusiastically. chapter ix uncle ezra's visit dick and his father had much to talk about concerning the airship. dick explained his plans, and described the new stabilizer. "well, now that you have explained it to me, i don't see but what it may be possible," said mr. hamilton, after carefully considering the matter. "it isn't so much the expense, since you have your own fortune, but, of course, there is the element of danger to be considered." "well, there's danger in anything," agreed dick. "but i think i have a lucky streak in me,--after the way we came out of that pig-pen accident," and he laughed. "yes, you were fortunate," conceded mr. hamilton. "but, don't take too many risks, my son. go in and win, if you can, but don't be rash. i am still from missouri, and you've got to show me. now i've got a lot of business to attend to, and so i'll have to leave you to your own devices. you say paul and innis are coming on?" "yes, they'll be here in a few days and stay until the airship is completed. then they'll fly with me." "anybody else going?" "yes, larry dexter--you remember him?" "oh, sure! the young reporter." "and i think i'll take mr. vardon along. we may need his help in an emergency." "a good idea. well, i wish you luck!" a large barn on the hamilton property had been set aside for the use of the aviator and his men, for he had engaged several more besides jack butt to hurry along the work on dick's new aircraft. the order had been placed for the motor, and that, it was promised, would be ready in time. dick, having had lunch, went out to see how his airship was progressing. grit raced here and there, glad to be back home again, though he would probably miss the many horses and grooms at kentfield. for grit loved to be around the stables, and the hostlers made much of him. "how are you coming on?" asked the young millionaire, as he surveyed the framework of the big craft that, he hoped, would carry him across the continent and win for him the twenty thousand dollar prize. "fine, dick!" exclaimed mr. vardon. "everything is working out well. come in and look. you can get an idea of the machine now." dick hamilton's airship was radically different from any craft previously built, yet fundamentally, it was on the same principle as a biplane. but it was more than three times as large as the average biplane, and was built in two sections. that is there were four sets of double planes, or eight in all, and between them was an enclosed cabin containing the motor, the various controls, places to sleep and eat, the cabin also forming the storage room for the oil, gasolene and other supplies. this cabin was not yet built, but, as i have said, it would be "amidship" if one may use that term concerning an airship. thus the occupants would be protected from the elements, and could move about in comfort, not being obliged to sit rigidly in a seat for hours at a time. "she's going to be pretty big," remarked dick, as he walked about the skeleton of his new craft. "she has to be able to carry all you want to take in her," said the aviator. "but she'll be speedy for all of that, for the engine will be very powerful." "will she be safe?" asked dick. "as safe as any airship. i am going to incorporate in her my gyroscope equilibrizer, or stabilizer, as you suggested." "oh, yes, i want that!" said dick, in a decided tone. "it is very good of you to allow me to demonstrate my patent on your craft," the inventor said. "it will be a fine thing for me if you win the prize, and it is known that my stabilizer was aboard to aid you," he said, with shining, eager eyes. "well, i'm only too glad i can help you in that small way," spoke dick. "i'm sure your patent is a valuable one." "and i am now positive that it will work properly," went on mr. vardon. "and i'll take precious good care that no sneak, like larson, gets a chance to tamper with it!" exclaimed jack butt. "you must not make such positive statements," warned his chief. "it may not have been larson." "well, your machine was tampered with; wasn't it, just before we sank into the river?" "yes, and that was what made us fall." "well, i'm sure larson monkeyed with it, and no one can make me believe anything else," said jack, positively. "if he comes around here--" "he isn't likely to," interrupted dick. "the army aviators were sent to texas, i believe, to give some demonstrations at a post there." "you never can tell where larson will turn up," murmured jack. dick was shown the progress of the work, and was consulted about several small changes from the original, tentative plans. he agreed to them, and then, as it was only a question of waiting until his craft was done, he decided to call on some of his friends at hamilton corners. innis and paul arrived in due season, and were delighted at the sight of dick's big, new aircraft, which, by the time they saw it, had assumed more definite shape. mr. vardon and his men had worked rapidly. "and that cabin is where we'll stay; is that it?" asked paul, as he looked at the framework. "that's to be our quarters," answered the young millionaire. paul was looking carefully on all sides of it. "something missing?" asked dick, noting his chum's anxiety. "i was looking for the fire escape." "fire escape!" cried dick. "what in the world would you do with a fire escape on an airship?" "well, you're going to carry a lot of gasolene, you say. if that gets afire we'll want to escape; won't we? i suggest a sort of rope ladder, that can be uncoiled and let down to the ground. that might answer." "oh, slosh!" cried dick. "there's going to be no fire aboard the--say, fellows, i haven't named her yet! i wonder what i'd better call her? "call her the abaris," suggested innis, "though he wasn't a lady." "who was he?" asked dick. "that name sounds well." "abaris, if you will look in the back of your dictionary, you will note was a scythian priest of apollo," said innis, with a patronizing air at his display of knowledge. "he is said to have ridden through the air on an arrow. isn't that a good name for your craft, dick?" "it sure is. i'll christen her abaris as soon as she's ready to launch. good idea, innis." "oh, i'm full of 'em," boasted the cadet, strutting about. "you're full of conceit--that's what you are," laughed paul. suddenly there came a menacing growl from grit, who was outside the airship shed, and dick called a warning. "who's there?" he asked, thinking it might be a stranger. a rasping voice answered: "it's me! are you there, nephew richard? i went all through the house, but nobody seemed to be home." "it's uncle ezra!" whispered dick, making a pretense to faint. "i've come to pay you a little visit," went on the crabbed old miser. "where's your pa?" "why, he's gone to new york." "ha! another sinful and useless waste of money! i never did see the beat!" "he had to go, on business," answered dick. "humph! couldn't he write? a two cent stamp is a heap sight cheaper than an excursion ticket to new york. but mortimer never did know the value of money," sighed uncle ezra. grit growled again. "nephew richard, if your dog bites me i'll make you pay the doctor bills," warned mr. ezra larabee. "here, grit! quiet!" cried dick, and the animal came inside, looking very much disgusted. uncle ezra looked in at the door of the shed, and saw the outlines of the airship. "what foolishness is this?" he asked, seeming to take it for granted that all dick did was foolish. "it's my new airship," answered the young millionaire. "an airship! nephew richard hamilton! do you mean to tell me that you are sinfully wasting money on such a thing as that--on something that will never go, and will only be a heap of junk?" and uncle ezra, of dankville, looked as though his nephew were a fit subject for a lunatic asylum. chapter x building the airship grit growled in a deep, threatening voice, and uncle ezra looked around with startled suddenness. "i guess i'd better chain him up before i answer you," said dick, grimly. "here, old boy!" the bulldog came, unwillingly enough, and was made secure. "an--an airship!" gasped uncle ezra, as though he could not believe it. "an airship, nephew richard. it will never go. you might a good deal better take the money that you are so foolishly wasting, and put it in a savings bank. or, i would sell you some stock in my woolen mill. that would pay you four per cent, at least." "but my airship is going to go," declared the young millionaire. "it's on the same model as one i've ridden in, and it's going to go. we're sure of it; aren't we, mr. vardon?" "oh, it will go all right," declared the aviator. "i'm sure of that. but i don't guarantee that you'll win the prize money." "what's that? what's that?" asked uncle ezra in surprise. he was all attention when it came to a matter of money. "what prize did you speak of?" "didn't you hear, uncle ezra?" inquired dick. "why, the united states government, to increase the interest in aviation, and to encourage inventors, has offered a prize of twenty thousand dollars to the first person who takes his airship from the atlantic to the pacific, or rather, from new york to san francisco with but two landings. i'm going to have a try for that prize!" "yes, and he's going to win it, too!" cried paul. "and we're at least going to share in the glory of it," added innis. "twenty thousand dollars!" murmured uncle ezra. "is it possible?" "oh, it's true enough, sir," put in mr. vardon. "the offer has been formally made. i know several of my aviator friends who are going to have a try for it. i intended to myself, but for the accident in which my craft was smashed. only for the kindness of your nephew in engaging me on this work i don't know what i should be doing now." "that's all right!" interrupted dick, who disliked praise. "i'm doing myself as much a favor in having you build this airship as i am you. i intend to have a good time in this craft, even if i don't win the prize." "twenty thousand dollars," murmured uncle ezra again, slowly. "it's an awful lot of money--an awful lot," he added in an awed tone of voice. the truth of the matter was that uncle ezra had nearly a million. but he was very "close," and never missed a chance to make more. "and do you intend to get the government prize in that--that contraption?" he asked, motioning to the half-completed aeroplane. "oh, it isn't finished yet," explained dick. "when it is, it will be one of the finest aircraft in this, or any other, country," declared mr. vardon. "i don't say that just because i am building it, but because mr. hamilton is putting into it the very best materials that can be bought." "and we mustn't forget your stabilizer," laughed dick. "what's that?" uncle ezra wanted to know. since hearing about the twenty thousand dollar prize his interest in airships seemed to have increased. "the stabilizer, or equalibrizer, whatever you wish to call it, is to keep the airship from turning over," explained mr. vardon, and he went into the details with which i have already acquainted my readers. but it is doubtful if uncle ezra heard, or at least he paid little attention, for he was murmuring over and over again to himself: "twenty thousand dollars! twenty thousand dollars! that's an awful lot of money. i--i'd like to get it myself." from time to time grit growled, and finally uncle ezra, perhaps fearing that the dog might get loose and bite him, said: "i think i'll go in the house for a while, nephew richard. your father is not likely to be home today, but as i have missed the last train back to dankville, listening to your talk about airships--foolish talk it seems to me--i will have to stay all night." "oh, certainly!" exclaimed dick, remembering that he must play the host. "go right in, uncle ezra and tell the butler to get you a lunch. i'll be in immediately." "well, i could eat a little snack," admitted the crabbed old man. "i did think of stopping in the restaurant at the railroad depot on my way here, and getting a sandwich. but the girl said sandwiches were ten cents, and they didn't look worth it to me. "i asked her if she didn't have some made with stale bread, that she could let me have for five cents, but she said they didn't sell stale sandwiches. she seemed real put-out about it, too. she needn't have. stale bread's better for you than fresh, anyhow. "but i didn't buy one. i wasn't going to throw away ten cents. that's the interest money on a dollar for two whole years." then he started back to the house. "isn't he the limit!" cried dick, in despair. "he's got almost as much money as we have, and he's so afraid of spending a cent that he actually goes hungry, i believe. and his house--why he's got a fine one, but the only rooms he and aunt samantha ever open are the kitchen and one bedroom. i had to spend some time there once, as i guess you fellows know, and say--good-night!" cried dick, with a tragic gesture. "he seemed interested in airships," ventured paul. "it was the twenty thousand dollars he was interested in," laughed dick. "i wonder if he--" "what?" asked innis, as the young millionaire paused. "oh, nothing," was the answer. "i just thought of something, but it's too preposterous to mention. say, mr. vardon, when do you expect our engine?" "oh, in about a week now. i won't be ready for it before then. we can give it a try-out on the blocks before we mount it, to see if it develops enough speed and power. but have you made your official entry for the prize yet?" "no, and i think i'd better," dick said. "i'll do it at once." dick and his chums had their lunch, and then went for a ride in dick's motor-boat, which had been brought on from kentfield. they had a jolly time, and later in the afternoon returned to watch the construction of the airship. the building of the abaris, as dick had decided to call his craft, went on apace during the days that followed. uncle ezra was more interested than dick had believed possible, and prolonged his stay nearly a week. he paid many visits to the airship shed. mr. vardon, and jack, his right-hand man, and the other workmen labored hard. the airship began to look like what she was intended for. she was of a new model and shape, and seemed to be just what dick wanted. of course she was in a sense an experiment. the main cabin, though, containing the living and sleeping quarters, as well as the machinery, was what most pleased dick and his chums. "it's like traveling in a first-class motor-boat, only up in the clouds, instead of in the water," declared innis. chapter xi a surprise "toss over that monkey wrench; will you?" "say, who had the saw last?" "i know i laid a hammer down here, but it's gone now!" "look out there! low bridge! gangway! one side!" these, and many other cries and calls, came from the big barn-like shed, where dick hamilton's airship was being constructed. dick himself, and his two chums, innis beeby and paul drew, had joined forces with mr. vardon in helping on the completion of the abaris. "we've got to get a move on!" dick had said, after he had sent in his application to compete for the twenty thousand dollar government prize. "we don't want to be held back at the last minute. boys, we've got to work on this airship ourselves." "we're with you!" cried innis and paul, eagerly. and so, after some preliminary instructions from mr. vardon, the cadets had taken the tools and started to work. it did not come so unhandily to them as might have been imagined. at the kentfield military academy they had been called upon to do much manual labor, in preparation for a military life. there had been pontoon bridges to build across streams, by means of floats and boats. there had been other bridges to throw across defiles and chasms. there were artillery and baggage wagons to transport along poor roads. and all this, done for practice, now stood dick and his chums in good stead. they knew how to employ their hands, which is the best training in the world for a young man, and they could also use tools to advantage. so now we find dick, paul and innis laboring over the new airship, in which the young millionaire hoped to make a flight across the united states, from ocean to ocean. "that's what i like to see!" exclaimed uncle ezra, as he came out to the shed just before he started back for dankville. "it does young men good to work. pity more of 'em don't do it. hard work and plain food is what the rising generation wants. i don't approve of airships--that is as a rule," the crabbed old miser hastily added, "but, of course, twenty thousand dollars is a nice prize to win. i only hope you get it. nephew richard. i like to see you work. i'm going back now. i'll tell your aunt samantha that you've at last learned how to do something, even if it is only building an airship." "don't you call my studies at kentfield something, uncle ezra?" asked dick. "no sir! no, sir-ee!" cried the elderly man. "that's time and money thrown away. but i see that you can do manual labor, nephew richard, and if you really want to do useful work, and earn money, i'd be glad to have you in my woolen mill. i could start you on three dollars and a half a week, and you could soon earn more. will you come?" "no, thank you," said dick. "thank you just the same." he had a vivid idea of what it might mean to work for his uncle ezra. besides, dick's fortune was such that he did not have to work. but he fully intended to, and he was getting a training that would enable him to work to the best advantage. just because he was a millionaire he did not despise work. in fact he liked it, and he had made up his mind that he would not be an idler. just now aviation attracted him, and he put in as many hours working over his airship--hard work, too,--as many a mechanic might have done. "well, i'll say good-bye, nephew richard," spoke uncle ezra, after walking about the big airship, and looking at it more closely than would seem natural, after he had characterized it as a "foolish piece of business." "i'm sorry you won't stay until my father gets back," spoke dick. "i expect him tomorrow, or next day." "well, if i stayed i know my hired man would waste a lot of feed on the horses," said uncle ezra. "and every time i go away he sits up and burns his kerosene lamp until almost ten o'clock at night. and oil has gone up something terrible of late." "well, i hope you'll come and see us again," invited dick, as his uncle started to go. "but won't you let me send you to the station in the auto? it isn't being used." "no, nephew richard. not for me!" exclaimed uncle ezra. "you might bust a tire, and then you'd expect me to pay for it." "oh, no, i wouldn't!" "well, then, there might be some accident, and i might get my clothes torn. that would mean i'd have to have a new suit. i've worn this one five years, and it's good for three more, if i'm careful of it!" he boasted, as he looked down at his shiny, black garments. "then you're going to walk?" asked dick. "yes, nephew richard. there's grass almost all the way to the station, and i can keep on that. it will save my shoes." "but people don't like you to walk on their grass," objected dick. "huh! think i'm going to tramp on the hard sidewalks and wear out my shoe leather?" cried uncle ezra. "i guess not!" he started off, trudging along with his cane, but paused long enough to call back: "oh, nephew richard, i got the cook to put me up some sandwiches. i can eat them on the train, and save buying. the idea of charging ten cents in the railroad restaurant! it's robbery! i had her use stale bread, so that won't be wasted." dick hopelessly shook his head. he really could say nothing. his chums knew uncle ezra's character, and sympathized with their friend. the cadets resumed work on the big airship. the framework of the wings had been completed, and all that was necessary was to stretch on the specially made canvas. the cabin was nearing completion, and the place for the engine had been built. the big propellers had been constructed of several layers of mahogany, and tested at a speed to which they would never be subjected in a flight. the bicycle wheels on which the big airship would run along the ground, until it had acquired momentum for a rise, were put in place. "i didn't just like those hydroplanes, though," said dick, who had added them as an after thought. "i think they should be made larger." "and i agree with you," said mr. vardon. "the only use you will have for the hydroplanes, or wheel-pontoons, will be in case you are compelled to make a landing on the water. but they should be larger, or you will not float sufficiently high. make them larger. but it will cost more money." "i don't mind that," returned dick. "of course i am not anxious to throw money away, but i want to make a success of this, and win the prize, not so much because of the cash, as to show how your equilibrizer works, and to prove that it is possible to make an airship flight across the continent. "so, if bigger hydroplanes are going to make it more certain for us to survive an accident, put them on." "i will," promised the aviator. pontoons, or hydroplanes, in this case, i might state, were hollow, water-tight, wooden boxes, so fitted near the wheels of the airship, that they could be lowered by levers in case the craft had to descend on water. they were designed to support her on the waves. several days of hard work passed. the aircraft was nearing completion. the cabin was finished, and had been fitted up with most of the apparatus and the conveniences for the trip. there were instruments to tell how fast the abaris was traveling, how far she was above the earth, the speed and direction of the wind and machinery, and others, to predict, as nearly as possible, future weather conditions. in the front of the cabin was a small pilothouse, in which the operator would have his place. from there he could guide the craft, and control it in every possible way. there was a sleeping cabin, fitted with bunks, a combined kitchen and dining-room, a small living-room, and the motor-room. of course the latter took up the most space, being the most important. in addition there was an outside platform, built in the rear of the enclosed cabin, where one could stand and look above the clouds, or at the earth below. gasolene and storage batteries furnished the power, and there was plenty in reserve. dick wanted to take no chances in his prize flight. the second day after uncle ezra's departure the motor for the airship arrived. "now for a test!" cried dick, when the machine had been uncrated and set up on the temporary base. the attachments were made, an extra pair of trial propellers connected, and the power turned on. with a roar and a throb, the motor started, and as mr. vardon glanced at the test gages with anxious eyes he cried: "she does better than we expected, dick! we can cross the continent with that engine, and not have to make more than two stops." "are you sure?" asked the young millionaire. "positive," was the answer. further tests confirmed this opinion, and preparations were made to install the motor in the airship. it was while this was being done that a servant brought dick a message. "someone has called to see you," said the man. "who is it?" "he says his name is lieutenant larson, formerly of the united states army, and he has important information for you." "larson!" exclaimed dick in surprise. "i wonder what he wants of me?" "will you see him?" asked paul. "i suppose i had better," said dick, slowly. "i wonder what he wants?" chapter xii larson sees uncle ezra dick hamilton had not been very friendly with lieutenant larson during the aviation instruction at kentfield. in fact the young millionaire did not like the army officer. added to this the suspicion that larson might have had some hand in tampering with the stabilizer of mr. vardon's craft, did not make dick any too anxious to see the birdman. and yet he felt that in courtesy he must. "i'll go in the library and meet him," said dick, to the servant who had brought the message. "i don't care to have him out here, where he might see my airship," dick added, to his chums. "i guess you're right there," agreed paul. "he might take some of your ideas, and make a machine for himself that would win the prize," added innis. "oh, well, i'm not so afraid of that," replied dick, "as i intend, after i complete my craft, and if she wins the prize, to turn my plans and ideas over to the government, anyhow, for their use. but i don't just like the idea of larson coming out to the work-shed." mr. vardon and his men were in another part of the big barn, and had not heard of the arrival of the army man. "how do you do?" greeted dick, as he met larson in the library. "i'm glad to see you." this was polite fiction, that, perhaps, might be pardoned. "i don't want to trouble you, mr. hamilton," went on the lieutenant, with a shifty glance around the room, "but i have left the army, and have engaged in the building of airships. "i recall that you said at kentfield, that you were going to construct one, and i called to see if i could not get the contract," larson went on. "well, i am sorry, for your sake, to say that my craft is almost completed," replied dick. "so i can't give you the contract." "completed!" cried larson, in tones that showed his great surprise. "you don't mean to tell me you have undertaken the important work of constructing an aeroplane so soon after coming from the military academy?" "well, i didn't want to waste any time," replied dick, wondering at the lieutenant's interest. "i'm going to try for the government prize, and i wanted to be early on the job." larson hesitated a moment, and resumed: "well, then it is too late; i suppose? i hoped to get you to adopt my plans for an aeroplane. but i have been delayed making arrangements, and by resigning from the army. "perhaps i am not too late, though, to have you adopt my type of equilibrizer. my mercury tubes--" "i am sorry, but you are too late there," interrupted dick. "what type are you using?" the lieutenant cried, dramatically. "the vardon. i might say that mr. vardon is also building my airship. it will contain his gyroscope." "a gyroscope!" cried the former officer. "you are very foolish! you will come to grief with that. the only safe form is the mercury tube, of which i am the inventor." at that moment vardon himself, who wished to consult dick on some point, came into the room, not knowing a caller was there. "i am sorry," went on the young millionaire, "but i am going to use mr. vardon's gyroscope." "then you may as well give up all hope of winning the prize!" sneered larson. "you are a very foolish young man. vardon is a dreamer, a visionary inventor who will never amount to anything. his gyroscope is a joke, and--" "i am sorry you think so," interrupted the aviator. "but you evidently considered my gyroscope such a good joke that you tried to spoil it." "i! what do you mean? you shall answer for that!" cried the former lieutenant, in an unnecessarily dramatic manner. "i think you know what i mean," replied vardon, coolly. "i need not go into details. only i warn you that if you are seen tampering about the hamilton airship, on which i am working, that you will not get off so easily as you did in my case!" "be careful!" warned larson. "you are treading on dangerous ground!" "and so are you," warned the aviator, not allowing himself to get excited as did larson. "i know of what i am speaking." "then i want to tell you that you are laboring under a misapprehension," sneered the former officer. "i can see that i am not welcome here. i'll go." dick did not ask him to stay. the young millionaire was anything but a hypocrite. "what did he want?" asked mr. vardon, when larson had left. "to build my airship. he evidently did not know that i had already engaged you. he got a surprise, i think." "he is a dangerous man, and an unscrupulous one," said the aviator. "i do not say that through any malice, but because i firmly believe it. i would never trust him." "nor shall i," added dick. "i presume though, that he will have some feeling against me for this." "very likely," agreed mr. vardon. "you will have to be on your guard." the young millionaire and the aviator then went into details about some complicated point in the construction of the abaris, with which it is not necessary to weary my readers. larson must have recalled what dick had told him about uncle ezra being a wealthy man, for, as subsequent events disclosed, the disappointed army officer went almost at once to dankville. and there he laid before the miserly man a plan which uncle ezra eventually took up, strange as it may seen. it was the bait of the twenty thousand dollar prize that "took," in his case. larson had some trouble in reaching mr. larabee, who was a bit shy of strangers. when one, (in this case larson) was announced by aunt samantha, mr. larabee asked: "does he look like an agent?" "no, ez, i can't say he does." "does he look like a collector?" "no, ez, not the usual kind." "or a missionary, looking for funds to buy pocket handkerchiefs for the heathen?" "hardly. he's smoking, and i wish you'd hurry and git him out of the parlor, for he's sure to drop some ashes on the carpet that we've had ever since we got married." "smoking in my parlor!" exclaimed uncle ezra. "i'll get him out of there. the idea! why, if any sun is let in there it will spoil the colors. how'd you come to open that?" he asked of his wife, wrathfully. "i didn't. but i was so surprised at havin' someone come to the front door, which they never do, that i didn't know what to say. he asked if you was to home, and i said you was. then he said: 'well, i'll wait for him in here,' and he pushed open the parlor door and went in. i had it open the least mite, for i thought i saw a speck of sun comin' through a crack in the blinds and i was goin' in to close it when the bell rang." "the idea! sitting in my parlor!" muttered uncle ezra. "i'll get him out of that. you're sure he ain't a book peddler?" "he don't seem to have a thing to sell except nerve," said aunt samantha, "and he sure has got plenty of that." "i'll fix him!" cried uncle ezra. but he proved to be no match for the smooth sharper in the shape of larson. "did you want to see me?" demanded the crabbed old man. "i did," answered larson coolly, as he continued to puff away at his cigar. "i came to offer you a chance to make twenty thousand dollars." "twenty thousand dollars!" uncle ezra nearly lost his breath, he was so surprised. "that's what i said! i'm in a position to give you a good chance to make that much money, and perhaps more. if you will give me half an hour of your time--" "look here!" interrupted mr. larabee, "this ain't no lottery scheme; is it? if it is i want to warn you that i'm a deacon in the church. i wouldn't go into any lottery unless i was sure i could win. i don't believe in gambling. as a deacon of the church i couldn't countenance nothing like that. no gambling!" "this is not a gamble," larson assured him. "it's a sure thing. i'll show you how to make twenty thousand dollars!" "i--i guess i'd better open a window in here, so we can see," said uncle ezra, faintly. "that's quite a pile of money to talk about in the dark," and to the horror of aunt samantha she saw, a little later, the sun shamelessly streaming in on her carpet that had only been treated to such indignities on the occasions of a funeral, or something like that. the parlor of the dankville house was like a tomb in this respect. chapter xiii uncle ezra acts queerly exactly what passed between uncle ezra larabee and his caller, aunt samantha never learned. she was so overcome at seeing the parlor opened, that perhaps she did not listen sufficiently careful. she overheard the murmur of voices, and, now and then, such expressions as "above the clouds," "in the air," "twenty thousand dollars, and maybe more." "gracious goodness!" she murmured as she hurried out to the kitchen, where she smelled something burning on the stove. "i wonder what it's all about? can ezra have lost money on some of his investments? if he has, if it's gone up above the clouds, and in the air, the way he's talking about it things will be terrible; terrible! it will come nigh onto killin' him, i expect!" she went back to listen again outside the parlor door, but could make out nothing. she did catch, however, her husband's expression of: "twenty thousand dollars! it's a pile of money! a heap!" "oh my!" she murmured faintly. "if he's lost that we'll go to the poorhouse, sure!" but nothing like that happened. as a matter of fact uncle ezra could have lost that sum several times over, and not have felt it except in the anguish of his mind. when the caller had gone, uncle ezra seemed rather cheerful, much to the amazement of aunt samantha. she could not understand it. at the same time her husband appeared to be worried about something. "but he doesn't act as though he had lost a lot of money," his wife reasoned. "he certainly acts queer, but not just that way. i wonder what it can be?" and during the next week uncle ezra acted more queerly than ever. he received several other visits from the strange man who had given his name to aunt samantha, when first calling, as "lieutenant larson." also, mr. larabee went off on several short trips. "i wonder whatever's got into him?" mused aunt samantha. "i never knew him to act this way before. i do hope he isn't doing anything rash!" if she had only known! uncle ezra became more and more engrossed with his caller who came several days in succession. they were shut up together in the parlor, and one window shutter was opened each time, to the horror of mrs. larabee. "that carpet will be faded all out, and clean ruined," she complained to her husband. "well, if it is, maybe i'll get money enough to buy a new one," said uncle ezra. "mind, i'm not saying for sure," he added, cautiously, "but maybe." "why, how you talk!" cried aunt samantha. "that carpet ought to last us until we die! a new carpet! i never heard tell of such a thing! never in all my born days! the idea!" uncle ezra chuckled grimly. it was clear that he was acting in a new role, and he was a surprise, even to himself. at last aunt samantha could stand the suspense no longer. one night, after a rather restless period, she awakened uncle ezra who had, most unusually, been talking in his sleep. "ezra! ezra! wake up!" she demanded in a loud whisper, at the same time vigorously shaking him. "eh! what is it? burglars?" he asked, sitting up in bed. "no, ezra. nothin' like that!" "oh, cats, eh? well, if it's only cats go to sleep. i don't mind 'em." "no, ezra, i didn't say cats. but you're talkin' in your sleep. that is, you were." "i was?" "yes." "what'd i say?" and he seemed anxious. "why you were talkin' a lot about flyin' in the air, and goin' up to the clouds, and bein' in a race, and winnin' twenty thousand dollars! oh, ezra, if you care for me at all, tell me what mystery this is!" she pleaded. "did i say all that?" he asked, scratching his head. "yes, and a lot more! you said something about an airship." "humph! well, that's it!" "what is?" "an airship! i might as well tell you, i reckon. i'm having one of them contraptions made." "what contraptions? oh, ezra!" "an airship," he answered. "i'm going to have one, and win a twenty thousand dollar prize from the government. then i'll go into the airship business and sell 'em. i'll get rich, samantha!" "oh ezra! do you mean to say you're goin' in for any such foolishness as that?" "'tain't 'foolish!" "'tis so! and--and are you--are you goin' to go up in one of them things--them airships?" "well, i reckon i might. it's my machine, and i'm not going to let them aviary fellers monkey too much with it unless i'm on board. they might bust something, and want me to pay for it. yes, i reckon i'll do some flying myself." "ezra larabee!" cried his horror-stricken wife. "be you plumb crazy?" "i hope not, samantha." "but goin' up in an airship! why it's flyin' in the face of providence!" "well, it'll be flying in the air, at the same time," he chuckled. clearly this was a different uncle ezra than his wife had ever known. she sighed. "the idea!" aunt samantha murmured. "goin' up in an airship. you'll fall and be killed, as sure as fate." "that's what i was afraid of first," said uncle ezra, "and i didn't want to go into the scheme. but this young feller, lieutenant larson, he proved to me different. they can't fall. if your engine stops all you got to do is to come down like a feather. he used some funny word, but i can't think of it now. but it's safe--it's safer than farming, he claims. most any time on a farm a bull may gore you, or a threshing engine blow up. but there's nothing like that in an airship. "besides, think of the twenty thousand dollars i'm going to get," he added as a final argument. "you're not sure of it," objected his wife. "oh, yes i be!" he boasted. "then i'm going into the airship business. well, now i've told you, i'm going to sleep again." "as if anyone could sleep after hearin' such news," she sighed. "i jest know suthin' will happen! and think what everybody will say about you! they'll say you're crazy!" "let 'em!" he replied, tranquilly. "they won't say so when i get that twenty thousand dollars!" "but can't you get the money any easier way?" she wanted to know. "how, i'd like to know? all i got to do to get this, is to get an airship to fly from new york to san francisco." "why ezra larabee!" she exclaimed. "now i'm sure you're not right in your head. you'll have the doctor in the mornin'." "oh, no, i won't!" he declared. "don't catch me wasting any money on doctors. i'm all right." how aunt samantha managed to get to sleep again she never knew. but she did, though her rest was marred by visions of airships and balloons turning upside down and spilling mr. larabee all over the landscape. mrs. larabee renewed her objections in the morning, but her husband was firm. he had decided to have an airship built to compete for the big prize, and larson was going to do the work. just what arguments the aviator had used to win over uncle ezra none but he himself knew. i rather think it was the harping constantly on the twenty thousand dollar prize. that mr. larabee was hard to convince may easily be imagined. in fact it was learned, afterward, that the lieutenant almost gave up the attempt at one time. but he was persistent, to gain his own ends at least, and talked earnestly. finally uncle ezra gave a rather grudging consent to the scheme, but he stipulated that only a certain sum be spent, and that a comparatively small one. to this the lieutenant agreed, but i fancy with a mental reservation which meant that he would get more if he could. at any rate preparations for building the craft, in an unused part of uncle ezra's woolen mill at dankville, went on apace. i say apace, and yet i must change that. uncle ezra, with his usual "closeness" regarding money, rather hampered larson's plans. "what do you reckon an airship ought to cost?" mr. larabee had asked when he first decided he would undertake it. "oh, i can make a good one for three thousand dollars," had been the answer of the former lieutenant. "three thousand dollars!" whistled uncle ezra. "that's a pot of money!" "but you'll get twenty thousand dollars in return." "that's so. well, go ahead. i guess i can stand it." but it was not without many a sigh that the crabbed old man drew out the money from the bank, in small installments. the work was started, but almost at once larson demanded more than the original three thousand. uncle ezra "went up in the air," so to speak. "more money!" he cried. "i shan't spend another cent!" "but you'll have to. we want this airship to win the prize, and get ahead of the one your nephew is building. i have decided on some changes, and they will cost money." uncle ezra sighed--and gave in. the truth was that larson was little better than a sharper, and, though he did know something about aeroplanes, he knew more about how to fleece his victims. and though uncle ezra furnished more money he tried to save it in other ways. he skimped on his table, until even aunt samantha, used as she was to "closeness," objected. then mr. larabee announced a cut in wages at his factory, and nearly caused a strike. but he was firm, and by reducing the pittance earned by the luckless operatives he managed to save a few hundred dollars which promptly went into the airship--that is, what larson did not keep for himself. but uncle ezra's airship was being built, which fact, when it became known, caused much comment. no one save uncle ezra and the lieutenant and his workmen, were allowed in the factory where the machine was being constructed. it was to be kept a secret as to the form of construction. meanwhile, having committed himself to becoming an aviator, mr. larabee began to study the methods of birdmen. he obtained several volumes (second hand, of course) on the history of navigating the air, and on the advance in the construction of aeroplanes. these he read diligently. he could also have been observed going about, gazing up into the clouds, as though he was calculating from how great a height a man could fall with safety. in reality he imagined he was studying air currents. uncle ezra larabee was certainly acting most queerly, and his friends, or, rather, his acquaintances, for he had no real friends, did not know what to make of him. he did not give up his idea, however, not even when larson raised his original estimate to five thousand dollars. "petrified polecats!" cried uncle ezra. "you'll bankrupt me, man!" "oh, no," answered larson, with a winning smile. "this is getting off cheap. i want to increase the size of my mercury stabilizer to render the airship more safe for you when you go after that twenty thousand dollars." "well, i s'pose i've got to," sighed uncle ezra, and he made a careful note of how much had already been spent. "there's three thousand, nine hundred twenty-eight dollars and fourteen cents you've had so far," he reminded the lieutenant. "don't be wasteful!" "i won't," was the promise, easily given at least. chapter xiv the trial flight "all ready now; take her out!" "yes, and look out for the side wings! that doorway isn't any too wide." "no. we'll have to cut some off, i guess!" "say, it's big; isn't it?" these were the comments of dick hamilton and his chums as the fine, new airship, the abaris, was wheeled out of the shed where it had been constructed. and certainly the young millionaire might be proud of his newest possession. mr. vardon and his men had labored well on the aeroplane. it was rather a tight squeeze to get the big craft out of the barn doors, wide as they were, but it was successfully accomplished, and the craft now stood on a level stretch of grass, ready for her first trial flight. save for a few small details, and the stocking and provisioning of the craft in preparation for the trip across the continent, everything had been finished. the big motor had been successfully tested, and had developed even more power than had been expected. the propellers delivered a greater thrust on the air than was actually required to send the abaris along. "we'll have that for emergencies," said dick. "such as getting about in a hurricane, and the like." "i hope we don't get into anything like that," remarked mr. vardon, "but if we do, i think we can weather it." "how does the gyroscope stabilizer work?" asked paul, who with innis, had made dick's house his home while the airship was being built. "it does better than i expected," replied the inventor. "i was a bit doubtful, on account of having to make it so much larger than my first model, whether or not it would operate. but it does, perfectly,--at least it has in the preliminary tests. it remains to be seen whether or not it will do so when we're in the air, but i trust it will." "at any rate, larson hasn't had a chance to tamper with it," said jack butt, grimly. "no, he hasn't been around," agreed dick. "i wonder what has become of him?" as yet the young millionaire knew nothing of the plans of his uncle ezra, for he had been too busy to visit his relatives in dankville. "well, let's wheel her over to the starting ground," proposed dick, as they stood around the airship. a level stretch had been prepared back of the barn, leading over a broad meadow, and above this the test flight would be made, as it offered many good landing places. the airship was so large and heavy, as compared with the ordinary biplane, that a team of horses was used to pull it to the starting place. but heavy as it necessarily had to be, to allow the enclosed cabin to be carried, the young millionaire and his aviator hoped that the power of the motor would carry them aloft and keep them there. "go ahead!" cried dick, as the team was hitched to the long rope made fast to the craft. "take it easy now, we don't want an accident before we get started. grit, come back here! this is nothing to get excited over," for the bulldog was wildly racing here and there, barking loudly. he did not understand the use of the big, queer-looking machine. "well, i'm just in time, i see!" exclaimed a voice from the direction of the house. dick turned and cried: "hello, larry, old man. i'm glad you got here. i was afraid you wouldn't," and he vigorously shook hands with the young reporter, who also greeted the other cadets. grit leaped joyfully upon him, for he and larry were great friends. "going to take her up, dick?" asked larry dexter. "going to try," was the cautious answer. "want to take a chance?" "i sure do! it won't be the first chance i've taken. and i may get a good story out of this. got orders from the editor not to let anything get away from me." "well, i hope you have a success to report, and not a failure," remarked paul. "same here," echoed beeby. when the airship had been hauled to the edge of the starting ground, a smooth, hard-packed, level space, inclining slightly down grade, so as to give every advantage, a careful inspection was made of every part of the craft. as i have explained, all the vital parts of the abaris were in the enclosed cabin, a unique feature of the airship. in that, located "amid-ships," was the big motor, the various controls, the living, sleeping and dining-rooms and storage compartments for oil, gasolene and supplies. naturally there was no excess room, and quarters were almost as cramped as on a submarine, where every inch counts. but there was room enough to move about, and have some comfort. on an enclosed platform back of the cabin there was more space. that was like an open deck, and those on it would be protected from the fierce rushing of the air, by means of the cabin. this cabin, i might add, was built wedge-shaped, with the small part pointing ahead, to cut down the air resistance as much as possible. the big propellers were of course outside the cabin, and in the rear, where was located the horizontal rudder, for guiding the craft to right or left. at the rear was also an auxiliary vertical rudder, for elevating or lowering the craft. the main elevation rudder was in front, and this was of a new shape, never before used, as far as mr. vardon knew. there was another feature of the abaris that was new and one which added much to the comfort and safety of those aboard her. this had to do with the starting of the motor and the operation of the big wooden propellers. in most aeroplanes, whether of the single or double type, the propeller, or propellers, are directly connected to the motor. in some monoplanes the motor, especially the gnome, itself rotates, carrying the blades with it. in biplanes, such as the burgess, wright or curtiss, it is the custom to operate the propellers directly from the motor, either by means of a shaft, or by sprocket chains. but, in any case, the starting of the engine means the whirling of the propellers, for they are directly connected. this is why, when once the engine stops in mid-air, it can not be started again. or at least if it is started it is mostly a matter of chance in getting it to go under compression or by the spark. there is no chance for the aviator to get out and whirl the propellers which are, in a measure, what a flywheel is to an automobile. also that is why the aviator has to be in his seat at the controls, and have some other person start his machine for him, by turning over the propeller, or propellers until the motor fires. lately however, especially since the talk of the flight across the atlantic, a means has been found to allow the aviator, or some helper with him, to start the engine once it has stalled in midair. this is accomplished by means of a sprocket chain gear and a crank connected to the engine shaft. the turning handle is within reach of the aviator. but mr. vardon, and dick, working together, had evolved something better than this. of course in their craft, with space to move about in the cabin, they had an advantage over the ordinary aviator, who, in case of engine trouble, has no place to step to to make an examination. but dick's engine was not directly connected to the propellers. there was a clutch arrangement, so that the motor could be started, with the propellers out of gear, and they could be "thrown in," just as an automobile is started. this gave greater flexibility, and also allowed for the reversing of the propellers to make a quick stop. and it was not necessary for dick to "crank" his motor. an electric self-starter did this for him, though in case of emergency the engine could be started by hand. in fact everything aboard the abaris was most up-to-date, and it was on this that dick counted in winning the big prize. "well, i guess everything is as ready as it ever will be," remarked the young millionaire, as he and the aviator made a final inspection of the craft. "get aboard, fellows!" "he's as cheerful about it as though he were inviting us to a hanging," laughed paul. "oh, i'm not worrying about any accident," said dick quickly. "i'm only afraid we've made her too big and won't get any speed out of her. and speed is what's going to count in this trans-continental flight." "she'll be speedy enough," predicted mr. vardon, with a confident air. paul, innis, larry and mr. vardon entered the cabin. then dick went in, followed by jack butt, who remained to tighten a guy wire that was not just to his satisfaction. "well, are we all here?" asked dick, looking around. "yes," answered paul, and there was a note of quiet apprehension in his voice. indeed it was rather a risk they were all taking, but they had confidence in mr. vardon. "let her go," said dick to the aviator. "no, you have the honor of starting her, mr. hamilton," insisted mr. vardon, motioning to the electrical apparatus. "all right! here goes," announced the wealthy youth, as he pressed the starting handle. everyone was on the alert, but nothing happened. the motor remained "dead." "what's the trouble?" asked dick. "you've always got to turn that switch first, before you turn the starting handle," explained jack. "oh, sure! how stupid of me!" cried dick. "and i've started it in practice a score of times. well, now, once more." this time, when the switch had been thrown, the motor started at once with a throbbing roar. faster and faster it rotated until the whole craft trembled. there was considerable noise, for the muffler was not fully closed. dick wanted to warm-up the machinery first. "that'll do!" shouted mr. vardon, who was watching the gage that told the number of revolutions per minute. "throw in your clutch!" "now to see if she'll rise or not," murmured dick. he pulled the lever that closed the muffler, thus cutting down, in a great measure, the throb of the motor. then, with a look at his chums, he threw in the clutch. the great propellers began to revolve, and soon were flying around on their axles with the swiftness of light. slowly the abaris moved forward along the ground. "we're off!" cried paul, excitedly. "not quite yet," answered dick. "i want more power than we've got now." he had it, almost in a moment, for the airship increased her speed across the slightly downward slope. faster and faster she rolled along on the rubber-tired wheels. "now!", cried dick, with his hand on the lever of the elevating rudder. "look out for yourselves, fellows!" he gave a backward pull. a thrill seemed to go through the whole craft. her nose rose in the air. the forward wheels left the ground. then the back ones tilted up. up shot the abaris at an easy angle. up and up! higher and higher! "we're doing it!" cried dick, as he looked from the pilot house window to the earth fast falling below him. "fellows, she's a success! we're going up toward the clouds!" chapter xv in danger that dick was proud and happy, and that mr. vardon and the chums of the young millionaire were pleased with the success of the airship, scarcely need be said. there was, for the first few moments, however such a thrill that scarcely any one of them could correctly analyze his feelings. of course each one of them had been in an aeroplane before. mr. vardon and his helper had made many flights, not all of them successful, and dick and his fellow cadets had gone up quite often, though they were, as yet, only amateurs. larry dexter was perhaps less familiar with aeroplanes than any of them, but he seemed to take it as a matter of course. "say, this is great! just great!" cried dick, as he slipped the lever of the elevating rudder into a notch to hold it in place. he intended going up considerably higher. "it sure is great, old man!" cried paul. "i congratulate you." "oh, the praise belongs to mr. vardon," said dick, modestly. "i couldn't have done anything without him." "and if it hadn't been for your money, i couldn't have done anything," declared the aviator. "it all worked together." "say, how high are you going to take us?" asked innis. "not getting scared, are you?" asked dick, with a glance at the barograph, to ascertain the height above the earth. "we're only up about two thousand feet. i want to make it three." he looked at mr. vardon for confirmation. "three thousand won't be any too much," agreed the aviator. "she'll handle better at that distance, or higher. but until we give her a work out, it's best not to get too high." the big propellers were whirling more and more rapidly as the motor warmed-up to its work. the craft was vibrating with the strain of the great power, but the vibration had been reduced to a minimum by means of special spring devices. "now we'll try a spiral ascent," said dick, as he moved the lever of the horizontal rudder. the abaris responded instantly, and began a spiral climb, which is usually the method employed by birdmen. they also generally descend in spirals, especially when volplaning. up and up went the big aircraft. there was a section of the cabin floor made of thick transparent celluloid, and through this a view could be had of the earth below. "we're leaving your place behind, dick," said paul, as he noted the decreasing size of the home of the young millionaire. "well, we'll come back to it--i hope," dick answered. "don't you fellows want to try your hand at steering?" "wait until you've been at it a while, and see how it goes," suggested innis. "we don't want to wreck the outfit." but the abaris seemed a stanch craft indeed, especially for an airship. "say, this is a heap-sight better than sitting strapped in a small seat, with the wind cutting in your face!" exclaimed larry, as he moved about the enclosed cabin. "it sure is mighty comfortable--the last word in aeroplaning, just as dick's touring car was in autoing," declared paul, who had taken a seat at a side window and was looking out at some low-lying clouds. "all we want now is a meal, and we'll be all to the merry!" dick exclaimed. "a meal!" cried larry. "are you going to serve meals aboard here?" "yes, and cook 'em, too," answered the young millionaire. "paul, show larry where the galley is," for the reporter had not called at hamilton corners in some time, and on the last occasion the airship had been far from complete. "say, this is great!" larry cried, as he saw the electrical appliances for cooking. "this is the limit! i'm glad i came along." "we won't stop to cook now," said mr. vardon. "i want to see the various controls tested, to know if we have to make any changes. now we'll try a few evolutions." in order that all aboard might become familiar with the workings of the machinery, it was decided that there should be turn and turn about in the matter of steering and operating the craft. reaching a height of three thousand feet, as dick ascertained by the barograph, the young millionaire straightened his craft out on a level keel, and kept her there, sending her ahead, and in curves, at an increasing speed. "there you go now, paul," he called. "suppose you take her for a while." "well, if you want an accident, just let me monkey with some of the works," laughed the jolly cadet. "i can do it to the queen's taste." "you'll have to go out of your way, then," said mr. vardon. "i've arranged the controls so they are as nearly careless proof as possible. just think a little bit about what you are going to do, and you won't have any trouble. it's a good thing for all of you to learn to manage the craft alone. so start in." paul found it easier than he expected, and he said, in spite of her bulk, that the abaris really steered easier than one of the smaller biplanes they had gotten used to at kentfield. back and forth over the fields, meadows and woods in the vicinity of hamilton corners the airship was taken, in charge of first one and then another of the party aboard. larry dexter was perhaps the one least familiar with the workings of the machine, yet even he did well, with dick and mr. vardon at his side to coach him. "now we'll give the gyroscope stabilizer a test!" said mr. vardon, when each, including himself, had had a turn. "i want to make sure that it will stand any strain we can put on it." "what are you going to do?" asked dick. "i'm going to tilt the craft suddenly at an angle that would turn her over if it were not for the stabilizer," was the answer. dick looked at the barograph, or height-recording gage. it registered thirty-eight hundred feet. they had gone up a considerable distance in making their experiments. "maybe you'd better wait," suggested the young millionaire, pointing to the hand of the dial, "until we go down a bit." "no," decided the aviator. "if she's going to work at all she'll do it up at this distance as well, if not better, than she would five hundred, or one hundred feet, from the ground." "but it might be safer--" began paul. "there won't be any danger--it will work, i'm sure of it," said mr. vardon, confidently. the gyroscope which was depended on to keep the airship on a level keel at all times, or at least to bring her back to it if she were thrown to a dangerous angle, had been set in motion as soon as the start was made. the big lead wheel, with the bearings of antifriction metal, was spinning around swiftly and noiselessly. once it had been started, a small impulse from a miniature electrical motor kept it going. "now," said mr. vardon, issuing his orders, "when i give the word i want you all suddenly to come from that side of the cabin to this side. at the same time, dick, you will be at the steering wheel, and i want you to throw her head around as if you were making a quick turn for a spiral descent. that ought to throw her nearly on her beams' end, and we'll see how the gyroscope works. that will be a good test. i'll stand by to correct any fault in the gyroscope." they were all a little apprehensive as they ranged themselves in line near one wall of the cabin. the airship tilted slightly as all the weight came on one side, just as a big excursion steamer lists to starboard or port when the crowd suddenly rushes all to one rail. but, on a steamer, deck hand are kept in readiness, with barrels of water, and these they roll to the opposite rail of the boat, thus preserving the balance. mr. vardon depended on the gyroscope to perform a like service for the airship, and to do it automatically. the aviator waited a few moments before giving the order to make the sudden rush. already the apparatus to which was contrasted lieutenant larson's mercury tubes, had acted, and the abaris, which had dipped, when all the passengers collected on one side, had now resumed her level keel again, showing that the gyroscope had worked so far at any rate. "now we'll give her a trial," called mr. vardon. "all ready, come over on the run, and throw her around, dick!" on the run they came, and dick whirled the steering wheel around to the left, to cause the abaris to swerve suddenly. and swerve she did. with a sickening motion she turned as a vessel rolls in a heavy sea, and, at the same moment there was a dip toward the earth. the motor which had been humming at high speed went dead on the instant, and dick hamilton's airship plunged downward. chapter xvi dick is warned "what's the matter?" "what happened?" "we're falling!" "somebody do something!" everyone seemed talking at once, calling out in fear, and looking wildly about for some escape from what seemed about to be a fatal accident. for the abaris was over half a mile high and was shooting toward the earth at a terrific rate. "wait! quiet, everybody!" called dick, who had not deserted his post at the steering wheel. "i'll bring her up. we'll volplane down! it'll be all right!" his calmness made his chums feel more secure, and a glance at mr. vardon and his machinist aided in this. for the veteran aviator, after a quick inspection of the machinery, no longer looked worried. "what has happened?" asked innis. "our engine stalled, for some unknown reason," answered mr. vardon, quickly. "fortunately nothing is broken. i'll see if i can't start it with the electrical generator. are you holding her all right, dick?" "i think so; yes. i can take four or five minutes more to let her down easy." "well, take all the time you can. head her up every once in a while. it will be good practice for you. the stabilizer worked all right, anyhow." the airship was not on a level keel, but was inclined with her "bow" pointed to the earth, going downward on a slant. but dick knew how to manage in this emergency, for many times he had practiced volplaning to earth in ordinary biplanes. by working the lever of the vertical rudder, he now brought the head, or bow, of the airship up sharply, and for a moment the downward plunge was arrested. the abaris shot along parallel to the plane of the earth's surface. this operation, repeated until the ground is reached, is, as i have already explained, called volplaning. "something is wrong," announced mr. vardon, as he yanked on the lever of the starting motor, and turned the switch. only the hum of the electrical machine resulted. the gasolene motor did not "pick up," though both the gasolene and spark levers were thrown over. "never mind," counseled dick. "i can bring her down all right. there's really nothing more the matter than if we had purposely stopped the motor." "no, that's so," agreed mr. vardon. "but still i want to see what the trouble is, and why it stopped. i'll try the hand starter." but this was of no use either. the gasolene motor would not start, and without that the propellers could not be set in motion to sustain the big craft in the air. mr. vardon, and his helper, with the aid of innis, paul and larry, worked hard at the motor, but it was as obstinate as the engine of some stalled motor-boat. "i can't understand it," said the aviator. "there's plenty of gasolene in the tank, and the spark is a good, fat one. but the motor simply won't start. how you making out, dick?" "all right. we're going to land a considerable distance from home, but maybe we can get her started when we reach the ground." "we'll try, anyhow," agreed the aviator. "is she responding all right?" "fine. couldn't be better. let some of the other boys take a hand at it." "well, maybe it would be a good plan," agreed the aviator. "you never can tell when you've got to make a glide. take turns, boys." "i don't think i'd better, until i learn how to run an airship that isn't in trouble," said larry dexter. "well, perhaps not," said mr. vardon. "but the others may." meanwhile the abaris had been slowly nearing earth, and it was this slowness, caused by the gradual "sifting" down that would make it possible to land her with scarcely a jar. if you have ever seen a kite come down when the wind has died out, you will understand exactly what this "sifting" is. it means gliding downward in a series of acute angles. the first alarm over, all was now serene aboard dick's airship. the attempt to start the motor had been given up, and under the supervision of mr. vardon the two cadets, innis and paul, took turns in bringing the craft down with the engine "dead." the aviator and his helper had had experience enough at this. "say, this is something new, guiding as big a ship as this without power," remarked innis, as he relinquished the wheel to paul. "it sure is," said tile latter. then, a little later, he called out: "i say, somebody relieve me, quick. i believe i'm going to bring her down in that creek!" they all looked ahead and downward. the abaris, surely enough, was headed for a stream of water. "perhaps you'd better handle her," said dick to the builder of the craft. "we don't want her wrecked before we at least have a start after that prize." mr. vardon nodded, and took the wheel from paul. a few seconds later he had brought the craft to the ground within a few feet of the edge of the stream. had it been a wider and deeper one they could have landed on it by using the hydroplanes, but the water seemed too shallow and full of rocks for that evolution. and so skillfully had mr. vardon manipulated the planes and levers that the landing was hardly felt. a number of specially-made springs took up the jar. "well, we're here!" exclaimed dick, as they all breathed in relief. "now to see what the trouble was." "and we've got a long walk back home, in case we can't find the trouble," sighed innis, for he was rather stout, and did not much enjoy walking. they had come down several miles from hamilton corners. "oh, we'll get her fixed up somehow," declared dick, with confidence. quite a throng had gathered from the little country hamlet, on the edge of which the aircraft had descended, and they crowded up about the abaris, looking in wonder at her size and strange shape. mr. vardon lost no time in beginning his hunt for the engine trouble, and soon decided that it was in the gasolene supply, since, though the tank was nearly full, none of the fluid seemed to go into the carburetor. "there's a stoppage somewhere," the aviator said. the fluid was drawn off into a reserve tank and then the cause of the mischief was easily located. a small piece of cotton waste had gotten into the supply pipe, and completely stopped the flow of gasolene. "there it is!" cried the aviator, as he took it out, holding it up for all to see. "i wonder if anyone could have done that on purpose?" asked dick, looking at his chums, reflectively. "you mean--larson?" inquired jack butt. "he's capable of anything like that." "but he wasn't near the machine," said paul. "not unless he sneaked in the barn some night," went on the machinist, who seemed to have little regard for the former lieutenant. "well, there's no way of telling for certain, so we had better say nothing about it," decided dick. "then, too, any of us might have accidentally dropped the waste in the tank while we were working around the ship. i guess we'll call it an accident." "but it must have been in the tank for some time," argued larry dexter, "and yet it only stopped up the pipe a little while ago." "it was probably floating around in the tank, doing no damage in particular," explained mr. vardon. "then, when we made the ship tilt that way, to test the stabilizer, the gasolene shifted, and the waste was flushed into the pipe. but we're all right now." this was proved a little later when the motor was started with no trouble whatever. there was not a very good place to make a start, along the edge of the stream, but dick and his chums realized that they could not always have perfect conditions, so they must learn to do under adverse ones. "look out of the way!" warned the young millionaire to the assembled crowd. they scattered from in front of the craft. the motor throbbed and thundered up to high speed, and then the propellers were thrown into gear. the big blades beat on the air, the ship moved slowly forward. it acquired speed, and then, amid the wondering comments and excited shouts of the crowd, it soared aloft, and glided through the air to a great height. "off again!" cried dick, who was at the wheel. the trip back to hamilton corners was made safely, and without incident worthy of mention. the four young men took turns in working the various controls, so as to become familiar with them, and dick paid particular attention to larry dexter, who needed some coaching. "i'll get a good story out of this for my paper," said the young reporter, who was always on the lookout for "copy." "well, we've proved that she will fly, and take care of us even when an accident happens," remarked dick, when the craft had been put back in the barn. "now we'll groom her a bit, put on the finishing touches, and we'll be ready to try for that prize. the time is getting short now." "i hope you win it," said mr. vardon. "i shall feel responsible, in a way, if you don't." "nothing of the sort!" cried dick. "whatever happens, i've got a fine airship, and we'll have a good time, even if we don't get the twenty thousand dollars." the next week was a busy one, for there were several little matters about the airship that needed attention. but gradually it was made as nearly perfect as possible. then, one morning, mr. hamilton, who had some business to transact with uncle ezra, said to dick: "could you take a run over there and leave him these securities? he asked me to get them for him out of the safe deposit box. i don't know what he wants of them, but they are his, and i have no time to take them to him myself. you can go in your airship, if you like, and give him a surprise." "no, i think i'll go in the auto. mr. vardon is making a change in the motor, and it isn't in shape to run today. i'll take the boys over to dankville in the small car." a little later dick and his chums were on their way to uncle ezra's. they reached dankville in good time, but, on calling at the house, aunt samantha told them her husband was at the woolen mill. "we'll go down there and see him," decided dick, after talking to his aunt a little while. she had been looking in the parlor to see that, by no chance, had a glint of light gotten in. of late her husband and his airship-partner, larson, had not used the "best room," and so aunt samantha's fears about the carpet being spoiled by cigar ashes had subsided. at the factory dick was directed, by a foreman, to an unused wing of the building. "you'll find your uncle in there," the man said to dick. "he's building an airship!" "a what!" cried the young millionaire in great astonishment, for he had been too busy, of late, to hear any news from dankville. "an airship--a biplane, i believe they're called," the foreman went on. "well, i'll be gum-swizzled!" cried dick, faintly. "come on, fellows. the world must be coming to an end, surely." as he started to enter the part of the factory whither he had been directed, his uncle, plainly much excited, came out. "stop where you be, nephew richard!" he warned. "don't come in here! stay back!" "why, what in the world is the matter?" asked dick. "is something going to blow up?" chapter xvii off for the start uncle ezra larabee stood fairly glaring at his nephew. the crabbed old man seemed strangely excited. "no, there ain't nothing going to blow up," he said, after a pause. "but don't you come in here. i warn you away! you can go in any other part of my factory you want to, but not in here." "well, i certainly don't want to come where i'm not wanted, uncle ezra," said dick, with dignity. "but i hear you are building an airship, and i thought i'd like to get a look at it." "and that's just what i don't want you to get--none of you," went on mr. larabee, looking at dick's chums. "i don't want to be mean to my dead sister's boy," he added, "but my airship ain't in shape yet to be inspected." "well, if it isn't finished, perhaps we can give you some advice," said dick, with a smile. "huh! i don't want no advice, thank you," said uncle ezra, stiffly. "i calkerlate lieutenant larson knows as much about building airships as you boys do." "larson!" cried dick. "is he here?" "he certainly is, and he's working hard on my craft. i'm going to be an aviator, and win that twenty-thousand-dollar government prize!" mr. larabee said, as though it were a certainty. "whew!" whistled dick. "then we'll be rivals, uncle ezra." "humph! maybe you might think so, but i'll leave you so far behind that you won't know where you are!" boasted the crabbed old man. "building an airship; eh?" mused dick. "well, that's the last thing i'd ever think of uncle ezra doing." then to his relative he added: "but if you're going to compete for the prize your airship will have to be seen. why are you so careful about it now?" "because we've got secrets about it," replied mr. larabee. "there's secret inventions on my airship that haven't been patented yet, and i don't want you going in there, nephew richard, and taking some of my builder's ideas and using 'em on your airship. i won't have it! that's why i won't let you in. i'm not going to have you taking our ideas, not by a jugful!" "there's no danger," answered dick quietly, though he wanted to laugh. "my airship is all finished. we've used her, and she's all right. i wouldn't change her no matter what i saw on yours." "wa'al, you might think so now, but i can't trust nobody--not even you, so you can't come in," said uncle ezra. "oh, we won't insist," answered dick, as he passed over the bonds. "father said you wanted these, uncle ezra." "yes, i do," and an expression, as of pain, passed over the man's face. "i've got to raise a little money to pay for this airship. it's costing a terrible pile; a terrible pile!" and he sighed in despair. "but then, of course, i'll get the twenty thousand dollars, and that will help some. after that i'm going to sell plans and models of my successful airship, and i'll make a lot more that way. so of course i'll get it all back. "but it's costing me a terrible pile! why, would you believe it," he said, looking around to see that the door to the factory was securely closed, "would you believe i've already spent five thousand, six hundred twenty-seven dollars and forty-nine cents on this airship? and it ain't quite done yet. it's a pile of money!" "yes, they are expensive, but they're worth it," said dick. "it's great sport--flying." "it may be. i've never tried it, but i'm going to learn," declared uncle ezra. "only i didn't think it would cost so much or i never would have gone into it. but now i'm in i can't get out without losing all the money i've put up, and i can't do that. i never could do that," said uncle ezra with a doleful shake of his head. he gave a sudden start, at some noise, and cried out: "what's that? you didn't dare bring your bulldog in here, did you, nephew richard? if you did i'll--" "no, i left grit at home, uncle ezra." then the noise was repeated. it came from the part of the factory where the airship was being constructed, and was probably made by some of the workmen. "i guess i'll have to go now," said mr. larabee, and this was a hint for the boys to leave. "lieutenant larson said he wanted to consult with me about something. i only hope he doesn't want more money," he added with a sigh. "but he spends a terrible pile of cash--a terrible pile." "yes, and he'll spend a lot more of your cash before he gets through with you, if i'm any judge," thought dick, as he and his chums went back to the automobile. "to think of uncle ezra building an airship! that's about the limit." "do you really think he is going to have a try for the government prize?" asked larry dexter. "well, stranger things have happened," admitted the young millionaire. "you're not worrying, though, are you?" asked paul. "not a bit. i imagine i'll have to compete with more formidable opponents than uncle ezra. but i do give larson credit for knowing a lot about aircraft. i don't believe, though, that his mercury stabilizers are reliable. still he may have made improvements on them. i'd like to get a look at uncle ezra's machine." "and he doesn't want you to," laughed innis. "he's a queer man, keeping track of every cent." "oh, it wouldn't be uncle ezra if he didn't do that," returned dick, with a grin. there were busy days ahead for the young millionaire and his chums. though the abaris seemed to have been in almost perfect trim on her trial trip, it developed that several changes had to be made in her. not important ones, but small ones, on which the success, or failure, of the prize journey might depend. dick and his friends worked early and late to make the aircraft as nearly perfect as possible. dick's entry had been formally accepted by the government, and he had been told that an army officer would be assigned to make the trans-continental flight with him, to report officially on the time and performance of the craft. for the government desired to establish the nearest perfect form of aeroplane, and it reserved the right to purchase the patent of the successful model. "and it is on that point that more money may be made than by merely winning the prize," said mr. vardon. "we must not forget that, so we want everything as nearly right as possible." and to this end they worked. "you're going to take grit along; aren't you?" asked paul of dick one day, as they were laboring over the aircraft, putting on the finishing touches. "oh, sure!" exclaimed the young millionaire. "i wouldn't leave him behind for anything." "i wonder what army officer they'll assign to us," remarked innis. "i hope we get some young chap, and not a grizzled old man who'll be a killjoy." "it's bound to be a young chap, because none of the older men have taken up aviation," said larry. "i guess we'll be all right. i'll see if i can't find out from our washington reporter who it will be." but he was unable to do this, as the government authorities themselves were uncertain. the time was drawing near when dick was to make his start in the cross-country flight, with but two landings allowed between new york and san francisco. nearly everything was in readiness. "mr. vardon," said dick one day, "this business of crossing a continent in an airship is a new one on me. i've done it in my touring car, but i confess i don't see how we're going to keep on the proper course, up near the clouds, with no landmarks or anything to guide us. "but i'm going to leave all that to you. we're in your hands as far as that goes. you'll have to guide the craft, or else tell us how to steer when it comes our turn at the wheel." "i have been studying this matter," the aviator replied. "i have made several long flights, but never across the continent. but i have carefully charted a course for us to follow. as for landmarks, the government has arranged that. "along the course, in as nearly as possible a bee-line from new york to san francisco, there will be captive balloons, painted white for day observation, and arranged with certain colored lanterns, for night-sighting. then, too, there will be pylons, or tall towers of wood, erected where there are no balloons. so i think we can pick our course, dick." "oh, i didn't know about the balloon marks," said the young millionaire. "well, i'll leave the piloting to you. i think you know how to do it." several more trial flights were made. each time the abaris seemed to do better. she was more steady, and in severe tests she stood up well. the gyroscope stabilizer worked to perfection under the most disadvantageous conditions. several little changes were made to insure more comfort for the passengers on the trip. dick's undertaking had attracted considerable attention, as had the plans of several other, and better-known aviators, to win the big prize. the papers of the country were filled with stories of the coming event, but larry dexter had perhaps the best accounts, as he was personally interested in dick's success. dick paid another visit to uncle ezra, and this time his crabbed relative was more genial. he allowed his nephew to have a view of the craft larson was building. the former lieutenant greeted dick coldly, but our hero thought little of that. he was more interested in the machine. dick found that his uncle really did have a large, and apparently very serviceable biplane. of course it was not like dick's, as it designed to carry but three passengers. "we're going to make the trip in about forty-eight hours, so we won't need much space," said uncle ezra. "we can eat a snack as we go along. and we can sleep in our seats. i've got to cut down the expense somehow. it's costing me a terrible pile of money!" uncle ezra's airship worked fairly well in the preliminary trials, and though it did not develop much speed, dick thought perhaps the crafty lieutenant was holding back on this so as to deceive his competitors. "but, barring accidents, we ought to win," said the young millionaire to his chums. "and accidents no one can count against." everything was in readiness. the abaris had been given her last trial flight. all the supplies and stores were aboard. jack butt had taken his departure, for he was not to make the trip. his place would be taken by the army lieutenant. a special kennel had been constructed for grit, who seemed to take kindly to the big airship. "well, the officer will be here in the morning," announced dick, one evening, on receipt of a telegram from washington. "then we'll make the start." and, what was the surprise of the young millionaire and his chums, to be greeted, early the next day, by lieutenant mcbride, the officer who had, with captain wakefield, assisted in giving instructions at kentfield. "i am surely glad to see you!" cried dick, as he shook hands with him. "there's nobody i'd like better to come along!" "and there's nobody i'd like better to go with," said the officer, with a laugh. "i was only assigned to you at the last minute. first i was booked to go with a man named larabee." "he's my uncle. i'm glad you didn't!" chuckled dick. then he told about larson and lieutenant mcbride, himself, was glad also. in order to be of better service in case of an emergency, lieutenant mcbride asked that he be taken on a little preliminary flight before the official start was made, so that he might get an idea of the working of the machinery. this was done, and he announced himself as perfectly satisfied with everything. "you have a fine craft!" he told dick. "the best i have ever seen, and i've ridden in a number. you ought to take the prize." "thanks!" laughed the young millionaire. "of course i'm not saying that officially," warned the officer, with a smile. "i'll have to check you up as though we didn't know one other. and i warn you that you've got to make good!" "i wouldn't try under any other conditions," replied dick. the last tuning-up of the motor was over. the last of the supplies and stores were put aboard. grit was in his place, and the cross-country fliers in theirs. good-byes were said, and mr. hamilton waved the stars and stripes as the cabin door was closed. "all ready?" asked dick, who was the captain of the aircraft. "all ready," answered lieutenant mcbride. "all ready," agreed mr. vardon. "then here we go!" cried dick, as he pulled the lever. the airship was on her way to the starting point. chapter xviii uncle ezra flies "well, mr. larabee, we are almost ready for a flight." "humph! it's about time. i've sunk almost enough money in that shebang to dig a gold mine, and i haven't got any out yet--not a cent, and i'm losing interest all the while." "well, but think of the twenty thousand dollars!" "yes, i s'pose i've got to. that's the only consolation i have left." the above conversation took place one afternoon between ezra larabee and lieutenant larson. the airship with the mercury stabilizers was nearly completed. but a few touches remained to be put on her, to make her, according to larson, ready for the flight across the continent. "i presume you will go with me when me make the first ascent; will you not?" the lieutenant inquired. "who, me? no, i don't reckon i'll go up first," said uncle ezra slowly. "i'll wait until i see if you don't break your neck. if you don't i'll take a chance." "that's consoling," was the answer, with a grim laugh. "but i am not afraid. i know the craft will fly. you will not regret having commissioned me to build her." "wa'al, i should hope not," said uncle ezra, dryly. "so far i've put eight thousand, four hundred thirty-two dollars and sixteen cents into this shebang, and i ain't got a penny out yet. it just seems to chaw up money." "they all do," said the lieutenant. "it is a costly sport. but think of the twenty-thousand-dollar prize!" "i do," said uncle ezra, softly. "that's all that keeps me from thinking what a plumb idiot i've been--thinking of that twenty thousand dollars." "oh, you'll get it!" the lieutenant asserted. "maybe--yes. if my nephew doesn't get ahead of me," was the grim reply. "oh, he never will. we'll win that prize," the lieutenant assured him. "now there's one other little matter i must speak of. i need some more money." "more money! good land, man! i gave you three dollars and a half last week to buy something!" cried uncle ezra. "yes, i know, but that went for guy wires and bolts. i need about ten dollars for an auxiliary steering wheel." "a steering wheel?" questioned uncle ezra. "you mean a wheel to twist?" "that's it. there must be two. we have only one." "well, if it's only a wheel, i can fix you up about that all right, and without spending a cent, either!" exclaimed the stingy old man with a chuckle. "there's an old sewing machine of my wife's down cellar. it's busted, all but the big wheel. we had an accident with it, but i made the company give me a new machine, and i kept the old one. "now that's got a big, round, iron wheel on it, and we can take that off, just as well as not, and use it on the airship. that's what you've got to do in this world--save money. i've spent a terrible pile, but we'll save some by using the sewing machine wheel." "it won't do," said the lieutenant. "it's far too heavy. i must have one made to order of wood. it will cost ten dollars." "oh, dear!" groaned uncle ezra. "more money," and he looked distressed. then his face brightened. "i say!" he cried. "there's a busted mowing machine out in the barn. that's got a wooden wheel on it. can't you use that?" lieutenant larson shook his bead. "it's no use trying to use make-shift wheels if we are to have a perfect machine, and win the prize," he said. "i must have the proper one. i need ten dollars." "oh, dear!" moaned uncle ezra, as he took out his wallet, and carefully counted out ten one-dollar bills. "couldn't you look around and get a second-hand one?" he asked hopefully. "no; we haven't time. we must soon start on the prize trip. we don't want to be late." "no, i s'pose not. wa'al, take the money," and he parted with it, after a long look. then he made a memoranda of it in his pocket cash-book, and sighed again. several times after this lieutenant larson had to have more money--or, at least, he said he needed it, and uncle ezra brought it forth with many sighs and groans. but he "gave up." to give larson credit, he had really produced a good aircraft. of course it was nothing like dick's, and, after all, the former army man was more interested in his stabilizers than he was in the airship itself. but he had to build it right and properly to give his patent a good test, and he used his best ideas on the subject. in general uncle ezra's machine was a biplane, a little larger than usual, and with a sort of auxiliary cabin and platform where one could rest when not in the seats. three passengers could be carried, together with some food and supplies of gasolene and oil. it was an airship built for quick, continuous flight, and it really had a chance for the prize; perhaps not as good a chance as had dick's, but a good chance compared with others in its class. the one weak point, and this lieutenant larson kept to himself, was the fact that it was only with the best of luck that the flight could be made with but two landings. finally the former army man announced that the craft was ready for a flight. he had spent all the money uncle ezra would give him--nearly ten thousand dollars--and i suspect that larson himself had lined his own pockets well. "she's ready," he announced to uncle ezra, one day. "well, take her up." "will you come?" "not till i see how you fare. go ahead." "ezra, be you goin' up in that contraption?" asked aunt samantha, as she came out in the meadow where a starting ground had been laid out. "i'm aiming to, if he comes back alive with it," uncle ezra made answer, grimly. "well, as i said before, it's flyin' in the face of providence," declared mrs. larabee. "i might as well order my mourning now, and be done with it." "oh, i ain't aiming to be killed," chuckled uncle ezra. "i guess it's safe enough. i've got to get my money back out of this thing." lieutenant larson, with one of the helpers, made the first flight. he did not go very high, so that uncle ezra would have confidence. when he came back to the starting point he asked: "well, will you take a chance?" "i--i guess so," replied mr. larabee, and his voice was not very steady. "i'm goin' in the house," announced mrs. larabee. "i don't want to see it!" uncle ezra took his place. "i've got accident insurance in case anything happens," he said, slowly. "i don't believe your policy covers airship flights," the lieutenant returned. "then let me out!" cried uncle ezra. "i'll have the policy changed! i'm not going to take any such chances!" "it's too late!" cried larson. "here we go!" the engine was thundering away, and a moment later the craft shot over the ground and into the air. uncle ezra was flying at last. chapter xix uncle ezra's accident for some seconds after he had been taken up in the atmosphere in his airship, uncle ezra said nothing. he just sat there in the padded seat, clutching with his hands the rails in so tight a grip that his knuckles showed white. up and up they went, larson skillfully guiding the craft, until they were a considerable distance above the earth. "that's--that's far enough!" uncle ezra managed to yell, above the throb of the now throttled-down motor. "don't go--any higher!" "all right," agreed the aviator. "but she'll work easier up a little more." "no--it--it's too far--to fall!" said mr. larabee, and he could not keep his voice from trembling. really, though, he stood it bravely, though probably the thought of all the money he had invested in the craft, as well as the prize he was after, buoyed up his spirits. "how do you like it?" asked larson, when they had circled around over mr. larabee's extensive farm for some time. "it's different from what i expected," remarked uncle ezra. "but it seems good. i don't know as i'll stand it all the way to san francisco, though." "oh, yes, you will," asserted larson. "you'll get used to it in time." "is she working all right, lieutenant larson?" "yes, pretty well. i see a chance to make one or two changes though, that will make her better." "does that mean--er--more money?" was uncle ezra's anxious question. "well, some, yes." "not another cent!" burst out the crabbed old man. "i won't spend another cent on her. i've sunk enough money in the old shebang." larson did not answer. he simply tilted the elevating rudder and the biplane poked her nose higher up into the air. "here! what you doing?" demanded uncle ezra. "i'm going up higher." "but i tell you i don't want to! i want to go down! this is high enough!" and uncle ezra fairly screamed. "we've got to go higher," said larson. "the carburetor isn't working just right at this low elevation. that's what i wanted the extra money for, to get a new one. but of course if you feel that you can't spare it, why, we'll simply have to fly higher, that's all. the carburetor we have will work all right at a high elevation on account of the rarefied air, but with a different one, of course we could stay lower--if we wanted to. "still, if you feel you can't afford it," he went on, with a sly look at the crabbed old man who sat there clutching the sides of the seat, "we'll have to do the best we can, and make this carburetor do. i guess we'll have to keep on a little higher," he added, as he glanced at the barograph. "say! hold on!" yelled uncle ezra in his ear. "you--you can have that money for the carburetor! go on down where we were before." "oh, all right," assented larson, and he winked the eye concealed from his employer. the aircraft went down, and flew about at a comparatively low elevation. really, there did not seem to be much the matter with the carburetor, but then, of course, larson ought to know what he was talking about. "she's working pretty good--all except the carburetor," said the former army man, after they had been flying about fifteen minutes. "the motor does better than i expected, and with another passenger we'll be steadier. she needs a little more weight. do you want to try to steer her?" "no, sir! not yet!" cried uncle ezra. "i can drive a mowing-machine, and a thresher, but i'm not going to try an airship yet. i hired you to run her. all i want is that twenty-thousand-dollar prize, and the chance to sell airships like this after we've proved them the best for actual use." "and we can easily do that," declared larson. "my mercury stabilizer is working to perfection." "when can we start on the race?" mr. larabee wanted to know. "oh, soon now. you see it isn't exactly a race. that is the competing airships do not have to start at the same time." "no?" questioned uncle ezra. "no. you see each competing craft is allowed to start when the pilot pleases, provided an army officer is aboard during the entire flight to check the results, and the time consumed. two landings will be allowed, and only the actual flying time will be counted. "that is if the trip is finished within a certain prescribed time. i think it is a month. in other words we could start now, fly as far as we could, and if we had to come down because of some accident, or to get supplies, we could stay down several days. then we could start again, and come down the second time. but after that we would be allowed no more landings, and the total time consumed in flying would be computed by the army officer." "oh, that's the way of it?" asked uncle ezra. "yes, and the craft that has used the smallest number of hours will win the prize," went on larson. "i'm sure we can do it, for this is a fast machine. i haven't pushed her to the limit yet." "and don't you do it--not until i get more used to it," stipulated the owner of the airship. the former army officer sent the aircraft through several simple evolutions to test her. she answered well, though uncle ezra gasped once or twice, and his grip on the seat rail tightened. "when do you plan to start?" mr. larabee wanted to know, again. "oh, in about a week. i have sent in an application to have a representative of the government assigned to us, and when he comes we'll start. that will give me a chance to buy the new carburetor, and make some other little changes." "well, let's go down now," suggested uncle ezra. "hello, what's this?" he cried, looking at his coat. "why, i'm all covered with oil!" "yes, it does drip a little," admitted the aviator. "i haven't tightened the washers on the tank. you mustn't mind a little thing like that. i often get soaked with oil and gasolene. i should have told you to put on an old suit." "but look here!" cried uncle ezra, in accents of dismay. "i didn't put on an old suit! this is my second best. i paid thirteen dollars for it, and i've bad it four years. it would have been good for two more if your old oil hadn't leaked on it. now it's spoiled!" "you can have it cleaned, perhaps," suggested the lieutenant as he sent the biplane about in a graceful curve, before getting ready for a descent. "yes, and maybe have to pay a tailor sixty-five cents! not much!" cried uncle ezra. "i'll clean it myself, with some of the gasolene. i ain't going to waste money that way. i ought to charge you for it." "well, i'll give you the gasolene to clean it," said the aviator, with another unseen wink. "humph!" ejaculated uncle ezra with a grunt, as he tried to hold on with one hand, and scrub off some of the oil spots with his handkerchief. "well, i guess we'll go down now," announced larson, after making several sharp ascents and descents to test the efficiency of the vertical rudder. "why, we're quite a way from the farm!" exclaimed mr. larabee, looking down. "i didn't think we'd come so far." "well, i'll show you how quickly we can get back there!" boasted larson. "i'll have you at your place in a hurry!" he turned more power into the motor, and with a rush and a roar, the biplane shot forward. but something happened. either they struck an air pocket, or the rudder was given too sudden a twist. anyway, the airship shot toward the ground at a sharp angle. she would have crashed down hard, only larson threw her head up quickly, checking, in a measure, the momentum. but he could not altogether control the craft, and it swept past a tree in an orchard where they were forced to land, the side wing tearing off the limbs and branches. then, bouncing down to the ground, the airship, tilted on one end, and shot uncle ezra out with considerable force. he landed in a heap of dirt, turned a somersault, and sat up with a queer look on his face. chapter xx in new york. "well, this is going some!" "i should say yes!" "all to the merry!" "and no more trouble than as if you got in a taxicab and told the chauffeur to take you around the block." thus did dick hamilton's chums offer him their congratulations as they started off on the trip they hoped would bring to the young millionaire the twenty-thousand-dollar prize, and, not only do that but establish a new record in airship flights, and also give to the world the benefit of the experience in building such a unique craft. they were in the abaris flying along over the town of hamilton corners, a most successful start having been made. as they progressed through the air many curious eyes were turned up to watch their flight. "i say! which way are you steering?" asked paul, as he came back from a trip to the dining-room buffet, where he had helped himself to a sandwich, a little lunch having been set out by innis, who constituted himself as cook. "you're heading east instead of west, dick," for the young millionaire was at the steering-wheel. "i know it," replied the helmsman, as he noted the figures on the barograph. "but you see, to stand a chance for the prize you've got to start from new york, and that's where we're headed for now. we've got to go to the big town first, and then we'll hit the western trail as nearly in a straight line as we can." "that's the idea," said lieutenant mcbride. "the conditions call for a start from new york, and i have arranged for the beginning of your flight from the grounds at fort wadsworth. that will give the army officers there a chance to inspect your machine, mr. hamilton." "and i'll be very glad to have them see it," dick said, "and to offer their congratulations to mr. vardon on his success." "and yours, too," added the aviator. "i couldn't have done anything had it not been for you." "then we really aren't on the prize winning flight, yet?" asked larry, who wanted to get all the information he could for his paper. "not exactly," replied the lieutenant. "and yet the performance of the airship will count on this flight, in a measure. i have been instructed to watch how she behaves, and incorporate it in my report. it may be, mr. hamilton, though i hope not, that the prize will not come to you. but you may stand a chance of having your airship adopted by uncle sam, for all that." "that would be a fine feather in my cap!" cried dick. "i don't care so much for the money, i guess you all know that." "i should say not!" cried innis, with a laugh. "any fellow who's worth a million doesn't have to bother about a little small change like twenty thousand dollars." "not that i haven't a due regard for the prize," went on dick. "but if i lost it, and still could have the honor of producing an airship that would be thought worthy of government approval, that would be worth while." "indeed it would!" agreed the lieutenant. "are we going to have any time at all in new york?" asked paul. "i have some friends there, and--" "i believe her name is knox; isn't it?" interrupted innis, with a grin at his chum. "first name grace, lives somewhere up in central park, west; eh, old chap?" "oh, dry up!" invited paul. "don't you s'pose i've got any friends but girls?" "well, grace does live in new york," insisted innis. "yes, and so do irene martin and mabel hanford!" burst out paul. "it's as much on you fellows as it is on me," and he fairly glared at his tormentor. "easy!" laughed dick. "i guess we may as well make a family party of it while we're about it. of course we'll see the girls. in fact i half-promised miss hanford i'd call on her if i could get my airship to work." "oh, you sly dog!" mocked innis. "and you never said a word!" "i didn't know i could get it to work," laughed dick, as he stood at the wheel. the abaris was cleaving through the clear air at a fast rate of speed, though she was not being sent along at her limit. the aviator wanted to test his machinery at moderate speed for some time before he turned on full power, and this trip to new york for the start gave him the very chance wanted. it was a journey of about five hundred miles from hamilton corners to new york city, and, as dick and his friends had planned it, they would be in the air all night. they had set for themselves a rate of progress of about fifty miles an hour, and if this was kept up it would take ten hours to the metropolis. of course the journey could have been made in much less time than that, for dick's motor was calculated to give a maximum speed of one hundred miles an hour. but this was straining it to its capacity. it would be much more feasible, at, least on this trial trip, to use half that speed. later, if need be, they could go to the limit. they had started late in the afternoon, and by journeying at fifty miles an hour they would reach the upper part of new york city in the morning; that is if nothing occurred to delay them. but the weather predictions were favorable, and no storms were in prospect. "i think i'll take her up a bit," remarked dick, when they had passed out over the open country, lying outside of hamilton corners. "we might as well get used to good heights, for when we cross the rocky mountains we'll have to ascend some." "that's right," agreed the lieutenant. "take her up, dick." the young millionaire pulled over the lever of the vertical rudder, and as the nose of the abaris was inclined upward, she shot aloft, her big propellers in the rear pushing her ahead. "i'm going out on the outer deck and see how it seems," said larry. "i want to get some new impressions for the paper. i told the editor we'd pull off a lot of new stunts. so i guess i'll go outside." "no, you won't," said lieutenant mcbride, laying a detaining hand on the arm of the reporter. "do you see that notice?" he pointed to one over the door. it read: "no one will be allowed on the outer deck while the airship is ascending or descending." "what's that for?" larry wanted to know. "so you won't roll off into space," replied lieutenant mcbride. "you see the deck is much tilted, when we are going up or down, and that makes it dangerous. of course the cabin floor is tilted also, but there are walls here to save you from taking a tumble in case you slip. outside there is only a railing." "i see," spoke larry. "well, i'll stay inside until we get up as high as dick wants to take us." "not very high this time," the young millionaire answered. "about six thousand feet will be enough. we haven't gone quite a mile yet, and it will be a good test for us." steadily the aircraft climbed upward until, when he had noted from the barograph that they were at a height of nearly six thousand feet, dick "straightened her out," and let her glide along on a level keel. "you may now go outside, larry," said the lieutenant, and the young reporter and the others, except dick, who remained at the wheel, took their places in the open. it was a strange sensation standing out thus, on a comparatively frail craft, shooting along at fifty miles an hour over a mile above the earth. the cabin broke the force of the wind, and there was really little discomfort. the abaris sailed so steadily that there was scarcely a perceptible motion. larry made some notes for a story on which he was engaged. he wrote it in his best style, and then enclosed the "copy" in a leather case. "i'm going to drop this when we are passing over some city," he explained. "someone is sure to pick it up, and i've put a note in saying that if they will file the copy at some telegraph office, so it can be sent to my paper, they'll get five dollars on presentation of my note." "good idea!" cried dick. "oh, i've got to get the news to the office, somehow," said larry with a smile. a little later they passed over a large town, and, though they did not know the name of it, larry dropped his story and eventually, as he learned later, it reached the office safely, and made a hit. in order that all might become familiar with the workings of the airship, dick, after a while, relinquished the wheel to one of his chums. thus they took turns guiding the craft through the air, and gained valuable experience. they flew along easily, and without incident, until dusk began to overcast the sky, and then the electric lamps were set aglow, and in the cosy cabin they gathered about the table on which innis had spread a tempting lunch. "say, this sure is going some!" cried larry, as he took another helping of chicken, prepared on the electric stove. "think of dining a mile in the air!" "as long as we don't fall down while we're dining, i shan't mind," mumbled paul, as he picked a wishbone. the night passed without incident of moment. for a time no one wanted to go to the comfortable bunks, but dick insisted that they must get used to sleeping aboard his craft, so the watch was told off, two of the occupants of the abaris to be on duty for two hours at a time, to be relieved by others. on and on rushed the airship. now and then she was speeded up for a time, as dick and the aviator wanted to see what she could do when called on suddenly. she responded each time. "i think she'll do," said lieutenant mcbride, when it came his turn to take a little rest. "you have a fine craft, mr. hamilton." "glad of it," responded dick. "we'll see what she does when we straighten her out on the long run to san francisco." the night wore on. above the earth, like some gigantic meteor, flew the airship, her propellers forcing her onward and onward. now and then some of the machinery needed attention, but very little. the gyroscope stabilizer worked well, and as it was automatic, there was no need of warping the wing tips, or of using the alerons, which were provided in case of emergency. the abaris automatically kept herself on a level keel, even as a bird does when flying. the gray dawn crept in through the celluloid windows of the aircraft. this material had been used instead of glass, to avoid accidents in case of a crash. the celluloid would merely bend, and injure no one. "it's morning!" cried dick, as he sprang from his bunk, for he had had the previous watch. "morning?" repeated innis. "well, where are we?" "have to go down and take an observation," suggested the lieutenant. "i think we must be very near new york." paul, who was in charge of the wheel looked for confirmation to dick. the latter nodded, and the cadet pulled the lever that would send the airship on a downward slant. it was not long before a group of big buildings came into view. it needed but a glance to tell what they were sky-scrapers. "new york!" cried dick. "we're over new york all right!" "then i've got to get a message to my paper!" exclaimed larry. "is the wireless working?" "we'll have to make a landing to send it up," replied mr. vardon. "well, if we're going down anyhow, a telephone will do as well," went on the reporter. "only it's going to be a job to land down among all those sky-scrapers." "we can't do it," mr. vardon declared. "we'll have to head for an open space." "central park, or the bronx," put in the lieutenant. "either place will give us room enough." "we'll try the bronx," suggested dick. "that will give us a chance to see new york from aloft. we'll land in the bronx." they had sailed over to the metropolis from a point about opposite jersey city, and now they took a direct northward course flying lengthwise over manhattan. as they came on down and down, they were observed by thousands of early workers, who craned their necks upward, and looked with eager eyes at the big airship over their heads. a few minutes of flying over the city brought the aviators within sight of the big beautiful zoological park which is the pride of new york. below dick and his chums stretched out the green expanses, the gardens, the little lakes, and the animal enclosures. "there's a good place!" exclaimed dick, pointing to a green expanse near the wild-fowl pond. "then you take the wheel and make it," suggested innis, who had been steering. dick did so, but his hand accidentally touched the gasolene lever, cutting off the supply to the motor. in an instant the machine went dead. "never mind!" cried the young millionaire. "i'll go down anyhow. no use starting the motor again. i'll volplane and land where i can." and, as it happened, he came down in new york, in the midst of the bronx park buffalo range. it was a perfect landing, the abaris reaching the ground with scarcely a jar. but the big, shaggy buffaloes snorted in terror, and ran in all directions. that is, all but one big bull, and he, with a bellow of rage, charged straight for the airship! chapter xxi off for the pacific "look out for him!" "go up in the air again!" "has anybody got a gun?" "start the motor!" these, and other excited cries, came from those in dick hamilton's airship as they saw the charging buffalo. the animal was the largest in the captive herd, probably the leader. it seemed a strange thing for a modern airship to be threatened with an attack by a buffalo in these days, but such was the case. "he may damage us!" cried dick. "we've got to do something!" but there seemed nothing to do. before they could get out of the cabin of the airship, which now rested on the ground within the buffalo range, the frightened and infuriated animal might rush at the craft. and, though he would probably come off second best in the odd battle, he might damage some of the frail planes or rudders. "come on!" cried paul. "let's all rush out at him at once, and yell as hard as we can. that may scare him off." but there was no need of this. before the buffalo had time to reach the airship a mounted police officer rode rapidly up to the fence of the enclosure, and, taking in the situation, novel as it was, at a glance, he fired several shots from his revolver at the rushing animal. none of the bullets was intended to hit the buffalo, and none did. but some came so close, and the noise of the shots was so loud, that the beast stopped suddenly, and then, after a pause, in which he snorted, and pawed the ground, he retreated, to stand in front of the herd of cows and other bulls, probably thinking he constituted himself their protector against the strange and terrible foe. "well, that's over!" exclaimed dick, with a sigh of relief. "say, isn't this the limit? if we bad an airship out on the plains fifty years ago it wouldn't have been any surprise to be charged by a buffalo. but here in new york--well, it is just about the extreme edge, to my way of thinking!" "all's well that ends well," quoted innis. "now let's get breakfast." but it seemed that something else was to come first. "get your craft out of there," ordered the police officer, who had fired the shots. "i guess we'd better," said dick to his chums. "that buffalo might change his mind, and come at us again." "how are we going to get out?" asked mr. vardon, as he noticed the heavy fence around the buffalo enclosure. and there was hardly room inside it to get the necessary start to raise the big airship. "i'll unlock this gate for you, and you can wheel her out," said the officer, who seemed to know something about aircraft. he rode over to a double gate, which he soon swung open, and dick and his chums, by considerable exertion, managed to wheel the airship out on the walk. the slope of the buffalo enclosure was downward or they might not have been successful. "now then," went on the mounted policeman, when he had locked the gate to prevent any of the animals from straying out, "who's in charge of this outfit?" "i am," admitted dick, as his chums looked at him. "well then, i'm sorry, but i have to place you under arrest," spoke the officer. "you'll have to come with me." "arrest! what for?" gasped dick. "two charges. entering the buffalo enclosure without a permit, and flying an airship over a city. i saw you come from down new york way." for a moment those of dick's aviation party hardly knew whether to treat the matter as a joke or not, but a look at the face of the officer soon convinced them that he, at least, was in earnest. "under arrest!" murmured dick. "well, i guess the two charges are true, as far as that goes. we did fly over the city, but there was no harm in that, and--" "hold on--yes, there was!" exclaimed mr. vardon. "it was stupid of me to forget it, too. it is against the law now for an aeroplane to fly over a city, and contrary to the agreement of the association of aviators." "you are right!" exclaimed lieutenant mcbride. "i should have thought of that, too, but i was so interested watching the working of the machinery i forgot all about it. the rule and the law was made because of the danger to persons over whose heads the aeroplanes might fly--that is, not so much danger in the flying as in the corning down. and then, too, as a general thing it might not be safe for the aviators if they were forced to make a landing. but we've gone and done it, i guess," and he smiled frankly at the officer. "as for coming down in the buffalo enclosure, i was sorry we did it when i saw that old bull coming for us," remarked dick. "but it seemed the best place around here for us to land, after our motor stopped. i suppose it won't do any good to say we're sorry; will it?" he asked the policeman, with a smile. "well, i shall have to do my duty, and arrest you," said the officer, "but i will explain to the magistrate that you did not mean to land contrary to the law." "who is the magistrate before whom we shall have to appear?" asked larry dexter. "judge scatterwaite," was the answer. "good!" cried the young reporter. "i know him. my paper supported him in the last campaign, and i believe he will be glad to do a favor for me. is there a telephone around here?" he asked the officer. "oh, we won't run away," he hastened to assure the guardian of the peace. "i just want to talk to the judge. i'm larry dexter, of the leader." "oh, is that so? i guess i've heard of you. aren't you the reporter who worked up that stolen boy case?" "i am," admitted larry, modestly. "there's a telephone right over there, in the rocking stone restaurant," went on the officer, who seemed to regard larry and his friends in a different light now. "you can call up the judge. he'll probably be at his house now. i'll go with you. it may be that he will want to speak to me, and will dismiss the complaint." "we'll wait here for you, larry," said dick. "there's nothing like having a reporter with you when you break the law," he added, with a laugh. the officer rode his horse slowly along with larry, going to the place whence a telephone message could be sent. larry was soon talking with the judge, who, on learning the identity of the young reporter, and having heard the circumstances, spoke to the officer. "it's all right!" exclaimed the policeman, as he hung up the receiver. "i'm to let you go. he says he'll find you all guilty, and will suspend sentence." "good!" cried larry. "that's the time my 'pull' was of some use." "and i'm glad i didn't have to take you to the station," the mounted man proceeded. "i'm interested in airships myself. i've got a boy who's crazy about them, and wireless. he's got a wireless outfit--made it all himself," he added, proudly. there was nothing further to worry the aviators, on the return of larry with the officer, so they prepared to have breakfast, and then lieutenant mcbride said he would arrange to have the official start in the prize race made from fort wadsworth. "but we'll have to fly over new york again," suggested dick, "and if we're arrested a second time--" "i think i can arrange that for you," said the army man. "i will have the war department make a request of the civil authorities who will, no doubt, grant permission to soar over the city." "good!" cried dick. "and now for breakfast. didn't that officer say something about a restaurant around here?" "yes, i telephoned from one," spoke larry. "then let's go there and have breakfast," suggested the young millionaire. "we'll have a little more room than in the airship, and innis won't have to do the cooking." "oh, i don't mind," the stout cadet put in. "what about leaving the airship all alone?" asked paul, for already a crowd had gathered about it. "i'll look out for it while you're gone," promised the officer. "isn't there some shed around here where we could leave it, so it would be safe?" asked innis. "what's the idea of that?" dick wanted to know. "we'll be sailing down to the fort in an hour or so." "why can't we stay over a day or so in new york?" went on innis. "i don't get here very often, and i'd like to see the sights." "you mean you'd like to see the girls!" declared paul, laughingly. "have your own way," murmured innis. "but, if the airship would be safe up here in the park, in a shed, we could take our time, and not have to hurry so." "i guess that would be a good plan," agreed dick. "i'd like to see the girls myself. we'll do it if we can find a shed." the obliging officer arranged this for them, and the airship was soon safely housed, a watchman being engaged to keep away the curious. then our friends went to breakfast, and, later, down town. mr. vardon wanted to call on some fellow aviators, now that it had been decided to postpone the start a day, and larry dexter had some business to transact at the newspaper office. "and we'll go see the girls!" cried dick. mabel hanford, grace knox and irene martin, the three young ladies in whom the boys were more than ordinarily interested, had come on to new york, after their school closed, and our friends had made a half-promise to meet them in the metropolis. now the promise could be kept. they found the girls at a hotel, where they resided part of the year, and, sending up their cards, were ushered to their sitting-room. "and did you really come all the way from hamilton corners to new york in your airship?" asked mabel of dick. "we surely did," he answered. "and we're going to start for san francisco tomorrow. we just stopped overnight to see you." "we appreciate the honor," laughed irene, with a bow. "have you any engagement for tonight?" asked innis. "we were going to the theatre," said grace. "isn't there any place we could go to a dance?" inquired paul. "say, he's crazy on these new dances!" exclaimed dick. "i caught him doing the 'lame duck' the other night, with the broom for a partner." "oh, do you do that?" cried mabel. "a little," admitted paul. "will you show us how the steps go?" asked irene. "and i know the 'lace glide,' and the 'pivot whirl,'" put in dick. "you needn't think you can walk off with all the honors," he said to his chum, laughingly. "oh, let's stay at the hotel and dance tonight," suggested mabel. "mamma will chaperone us. it will be more fun than the theatre." "we'll have to hire dress suits," said innis. "we didn't bring them in the airship." "no, we'll make it very informal," grace remarked. "there is a little private ballroom we can engage." so it was arranged, and the young people spent an enjoyable evening, doing some of the newest steps. "we'll come down to the fort in the morning, and see you start for san francisco," promised mabel, as she said good-night to dick. "will you!" he exclaimed. "that will be fine of you!" an early morning start was made for the fort, after the airship, which had been left in bronx park all night, had been carefully gone over. an additional supply of gasolene was taken aboard, some adjustments made to the machinery, and more food put in the lockers. "there are the girls!" exclaimed dick, after they had made a successful landing at the fort, which they would soon leave on their long flight. "oh, so they are! i hardly thought they'd come down," observed paul, as he waved to the three pretty girls with whom they had danced the night before. "i wish we were going with you!" cried mabel, as she greeted dick. "oh, mabel! you do not!" rebuked irene. "well, i just do!" was the retort. "it's so stupid just staying at a summer resort during the hot weather." "we'll come back, after we win the prize, and do the 'aeroplane glide' with you," promised innis. "will you?" demanded irene. "remember now, that's a promise." final arrangements were made, and everything was in readiness for the start for the pacific. the army officers had inspected the craft, and congratulated the young owner and the builder on her completeness. "well, good-bye, girls," said dick, as he and his chums shook hands with their friends who had come to see them off. the aviators took their places in the cabin. a hasty inspection showed that everything was in readiness. "well, here we go!" murmured dick. he turned the switch of the electric starter, and, an instant later, the abaris shot forward over the ground, rising gracefully on a long, upward slant. then dick, who was at the steering wheel, headed his craft due west. from the parade ground below them came cheers from the army men and other spectators, the shrill cries of the three girls mingling. "i wonder what will happen before we dance with them again?" spoke paul, musingly. "you can't tell," answered innis, as he looked down for a last sight of a certain pretty face. "well, we can only hit the ground twice between here and san francisco," remarked dick, as he turned on more power. "if we have to come down the third time--we lose the prize." "we're not going to lose it!" asserted mr. vardon, earnestly. of course there were many more entrants for the prize than dick hamilton. two airships had started that morning before he got off in his craft, and three others were to leave that afternoon. one prominent birdman from the west was due to start the next day, and on the following two from the south were scheduled to leave. there were also several well-known foreigners who were making a try for the fame, honor and money involved. but this story only concerns dick hamilton's airship, and the attempt of himself, and his uncle ezra, to win the prize, and i have space for no more than a mere mention of the other contestants. chapter xxii uncle ezra starts off let us now, for a moment, return to uncle ezra. we left him sitting on the ground after his rather unceremonious exit from the airship which had crashed into the apple tree in the orchard. somehow the strap, holding him to his seat, had come unbuckled, which accounted for his plight. "are you hurt?" asked lieutenant larson, after a quick glance that assured him the airship was not badly damaged. "i don't know's i'm hurt such a terrible lot," was the slow answer, "but my clothes are all dirt. this suit is plumb ruined now. i swan i'd never have gone in for airships if i knew how expensive they'd be. this suit cost thirteen dollars and--" "you're lucky you don't have to pay for a funeral," was the lieutenant's grim answer. "you must look to your seat strap better than that." "well, i didn't know the blamed thing was going to cut up like this!" returned the crabbed old man. "that's no way to land." "i know it. but i couldn't help it," was the answer. "i'm glad you're not hurt. but i think we have attracted some attention. here comes someone." a man was running through the orchard. "it's hank crittenden, and he hates me like poison!" murmured uncle ezra, as he arose from the pile of dirt, and tried to get some of it off his clothes. "hi, there! what's this mean?" demanded hank, as he rushed up, clutching a stout club. "what d'ye mean, comin' down in my orchard, and bustin' up my best baldwin tree? what d'ye mean?" "it was an accident--purely an accident," said lieutenant larson, suavely. "it could not be helped." "accident? you done it on puppose, that's what you did!" cried hank, glaring at uncle ezra. "you done it on puppose, and i'll sue ye for damages, that's what i'll do! that baldwin apple tree was one of the best in my orchard." "well, we didn't mean to do it," declared mr. larabee. "and if you sue we can prove in court it was an accident. so you'll have your trouble for your pains." "i will, hey? well, i'll show you, ezra larabee. i'll teach you to come around here bustin' my things up with your old airship! you ought to be ashamed of yourself, a man of your age, trying to fly like a hen or rooster." "i'm trying for the government prize," said dick's uncle, weakly. "huh! a heap sight chance you have of winnin' a prize, flyin' like that!" sneered mr. crittenden. "comin' down in my orchard that way!" "it was an accident," went on the former army man. "we were making a landing, but we did not intend to come clown just in that spot. we are sorry the tree is broken, but accidents will happen, and--" "yes, and them as does 'em must pay for 'em!" exclaimed hank. at the mention of money uncle ezra looked pained. he looked more so when hank went on: "i'll have damages for that tree, that's what i'll have and good damages too. that was my best baldwin tree--" "you told us that before," said larson, as he began to wheel the aeroplane out into an open space where he could get it started again. "here, where you takin' that?" demanded hank, suspiciously. "we're going to fly back to dankville," replied mr. larson. "no, you ain't! you ain't goin' t' move that machine until you pay fer the damage to my tree!" insisted hank, as he took a firmer grasp of the club. "i want ten dollars for what you done to my tree." "ten dollars!" grasped uncle ezra. "'tain't wuth half that if it was loaded with apples." "well, you'll pay me ten dollars, ezra larabee, or you don't take that machine away from here!" insisted the owner of the orchard. "you beat me once in a lawsuit, but you won't again!" the two had been enemies for many years, mr. crittenden insisting that a certain lawsuit, which went against him, had been wrongfully decided in favor of dick's uncle. "well, i won't pay no ten dollars," said mr. larabee, firmly, putting his hand in his pocket, as if to resist any attempt to get money from it. "ten dollars or you don't take that machine out!" cried hank. "you're trespassers on my land, too! i could have you arrested for that, as well as suin' ye fer bustin' my tree." "i'll never pay," said uncle ezra. "come on, lieutenant, we'll take the airship out in spite of him." "oh, you will, eh?" cried hank. "well, we'll see about that! i reckoned you'd try some such mean game as that ezra larabee, and i'm ready for you. here, si and bill!" he called, and from behind a big tree stepped two stalwart hired men, armed with pitchforks. "this ezra larabee allows he'll not pay for damagin' my tree," explained hank. "i say he shall, and i don't want you boys t' let him take his contraption away until he forks over ten dollars." "it ain't worth nigh that sum," began mr. larabee. "i'll never--" "i think, perhaps, you had better pay it to avoid trouble," said the lieutenant. "he has some claim on us." "oh, dear!" groaned uncle ezra. "more money! this airship business will ruin me. ten dollars!" "not a cent less!" declared hank. "won't you call it eight?" asked the crabbed old miser. "ten dollars if you want to take away your machine, and then you can consider yourselves lucky that i don't sue you for trespass. hand over ten dollars!" "never!" declared ezra larabee. "i really think you had better," advised the aviator, and then with a wry face, and much reluctance, dick's uncle passed over the money. "now, you kin go!" cried hank, "but if i ketch you on my property ag'in you won't git off so easy. you can go back, boys; i won't need you this time," he added grimly. the hired men departed, and mr. crittenden, pocketing the money, watched the lieutenant and uncle ezra wheel the biplane out to an open place where a start could be made. the machine was somewhat damaged, but it could still be operated. the motor, however, was obstinate, and would not start. hank added insult to injury, at least in the opinion of uncle ezra, by laughing at the efforts of the lieutenant. and finally when the motor did consent to "mote," it went so slowly that not enough momentum could be obtained to make the airship rise. it simply rolled slowly over the ground. "ha! ha! that's a fine flyin' machine you've got there!" cried hank, laughing heartily. "you'd better walk if you're goin' t' git any gov'ment prize!" "oh, dry up!" spluttered uncle ezra, who was now "real mad" as he admitted later. he and the lieutenant wheeled the machine back to have another try, and this time they were successful in getting up in the air. the aviator circled about and headed for dankville, the airship having come down about three miles from uncle ezra's place. "well, you're flyin' that's a fact!" cried mr. crittenden, as he looked aloft at them. "but i wouldn't be surprised t' see 'em come smashin' down ag'in any minute," he added pessimistically. "anyhow, i got ten dollars out of ezra larabee!" he concluded, with a chuckle. mr. larabee looked glum when he and the lieutenant got back to the airship shed. "this is costing me a terrible pile of money!" said the crabbed old man. "a terrible pile! and i reckon you'll have to spend more for fixing her up; won't you?" he asked, in a tone that seemed to indicate he hoped for a negative answer. "oh, yes, we'll have to fix her up," said the lieutenant, "and buy a new carburetor, too. you know you promised that." "yes, i suppose so," sighed uncle ezra. "more money! and that skunk hank crittenden got ten dollars out of me! i'll never hear the last of that. i'd rather have landed anywhere but on his land. oh, this is awful! i wish i'd never gone into it." "but think of the twenty thousand dollars," said the former army man quickly. it would not do to have his employer get too much discouraged. and the aviator wanted more money--very much more. the airship was repaired in the next few days, though there was a constant finding of fault on the part of uncle ezra. he parted with cash most reluctantly. however, he had officially made his entry for the government prize, and he could not withdraw now. he must keep on. lieutenant larson arranged with one of the army aviators to accompany them on the prospective trip from coast to coast, and finally larson announced that he was ready to start for new york, where the flight would officially begin. "well, ezra," said his wife, as he climbed into the machine on the day appointed, "i don't like to be a discourager, and throw cold water on you, but i don't reckon i'll ever see you again, ezra," and she wiped her eyes. "oh, pshaw! of course you'll see me again!" her husband cried. "i'm going to come back with that twenty thousand dollars. and i--i'll buy a new carriage;--that's what i will!" "that's awful good of you, ezra," she said. "but i'm not countin' on it. i'm afraid you'll never come back," she sighed. "oh, yes, i will!" he declared. "good-bye!" they were to pick up the army officer in new york, and so larson and uncle ezra made the first part of the journey alone. they had considerable trouble on the way, having to come down a number of times. "say, if she's going to work this way what will happen when we start for san francisco?" asked mr. larabee. "oh, it will be all right when i make a few changes in her," the lieutenant said. "and when we have another man aboard she'll ride easier." "well, i hope so," murmured uncle ezra. "but more changes! will they--er--cost money?" "a little." uncle ezra groaned. however, new york was eventually reached, and after some repairs and changes were made, the airship was taken to the same place where dick's had started from, and with the army representative aboard, the journey for the pacific coast was begun. the beginning of the flight was auspicious enough, but if uncle ezra could have known all that was before him i am doubtful if he would have gone on. chapter xxiii an impromptu race "how's she running?" "couldn't be better!" "you're not crowding her though, are you? i mean we can go faster; can't we?" "oh, yes, but i think if we average fifty miles an hour for the whole trip, we'll be doing well." dick, paul and innis were talking together in the small pilot-house of the airship. and it was dick who made the remark about the speed. they had risen high above new york now, and were headed across the hudson to the jersey shore. they would cover the western part of the garden state. "it sure is great!" cried innis, as he looked down from the height. "if anyone had told me, a year ago, that i'd be doing this, i'd never have believed him." "me either!" declared dick. "but it's the best sport i ever heard about." "and you sure have got some airship!" declared larry, admiringly. the young reporter had just finished writing an account of the start, heading his article, "aboard the abaris," and, enclosed in a leather holder, had dropped the story from a point near the clouds. the leather cylinder had a small flag attached to it, and as it was dropped down while the airship was shooting across the city, it attracted considerable attention. by means of a glass larry saw his story picked up, and he felt sure it would reach the paper safely. and he learned, later, such was the case. "we'd better arrange to divide up the work of running things while we're in the airship," suggested dick. "we want to have some sort of system." "that's right," agreed mr. vardon. "we shall have to do some sleeping." "how long do you figure you will take for the trip?" asked lieutenant mcbride, who was making official notes of the manner in which the motor behaved, and of the airship in general. "well," answered dick, "we can make a hundred miles an hour when we're put to it," and he looked at mr. vardon for confirmation. "yes, that can be done," the aviator said. "but of course we could not keep that up, as the motor would hardly stand it. but fifty miles, on the average, for the entire trip, would be a fair estimate i think." "and figuring on it being three thousand miles from new york to san francisco, we could do it in sixty hours of continuous flight," added dick. "only of course we'll not have such luck as that." "no, we've got to make one descent anyhow, about half-way across, to take on more oil and gasolene," mr. vardon said. "and we will be very lucky if we don't have to come down but once more on the way. but we may have luck." "i think we will!" cried dick. while the young millionaire was at the wheel, taking the airship higher and higher, and westward on her journey. mr. vardon and lieutenant mcbride arranged a schedule of work, so that each one would have an opportunity of steering. "and while you're at it," suggested innis, "i wish you'd arrange a schedule for the cooking. have i got to do it all?" "indeed not," said dick. "we'll put paul and larry to work in the galley." "not me!" exclaimed paul. "i can't even cook water without burning it." "get out! don't you always do your share of the camp cooking when we go off on hikes and practice marches?" objected innis, to his cadet chum. "indeed and you'll do your share of it here all right! i'll see to that." "i guess i'm caught!" admitted paul. the start had been made about ten o'clock in the morning, and before noon more than ninety miles had been covered, as registered on the distance gage. this took the party across new jersey. they had passed over newark, and the orange mountains. the rule against flying over a city had bothered dick who argued that it would take him much out of his air line, and consume more time if he always had to pick out an unpopulated section. so the rule was abrogated as far as the aviation association was concerned. "and if the policemen of any cities we fly over want to take a chance and chase us in an aerial motor cycle, let 'em come!" laughed the young millionaire. dinner was served at a height of about eight thousand feet. dick wanted to get himself and his companions accustomed to great heights, as they would have to fly high over the rockies. there was some little discomfort, at first, in the rarefied atmosphere, but they soon got used to it, and liked it. grit, however, suffered considerably, and did not seem to care for aeroplaning. but he was made so much of, and everyone was so fond of, him that he seemed, after a while, to forget his troubles. he wanted to be near dick all the time. mr. vardon was a veteran aviator, and heights did not bother him. lieutenant mcbride, too, had had considerable experience. afternoon found the abaris over pennsylvania, which state would require about six hours to cross at the speed of fifty miles every sixty minutes. the captive balloons, and other landmarks, enabled them to keep to their course. dick put his craft through several "stunts" to further test its reliability and flexibility. to every one she answered perfectly. the gyroscope stabilizer was particularly effective, and no matter how severe a strain was put on the craft, she either came to an even keel at once when deflected from it, or else did not deviate from it. "i shall certainly report as to the wisdom of having such an apparatus on every airship the united states uses," declared lieutenant mcbride. "no matter whether dick hamilton's craft wins the prize or not,--and i certainly hope he does--the gyroscope must be used." "i am glad to hear you say so," spoke the inventor, "but i never would have been able to perfect it had it not been for my friend dick hamilton." "why don't you blush, dick?" asked innis, playfully. "i don't take any credit to myself at all," said the young millionaire. "well, i'm going to give it to you," declared the aviator. "from now on the gyroscope stabilizer will be known as the vardon-hamilton, and some additional patents i contemplate taking out will be in our joint names." "thanks," said dick, "but i'll accept only on one condition." "what is that?" "it is that no money from this invention comes to me. if i win the twenty thousand dollar prize i'll be content." "what are you going to do with the money?" asked paul drew, for dick really had no need of it. "i'll build a new gym, at kentfield," was the reply. "our present one is too small. we need an indoor baseball cage too." "good for you!" cried innis. "you're a real sport!" in the evolutions of the airship each one aboard was given a chance to pilot her. he was also allowed to stop and start the machinery, since it could not be told at what moment, in an emergency, someone would have to jump into the breech. it was about three o'clock in the afternoon, when dick's ship was nearing the western borders of pennsylvania, that paul, who was looking down through the celluloid floor in the cabin, cried out: "something going on down below us, boys!" all save innis, who was steering, crowded around the odd window. "why, there's an airship meet going on down there," said dick. "look, there are a lot of monoplanes and some biplanes." "let's go down a bit and salute them," suggested larry. "down she is!" cried innis, as he pulled over the lever of the deflecting rudder. "say when, dick." "oh, keep her up about two thousand feet. we don't want to interfere with any of their evolutions." but the advent of the abaris seemed welcomed by the other airships that were taking part in the evolutions below. two of them, which had been flying high, at once pointed their noses upward, and raced forward to get in line with dick's craft. "they're going to race us!" paul shouted. "come on, dick, now's your chance!" "shall i?" the young millionaire asked of mr. vardon. "yes, go ahead. let's see what we can do to them. though they are probably much swifter than we are." "take the wheel, dick!" cried innis. "i want to see you beat 'em." the implied challenge was at once accepted, and in another moment the impromptu race was under way. chapter xxiv grit's grip two large biplanes were in the race with dick hamilton's airship. they were of the latest type, as could be noted by the young millionaire, and were swift craft. they had come up from behind, on a long, upward slant, and were now about in line with each other, and on a par with the abaris, though considerably below her. "say, look at that crowd of people!" exclaimed paul, as he stood at the side of dick who was at the wheel. the cadet was ready to lend any assistance that might be needed in working the airship. "yes, there is quite a bunch," observed dick, as he opened the gasolene throttle a little wider, and took a quick glance down through the celluloid bull's-eye in the floor of the cabin. "it's a big meet." they were flying over a big aviation park, that mr. vardon at once recognized as one in which he had given several exhibitions. "this is quite a meet, all right," the aviator remarked as he noted at least ten machines in the air at one time. there were mono and biplanes, but only two of the latter were near enough to dick's machine to engage in the impromptu race with it. "how are we coming on?" asked paul. "holding our own," answered the young millionaire. "i haven't started to speed yet. i'm waiting to see what those fellows are going to do." the latter, however, were evidently also hanging back trying to "get a line" on the performance of the big craft. the pilots of the lower biplanes could, very likely, tell by the size of the abaris that she was no ordinary airship, and, in all probability, they had read of her, and of the try for the prize. for larry dexter made a good press agent, and had written many a story of dick's plans. "now they're coming on," cried dick, as he saw one of the lower machines dart ahead of the other. "he's trying to get me to sprint, i guess." "why don't you try it now?" suggested mr. vardon. "we'll soon be at the limits of the aviation field, and i doubt if these machines will be allowed to go beyond it. so, if you want to beat them in a race now is your time to speed up." "here she goes!" cried dick, as he opened wider the gasolene throttle. in an instant the big craft shot ahead, fairly roaring through the air. the closed cabin, however, kept the pressure of wind from the occupants, or they might not have been able to stand it, for the gage outside registered a resistance of many pounds to the square inch. it was an odd race. there were no cheering spectators to urge on the contestants by shouts and cheers, though doubtless those who were witnessing the evolutions of the aircraft, before dick's advent on the scene, were using their voices to good advantage. but the birdmen were too high up to hear them. nor could the excited calls, if there were any such, from the two rivals of our hero be heard. there were two men in each of the competing biplanes, and they were doing their best to win. it must have been an inspiring sight from below, for dick's craft was so large that it showed up well, and the white canvas planes of the others, as well as those of the abaris, stood out in bold contrast to the blue of the sky. "we're doing ninety an hour!" called dick, after a glance at the speed gage, while his companions were looking down at the craft below. "pretty nearly the limit," remarked mr. vardon. "if you can reach a hundred, dick, do it. i don't believe those fellows can come near that." "they're falling behind now," observed paul. "go to it, dick, old man!" the young millionaire pulled open the gasolene throttle to the full limit and set the sparker to contact at the best advantage. the result was at once apparent. the aircraft shot ahead in a wonderful fashion. the others evidently put on full speed, for they, also, made a little spurt. then it was "all over but the shouting," as larry said. dick's machine swept on and soon distanced the others. "i've got to get back a story of this!" cried larry. "it will be good reading for those who buy the leader." "but how are you going to do it?" asked paul. "you can't send back a story now, and we'd have to make a descent to use the wireless," dick's craft being so fitted up. "i'll just write a little note, telling the editor to get the story from the associated press correspondent who is covering this meet," larry answered. "all they need in the leader office is a 'tip.' they'll do the rest. but i'll just give them a few pointers as to how things went on here." he hastily dashed off a story and enclosed it in one of several leather cylinders he had provided for this purpose. each one had a sort of miniature parachute connected to it, and a flag to attract attention as it shot down. enclosing his story in one of these larry dropped it, as he had done before, trusting that it would be picked up and forwarded. the plan always worked well. the leather messenger fell on the aviation field, and our friends had the satisfaction of seeing several men running to pick it up, so larry knew his plan would be successful. the abaris was now speeding along at the top notch, and for a few minutes dick allowed her to soar through the air in this fashion. and then, having some regard for his engines, he cut down the gasolene, and slowed up. "no use tearing her heart out," he remarked. "there's time enough to rush on the last lap. i wonder if we'll have a race at the end?" "i shouldn't be surprised," mr. vardon answered. "a number of celebrated aviators are planning to compete for this prize, and some may already be on the way across the continent ahead of us." "then there's your uncle ezra," put in paul. "poor uncle ezra," spoke dick, musingly. "he certainly has treated me mean, at times, but i can't help feeling sorry for him. every time he has to buy five gallons of gasolene, or some oil, he'll imagine he's getting ready to go to the poorhouse. he certainly was not cut out for an aviator, and i certainly was surprised when he built that airship." "he's being used by that fellow larson, i'm sure of that," declared mr. vardon. "your uncle ezra has fallen into the hands of a scoundrel, dick." "well, i'm sorry for that, of course," said the young millionaire, "but, do you know, i think it will do uncle ezra good to lose some of his money. he's got more than he needs, and he can afford to spend some on aviation. someone, at least the workmen, and those who sell materials and supplies, will get the benefit of it." the aircraft was now going along at about her usual speed of fifty miles an hour. the aviation park had been left behind, and they were now flying along at a comparatively low altitude. "better go up a little," suggested mr. vardon. "it will be dark shortly, and we don't want to run into a mountain in the night." dick tilted the elevating rudder and the craft lifted herself into the air, soaring upward. "here, innis, you take the wheel now, it's your turn," called our hero, a little later. "straighten her out and keep her on a level keel. it's my turn to get supper." "and give us plenty, if you don't mind," begged the stout cadet, who took his chum's place in the pilot house. "this upper atmosphere seems to give me an appetite." "i never saw you without it, innis," laughed paul. "come on out on the deck, for a breath of air before we start to cook," suggested larry. "we can get a fine view of the sunset there." the open deck, in the rear of the cabin, did indeed offer a gorgeous view of the setting sun, which was sinking to rest in a bank of golden, green and purple clouds. "i'll go out, too," said lieutenant mcbride. "i am supposed to make some meteorological observations while i am on this trip, and it is high time i began." and so, with the exception of innis, who would have his turn later, and mr. vardon, who wanted to look over the machinery, for possible heated bearings, all went out on the railed deck. grit, the bulldog, followed closely on the heels of dick. "be careful, old man," said the young millionaire to his pet. "there's no rail close to the deck, you know, and you may slip overboard." they stood for a few moments viewing the scene while thus flying along through the air. the colors of the sunset were constantly changing, becoming every moment more gorgeous. suddenly there was a swerve to the airship, and it tilted sharply to one side. "look out!" cried dick, as he grasped the protecting railing, an example followed by all. "what's up?" "we're falling!" shouted paul. "no, it's just an air pocket," was the opinion of lieutenant mcbride. "we'll be all right in another moment." they were, but before that grit, taken unawares, had slid unwillingly to the edge of the open deck. "look out for him!" shouted dick, making a grab for his pet. but he was too late. the deck was smooth, and the bulldog could get no grip on it. in another instant he had toppled over the edge of the platform, rolling under the lowest of the guard rails. "there he goes!" cried paul. dick gave a gasp of despair. grit let out a howl of fear. and then, as larry dexter leaned over the side, he gave a cry of surprise. "look!" he shouted. "grit's caught by a rope and he's hanging there by his teeth!" and, as dick looked, he saw a strange sight. trailing over the side of the airship deck was a piece of rope, that had become loosed. and, in his fall, grit had caught hold of this in his strong jaws. to this he clung like grim death, his grip alone keeping him from falling into space. chapter xxv a forced landing "hold on there, old boy! don't let go!" begged dick of his pet, who swung to and fro, dangling like some grotesque pendulum over the side of the airship. "hold on, grit!" and grit held on, you may be sure of that. his jaws were made for just that purpose. the dog made queer gurgling noises in his throat, for he dare not open his mouth to bark. probably he knew just what sort of death would await him if he dropped into the vast space below him. "how we going to get him up?" asked larry. "i'll show you!" cried dick, as he stretched out at full length on the deck, and made his way to the edge where his head and shoulders projected over the dizzying space. the airship was still rushing on. "grab his legs--somebody!" exclaimed paul. "i'll sit on you, dick!" "that's right! anchor me down, old man!" dick cried. "i'm going to get grit!" "are you going to make a landing to save him?" asked larry. "no, though i would if i had to," dick replied. "i'm just going to haul him up by the rope. keep a good hold, old boy!" he encouraged his pet, and grit gurgled his answer. and then dick, leaning over the edge of the deck, while paul sat on his backward-stretched legs to hold him in place, hauled up the bulldog hand over hand, by means of the rope the intelligent animal had so fortunately grasped. inch by inch grit was raised until larry, who had come to the edge to help dick, reached out, and helped to haul the dog in. "there he is!" cried dick, as he slid back. "well, old boy, you had a close call!" grit let go the rope and barked. and then a strange fit of trembling seized him. it was the first time he had ever showed fear. he never ventured near the edge of the deck again, always taking a position as near the centre as possible, and lying down at full length, to prevent any danger of sliding off. and he never went out on the deck unless dick went also, feeling, i suppose, that he wanted his master near in case of accidents. "say, that was some little excitement," remarked the young millionaire, as he wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead. "i thought poor old grit was sure a goner." "it did look so," admitted paul. "he's an intelligent beast, all right." "takes after me," laughed dick. "well, let's see how innis made out while we were at the rescue." "i was all ready to send her down quick, if you'd given the word," said the cadet in the pilot house, when the party went inside the cabin. "but she's still on her course," he added, after a glance at the compass. "i'm glad we didn't have to go down," dick remarked. "as we only have two landings we can make i want to save my reserve until we are actually forced to use it. i wonder about where we are, anyhow? let's make a calculation." by figuring out the rate of speed, and comparing the elapsed time, and then by figuring on a scale map, it was estimated, as dusk settled down, that they were about on the border line between pennsylvania and ohio. "we'll cross the state of ohio tonight," spoke dick, "and by morning we ought to be in indiana. not so bad, considering that we haven't really pushed the machine to the limit yet, except in that little brush with the other airships." "yes, we are doing very well," said mr. vardon. "i wonder how some of our competitors are making out? i'd like to get some news of them." "so would i," went on dick. "particularly my uncle ezra." had he but known it, mr. larabee, in his airship with larson and the army man, was following close after him. for really the big biplane, with the mercury stabilizers, which larson had constructed, was a fine craft, and capable. that larson had cheated mr. larabee out of considerable money in the building had nothing to do with the working of the apparatus. but of uncle ezra and his aircraft more later. "we'll get some news the first landing we make," suggested lieutenant mcbride. "well, i would like to get news all right," admitted dick. "but i don't want to go down until i have to. now for supper. anything you fellows would like, especially?" "green turtle soup for mine!" sung out larry. "i'll have pickled eels' feet," laughed innis, who had relinquished the wheel to mr. vardon. "wait a bit, dick, and i'll drop a line overboard and catch a few." "and i'll see if i can't shoot a mock turtle," came from paul. "nothing but roast turkey for mine," insisted lieutenant mcbride. "but i guess we'll have to compromise on capsule soup and condensed sandwiches." "oh, i can give you canned chicken," promised the young millionaire, "and perhaps i can make it hot for you." "not too much tabasco sauce though, the way you dosed up the stuff for the last freshman dinner!" objected paul. "i ate some of that by mistake, and i drank nothing but iced water for a week after." "that's right--it was a hot old time!" cried dick, with a laugh at the recollection. as space was rather limited on board the airship, no ice could be carried, and, in consequence no fresh meats were available except for the first few hours of travel. of course, when a landing was to be made, another limited supply could be laid in, but, with only two descents to earth allowed, this would not help much. however, as the trip was going to be a comparatively short one, no one minded the deprivation from the usual bountiful meals that, somehow, one seemed to associate with the young millionaire. a good supply of "capsule" food was carried. in making up his larder dick had consulted lieutenant mcbride, who had given him a list of the highly nutritious and condensed food used in the army. while such food was not the most appetizing in the world, it could be carried in a small space, was easily prepared, and would sustain life, and provide working energy, fully as long as the more elaborate dishes, which contain a large amount of waste materials. soon the electric stove was aglow, and on it dick got up a tasty supper. innis insisted on helping his chum, though it was dick's turn to play cook. "you just can't keep out of the kitchen; can you?" asked dick, of the stout cadet. "you always want to be around where eating is going on." "well, the only way to be sure of a thing, is to do it yourself," said innis. "i would hate to have this fine appetite of mine go to waste." it was quite dark when they sat at supper, for some slight defect manifested itself in one of the small motors just as they were about to eat, and it had to be repaired at once. but, gathered about the folding table, with the electric lights aglow overhead, there was little indication among the party of aviators that they were in one of the most modern of skycraft, sailing a mile above the earth, and shooting along at fifty miles an hour. so easy was the motion of the abaris, and so evenly and smoothly did she glide along, due to the automatic action of the gyroscope stabilizer, that it really seemed as if they were standing still--floating between heaven and earth. of course there was the subdued hum of the great propellers outside, and the throb of the powerful gasolene motor, but that was all that gave an idea of the immense force contained in the airship. from time to time lieutenant mcbride made notes for future use. he had to report officially to the war department just how this type of airship behaved under any and all circumstances. then, too, he was interested personally, for he had taken up aviation with great enthusiasm, and as there were not many army men in it, so far, he stood a good chance for advancement. "the possibilities of aeroplanes in time of war are only beginning to be understood," he said. "of course there has been a lot of foolish talk about them, and probably they will not be capable of doing all that has been claimed for them, as yet. but they will be of immense value for scouting purposes, if for nothing else. in rugged and mountainous countries, an aviator will be under no difficulties at all, and can, by hovering over the enemy's camp, get an idea of the defenses, and report back. "thus it will be possible to map out a plan of attack with every chance of success. there will be no time lost, and lives may be saved from useless exposure." "do you think airships will ever carry light artillery, or drop bombs on an enemy?" asked dick. "well, you could carry small artillery aboard here if you didn't have so much company," answered the army man. "it is all a question of weight and size. however, i believe, for the present, the most valuable aid airships will render will be in the way of scouting. but i don't want to see a war just for the sake of using our airships. though it is well to be prepared to take advantage of their peculiar usefulness." after supper they prepared to spend their first night aboard the airship on her prize-winning attempt. they decided to cut down the speed a little. "not that there's much danger of hitting anything," dick explained, "though possibly uncle ezra and larson might come up behind and crash into us. but at slower speed the machinery is not so strained, and there is less likelihood of an accident." "that's right," agreed mr. vardon. "and an accident at night, especially when most of us are asleep, is not so easily handled as when it occurs in daylight. so slow her down, dick." the motor was set to take them along at thirty miles an hour, and they descended until they were fifteen hundred feet above the earth, so in case of the abaris becoming crippled, she would not have to spend much time in making a landing. everything was well looked to, and then, with dick and mr. vardon taking the first watch, the others turned in. and they were so tired from the rather nervous excitement of the day of the start, that they were soon asleep. dick and the aviator took turns at the wheel, and attended to the necessary adjustments of the various machines. it might seem strange for anyone to sleep aboard a moving airship, but, the truth of the matter was, that our friends were realty worn out with nervous exhaustion. they had tired themselves out, not only physically, but mentally, and sleep was really forced on them. otherwise they might not have slumbered at all. it was shortly past midnight when dick, who, in spite of his attempts to keep awake, had partly dozed off, was suddenly aroused by a howl from grit. "what--what's the matter, old boy?" he asked. "in trouble again?" there came another and louder howl. "where is he?" asked mr. vardon, looking in from the pilot-house. "i can't see him," dick answered. "can he be out on deck?" a moment later there was a flash as of lightning, within the cabin, and grit mingled his howls and barks as though in great pain. "something's wrong!" cried the aviator. "look about, dick, i can't leave the wheel. we seem to be going down!" the young millionaire sprang up and leaped toward the place where he had heard grit howling. the next moment dick laughed in a relieved fashion. "where are those rubber gloves?" he asked. "rubber gloves?" repeated mr. vardon. "yes. grit has gotten tangled up in the little dynamo that runs the headlight, and he's short-circuited. he can stand more of a shock than i can. i want to get him off the contacts. where are the gloves?" the aviator directed dick to where the insulating gauntlets were kept, and in another moment grit was pulled away from the contact. he had been unable to move himself, just as when one grasps the handles of a galvanic battery the muscles become so bound as to be incapable of motion. fortunately the current, while it made grit practically helpless, for the time, was not strong enough to burn, or otherwise injure him. he gave a howl of protest at the accident, as dick released him, and shuffled off to his kennel, after fawning on his master. "one of the wires has some of the insulation off--that's what caused the trouble," dick explained. "i'll wind some tape on it until we have time to put in a new conductor." "grit seems to be getting the worst end of it this trip," said paul, who had been awakened by the commotion. "yes, he isn't much used to airships," agreed dick. "but you'd better turn in, paul. you've got an hour yet before it's your turn at the wheel." "oh, better let me have it now. i'm awake, and i can't get to sleep again. turn in yourself." which dick was glad enough to do, as he was quite tired. the remainder of the night passed without incident, and when morning came the airship was put at her former speed, fifty miles an hour. that may not sound very fast, but it must be remembered that this rate had to be kept up for sixty hours straight, perhaps. after breakfast the wire that had shocked grit was renewed, and then some observations were taken to determine their position. it was calculated they were about halfway across indiana by noon. the afternoon was slowly waning, and they were preparing for their second night of the prize trip, congratulating themselves that they had not yet been forced to descend. suddenly larry, who was at the wheel, uttered a cry of alarm. "something's wrong!" he shouted. "i can't steer her on the course any longer. she's heading north instead of west." dick and mr. vardon rushed to the pilot-house. a glance at the compass confirmed larry's statement. the aviator himself took the wheel, but it was impossible to head the craft west. she pointed due north. "the horizontal rudder is out of gear!" cried dick. "yes, and we'll have to go down to fix it," said mr. vardon, after a quick inspection. "boys, we've got to make our first landing! it's too bad, but it might be worse." chapter xxvi on lake michigan unsuccessfully they tried to make repairs to the horizontal rudder without going down, but it was not to be. the airship was being sent farther and farther along on a northern course, taking her far out of her way. and more time and distance might thus be lost than by descending, making repairs, and going on again. "well, i did hope we'd cover at least half the trip before we had to go down," dick said, and his tone was regretful. "try once more and see if we can't get her back on the course." but the horizontal guide--by which i mean the apparatus that sent the craft to left or right--was hopelessly jammed. to try to force it might mean a permanent break. "take her down," dick finally gave the order, as captain. "what sort of a landing-place is below us?" "we're too far up to see," said mr. vardon. "and i hope we have the luck to be above open country. we can't go to left or right except in the smallest degree, so we'll have to land wherever fate disposes. we are all right on going up or down, but not otherwise." the vertical rudder was now depressed, and on a long slant dick's airship was sent down. lower and lower she glided, and soon an indistinct mass appeared. it was almost dusk, and no details could be made out. then, as she went lower what appeared to be a gray cloud showed. "there's a bank of fog below us," declared paul. "or else it's the smoke of pittsburg," said innis. "we left pittsburg behind long ago," larry returned. "why!" he cried, as the gray foglike mass became more distinct. "that's water--that's what it is!" "water!" exclaimed dick. "can we have gone in the wrong direction, and be back over the atlantic?" "or the pacific?" suggested larry with a laugh. "no such good luck as that! we haven't had time to cross the continent yet," declared dick. "but what water can it be?" "oh, some small lake," spoke paul. "it isn't a small lake--it's a big one--an inland sea," was dick's opinion, as they settled lower and lower. "it's lake michigan, that's what it is!" shouted larry, after a quick glance at the map. "fellows, we're over lake michigan!" "and we're going to be in it--or on it--in a little while, i'm thinking," lieutenant mcbride said, grimly. "are you ready for a bath?" "there won't be any trouble about that," answered dick. "the hydroplanes will take care of us. i only hope it isn't too rough to make a safe landing." paul took a telescope from the rack, and, going out on the deck, looked down. the next moment he reported: "it's fairly calm. just a little swell on." "then we'd better get ready to lower the hydroplanes," went on dick, with a look at the aviator. "that's the best thing to do," decided mr. vardon. "we'll see how they'll work in big water." the hydroplanes, which were attached to the airship near the points where the starting wheels were made fast, could be lowered into place by means of levers in the cabin. the hydroplanes were really water-tight hollow boxes, large and buoyant enough to sustain the airship on the surface of the water. they could be lowered to a point where they were beneath the bicycle wheels, and were fitted with toggle-jointed springs to take up the shock. lieutenant mcbride took out his watch, and with pad and pencil prepared to note the exact moment when the airship should reach the surface of the lake. "i shall have to take official notice of this," he said. "it constitutes your first landing, though perhaps it would be more correct to call it a watering. as soon as you are afloat, your elapsed time will begin, and it will count until you are in the air again. you will probably be some time making repairs." "no longer than we can help," said dick. "i don't want uncle ezra, or anybody else, to get ahead of me." down and down sank the abaris, on her first descent from the cloud-land since her auspicious start. but, as dick admitted, it might be worse. the accident itself was a comparatively slight one. "get ready, everybody!" called mr. vardon, as he saw that, in a few seconds more, they would be on the surface of the water. "do you fear something will go wrong?" asked larry, quickly. "well, we've never tried the hydroplanes in rough water, and there is always the chance for an accident. stand out where you can jump, if you have to," he directed. lieutenant mcbride was standing with his watch out, ready to note the exact second of landing. he knew he must be officially correct, though he would give dick every possible chance and favor. "here we go!" came the cry from the aviator. "only a few seconds now!" they could plainly see the heaving waters of the big lake. fortunately it was comparatively calm, though once she had landed the airship could stand some rough weather afloat. splash! went the hydroplanes into the water. the springs took up the shock and strain, and the next moment dick's craft was floating easily on the great lake. the landing had been made without an accident to mar it. "good!" cried lieutenant mcbride, as he jotted down the time. "do you know how long you have been, so far, dick, on the trip?" "how long?" "just thirty-five hours, four minutes and eight seconds!" was the answer. "over half the estimated time gone, and we re only a third of the way there!" exclaimed the young millionaire. "i'm afraid we aren't going to do it, mr. vardon." "well, i'm not going to give up yet," the aviator answered, grimly. "this is only a start. we haven't used half our speed, and when we get closer to the finish we can go a hundred and twenty-five miles an hour if we have to--for a spurt, at any rate. no, i'm not giving up." "neither am i," declared dick, for he was not of the quitting sort. floating on the surface of lake michigan was like being on the ocean, for they were out of sight of land, and there were no water craft in view. the abaris seemed to have the lake to herself, though doubtless beyond the wall of the slight haze that hemmed her in there were other vessels. "well, now to see what the trouble is," suggested dick. "it must be somewhere in the connecting joints of the levers, for the rudder itself seems to be all right." "but we'd better begin out there and make sure," suggested mr. vardon. he pointed to the rudder, which projected some distance back of the stern of the aircraft. "how you going to get at it to inspect it?" asked paul. "it isn't as if we were on solid ground." "and no one has long enough a reach to stretch to it from the deck," added innis. "you forget our collapsible lifeboat," dick answered. one of those useful craft was aboard the airship. it could be inflated with air, and would sustain a considerable weight. "i'll go out in that and see what's the trouble," dick went on. "it will tell us where we've got to begin." "perhaps we had better wait until morning," suggested lieutenant mcbride. "it is fast getting dark, and you can do much better work in daylight. besides, you are not pressed for time, as your stay here will not count against you. i think you had better wait until morning." "and stay here all night?" asked dick. "i think so. you have proved that your hydroplanes are all right. why not rest on the surface of the lake until morning? you can't anchor, it is true, but you can use a drag, and there seems to be no wind, so you will not be blown ashore. besides, you can, to a certain extent, control yourself with the propellers." "i think we will wait then," decided the young millionaire captain. "as you say we can make a drag anchor to keep us from drifting too much." by means of a long rope a drag anchor was tossed out at the stern of the aircraft. this would serve to hold her back. then, as nothing further could be done, preparations were made for supper. "well, this aeroplaning has its ups and downs," said paul, with a laugh, as he sat at table. "last night we were eating up in the air, and now we're on the water." "and it's lucky we're not in the water!" exclaimed innis. "regular hamilton luck, i call it." "no, it's vardon luck," dick insisted. "he planned the hydroplanes that made it possible." lights were set aglow to show the position of the craft on the water. "we don't want to be run down in the night," dick said, as he noted the red and green side lights as well as the white ones at bow and stern. for, in the water, the abaris was subject to the same rules as were other lake craft. it was only when in the air that she was largely a law unto herself. the night passed quietly enough, though it came on to blow a little toward morning. but the drag anchor worked well. "and now for the repairs," cried dick, after breakfast, as he and his chums got out the collapsible boat. it was blown up, and in it dick and mr. vardon paddled out to the stern rudders. they were examining the universal joint, by which the apparatus was deflected when dick suddenly became aware of a wet feeling about his feet, and a sinking feeling beneath him. he looked down, and found that the boat, in which he and mr. vardon were standing, was going down. already it was half filled with water. "more trouble!" cried dick. "i guess we'll have to swim for it!" chapter xxvii a howling gale there was no doubt about it. the little craft was going down. later it was learned that a leaky valve had allowed the air to escape, and a break in the boat's rubber sides had let in the water. "come on!" cried dick. "overboard, mr. vardon!" there was really little danger, as both of them could swim, though if they did not jump out they might be carried down with the boat. so, overboard went dick and his aviator. the collapsible boat sank with the downward impulse given it when they leaped out, but as it was moored to the airship by a cable it could be recovered. "say, what is this--a swimming race?" asked paul, as he tossed dick a rope, a like service being performed for mr. vardon by innis. "looks like it--doesn't it?" agreed the young millionaire. "i should have tested that boat before we went out in it," he added, as he clambered up, grit frisking and barking about him in delight. "yes, that's where we made the mistake," agreed mr. vardon. "that rubber must have been cut as it was packed away. well, we can easily mend it, so no great harm is done." by means of the cable, the sunken boat was pulled to the airship, and when the water was allowed to run out it was hauled aboard. then it was examined, the leak found, and the craft was placed out in the sun to dry, after which it could be mended. "well, we can't do anything but wait," said dick, after he had changed into dry garments. "the break is out on that part of the rudder that's over the water. we can't reach it without the boat." "then, while we're waiting let's have a swim," proposed paul. "it will do us all good." "and then we can do some fishing," added innis. "i'd like some nice broiled fish. did you bring any tackle along, dick?" "no, i'm sorry to say i didn't." "then i'll have to rig up some. i'll use some cold canned chicken for bait." "what about a hook?" asked lieutenant mcbride, with a smile. "well, anybody who can build an airship ought to be able to make a fish hook. i'm going to call on dick for that," went on innis. "i guess i can file you out one from a bit of steel wire," answered the young millionaire. this was done, after some little labor, and with several of the improvised barbs, and bait from some of the canned goods, a fishing party was organized. there was plenty of string, and for leaders, so that the fish would not bite off the hooks, innis used some spare banjo strings. he had brought his instrument along with him. the swim was much enjoyed, for the day was warm. the young aviators sported around in the cool waters of the lake, and several little spurting races were "pulled off," to use a sporting term. i cannot say that the fishing was very successful. a few were caught, but i imagine the bait used was not just proper. it is difficult to get canned chicken to stick on a hook, unless you use a piece of gristle. but some good specimens were caught, and were served for dinner, being fried on the electric stove. all this while the airship floated tranquilly on the surface of the lake. several vessels came near, attracted by the strange sight of dick's craft, but, by means of a megaphone they were kindly asked not to approach too near, as the least contact with one of the heavier craft would damage the abaris. through the captain of one craft dick sent a message to his father, and larry a story to his paper. "well, i think that boat must be dry enough to mend now," said dick, some time after dinner. "we don't want to spend another night here if we can help it." "no, for the weather might not always be as calm as it is now. the barometer is falling, and that means a storm, sooner or later," spoke mr. vardon. "and these lake storms can be pretty had when they try." it was found that the collapsible boat was dry enough to patch up, and by means of a rubber cement the hole in the side was closed. the leaky intake valve was also repaired, and then, when the peculiar craft was blown up and tested, it was found to be all right. "now we'll have another try at fixing that rudder," said dick, as he and the aviator started once more to paddle to the stern of the aircraft. this time all went well. no water came in the rubber boat, and by standing up in it the two were able to learn the cause of the trouble with the rudder. it was simple enough--a broken bolt making it impossible to turn it in a certain direction. as dick had plenty of spare parts aboard, a new bolt was soon substituted for the fractured one, and then they were ready to proceed again. "i've a suggestion to make," said lieutenant mcbride, when dick was about to give the word to mount into the air again. "what is it?" asked the young millionaire. "why not try your boat over the water? while it is not exactly a hydroplane, yet it has those attachments, and you can probably skim over the surface of the water as well as float on it. and that might come in useful in winning the prize. "of course the conditions call for an air flight from new york to san francisco, but i believe, in case of emergency, a short water trip would not count against you? and you might have to make it some time." "i'll see what we can do, at any rate," decided dick. "we will probably never get a better chance than this. come on, boys! we'll see how our hydroplanes act!" he called. the only thing that was necessary to do was to start the motor that operated the propellers. the aircraft was at this time resting easily on the surface of lake michigan. she would be driven forward by the propellers beating on the air, exactly as a sailboat it aided by the wind. only, in her case, the abaris would furnish her own motive power. in anticipation of some time having to navigate on the water, a small auxiliary rudder had been attached to dick's craft. this rudder went down into the water, and would be used in steering in conjunction with those used when she was in the air. this wooden rudder was now dropped into the water, tested, and found to answer properly to the lever which, in the pilot-house, controlled it by means of wire ropes. "well, let her go!" cried dick, "and we'll see what sort of luck we'll have." "which way?" asked mr. vardon, who was at the wheel. "why not head for chicago?" suggested lieutenant mcbride. "we can't be a great way from there, according to the map, and that would be a good place to make the new start from." "i think it would be," agreed dick, "if that would be covering the conditions of the contest." "well, you can easily travel back enough to make up any shortage in miles," the army man went on. "you still have plenty of time." so this was agreed to, and, after a look over the craft to make sure there were no defects, mr. vardon pulled over the lever of the starting motor. with a hum and a buzz, the propellers started, and this time the abaris shot forward on the surface of the water, instead of up into the air. "she's going!" cried paul. "she sure is doing it!" yelled innis. "yes, i think she's as successful on the waves as he was in the clouds," agreed dick, as he looked at a speed-measuring gage. "we're hitting up forty miles an hour right now." "and that's good speed for a craft of this size in the water, or, rather, on top of the water," declared lieutenant mcbride. for a hydroplane craft, as you probably know, does not go through the water as a motor-boat does. a regular hydroplane is fitted with a series of graduated steps, and the front of the boat rises as it skims over the water. but all hydroplane craft are designed to slip over the surface of the water, and not to cleave through it. and it was the former that dick's craft was doing. faster and faster speed was attained, until there could be no question about the second success of the young millionaire's airship. if ever occasion should require that he take to the water, in an emergency, it could be done. "and now for chicago!" dick cried, when several hours had been spent in maneuvering about, each member of the party taking turns at steering. "and i think we'll go up in the air for that trip," he added. "there's an aero club in the outskirts of chicago," explained lieutenant mcbride. "i am a member of it, and i think we could make a call there. it would not be necessary to cross the city, and of course we will not land." it was agreed that this would be a good plan, and dick, taking the wheel, sent his craft ahead on the lake at fast speed. "here we go up!" he suddenly cried. then, yanking over the lever of the elevating rudder, he sent the abaris aloft. the rudder for sideway steering worked perfectly, now that repairs had been made. up, up into the air soared the big biplane, and from the lake she had left came a blast of saluting whistles from the water-craft that thus paid tribute to a sister vessel. during the wait on the water dick had purchased from a passing steamer a supply of gasolene and oil. "now we'll have enough so we won't have to land to take on any more," he said. "our provisions are holding out well, and if nothing happens we can make the trip from here to san francisco without stop." "but we still have one landing to our credit if we need it," said paul. "oh, yes, but i hope we don't have to use it," went on dick. "it will be so much more to our credit if we don't." the supposition that they were not far from chicago proved correct, for when they had arisen above the mist that suddenly spread over lake michigan, they saw, in the distance, the windy city. a course was laid to circle about it, and not cross it, as that might complicate matters, and a little later they were within view of the aviation grounds, of which club lieutenant mcbride was a member. he had said there might be a meet in progress, and this proved to be so. a number of biplanes and monoplanes were circling about, and the big crowd in attendance leaped to its feet in astonishment at the sight of the young millionaire's new and powerful craft. it was not the intention of dick and his chums to stop and make a landing, but they wanted to get some news of other competing craft which might be trying for the big prize. accordingly a plan was evolved by which this could be done. the lieutenant wrote out a brief account of their trip, telling of the stop, and to this larry added a request that, after it had been read, it might be telegraphed to his paper. then information was asked for in regard to aerial matters. "but how are we going to get information from them?" asked paul. "we can't get our wireless to working, we can't hear them, even with megaphones, wig-wagging won't do, and we're not going to land." "i've asked them to send up a bunch of toy balloons, carrying any message they can send us," the lieutenant said. "i think we can manipulate our craft so as to grab some of the balloons as they float upward. i've seen it done." little time was lost over this. the message was dropped down in one of larry's leather cylinders. it was seen to be picked up and while dick and his friends circled about above the aviation grounds their note was read. an answer was hastily prepared to be sent up as lieutenant mcbride had suggested. meanwhile a number of the other aeroplanes whizzed past, close to dick's. "i hope they don't come so close that they'll collide with us," murmured the young millionaire. but the pilots were skillful. they tried to shout what were probably congratulations, or questions, at the trans-continental party, but the motors of the small biplanes made such a racket it was impossible to hear. "here come the balloons!" cried dick, as he saw a group tied together floating upward. "now to get them! you'd better handle her, mr. vardon." "no, you do it, dick. i'll stand out on deck and try to grab them." "we can all reach from windows," suggested paul, for there were windows in the cabin. dick was so successful in maneuvering his craft that mr. vardon had no trouble at all in catching the message-carrying toy balloons. the note was brief. it conveyed the greeting of the aero-club, and stated that a number of competing craft were on their way west. "the larabee leads, according to last reports," read innis. "that must be uncle ezra's machine," murmured dick. "he's right after us. well, we'd better get on our course again." "i think so," agreed mr. vardon. the abaris was sent in a westerly direction once more, and those aboard settled down to what they hoped would be the last "lap" of the big race. but matters were not destined to be as easy and comfortable as they hoped for. soon after supper that night the wind sprang up. it increased in violence until, at ten o'clock, there was a howling gale, through which the airship had to fight her way with almost all her available power. "some wind!" cried dick, when he went on duty, and, glancing at the gage noted it to be blowing at seventy miles an hour. "luckily it isn't altogether dead against us," said mr. vardon. "as it is, though, it's cutting down our speed to about twenty miles an hour, and i don't want to force the engine too much." "no," agreed dick. "it isn't worth while, especially as the gale is serving the other craft just as it is us." chapter xxviii ablaze in the clouds there was small consolation, however, for those aboard dick's craft, in the thought that other competing airships were in the same plight as themselves. for, as the night wore on, the wind seemed to increase in power. only the mechanical strength of the abaris enabled her to weather the storm. "we could not possible do it were it not for the gyroscope stabilizer," declared lieutenant mcbride. "we would be on our beams ends all the while. it's a great invention." "well, this certainly is a good test of it," agreed mr. vardon, with pardonable pride. indeed, no more severe strain could have been put upon the apparatus. there would come a great gust of the tornado, and the ship would begin to heel over. but the marvelous power of the gyroscope would force her back again. on through the night and through the gale went the airship. so severe was the storm that it was not deemed wise for any one to remain in his bunk. so everyone spent the hours of darkness in wakeful watching and waiting. "we want to be ready to act in any emergency," explained mr. vardon. "there's no telling when something may give way under the strain." "well, then we ought to go over all the machinery every ten minutes or so, and see if anything is wrong," suggested dick. "we might see the trouble starting in time to prevent it." "good idea!" cried the lieutenant. "we'll make periodical inspections. everyone on the job, as the boys say." the task of looking after the machinery was divided up among the young aviators, and, as the craft was swayed this way and that by the gale, eager and anxious eyes watched every revolution of the gear wheels, pistons were minutely inspected in the light of electric torches, and valves adjusted when they showed the least sign of going wrong. poor grit seemed to be afraid, which was something new for him. he would not leave dick for an instant, but kept at his heels, even when his master went near the sparking motors and dynamos, which the bulldog had good reason to fear. but now he seemed more afraid of something else than the machines that had shocked him. "i wonder what's the matter?" spoke the young millionaire. "i never saw him act this way before. what is it, old boy?" he asked soothingly. grit whined uneasily. "sometimes animals have premonitions," said mr. vardon. "i remember once, in my early days of flying, i took a dog up with me. "everything seemed to be going along fine, but the dog showed signs of uneasiness, though it wasn't on account of the height, for he'd been up before. but it wasn't five minutes later before one of my propeller blades broke off, and i nearly turned turtle before i could make a landing." "i hope nothing like that occurs now," said larry. "it might make a good story, but it would be a mighty uncomfortable feeling." "i don't anticipate anything," said the aviator. "we seem to be doing very well. but we are making scarcely any progress, and we are being blown considerably off our course." "we'll make it up when the wind stops," dick said. "i'm determined to win that prize!" "this is a peculiar storm," lieutenant mcbride observed. "it seems to be nothing but wind. i'm inclined to think there had been an area of low pressure about this region, caused possibly by some other storm, and the air from another region is now rushing in, filling up the partial vacuum." "in that case we might try to rise above it," suggested mr. vardon. "i've often done that. we could go up. it would not be advisable to go down any lower, as we don't want to run the risk of colliding with any mountains, and we are getting pretty well to the northwest now. suppose we try to go up?" this was agreed on as a wise plan, and dick, who was taking his turn at the wheel, shifted the rudder to send his craft up on a long slant. but now a new difficulty arose. it seemed that the change in angle made a heavier wind pressure on the big planes, and the speed of the airship was reduced to a bare ten miles an hour. in fact she seemed almost stationary in the air, at times. "this won't do!" cried dick. "we've got to turn on more power, even if we do strain the machinery. we've got to have more speed than this!" "that's right!" cried mr. vardon. "i'll turn 'em up, dick." and with the increased speed of the big motor that was whirling the propellers came increased danger of a break. vigilance was redoubled, and they had their reward for their care. "here's something wrong!" cried innis, as he passed a small dynamo that supplied current for the electric lights. "a hot bearing!" and he pointed to where one was smoking. "shut down! quick!" cried mr. vardon. "throw over the storage battery switch. that will run the lights until that shaft cools. it must have run out of oil." the dynamo was stopped and as the storage battery was not powerful enough to operate all the lights for very long, only part of the incandescents were used, so that the interior of the ship was only dimly lighted. "use your portable electric torches to examine the machinery in the dark places," directed the aviator. "we'll use the dynamo again as soon it cools." this machine, going out of commission, had no effect on the progress of the airship. she was still fighting her way upward, with dick at the wheel, and grit crouching uneasily near him. the dog gave voice, occasionally, to pitiful whines. "what is it, old boy?" asked dick. "is something wrong?" and grit's manner showed very plainly that there was. but what it was no one could guess. "how is she coming, dick?" asked innis, a little later. "can i relieve you?" "no, i'm not tired. it's only a nervous sort of feeling. i feel as if i were trying to push the airship along." "i know how it is," murmured the cadet. "but just take it easy. how is she doing?" "better, i think. we seem to be gaining a little. if we could only get above the gale we'd be all right. but it's hard forcing her up. i'd just like to know how uncle ezra is making out." as a matter of fact, as dick learned later, his relative had no easy time of it. he had gotten off in fair weather, and under good circumstances, but engine trouble developed after the first few hours, and, while he and larson, with the army man, did not have to come down, they could only fly at slow speed. "i don't know what's the matter with the thing," said larson. "i'm afraid we'll have to use even a different carburetor." "what! and spend more money!" cried uncle ezra. "i guess not! no, sir! up to date this machine has cost me nigh on to eleven thousand dollars! i've got it all down." "but you'll double your money, and have a fine machine to sell to the government," said larson. "it will be all right. give me money for a larger carburetor." "well, if i have to i have to, i suppose," sighed the miserly old man. "but try and make this one do." it would not answer, however, and after trying in vain to get more speed out of the craft, larson was obliged to use one of the two allowed descents, and go down to readjust the motor. then when a couple of days had elapsed, though of course this time was not counted any more than in the case of dick, another start was made. the larabee, as uncle ezra had called his craft, seemed to do better, and at times she showed a spurt of speed that amazed even larson himself. they passed several who had started ahead of them. "we're sure to get that prize!" he exulted. "well, i cal'alate if we don't there'll be trouble," declared uncle ezra, grimly. then they had run into the storm, as had dick's craft, and several other competing ones, and larson, the army man and uncle ezra were in great difficulties. but they forced their machine on. of course dick and his friends knew nothing of this at the time, as several hundred miles then separated the two airships. onward and upward went the abaris. now and then she seemed to gain on the wind, but it was a hard struggle. "i think we're going to do it, though," declared dick, as he went about with the aviator, looking at and testing the various pieces of machinery. "our speed has gone up a little, and the wind pressure seems less." "it is; a little," agreed mr. vardon. "but what is worrying me is that we'll have a lot of lost time and distance to make up when we get out of this storm. still, i suppose it can't be helped." "indeed not. we're lucky as it is," admitted the young millionaire. "but i'm going to get innis and make some coffee. i think it will do us all good." the electric stove was soon aglow, and a little later the aromatic odor of coffee pervaded the cabin of the airship. some sandwiches were also made. and thus, while the craft was fighting her way through the gale, those aboard ate a midnight lunch, with as good appetites as though they were on solid ground. for, in spite of the fact that they were in the midst of danger, they were fairly comfortable. true the aircraft was tilted upward, for she was still climbing on a steep slant, but they had gotten used to this. the gyroscope stabilizer prevented any rolling from side to side. "maybe grit is hungry, and that's what's bothering him," said dick, as he tossed the dog a bit of canned chicken. but though the animal was usually very fond of this delicacy, he now refused it. "that's queer," mused dick. "i can't understand that. something surely must be wrong. i hope he isn't going to be sick." "had we better go any higher?" asked innis, at the wheel, as he noted the hand on the gage. "we're up nearly nine thousand feet now, and--" "hold her there!" cried mr. vardon. "if we've gone up that far, and we haven't gotten beyond the gale, there isn't much use trying any more. we'll ride it out at that level." indeed the abaris was very high, and some of the party had a little difficulty in breathing. grit, too, was affected this way, and it added to his uneasiness. "if we had some means of making the cabin air-tight we could make the air pressure in here just what we wanted it, regardless of the rarefied atmosphere outside," said dick. "in my next airship i'll have that done." "not a bad idea," agreed mr. vardon. "it could be arranged." the night was wearing on, and as the first pale streaks of dawn showed through the celluloid windows of the cabin it was noticed by the wind gage that the force of the gale was slacking. "we've ridden it out!" exulted dick. "she's a good old airship after all. now we can get back on our course. we ought to be crossing the rockies soon, and then for the last stage of the trip to san francisco." "oh, we've got considerable distance yet to cover," said the aviator. "i fancy we were blown nearly five hundred miles out of our way, and that's going to take us several hours to make good on." "still you are doing well," said the army man. "no airship has ever made a trans-continental flight, and there is no speed record to go by. so you may win after all, especially as the storm was so general." it was rapidly getting light now, and as they looked they saw that they were above the clouds. they were skimming along in a sea of fleecy, white mist. "first call for breakfast!" cried dick. his tones had scarcely died away when there came a howl from grit, who was standing near the compartment of the main motor. "what is the matter with that dog?" asked dick, in a puzzled voice. grit's howl changed to a bark, and at the same moment, larry dexter, who was passing, cried out: "fire! there's a fire in the motor-room! where are the extinguishers?" a black cloud of smoke rushed out, enveloping grit, who howled dismally. chapter xxix the rival airship "what did it?" "had we better descend?" "everybody get busy!" "fire extinguishers here!" these and other confused cries sounded throughout the airship, following larry's alarm. "no, don't go down!" shouted mr. vardon. "we'll stay up as long as we can. we'll fight the fire in the air--above the clouds!" "hold her steady, innis!" called dick to his chum, who was at the wheel. "steady she is!" was the grim answer. and while the abaris was rushing onward those aboard her prepared to fight that most deadly of enemies--fire--and at a terrible disadvantage--nearly ten thousand feet in the air! fortunately preparations had been made for this emergency, and a number of portable extinguishers were placed in various places on the walls of the cabin. these the young aviators now pulled down and rushed with them to the motor compartment, from which the black smoke was pouring in greater volume. "look out for a gasolene explosion!" warned the lieutenant. "is there any of it there?" "only a little," answered mr. vardon. "the main supply is in the deck tank. but there is a small can in there for priming the cylinders, in case we have to." "it smells like oil afire," said larry dexter. "that's what it is--probably some oily waste started by spontaneous combustion," said mr. vardon. as he spoke he threw the contents of his extinguisher inside the motor compartment--it was hardly large enough to be called a room. the smoke was so black that no blaze could be seen. "open some of the windows!" shouted paul. "it's choking in here." "that's right!" agreed larry, with a cough and a sneeze. "stoop down--get near the floor of the cabin," ordered the army lieutenant. "the air is always more pure there." he, too, emptied the contents of his extinguisher in the compartment, and his example was followed by the others. the smoke seemed to be less now, and much of it went out through the opened windows, which paul slid back in their groves. "there's the blaze!" cried dick, as he saw, through the lessening haze of smoke, some bright, red tongues of fire. "douse it!" cried paul, handing his chum a fresh extinguisher, for dick had used his. the young millionaire threw on the chemical powder, for this happened to be that sort of an extinguisher, and almost instantly there followed a sharp explosion. "look out!" yelled dick, ducking instinctively. "i guess this is the end of everything!" but, to the surprise of all, the motor still kept up its hum, and they could tell, by the "feel" of the craft that she was still progressing. the gale had now almost completely died out, and the abaris was making good time, and on her proper course, when the fire was discovered. "the fire is scattered!" dick yelled, as he rose up and took another look in the motor-room. "i guess it was only that little tank of gasolene that went up." afterward this was found to be so. the blazing liquid, however, had scattered all about the motor compartment. fortunately the walls were of steel, so that the fiery stuff could burn itself out without doing much damage. "more extinguishers!" yelled dick, as he saw the spots of fire about the motor. "first thing we know, some of the insulation will be burned off, and we'll have a short circuit!" the motor-room was almost free of smoke now, and there were only a few scattered spots of fire. standing in the entrance, dick threw the contents of several extinguishers inside, as they were passed to him, and he had the satisfaction of seeing the flames gradually choked by the chemical fumes thus released. "now i guess we're all right," said mr. vardon, when no more fire could be seen. "and the marvel of it is that our motor never stopped!" "that's the one thing that saved us from making another descent--our last," murmured dick. "that's sure some motor, all right." but they were congratulating themselves too soon, it seemed. for, hardly had dick spoken than the monotonous whine of the powerful machine seemed to weaken in tone. it died out--the high note sunk to a low one, and gradually went out. "what's up now?" asked paul, peering over dick's shoulder. the motor compartment was still too hot to enter with safety, and it was also filled with acrid vapor, from the extinguishers. "i--i'm afraid it's going to stop," gasped dick, for he was out of breath from his exertions, and from the excitement of the occasion. "stop!" cried paul. "if she does we'll have to go down!" and stop the motor did. there was a sort of final groan or gasp, as if of apology, and then the wheels stopped revolving and the big propellers outside the cabin, which had been forcing the craft onward, gradually ceased their motion. "quick?" shouted mr. vardon. "throw on the self-starter, dick! we may catch her before she loses all her momentum!" "all right!" answered dick. he made one jump to the switch that put into commission the electrical starter. but he was too late to "catch" the motor. it had died down, and, though the young millionaire made contact after contact with the copper knife-switch, there was no response. "we're falling!" cried innis, from the pilot-house, as he noted the height gage, and saw that the hand was constantly receding. "we're falling, dick!" "i know it--no help for it," answered our hero, hopelessly. the abaris was certainly going down. when the propellers had ceased to urge her forward she began to dip toward the earth, even as a stone falls when the initial impulse from the sling, or the hand of the thrower, is lost. foot by foot she dropped, and those aboard her looked helplessly at one another. they had made a brave fight against the fire, but it seemed to have gone for naught. they could not keep up with the motor stalled as it was. "i guess we'll have to make another landing," said innis, as he remained at the wheel. of course they were entitled to one more, but it would be the last, and a long and hard part of their trans-continental flight was still ahead of them. if they went down this time, and, after making repairs, came up into the air once more, they would not, under the rules, be allowed to land again before reaching san francisco. "it's tough luck, but i guess we'll have to do it," said larry dexter. "maybe not!" dick cried. "i have an idea." "what is it? tell us quick!" begged innis, for he, as well as all of dick's friends, wanted to see him win the prize. "i think the insulation has been burning off some of the wires of the motor," was his answer. "that would make a short circuit and put it out of business. now if we can only keep afloat long enough to change those wires, we may be able to start the motor again, and keep on our way before we touch ground." "you've struck it!" cried mr. vardon. "dick, you take charge of the wheel--you and any of your friends you want. i'll look over the motor, and make repairs if i can." "and they'll have to be made pretty soon," called out innis from the pilot-house. "we're falling fast." "throw her nose up," cried dick. "that's what we've got to do to save ourselves. we'll volplane down, and maybe we can keep up long enough to have mr. vardon put in new wires in place of the burned-out ones. if he can do that, and if we can start the motor--" "it sounds too good to be true," said innis. "but get in here, dick, and see what you can do. you've got to volplane as you never did before." "and i'm going to do it!" cried the young millionaire. the motor-room was now free from smoke, and the fire was out. a pile of charred waste in one corner showed where it had started. "that's the trouble--insulation burned off!" cried mr. vardon, as he made a quick inspection. "i think i can fix it, dick, if you can keep her up long enough. take long glides. we're up a good height, and that will help solve." then began a curious battle against fate, and, not only a struggle against adverse circumstances, but against gravitation. for, now that there was no forward impulse in the airship, she could not overcome the law that sir isaac newton discovered, which law is as immutable as death. nothing can remain aloft unless it is either lighter than the air itself, or unless it keeps in motion with enough force to overcome the pull of the magnet earth, which draws all things to itself. i have told you how it is possible for a body heavier than air to remain above the earth, as long as it is in motion. it is this which keeps cannon balls and airships up--motion. though, of course, airships, with their big spread of surface, need less force to keep them from falling than do projectiles. and when the motor of an airship stops it is only by volplaning down, or descending in a series of slanting shifts, that accidents are avoided. this, then, is what dick did. he would let the airship shoot downward on a long slant, so as to gain as much as possible. then, by throwing up the head-rudder, he would cause his craft to take an upward turn, thus delaying the inevitable descent. all the while this was going on mr. vardon, aided by lieutenant mcbride, was laboring hard to replace the burned-out wires. he worked frantically, for he knew he had but a few minutes at the best. from the height at which they were when the motor stopped it would take them about ten minutes to reach the earth, holding back as dick might. and there was work which, in the ordinary course of events, would take twice as long as this. "i'm only going to make a shift at it," explained the aviator. "if i can only get in temporary wires i can replace them later." "that's right," agreed the army man. "how you making it, dick?" asked larry, as he came to the door of the pilot-house. "well, i've got five hundred feet left. if he can't get the motor going before we go down that far--" dick did not finish, but they all knew what he meant. "another second and i'll have the last wire in!" cried mr. vardon. "do your best, dick." "i'm doing it. but she's dipping down fast." "oh, for a dirigible balloon now!" cried the lieutenant. "we could float while making repairs." but it was useless to wish for that. they must do the best they could under the circumstances. "there she is! the last wire in!" shouted the aviator. "how much space left, dick?" "about two hundred feet!" "that may do it. now to see if the self-starter will work!" eagerly he made a jump for the switch. he pulled it over. there was a brilliant blue spark, as the gap was closed. the electrical starter hummed and whined, as if in protest at being obliged to take up its burden again. then, with a hum and a roar, the motor that had stalled began to revolve. slowly at first, but soon gathering speed. "throw in the propeller clutch!" yelled dick. "we're going right toward a hill, and i can't raise her any more." "in she goes!" yelled lieutenant mcbride, as he pulled on the lever. there was a grinding of gears as the toothed wheels meshed, and the big wooden propellers began to revolve. "there she goes!" cried mr. vardon. the abaris, which had almost touched the earth, began to soar upward under the propelling influence. dick tilted back the elevating plane as far as he dared. had the motive power come in time, or would they land on the hill? but success was with them. up went the big airship. up and up, flying onward. her fall had been checked. and only just in time, for they went over the brow of the hill but with a scant twenty feet to spare. so close had they come to making a landing. "i congratulate you!" cried lieutenant mcbride. "i thought surely you would go down." he had out his pencil and paper to make a note of the time of landing. it would have been the last one allowed, and it would seriously have handicapped dick. but he had escaped, and still had some reserve to his credit. "and now i guess we can eat," said the young millionaire, with a sigh of relief. "a quick bite, only," stipulated mr. vardon. "some of those wires i put in last are a disgrace to an electrician. i want to change them right away. they won't stand the vibration." "well, coffee and sandwiches, anyhow," said dick, and the simple meal was soon in progress. steadily the airship again climbed up toward the clouds, from which she had so nearly fallen. and with a sandwich and a cup of coffee beside him, mr. vardon worked at the wires, putting in permanent ones in place of the temporary conductors. this could be done without stopping the motor. "i wonder if it was the fire grit was anticipating all the while he acted so queer?" asked innis. "i don't know--but it was something," dick said. "i shouldn't wonder but what he did have some premonition of it. anyhow, you gave the alarm in time, old boy!" and he patted his pet on the back. grit waved his tail, and barked. he seemed himself again. it took some time to make good the damage done by the fire, and it was accomplished as the airship was put back on her course again, and sent forward toward the pacific coast. they were all congratulating themselves on their narrow escape from possible failure. it was that same afternoon, when mr. vardon had finished his task, that something else happened to cause them much wonderment. the motor was again in almost perfect condition, and was running well. most of the party were out on the deck behind the cabin, enjoying the air, for the day had been hot, and they were tired from fighting the tire. suddenly grit, who was in the pilot-house with dick, ran out into the main cabin, and, looking from one of the windows, which he could do by jumping up in a chair, he began to bark violently. "well, what's the matter now?" demanded dick. "is it another fire?" grit barked so persistently that dick called to paul: "see what ails him; will you? he must have caught sight of something out of the window." "i should say he had!" yelled paul, a moment later. "here's a rival airship after us, dick!" chapter xxx an attack paul's announcement created considerable excitement. though they had covered a large part of their trip, the young aviators had not yet seen any of their competitors. as a matter of fact, dick's craft was among the first to get away in the trans-continental race. but he had feared, several times, that he might be overtaken by lighter and speedier machines. now, it seemed, his fears were about to be realized. for the big biplane that grit had first spied, could be none other than one of those engaged in a try for the twenty-thousand-dollar prize. they were now nearing the rockies, and it was not likely that any lone aviator would be flying in that locality unless he were after the government money. "another airship; eh?" cried dick. "let me get a look at her! someone take the wheel, please." "i'll relieve you," offered lieutenant mcbride, whose official duties allowed him to do this. "go see if you can make out who she is, dick." the approaching craft had come up from the rear, and to one side, so she could not be observed from the pilot-house in front. catching up a pair of powerful field-glasses, dick went to where paul stood with grit, looking out of the celluloid window. by this time some of the others had also gathered there. "it's a big machine all right," murmured innis. "and there are three aviators in her," added paul. "can you make out who they are, dick?" asked larry dexter. "no, they have on protecting helmets and goggles," replied the young millionaire, as he adjusted the binoculars to his vision. "but i'm sure i know that machine!" "whose is it?" innis wanted to know. "well, i don't want to be too positive, but i'm pretty certain that's my uncle ezra's craft," replied dick, slowly. "great scott!" cried paul. "is it possible? oh, it's possible all right," dick made answer, "but i did not think he would really take part in this race. however, he seems to have done so. i can't make him out, but that's just the shape of his airship, i can tell by the mercury stabilizer larson has put on." "well, it looks as if we'd have a race," observed mr. vardon. "he sure is speeding on," mused dick. "but he may be away behind his schedule," put in larry. "that won't make any difference," the young millionaire said. "he started after we did, and if he gets to san francisco ahead of us, and with only two landings, he'll win the prize. that stands to reason. he's making better time than we are." mr. vardon took the glasses from dick, and made a long observation. when he lowered them he remarked: "i think that is the craft larson built, all right. and it certainly is a speedy one. he must have met more favorable conditions, of late, than we did, or he never could have caught up to us." "i guess so," agreed dick. "now the point is; what can we do?" "speed up--that's the only thing i see to do," came from the aviator. "we still have one landing left us, but we don't need to use it unless we have to. we have fuel and oil enough for the trip to san francisco. speed up, i say, and let's see if we can't get away from him." "we've got a heavier machine, and more weight aboard," spoke dick. "say, can't you drop us off?" cried paul. "that would lighten you a whole lot. let innis and me go!" "i'll drop off, too, if it will help any," larry dexter offered. "and be killed?" asked mr. vardon. "not necessarily. you could run the airship over some lake, or river, lower it as close as possible, and we could drop into the water. we can all swim and dive. you could drop us near shore, we could get out and make our way to the nearest town. that would leave you with less load to carry." "i wouldn't think of it!" cried dick. "why not?" asked innis. "in the first place i want my airship to do what i built it for--carry this party across the continent. if it can't do that, and in time to at least give me a chance for the government prize, i'm going to have one that can. in the second place, even if your going off would help me to win, i wouldn't let you take the risk. "no, we'll stick together. i think i can get away from uncle ezra, if that's who is in that biplane. we can run up our speed considerable. we haven't touched the extreme limit yet." "well, if you won't you won't--that settles it," said paul. "but if you're going to speed you'd better begin. he is sure coming on." indeed the other aircraft was rushing toward them at a rapid rate. it had been some distance in the rear when first sighted, but now the three figures aboard were plainly discernable with the naked eye. "speed her up!" called dick. "we've got to leave him if we can." gradually the abaris forged on more rapidly. but it seemed as if those in the other craft were waiting for something like this. for they, too, put on more power, and were soon overhauling the larger airship. "they've got an awful lot of force in a light craft," observed lieutenant mcbride. "she's over engined, and isn't safe. even if your uncle gets in ahead of you, dick, i will still maintain that you have the better outfit, and the most practical. i don't see how they can live aboard that frail craft." it certainly did not look very comfortable, and afterward uncle ezra confessed that he endured many torments during the trip. the race was on in earnest. they were over the rockies now, and at the present rate of speed it would be only a comparatively short time before they would be at the pacific coast. "if i only knew how many landings he had made i wouldn't be so worried," said dick. "if he's had more than two he's out of it, anyhow, and i wouldn't strain my engine." "we'd better keep on," advised mr. vardon, and they all agreed to this. toward the close of the afternoon the larabee, which they were all sure was the name of the craft in the rear, came on with a rush. her speed seemed increased by half, and she would, it was now seen, quickly pass the abaris. "well, they're going ahead of us," sighed dick. "uncle ezra did better than i thought he would." neither he nor any of the others were prepared for what happened. for suddenly the other airship swooped toward dick's craft, in what was clearly a savage attack. straight at the abaris, using all her speed, came uncle ezra's airship. chapter xxxi the wreck "what do they mean?" "what's their game, anyhow?" "they'll ram us if they don't look out!" "maybe they've lost control of her!" "dick, if that's your uncle, tell him to watch where he's going!" thus cried those aboard the aircraft of the young millionaire as they watched the oncoming of the rival craft. she was certainly coming straight at them. it was intentional, too, for mr. vardon, who was at the wheel of the abaris, quickly changed her course when he saw what was about to happen, and the other pilot could have had plenty of room to pass in the air. instead he altered his direction so as to coincide with that of dick's craft. "they must be crazy!" "if they'll hit us we'll go to smash, even if she is a lighter machine than ours!" thus cried paul and innis as they stood beside dick. "it's my uncle ezra, all right," murmured the wealthy youth. "i can recognize him now, in spite of his helmet and goggles. but what in the world is he up to, anyhow? he can't really mean to ram us, but it does look so." the two airships were now but a short distance apart, and in spite of what mr. vardon could do, a collision seemed inevitable. the fact of the matter was that the larabee, being smaller and lighter, answered more readily to her rudders than did the abaris. "we've got to have more speed, dick!" called the aviator. "i'm going to turn about and go down. it's the only way to get out of their way. they're either crazy, or bent on their own destruction, as well as ours. give me more speed, dick! all you can!" "all right!" answered the young millionaire. "we'll do our best to get out of your way, uncle ezra!" as dick hastened to the motor-room, grit trotted after him, growling in his deep voice at the mention of the name of the man he so disliked. dick realized the emergency, and turned the gasolene throttle wide open. with a throb and a roar, the motor took up the increase, and whirled the big propellers with mighty force. then, in a last endeavor to prevent the collision, mr. vardon sent the craft down at a sharp slant, intending to dive under the other. but this move was anticipated by larson, who was steering the larabee. he, too, sent his craft down, but just when a collision seemed about to take place, it was prevented by mr. vardon, who was a more skillful pilot. the propellers of the abaris worked independently, on a sort of differential gear, like the rear wheels of an automobile. this enabled her to turn very short and quickly, by revolving one propeller in one direction, and one in the opposite, as is done with the twin screws of a steamer. and this move alone prevented what might have been a tragedy. but it was also the cause of a disaster to dick's aircraft. with a rush and a roar the larabee passed over the abaris as she was so suddenly turned, and then something snapped in the machinery of the big airship. she lost speed, and began to go down slightly. "did they hit us?" cried dick, in alarm. "no, but we've broken the sprocket chain on the port propeller," answered mr. vardon. "we'll have to be content with half speed until we can make repairs. come now, everybody to work. those crazy folks may come back at us--that is begging your pardon for calling your uncle crazy, dick." "you can't offend me that way. he must be crazy to act the way he did. i can't understand it. of course larson was steering, but my uncle must have given him orders to do as he did, and try to wreck us." "i shall report whoever the army man was that did not make an attempt to stop their attack on us," declared lieutenant mcbride, bitterly. "i don't know who was assigned to the larabee, but he certainly ought to be court-martialed." "perhaps no army representative was aboard at all," suggested paul. "there were three persons on the airship," said larry. "i saw them." "and the race would not be counted unless an army representative was aboard," declared lieutenant mcbride. "so they would not proceed without one. no, he must have been there, and have entered into their plot to try and wreck us. i can't understand it!" "they've evidently given it up, whatever their game was," called innis. "see, there they go!" he pointed to the other airship, which was now some distance away, going on at good speed, straight for san francisco. both craft were now high in the air, in spite of the drop made by the abaris, and they were about over some of the mountains of colorado now; just where they had not determined. they were about eight hundred miles from san francisco, as nearly as they could calculate. "they're trying to get in first," said dick. "maybe, after all, they just wanted to frighten us, and delay us." "well, if that was their game they've succeeded in delaying us," said mr. vardon, grimly. "we're reduced to half speed until we get that propeller in commission again. there's work for all of us. reduce sped, dick, or we may tear the one good blade off the axle." with only half the resistance against it, the motor was now racing hard. dick slowed it down, and then the work of repairing the broken sprocket chain and gear was undertaken. it was not necessary to stop the airship to do this. in fact to stop meant to descend, and they wanted to put that off as long as possible. they still had the one permitted landing to their credit. the propellers, as i have said, could be reached from the open deck, and thither mr. vardon, dick, and lieutenant mcbride took themselves, while paul, innis and larry would look after the progress of the craft from the pilot-house and motor-room. slowly dick's airship went along, just enough speed being maintained to prevent her settling. she barely held her own, while, far ahead of her, and fast disappearing in the distance, could be seen the other craft--that carrying uncle ezra. "i guess it's all up with us," murmured paul, as he went to the wheel. "no, it isn't!" cried dick. "i'm not going to give up yet! we can still make time when we get the repairs made, and i'll run the motor until her bearings melt before i give up!" "that's the way to talk!" cried the army man. "and we're all with you. there's a good chance yet, for those fellows must be desperate, or they'd never have tried what they did. my opinion is that they hope to reach san francisco in a last dash, and they were afraid we'd come in ahead of them. but i can't understand how that army man aboard would permit such a thing. it is past belief!" it was no easy task to make the repairs with the airship in motion. spare parts, including a sprocket chain, were carried aboard, but the work had to be done close to the other revolving propeller, and, as slowly as it was whirling about, it went fast enough to cause instant death to whoever was hit by it. so extreme caution had to be used. to add to the troubles it began to rain violently, and a thunderstorm developed, which made matters worse. out in the pelting storm, with electrically-charged clouds all about them, and vivid streaks of lightning hissing near them, the aviators worked. they were drenched to the skin. their hands were bruised and cut by slipping wrenches and hammers. their faces were covered with black grease, dirt and oil. but still they labored on. the storm grew worse, and it was all the abaris could do to stagger ahead, handicapped as she was by half power. but there were valiant hearts aboard her, and everyone was imbued with indomitable courage. "we're going to do it!" dick cried, fiercely, and the others echoed his words. finally, after many hours of work, the last rivet was driven home, and mr. vardon cried: "there we are! now then, full speed ahead!" the repaired propeller was thrown into gear. it meshed perfectly, and once more the abaris shot ahead under her full power. "speed her up!" cried dick, and the motor was put to the limit. but much precious time had been lost. could they win under such adverse circumstances? it was a question each one asked himself. darkness came on, and the tired and weary aviators ate and slept. the night passed, a clear, calm night, for the storm had blown itself out. high over the mountains soared the airship through the hours of darkness. she was fighting to recover what she had lost. and when morning came they calculated they were but a few hundred miles from san francisco. paul, who had gone to the pilot-house to relieve innis, gave a startled cry. "look! look!" he shouted. "there's the other airship!" and as the others looked they saw, ahead of them, emerging from the midst of a cloud, uncle ezra's speedy craft. and, as they looked, they saw something else--something that filled them with horror. for, as they gazed at the craft which had so nearly, either by accident or design, wrecked them, they saw one of the big side planes crumple up, as does a bird's broken wing. either the supports had given way, or a sudden gust of air strained it too much. "they're falling!" cried dick, hoarsely. the other airship was. the broken plane gave no support on that side, and as the motor still raced on, whirling the big propellers, the larabee, unevenly balanced, in spite of the mercury stabilizers, tilted to one side. then, a hopeless wreck, she turned over and plunged downward toward the earth. her race was over. chapter xxxii saving uncle ezra for a moment those aboard dick's airship uttered not a sound. then, as they saw the rival craft sifting slowly downward, gliding from side to side like a sheet of paper, they looked at one another with horror in their eyes. it seemed such a terrible end. dick was the first to speak. "we'll have to go down and help them," he said simply. "some of them may be--alive!" it meant stopping the race, it meant making the last of the two landings allowed them. and it was a landing in a wild and desolate place, seemingly, for there was no sign of city or town below them. and just now, after her repairs, when everything was running smoothly, it behooved dick and his associates to take advantage of every mile and minute they could gain. otherwise some other craft might get in ahead of them. yet dick had said they must go down. there was no other course left them, in the name of humanity. as the young millionaire had observed, some of those in the wrecked airship might be alive. they might survive the fall, great as it was. "send her down, mr. vardon," said dick quietly. "we may be able to save some of them." if he thought that possibly he was losing his last chance to win the trans-continental race, he said nothing about it. the motor was shut off, and there was silence aboard the abaris. no one felt like talking. as they volplaned downward they saw the wreck of the larabee strike the outer branches of a big tree, and then turn over again before crashing to the ground. "she may catch fire from the gasolene," said dick, in a tense voice. "we ought to hurry all we can." "i could go down faster," said mr. vardon, "by starting up the motor. but i don't like to until i see what sort of landing ground we'll have." "no, it's wiser to go a bit slowly," agreed lieutenant mcbride. "we must save ourselves in order to save them--if possible. it's a terrible accident!" as they came nearer earth they saw a comparatively smooth and level spot amid a clearing of trees. it was not far from where the wreck lay, a crumpled-up mass. down floated the abaris gently, and hardly had she ceased rolling along on her wheels that dick and the others rushed out to lend their aid to uncle ezra and the others. dick's uncle lay at some little distance from the broken craft. "he's alive," said his nephew, feeling of the old man's heart. "he's still breathing." lieutenant wilson, as the name of the army officer on the larabee was learned later to be, seemed quite badly injured. he was tangled up in the wreckage, and it took some work to extricate him. larson was the most severely hurt. he was tenderly placed to one side. fortunately the wreck had not caught fire. "let's see if we can revive them," suggested lieutenant mcbride, nodding toward uncle ezra and his fellow soldiers. "then we will consider what is best to do." simple restoratives were carried aboard dick's airship, and these were given to uncle ezra, who revived first. he opened his eyes and sat up. "where--where am i?" he stammered. "did i win the race?" "no, uncle ezra, i'm sorry to say you didn't," answered dick, gently. "there was an accident, and your airship is smashed." the old man slowly looked over to the crumpled mass of planes and machinery, and then, slowly and painfully, for he was much bruised, he pulled a note-book from his pocket. leafing over the pages he announced: "busted to smithereens, and she cost me exactly eleven thousand five hundred and thirty-three dollars and nineteen cents! oh, what a lot of money!" and the expression on his face was so painful that dick felt inclined to laugh, solemn as the occasion was. but he restrained himself. "where's that fellow larson?" asked uncle ezra. "badly hurt," said dick, quietly. "oh, well, then i won't say anything," murmured the old man. "oh, what a trip it was!" "are you much hurt?" asked dick. it did not appear that his uncle was. the fall had been a lucky one for him. his helmet had protected his head, and he had on two suits of clothes, well padded. the others were dressed likewise, but it had not saved larson. lieutenant wilson's most serious injury was a broken leg, but he was also otherwise hurt. he soon recovered consciousness, and said: "please don't misjudge me. i could not stop larson from trying to ram you. he was insane, i guess. we have had a terrible time with him. he was mad to try to win this race. we remonstrated with him when he sailed toward you, but he said he was only trying to show you what a superior machine he had, and how much better his mercury stabilizers worked than your gyroscope. but i really fear he meant you some injury." "i think so, too," said lieutenant mcbride, "and i am glad to learn no one else was in the plot." "and his own foolish actions were the cause of this wreck," went on lieutenant wilson. "he said he was sure of winning after he had left you behind, and he wanted to try some experiments in quick turns. he made one too quick, and broke off one of the planes." "well, we must consider what is to be done," said mr. vardon. "we must get you all to a hospital and a doctor, at once." "don't mind about me," replied lieutenant wilson, gamely. "if you can send me help, do so, but don't delay here. go on and win the race. you have the best chance, i believe." "we don't go on until we see you cared for," spoke dick. "we would take you all with us, only it might endanger you." "well, i wish you'd take me!" exclaimed uncle ezra, limping about. "i want to get back home. nephew richard, i'm sorry i tried to beat you in this race." "that's all right, uncle ezra," answered the young millionaire. "you had as good a right to try for the prize as i did." "but i want to say i didn't have no hand in trying to butt into you," went on mr. larabee. "it was all that--that unfortunate man's idea," he added more softly, as he gazed at larson who was still unconscious. "dick, will you forgive me, and shake hands?" "surely, uncle ezra," and as their hands met, grit, who had been eyeing mr. larabee narrowly, uttered a joyful bark, and actually wagged his tail at uncle ezra. "grit, you shake hands, too," ordered dick, and though uncle ezra was a little diffident at first, he grasped the extended paw of the bulldog. they were friends for the first time. "we could take uncle ezra in the airship," said paul, after a pause, "and if we could only send out a call for help for lieutenant wilson and larson, they would be looked after." "there's an army post not far from here," spoke wilson. "if you could make a trip there--" "we'd have to land again, to summon aid, and this is the last stop we are allowed in the race," said mr. vardon. "i don't see how--" "your wireless!" interrupted lieutenant mcbride. "we can send out a call to the army post by that--if they have a wireless station." "they have," answered lieutenant wilson, as his fellow officer looked at him. "if you will summon aid from there, we will be well taken care of." "good!" cried dick. "that problem is solved." the wireless apparatus was brought out, the small balloon inflated, and it carried aloft the aerials. then, while the call for aid was being sent out, lieutenants wilson and larson were made as comfortable as possible, and some of uncle ezra's scratches and bruises were looked after. "no more airships for me," he said bitterly, though with a chastened spirit. "i'm going to stick to farming, and my woolen mill. just think of it--over eleven thousand dollars in that pile of--junk!" and he shook his head sadly at the wreck of his airship. "we'll take you on to san francisco with us, if you like," said dick. "you can see us win the race--if we can," he added. "you still have an excellent chance," said lieutenant mcbride. "my advice to you would be to remain here a few days to rest up and make sure all your machinery is in good order. the time will not count against you. by that time the injured ones will be cared for. then you can go on again and complete the course. you have enough oil and gasolene, have you not?" "we could ask that some be brought from the army post, if we have not," dick answered. "i think we will adopt that plan.'' "and i--i hope you win," said uncle ezra. "i'd like to see that twenty thousand dollars come into the family, anyhow," he added, with a mountainous sigh. chapter xxxiii with uncle ezra's help "we're off!" "on the last lap!" "no more landings!" thus cried innis, paul and larry as they stood in the cabin of the airship. once more they were on the flight. "this train makes no stops this side of san francisco!" cried dick hamilton, after the manner of the conductor of a limited. "that is, i hope we don't," he added with a grim smile. "if we do it will cost me twenty thousand dollars." "quite an expensive stop," observed lieutenant mcbride. "don't think of it!" said uncle ezra. "nephew richard, after my failure, you've just got to win that prize." "i'll try," dick answered. it was several days after the events narrated in the last chapter. the wireless, sending out its crackling call, had brought speedy help from the army post, and the two lieutenants were taken to the hospital by their fellow soldiers. larson recovered consciousness before dick and his friends left, but was delirious, and practically insane. they had to bind him with ropes to prevent him doing himself and others an injury. his mind had been affected for some time, it was believed. some time later, i am glad to say, he recovered, in a sanitorium, though he was always lame from the accident. he was a much different man, however, and begged dick's forgiveness for trying to collide with him. lieutenant wilson made a quick recovery, and, in spite of the mishap, still kept up his interest in aviation, winning much fame for himself. the army officers, who came to attend the injured ones, brought dick some supplies and gasolene. uncle ezra begged that some part of his wrecked airship be saved, but it was impossible. there was little left that was worth anything, and dick, by taking his uncle as an extra passenger, added enough weight as it was, so that no parts of the larabee could be taken along. "i might have saved a little," said uncle ezra, with a sigh. "i've lost a pile of money!" but he realized that it was out of the question. the abaris had been gone over minutely, and put in excellent shape for her final dash. she was taken to the edge of a sloping table-land and there once more launched into space. before that, however, lieutenant wilson had been taken back to the army post, and larson sent to the hospital. lieutenant wilson wished dick and his friends all sorts of good luck. then, with uncle ezra aboard, the start was made. there was some crowding, because of the extra passenger, and his valise, which he insisted on bringing with him, but this could be borne. "we ought to make san francisco in three hours now," said dick, when they were up in the air once more. uncle ezra was frankly delighted with his nephew's craft. he did not even say it was wasteful, when dick told him how much she cost. "i know airships are terrible expensive--terrible!" said mr. larabee, as he looked at the note-book in which he had jotted down every item of money paid for his own. that larson had wasted money, and used much of what was given him for his own purposes was very evident. but it was too late to think of that now. uncle ezra told of their experiences in crossing the continent. they had really had excellent luck, and in the hands of a better aviator, or one more dependable, the larabee might have won the race. she was really a good biplane, but could only carry three, and then with no comfort at all, as compared to dick's. but the mercury stabilizers worked fairly well, though not as good as the gyroscope. "yes, i was sorry, more than once, that i ever left dankville," uncle ezra said, "but larson wouldn't let me stop. he kept right on. i'm sure he was crazy." on and on rushed the abaris. she was racing against time now, and every minute and mile counted. while down on the ground, helping save uncle ezra, dick had, by wireless, communicated with the army authorities in san francisco, telling them he was coming on the last stage, and asking that a landing-place be designated. this was done, presido park reservation, on the outskirts of the city being named as the spot where the craft could officially come down. "we'll soon be there," remarked dick, who was at the wheel. it was afternoon, and by computation they were not more than ninety miles from their goal. "see anything of any other craft?" asked paul of his chum. "take a look, innis," suggested the young millionaire. "we might get a race at the last minute." innis swept the horizon with the glasses. "there's something coming behind us," he said. "i can't tell whether it's a big bird, or an airship." a little later, however, the speck in the blue sky was made out to be a big biplane, rushing onward. "they're probably trying for the prize," said dick. "of course we don't know anything about their time and stops, but, just the same, i'm going to beat her in, if i can. we'll run the motor under forced speed, mr. vardon, and feed her heated gasolene." "that's the idea!" cried the aviator. "that ought to help some." the motor was so adjusted as to take heated gasolene, the liquid vaporizing and exploding better than when cold. the abaris rushed on at increased speed. but so, also, came on behind her the other airship. as dick had said, that craft might have no chance, having used up more than her limit of stops, or having consumed more elapsed time than had he. but, for all that, he was taking no chances. the other craft was a swift one. that was easily seen as it slowly crept up on dick. the speed of each was terrific. the gages showed ninety-five miles an hour for the abaris. at that rate the city of oakland, just across the bay from san francisco, was soon sighted. and then something happened that nearly put dick out of the race. his motor suddenly stopped, and all efforts to start it proved futile. "we've got to go down!" cried our hero, "and within sight of the goal, too! this is fierce!" "what's the trouble?" asked larry. "not a drop of gasolene left!" said mr. vardon, with a tragic gesture, as he made an examination. "there's a leak in the tank. we haven't a drop left. the vibration must have opened a seam and we've been spilling our fuel as we went along." "there goes the other airship!" cried innis, as the big biplane flashed by them. they had now crossed oakland and the bay. "and the presido park is in sight!" yelled paul, pointing to a big field, now black with people, for the coming of dick had been flashed all over san francisco and oakland. "we can never make it," the young millionaire murmured. "we'll have to volplane down, but we can't reach the park. oh, for a gallon of gasolene! one gallon would do!" "what's that!" cried uncle ezra, coming from his bunk room. "what do you want of gasolene?" "to complete the trip," cried dick. "ours is all gone! a gallon would do." "then, by hickory, you shall have it!" suddenly cried mr. larabee. "where can you get it?" demanded dick. "there isn't a drop aboard! "oh, yes there is!" his uncle answered. "here it is," and he brought from his room a square, gallon can. "great scott!" cried dick, as he took it and hurried with it toward the empty tank. "where in the world did you get it?" "i brought it along in my valise to clean the grease spots off my clothes," answered uncle ezra, simply. "i got all oil from my airship. but i wasn't going to buy a new suit when i could clean my old one." "whoop!" cried dick, with boyish enthusiasm. "this may save the race for us." the abaris had already begun to settle down, but a moment later, as the motor received the supply of gasolene so providentially provided, she shot forward again, her momentum scarcely checked. on and on she rushed. it was nip and tuck now between her and the rival airship. the big crowd in the aviation field yelled and shouted at the sight of the thrilling race. the other airship seemed to falter and hesitate. the pilot cut off his motor, but too soon. dick rushed his craft on, passed the other, and then, seeing that he had the advantage, he turned off his power, and volplaned to the landing spot just about fifteen seconds in advance of his rival. he had beaten in the race at the last minute. but it still remained to be seen whether he had triumphed over other, and possibly previous, arrivals. out of the abaris rushed the young millionaire and his friends before she had ceased rolling over the ground. the other biplane was just behind them. an army officer ran out of the crowd of spectators. "who is the pilot of this craft?" he asked. "i am," answered dick. "and where is your official army timekeeper?" "here," answered lieutenant mcbride, saluting. "are we the first to cross the continent?" how anxiously dick waited for the answer. "no, not the first," replied the san francisco officer. "one biplane arrived yesterday. what is your time?" lieutenant mcbride made a hasty calculation. "sixty-two hours, forty minutes and fourteen seconds from, new york, taking out the time of two landings," was the reply. "then you win!" cried captain weston, as he introduced himself. "that is, unless this other craft can better your time. for the first arrival was seventy-two hours altogether." and dick had won, for the biplane with which he had just had the exciting race, had consumed more than eighty hours, exclusive of stops, from coast to coast. "hurray, dick! you win!" cried innis, clapping his chum on the back. "the best trans-continental flight ever made!" declared captain weston, as he congratulated the young millionaire. "i'd like to have gotten here first," murmured dick. "well, you'd have been here first, only for the delay my airship caused you," said uncle ezra. "i'm sorry." "but you get the prize," spoke lieutenant mcbride. "yes," assented captain weston, of fort mason. "it was the time that counted, not the order of arrival. which reminds me that you may yet be beaten, mr. hamilton, for there are other airships on the way." but dick was not beaten. his nearest competitor made a poorer record by several hours, so dick's performance stood. and that, really, is all there is to tell of this story, except to add that by the confession of larson, later it was learned that he had tampered with mr. vardon's gyroscope, as had been suspected. the twenty thousand dollars was duly paid, and dick gave the united states government an option to purchase his patents of the abaris. for them he would receive a substantial sum, and a large part of this would go to mr. vardon for his gyroscope. "so you'll be all right from now on," his cousin innis remarked. "yes, thanks to your friend dick hamilton. my good luck all dates from meeting him." "yes, he is a lucky chap," agreed paul. "i think uncle ezra had all the luck this trip," put in dick, as he heard the last words. "that gasolene he brought along to clean the grease off his clothes saved our bacon, all right. it sure did!" and i believe dick was right. mr. hamilton, to whom dick wired a brief message of the successful ending of the trip, telegraphed back: "congratulations. you made good after all. i haven't any doubts now." "that's another time i put one over on dad!" laughed dick. "where are you going, larry?" asked the young millionaire, as he saw his young newspaper friend hurrying across the aviation field. "i'm going to wire the story to the leader," was the answer. "i want 'em to know we crossed the continent and won the prize. it'll be a great beat!" of how dick was feted and greeted by an aviation club in san francisco, of how he was made much of by the army officers, and how he had to give many exhibition flights, i will say nothing here, as this book is already lengthy enough. sufficient to remark that the young millionaire had a great time at the city of the golden gate, and uncle ezra and his friends enjoyed it with him. grit, also, came in for a share of attention. dick hamilton left his airship with the san francisco army officers, as he had agreed to do, for they wanted to study its construction. in due season, the party started back east. "i rather calculated you'd go back in the airship," said uncle ezra. "railroad fare is terrible expensive, and i've lost so much money already--" "i'll buy your ticket," said dick generously, "especially as you helped me win the race," and mr. larabee, with a look of relief on his face, put back his pocketbook. "and now for hamilton corners!" exclaimed dick, as they got in the train. "i've had enough of airships for a while, though it was great sport." and here we will take leave of dick hamilton and his friends. british airships: past, present and future by george whale (late major, r.a.f.) chapter i introduction chapter ii early airships and their development to the present day chapter iii british airships built by private firms chapter iv british army airships chapter v early days of the naval airship section--parseval airships, astra-torres type, etc. chapter vi naval airships: the non-rigids-- s.s. type coastal and c star airships the north sea airship chapter vii naval airships: the rigids rigid airship no. rigid airship no. rigid airship no. class rigid airship no. x class rigid airship no. class rigid airship no. class chapter viii the work of the airship in the world war chapter ix the future of airships chapter i introduction lighter-than-air craft consist of three distinct types: airships, which are by far the most important, free balloons, and kite balloons, which are attached to the ground or to a ship by a cable. they derive their appellation from the fact that when charged with hydrogen, or some other form of gas, they are lighter than the air which they displace. of these three types the free balloon is by far the oldest and the simplest, but it is entirely at the mercy of the wind and other elements, and cannot be controlled for direction, but must drift whithersoever the wind or air currents take it. on the other hand, the airship, being provided with engines to propel it through the air, and with rudders and elevators to control it for direction and height, can be steered in whatever direction is desired, and voyages can be made from one place to another--always provided that the force of the wind is not sufficiently strong to overcome the power of the engines. the airship is, therefore, nothing else than a dirigible balloon, for the engines and other weights connected with the structure are supported in the air by an envelope or balloon, or a series of such chambers, according to design, filled with hydrogen or gas of some other nature. it is not proposed, in this book, to embark upon a lengthy and highly technical dissertation on aerostatics, although it is an intricate science which must be thoroughly grasped by anyone who wishes to possess a full knowledge of airships and the various problems which occur in their design. certain technical expressions and terms are, however, bound to occur, even in the most rudimentary work on airships, and the main principles underlying airship construction will be described as briefly and as simply as is possible. the term "lift" will appear many times in the following pages, and it is necessary to understand what it really means. the difference between the weight of air displaced and the weight of gas in a balloon or airship is called the "gross lift." the term "disposable," or "nett" lift, is obtained by deducting the weight of the structure, cars, machinery and other fixed weights from the gross lift. the resultant weight obtained by this calculation determines the crew, ballast, fuel and other necessities which can be carried by the balloon or airship. the amount of air displaced by an airship can be accurately weighed, and varies according to barometric pressure and the temperature; but for the purposes of this example we may take it that under normal conditions air weighs lb. per , cubic feet. therefore, if a balloon of , cubic feet volume is charged with air, this air contained will weigh lb. it is then manifest that a balloon filled with air would not lift, because the air is not displaced with a lighter gas. hydrogen is the lightest gas known to science, and is used in airships to displace the air and raise them from the ground. hydrogen weighs about one-fifteenth as much as air, and under normal conditions , cubic feet weighs lb. pursuing our analogy, if we fill our balloon of , cubic feet with hydrogen we find the gross lift is as follows: , cubic feet of air weighs lb. , cubic feet of hydrogen weighs lb. ------ the balance is the gross lift of the balloon lb. it follows, then, that apart from the weight of the structure itself the balloon is lb. lighter than the air it displaces, and provided that it weighs less than lb. it will ascend into the air. as the balloon or airship ascends the density of the air decreases as the height is increased. as an illustration of this the barometer falls, as everyone knows, the higher it is taken, and it is accurate to say that up to an elevation of , feet it falls one inch for every , feet rise. it follows that as the pressure of the air decreases, the volume of the gas contained expands at a corresponding rate. it has been shown that a balloon filled with , feet of hydrogen has a lift of lb. under normal conditions, that is to say, at a barometric pressure of inches. taking the barometric pressure at inches lower, namely , we get the following figures: , cubic feet of air weighs lb. , cubic feet of hydrogen weighs . " --------- . lb. it is therefore seen that the very considerable loss of lift, . lb. per , cubic feet, takes place with the barometric pressure inches lower, from which it may be taken approximately that / of the volume gross lift and weight is lost for every , feet rise. from this example it is obvious that the greater the pressure of the atmosphere, as indicated by the barometer, the greater will be the lift of the airship or balloon. temperature is another factor which must be considered while discussing lift. the volume of gas is affected by temperature, as gases expand or contract about / part for every degree fahrenheit rise or fall in temperature. in the case of the , cubic feet balloon, the air at inches barometric pressure and degrees fahrenheit weighs lb., and the hydrogen weighs lb. at the same pressure, but with the temperature increased to degrees fahrenheit, the air will be expanded and , cubic feet of air will weigh only . lb., while , cubic feet of hydrogen will weigh . lb. the lift being the difference between the weight of the volume of air and the weight of the hydrogen contained in the balloon, it will be seen that with the temperature at degrees fahrenheit the lift is lb. - lb. = lb., while the temperature, having risen to degrees, the lift now becomes . lb. - . lb. = . lb. conversely, with a fall in the temperature the lift is increased. we accordingly find from the foregoing observations that at the start of a voyage the lift of an airship may be expected to be greater when the temperature is colder, and the greater the barometric pressure so will also the lift be greater. to put this into other words, the most favourable conditions for the lift of an airship are when the weather is cold and the barometer is high. it must be mentioned that the air and hydrogen are not subject in the same way to changes of temperature. important variations in lift may occur when the temperature of the gas inside the envelope becomes higher, owing to the action of the sun, than the air which surrounds it. a difference of some degrees fahrenheit may result between the gas and the air temperatures; this renders it highly necessary that the pilot should by able to tell at any moment the relative temperatures of gas and air, as otherwise a false impression will be gained of the lifting capacity of the airship. the lift of an airship is also affected by flying through snow and rain. a considerable amount of moisture can be taken up by the fabric and suspensions of a large airship which, however, may be largely neutralized by the waterproofing of the envelope. snow, as a rule, is brushed off the surface by the passage of the ship through the air, though in the event of its freezing suddenly, while in a melting state, a very considerable addition of weight might be caused. there have been many instances of airships flying through snow, and as far as is known no serious difficulty has been encountered through the adhesion of this substance. the humidity of the air may also cause slight variations in lift, but for rough calculations it may be ignored, as the difference in lift is not likely to amount to more than . lb. per , cubic feet of gas. the purity of hydrogen has an important effect upon the lift of an airship. one of the greatest difficulties to be contended with is maintaining the hydrogen pure in the envelope or gasbags for any length of time. owing to diffusion gas escapes with extraordinary rapidity, and if the fabric used is not absolutely gastight the air finds its way in where the gas has escaped. the maximum purity of gas in an airship never exceeds per cent by volume, and the following example shows how greatly lift can be reduced: under mean atmospheric conditions, which are taken at a temperature of degrees fahrenheit, and the barometer at . inches, the lift of , cubic feet of hydrogen at per cent purity is . lb. under same conditions at per cent purity the lift of , cubic feet of hydrogen is . lb., a resultant loss of . lb. per , cubic feet. the whole of this statement on "lift" can now be condensed into three absolute laws: . lift is directly proportional to barometric pressure. . lift is inversely proportional to absolute temperature. . lift is directly proportional to purity. airship design the design of airships has been developed under three distinct types, the rigid, the semi-rigid, and the non-rigid. the rigid, of which the german zeppelin is the leading example, consists of a framework, or hull composed of aluminium, wood, or other materials from which are suspended the cars, machinery and other weights, and which of itself is sufficiently strong to support its own weight. enclosed within this structure are a number of gas chambers or bags filled with hydrogen, which provide the necessary buoyancy. the hull is completely encased within a fabric outer cover to protect the hull framework and bags from the effects of weather, and also to temper the rays of the sun. the semi-rigid, which has been exploited principally by the italians with their forlanini airships, and in france by lebaudy, has an envelope, in some cases divided into separate compartments, to which is attached close underneath a long girder or keel. this supports the car and other weights and prevents the whole ship from buckling in the event of losing gas. the semi-rigid type has been practically undeveloped in this country. the non-rigid, of which we may now claim to be the leading builders, is of many varieties, and has been developed in several countries. in germany the chief production has been that of major von parseval, and of which one ship was purchased by the navy shortly before the outbreak of war. in the earliest examples of this type the car was slung a long way from the envelope and was supported by wires from all parts. this necessitated a lofty shed for its accommodation as the ship was of great overall height; but this difficulty was overcome by the employment of the elliptical and trajectory bands, and is described in the chapter dealing with no. . a second system is that of the astra-torres. this envelope is trilobe in section, with internal rigging, which enables the car to be slung very close up to the envelope. the inventor of these envelopes was a spaniard, senor torres quevedo, who manufactured them in conjunction with the astra company in paris. this type of envelope has been employed in this country in the coastal, c star, and north sea airships, and has been found on the whole to give good results. it is questionable if an envelope of streamline shape would not be easier to handle, both in the air and on the landing ground, and at present there are partisans of both types. thirdly, there is the streamline envelope with tangential suspensions, which has been adopted for all classes of the s.s. airship, and which has proved for its purpose in every way highly satisfactory. of these three types the rigid has the inherent disadvantage of not being able to be dismantled, if it should become compelled to make a forced landing away from its base. even if it were so fortunate as to escape damage in the actual landing, there is the practical certainty that it would be completely wrecked immediately any increase occurred in the force of the wind. on the other hand, for military purposes, it possesses the advantage of having several gas compartments, and is in consequence less susceptible to damage from shell fire and other causes. both the semi-rigid and the non-rigid have the very great advantage of being easily deflated and packed up. in addition to the valves, these ships have a ripping panel incorporated in the envelope which can easily be torn away and allows the gas to escape with considerable rapidity. innumerable instances have occurred of ships being compelled to land in out-of-the-way places owing to engine failure or other reasons; they have been ripped and deflated and brought back to the station without incurring any but the most trifling damage. experience in the war has proved that for military purposes the large rigid, capable of long hours of endurances and the small non-rigid made thoroughly reliable, are the most valuable types for future development. the larger non-rigids, with the possible exception of the north sea, do not appear to be likely to fulfil any very useful function. airship design introduces so many problems which are not met with in the ordinary theory of structures, that a whole volume could easily be devoted to the subject, and even then much valuable information would have to be omitted from lack of space. it is, therefore, impossible, in only a section of a chapter, to do more than indicate in the briefest manner a few salient features concerning these problems. the suspension of weights from the lightest possible gas compartment must be based on the ordinary principles of calculating the distribution loads as in ships and other structures. in the non-rigid, the envelope being made of flexible fabric has, in itself, no rigidity whatsoever, and its shape must be maintained by the internal pressure kept slightly in excess of the pressure outside. fabric is capable of resisting tension, but is naturally not able to resist compression. if the car was rigged beneath the centre of the envelope with vertical suspensions it would tend to produce compression in the underside of the envelope, owing to the load not being fully distributed. this would cause, in practice, the centre portion of the envelope to sag downwards, while the ends would have a tendency to rise. the principle which has been found to be most satisfactory is to fix the points of suspension distributed over the greatest length of envelope possible proportional to the lift of gas at each section thus formed. from these points the wires are led to the car. if the car is placed close to the envelope it will be seen that the suspensions of necessity lie at a very flat angle and exert a serious longitudinal compression. this must be resisted by a high internal pressure, which demands a stouter fabric for the envelope and, therefore, increased weight. it follows that the tendency of the envelope to deform is decreased as the distance of the car from the gas compartment is increased. one method of overcoming this difficulty is found by using the astra-torres design. as will be seen from the diagram of the north sea airship, the loads are excellently distributed by the several fans of internal rigging, while external head resistance is reduced to a minimum, as the car can be slung close underneath the envelope. moreover, the direct longitudinal compression due to the rigging is applied to a point considerably above the axis of the ship. in a large non-rigid many of these difficulties can be overcome by distributing the weight into separate cars along the envelope itself. we have seen that as an airship rises the gas contained in the envelope expands. if the envelope were hermetically sealed, the higher the ship rose the greater would become the internal pressure, until the envelope finally burst. to avoid this difficulty in a balloon, a valve is provided through which the gas can escape. in a balloon, therefore, which ascends from the ground full, gas is lost throughout its upward journey, and when it comes down again it is partially empty or flabby. this would be an impossible situation in the case of the airship, for she would become unmanageable, owing to the buckling of the envelope and the sagging of the planes. ballonets are therefore fitted to prevent this happening. ballonets are internal balloons or air compartments fitted inside the main envelope, and were originally filled with air by a blower driven either by the main engines or an auxiliary motor. these blowers were a continual source of trouble, and at the present day it has been arranged to collect air from the slip-stream of the propeller through a metal air scoop or blower-pipe and discharge it into an air duct which distributes it to the ballonets. the following example will explain their functions: an airship ascends from the ground full to , feet. the ballonets are empty, and remain so throughout the ascent. by the time the airship reaches , feet it will have lost / th of its volume of gas which will have escaped through the valves. if the ship has a capacity of , cubic feet it will have lost , cubic feet of gas. the airship now commences to descend; as it descends the gas within contracts and air is blown into the ballonets. by the time the ground is reached , cubic feet of air will have been blown into the ballonets and the airship will have retained its shape and not be flabby. on making a second ascent, as the airship rises the air must be let out of the ballonet instead of gas from the envelope, and by the time , feet is reached the ballonets will be empty. to ensure that this is always done the ballonet valves are set to open at less pressure than the gas valves. it therefore follows in the example under consideration that it will not be necessary to lose gas during flight, provided that an ascent is not made over , feet. valves are provided to prevent the pressure in the envelope from exceeding a certain determined maximum and are fitted both to ballonets and the gaschamber. they are automatic in action, and, as we have said, the gas valve is set to blow off at a pressure in excess of that for the air valve. in rigid airships ballonets are not provided for the gasbags, and as a consequence a long flight results in a considerable expenditure of gas. if great heights are required to be reached, it is obvious that the wastage of gas would be enormous, and it is understood that the germans on starting for a raid on england, where the highest altitudes were necessary, commenced the flight with the gasbags only about per cent full. to stabilize the ship in flight, fins or planes are fitted to the after end of the envelope or hull. without the horizontal planes the ship will continually pitch up and down, and without the vertical planes it will be found impossible to keep the ship on a straight course. the planes are composed of a framework covered with fabric and are attached to the envelope by means of stay wires fixed to suitable points, in the case of non-rigid ships skids being employed to prevent the edge of the plane forcing its way through the surface of the fabric. the rudder and elevator flaps in modern practice are hinged to the after edges of the planes. the airship car contains all instruments and controls required for navigating the ship and also provides a housing for the engines. in the early days swivelling propellers were considered a great adjunct, as with their upward and downward thrust they proved of great value in landing. nowadays, owing to greater experience, landing does not possess the same difficulty as in the past, and swivelling propellers have been abandoned except in rigid airships, and even in the later types of these they have been dispensed with. owing to the great range of an airship a thoroughly reliable engine is a paramount necessity. the main requirements are--firstly, that it must be capable of running for long periods without a breakdown; secondly, that it must be so arranged that minor repairs can be effected in the air; and thirdly, that economy of oil and fuel is of far greater importance to an airship than the initial weight of the engine itself. handling and flying of airships the arrangements made for handling airships on the ground and while landing, and also for moving them in the open, provide scope for great ingenuity. an airship when about to land is brought over the aerodrome and is "ballasted up" so that she becomes considerably lighter than the air which she displaces. the handling party needs considerable training, as in gusty weather the safety of the ship depends to a great extent upon its skill in handling her. the ship approaches the handling party head to wind and the trail rope is dropped; it is taken by the handling party and led through a block secured to the ground and the ship is slowly hauled down. when near the ground the handling party seize the guys which are attached to the ship at suitable points, other detachments also support the car or cars, as the case may be, and the ship can then be taken into the shed. in the case of large airships the size of the handling party has to be increased and mechanical traction is also at times employed. as long as the airship is kept head to wind, handling on the ground presents little difficulty; on many occasions, however, unless the shed is revolving, as is the case on certain stations in germany, the wind will be found to be blowing across the entrance to the shed. the ship will then have to be turned, and during this operation, unless great discretion is used, serious trouble may be experienced. many experiments have been and are still being conducted to determine the best method of mooring airships in the open. these will be described and discussed at some length in the chapter devoted to the airship of the future. during flight certain details require attention, and carelessness on the pilot's part, even on the calmest of days, may lead to disaster. the valves and especially the gas valves should be continually tested, as on occasions they have been known to jam, and the loss of gas has not been discovered until the ship had become unduly heavy. pressure should be kept as constant as possible. most airships work up to millimetres as a maximum and millimetres as a minimum flying pressure. during a descent the pressure should be watched continuously, as it may fall so low as to cause the nose to blow in. this will right itself when the speed is reduced or the pressure is raised, but there is always the danger of the envelope becoming punctured by the bow stiffeners when this occurs. housing accommodation for airships, etc. during the early days of the war, when stations were being equipped, the small type of airship was the only one we possessed. the sheds to accommodate them were constructed of wood both for cheapness and speed of construction and erection. these early sheds were all of very similar design, and were composed of trestles with some ordinary form of roof-truss. they were covered externally with corrugated sheeting. the doors have always been a source of difficulty, as they are compelled to open for the full width of the shed and have to stand alone without support. they are fitted with wheels which run on guide rails, and are opened by means of winches and winding gear. the later sheds built to accommodate the rigid airship are of much greater dimensions, and are constructed of steel, but otherwise are of much the same design. the sheds are always constructed with sliding doors at either end, to enable the ship to be taken out of the lee end according to the direction of the wind. it has been the practice in this country to erect windscreens in order to break the force of the wind at the mouth of the shed. these screens are covered with corrugated sheeting, but it is a debatable point as to whether the comparative shelter found at the actual opening of the shed is compensated for by the eddies and air currents which are found between the screens themselves. experiments have been carried out to reduce these disturbances, in some cases by removing alternate bays of the sheeting and in other cases by substituting expanded metal for the original corrugated sheets. it must be acknowledged that where this has been done, the airships have been found easier to handle. at the outbreak of war, with the exception of a silicol plant at kingsnorth, now of obsolete type, and a small electrolytic plant at farnborough, there was no facility for the production of hydrogen in this country for the airship service. when the new stations were being equipped, small portable silicol plants were supplied capable of a small output of hydrogen. these were replaced at a later date by larger plants of a fixed type, and a permanent gas plant, complete with gasholders and high pressure storage tanks was erected at each station, the capacity being , or , cubic feet per hour according to the needs of the station. with the development of the rigid building programme, and the consequent large requirements of gas, it was necessary to reconsider the whole hydrogen situation, and after preliminary experimental work it was decided to adopt the water gas contact process, and plants of this kind with a large capacity of production were erected at most of the larger stations. at others electrolytic plants were put down. hydrogen was also found to be the bye-product of certain industries, and considerable supplies were obtained from commercial firms, the hydrogen being compressed into steel cylinders and dispatched to the various stations. before concluding this chapter, certain words must be written on parachutes. a considerable controversy raged in the press and elsewhere a few months before the cessation of hostilities on the subject of equipping the aeroplane with parachutes as a life-saving device. in the airship service this had been done for two years. the best type of parachute available was selected, and these were fitted according to circumstances in each type of ship. the usual method is to insert the parachute, properly folded for use, in a containing case which is fastened either in the car or on the side of the envelope as is most convenient. in a small ship the crew are all the time attached to their parachutes and in the event of the ship catching fire have only to jump overboard and possess an excellent chance of being saved. in rigid airships where members of the crew have to move from one end of the ship to the other, the harness is worn and parachutes are disposed in the keel and cars as are lifebuoys in seagoing vessels. should an emergency arise, the nearest parachute can be attached to the harness by means of a spring hook, which is the work of a second, and a descent can be made. it is worthy of note that there has never been a fatal accident or any case of a parachute failing to open properly with a man attached. the material embodied in this chapter, brief and inadequate as it is, should enable the process of the development of the airship to be easily followed. much has been omitted that ought by right to have been included, but, on the other hand, intricate calculations are apt to be tedious except to mathematicians, and these have been avoided as far as possible in the following pages. chapter ii early airships and their development to the present day the science of ballooning had reached quite an advanced stage by the middle of the eighteenth century, but the construction of an airship was at that time beyond the range of possibility. discussions had taken place at various times as to the practicability of rendering a balloon navigable, but no attempts had been made to put these points of argument to a practical test. airship history may be said to date from january th, . on that day brisson, a member of the academy in paris, read before that society a paper on airships and the methods to be utilized in propelling them. he stated that the balloon, or envelope as it is now called, must be cylindrical in shape with conical ends, the ratio of diameter to length should be one to five or one to six and that the smallest cross-sectional area should face the wind. he proposed that the method of propulsion should be by oars, although he appeared to be by no means sanguine if human strength would be sufficient to move them. finally, he referred to the use of different currents of the atmosphere lying one above the other. this paper caused a great amount of interest to be taken in aeronautics, with the result that various frenchmen turned their attention to airship design and production. to france must be due the acknowledgment that she was the pioneer in airship construction and to her belongs the chief credit for early experiments. at a later date germany entered the lists and tackled the problems presented with that thoroughness so characteristic of the nation. it is just twenty-one years ago since count zeppelin, regardless of public ridicule, commenced building his rigid airships, and in that time such enormous strides were made that germany, at the outbreak of the war, was ahead of any other country in building the large airship. in italy joined the pioneers, and as regards the semi-rigid is in that type still pre-eminent. great britain, it is rather sad to say, adopted the policy of "wait and see," and, with the exception of a few small ships described in the two succeeding chapters, had produced nothing worthy of mention before the outbreak of the great european war. she then bestirred herself, and we shall see later that she has produced the largest fleet of airships built by any country and, while pre-eminent with the non-rigid, is seriously challenging germany for the right to say that she has now built the finest rigid airship. france to revert to early history, in the same year in which brisson read his paper before the academy, the duke of chartres gave the order for an airship to the brothers robert, who were mechanics in paris. this ship was shaped like a fish, on the supposition that an airship would swim through the air like a fish through water. the gas-chamber was provided with a double envelope, in order that it might travel for a long distance without loss of gas. the airship was built in st. cloud park; in length it was feet with a diameter of feet, and was ellipsoidal in shape with a capacity of , cubic feet. oars were provided to propel it through the air, experiments having proved that with two oars of six feet diameter a back pressure of lb. was obtained and with four oars lb. on july th in the same year the first ascent was made from st. cloud. the passengers were the duke of chartres, the two brothers robert and colin-hulin. no valves having been fitted, there was no outlet for the expansion of gas and the envelope was on the point of bursting, when the duke of chartres, with great presence of mind, seized a pole and forced an opening through both the envelopes. the ship descended in the park of meudon. on september th the airship made a second ascent with the same passengers as before, with the exception of the duke. according to the report of the brothers robert, they succeeded in completing an ellipse and then travelled further in the direction of the wind without using the oars or steering arrangements. they then deviated their course somewhat by the use of these implements and landed at bethune, about miles distant from paris. in those days it was considered possible that a balloon could be rendered navigable by oars, wings, millwheels, etc., and it was not until the last decades of the nineteenth century, when light and powerful motors had been constructed, that the problem became really practical of solution. during the nineteenth century several airships were built in france and innumerable experiments were carried out, but the vessels produced were of little real value except in so far as they stimulated their designers to make further efforts. two of these only will be mentioned, and that because the illustrations show how totally different they were from the airship of to-day. in the compte de lennox built an airship of , cubic feet capacity. it was cylindrical in form with conical ends, and is of interest because a small balloon or ballonet, , cubic feet contents, was placed inside the larger one for an air filling. a car feet in length was rigged beneath the envelope by means of ropes eighteen inches long. above the car the envelope was provided with a long air cushion in connection with a valve. the intention was by compression of the air in the cushion and the inner balloon, to alter the height of the airship, in order to travel with the most favourable air currents. the motive power was oar propellers worked by men. this airship proved to be too heavy on completion to lift its own weight, and was destroyed by the onlookers. the next airship, the dupuy de lome, is of interest because the experiments were carried out at the cost of the state by the french government. this ship consisted of a spindle-shaped balloon with a length of feet, diameter of / feet and a volume of , cubic feet. an inner air balloon of , cubic feet volume was contained in the envelope. the method of suspension was by means of diagonal ropes with a net covering. a rudder in the form of a triangular sail was fitted beneath the envelope and at the after part of the ship. the motive power was double-winged screws feet inches diameter, to be worked by four to eight men. on her trials the ship became practically a free balloon, an independent velocity of about six miles per hour being achieved and deviation from the direction of the wind of ten degrees. at the close of the nineteenth century santos-dumont turned his attention to airships. the experiments which he carried out marked a new epoch and there arose the nucleus of the airship as we know it to-day. between the years and he had in all built fourteen airships, and they were continually improved as each succeeding one made its appearance. in the last one he made a circular flight; starting from the aerodrome of the aero club, he flew round the eiffel tower and back to the starting point in thirty-one minutes on october th, . for this feat the deutsch prize was awarded to him. the envelopes he used were in design much nearer approach to a streamline form than those previously adopted, but tapered to an extremely fine point both at the both and stem. for rigging he employed a long nacelle, in the centre of which was supported the car, and unusually long suspensions distributed the weight throughout practically the entire length of the envelope. to the name of santos-dumont much credit is due. he may be regarded as the originator of the airship for pleasure purposes, and by his success did much to popularize them. he also was responsible to a large extent for the development and expansion of the airship industry in paris. at a little later date, in to be precise, the lebaudy brothers, in conjunction with julliot, an engineer, and surcoup, an aeronaut, commenced building an airship of a new type. this ship was a semirigid and was of a new shape, the envelope resembling in external appearance a cigar. in length it was feet with a diameter of feet and the total capacity was , cubic feet. this envelope was attached to a rigid elliptical keel-shaped girder made of steel tubes, which was about a third of the length of the ship. the girder was covered with a shirting and intended to prevent the ship pitching and rolling while in flight. a horizontal rudder was attached to the under side of this girder, while right aft a large vertical rudder was fixed. a small car was suspended by steel rods at a distance of feet inches from the girder, with a framework built up underneath to absorb the shock on landing. a horse-power daimler-mercedes motor, weighing some lb. without cooling water and fuel, drove two twin-bladed propellers on either side of the car. in the year a number of experimental flights were made with this ship and various details in the construction were continually introduced. the longest flight was hours minutes. towards the end of that year, while a voyage was being made from paris to chalais meudon, the airship came in contact with a tree and the envelope was badly torn. in the following year it was rebuilt, and the volume was slightly increased with fixed and movable planes added to increase the stability. after several trips had been made, the airship again on landing came in contact with a tree and was burst. the ship was rebuilt and after carrying out trials was purchased by the french army. the lebaudy airship had at that time been a distinct success, and in one was purchased for the british government by the readers of the morning post. in the ten-ton lebaudy the length of the keel framework was greatly extended, and ran for very nearly the full length of the envelope. the disadvantage of this ship was its slowness, considering its size and power, and was due to the enormous resistance offered by the framework and rigging. airships known as the "clement-bayard" were also built about this time. they were manufactured by the astra company in conjunction with monsieur clement, a motor engineer. in later days vessels were built by the astra company of the peculiar design introduced by senor torres. these ships, some of which were of considerable size, were highly successful, and we became purchasers at a later date of several. the zodiac company also constructed a number of small ships which were utilized during the war for anti-submarine patrol. it cannot be said, however, that the french have fulfilled their early promise as airship designers, the chief reason for this being that the airship is peculiarly suitable for work at sea and the french relied on us to maintain the commerce routes on the high seas and concentrated their main efforts on defeating the germans in the field, in which as all the world acknowledges they were singularly successful and hold us under an eternal obligation. germany the progress and development of the airship in germany must now be considered; it will be seen that, although the production of satisfactory ships was in very few hands, considerable success attended their efforts in the early days of the twentieth century. in , leppig built an airship at the cost of the state at woronzowo in russia. this was of the shape of a fish with a rigid framework beginning at the height of the longitudinal axis. the lower keel-shaped part of the same formed the car. two fans were attached to the sides and a tail piece was provided behind to act as a rudder. the ship was inflated, but structural damage occurred during this operation and rendered it incapable of flight. in , georg rebenstein, of nurnburg, was considering the use of the fall of inclined planes to obtain horizontal motion. nothing of importance was produced until a much later date, when in m. wolf constructed an envelope of , cubic feet. an engine and propeller were fixed in a triangular framework in front of the airship, supported by the steam pipe of a steam engine fixed under the body of the envelope. the framework lacked rigidity, and the envelope tore during inflation and the airship failed to ascend. in the following year dr. woelfert, of berlin, produced a cigar-shaped envelope, to which was attached rigidly a long bamboo framework containing the car. an horse-power benzine daimler motor drove a twin-bladed aluminium propeller, and another propeller for vertical movement was provided beneath the car. four trial flights were attempted, but on each occasion the motor gave unsatisfactory results, and woelfert sought to improve it with a benzine vaporizer of his own pattern. this improvement was not a success, as during the last flight an explosion took place and both woelfert and an aeronaut named knabe, who was accompanying him, were killed. in , major von parseval experimented, in berlin, with a non-rigid type of airship. his first ship had a volume of , cubic feet, but owing to his system of suspensions, the car hung feet inches below the envelope. a daimler engine was used, driving a four-bladed propeller. owing to the great overall height of this ship, experiments were made to determine a system of rigging, enabling the car to be slung closer to the envelope, and in later types the elliptical rigging girdle was adopted. his later ships were of large dimensions and proved very satisfactory. about the same time major gross also built airships for the german aeronautical battalion. it is, however, the rigid airship that has made germany famous, and we must now glance at the evolution of these ships with which we became so familiar during the war. the first rigid airship bearing any resemblance to those of the present day was designed by david schwartz, and was built in st. petersburg in . it was composed of aluminium plates riveted to an aluminium framework. on inflation, the frame-work collapsed and the ship was unusable. in he designed a second rigid airship, which was built in berlin by messrs. weisspfennig and watzesch. the hull framework was composed of aluminium and was feet long, elliptical in cross section, giving a volume of , cubic feet. it was pointed in front and rounded off aft. the car, also constructed of the same material, was rigidly attached to the hull by a lattice framework, and the whole hull structure was covered in with aluminium sheeting. a horse-power daimler benzine motor was installed in the car, driving through the medium of a belt twin aluminium screw propellers; no rudders were supplied, the steering being arranged by means of a steering screw placed centrally to the ship above the top of the car. inflation took place at the end of by a method of pressing out air-filled fabric cells which were previously introduced into the hull. this operation took three and a half hours. on the day of the first flight trials there was a fresh wind of about miles per hour. the airship ascended into the air, but, apparently, could make little headway against the wind. during the trip the driving-belt became disengaged from the propellers and the ship drifted at the mercy of the wind, but sustained little damage on landing. after being deflated, the hull began to break up under the pressure of the wind and was completely destroyed by the vandalism of the spectators. in graf f. von zeppelin, inspired by the example of schwartz, and assisted by the engineers kober and kubler, conceived the idea of constructing a rigid airship of considerable dimensions. for this purpose a floating shed was built on lake constance, near to friedrichshafen. the hull was built of aluminium lattice-work girders, and had the form of a prism of twenty-four surfaces with arch-shaped ends. in length it was feet, with a diameter of feet inches, and its capacity was , cubic feet. the longitudinal framework was divided by a series of rings, called transverse frames, into seventeen compartments containing fabric gasbags. the transverse frames were fitted with steel wire bracings, both radial and chord, and to strengthen the whole a triangular aluminium keel of lattice work was used. a vertical and horizontal rudder were fitted to the forward portion of the ship, and aft another vertical rudder. the whole exterior of the ship was fitted with a fabric outer cover. two aluminium cars, each about feet long, were rigidly attached to the framework of the hull. each car was furnished with a horse-power daimler engine, driving two four-bladed screw propellers of aluminium sheeting. these propellers were situated on the side of the hull at the centre of resistance. the transmission was supplied by steel tubes with universal cross joints through the medium of bevel gears. reversible driving arrangements were installed in the cars in order that the ship could be driven backwards and forwards. electric bells, telegraphs, and speaking tubes were also fitted, and it can be seen that for general arrangements this airship was a long way ahead of any built at that date. the first flight was made on july nd, . the ship attained a speed of per hour, and the numerous technical details stood the tests well. the stability was considered sufficient, and the height of flight could be altered by the horizontal rudder. the landing on the water was accomplished without difficulty, and could be regarded as free from danger. the faults requiring remedy were, firstly, the upper cross stays, which buckled in flight owing to insufficient strength for the length of the hull; secondly, the gasbags were not sufficiently gastight and, thirdly, the power of the engines were not sufficient for such a heavy ship. this airship was broken up in . in the second ship of the series was completed. she was of nearly the same size as the previous ship, but the workmanship was much superior. increased engine-power was also supplied, as in this instance two horse-power mercedes engines were fitted. this ship was destroyed by a storm while landing during the next year. the third ship, which was completed in , was the first zeppelin airship acquired by the government, and lasted for a considerable time, being rebuilt twice, first in and again in . she was slightly larger than the previous two. the building was continued, and up to the outbreak of war no fewer than twenty-five had been completed. it is impossible, in the space at our disposal, to trace the career of all of them. several came to an untimely end, but as the years went by each succeeding ship proved more efficient, and the first ship which was delivered to the navy performed the notable flight of thirty-one hours. to revert, for a moment, once more to the earlier ships--the fourth was wrecked and burned at echterdingen in the same year in which she was completed. the fifth, which was the second military airship, was fitted with two horse-power engines and also came to a tragic end, being destroyed by wind at weilberg in , and the following ship was burnt at baden in the same year. the seventh ship was the first passenger airship of the series, and was known as the deutschland. by this time the capacity had increased to , cubic feet, and she was propelled by three horse-power engines. she also fell a victim to the wind, and was wrecked in the teutoberg forest in ; and yet another was destroyed in the following year at dusseldorf. the tenth ship to be completed was the passenger ship schwaben; her capacity was , cubic feet, and she had three horse-power engines. this ship carried out her first flight in june, , and was followed four months later by the victoria luise. the fourth passenger airship was known as the hansa. these three ships were all in commission at the outbreak of war. the first naval airship, l , mentioned above, was larger than any of these. the total length was feet, diameter feet, and cubic contents , cubic feet. her hull framework in section formed a regular polygon of seventeen sides, and was built up of triangular aluminium girders. the gasbags were eighteen in number. this ship was fitted with three horse-power maybach engines, which were disposed as follows--one in the forward car, driving two two-bladed propellers; two in the after car, each driving a single four-bladed propeller. for steering purposes she had six vertical and eight horizontal planes. the total lift was tons, with a disposable lift of tons. her speed was about miles per hour, and she could carry fuel for about hours. her normal crew consisted of fourteen persons, including officers. it will probably be remembered that the military zeppelin z iii was compelled to make a forced landing in france. this ship was of similar construction to l , but of smaller volume, her capacity being , cubic feet. a trial flight was being carried out, and while above the clouds the crew lost their bearings. descending they saw some french troops and rose again immediately. after flying for four hours they thought they must be safely over the frontier and, running short of petrol, made a landing--not knowing that they were still in france until too late. the airship was taken over by the french authorities. until the year the zeppelin may be considered to have passed through three stages of design. of the twenty-five ships constructed before the war, twenty-four were of the first type and one of the second. each type possessed certain salient features, which, for simplicity, will be set out in the form of a tabulated statement, and may be useful for comparison when our own rigid airships are reviewed. stage . long parallel portion of hull with bluff nose and tail. external keel with walking way. box rudders and elevators. two cars. four wing propellers. stage . long parallel portion of hull with bluff nose, tail portion finer than in stage i internal keel walking way. box rudders and elevators. three cars, foremost for control only. four wing propellers. stage . shorter parallel portion of hull framework, bluff nose and tapering tail. internal keel walking way. balanced monoplane rudders and elevators. three cars, foremost for control only. two foremost cars close together and connected by a canvas joint to look like one car. four engines and four propellers. one engine in forward car driving pusher propeller. three engines in after car driving two wing and one pusher propeller. to the second stage belongs naval airship l , which was destroyed by fire a month after completion in . in a fourth stage made its appearance, of which the first ship was l , completed in may, and to which the ill-fated l belonged. this type is known as the super-zeppelin, and has been developed through various stage until l , the latest product before the armistice. in this stage the following are its main features: stage . short parallel portion of hull, long rounded bow and long tapering stern. in all respects a good streamline shape. internal keel walking way. balanced monoplane rudders and elevators. five cars. two forward (combined as in stage ), one aft, and two amidships abreast. six engines and six propellers. the after one of the forecar and the sidecars each contain one engine driving direct a pusher propeller. the after car contains three engines, two of which drive two wing propellers; the third, placed aft, drives direct a pusher propeller. in this stage the type of girders was greatly altered. a company known as the schutte-lanz company was also responsible for the production of rigid airships. they introduced a design, which was a distinct departure from zeppelin or anyone else. the hull framework was composed of wood, the girders being built up of wooden sections. the shape of these ships was much more of a true streamline than had been the zeppelin practice, and it was on this model that the shape of the super-zeppelin was based. these ships proved of use and took part in raids on this country, but the company was taken over by the government and the personnel was amalgamated with that engaged on zeppelin construction during the war. italy in , italy, stimulated by the progress made by other continental nations, commenced experimental work. three types were considered for a commencement, the p type or piccolo was the first effort, then followed the m type, which signifies "medium sized," and also the semirigid forlanini. in the forlanini type the envelope is divided into several compartments with an internal rigid keel and to-day these ships are of considerable size, the most modern being over , cubic feet capacity. during the war, italian airships were developed on entirely dissimilar lines to those in other countries. both we and our allies, and to a great extent the germans, employed airships exclusively for naval operations; on the other hand, the italian ships were utilized for bombing raids in conjunction with military evolutions. for this reason height was of primary importance and speed was quite a secondary consideration, owing to the low velocity of prevailing winds in that country. flights were never of long duration compared with those carried out by our airships. height was always of the utmost importance, as the italian ships were used for bombing enemy towns and must evade hostile gunfire. for this reason weight was saved in every possible manner, to increase the height of the "ceiling." in addition to the types already mentioned, three other varieties have been constructed since the war--the usuelli d.e. type and g class. the g class was a rigid design which has not been proceeded with, and, with this single exception, all are of a semirigid type in which an essentially non-rigid envelope is reinforced by a metal keel. in the forlanini and usuelli types the keel is completely rigid and assists in maintaining the shape of the envelopes, and in the forlanini is enclosed within the envelope. in the other types the keel is in reality a chain of rigid links similar to that of a bicycle. the form of the envelope is maintained by the internal pressure and not by the keel, but the resistance of the latter to compression enables a lower pressure to be maintained than would be possible in a purely non-rigid ship. the m type ship is of considerable size, the p smaller, while the d.e. is a small ship comparable to our own s.s. design. the review of these three countries brings the early history of airships to a conclusion. little of importance was done elsewhere before the war, though baldwin's airship is perhaps worthy of mention. it was built in america in by charles baldwin for the american government. the capacity of the envelope was , cubic feet, she carried a crew of two, and her speed was miles per hour. she carried out her trial flight in august, , and was accepted by the american military authorities. during the war both the naval and military authorities became greatly interested in airships, and purchased several from the french and english. in addition to this a ship in design closely resembling the s.s. was built in america, but suffered from the same lack of experience which we did in the early days of airship construction. we must now see what had been happening in this country in those fateful years before the bombshell of war exploded in our midst. chapter iii british airships built by private firms it has been shown in the previous chapter that the development of the airship had been practically neglected in england prior to the twentieth century. ballooning had been carried out both as a form of sport and also by the showman as a saturday afternoon's sensational entertainment, with a parachute descent as the piece de resistance. the experiments in adapting the balloon into the dirigible had, however, been left to the pioneers on the continent. partridge's airship it appears that in the nineteenth century only one airship was constructed in this country, which proved to be capable of ascending into the air and being propelled by its own machinery. this airship made its appearance in the year , and was built to the designs of a man named partridge. very little information is available concerning this ship. the envelope was cylindrical in shape, tapering at each end, and was composed of a light rigid framework covered with fabric. the envelope itself was covered with a light wire net, from which the car was suspended. the envelope contained a single ballonet for regulating the pressure of the gas. planes, which in design more nearly resembled sails, were used for steering purposes. in the car, at the after end, were fitted three propellers which were driven by compressed air. several trips of short duration were carried out in this airship, but steering was never successfully accomplished owing to difficulties encountered with the planes, and, except in weather of the calmest description, she may be said to have been practically uncontrollable. hugh bell's airship in the same year, , bell's airship was constructed. the envelope of this ship was also cylindrical in shape, tapering at each end to a point, the length of which was feet and the diameter feet inches. a keel composed of metal tubes was attached to the underside of the envelope from which the car was suspended. on either side of the car screw propellers were fitted to be worked by hand. a rudder was attached behind the car. it was arranged that trials should be carried out in the vauxhall gardens in london, but these proved fruitless. barton's airship in the closing years of the nineteenth century appeared the forerunners of airships as they are to-day, and interest was aroused in this country by the performances of the ships designed by santos-dumont and count zeppelin. from now onwards we find various british firms turning their attention to the conquest of the air. in dr. barton commenced the construction of a large non-rigid airship. the envelope was feet long with a height of feet and a capacity of , cubic feet; it was cylindrical in shape, tapering to a point at each end. beneath the whole length of the cylindrical portion was suspended a bamboo framework which served as a car for the crew, and a housing for the motors supplying the motive power of the ship. this framework was suspended from the envelope by means of steel cables. installed in the car were two horse-power buchet engines which were mounted at the forward and after ends of the framework. the propellers in themselves were of singular design, as they consisted of three pairs of blades mounted one behind the other. the were situated on each side of the car, two forward and two aft. the drive also include large friction clutches, and each engine was under separate control. to enable the ship to be trimmed horizontally, water tanks were fitted at either end of the framework, the water being transferred from one to the other as was found necessary. a series of planes was mounted at intervals along the framework to control the elevation of the ship. this ship was completed in and was tried at the alexandra palace in the july of that year. she, unfortunately, did not come up to expectations, owing to the difficulty in controlling her, and during the trial flight she drifted away and was destroyed in landing. willows no. from the year until the outbreak of war messrs. willows & co. were engaged on the construction of airships of a small type, and considerable success attended their efforts. each succeeding ship was an improvement on its predecessor, and flights were made which, in their day, created a considerable amount of interest. in their first ship was completed. this was a very small non-rigid of only , cubic feet capacity. the envelope was made of japanese silk, cylindrical in shape, with rather blunt conical ends. a long nacelle or framework, triangular in section and built up of light steel tubes, was suspended beneath the envelope by means of diagonally crossed suspensions. a horse-power peugeot engine was fitted at the after end of the nacelle which drove a -feet diameter propeller. in front were a pair of swivelling tractor screws for steering the ship in the vertical and horizontal plane. no elevators or rudders were fixed to the ship. willows no. the second ship was practically a semi-rigid. the envelope was over twice the capacity of the earlier ship, being of , cubic feet capacity. this envelope was attached to a keel of bamboo and steel, from which was suspended by steel cables a small car. at the after end of the keel was mounted a small rudder for the horizontal steering. for steering in the vertical plane two propellers were mounted on each side of the car, swivelling to give an upward or downward thrust. a horse-power j.a.p. engine was fitted in this case. several successful flights were carried out by this ship, of which the most noteworthy was from cardiff to london. willows no. no. , having been rebuilt and both enlarged and improved, became known as no. . the capacity of the envelope, which was composed of rubber and cotton, was increased to , cubic feet, and contained two ballonets. the gross lift amounted to about half a ton. as before, a horse-power j.a.p. engine was installed, driving the swivelling propellers. these propellers were two-bladed with a diameter of feet. the maximum speed was supposed to be miles per hour, but it is questionable if this was ever attained. this ship flew from london to paris, and was the first british-built airship to fly across the channel. willows no. the fourth ship constructed by this firm was completed in , and was slightly smaller than the two preceding ships. the capacity of the envelope in this instance was reduced to , cubic feet, but was a much better shape, having a diameter of feet, which was gradually tapered towards the stern. a different material was also used, varnished silk being tried as an experiment. the envelope was attached to a keel on which was mounted the engine, a horse-power anzani, driving two swivelling four-bladed propellers. from the keel was suspended a torpedo-shaped boat car in which a crew of two was accommodated. originally a vertical fin and rudder were mounted at the stern end of the keel, but these were later replaced by fins on the stern of the envelope. this ship was purchased by the naval authorities, and after purchase was more or less reconstructed, but carried out little flying. at the outbreak of war she was lying deflated in the shed at farnborough. as will be seen later, this was the envelope which was rigged to the original experimental s.s. airship in the early days of , and is for this reason, if for no other, particularly interesting. willows no. this ship was of similar design, but of greater capacity. the envelope, which was composed of rubber-proofed fabric, gave a volume of , cubic feet, and contained two ballonets. a horsepower engine drove two swivelling propellers at an estimated speed of miles per hour. she was constructed at hendon, from where she made several short trips. marshall fox's airship in the early days of the war an airship was constructed by mr. marshall fox which is worthy of mention, although it never flew. it was claimed that this ship was a rigid airship, although from its construction it could only be looked upon as a non-rigid ship, having a wooden net-work around its envelope. the hull was composed of wooden transverse frames forming a polygon of sixteen sides, with radial wiring fitted to each transverse frame. the longitudinal members were spiral in form and were built up of three-ply lathes. a keel of similar construction ran along the under side of the hull which carried the control position and compartments for two green engines, one of horse-power, the other of horse-power, together with the petrol, bombs, etc. in the hull were fitted fourteen gasbags giving a total capacity of , cubic feet. the propeller drive was obtained by means of a wire rope. the gross lift of the ship was , lb., and the weight of the structure, complete with engines, exceeded this. it became apparent that the ship could never fly, and work was suspended. she was afterwards used for carrying out certain experiments and at a later date was broken up. apart from the various airships built under contract for the government there do not appear to be any other ships built by private firms which were completed and actually flew. it is impossible to view this lack of enterprise with any other feelings than those of regret, and it was entirely due to this want of foresight that great britain entered upon the world war worse equipped, as regards airships, than the central empires or any of the greater allied powers. chapter iv british army airships the french and german military authorities began to consider airships as an arm of the service in the closing years of the nineteenth century, and devoted both time and considerable sums of money in the attempt to bring them to perfection. their appearance in the british army was delayed for many years on account of the expense that would be incurred in carrying out experiments. in , colonel templer, at that time head of the balloon section, obtained the necessary sanction to commence experiments, and two envelopes of gold-beaters skin of , cubic feet capacity were built. with their completion the funds were exhausted, and nothing further done until . nulli secundus i in the first complete military airship in england was built, which bore the grandiloquent title of nulli secundus. one of the envelopes constructed by colonel templer was used: it was cylindrical in shape with spherical ends. suspended beneath the envelope by means of a net and four broad silk bands was a triangular steel framework or keel from which was slung a small car. a horsepower antoinette engine was situated in the forward part of the car which drove two metal-bladed propellers by belts. at the after part of the keel were fitted a rudder and small elevators, and two pairs of movable horizontal planes were also fitted forward. it is remarkable that no stabilizing surfaces whatsoever were mounted. the envelope was so exceedingly strong that a high pressure of gas could be sustained, and ballonets were considered unnecessary, but relief valves were employed. the first flight took place in september and was fairly successful. several were made afterwards, and in october she was flown over london and landed at the crystal palace. the flight lasted hours and minutes, which constituted at the time a world's record. three days later, owing to heavy winds, the ship had to be deflated and was taken back to farnborough. nulli secundus ii in the old ship was rebuilt with several modifications. the envelope was increased in length and was united to the keel by means of a covering of silk fabric in place of the net, four suspension bands being again used. a large bow elevator was mounted which made the ship rather unstable. a few flights were accomplished, but the ship proved of little value and was broken up. baby this little airship made its first appearance in the spring of . the envelope was fish-shaped and composed of gold-beater's skin, with a volume of , cubic feet. one ballonet was contained in the envelope which, at first, had three inflated fins to act as stabilizers. these proved unsatisfactory as they lacked rigidity, and were replaced after the first inflation by the ordinary type. two horse-power -cylinder berliet engines were mounted in a long car driving a simple propeller, and at a later date were substituted by a r.e.p. engine which proved most unsatisfactory. during the autumn permission was obtained to enlarge the envelope and fit a more powerful engine. beta beta was completed in may, . the envelope was that of the baby enlarged, and now had a volume of , cubic feet. the car was composed of a long frame, having a centre compartment for the crew and engines, which was the standard practice at that time for ships designed by the astra company. a horse-power green engine drove two wooden two-bladed propellers by chains. the ship was fitted with an unbalanced rudder, while the elevators were in the front of the frame. this ship was successful, and in june flew to london and back, and in september took part in the army manoeuvres, on one occasion being in the air for / hours without landing, carrying a crew of three. trouble was experienced in the steering, the elevators being situated too near the centre of the ship to be really efficient and were altogether too small. in , beta, having been employed regularly during the previous year, was provided with a new car having a clerget engine of horse-power. in she was inflated for over three months and made innumerable flights, on one occasion carrying h.r.h. the prince of wales as passenger. she had at that time a maximum speed of miles per hour, and could carry fuel for about eight hours with a crew of three. gamma in the gamma was also completed. this was a much bigger ship with an envelope of , cubic feet capacity, which, though designed in england, had been built by the astra company in paris. the car, as in beta, was carried in a long framework suspended from the envelope. this portion of the ship was manufactured in england, together with the machinery. this consisted of an horse-power green engine driving swivelling propellers, the gears and shafts of which were made by rolls royce. the engine drove the propeller shafts direct, one from each end of the crankshaft. originally the envelope was fitted with inflated streamline stabilizers on either side, but at a later date these were replaced by fixed stabilizing planes. at the same time the green engine was removed and two iris engines of horse-power were installed, each driving a single propeller. there were two pairs of elevators, each situated in the framework, one forward, the other aft. in , having been rigged to a new envelope of , cubic feet capacity, the ship took part in the autumn manoeuvres, and considerable use was made of wireless telegraphy. in a height reconnaissance the pilot lost his way, and running out of petrol drifted all night, but was safely landed. when returning to farnborough the rudder controls were broken and the ship was ripped. in this operation the framework was considerably damaged. when repairs were being carried out the elevators were removed from the car framework and attached to the stabilizing fins in accordance with the method in use to-day. clement-bayard in it was arranged by a committee of members of parliament that the clement-bayard firm should send over to england a large airship on approval, with a view to its ultimate purchase by the war office, and a shed was erected at wormwood scrubs for its accommodation. this ship arrived safely in october, but was very slow and difficult to control. the envelope, moreover, was of exceedingly poor quality and consumed so much gas that it was decided to deflate it. she was taken to pieces and never rebuilt. lebaudy about the same time, interest having been aroused in this country by the success of airships on the continent, the readers of the morning post subscribed a large sum to purchase an airship for presentation to the government. this was a large ship of , cubic feet capacity and was of semi-rigid design, a long framework being suspended from the envelope which supported the weight of the car. it had two engines of horse-power which developed a speed of about miles per hour. the war office built a shed at farnborough to house it, and in accordance with dimensions given by the firm a clearance of feet was allowed between the top of the ship and the roof of the shed. inconceivable as it may sound, the overall height of the ship was increased by practically feet without the war office being informed. the ship flew over and was landed safely, but on being taken into the shed the envelope caught on the roof girders, owing to lack of headroom, and was ripped from end to end. the government agreed to increase the height of the shed and the firm to rebuild the ship. this was completed in march, , and the ship was inflated again. on carrying out a trial flight, having made several circuits at feet, she attempted to land, but collided with a house and was completely wrecked. this was the end of a most unfortunate ship, and her loss was not regretted. delta towards the end of the design was commenced of the ship to be known as the delta, and in the work was put in hand. the first envelope was made of waterproofed silk. this proved a failure, as whenever the envelope was put up to pressure it invariably burst. experiments were continued, but no good resulting, the idea was abandoned and a rubber-proofed fabric envelope was constructed of , cubic feet volume. this ship was inflated in . the first idea was to make the ship a semi-rigid by lacing two flat girders to the sides of the envelope to take the weight of the car. this idea had to be abandoned, as in practice, when the weight of the car was applied, the girders buckled. the ship was then rigged as a non-rigid. a novelty was introduced by attaching a rudder flap to the top stabilizing fin, but as it worked somewhat stiffly it was later on removed. this ship took part in the manoeuvres of and carried out several flights. she proved to be exceedingly fast, being capable of a speed of miles per hour. in she was completely re-rigged and exhibited at the aero show, but the re-designed rigging revealed various faults and it was not until late in the year that she carried out her flight trials. two rather interesting experiments were made during these flights. in one a parachute descent was successfully accomplished; and in another the equivalent weight of a man was picked up from the ground without assistance or landing the ship. eta the eta was somewhat smaller than the delta, containing only , cubic feet of hydrogen, and was first inflated in . the envelope was composed of rubber-proofed fabric and a long tapering car was suspended, this being in the nature of a compromise between the short car of the, delta and the long framework gear of the gamma. her engines were two horse-power canton-unne, each driving one propeller by a chain. this ship proved to be a good design and completed an eight-hour trial flight in september. on her fourth trial she succeeded in towing the disabled naval airship no. a distance of fifteen miles. her speed was miles per hour, and she could carry a crew of five with fuel for ten hours. on january st, , the army disbanded their airship section, and the airships beta, gamma, delta and eta were handed over to the navy together with a number of officers and men. chapter v early days of the naval airship section--parseval airships, astra-torres type, etc. the rapid development of the rigid airships in germany began to create a considerable amount of interest in official circles. it was realized that those large airships in the future would be invaluable to a fleet for scouting purposes. it was manifest that our fleet, in the event of war, would be gravely handicapped by the absence of such aerial scouts, and that germany would hold an enormous advantage if her fleet went to sea preceded by a squadron of zeppelin airships. the imperial committee, therefore, decided that the development of the rigid airship should be allotted to the navy, and a design for rigid airship no. was prepared by messrs. vickers in conjunction with certain naval officers in the early part of . as will be seen later this ship was completed in , but broke in two in september of that year and nothing more was done with her. in february, , the construction of rigid airships was discontinued, and in march the naval airship section was disbanded. in september, , the naval airship section was once more reconstituted and was stationed at farnborough. the first requirements were airships, and owing to the fact that airship construction was so behindhand in this country, in comparison with the continent, it was determined that purchases should be made abroad until sufficient experience had been gained by british firms to enable them to compete with any chance of success against foreign rivals. first a small non-rigid, built by messrs. willows, was bought by the navy to be used for the training of airship pilots. in addition an astra-torres airship was ordered from france. this was a ship of , cubic feet capacity and was driven by twin chenu engines of horse-power each. she carried a crew of six, and was equipped with wireless and machine guns. the car could be moved fore and aft for trimming purposes, either by power or by hand. this was, however, not satisfactory, and was abandoned. in april , messrs. vickers were asked to forward proposals for a rigid airship which afterwards became e known as no. . full details of the vicissitudes connected with this ship will be given in the chapter devoted to rigid airships. in july, approval was granted for the construction of six non-rigid ships. three of these were to be of the german design of major von parseval and three of the forlanini type, which was a semi-rigid design manufactured in italy. the order for the parsevals was placed with messrs. vickers and for the forlaninis with messrs. armstrong. the parseval airship was delivered to this country and became known as no. ; a second ship of the same type was also building when war broke out; needless to say this ship was never delivered. at a later date messrs. vickers, who had obtained the patent rights of the parseval envelope, completed the other two ships of the order. the forlanini ship was completing in italy on the declaration of war and was taken over by the italians; messrs. armstrong had not commenced work on the other two. these ships, although allocated numbers, never actually came into being. parseval airship no. this airship deserves special consideration for two reasons; firstly, on account of the active-service flying carried out by it during the first three years of the war, and, secondly, for its great value in training of the officers and men who later on became the captains and crews of rigid airships. the parseval envelope is of streamline shape which tapers to a point at the tail, and in this ship was of , cubic feet capacity. the system of rigging being patented, can only be described in very general terms. the suspensions carrying the car are attached to a large elliptical rigging band which is formed under the central portion of the envelope. to this rigging band are attached the trajectory bands which pass up the sides and over the top of the envelope, sloping away from the centre at the bottom towards the nose and tail at the top. the object of this is to distribute the load fore and aft over the envelope. these bands, particularly at the after end of the ship, follow a curved path, so that they become more nearly vertical as they approach the upper surface of the envelope. this has the effect of bringing the vertical load on the top of the envelope; but a greater portion of the compressive force comes on the lower half, where it helps to resist the bending moment due to the unusually short suspensions. a single rudder plane and the ordinary elevator planes were fitted to the envelope. a roomy open car was provided for this ship, composed of a duralumin framework and covered with duralumin sheeting. two horse-power maybach engines were mounted at the after end of the car, which drove two metal-bladed reversible propellers. these propellers were later replaced by standard four-bladed wooden ones and a notable increase of speed was obtained. two officers and a crew of seven men were carried, together with a wireless installation and armament. this airship, together with no. , took part in the great naval review at spithead, shortly before the commencement of the war, and in addition to the duties performed by her in the autumn of , which are mentioned later, carried out long hours of patrol duty from an east coast station in the summer of . in all respects she must be accounted a most valuable purchase. parseval airships , and parseval no. was not delivered by germany owing to the war, so three envelopes and two cars were built by messrs. vickers on the design of the original ship. these were delivered somewhat late in the war, and on account of the production of the north sea airship with its greater speed were not persevered with. the dimensions of the envelopes were somewhat increased, giving a cubic capacity of , cubic feet. twin maybach engines driving swivelling propellers were installed in the car, which was completely covered in, but these ships were slow in comparison with later designs, and were only used for the instruction of officers and men destined for the crews of rigid airships then building. an experimental ship was made in which was known as parseval ; a car of a modified coastal pattern with two horse-power renault engines was rigged to one of envelopes. during a speed trial, this ship was calculated to have a ground speed of to miles per hour. the envelope, however, consumed an enormous amount gas and for this reason the ship was deflated and struck off the list of active ships. this digression on parseval airships has anticipated events somewhat, and a return must now be made to earlier days. two more astra-torres were ordered from france, one known as no. , being a large ship of , , cubic feet capacity. she was fitted with two chenu engines of horse-power, driving swivelling propellers. this ship was delivered towards the end of the year . the second astra was of smaller capacity and was delivered, but as will be seen later, was never rigged, the envelope being used for the original coastal ship and the car slung to the envelope of the ex-army airship eta. on january st, , an important event took place: the army disbanded their airship service, and the military ships together with certain officers and men were transferred to the naval air service. before proceeding further, it may be helpful to explain the system by which the naval airships have been given numbers. these craft are always known by the numbers which they bear, and the public is completely mystified as to their significance whenever they fly over london or any large town. it must be admitted that the method is extremely confusing, but the table which follows should help to elucidate the matter. the original intention was to designate each airship owned by the navy by a successive number. the original airship, the rigid mayfly, was known as no. , the willows airship no. , and so on. these numbers were allocated regardless of type and as each airship was ordered, consequently some of these ships, for example the forlaninis, never existed. that did not matter, however, and these numbers were not utilized for ships which actually were commissioned. on the transfer of the army airships, four of these, the beta, gamma, delta and eta, were given their numbers as they were taken over, together with two ships of the epsilon class which were ordered from messrs. rolls royce, but never completed. in this way it will be seen that numbers to are accounted for. in it was decided to build a large number of small ships for anti-submarine patrol, which were called s.s.'s or submarine scouts. it was felt that it would only make confusion worse confounded if these ships bore the original system of successive numbering and were mixed up with those of later classes which it was known would be produced as soon as the designs were completed. each of these ships was accordingly numbered in its own class, s.s., s.s.p., s.s. zero, coastal, c star and north sea, from onwards as they were completed. in the case of the rigids, however, for some occult reason the old system of numbering was persisted in. the letter r is prefixed before the number to show that the ship is a rigid. hence we have no. a rigid, the second rigid constructed is no. , or r , and the third becomes r . from this number onwards all are rigids and are numbered in sequence as they are ordered, with the exception of the last on the list, which is a ship in a class of itself. this ship the authorities, in their wisdom, have called r --why, nobody knows. with this somewhat lengthy and tedious explanation the following table may be understood: no. type. remarks. . rigid wrecked, sept. , . . willows became s.s. . . astra-torres deleted, may . . parseval deleted, july, . . parseval never delivered from germany. (substitute ship built by messrs. vickers). . parseval built by messrs. vickers. . parseval built by messrs. vickers. . astra-torres deleted, may, . . rigid deleted, june, . . astra-torres envelope used for c . . forlanini never delivered owing to war. . forlanini never delivered owing to war. . forlanini never delivered owing to war. . rigid never built. . rigid never built. . astra-torres see no. . . beta transferred from army. deleted, may, . . gamma deleted, may, . . delta deleted, may, . . eta transferred from the army. fitted with car from no. . deleted may, . . epsilon construction cancelled may, . . epsilon construction cancelled may, . . rigid class. . rigid class. . rigid class. . rigid class. . rigid x class. . rigid x class. never completed. . rigid x class. . rigid x class. never completed. . rigid class. . rigid class, building. . rigid class. . rigid class. . rigid cancelled. . rigid building. . rigid building. . rigid building. . rigid building. . rigid building. . rigid building. in august, , europe, which had been in a state of diplomatic tension for several years, was plunged into the world war. the naval airship service at the time was in possession of two stations, farnborough and kingsnorth, the latter in a half-finished condition. seven airships were possessed, nos. , and , and the four ex-army ships--beta, gamma, delta and eta--and of these only three, nos. , and the beta, were in any condition for flying. notwithstanding this, the utmost use was made of the ships which were available. on the very first night of the war, nos. and carried out a reconnaissance flight over the southern portion of the north sea, and no. came under the fire of territorial detachments at the mouth of the thames on her return to her station. these zealous soldiers imagined that she was a german ship bent on observation of the dockyard at chatham. no. and no. rendered most noteworthy service in escorting the original expeditionary force across the channel, and in addition to this no. carried out long patrols over the channel throughout the following winter. no. (beta) also saw active service, as she was based for a short period early in at dunkirk, and was employed in spotting duties with the belgian artillery near ostend. the gamma and the delta were both lying deflated at farnborough at the outbreak of the war, and in the case of the latter the car was found to be beyond repair, and she was accordingly deleted. the gamma was inflated in january, , and was used for mooring experiments. the eta, having been inflated and deflated several times owing to the poor quality of the envelope, attempted to fly to dunkirk in november, . she encountered a snowstorm near redhill and was compelled to make a forced landing. in doing this she was so badly damaged as to be incapable of repair, and at a later date was deleted. no. , which was delivered towards the end of , was also moored out in the open for a short time near dunkirk, and carried out patrol in the war zone of the belgian coast. so ends the story of the naval airship service before the war. with the submarine campaign ruthlessly waged by the germans from the spring of and onwards, came the airship's opportunity, and the authorities grasped the fact that, with development, here was the weapon to defeat the most dangerous enemy of the empire. the method of development and the success attending it the following chapters will show. chapter vi naval airships.--the non-rigids--s.s. type the development of the british airships of to-day may be said to date from february th, . on that day approval was given for the construction of the original s.s. airship. at this time the germans had embarked upon their submarine campaign, realizing, with the failure of their great assaults on the british troops in flanders, that their main hope of victory lay in starving great britain into surrender. there is no doubt that the wholesale sinking of our merchant shipping was sufficient to cause grave alarm, and the authorities were much concerned to devise means of minimizing, even if they could not completely eliminate the danger. one proposal which was adopted, and which chiefly concerns the interests of this book, was the establishment of airship stations round the coasts of great britain. these stations were to be equipped with airships capable of patrolling the main shipping routes, whose functions were to search for submarines and mines and to escort shipping through the danger zones in conjunction with surface craft. airship construction in this country at the time was, practically speaking, non-existent. there was no time to be wasted in carrying out long and expensive experiments, for the demand for airships which could fulfil these requirements was terribly urgent, and speed of construction was of primary importance. the non-rigid design having been selected for simplicity in construction, the expedient was tried of slinging the fuselage of an ordinary b.e. c aeroplane, minus the wings, rudder and elevators and one or two other minor fittings, beneath an envelope with tangential suspensions, as considerable experience had been gained already in a design of this type. for this purpose the envelope of airship no. , which was lying deflated in the shed at farnborough, was rushed post haste to kingsnorth, inflated and rigged to the fuselage prepared for it. the work was completed with such despatch that the airship carried out her trial flight in less than a fortnight from approval being granted to the scheme. the trials were in every way most satisfactory, and a large number of ships of this design was ordered immediately. at the same time two private firms were invited to submit designs of their own to fulfil the admiralty requirements. one firm's design, s.s. , did not fulfil the conditions laid down and was put out of commission; the other, designed by messrs. armstrong, was sufficiently successful for them to receive further orders. in addition to these a car was designed by messrs. airships ltd., which somewhat resembled a maurice farman aeroplane body, and as it appeared to be suitable for the purpose, a certain number of these was also ordered. about this period the station at farnborough was abandoned by the naval airship service to make room for the expansion of the military aeroplane squadrons. the personnel and airships were transferred to kingsnorth, which became the airship headquarters. the greatest energy was displayed in preparing the new stations, which were selected as bases for the airships building for this anti-submarine patrol. small sheds, composed of wood, were erected with almost incredible rapidity, additional personnel was recruited, stores were collected, huts built for their accommodation and that of the men, and by the end of the summer the organization was so complete that operations were enabled to commence. the s.s., or submarine scout, airship proved itself a great success. beginning originally with a small programme the type passed through various developments until, at the conclusion of the war, no fewer than ships of various kinds had been constructed. the alterations which took place and the improvements effected thereby will be considered at some length in the following pages. s.s.b.e. c the envelope of the experimental ship s.s. was only of , cubic feet capacity; for the active-service ships, envelopes of similar shape of , cubic feet capacity were built. the shape was streamline, that is to say, somewhat blunt at the nose and tapering towards the tail, the total length being feet inches, with a maximum diameter of feet inches. the gross lift of these ships with % pure gas at a temperature of degrees fahrenheit and barometer inches, is , lb. the net lift available for crew, fuel, ballast, armament, etc., , lb., and the disposable lift still remaining with crew of two on board and full tanks, lb. the theoretical endurance at full speed as regards petrol consumption is a little over hours, but in practice it is probable that the oil would run short before this time had been reached. at cruising speed, running the engine at , revolutions, the consumption is at the rate of . gallons per hour, which corresponds to an endurance of / hours. with the engine running at , revolutions, a speed of . miles per hour has been reached by one of these ships, but actually very few attained a greater speed than miles per hour. the envelopes of s.s. airships are composed of rubber-proofed fabric, two fabrics being used with rubber interposed between and also on the inner or gas surface. to render them completely gastight and as impervious to the action of the weather, sun, etc., as possible, five coats of dope are applied externally, two coats of delta dope, two of aluminium dope and one of aluminium varnish applied in that order. one ripping panel is fitted, which is situated on the top of the envelope towards the nose. it has a length of feet inches and a breadth of about inches. the actual fabric which has to be torn away overlaps the edge of the opening on each side. this overlap is sewn and taped on to the envelope and forms a seam as strong and gastight as any other portion of the envelope. stuck on this fabric is a length of biased fabric / inches wide. these two strips overlap the opening at the forward end by about three feet. at this end the two strips are loose and have a toggle inserted at the end to which the ripping cord is tied. the ripping cord is operated from the car. it is led aft from the ripping panel to a pulley fixed centrally over the centre of the car, from the pulley the cord passes round the side of the envelope and through a gland immediately below the pulley. the nose of the envelope is stiffened to prevent it blowing in. for this purpose canes are fitted in fabric pockets around the nose and meet at a point / inches in front of the nose. an aluminium conical cap is fitted over the canes and a fabric nose cap over the whole. two ballonets are provided, one forward and one aft, the capacity of each being , cubic feet. the supply of air for filling these is taken from the propeller draught by a slanting aluminium tube to the underside of the envelope, where it meets a longitudinal fabric hose which connects the two ballonet air inlets. non-return fabric valves known as crab-pots are fitted in this fabric hose on either side of their junction with the air scoop. two automatic air valves are fitted to the underside of the envelope, one for each ballonet. the air pressure tends to open the valve instead of keeping it shut and to counteract this the spring of the valve is inside the envelope. the springs are set to open at a pressure of to mm. two gas valves are also fitted, one on the top of the envelope, the other at the bottom. the bottom gas valve spring is set to open at to mm. pressure, the top valve is hand controlled only. these valves are all very similar in design. they consist of two wooden rings, between which the envelope is gripped, and which are secured to each other by studs and butterfly nuts. the valve disc, or moving portion of the valve, is made of aluminium and takes a seating on a thin india rubber ring stretched between a metal rod bent into a circle of smaller diameter than the valve opening and the wooden ring of the valve. when it passes over the wooden ring it is in contact with the envelope fabric and makes the junction gastight. the disc is held against the rubber by a compressed spring. the valve cords are led to the pilot's seat through eyes attached to the envelope. the system of rigging or car suspension is simplicity itself and is tangential to the envelope. on either side there are six main suspensions of cwt. stranded steel cable known as "c" suspensions. each "c" cable branches into two halves known as the "b" bridles, which in turn are supported at each end by the bridles known as "a." the ends of the "a" bridles are attached to the envelope by means of eta patches. these consist of a metal d-shaped fitting round which the rigging is spliced and through which a number of webbing bands are passed which are spread out fanwise and solutioned to the envelope. it will thus be seen that the total load on each main suspension is proportionally taken up by each of the four "a" bridles, and that the whole weight of the car is equally distributed over the greater part of the length of the envelope. four handling guys for manoeuvering the ship on the ground are provided under the bow and under the stem. a group of four eta patches are placed close together, which form the point of attachment for two guys in each case. the forward of these groups of eta patches forms the anchoring point. the bridle, consisting of cwt. steel cable, is attached here and connected to the forepart of the skids of the car. the junction of this bridle with the two cables from the skids forms the mooring point and there the main trail rope is attached. this is feet long and composed of -inch manilla. this is attached, properly coiled, to the side of the car and is dropped by a release gear. it is so designed that when the airship is held in a wind by the trail rope the strain is evenly divided between the envelope and the car. the grapnel carried is fitted to a short length of rope. the other end of the rope has an eye, and is fitted to slide down the main trail rope and catch on a knot at the end. for steering and stabilizing purposes the s.s. airship was originally designed with four fins and rudders, which were to be set exactly radial to the envelope. in some cases the two lower fins and rudders were abandoned, and a single vertical fin and rudder fitted centrally under the envelope were substituted. the three planes are identical in size and measure feet by feet inches, having a gross stabilizing area of / square feet. they are composed of spruce and aluminium and steel tubing braced with wire and covered by linen doped and varnished when in position. the original rudders measured feet by feet inches. in the case, however, of the single plane being fitted, -feet rudders are invariably employed. two kingposts of steel tube are fitted to each plane and braced with wire to stiffen the whole structure. the planes are attached to the envelope by means of skids and stay wires. the skids, composed of spruce, are fastened to the envelope by eight lacing patches. the car, it will be remembered, is a b.e. c fuselage stripped of its wings, rudders and elevators, with certain other fittings added to render it suitable for airship work. the undercarriage is formed of two ash skids, each supported by three struts. the aeroplane landing wheels, axle and suspensions are abandoned. in the forward end of the fuselage was installed a horse-power air cooled renault engine driving a single four-bladed tractor propeller through a reduction gear of to . the engine is of the -cylinder v type, weighing lb. with a bore of mm. and a stroke of mm. the claudel-hobson type of carburettor is employed with this engine. the type of magneto used is the bosch d.v. , there being one magneto for each line of cylinders. in the older french renaults the bosch h.l. is used, one magneto supplying the current to all the plugs. petrol is carried in three tanks, a gravity and intermediate tank as fitted to the original aeroplane, and a bottom tank placed underneath the front seat of the car. the petrol is forced by air pressure from the two lower tanks into the gravity tank and is obtained by a hand pump fitted outside the car alongside the pilot's seat. the oil tank is fitted inside the car in front of the observer. the observer's seat is fitted abaft the engine and the pilot's seat is aft of the observer. the observer, who is also the wireless operator, has the wireless apparatus fitted about his seat. this consists of a receiver and transmitter fitted inside the car, which derives power from accumulator batteries. the aerial reel is fitted outside the car. during patrols signals can be sent and received up to and between and miles. the pilot is responsible for the steering and the running of the engine, and the controls utilized are the fittings supplied with the aeroplane. steering is operated by the feet and elevating by a vertical wheel mounted in a fore and aft direction across the seat. the control wires are led aft inside the fairing of the fuselage to the extreme end, whence they pass to the elevators and rudders. the instrument board is mounted in front of the pilot. the instruments comprise a watch, an air-speed indicator graduated in knots, an aneroid reading to , feet, an elliott revolution counter, a clift inclinometer reading up to degrees depression or elevation, a map case with celluloid front. there are in addition an oil pressure gauge, a petrol pressure gauge, a glass petrol level and two concentric glass pressure gauges for gas pressure. the steering compass is mounted on a small wooden pedestal on the floor between the pilot's legs. the water-ballast tank is situated immediately behind the pilot's seat and contains gallons of water weighing lbs. the armament consists of a lewis gun and bombs. the bombs are carried in frames suspended about the centre of the undercarriage. the bomb sight is fitted near the bomb releasing gear outside the car on the starboard side adjacent to the pilot's seat. the lewis gun, although not always carried on the early s.s. airships, was mounted on a post alongside the pilot's seat. s.s. maurice farman for this type of s.s. the cars were built by messrs. airships ltd. in general appearance they resemble the maurice farman aeroplane and were of the pusher type; , and in later cases , cubic feet envelopes were rigged to these ships, which proved to be slightly slower than the b.e. c type, but this was compensated for owing to the increased comfort provided for the crew, the cars being more roomy and suitable for airship work in every way. the system of rigging to all intents and purposes is the same in all types of s.s. ships, the suspensions being adjusted to suit the different makes of car. in these ships the pilot sits in front, and behind him is the wireless telegraphy operator; in several cases a third seat was fitted to accommodate a passenger or engineer; dual rudder and elevator controls are provided for the pilot and observer. the engine is mounted aft, driving a four-bladed pusher propeller, with the petrol tanks situated in front feeding the carburettors by gravity. the engines used are rolls royce renaults, although in one instance a horse-power rolls royce hawk engine was fitted, which assisted in making an exceedingly useful ship. s.s. armstrong whitworth the car designed by messrs. armstrong whitworth is of the tractor type and is in all ways generally similar to the b.e. c. the single-skid landing chassis with buffers is the outstanding difference. these cars had to be rigged to , cubic feet envelopes otherwise the margin of lift was decidedly small. a water-cooled horse-power green engine propelled the ship, and a new feature was the disposition of petrol, which was carried in two aluminium tanks slung from the envelope and fed through flexible pipes to a two-way cock and thence to the carburettors. these tanks, which were supported in a fabric sling, showed a saving in weight of lb. compared with those fitted in the b.e. c. for over two years these three types of s.s. ships performed a great part of our airship patrol and gave most excellent results. owing to the constant patrol which was maintained whenever weather conditions were suitable, the hostile submarine hardly dared to show her periscope in the waters which were under observation. in addition to this, practically the whole of the airship personnel now filling the higher positions, such as captains of rigids and north seas, graduated as pilots in this type of airship. from these they passed to the coastal and onwards to the larger vessels. as far as is known the height record for a british airship is still held by an s.s.b.e. c, one of these ships reaching the altitude of , feet in the summer of . the maurice farman previously mentioned as being fitted with the hawk engine, carried out a patrol one day of hours minutes. in the summer of one of the armstrong ships was rigged to an envelope doped black and sent over to france. while there she carried out certain operations at night which were attended with success, proving that under certain circumstances the airship can be of value in operating with the military forces over land. s.s.p. in the design was commenced for an s.s. ship which should have a more comfortable car and be not merely an adaptation of an aeroplane body. these cars, which were of rectangular shape with a blunt nose, were fitted with a single landing skid aft, and contained seats for three persons. the engine, a horse-power water-cooled green, was mounted on bearers aft and drove a four-bladed pusher propeller. the petrol was carried in aluminium tanks attached by fabric slings to the axis of the envelope. six of these ships were completed in the spring of and were quite satisfactory, but owing to the success achieved by the experimental s.s. zero it was decided to make this the standard type of s.s. ship, and with the completion of the sixth the programme of the s.s.p's was brought to a close. these ships enjoyed more than, perhaps, was a fair share of misfortune, one was wrecked on proceeding to its patrol station and was found to be beyond repair, and another was lost in a snowstorm in the far north. the remainder, fitted at a later date with horse-power rolls royce engines, proved to be a most valuable asset to our fleet of small airships. s.s. zero the original s.s. zero was built at a south-coast station by air service labour, and to the design of three officers stationed there. the design of the car shows a radical departure from anything that had been previously attempted, and as a model an ordinary boat was taken. in shape it is as nearly streamline as is practicable, having a keel and ribs of wood with curved longitudinal members, the strut ends being housed in steel sockets. the whole frame is braced with piano wire set diagonally between the struts. the car is floored from end to end, and the sides are enclosed with -ply wood covered with fabric. accommodation is provided for a wireless telegraphy operator, who is also a gunner, his compartment being situated forward, amidships is the pilot and abaft this seat is a compartment for the engineer. the engine selected was the horse-power water-cooled rolls royce, it being considered to be the most efficient for the purpose. the engine is mounted upon bearers above the level of the top of the car, and drives a four-bladed pusher propeller. the car is suspended from an envelope of , cubic feet capacity, and the system of rigging is similar to that in use on all s.s. ships. the petrol is carried in aluminium tanks slung on the axis of the envelope, identically with the system in use on the s.s.p's. the usual elevator planes are adopted with a single long rudder plane. the speed of the zero is about miles per hour and the ship has a theoretical endurance of seventeen hours; but this has been largely exceeded in practice. the original ship proved an immediate success, and a large number was shortly afterwards ordered. as time went on the stations expanded and sub-stations were added, while the zero airship was turned out as fast as it could be built, until upwards of seventy had been commissioned. the work these ships were capable of exceeded the most sanguine expectations. owing to their greater stability in flight and longer hours of endurance, they flew in weather never previously attempted by the earlier ships. with experience gained it was shown that a large fleet of airships of comparatively small capacity is of far more value for an anti-submarine campaign than a lesser fleet of ships of infinitely greater capacity. the average length of patrol was eight hours, but some wonderful duration flights were accomplished in the summer of , as the following figures will show. the record is held by s.s.z. , with hours minutes; another is hours minutes; while three more vary from / hours to / . although small, the zero airship has been one of the successes of the war, and we can claim proudly that she is entirely a british product. s.s. twin during the year , designs were submitted for a twin-engined s.s. airship, the idea being to render the small type of airship less liable to loss from engine failure. the first design proved to be a failure, but the second was considered more promising, and several were built. its capacity is , cubic feet, with a length of feet inches, and the greatest diameter feet. the car is built to carry five, with the engines disposed on gantries on the port and starboard side, driving pusher propellers. this type, although in the experimental stage, is being persevered with, and the intention is that it will gradually supplant the other s.s. classes. it is calculated that it will equal if not surpass the c star ship in endurance, besides being easier to handle and certainly cheaper to build. "coastal" and "c star" airships the urgent need for a non-rigid airship to carry out anti-submarine patrol having been satisfied for the time with the production of the s.s. b.e. c type, the airship designers of the royal naval air service turned their attention to the production of an airship which would have greater lift and speed than the s.s. type, and, consequently, an augmented radius of action, together with a higher degree of reliability. as the name "coastal" or "coast patrol" implies, this ship was intended to carry out extended sea patrols. to obtain these main requirements the capacity of the envelope for this type was fixed at , cubic feet, as compared with the , cubic feet and, later, the , cubic feet envelopes adopted for the s.s. ships. greater speed was aimed at by fitting two engines of horse-power each, and it was hoped that the chances of loss owing to engine failure would be considerably minimized. the astra-torres type of envelope, with its system of internal rigging, was selected for this class of airship; in the original ship the envelope used was that manufactured by the french astra-torres company, and to which it had been intended to rig a small enclosed car. the ship in question was to be known as no. . this plan was, however, departed from, and the car was subsequently rigged to the envelope of the eta, and a special car was designed and constructed for the original coastal. coastal airship no. was commissioned towards the end of and was retained solely for experimental and training purposes. approximately thirty of these airships were constructed during the year , and were allocated to the various stations for patrol duties. the work carried out by these ships during the two and a half years in which they were in commission, is worthy of the highest commendation. before the advent of later and more reliable ships, the bulk of anti-submarine patrol on the east coast and south-west coast of england was maintained by the coastal. on the east coast, with the prevailing westerly and south-westerly winds, these airships had many long and arduous voyages on their return from patrol, and in the bitterness of winter their difficulties were increased ten-fold. to the whole-hearted efforts of coastal pilots and crews is due, to a great extent, the recognition which somewhat tardily was granted to the airship service. the envelope of the coastal airship has been shown to be of , cubic feet capacity. it is trilobe in section to employ the astra-torres system of internal and external rigging. the great feature of this principle is that it enables the car to be slung much closer to the envelope than would be possible with the tangential system on an envelope of this size. as a natural consequence there is far less head resistance, owing to the much shorter rigging, between the envelope and the car. the shape of the envelope is not all that could have been desired, for it is by no means a true streamline, but has the same cross section for the greater part of its length, which tapers at either end to a point which is slightly more accentuated aft. owing to the shape, these ships, in the early days until experience had been gained, were extremely difficult to handle, both on the landing ground and also in the air. they were extremely unstable both in a vertical and horizontal plane, and were slow in answering to their rudders and elevators. the envelope is composed of rubber-proofed fabric doped to hold the gas and resist the effects of weather. four ballonets are situated in the envelope, two in each of the lower lobes, air being conveyed to them by means of a fabric air duct, which is parallel to the longitudinal centre line of the envelope, with transverse ducts connecting each pair of ballonets. in earlier types of the coastal, the air scoop supplying air to the air duct was fitted in the slip stream of the forward engine, but later this was fitted aft of the after engine. six valves in all are used, four air valves, one fitted to each ballonet, and two gas valves. these are situated well aft, one to each of the lower lobes, and are fitted on either side of the rudder plane. a top valve is dispensed with because in practice when an astra-torres envelope loses shape, the tendency is for the tail to be pulled upwards by the rigging, with the result that the two gas valves always remain operative. crabpots and non-return valves are employed in a similar manner to s.s. airships. the astra-torres system of internal rigging must now be described in some detail. the envelope is made up of three longitudinal lobes, one above and two below, which when viewed end on gives it a trefoil appearance. the internal rigging is attached to the ridges formed on either side of the upper lobe, where it meets the two side lobes. from here it forms a v, when viewed cross sectionally, converging at he ridge formed by the two lobes on the underside of the envelope which is known as the lower ridge. to the whole length of the top ridges are attached the internal rigging girdles and also the lacing girdles to which are secured the top and side curtains. these curtains are composed of ordinary unproofed fabric and their object is to make the envelope keep its trilobe shape. they do not, however, divide the ship into separate gas compartments. the rigging girdle consists of a number of fabric scallops through which run strands of italian hemp. these strands, of which there are a large number, are led towards the bottom ridge, where they are drawn together and secured to a rigging sector. to these sectors the main external rigging cables are attached. the diagram shows better than any description this rigging system. ten main suspensions are incorporated in the coastal envelope, of which three take the handling guys, the remaining seven support the weight of the car. the horizontal fins with the elevator flaps, and the vertical fin with the rudder flap, are fixed to the ridges of the envelope. the car was evolved in the first instance by cutting away the tail portion of two avro seaplane fuselages and joining the forward portions end on, the resulting car, therefore, had engines at either end with seating accommodation for four. the landing chassis were altered, single skids being substituted for the wider landing chassis employed in the seaplane. the car consists of four longerons with struts vertical and cross, and stiffened with vertical and cross bracing wires. the sides are covered with fabric and the flooring and fairing on the top of the car are composed of three-ply wood. in the later cars five seats were provided to enable a second officer to be carried. the engines are mounted on bearers at each end of the car, and the petrol and oil tanks were originally placed adjoining the engines in the car. at a later date various methods of carrying the petrol tanks were adopted, in some cases they were slung from the envelope and in others mounted on bearers above the engines. wireless telegraphy is fitted as is the case with all airships. in the coastal a gun is mounted on the top of the envelope, which is reached by a climbing shaft passing through the envelope, another mounting being provided on the car itself. bombs are also carried on frames attached to the car. sunbeam engines originally supplied the motive power, but at a later date a horse-power renault was fitted aft and a horse-power, berliet forward. with the greater engine power the ship's capabilities were considerably increased. exceedingly long flights were achieved by this type of ship, and those exceeding ten hours are far too numerous to mention. the most noteworthy of all gave a total of / hours, which, at the time, had only once been surpassed by any british airship. towards the end of , these ships, having been in commission for over two years, were in many cases in need of a complete refit. several were put in order, but it was decided that this policy should not be continued, and that as each ship was no longer fit for flying it should be replaced by the more modern coastal known as the c star. the record of one of these ships so deleted is surely worthy of special mention. she was in commission for years days, and averaged for each day of this period hours minutes flying. during this time she covered upwards of , miles. from this it will be seen that she did not pass her life by any means in idleness. "c star" airship after considerable experience had been gained with the coastal, it became obvious that a ship was required of greater capabilities to maintain the long hours of escort duty and also anti-submarine patrols. to meet these requirements it was felt that a ship could be constructed, not departing to any extent from the coastal, with which many pilots were now quite familiar, but which would show appreciable improvement over its predecessor. the design which was ultimately adopted was known as the c star, and provided an envelope of , cubic feet, which secured an extra ton and a quarter in lifting capacity. this envelope, although of the astra-torres type, was of streamline form, and in that respect was a great advance on the early shape as used in the coastal. it is to all intents and purposes the same envelope as is used on the north sea ships, but on a smaller scale. an entirely new type of fabric was employed for this purpose. the same model of car was employed, but was made more comfortable, the canvas covering for the sides being replaced by three-ply wood. in all other details the car remained entirely the same. the standard power units were a horse-power berliet forward and a fiat of horse-power aft. the petrol tanks in this design were carried inside the envelope, which was quite a new departure. these airships may be considered to have been successful, though not perhaps to the extent which was expected by their most ardent admirers. with the advent of the s.s. twin it was resolved not to embark on a large constructional programme, and when the numbers reached double figures they were no longer proceeded with. notwithstanding this the ships which were commissioned carried out most valuable work, and, like their prototypes, many fine flights were recorded to their credit. thirty-four and a half hours was the record flight for this type of ship, and another but little inferior was thirty hours ten minutes. these flights speak well for the endurance of the crews, as it must be borne in mind that no sleeping accommodation is possible in so small a car. the coastal airship played no small part in the defeat of the submarine, but its task was onerous and the enemy and the elements unfortunately exacted a heavy toll. a german wireless message received in this country testified to the valiant manner in which one of these ships met with destruction. the "north sea" airship the north sea or n.s. airship was originally designed to act as a substitute for the rigid, which, in , was still a long way from being available for work of practical utility. from experience gained at this time with airships of the coastal type it was thought possible to construct a large non-rigid capable of carrying out flights of twenty-four hours' duration, with a speed of to knots, with sufficient accommodation for a double crew. the main requirements fall under four headings: . capability to carry out flights of considerable duration. . great reliability. . the necessary lift to carry an ample supply of fuel. . adequate arrangements to accommodate the crew in comfort. if these could be fulfilled the authorities were satisfied that ships possessing these qualifications would be of value to the fleet and would prove efficient substitutes until rigid airships were available. the north sea, as may be gathered from its name, was intended to operate on the east coasts of these islands. the first ship, when completed and put through her trials, was voted a success, and the others building were rapidly pushed on with. when several were finished and experience had been gained, after long flights had been carried out, the north sea airship suffered a partial eclipse and people were inclined to reconsider their favourable opinion. thus it was that for many months the north sea airship was decidedly unpopular, and it was quite a common matter to hear her described as a complete failure. the main cause of the prejudice was the unsatisfactory design of the propelling machinery, which it will be seen later was modified altogether, and coupled with other improvements turned a ship of doubtful value into one that can only be commended. the envelope is of , cubic feet capacity, and is designed on the astra-torres principle for the same reasons as held good in the cases of the coastal and c star. all the improvements which had been suggested by the ships of that class were incorporated in the new design, which was of streamline shape throughout, and looked at in elevation resembled in shape that of the s.s. airship. six ballonets are fitted, of which the total capacity is , cubic feet, equivalent to . per cent of the total volume. they are fitted with crabpots and non-return valves in the usual manner. the rigging is of the astra-torres system, and in no way differs from that explained in the previous chapter. nine fans of the internal rigging support the main suspensions of the car, while similar fans both fore and aft provide attachment for the handling guys. auxiliary fans on the same principle support the petrol tanks and ballast bag. four gas and six air valves in all are fitted, all of which are automatic. two ripping panels are embodied in the top lobe of the envelope. the n.s. ship carries four fins, to three of which are attached the elevator and rudder flaps. the fourth, the top fin, is merely for stabilizing purposes, the other three being identical in design, and are fitted with the ordinary system of wiring and kingposts to prevent warping. the petrol was originally carried in aluminium tanks disposed above the top ridges of the envelope, but this system was abandoned owing to the aluminium supply pipes becoming fractured as the envelope changed shape at different pressures. they were then placed inside the envelope, and this rearrangement has given every satisfaction. to the envelope of the n.s. is rigged a long covered-in car. the framework of this is built up of light steel tubes, the rectangular transverse frames of which are connected by longitudinal tubes, the whole structure being braced by diagonal wires. the car, which tapers towards the stern, has a length of feet, with a height of feet. the forward portion is covered with duralumin sheeting, and the remainder with fabric laced to the framework. windows and portholes afford the crew both light and space to see all that is required. in the forward portion of the car are disposed all the controls and navigating instruments, together with engine-telegraphs and voice pipes. aft is the wireless telegraphy cabin and sleeping accommodation for the crew. a complete electrical installation is carried of two dynamos and batteries for lights, signalling lamps, telephones, etc. the engines are mounted in a power unit structure separate from the car and reached by a wooden gangway supported by wire cables. this structure consists of two v-shaped frameworks connected by a central frame and by an under-structure to which floats are attached. the mechanics' compartment is built upon the central frame, and the engine controls are operated from this cabin. in the original power units two horse-power rolls royce engines were fitted, driving propellers on independent shafts through an elaborate system of transmission. this proved to be a great source of weakness, as continual trouble was experienced with this method, and a fracture sooner or later occurred at the universal joint nearest to the propeller. when the modified form of ship was built the whole system of transmission was changed, and the propellers were fitted directly on to the engine crankshafts. at a later date horse-power fiat engines were installed, and the engineers' cabin was modified and an auxiliary blower was fitted to supply air to the ballonets for use if the engines are not running. in the n.s. ship as modified the car has been raised to the same level as the engineers' cabin, and all excrescences on the envelope were placed inside. this, added to the improvement effected by the abolition of the transmission shafts, increased the reliability and speed of the ship, and also caused a reduction in weight. the leading dimensions of the ship are as follows: length, feet; width, feet inches; height, feet inches. the gross lift is , lb.; the disposable lift, without crew, petrol, oil, and ballast, , lb. the normal crew carried when on patrol is ten, which includes officers. as in the case of the coastal, a gun is mounted on the top of the envelope, which is approached by a similar climbing shaft, and guns and bombs are carried on the car. these ships have become notorious for breaking all flying records for non-rigid airships. even the first ship of the class, despite the unsatisfactory power units, so long ago as in the summer of completed a flight of hours minutes, which at the time was the record flight of any british airship. since that date numerous flights of quite unprecedented duration have been achieved, one of / hours being particularly noteworthy, and those of upwards of hours have become quite commonplace. since the armistice one of these ships completed the unparalleled total of hours, which at that date was the world's record flight, and afforded considerable evidence as to the utility of the non-rigid type for overseas patrol, and even opens up the possibility of employing ships of similar or slightly greater dimensions for commercial purposes. n.s. appeared several times over london in the summer months of , and one could not help being struck by the ease with which she was steered and her power to remain almost stationary over such a small area as trafalgar square for a quite considerable period. the flights referred to above were not in any way stunt performances to pile up a handsome aggregate of hours, but were the ordinary flying routine of the station to which the ships were attached, and most of the hours were spent in escorting convoys and hunting for submarines. in addition to these duties, manoeuvres were carried out on occasions with the fleet or units thereof. from the foregoing observations it must be manifest that this type of ship, in its present modified state, is a signal success, and is probably the best large non-rigid airship that has been produced in any country. for the purposes of comparison it will be interesting to tabulate the performances of the standard types of non-rigid airships. the leading dimensions are also included in this summary: type s.s. zero s.s. twin coastal north star sea length ' " ' " ' " ' " overall width ' " ' " ' " ' " overall height ' " ' " ' " ' " hydrogen capacity (cubic feet) , , , , gross lift (lb.) , , , , disposable lift (lb.) , , , , crew lift available for fuel and freight (lb.) , , , , petrol consumption at full speed (lb. per hour) . . . . gals. per hour . . . chapter vii naval airships.--the rigids--rigid airship no. the responsibility for the development the rigid airship having been allotted to the navy, with this object in view, in the years and a design was prepared by messrs. vickers ltd., in conjunction with certain naval officers, for a purely experimental airship which should be as cheap as possible. the ship was to be known as naval airship no. , and though popularly called the mayfly, this title was in no way official. in design the following main objects were aimed at: . the airship was to be capable of carrying out the duties of an aerial scout. . she was to be able to maintain a speed of knots for twenty-four hours, if possible. . she was to be so designed that mooring to a mast on the water was to be feasible, to enable her to be independent of her shed except for docking purposes, as in the case with surface vessels. . she was to be fitted with wireless telegraphy. . arrangements were to be made for the accommodation of the crew in reasonable comfort. . she was to be capable of ascending to a height of not less than , feet. these conditions rendered it necessary that the airship should be of greater dimensions than any built at the time, together with larger horse-power, etc. these stipulations having been settled by the admiralty, the admiralty officials, in conjunction with messrs. vickers ltd., determined the size, shape, and materials for the airship required. the length of the ship was fixed at approximately feet, with a diameter of feet. various shapes were considered, and the one adopted was that recommended by an american professor named zahm. in this shape, a great proportion of the longitudinal huff framework is parallel sided with curved bow and stern portions, the radius of these curved portions being, in the case of the bow, twice the diameter of the hull, and in the case of the stern nine times the same diameter. experiments proved that the resistance of a ship of this shape was only two-fifths of the resistance of a ship of the same dimensions, having the / calibre bow and stern of the zeppelin airships at that time constructed. a considerable difference of opinion existed as to the material to be chosen for the construction of the hull. bamboo, wood, aluminium, or one of its alloys, were all considered. the first was rejected as unreliable. the second would have been much stronger than aluminium, and was urged by messrs. vickers. the admiralty, however, considered that there was a certainty of better alloys being produced, and as the ship was regarded as an experiment and its value would be largely negatived if later ships were constructed of a totally different material, aluminium or an alloy was selected. the various alloys then in existence showed little advantage over the pure metal, so pure aluminium was specified and ordered. this metal was expected to have a strength of ten tons per square inch, but that which arrived was found to be very unreliable, and many sections had, on test, only half the strength required. the aluminium wire intended for the mesh wiring of the framework was also found to be extremely brittle. a section of the framework was, however, erected, and also one of wood, as a test for providing comparisons. in the tests, the wooden sections proved, beyond all comparison, the better, but the admiralty persisted in their decision to adopt the metal. towards the end of a new aluminium alloy was discovered, known as duralumin. tests were made which proved that this new metal possessed a strength of twenty-five tons per square inch, which was over twice as strong as the nominal strength of aluminium, and in practice was really five times stronger. the specific gravity of the new metal varied from . to . , as opposed to the . of aluminium. as the weights were not much different it was possible to double the strength of the ship and save one ton in weight. duralumin was therefore at once adopted. the hull structure was composed of twelve longitudinal duralumin girders which ran fore and aft the length of the ship and followed the external shape. the girders were secured to a steel nose-piece at the bow and a pointed stern-piece aft. these girders, built of duralumin sections, were additionally braced wherever the greatest weights occurred. to support these girders in a thwartship direction a series of transverse frames were placed at feet inches centres throughout the length of the ship, and formed, when viewed cross-sectionally, a universal polygon of twelve sides. for bracing purposes mesh wiring stiffened each bay longitudinally, so formed by the junction of the running girder and the transverse frames, while the transverse frames between the gasbags were stiffened with radial wiring which formed structure similar to a wheel with its spokes. the frames where the gondolas occurred were strengthened to take the addition weight, while the longitudinals were also stiffened at the bow and stern. communication was provided between the gondolas by means of an external keel which was suspended from extra keel longitudinals. in this design the keel was provided for accommodation purposes only, and in no way increased the structural stability of the ship as in no. and later ships. this keel, triangular in section, widened out amidships to form a space for a cabin and the wireless compartment. the fins and rudders, which were adopted, were based entirely on submarine experience, and the zeppelin method was ignored. the fins were fitted at the stern of the ship only, and comprised port and starboard horizontal fins, which followed approximately the shape of the hull, and an upper and lower vertical fin. attached to these fins were box rudders and elevators, instead of the balanced rudders first proposed. auxiliary rudders were also fitted in case of a breakdown of the main steering gear abaft the after gondola. elevators and rudders were controlled from the forward gondola and the auxiliary rudders from the after gondola. the gasbags were seventeen in number and were twelve-sided in section, giving approximately a volume of , cubic feet when completely full. continental fabric, as in use on the zeppelin airships, was adopted, although the original intention was to use gold-beater's skin, but this was abandoned owing to shortage of material. these bags were fitted with the parseval type of valve, which is situated at the top, contrary to the current zeppelin practice, which had automatic valves at the bottom of the bags, and hand-operated valves on the top of a few bags for control purposes. nets were laced to the framework to prevent the bags bulging through the girders. the whole exterior of the hull was fitted with an outer cover; zeppelin at this time used a plain light rubber-proofed fabric, but this was not considered suitable for a ship which was required to be moored in the open, as in wet weather the material would get saturated and water-logged. various experiments were carried out with cotton, silk and ramie, and, as a result, silk treated with ioco was finally selected. this cover was laced with cords to the girder work, and cover-strips rendered the whole impervious to wet. fire-proofed fabric was fitted in wake of the gondolas for safety from the heat of the engines. two gondolas, each comprising a control compartment and engine-room, were suspended from the main framework of the hull. they were shaped to afford the least resistance possible to the air, and were made of honduras mahogany, three-ply where the ballast tanks occurred, and two-ply elsewhere. the plies were sewn together with copper wire. the gondolas were designed to have sufficient strength to withstand the strain of alighting on the water. they were suspended from the hull by wooden struts streamline in shape, and fitted with internal steel-wire ropes; additional wire suspensions were also fitted to distribute the load over a greater length of the ship. the engines were carried in the gondolas on four hollow wooden struts, also fitted internally with wire. the wires were intended to support the gondolas in the event of the struts being broken in making a heavy landing. two engines were mounted, one in each gondola, the type used being the -cylinder vertical water-cooled wolseley developing a horse-power of . the forward engine drove two wing propellers through the medium of bevel gearing, while the after engine drove a single large propeller aft through gear box to reduce the propeller revolutions to half that of the engine. the estimated speed of the ship was calculated to be miles per hour, petrol was carried in tanks, fitted in the keel, and the water ballast tanks were placed close to the keel and connected together by means of a pipe. no. was completed in may, . she had been built at barrow in a shed erected on the edge of cavendish dock. arrangements were made that she should be towed out of the shed to test her efficiency at a mooring post which had been prepared in the middle of the dock. she was launched on may nd in a flat calm and was warped out of the shed and hauled to the post where she was secured without incident. the ship rode at the mooring post in a steady wind, which at one time increased to miles per hour, until the afternoon of may th, and sustained no damage whatever. various engine trials were carried out, but no attempt was made to fly, as owing to various reasons the ship was short of lift. valuable information was, however, gained in handling the ship, and much was learnt of her behaviour at the mast. more trouble was experienced in getting her back into the shed, but she was eventually housed without sustaining any damage of importance. owing to the lack of disposable lift, the bags were deflated and various modifications were carried out to lighten the ship, of which the principal were the removal of the keel and cabin entirely, and the removal of the water-trimming services. other minor alterations were made which gave the ship, on completion, a disposable lift of . tons. the transverse frames between the gasbags were strengthened, and a number of broken wires were replaced. on september nd the ship was again completed, and on the th she was again to be taken out and tested at the mooring post. unfortunately, while being hauled across the dock, the framework of the ship collapsed, and she was got back into the shed the same day. examination showed that it was hopeless to attempt to reconstruct her, and she was broken up at a later date. the failure of this ship was a most regrettable incident, and increased the prejudice against the rigid airship to such an extent that for some time the navy refused to entertain any idea of attempting a second experiment. rigid airship no. rigid airship no. having met with such a calamitous end, the authorities became rather dubious as to the wisdom of continuing such costly experiments. most unfortunately, as the future showed and as was the opinion of many at the time, rigid construction in the following year was ordered to be discontinued. this decision coincided with the disbanding of the naval air service, and for a time rigid airships in this country were consigned to the limbo of forgetfulness. after the naval air service had been reconstituted, the success which attended the zeppelin airships in germany could no longer be overlooked, and it was decided to make another attempt to build a rigid airship in conformity with existing zeppelin construction. the first proposals were put forward in , and, finally, after eleven months delay, the contract was signed. this airship, it has been seen, was designated no. . no. experienced numerous vicissitudes, during the process of design and later when construction was in progress. the contract having been signed in march, , work on the ship was suspended in the following february, and was not recommenced until july of the same year. from that date onwards construction was carried forward; but so many alterations were made that it was fully eighteen months before the ship was completed and finally accepted by the admiralty. the ship as designed was intended "to be generally in conformity with existing zeppelin construction," with the following main requirements stipulated for in the specification: . she was to attain a speed of at least miles per hour at the full power of the engines. . a minimum disposable lift of five tons was to be available for movable weights. . she was to be capable of rising to a height of , feet during flight. the design of this ship was prepared by messrs. vickers, ltd., and as it was considered likely that owing to inexperience the ship would probably be roughly handled and that heavy landings might be made, it was considered that the keel structure and also the cars should be made very strong in case of accidents occurring. this, while materially increasing the strength of the ship, added to its weight, and coupled with the fact that modifications were made in the design, rendered the lift somewhat disappointing. the hull structure was of the "zahm" shape as in no. , a considerable portion being parallel sided, while in transverse section it formed a -sided polygon. in length it was feet with a maximum diameter of feet. the hull framework was composed of triangular duralumin girders, both in the longitudinal and transverse frames, while the bracing was carried out by means of high tensile steel wires and duralumin tubes. attached to the hull was a v-shaped keel composed of tubes with suitable wire bracings, and in it a greater part of the strength of the structure lay. it was designed to withstand the vertical forces and bending moments which resulted from the lift given by the gasbags and the weights of the car and the cabin. the keel also provided the walking way from end to end of the ship, and amidships was widened out to form a cabin and wireless compartment. the wiring of the transverse frames was radial and performed similar functions to the spokes of a bicycle wheel. these wires could be tightened up at the centre at a steel ring through which they were threaded and secured by nuts. in addition to the radial wires were the lift wires, which were led to the two points on the transverse frames which were attached to the keel; on the inflation of the gasbags, the bags themselves pressed upon the longitudinal girders on the top of the ship, which pressure was transferred to the transverse frames and thence by means of the several lift wires to the keel. in this way all the stresses set up by the gas were brought finally to the keel in which we have already said lay the main strength of the ship. the hull was divided by the transverse frames into seventeen compartments each containing a single gasbag. the bags were composed of rubber-proofed fabric lined with gold-beater's skin to reduce permeability, and when completely full gave a total volume of , cubic feet. two types of valve were fitted to each bag, one the parseval type of valve with the pressure cone as fitted in no. , the other automatic but also controlled by hand. to distribute the pressure evenly throughout the upper longitudinal frames, and also to prevent the gasbags bulging between the girders, nets were fitted throughout the whole structure of the hull. the whole exterior of the ship was fitted with an outer cover, to protect the gasbags and hull framework from weather and to render the outer surface of the ship symmetrical and reduce "skin friction" and resistance to the air to a minimum. to enable this cover to be easily removed it was made in two sections, a port and starboard side for each gasbag. the covers were laced to the hull framework and the connections were covered over with sealing strips to render the whole weathertight. the system of fins for stabilizing purposes on no. were two--vertical and horizontal. the vertical fin was composed of two parts, one above and the other below the centre line of the ship. they were constructed of a framework of duralumin girders, covered over with fabric. the fins were attached on one edge to the hull structure and wire braced from the other edge to various positions on the hull. the horizontal fins were of similar design and attached in a like manner to the hull. triplane rudders and biplane elevators of the box type were fitted in accordance with the german practice of the time. auxiliary biplane rudders were fitted originally abaft the after car, but during the first two trial flights they proved so very unsatisfactory that it was decided to remove them. two cars or gondolas were provided to act as navigating compartments and a housing for the engines, and in design were calculated to offer the least amount of head resistance to the wind. the cars were composed of duralumin girders, which formed a flooring, a main girder running the full length of the car with a series of transverse girders spaced in accordance with the main loads. from each of these transverse girders vertical standards with a connecting piece on top were taken and the whole exterior was covered with duralumin plating. the cars were suspended in the following manner. two steel tubes fitting into a junction piece at each end were bolted to brackets at the floor level at each end of the transverse girders. they met at an apex above the roof level and were connected to the tubing of the keel. in addition, to distribute the weight and prevent the cars from rocking, steel wire suspensions were led to certain fixed points in the hull. each car was divided into two parts by a bulkhead, the forward portion being the control compartment in which were disposed all instruments, valve and ballast controls, and all the steering and elevating arrangements. engine-room telegraphs, voice pipes and telephones were fitted up for communication from one part of the ship to the other. the keel could be reached by a ladder from each car, thus providing with the climbing shaft through the hull access to all parts of the ship. the original engine equipment of no. was composed of four wolseley-maybach engines of horse-power each, two being installed in the forward car and two in the after car. as the ship was deficient in lift after the initial flight trials had been carried out, it was decided to remove the two engines from the after car and replace them with a single engine of horse-power; secondly, to remove the swivelling propeller gear from the after car and substitute one directly-driven propeller astern of the car. this as anticipated reduced the weight very considerably and in no way lessened the speed of the ship. the forward engines drove two four-bladed swivelling propellers through gear boxes and transmission shafts, the whole system being somewhat complicated, and was opposed to the zeppelin practice at the time which employed fixed propellers. the after engine drove a large two-bladed propeller direct off the main shaft. the petrol and water ballast were carried in tanks situated in the keel and the oil was carried in tanks beneath the floors of the cars. the wireless cabin was situated as before mentioned in a cabin in the keel of the ship, and the plant comprised a main transmitter, an auxiliary transmitter and receiver and the necessary aerial for radiating and receiving. no. was inflated in the closing days of , and the disposal lift was found to be . tons under the specification conditions, namely, barometer . inches and temperature degrees fahrenheit. the contract requirements had been dropped to . tons, which showed that the ship was short by one ton of the lift demanded. the flight trials were, however, carried out, which showed that the ship had a speed of about / miles per hour. the alterations previously mentioned were afterwards made, the bags of the ship were changed and another lift and trim trial was held in march, , when it was found that these had had the satisfactory result of increasing the disposable lift to . tons or . ton above the contract requirements, and with the bags per cent full gave a total disposable lift of . tons. additional trials were then carried out, which showed that the speed of the ship had not been impaired. for reference purposes the performances of the ship are tabulated below. speed: full miles per hour normal = / " " " cruising = / " " " endurance: full hours = miles normal " = , " cruising " = , " no. having finished her trials was accepted by the admiralty in mar. , and left barrow, where she had been built, for a patrol station. in many ways she was an excellent ship, for it must be remembered that when completed she was some years out-of-date judged by zeppelin standards. apart from the patrol and convoy work which she accomplished, she proved simply invaluable for the training of officers and men selected to be the crews of future rigid airships. many of these received their initial training in her, and there were few officers or men in the airship service who were not filled with regret when orders were issued that she was to be broken up. the general feeling was that she should have been preserved as a lasting exhibition of the infancy of the airship service, but unfortunately rigid airships occupy so much space that there is no museum in the country which could have accommodated her. so she passed, and, except for minor trophies, remains merely a recollection. rigid airship no. class after the decision had been made in that work on no. should be restarted, the admiralty determined that a programme of rigid airships should be embarked upon, and design was commenced. several ships of the same class were, ordered, and the type was to be known as the class. progress on these ships, although slow, was more rapid than had been the case with no. , and by the end of three were completed and a fourth was rapidly approaching that state. the specification, always ambitious, laid down the following main stipulations. ( ) the ship is to attain a speed of at least miles per hour for the main power of the engines. ( ) a minimum of tons is to be available for disposable weights when full. ( ) the ship must be capable of rising at an average rate of not less than , feet per minute, through a height of , feet starting from nearly sea level. as will be seen later this class of ship, although marking a certain advance on no. both as regards workmanship and design, proved on the whole somewhat disappointing, and it became more evident every day that we had allowed the germans to obtain such a start in the race of airship construction as we could ill afford to concede. we may here state that all of the ships of this class which had been ordered were not completed, the later numbers being modified into what was known as the x class; four in all of the class were built, of which two--nos. and --were built by messrs. vickers, ltd., at barrow, no. by messrs. wm. beardmore and co., at glasgow, and no. by messrs. armstrong, whitworth and co., at selby, yorkshire. in many respects the closest similarity of design exists between no. and no. , especially in the hull, but it will be of interest to mention the salient differences between the two ships. the length of the hull, which in no. was feet, was increased in no. to feet, and the number of gasbags from seventeen to eighteen. this gave a total volume of , cubic feet compared with , cubic feet in no. , with a disposable lift under specification conditions of . tons as opposed to . tons. the longitudinal shape of no. is a modified form of "zahm" shape, the radius of the bow portion being twice the diameter of the parallel portion, while the stern radius is three times the same diameter. in design the hull framework is almost a repetition of no. , particularly in the parallel portion, the same longitudinal and transverse frames dividing the hull into compartments, with tubes completely encircling the section between each main transverse frame. the system of wiring the hull is precisely the same in both the ships, and nets are employed in the same way. the triangular section of keel is adhered to, but its functions in no. are somewhat different. in no. it was intended to be sufficiently strong to support all the main vertical bending moments and shearing forces, but in no. it was primarily intended to support the distributed weights of water ballast, petrol tanks, etc., between the main transverse frames. unlike no. , the keel is attached to the main transverse frames only. the cabin and wireless cabin are disposed in the keel in the same manner, and it also furnishes a walking way for the total length of the ship. the stabilizing fins, both vertical and horizontal, are similar to those attached to no. , but the system of rudders and elevators is totally different. in place of the box rudders and elevators in no. , single balanced rudders and elevators are attached to the fins; they have their bearing on the outboard side on the external girders of the fins, which are extended for the purpose. the elevators and rudders are composed of a duralumin framework, stiffened by a kingpost on either side with bracing wires. the bags, eighteen in number, are made of rubber-proofed fabric lined with gold-beater's skin. it is interesting to note that the number of skins used for the bags of a ship of this class is approximately , . the system of valves is entirely different from that in no. . the parseval type of valve with the pressure cone at the bottom of the bag is omitted, and in the place of the two top valves in the former ship are a side valve of the zeppelin type entirely automatic and a top valve entirely hand controlled. the side valve is set to blow off at a pressure of from to millimetres. the outer cover was fitted in the same manner as in no. . two cars or gondolas, one forward, the other aft, each carry one engine provided with swivelling propellers and gears. they are enclosed with sides and a fireproof roof, and are divided into two compartments, one the navigating compartment, the other the engine room. the cars are in all respects very similar to those of no. , and are suspended from the hull in a similar manner. the remaining two engines are carried in a small streamline car situated amidships, which has just sufficient room in it for the mechanics to attend to them. originally this car was open at the top, but it was found that the engineers suffered from exposure, and it was afterwards roofed in. the engine arrangements in this ship were totally different to those of no. , four horse-power rolls royce engines being installed in the following order. single engines are fitted in both the forward and after cars, each driving two swivelling four-bladed propellers. in the centre car two similar engines are placed transversely, which drive single fixed propellers mounted on steel tube outriggers through suitable gearing. the engines are the standard cylinder v-type rolls royce which will develop over brake horse-power at full throttle opening. the engine is water cooled, and in the case of those in the forward and after cars the original system consisted of an internal radiator supplied by an auxiliary water tank carried in the keel. it was found on the flight trials that the cooling was insufficient, and external radiators were fitted, the internal radiator and fan being removed. in the case of the centre car no alteration was necessary, as external radiators were fitted in the first instance. the engines are supported by two steel tubes held by four brackets bolted to the crank case, these being carried by twelve duralumin tubes bolted to the bearers and transverse frames of the car respectively. the drive from the engine is transmitted through a universal joint to a short longitudinal shaft, running on ball bearings. this shaft gears into two transverse shafts, which drive the propellers through the medium of a gear box to the propeller shafts, making five shafts in all. the engines in the centre car being placed transversely the transmission is more direct, the engines driving the propellers through two gear wheels only. the propeller gear box is supported by steel tube outriggers attached by brackets to the framework of the car. the petrol is carried in a series of tanks situated beneath the keel walking way, and are interconnected so that any tank either forward or aft can supply any engine, by this means affording assistance for the trimming of the ship. four-bladed propellers are used throughout the ship. water ballast is carried in fabric bags also situated beneath the keel walking way, and a certain amount is also carried beneath the floor of the car. engine-room telegraphs, swivelling propeller telegraphs, speaking tubes and telephones, with a lighting set for the illumination of the cars and keel, were all fitted in accordance with the practice standard in all rigid airships. the lift and trim trials taken before the initial flight trials showed that the ship possessed a disposable lift under standard conditions of . tons. the original disposable lift demanded by the specification was tons but this was reduced by tons owing to the machinery weights being tons in excess of the estimate. since then these weights had been increased by another half-ton, making a total of / tons over the original estimate. it was evident that with so small a margin of lift these ships would never be of real use, and it was decided to remove various weights to increase the lift and to substitute a wing car of a similar type to those manufactured for the r class for the heavy after car at present in use. r carried out her trials without the alteration to the car, which was effected at a later date, and the same procedure was adopted with r and r . in the case of r , however, she had not reached the same stage of completion as the other two ships, and the alterations proposed for them were embodied in her during construction. the gasbags were of lighter composition, all cabin furniture was omitted and the wing car was fitted in place of the original after car. this wing car is of streamline shape with a rounded bow and tapered stern. the lower portion is plated with duralumin sheets and the upper part is covered with canvas attached to light wooden battens to give the necessary shape. this effected a very considerable reduction in weight. the original horse-power rolls royce engine was installed, now driving a single large two-bladed propeller astern. a test having been taken, it was found that the disposable lift under standard conditions was . tons. it was therefore decided that all the ships of the class should be modified to this design when circumstances permitted. speed trials were carried out under various conditions of running, when it was found that the ship possessed a speed of / miles per hour with the engines running full out. to summarize the performances of these ships as we did in the case of no. , we find: speed: full miles per hour normal = / " " " cruising = / " " " endurance: full hours = , miles normal " = , " cruising " = , " the production of the rigid airship during the war was always surrounded with a cloak of impenetrable mystery. few people, except those employed on their construction or who happened to live in the immediate vicinity of where they were built, even knew of their existence, and such ignorance prevailed concerning airships of every description that the man in the street hailed a small non-rigid as "the british zeppelin" or admired the appearance of r as "the silver queen." the authorities no doubt knew their own business in fostering this ignorance, although for many reasons it was unfortunate that public interest was not stimulated to a greater degree. in the summer months of , however, they relented to a certain extent, and r and one of her sister ships were permitted to make several flights over london to the intense delight of thousands of its inhabitants, and a certain amount of descriptive matter appeared in the press. from that time onwards these large airships have completely captured the popular imagination, and many absurd rumours and exaggerations have been circulated regarding their capabilities. it has been gravely stated that these airships could accomplish the circuit of the globe and perform other feats of the imagination. it must be confessed that their merits do not warrant these extravagant assertions. the fact remains, however, that r and her sister ship r have each carried out patrols of upwards of hours duration and that, similarly to no. , they have proved of the greatest value for training airship crews and providing experience and data for the building programme of the future. at the present time highly interesting experiments are being carried out with them to determine the most efficient system of mooring in the open, which will be discussed at some length in the chapter dealing with the airship of the future. rigid airship x class during the early days of building the airships of the class, further information was obtained relating to rigid airship construction in germany, which caused our designers to modify their views. it was considered a wrong policy to continue the production of a fleet of ships the design of which was becoming obsolete, and accordingly within ten months of placing the order for this class a decision was reached that the last four ships were to be altered to a modified design known as the x class. as was the case with the ships of the preceding class when nearing completion, they were realized to be out of date, and special efforts being required to complete the ships of the class and to release building space for additional larger ships, the construction of the second pair was abandoned. the main modification in design was the abolition of the external keel, and in this the later zeppelin principles were adopted. this secured a very considerable reduction in structural weight with a corresponding large expansion of the effective capabilities of the ship. it has been seen that the purpose of the keel in no. was to provide a structure sufficiently strong to support all the main vertical bending moments and shearing forces, and that in no. this principle was somewhat different, in that the keel in this ship was primarily intended to support the distributed weights of petrol, water, ballast, etc., between the transverse frames. in this later design, namely, the x class, it was considered that the weights could be concentrated and suspended from the radial wiring of the transverse frames and that the keel, incorporated in the design of the former ships, could be dispensed with. for all practical purposes, apart from the absence of the keel, the x class of airship may be regarded as a slightly varied model of the class. the main dimensions are nearly the same, and the general arrangement of the ship is but little changed. the loss of space owing to the introduction of the internal corridor is compensated by a modification of the shape of the bow, which was redesigned with a deeper curve. the hull structure was also strengthened by utilizing a stronger type of girder wherever the greatest weights occur. in these strengthened transverse frames the girders, while still remaining of the triangular section, familiar in the other ships, are placed the opposite way round, that is, with the apex pointing outwards. the walking way is situated at the base of the hull passing through the gas chambers, which are specially shaped for the purpose. the corridor is formed of a light construction of hollow wooden struts and duralumin arches covered with netting. in all other leading features the design of the class is adhered to; the gasbags are the same, except for the alteration due to the internal corridor, and the system of valves and the various controls are all highly similar. the arrangement of gondolas and the fitting of engines in all ways corresponds to the original arrangement of r , with the exception that they were suspended closer to the hull owing to the absence of the external keel. the substitution of the wing car of the class for the original after gondola, carried out in the modifications undergone by the ships of the class, was not adopted in these ships, as the wireless compartment installed in the keel in the former was fitted in the after gondola in the latter. the disposable lift of these ships under standard conditions is / tons, which shows considerable improvement on the ships of the former classes. summarizing as before, the performances appear as under-- speed: full / miles per hour normal " " " cruising " " " endurance: normal hours = , miles cruising / " = , " the two ships of this class, which were commissioned, must be regarded within certain limits as most satisfactory, and are the most successful of those that appeared and were employed during the war. escort of convoys and extended anti-submarine patrols were carried out, and certain valuable experiments will be attempted now that peace has arrived. in spite of the grave misgivings of many critics, the structure without the keel has proved amply strong, and no mishap attended this radical departure on the part of the designers. rigid airship no. class the airship known as r was a complete deviation from any rigid airship previously built in this country. in this case the experiment was tried of constructing it in wood in accordance with the practice adopted by the schutte-lanz company in germany. it must be frankly acknowledged that this experiment resulted in failure. the ship when completed showed great improvement both in shape, speed and lifting capacity over any airship commissioned in this country, and as a whole the workmanship exhibited in her construction was exquisite. unfortunately, under the conditions to which it was subjected, the hull structure did not prove durable, and to those conditions the failure is attributed. under different circumstances it may be hoped that the second ship, when completed, will prove more fortunate. in length r was feet, with a diameter of feet, and the capacity was / million cubic feet. in shape the hull was similar to the later types of zeppelin, having a rounded bow and a long, tapering stern. the longitudinal and transverse frames were composed of girders built up of three-ply wood, the whole structure being braced in the usual manner with wire bracings. it had been found in practice with rigid airships that, if for any reason one gasbag becomes much less inflated than those adjacent to it, there is considerable pressure having the effect of forcing the radial wires of the transverse frames towards the empty bag. the tension resulting in these wires may produce very serious compressive strain in the members of the transverse frames, and to counteract this action an axial wire is led along the axis of the ship and secured to the centre point of the radial wiring. this method, now current practice in rigid airship construction, was introduced for the first time in this ship. as will be seen from the photograph, the control and navigating compartment of the ship is contained in the hull, the cars in each case being merely small engine rooms. these small cars were beautifully made of wood of a shape to afford the least resistance to the air, and in number were five, each housing a single horse-power rolls royce engine driving a single fixed propeller. here we see another decided departure from our previous methods of rigid airship construction, in that for the first time swivelling propellers were abandoned. r when completed carried out her trials, and it was evident that she was much faster than previous ships. the trials were on the whole satisfactory and, except for a few minor accidents to the hull framework and fins, nothing untoward occurred. at a later date the whole ship was through fortuitous circumstances exposed to certain disadvantageous conditions which rendered her incapable of further use. r class september th, , is one of the most important days in the history of rigid airship design in this country; on this date the german zeppelin airship l was damaged by gunfire over london, and being hit in the after gasbags attempted to return to germany. owing to lack of buoyancy she was forced to land at little wigborough, in essex, where the crew, having set fire to the ship, gave themselves up. although practically the entire fabric of the ship was destroyed, the hull structure most fortunately remained to all intents and purposes intact, and was of inestimable value to the design staff of the admiralty, who measured up the whole ship and made working drawings of every part available. during this year other german rigid airships had been brought down, namely l , which was destroyed at the mouth of the thames in april, but which was of an old type, and from which little useful information was obtained; and also the army airship l.z. , which was destroyed at salonica in the month of may. a schutte-lanz airship was also brought down at cuffley, on september nd, and afforded certain valuable details. all these ships were, however, becoming out of date; but l was of the latest design, familiarly called the super-zeppelin, and had only been completed about six weeks before she encountered disaster. in view of the fact that the rigid airships building in this country at this date, with the exception of the wooden schutte-lanz ships were all based on pre-war designs of zeppelin airships, it can be readily understood that this latest capture revolutionized all previous ideas, and to a greater extent than might be imagined, owing to the immense advance, both in design and construction, which had taken place in germany since . all possible information having been obtained, both from the wreck of the airship itself and from interrogation of the captured crew, approval was obtained, in november of the same year, for two ships of the l design to be built; and in january, , this number was increased to five. it was intended originally that these ships should be an exact facsimile of l ; but owing to the length of time occupied in construction later information was obtained before they were completed, both from ships of a more modern design, which were subsequently brought down, and also from other sources. acting on this information, various improvements were embodied in r and r , which were in a more advanced state; but in the case of the three other ships the size was increased, and the ships, when completed, will bear resemblance to a later type altogether. as a comment on the slowness of construction before mentioned, the fact that while we in this country were building two ships on two slips, germany had constructed no fewer than thirty on four slips, certainly affords considerable food for reflection. the two airships of this class having only just reached a state of completion, a detailed description cannot be given without making public much information which must necessarily remain secret for the present. various descriptions have, however, been given in the daily and weekly press, but it is not intended in the present edition of this book to attempt to elaborate on anything which has not been already revealed through these channels. it is regrettable that so much that would be of the utmost interest has to be omitted; but the particulars which follow will at any rate give sonic idea of the magnitude of the ship and show that it marks a decided departure from previous experiments and a great advance on any airship before constructed in great britain. it is also a matter for regret that these two ships were not completed before the termination of hostilities, as their capabilities would appear to be sufficient to warrant the expectations which have been based on their practical utility as scouting agents for the grand fleet. in all its main features the hull structure of r and r follows the design of the wrecked german zeppelin airship l . the hull follows more nearly a true streamline shape than in the previous ships constructed of duralumin, in which a great proportion of the total length was parallel-sided. the germans adopted this new shape from the schutte-lanz design and have not departed from this practice. this consists of a short parallel body with a long rounded bow and a long tapering stem culminating in a point. the overall length of the ship is feet with a diameter of feet and an extreme height of feet. the type of girders in this class has been much altered from those in previous ships. the hull is fitted with an internal triangular keel throughout practically the entire length. this forms the main corridor of the ship, and is fitted with a footway down the centre for its entire length. it contains water ballast and petrol tanks, bomb stowage and crew accommodation and the various control wires, petrol pipes and electric leads are carried along the lower part. throughout this internal corridor runs a bridge girder, from which the petrol and water ballast tanks are supported. these tanks are so arranged that they can be dropped clear of the ship. amidships is the cabin space with sufficient room for a crew of twenty-five. hammocks can be slung from the bridge girder before mentioned. in accordance with the latest zeppelin practice, monoplane rudders and elevators are fitted to the horizontal and vertical fins. the ship is supported in the air by nineteen gasbags which give a total capacity of approximately two million cubic feet of gas. the gross lift works out at approximately / tons, of which the total fixed weight is tons, giving a disposable lift of / tons. the arrangement of cars is as follows: at the forward end the control car is slung, which contains all navigating instruments and the various controls. adjoining this is the wireless cabin, which is also fitted for wireless telephony. immediately aft of this is the forward power car containing one engine, which gives the appearance that the whole is one large car. amidships are two wing cars each containing a single engine. these are small and just accommodate the engine with sufficient room for mechanics to attend to them. further aft is another larger car which contains an auxiliary control position and two engines. it will thus be seen that five engines are installed in the ship; these are all of the same type and horse-power, namely, horse-power sunbeam. r was constructed by messrs. armstrong whitworth ltd., while her sister ship r was built by messrs. beardmore on the clyde. in the spring of , r and r carried out several flight trials, and though various difficulties were encountered both with the engines and also with the elevator and rudder controls, it was evident that, with these defects remedied, each of these ships would prove to be singularly reliable. on one of these trials made by r , exceedingly bad weather was encountered, and the airship passed through several blinding snowstorms; nevertheless the proposed flight of some seventeen hours was completed, and though at times progress was practically nil owing to the extreme force of the wind, the station was reached in safety and the ship landed without any contretemps. this trial run having been accomplished in weather such as would never have been chosen in the earlier days of rigid trial flights, those connected with the airship felt that their confidence in the vessel's capabilities was by no means exaggerated. the lift of the ship warranted a greater supply of petrol being carried than there was accommodation for, and the engines by now had been "tuned up" to a high standard of efficiency. accordingly it was considered that the ship possessed the necessary qualifications for a transatlantic flight. it was, moreover, the opinion of the leading officers of the airship service that such an enterprise would be of inestimable value to the airship itself, as demonstrating its utility in the future for commercial purposes. efforts were made to obtain permission for the flight to be attempted, and although at first the naval authorities were disinclined to risk such a valuable ship on what appeared to be an adventure of doubtful outcome, eventually all opposition was overcome and it was agreed that for the purposes of this voyage the ship was to be taken over by the air ministry from the admiralty. work was started immediately to fit out the ship for a journey of this description. extra petrol tanks were disposed in the hull structure to enable a greater supply of fuel to be carried, a new and improved type of outer cover was fitted, and by may th, r was completed to the satisfaction of the admiralty and was accepted. on the evening of the same day she left for her station, east fortune, on the firth of forth. this short passage from the clyde to the forth was not devoid of incident, as soon after leaving the ground a low-lying fog enveloped the whole country and it was found impossible to land with any degree of safety. it having been resolved not to land until the fog lifted, the airship cruised about the north-east coast of england and even came as far south as york. returning to scotland, she found the fog had cleared, and was landed safely, having been in the air for hours. the original intention was that the atlantic flight should be made at the beginning of june, but the apparent unwillingness of the germans to sign the peace treaty caused the admiralty to retain the ship for a time and commission her on a war footing. during this period she went for an extended cruise over denmark, along the north coast of germany and over the baltic. this flight was accomplished in hours, during which extremely bad weather conditions were experienced at times. on its conclusion captain and crew of the ship expressed their opinion that the crossing of the atlantic was with ordinary luck a moral certainty. peace having been signed, the ship was overhauled once more and made ready for the flight, and the day selected some three weeks before was july nd. a selected party of air-service ratings, together with two officers, were sent over to america to make all the necessary arrangements, and the american authorities afforded every conceivable facility to render the flight successful. as there is no shed in america capable of housing a big rigid, there was no alternative but to moor her out in the open, replenish supplies of gas and fuel and make the return journey as quickly as possible. on july nd, at . a.m. (british summer time), r left the ground at east fortune, carrying a total number of persons. the route followed was a somewhat northerly one, the north coast of ireland being skirted and a more or less direct course was kept to newfoundland. from thence the south-east coast of nova scotia was followed and the mainland was picked up near cape cod. from cape cod the airship proceeded to mineola, the landing place on long island. all went well until newfoundland was reached. over this island fog was encountered, and later electrical storms became a disturbing element when over nova scotia and the bay of fundy. the course had to be altered to avoid these storms, and owing to this the petrol began to run short. no anxiety was occasioned until on saturday, july th, a wireless signal was sent at . p.m. asking for assistance, and destroyers were dispatched immediately to the scene. later messages were received indicating that the position was very acute, as head winds were being encountered and petrol was running short. the airship, however, struggled on, and though at one time the possibility of landing at montauk, at the northern end of long island, was considered, she managed after a night of considerable anxiety to reach mineola and land there in safety on july th at . a.m. (british summer time). the total duration of the outward voyage was hours minutes, and during this time some , sea miles were covered. r remained at mineola until midnight of july th according to american time. during the four days in which she was moored out variable weather was experienced, and in a gale of wind the mooring point was torn out, but fortunately, another trail rope was dropped and made fast, and the airship did not break away. it was intended that the return should be delayed until daylight, in order that spectators in new york should obtain a good view of the airship, but an approaching storm was reported and the preparations were advanced for her immediate departure. during the last half-hour great difficulty was experienced in holding the ship while gassing was completed. at . a.m. (british summer time) r set out on her return voyage, steering for new york, to fly over the city before heading out into the atlantic. she was picked up by the searchlights and was distinctly visible to an enormous concourse of spectators. during the early part of the flight a strong following wind was of great assistance, and for a short period an air speed of miles per hour was attained. on the morning of july th the foremost of the two engines in the after car broke down and was found to be beyond repair. the remainder of the voyage was accomplished without further incident. on july th at noon, a signal was sent telling r to proceed to the airship station at pulham in norfolk as the weather was unfavourable for landing in scotland. on the same day at . p.m., land was first sighted and the coast line was crossed near clifden, county galway, at p.m. on the following morning, july th, at . a.m. (british summer time), the long voyage was completed and r was safely housed in the shed, having been in the air hours minutes. thus a most remarkable undertaking was brought to a successful conclusion. the weather experienced was by no means abnormally good. this was not an opportunity waited for for weeks and then hurriedly snatched, but on the preordained date the flight was commenced. the airship enthusiast had always declared that the crossing of the atlantic presented no insuperable difficulty, and when the moment arrived the sceptics found that he was correct. we may therefore assume that this flight is a very important landmark in the history of aerial transport, and has demonstrated that the airship is to be the medium for long-distance travel. we may rest assured that such flights, although creating universal wonder to-day, will of a surety be accepted as everyday occurrences before the world is many years older. chapter viii the work of the airship in the world war the outbreak of war found us, as we have seen, practically without airships of any military value. for this unfortunate circumstance there were many contributory causes. the development of aeronautics generally in this country was behind that of the continent, and the airship had suffered to a greater extent than either the seaplane or the aeroplane. our attitude in fact towards the air had not altered so very greatly from that of the man who remarked, on reading in his paper that some pioneer of aviation had met with destruction, "if we had been meant to fly, god would have given us wings." absurd as this sounds nowadays, it was the opinion of most people in this country, with the exception of a few enthusiasts, until only a few years before we were plunged into war. the year saw the vindication of the enthusiasts, for in this summer bleriot crossed the channel in an aeroplane, and the first passenger-carrying zeppelin airship was completed. those who had previously scoffed came to the conclusion that flying was not only possible but an accomplished fact, and the next two years with their great aerial cross-country circuits revealed the vast potentialities of aircraft in assisting in military operations. we, therefore, began to study aeronautics as the science of the future, and aircraft as an adjunct to the sea and land forces of the empire. the airship, unfortunately, suffered for many reasons from the lack of encouragement afforded generally to the development of aeronautics. the airship undoubtedly is expensive, and one airship of size costs more to build than many aeroplanes. in addition, everything connected with the airship is a source of considerable outlay. the shed to house an airship is a most costly undertaking, and takes time and an expenditure of material to erect, and bears no comparison with the cheap hangar which can be run up in a moment to accommodate the aeroplane. the gas to lift the airship is by no means a cheap commodity. if it is to be made on the station where the airship is based, it necessitates the provision of an expensive and elaborate plant. if, on the other hand, it is to be manufactured at a factory, the question of transport comes in, which is a further source of expense with costly hydrogen tubes for its conveyance. another drawback is the large tract of ground required for an aerodrome, and the big airship needs a large number of highly-trained personnel to handle it. a further point always, raised when the policy of developing the airship was mooted is its vulnerability. it cannot be denied that it presents a large target to artillery or to the aeroplane attacking it, and owing to the highly inflammable nature of hydrogen when mixed with air there can be no escape if the gas containers are pierced by incendiary bullets or shells. another contributing factor to the slow development of the airship was the lack of private enterprise. rivalry existed between private firms for aeroplane contracts which consequently produced improvements in design; airships could not be produced in this way owing to the high initial cost, and if the resulting ships ended in failure, as many were bound to do, there would be no return for a large outlay of capital. the only way by which private firms could be encouraged to embark on airship building was by subsidies from the government, and at this time the prevalent idea of the doubtful value of the airship was too strong for money to be voted for this purpose. to strengthen this argument no demand had either been made from those in command of the fleet or from commanders of our armies for airships to act as auxiliaries to our forces. the disasters experienced by all early airships and most particularly by the zeppelins were always seized upon by those who desired to convince the country what unstable craft they were, and however safe in the air they might be were always liable to be wrecked when landing in anything but fine weather. those who might have sunk their money in airship building thereupon patted themselves upon the back and rejoiced that they had been so far-seeing as to avoid being engaged upon such a profitless industry. finally, all in authority were agreed to adopt the policy of letting other countries buy their experience and to profit from it at a later date. had the war been postponed for another twenty years all might have been well, and we should have reaped the benefit, but most calamitously for ourselves it arrived when we were utterly unprepared, and having, as we repeat, only three airships of any military value. with these three ships, astra-torres (no. ), parseval (no. ) and beta, the navy did all that was possible. at the very outbreak of war scouting trips were made out into the north sea beyond the mouth of the thames by the astra and parseval, and both these ships patrolled the channel during the passage of the expeditionary force. the astra was also employed off the belgian coast to assist the naval landing party at ostend, and together with the parseval assisted in patrolling the channel during the first winter of the war. the beta was also sent over to dunkirk to assist in spotting for artillery fire and locating german batteries on the belgian coast. our airships were also employed for aerial inspection of london and other large towns by night to examine the effects of lighting restrictions and obtain information for our anti-aircraft batteries. with the single exception of the s.s. ship, which carried out certain manoeuvres in france in the summer of , our airships were confined to operations over the sea; but if we had possessed ships of greater reliability in the early days of the war, it is conceivable that they would have been of value for certain purposes to the army. the germans employed their zeppelins at the bombardment of antwerp, warsaw, nancy and libau, and their raids on england are too well remembered to need description. the french also used airships for the observation of troops mobilizing and for the destruction of railway depots. the italians relied entirely at the beginning of the war on airships, constructed to fly at great heights, for the bombing of austrian troops and territory, and met with a considerable measure of success. when it was decided, early in , to develop the airship for anti-submarine work difficulties which appeared almost insuperable were encountered at first. to begin with, there were practically no firms in the country capable of airship production. the construction of envelopes was a great problem; as rubber-proofed fabric had been found by experiment to yield the best results for the holding of gas, various waterproofing firms were invited to make envelopes, and by whole-hearted efforts and untiring industry they at last provided very excellent samples. fins, rudder planes, and cars were also entrusted to firms which had had no previous experience of this class of work, and it is rather curious to reflect that envelopes were produced by the makers of mackintoshes and that cars and planes were constructed by a shop-window furnisher. this was a sure sign that all classes of the community were pulling together for the good of the common cause. among other difficulties was the shortage of hydrogen tubes, plants, and the silicol for making gas. sufficient sheds and aerodromes were also lacking, and the airships themselves were completed more quickly than the sheds which were to house them. the lack of airship personnel to meet the expansion of the service presented a further obstacle. to overcome this the system of direct entry into the r.n.a.s. was instituted, which enabled pilots to be enrolled from civil life in addition to the midshipmen who were drafted from the fleet. the majority of the ratings were recruited from civil life and given instruction in rigging and aero-engines as quickly as possible, while technical officers were nearly all civilians and granted commissions in the r.n.v.r. a tremendous drawback was the absence of rigid airships and the lack of duralumin with which to construct them. few men were also experienced in airship work at this time, and there was no central airship training establishment as was afterwards instituted. pilots were instructed as occasion permitted at the various patrol stations, having passed a balloon course and undergone a rudimentary training at various places. to conclude, the greatest of all difficulties was the shortage of money voted for airship development, and this was a disadvantage under which airships laboured even until the conclusion of hostilities. we have seen previously how the other difficulties were surmounted and how our airships were evolved, type by type, and the measure of success which attended them. it is interesting to recall that five years ago we only possessed three ships capable of flying, and that during the war we built upwards of two hundred, of which no fewer than were actually in commission on the date of the signing of the armistice. the work carried out by our airships during the war falls under three main headings: . operations with the fleet or with various units. . anti-submarine patrol and searching for mines. . escort of shipping and examination duties. with regard to the first heading it is only permissible at present to say very little; certain manoeuvres were carried out in connection with the fleet, but the slow development of our rigid airships prohibited anything on a large scale being attempted. the germans, on the other hand, made the fullest use of their zeppelins for scouting purposes with the high seas fleet. responsible people were guilty of a grave mistake when speaking in public in denouncing the zeppelin as a useless monster every time one was destroyed in a raid on this country. the main function of the zeppelin airship was to act as an aerial scout, and it carried out these duties with the utmost efficiency during the war. it is acknowledged that the german fleet owed its escape after the battle of jutland to the information received from their airships, while again the zeppelin was instrumental in effecting the escape of the flotilla which bombarded scarborough in . very probably, also, the large airship was responsible for the success which attended the u boats during their attack on the cruisers nottingham and falmouth, and also at the hogue disaster. various experiments were carried out in towing airships by cruisers, in refuelling while in tow and changing crews, all of which would have borne good fruit had the war lasted longer. an exceedingly interesting experiment was carried out during the closing stages of the war by an airship of the s.s. zero type. at this period the german submarines were gradually extending their operations at a greater distance from our coasts, and the authorities became concerned at the prospect that the small type of airship would not possess sufficient endurance to carry out patrol over these increased distances. the possibility was considered of carrying a small airship on board a ship which should carry out patrol and return to the ship for refuelling purposes, to replenish gas, and change her crew. to test the feasibility of this idea s.s. z carried out landing experiments on the deck of h.m.s. furious, which had been adapted as an aeroplane carrier. s.s. z came over the deck and dropped her trail rope, which was passed through a block secured to the deck, and was hauled down without difficulty. these experiments were continued while the ship was under weigh and were highly successful. no great difficulty was encountered in making fast the trail rope, and the airship proved quite easy to handle. the car was also lowered into the hangar below the upper deck, the envelope only remaining on the upper level, and everything worked smoothly. if the war had continued there is no doubt that some attempt would have been made to test the practical efficiency of the problem. anti-submarine patrol was the chief work of the airship during the war, and, like everything else, underwent most striking changes. submarine hunting probably had more clever brains concentrated upon it than anything else in the war, and the part allotted to the airship in conjunction with the hunting flotillas of surface craft was carefully thought out. in the case of a suspected submarine in a certain spot, all surface and air craft were concentrated by means of wireless signals at the appointed rendezvous. it is in operations of this kind that the airship is so superior to the seaplane or aeroplane, as she can hover over a fixed point for an indefinite period with engines shut off. if the submarine was located from the air, signals were given and depth charges dropped in the position pointed out. incidents of this kind were of frequent occurrence, and in them the value of the airship was fully recognized. the most monotonous and arduous of the airship's duties was the routine patrol. the ship would leave her shed before dawn and be at the appointed place many miles away from land. she then would carry out patrol, closely scanning the sea all round, and investigating any suspicious object. for hours this might last with nothing seen, and then in the gathering darkness the ship would make her way home often against a rising wind, and in the winter through hail and snow. bombs were always carried, and on many occasions direct hits were observed on enemy submarines. a sharp look-out was always kept for mines, and many were destroyed, either by gunfire from the airship herself or through the agency of patrol boats in the vicinity. this was the chief work of the s.s. ships, and was brought to a high pitch of perfection by the s.s. zero. these ships proved so handy that they could circle round an object without ever losing sight of it, and yet could be taken in and out of sheds in weather too bad to handle bigger ships. the hunting of the submarine has been likened to big-game hunting, and certainly no one ever set out to destroy a bigger quarry. it needs the same amount of patience and the same vigilance. days may pass without the opportunity, and that will only be a fleeting one: the psychological moment must be seized and it will not brook a moment's delay. the eye must be trained to pick up the minutest detail, and must be capable of doing this for hour after hour. for those on submarine patrol in a small ship there is not one second's rest. as is well known, the submarine campaign reached its climax in april, . in that month british and allied shipping sustained its greatest losses. the value of the airship in combating this menace was now fully recognized, and with the big building programme of zero airships approved, the housing accommodation again reached an acute stage. shortage of steel and timber for shed building, and the lack of labour to erect these materials had they been available, rendered other methods necessary. it was resolved to try the experiment of mooring airships in clearings cut into belts of trees or small woods. a suitable site was selected and the trees were felled by service labour. the ships were then taken into the gaps thus formed and were moored by steel wires to the adjacent trees. screens of brushwood were then built up between the trees, and the whole scheme proved so successful that even in winter, when the trees were stripped of their foliage, airships rode out gales of over miles per hour. the personnel were housed either in tents or billeted in cottages or houses in the neighbourhood, and gas was supplied in tubes as in the earlier days of the stations before the gas plants had been erected. this method having succeeded beyond the most sanguine expectations, every station had one or more of these sub-stations based on it, the airships allocated to them making a periodical visit to the parent station for overhaul as required. engineering repairs were effected by workshop lorries, provided that extensive work was not required. in this way a large fleet of small airships was maintained around our coasts, leaving the bigger types of ships on the parent stations, and the operations were enabled to be considerably extended. of course, certain ships were wrecked when gales of unprecedented violence sprung up; but the output of envelopes, planes and cars was by this time so good that a ship could be replaced at a few hours' notice, and the cost compared with building of additional sheds was so small as to be negligible. from the month of april, , the convoy system was introduced, by which all ships on entering the danger zones were collected at an appointed rendezvous and escorted by destroyers and patrolboats. the airship was singularly suitable to assist in these duties. owing to her power of reducing her speed to whatever was required, she could keep her station ahead or abeam of the convoy as was necessary, and from her altitude was able to exercise an outlook for a far greater distance than was possible from the bridge of a destroyer. she could also sweep the surface ahead of the approaching convoy, and warn it by wireless or by flash-lamp of the presence of submarines or mines. by these timely warnings many vessels were saved. owing to the position of the stations it was possible for a convoy to be met by airships west of the scilly isles and escorted by the airships of the succeeding stations right up the channel. in a similar manner, the main shipping routes on the east coast and also in the irish sea were under constant observation. the mail steamers between england and ireland and transports between england and france were always escorted whenever flying conditions were possible. for escort duties involving long hours of flying, the coastal and c star types were peculiarly suitable, and at a later date the north sea, which could accompany a convoy for the length of scotland. airships have often proved of value in summoning help to torpedoed vessels, and on occasions survivors in open boats have been rescued through the agency of patrolling airships. examination duties are reckoned among the many obligations of the airship. suspicious-looking vessels were always carefully scrutinized, and if unable to give a satisfactory answer to signals made, were reported to vessels of the auxiliary patrol for closer examination. isolated fishing vessels always were kept under close observation, for one of the many ruses of the submarine was to adopt the disguise of a harmless fishing boat with masts and sails. the large transports, conveying american troops who passed through england on their way to france, were always provided with escorting airships whenever possible, and their officers have extolled their merits in most laudatory terms. our rigid airships also contributed their share in convoy work, although their appearance as active units was delayed owing to slowness in construction. a disturbing feature to the advocate of the large airship, has been the destruction of raiding zeppelins by heavier-than-air machines, and the jeremiahs have not lost this opportunity of declaring that for war purposes the huge rigid is now useless and will always be at the complete mercy of the fast scouting aeroplane. there is never any obstacle in this world that cannot be surmounted by some means or other. on the one hand there is helium, a non-inflammable gas which would render airships almost immune to such attacks. on the other hand, one opinion of thought is that the rigid airship in the future will proceed to sea escorted by a squadron of scouting aeroplanes for its defence, in the same way that the capital ship is escorted at sea by destroyers and torpedo boats. this latter idea has been even further developed by those who look into the future, and have conceived the possibility of a gigantic airship carrying its own aeroplanes for its protection. to test the possibility of this innovation, a small aeroplane was attached to one of our rigid airships beneath the keel. attachments were made to the top of the wings and were carried to the main framework of the hull. the release gear was tested on the ground to preclude the possibility of any accident, and on the day appointed the airship was got ready for flight. while the airship was flying, the pilot of the aeroplane was in his position with his engine just ticking over. the bows of the airship were then inclined upwards and the release gear was put into operation. the pilot afterwards said that he had no notion that anything had been done until he noticed that the airship was some considerable height above him. the machine made a circuit of the aerodrome and landed in perfect safety, while no trouble was experienced in any way in the airship. whether this satisfactory experiment will have any practical outcome the future alone can say, but this achievement would have been considered, beyond all the possibilities of attainment only a few years ago. since the armistice several notable endurance flights were accomplished by ships of the north sea class, several voyages being made to the coast of norway, and quite recently a trip was carried out all round the north sea. the weather has ceased to be the deterrent of the early days. many will no doubt remember seeing the north sea airship over london on a day of squalls and snow showers, and r encountered heavy snow storms on the occasion of one of her flight trials, which goes to prove that the airship is scarcely the fair-weather aircraft as maintained by her opponents. throughout the war our airships flew for approximately , hours and covered a distance of upwards of two and a quarter million miles. the germans attempted to win the war by the wholesale sinking of our merchant shipping, bringing supplies and food to these islands, and by torpedoing our transports and ships carrying guns and munitions of war. they were, perhaps, nearer to success than we thought at the time, but we were saved by the defeat of the submarine. in the victory won over the underseas craft the airship certainly played a prominent part and we, who never suffered the pinch of hunger, should gratefully remember those who never lost heart, but in spite of all difficulties and discouragement, designed, built, maintained and flew our fleet of airships. chapter ix the future of airships with the signing of the armistice on november th, , the airship's work in the war was practically completed and peace reigned on the stations which for so many months had been centres of feverish activity. the enemy submarines were withdrawn from our shipping routes and merchant ships could traverse the sea in safety except for the occasional danger of drifting mines. "what is to be the future of the airship?" is the question which is agitating the minds of innumerable people at the present moment. during the war we have built the largest fleet of airships in the world, in non-rigids we have reached a stage in design which is unsurpassed by any country, and in rigid airships we are second only to the germans, who have declared that, with the signing of the peace terms, their aircraft industry will be destroyed. such is our position at the present moment, a position almost incredible if we look back to the closing days of the year . are we now to allow ourselves to drift gradually back to our old policy of supineness and negligence as existed before the war? surely such a thought is inconceivable; as we have organized our airship production for the purposes of war, so shall we have to redouble our efforts for its development in peace, if we intend to maintain our supremacy in the air. unless all war is from henceforth to cease, a most improbable supposition when the violence of human nature is considered, aircraft will be in the future almost the most important arm. owing to its speed, there will not be that period of waiting for the concentration and marching of the armies of the past, but the nation resolved on war will be able to strike its blow, and that a very powerful and terrible one, within a few hours of the rupture of negotiations. every nation to be prepared to counter such a blow must be possessed of adequate resources, and unless the enormous expense is incurred of maintaining in peace a huge establishment of aircraft and personnel, other methods must be adopted of possessing both of these available for war while employed in peace for other purposes. from the war two new methods of transportation have emerged--the aeroplane and the airship. to the business man neither of these is at the present juncture likely to commend itself on the basis of cost per ton mile. when, however, it is considered that the aeroplane is faster than the express train and the airship's speed is double that of the fastest merchant ship, it will be appreciated that for certain commercial purposes both these mediums for transport have their possibilities. the future may prove that in the time to come both the airship and the aeroplane will become self-supporting, but for the present, if assisted by the government, a fair return may be given for the capital laid out, and a large fleet of aircraft together with the necessary personnel will always be available for military purposes should the emergency arise. the present war has shown that the merchant service provided a valuable addition both of highly-trained personnel and of vessels readily adapted for war purposes, and it appears that a similar organization can be effected to reinforce our aerial navies in future times of danger. in discussions relative to the commercial possibilities of aircraft, a heated controversy always rages between advocates of the airship and those of the heavier-than-air machine, but into this it is not proposed to plunge the reader of this volume. the aeroplane is eminently adapted for certain purposes, and the greatest bigot in favour of the airship can hardly dispute the claims of this machine to remain predominant for short-distance travel, where high speed is essential and the load to be carried is light. for long distance voyages over the oceans or broken or unpopulated country, where large loads are to be carried, the airship should be found to be the more suitable. the demand for airships for commercial purposes falls under three main headings, which will be considered in some detail. it will be shown to what extent the present types will fill this demand, and how they can be developed in the future to render the proposed undertakings successful. . pleasure. . a quick and safe means of transport for passengers. . a quick commercial service for delivering goods of reasonable weight from one country to another. . pleasure.--in the past, men have kept mechanically-driven means of transport such as yachts, motor cars, and motor boats for their amusement, and to a limited extent have taken recreation in the air by means of balloons. for short cruises about this country and round the coast a small airship, somewhat similar to the s.s. zero, would be an ideal craft. in cost it would be considerably less than a small yacht, and as it would only be required in the summer months, it would be inflated and moored out in the open in a park or grounds and the expense of providing a shed need not be incurred. for longer distances, a ship of , cubic feet capacity, with a covered-in car and driven by two engines, would have an endurance of hours at a cruising speed of miles per hour. with such a ship voyages could easily be made from the south coast to the riviera or spain, and mooring out would still be possible under the lee of a small wood or to a buoy on the water. possibilities also exist for an enterprising firm to start a series of short pleasure trips at various fashionable seaside resorts, and until the novelty had worn off the demand for such excursions will probably be far in excess of the supply. . passenger transport.--in the re-organization of the world after this devastating war the business man's time will be of even more value than it was before. this country is largely bound up with the united states of america in business interests which necessitate continual visits between the two countries. the time occupied by steamer in completing this journey is at present about five days. if this time can be cut down to two and a half days, no doubt a large number of passengers will be only too anxious to avail themselves of this means of travel, providing that it will be accomplished in reasonable safety and comfort. the requirements for this purpose are an aerial liner capable of carrying a hundred passengers with a certain quantity of luggage and sufficient provisions for a voyage which may be extended over the specified time owing to weather conditions. the transatlantic service if successful could then be extended until regular passenger routes are established encircling the globe. . quick commercial service for certain types of goods.--certain mails and parcels are largely enhanced in value by the rapidity of transport, and here, as in the passenger service outlined above, the airship offers undoubted facilities. as we have said before, it is mainly over long distances that the airship will score, and for long distances on the amount carried the success of the enterprise will be secured. for this purpose the rigid airship will be essential. there are certain instances in which the non-rigid may possibly be profitably utilized, and one such is suggested by a mail service between this country and scandinavia. a service is feasible between newcastle and norway by airships of a capacity of the s.s. twin type. these ships would carry lb. of mails each trip at about d. per ounce, which would reduce the time of delivering letters from about two and a half to three days to twenty-four hours. a commercial airship company is regarded in this country as a new and highly hazardous undertaking, and it seems to be somewhat overlooked that it is not quite the novel idea so many people imagine. before the war, in the years to , the deutsche luftfahrt actien gesellschaft successfully ran a commercial zeppelin service in which four airships were used, namely, schwaben, victoria luise, hansa and sachsan. during this period over , passengers were carried a total distance of over , miles without incurring a single fatal accident. numerous english people made trips in these airships, including viscount jellicoe, but the success of the company has apparently been forgotten. we have endeavoured to show that the non-rigid airship has potentialities even for commercial purposes, but there is no doubt whatever that the future of the airship in the commercial world rests entirely with the rigid type, and the airships of this type moreover must be of infinitely greater capacity than those at present in existence, if a return is to be expected for the capital invested in them. general sykes stated, in the paper which he read before the london chamber of commerce, "that for commercial purposes the airship is eminently adapted for long-distance journeys involving non-stop flights. it has this inherent advantage over the aeroplane, that while there appears to be a limit to the range of the aeroplane as at present constructed, there is practically no limit whatever to that of the airship, as this can be overcome by merely increasing the size. it thus appears that for such journeys as crossing the atlantic, or crossing the pacific from the west coast of america to australia or japan, the airship will be peculiarly suitable." he also remarked that, "it having been conceded that the scope of the airship is long-distance travel, the only type which need be considered for this purpose is the rigid. the rigid airship is still in an embryonic state, but sufficient has already been accomplished in this country, and more particularly in germany, to show that with increased capacity there is no reason why, within a few years' time, airships should not be built capable of completing the circuit of the globe and of conveying sufficient passengers and merchandise to render such an undertaking a paying proposition." the report of the civil aerial transport committee also states that, "airships are the most suitable aircraft for the carrying of passengers where safety, comfort and reliability are essential." when we consider the rapid development of the rigid airship since , it should not be insuperable to construct an airship with the capabilities suggested by general sykes. in , the average endurance of the zeppelin at cruising speed was under one day and the maximum full speed about miles per hour. in , the german l , which is of , , cubic feet capacity, the endurance at miles per hour has risen to . days and the maximum full speed to miles per hour. the "ceiling" has correspondingly increased from , feet to , feet. the british r class, at present building, with a capacity of approximately / million cubic feet has an estimated endurance at miles per hour of hours or . days, which is hours greater than the german l class. it is evident that for a ship of this calibre the crossing of the atlantic will possess no difficulty, and as an instance of what has already been accomplished in the way of a long-distance flight the exploit of a zeppelin airship based in bulgaria during the war is sufficiently remarkable. this airship in the autumn of left the station at jamboli to carry twelve tons of ammunition for the relief of a force operating in german east africa. having crossed the mediterranean, she proceeded up the course of the nile until she had reached the upper waters of this river. information was then received by wireless of the surrender of the force, and that its commander, von lettow, was a fugitive in the bush. she thereupon set out for home and reached her station in safety, having been in the air hours, or four days, without landing. it is therefore patent that in r and r we possess two airships which can cross to america to-morrow as far as actual distance is concerned, but various other conditions are necessary before such voyages can be undertaken with any prospects of commercial success. the distance between england and america must be roughly taken as , miles. it is not reasonable for airship stations to be situated either in the inaccessible extreme west of ireland or among the prevailing fogs of newfoundland. weather conditions must also be taken into account; head winds may prevail, rendering the forward speed of the ship to be small even with the engines running full out. in calculations it is considered that the following assumptions should be made: . at least per cent additional petrol to be carried as would be necessary for the passage in calm air, should unfavourable weather conditions be met. this amount could be reduced to per cent in future airships with a speed of upwards of miles per hour. . about a quarter of the total discharge able lift of the ship should be in the form of merchandise or passengers to render the project a reasonable commercial proposition. we will consider the commercial loads that can be carried by the german airship l and our airships r and r under the conditions given above. two speeds will be taken for the purposes of this comparison: normal full speed, or about miles per hour, and cruising speed of miles per hour. l .--at miles per hour a distance of , miles will be accomplished in hours. fuel consumption about tons + . tons (additional for safety) = . tons. available lift for fuel and freight = . tons. fuel carried = . " ------------ balance for freight = " about. ----------- at miles per hour, distance will be accomplished in . hours. fuel consumption about tons + . tons additional = . tons. available lift = . tons fuel carried = . " ------------ balance for freight = " about. ------------ r. .--at miles per hour. fuel consumption . tons + . tons additional = . tons. lift available for fuel and freight = . tons. fuel carried = . " ------------ minus balance = . " ------------ at miles per hour. fuel consumption . tons + . tons ( tons approx.) lift available for fuel and freight = . tons. fuel carried = " ------------ balance for freight = . " ------------ r. .-estimated only. at miles per hour. fuel consumption tons + tons additional = tons. lift available for fuel and freight = tons. fuel carried = " ------------ balance for freight = " ------------ at miles per hour. fuel consumption tons + tons additional = tons. lift available for fuel and freight = " fuel carried = " ------------ balance for freight = " ------------ it will thus be seen that at the faster speed small commercial loads can be carried by l and r and not at all in the case of r , that is assuming, of course, that the extra fuel is carried, of which per cent of the total does not appear at all excessive in view of the weather continually experienced over the atlantic. at the cruising speed the loads naturally increase but still, in l , and more particularly in r , they are too small to be considered commercially. in r , however, the load that can be carried at cruising speed is sufficient to become a commercial proposition. from this short statement it is evident that, by a comparatively small increase in volume, the lifting capacity of an airship is enormously increased, and it is in this subject that the airship possesses such undoubted advantage over the aeroplane. in the heavier-than-air machine there is no automatic improvement in efficiency resulting from greater dimensions. in the airship, however, this automatic improvement takes place in a very marked degree; for example, an airship of , , cubic feet capacity has five times the lift of the present , , cubic feet capacity rigid, but the length of the former is only . times greater, and therefore the weight of the structure only five times greater ( . ); that is, the weight of the structure is directly proportional to the total lift. having seen that the total lift varies as the cube of the linear dimensions while air resistance, b.h.p.--other things being equal--vary as the square of the linear dimensions, it follows that the ratio "weight of machinery/total lift" decreases automatically. in comparing the different methods of transport for efficiency, the resistance or thrust required is compared as a percentage of the total weight. the result obtained is known as the "co-efficient of tractive resistance." experiments have shown that as the size of the airship increases, the co-efficient of tractive resistance decreases to a marked extent; with a proportionate increase in horse-power it is proportionally more economical for a , , cubic feet capacity rigid to fly at miles per hour than for a , , cubic feet capacity to fly at miles per hour. as the ratio "weight structure/total lift" is in airships fairly constant, it follows that the ratio "disposable lift/total lift" increases with the dimensions. it is therefore obvious that increased benefits are obtained by building airships of a larger size, and that the bigger the ship the greater will be its efficiency, providing, of course, that it is kept within such limits that it can be handled on the ground and manoeuvred in the air. the proportion of the useful lift in a large rigid, that is the lift available for fuel, crew, passengers, and merchandise, is well over per cent when compared with the gross lift. when the accompanying table is studied it will be seen that with airships of large capacity the available lift will be such that considerable weights of merchandise or passengers can be carried. capacity in gross lift length diameter cubic feet in tons in feet in feet , , . , , . . , , . . , , . . , , . . , , . . , , . , . , , . , . , , . , . in airships of their present capacity, in order to obtain the greatest amount of lift possible, lightness of construction has been of paramount importance. with this object in view duralumin has been used, and complicated girders built up to obtain strength without increase of weight. in a large ship with a considerable gain in lift, steel will probably be employed with a simpler form of girder work. in that way cheapness of construction will be effected together with increased rapidity of output, and in addition the strength of the whole structure should be increased. the rigid airship of , , cubic feet capacity will have a disposable lift of over tons available for fuel, crew, passengers, and merchandise in such proportions as are desired. the endurance of such a ship at a cruising speed of miles per hour will be in the neighbourhood of three weeks, with a maximum speed of to miles per hour, and a "ceiling" of some , feet can be reached. this will give a range of over , miles, or very nearly a complete circuit of the globe. for commercial purposes the possibilities of such a craft are enormous, and the uses to which it could be put are manifestly of great importance. urgent mails and passengers could be transported from england to america in under half the time at present taken by the steamship routes, and any city in the world could be reached from london in a fortnight. in the event of war in the future, which may be waged with a nation situated at a greater distance from this country than was germany, aircraft of long endurance will be necessary both for scouting in conjunction with our fleets and convoy duties. the british empire is widely scattered, and large tracts of ocean lie between the various colonies, all of which will require protection for the safe-guarding of our merchant shipping. the provision of a force of these large airships will greatly add to the security of our out-lying dominions. we have now reached a point where it is incumbent on us to face certain difficulties which beset the airship of large dimensions, and which are always magnified by its detractors. firstly, there is the expense of sheds in which to house it; secondly, the large number of trained personnel to assist in landing and handling it when on the ground; thirdly, the risks attendant on the weather--for the airship is still considered the general public as a fair-weather craft; and fourthly, though this is principally in connection with its efficiency for military purposes, its vulnerability. we will deal with the four difficulties enumerated under these headings seriatim, and endeavour to show to what extent they may be surmounted if not entirely removed. the solution of the first two problems may be summed up in two words: "mooring out"; on the success of this it is considered that the whole future of airships for commercial purposes rests. it will be essential that in every country which the airship visits on its voyages, one large central station is established for housing and repairs. the position of such a station is dependent on good weather conditions and the best railway facilities possible. in all respects this station will be comparable to a dry dock for surface vessels. the airship will be taken into the shed for overhaul of hull structure, renewing of gasbags or outer cover, and in short to undergo a periodical refit. the cost of a shed capable of housing two rigid airships, even at the present time, should not greatly exceed l , . this sum, though considerable, is but a small item compared with the cost of constructing docks to accommodate the atlantic liner, and when once completed the cost of maintenance is small when weighed against the amount annually expended in dredging and making good the wear and tear of a dock. apart from these occasional visits to a shed, the airship, in the ordinary way at the end of a voyage, will pick up its moorings as does the big steamer, and land its passengers and cargo, at the same time replenishing its supplies of fuel, gas, provisions, etc., while minor repairs to the machinery can be carried out as she rides in the air. a completely satisfactory solution of the mooring problem for the rigid airship has yet to reach its consummation. we saw in the previous chapter how, in the case of small non-rigids, they were sheltered in berths cut into woods or belts of trees, but for the rigid airship something more secure and less at the mercy of the elements is required. at the present moment three systems of mooring are in an experimental stage: one, known as "the single-wire system," is now practically acknowledged to fall short of perfection; the second, "the three-wire system," and the third, "mooring to a mast," both have their champions, but it is probable that the last will be the one finally chosen, and when thoroughly tried out with its imperfections eliminated will satisfy the most exacting critics. the single-wire system is at the same time the simplest and most obvious method which suggests itself, and means that the ship is secured by a wire cable attached to a suitable point in the ship and led to some fixed point on the ground. it has been found that an airship secured in this way requires constant attention, and that steering is always necessary to render her steady in the air. considerable improvement is obtained if a dragging weight is added to the wire, as it tends to check to a considerable extent lateral motion of the bow of the ship. the three-wire system is an adaptation and an improvement on the one previously mentioned. in this case the mooring point of the ship is attached to three long wire cables, which, when raised in the air, form a pyramid to the head of which the ship is attached. these wires are led to bollards which form in plan an equilateral triangle. the lift of the ship raises these wires off the ground, and if the ship is trimmed up by the bows she will be found to resist the action of the wind. a rigid airship moored out by this method remained in the open for a considerable time and rendered the future of this experiment most hopeful. it was resolved to continue these experiments by adding a subsidiary system of wires with running blocks, the whole wiring to form a polygon revolving round a fixed centre. the disadvantages of this method appear to be rather serious. it seems that great difficulty will always be found in picking up these moorings in a high wind, and though this also applies to the method with the mast, the initial obstacles do not appear to be so great. a powerful engine driving a winch will be necessary to raise these heavy wires from the ground, although of course the lift of the airship will assist in this. secondly, the lowering of passengers and cargo will not be easy as the ship will not be rigidly secured. this, however, can probably be managed when experiments have reached a further stage, and at present the system may be said to present distinct possibilities. the third system, that of mooring to a mast, possesses several features peculiar to itself, and not embraced by the other two, which should secure it prolonged investigations. the system is by no means new and has been tried from time to time for several years, but since the question of mooring in the open has been so ventilated and is now considered of such vital importance, these experiments have been continued, and in less spasmodic fashion than in the past. in a trial with a small non-rigid airship some months ago a signal success was achieved. the ship remained attached to a mast in open country with no protection whatsoever for six weeks in two of the worst months of the year. during this period two men only were required to look after the ship, which experienced gales in which the force of the wind rose to miles per hour, and not the slightest damage was sustained. two or three methods of attaching the airship to the mast have been proposed, but the one which appears to be most practical is to attach the extreme bow point of the ship to some form of cap, in which the nose of the ship will fit, and will revolve round the top of the mast in accordance with the direction of the wind. for large airships, employed as passenger and commerce carriers, we can imagine the mast advanced a stage further, and transformed into a tower with a revolving head. incorporated in this tower will be a lift for passengers and luggage, pipes also will be led to the summit through which both gas and water can be pumped into the ship. with the airship rigidly held at the head of such a structure all the difficulties of changing crews, embarking and disembarking passengers, shipping and discharging cargo and also refuelling, vanish at once. assuming the mooring problem solved with success, and we feel correct in this assumption, the first two of our difficulties automatically disappear. sheds will only be necessary as repair depots and will not be extensively required, all intermediate stopping places being provided with masts and necessary arrangements for taking in gas, etc. at these intermediate stations the number of men employed will be comparatively speaking few. at the depots or repair stations the number must, of course, be considerably increased, but the provision of an enormous handling party will not be necessary. at present large numbers of men are only required to take a large airship in or out of a shed when the wind is blowing in a direction across the shed; when these conditions prevail the airship will, unless compelled by accident or other unforeseen circumstances, remain moored out in the open until the direction of the wind has changed. mechanical traction will also help effectually in handling airships on the ground, and the difficulty of taking them in and out of sheds has always been unduly magnified. the provision of track rails and travellers to which the guys of the ship can be attached, as is the practice in germany, will tend to eliminate the source of trouble. we must now consider the effect that weather will have on the big airship. in the past it has been a great handicap owing to the short hours of endurance, with the resulting probability of the ship having to land before the wind dropped and being wrecked in consequence. bad weather will not endanger the big airship in flight, and its endurance will be such that, should it encounter bad weather, it will be able to wait for a lull to land. meteorological forecasts have now reached a high state of efficiency, and it should be possible for ample warnings to be received of depressions to be met with during a voyage, and these will be avoided by the airship flying round them. in the northern hemisphere, depressions generally travel from west to east and invariably rotate in a counter-clockwise direction with the wind on the south side blowing from the west and on the north side blowing from the east. going west, the airship would fly to the north of a depression to take advantage of the wind circulating round the edge, and going east the southern course would be taken. lastly, the vulnerability of the airship must be taken into account. hydrogen is, as everyone knows, most highly inflammable when mixed with air. the public still feels uncomfortable misgivings at the close proximity of an immense volume of gas to a number of running engines. it may be said that the danger of disaster due to the gas catching fire is for peace flying to all intents and purposes negligible. at the risk of being thought hackneyed we must point out a fact which has appeared in every discussion of the kind, namely, that british airships flew during the war some million miles, and there is only one case of an airship catching fire in the air. this was during a trial flight in a purely experimental ship, and the cause which was afterwards discovered has been completely eliminated. for airships employed for military purposes this danger, due to the use of incendiary bullets, rockets and various other munitions evolved for their destruction, still exists. owing to its ceiling, rate of climb and speed, which we take to be from to miles per hour in the airship of the future, the airship may be regarded as comparatively safe against attack from the ordinary type of seaplane. the chief danger to be apprehended is attack from small scouting seaplanes, possessing great speed and the power to climb to a great height, or from aeroplanes launched from the decks of ships. if, however, the airship is fitted to carry several small scout aeroplanes of high efficiency in the manner described in the previous chapter, it will probably be able to defend itself sufficiently to enable it to climb to a great height and thus make good its escape. the airship, moreover, will be more or less immune from such dangers if the non-inflamable gas, known as "c" gas, becomes sufficiently cheap to be used for inflating airships. in the past the expense of this gas has rendered its use absolutely prohibitive, but it is believed that it can be produced in the united states for such a figure as will make it compare favourably with hydrogen. the navigation of an airship during these long voyages proposed will present no difficulty whatever. the airship, as opposed to the aeroplane, is reasonably steady in the air and the ordinary naval instruments can be used. in addition, "directional" wireless telegraphy will prove of immense assistance. the method at present in use is to call up simultaneously two land stations which, knowing their own distance apart, and reading the direction of the call, plot a triangle on a chart which fixes the position of the airship. this position is then transmitted by wireless to the airship. in the future the airship itself will carry its own directional apparatus, with which it will be able to judge the direction of a call received from a single land station and plot its own position on a chart. we have so far confined our attention to the utilization of airships for transport of passengers, mails and goods, but there appear to be other fields of activity which can be exploited in times of peace. the photographic work carried out by aeroplanes during the war on the western front and in syria and mesopotamia has shown the value of aerial photography for map making and preliminary surveys of virgin country. photography of broken country and vast tracks of forest can be much more easily undertaken from an airship than an aeroplane, on account of its power to hover for prolonged periods over any given area and its greater powers of endurance. for exploring the unmapped regions of the amazon or the upper reaches of the chinese rivers the airship offers unbounded facilities. another scope suggested by the above is searching for pearl-oyster beds, sunken treasure, and assisting in salvage operations. owing to the clearness of the water in tropical regions, objects can be located at a great depth when viewed from the air, and it is imagined that an airship will be of great assistance in searching for likely places. sponges and coral are also obtained by diving, and here the airship's co-operation will be of value. small ships such as the s.s. zero would be ideal craft for these and similar operations. the mine patrol, as maintained by airships during the war, encourages the opinion that a systematic search for icebergs in the northern atlantic might be carried out by airships during certain months of the year. as is well known, icebergs are a source of great danger to shipping in these waters during the late spring and summer; if the situation becomes bad the main shipping routes are altered and a southerly course is taken which adds considerably to the length of the voyage. the proposal put forward is that during these months as continuous a patrol as possible should be carried out over these waters. the airship employed could be based in newfoundland and the method of working would be very similar to anti-submarine patrol. fixes could be obtained from d.f. stations and warnings issued by wireless telegraphy. ice is chiefly found within five hundred miles of the coast of newfoundland, so that this work would come within the scope of the n.s. airship. the knowledge that reliable information concerning the presence of ice will always be to hand would prove of inestimable value to the captains of atlantic liners, and would also relieve the shipping companies and the public of great anxiety. there are possibly many other uses to which airships can be put such as the policing of wide stretches of desert country as in arabia and the soudan. the merits of all of these will doubtless be considered in due course and there for the present we must leave them. finally, a few words must be written regarding the means to be adopted in introducing the airship into the realms of commerce. as we said at the beginning of the chapter it is not likely that the formation of a company to exploit airships only will at the present moment appeal to business men. airships are very costly and are still in their infancy, which means that the premiums demanded for their insurance must of necessity be enormous. one suggestion is to place a reasonable scheme before the great shipping companies in case they will care to find the necessary capital and form subsidiary companies. another suggestion is that the government should make arrangements to subsidize commercial airships. the subsidy might take the form of insuring them. if the burden of insurance is taken off their shoulders, it is considered feasible to promote companies which will give an adequate return for capital invested. the government could also give a financial guarantee if mails are carried, in the same manner as is done by shipping companies. in return for this the government could at the outbreak of hostilities commandeer all or any of the airships for war purposes and so save the number to be kept in commission. by this means the government will have a large number of highly-trained and efficient personnel to call upon when the emergency arises, in the same way as the fleet can call upon the r.n.r. this system appears to be the best in every respect, and it cannot be denied that in the long run it would be the most economical for the country. the airship has now arrived at the parting of the ways, and at this point we must leave it. the flying in war has been concluded, the flying in peace has not yet commenced. it seems a far cry to the dark days of , when we only possessed two airships of utility, the one manufactured in france, the other in germany, while to-day we have built the mighty airship which can fly to america and back. we are now at the dawn of a new period of reconstruction and progress, and during this period many wonderful things will happen. not the least of these will be the development of the airship. tom swift and his airship by victor appleton contents i an explosion ii ned sees mysterious men iii whitewashed iv a trial trip v colliding with a tower vi getting off the roof vii andy tries a trick viii winning a prize ix the runaway auto x a bag of tools xi the "red cloud" departs xii some startling news xiii mr. damon in danger xiv andy gives the clue xv fired upon xvi over a fiery furnace xvii "wanted--for robbery!" xviii back for vindication xix wrecked xx tom gets a clue xxi on the trail xxii the sheriff on board xxiii on to the camp xxiv the raid xxv andy gets his reward chapter an explosion "are you all ready, tom?" "all ready, mr. sharp," replied a young man, who was stationed near some complicated apparatus, while the questioner, a dark man, with a nervous manner, leaned over a large tank. "i'm going to turn on the gas now," went on the man. "look out for yourself. i'm not sure what may happen." "neither am i, but i'm ready for it. if it does explode it can't do much damage." "oh, i hope it doesn't explode. we've had so much trouble with the airship, i trust nothing goes wrong now." "well, turn on the gas, mr. sharp," advised tom swift. "i'll watch the pressure gauge, and, if it goes too high, i'll warn you, and you can shut it off." the man nodded, and, with a small wrench in his hand, went to one end of the tank. the youth, looking anxiously at him, turned his gaze now and then toward a gauge, somewhat like those on steam boilers, which gauge was attached to an aluminum, cigar-shaped affair, about five feet long. presently there was a hissing sound in the small frame building where the two were conducting an experiment which meant much to them. the hissing grew louder. "be ready to jump," advised mr. sharp. "i will," answered the lad. "but the pressure is going up very slowly. maybe you'd better turn on more gas." "i will. here she goes! look out now. you can't tell what is going to happen." with a sudden hiss, as the powerful gas, under pressure, passed from the tank, through the pipes, and into the aluminum container, the hand on the gauge swept past figure after figure on the dial. "shut it off!" cried tom quickly. "it's coming too fast! shut her off!" the man sprang to obey the command, and, with nervous fingers, sought to fit the wrench over the nipple of the controlling valve. then his face seemed to turn white with fear. "i can't move it!" mr. sharp yelled. "it's jammed! i can't shut off the gas! run! look out! she'll explode!" tom swift, the young inventor, whose acquaintance some of you have previously made, gave one look at the gauge, and seeing that the pressure was steadily mounting, endeavored to reach, and open, a stop-cock, that he might relieve the strain. one trial showed him that the valve there had jammed too, and catching up a roll of blue prints the lad made a dash for the door of the shop. he was not a second behind his companion, and hardly had they passed out of the structure before there was a loud explosion which shook the building, and shattered all the windows in it. pieces of wood, bits of metal, and a cloud of sawdust and shavings flew out of the door after the man and the youth, and this was followed by a cloud of yellowish smoke. "are you hurt, tom?" cried mr. sharp, as he swung around to look back at the place where the hazardous experiment had been conducted. "not a bit! how about you?" "i'm all right. but it was touch and go! good thing you had the gauge on or we'd never have known when to run. well, we've made another failure of it," and the man spoke somewhat bitterly. "never mind, mr. sharp," went on tom swift. "i think it will be the last mistake. i see what the trouble is now; and know how to remedy it. come on back, and we'll try it again; that is if the tank hasn't blown up." "no, i guess that's all right. it was the aluminum container that went up, and that's so light it didn't do much damage. but we'd better wait until some of those fumes escape. they're not healthy to breathe." the cloud of yellowish smoke was slowly rolling away, and the man and lad were approaching the shop, which, in spite of the explosion that had taken place in it, was still intact, when an aged man, coming from a handsome house not far off, called out, "tom, is anyone hurt?" "no, dad. we're all right." "what happened?" "well, we had another explosion. we can't seem to get the right mixture of the gas, but i think we've had the last of our bad luck. we're going to try it again. up to now the gas has been too strong, the tank too weak, or else our valve control is bad." "oh dear, mr. swift! do tell them to be careful!" a woman's voice chimed in. "i'm sure something dreadful will happen! this is about the tenth time something has blown up around here, and--" "it's only the ninth, mrs. baggert," interrupted tom, somewhat indignantly. "well, goodness me! isn't nine almost as bad as ten? there i was, just putting my bread in the oven," went on mrs. baggert, the housekeeper, "and i was so startled that i dropped it, and now the dough is all over the kitchen floor. i never saw such a mess." "i'm sorry," answered the youth, trying not to laugh. "we'll see that it doesn't happen again." "yes; that's what you always say," rejoined the motherly-looking woman, who looked after the interests of mr. swift's home. "well, we mean it this time," retorted the lad. "we see where our mistake was; don't we. mr. sharp?" "i think so," replied the other seriously. "come on back, and we'll see what damage was done," proposed tom. "maybe we can rig up another container, mix some fresh gas, and make the final experiment this afternoon." "now do be careful," cautioned mr. swift, the aged inventor, once more. "i'm afraid you two have set too hard a task for yourselves this time." "no we haven't, dad," answered his son. "you'll see us yet skimming along above the clouds." "humph! if you go above the clouds i shan't be very likely to see you. but go slowly, now. don't blow the place up again." mr. swift went into the house, followed by mrs. baggert, who was loudly bewailing the fate of her bread. tom and mr. sharp started toward the shop where they had been working. it was one of several buildings, built for experimental purposes and patent work by mr. swift, near his home. "it didn't do so very much damage," observed tom, as he peered in through a window, void of all the panes of glass. "we can start right in." "hold on! wait! don't try it now!" exclaimed mr. sharp, who talked in short, snappy sentences, which, however, said all he meant. "the fumes of that gas aren't good to breathe. wait, until they have blown away. it won't be long. it's safer." he began to cough, choking from the pungent odor, and tom felt an unpleasant tickling sensation in his throat. "take a walk around," advised mr. sharp. "i'll be looking over the blue prints. let's have 'em." tom handed over the roll he had grabbed up when he ran from the shop, just before the explosion took place, and, while his companion spread them out on his knee, as he sat on an upturned barrel, the lad walked toward the rear of the large yard. it was enclosed by a high board fence, with a locked gate, but tom, undoing the fastenings, stepped out into a broad, green meadow at the rear of his father's property. as he did so he saw three boys running toward him. "hello!" exclaimed our hero. "there are andy foger, sam snedecker and pete bailey. i wonder what they're heading this way for?" on the trio came, increasing their pace as they caught sight of tom. andy foger, a red-haired and squint-eyed lad, a sort of town bully, with a rich and indulgent father, was the first to reach the young inventor. "how--how many are killed?" panted andy. "shall we go for doctors?" asked sam. "can we see the place?" blurted out pete, and he had to sit down on the grass, he was so winded. "killed? doctors?" repeated tom, clearly much puzzled. "what are you fellows driving at, anyhow?" "wasn't there a lot of people killed in the explosion we heard?" demanded andy, in eager tones. "not a one," replied tom. "there was an explosion!" exclaimed pete. "we heard it, and you can't fool us!" "and we saw the smoke," added snedecker. "yes, there was a small explosion," admitted tom, with a smile, "but no one was killed; or even hurt. we don't have such things happen in our shops." "nobody killed?" repeated andy questioningly, and the disappointment was evident in his tones. "nobody hurt?" added sam, his crony, and he, too, showed his chagrin. "all our run for nothing," continued pete, another crony, in disgust. "what happened?" demanded the red-haired lad, as if he had a right to know. "we were walking along the lake road, and we heard an awful racket. if the police come out here, you'll have to tell what it was, tom swift." he spoke defiantly. "i've no objection to telling you or the police," replied tom. "there was an explosion. my friend, mr. sharp, the balloonist, and i were conducting an experiment with a new kind of gas, and it was too strong, that's all. an aluminum container blew up, but no particular damage was done. i hope you're satisfied." "humph! what you making, anyhow?" demanded andy, and again he spoke as if he had a right to know. "i don't know that it's any of your business," tom came back at him sharply, "but, as everyone will soon know, i may as well tell you. we're building an airship." "an airship?" exclaimed sam and pete in one breath. "an airship?" queried andy, and there was a sneer in his voice. "well, i don't think you can do it, tom swift! you'll never build an airship; even if you have a balloonist to help you!" "i won't, eh?" and tom was a trifle nettled at the sneering manner of his rival. "no, you won't! it takes a smarter fellow than you are to build an airship that will sail. i believe i could beat you at it myself." "oh, you think you could?" asked tom, and this time he had mastered his emotions. he was not going to let andy foger make him angry. "maybe you can beat me at racing, too?" he went on. "if you think so, bring out your red streak and i'll try the arrow against her. i beat you twice, and i can do it again!" this unexpected taunt disconcerted andy. it was the truth, for, more than once had tom, in his motor-boat, proved more than a match for the squint-eyed bully and his cronies. "go back at him, andy," advised sam, in a low voice. "don't take any of his guff!" "i don't intend to," spluttered andy. "maybe you did beat me in the races, because my motor wasn't working right," he conceded, "but you can't do it again. anyhow, that's got nothing to do with an airship. i'll bet you can't make one!" "i don't bet," replied tom calmly, "but if you wait a few weeks you'll see me in an airship, and then, if you want to race the red streak against that, i'll accommodate you. or, if you want to enter into a competition to build a dirigible balloon or an aeroplane i'm willing." "huh! think you're smart, don't you? just because you helped save that balloonist from being killed when his balloon caught fire," went on andy, for want of something better to say. "but you'll never build an airship!" "of course he won't!" added sam and pete, bound to side with their crony, to whom they were indebted for many automobile and motor-boat rides. "just wait," advised tom, with a tantalizing smile. "meanwhile, if you want to try the red streak against the arrow, i'm willing. i have an hour or so to spare." "aw, keep still!" muttered andy, much discomfited, for the defeat of his speedy boat, by a much smaller and less powerful one, was a sore point with him. "you just wait, that's all. i'll get even with you!" "look here!" cried tom, suddenly. "you always say that whenever i get the best of you. i'm sick of hearing it. i consider that a threat, and i don't like it. if you don't look out, andy foger, you'll have trouble with me, and at no very distant date!" tom, with flashing eyes, and clenched fists, took a step forward. andy shrank back. "don't be afraid of him," advised sam. "we'll stand by you, andy." "i ain't afraid," muttered the red-haired lad, but it was noticed that he shuffled off. "you just wait, i'll fix you," he added to tom. the bully was plainly in a rage. the young inventor was about to reply, and, possibly would have made a more substantial rejoinder to andy than mere words, when the gate opened, and mr. sharp stepped out. "the fumes have all cleared away, tom," he said. "we can go in the shop, now." without further notice of andy foger, tom swift turned aside, and followed the aeronaut into the enclosed yard. chapter ned sees mysterious men "who were those fellows?" asked the balloonist, of his companion. "oh, some chaps who think we'll never build our airship, mr. sharp. andy foger, and his crowd." "well, we'll show them whether we will or not," rejoined the man. "i've just thought of one point where we made a mistake. your father suggested it to me. we need a needle valve in the gas tank. then we can control the flow of vapor better." "of course!" cried tom. "why didn't i think of that? let's try it." and the pair hurried into the machine shop, eager to make another test, which they hoped would be more successful. the young inventor, for tom swift was entitled to that title, having patented several machines, lived with his father, barton swift, on the outskirts of the small town of shopton, in new york state. mr. swift was quite wealthy, having amassed a considerable fortune from several of his patents, as he was also an inventor. tom's mother had been dead since he was a small child, and mrs. baggert kept house for the widower and his son. there was also, in their household, an aged engineer, named garret jackson, who attended to the engine and boilers that operated machinery and apparatus in several small shops that surrounded the swift homestead; for mr. swift did most of his work at home. as related in the first volume of this series, entitled "tom swift and his motor-cycle," the lad had passed through some strenuous adventures. a syndicate of rich men, disappointed in a turbine motor they had acquired from a certain inventor, hired a gang of scoundrels to get possession of a turbine mr. swift had invented. just before they made the attempt, however, tom became possessed of a motor-cycle. it had belonged to a wealthy man, mr. wakefield damon, of waterford, near lake carlopa, which body of water adjoined the town of shopton; but mr. damon had two accidents with the machine, and sold it to tom cheap. tom was riding his motorcycle to albany, to deliver his father's model of the turbine motor to a lawyer, in order to get a patent on it, when he was attacked by the gang of bad men. these included ferguson appleson, anson morse, wilson featherton, alias simpson, jake burke, alias happy harry, who sometimes masqueraded as a tramp, and tod boreck, alias murdock. these men knocked tom unconscious, stole the valuable model and some papers, and carried the youth away in their automobile. later the young inventor, following a clue given him by eradicate sampson, an aged colored man, who, with his mule, boomerang, went about the country doing odd jobs, got on the trail of the thieves in a deserted mansion in the woods at the upper end of the lake. our hero, with the aid of mr. damon, and some friends of the latter, raided the old house, but the men escaped. in the second book of the series, called "tom swift and his motor-boat," there was related the doings of the lad, his father and his chum, ned newton, on lake carlopa. tom bought at auction, a motor-boat the thieves had stolen and damaged, and, fixing it up, made a speedy craft of it so speedy, in fact that it beat the racing-boat red streak--owned by andy foger. but tom did more than race in his boat. he took his father on a tour for his health, and, during mr. swift's absence from home, the gang of bad men stole some of the inventor's machinery. tom set out after them in his motor boat, but the scoundrels even managed to steal that, hoping to get possession of a peculiar and mysterious treasure in it, and tom had considerable trouble. among other things he did when he had his craft, was to aid a miss mary nestor, who, in her cousin's small boat, the dot, was having trouble with the engine, and you shall hear more of miss nestor presently, for she and tom became quite friendly. events so shaped themselves that andy foger was glad to loan tom the red streak in which to search for the stolen arrow, and it was in the later craft that tom, his father and ned newton had a most thrilling adventure. they were on their way down the lake when, in the air overhead they saw a balloon on fire, with a man clinging to the trapeze. they managed to save the fellow's life, after a strenuous endeavor. the balloonist, john sharp, was destined to play quite a part in tom's life. mr. sharp was more than an aeronaut--he was the inventor of an airship--that is, he had plans drawn for the more important parts, but he had struck a "snag of clouds," as he expressed it, and could not make the machine work. his falling in with mr. swift and his son seemed providential, for tom and his father were at once interested in the project for navigating the upper air. they began a study of mr. sharp's plans, and the balloonist was now in a fair way to have the difficulty solved. his airship was, primarily an aeroplane, but with a sustaining aluminum container, shaped like a cigar, and filled with a secret gas, made partly of hydrogen, being very light and powerful. it was testing the effect of this gas on a small model of the aluminum container that the explosion, told of in the first chapter, occurred. in fact it was only one of several explosions, but, as tom said, all the while they were eliminating certain difficulties, until now the airship seemed almost a finished thing. but a few more details remained to be worked out, and mr. swift and his son felt that they could master these. so it was with a feeling of no little elation, that the young inventor followed mr. sharp into the shop. the balloonist, it may be explained, had been invited to live with the swifts pending the completion of the airship. "do you think we'll get on the right track if we put the needle valve in?" asked tom, as he noted with satisfaction that the damage from the explosion was not great. "i'm sure we will," answered the aeronaut. "now let's make another model container, and try the gas again." they set to work, with mr. swift helping them occasionally, and garret jackson, the engineer, lending a hand whenever he was needed. all that afternoon work on the airship progressed. the joint inventors of it wanted to be sure that the sustaining gas bag, or aluminum container, would do its work properly, as this would hold them in the air, and prevent accidents, in case of a stoppage of the engine or propellers. the aeroplane part of the airship was all but finished, and the motor, a powerful machine, of new design, built by mr. swift, was ready to be installed. all that afternoon tom, his father and mr. sharp labored in the shop. as it grew dusk there sounded from the house the ringing of a bell. "supper time," remarked tom, laying aside a wrench. "i wish mrs. baggert would wait about an hour. i'd have this valve nearly done, then." but the housekeeper was evidently not going to wait, for her voice supplemented the bell. "supper! sup-per!" she called. "come now, mr. swift; tom, mr. sharp! i can't wait any longer! the meat and potatoes will be spoiled!" "i s'pose we'd better go in," remarked mr. sharp, with something of a sigh. "we can finish to-morrow." the shop, where certain parts of the airship were being made, was doubly locked, and jackson, the engineer, who was also a sort of watchman, was bidden to keep good guard, for the fear of the gang of unscrupulous men, who had escaped from jail during a great storm, was still in the minds of mr. swift and his son. "and give an occasional look in the shed, where the aeroplane is," advised mr. sharp. "it wouldn't take much to damage that, now." "i'll pay particular attention to it," promised the engineer. "don't worry, mr. sharp." after supper the three gathered around the table on which were spread out sheets of paper, covered with intricate figures and calculations, which mr. swift and the balloonist went over with care. tom was examining some blue prints, which gave a sectional view of the proposed ship, and was making some measurements when the bell rang, and mrs. baggert ushered in ned newton, the most particular chum of the young inventor. "hello, ned!" exclaimed tom. "i was wondering what had become of you. haven't seen you in a dog's age." "that's right," admitted ned. "we've been working late nights at the bank. getting ready for the regular visit of the examiner, who usually comes along about this time. well, how are things going; and how is the airship?" for, of course, ned had heard of that. "oh, pretty good. had another explosion to-day, i s'pose you heard." "no, i hadn't." "i thought everyone in town had, for andy foger and his two cronies were on hand, and they usually tell all they know." "oh, andy foger! he makes me sick! he was scooting up the street in his auto just as i was coming in, 'honking-honking' his horn to beat the band! you'd think no one ever had an auto but him. he certainly was going fast." "wait until i get in our airship," predicted tom. "then i'll show you what speed is!" "do you really think it will go fast?" "of course it will! fast enough to catch anson morse and his crowd of scoundrels if we could get on their track." "why, i thought they were in jail," replied ned, in some surprise. "weren't they arrested after they stole your boat?" "yes, and put in jail, but they managed to get out, and now they're free to make trouble for us again." "are you sure they're out of jail?" asked ned, and tom noted that his chum's face wore an odd look. "sure? of course i am. but why do you ask?" ned did not answer for a moment. he glanced at tom's father, and the young inventor understood. mr. swift was getting rather along in age, and his long years of brain work had made him nervous. he had a great fear of morse and his gang, for they had made much trouble for him in the past. tom appreciated his chum's hesitancy, and guessed that ned had something to say that he did not want mr. swift to hear. "come on up to my room, ned. i've got something i want to show you," exclaimed tom, after a pause. the two lads left the room, tom glancing apprehensively at his father. but mr. swift was so engrossed, together with the aeronaut, in making some calculations regarding wind pressure, that it is doubtful if either of the men were aware that the boys had gone. "now what is it, ned?" demanded our hero, when they were safe in his apartment. "something's up. i can tell by your manner. what is it?" "maybe it's nothing at all," went on his chum. "if i had known, though that those men had gotten out of jail, i would have paid more attention to what i saw to-night, as i was leaving the bank to come here." "what did you see?" demanded tom, and his manner, which had been calm, became somewhat excited. "well, you know i've been helping the paying-teller straighten up his books," went on the young bank employee, "and when i came out to-night, after working for several hours, i was glad enough to hurry away from the 'slave-den,' as i call it. i almost ran up the street, not looking where i was going, when, just as i turned the corner, i bumped into a man." "nothing suspicious or wonderful in that," commented tom. "i've often run into people." "wait," advised ned. "to save myself from falling i grabbed the man's arm. he did the same to me, and there we stood, for a moment, right under a gas lamp. i looked down at his hands, and i saw that on the little finger of the left one there was tattooed a blue ring, and--" "happy harry--the tramp!" exclaimed tom, now much excited. "that's where he wears a tattooed ring!" "that's what i thought you had told me," resumed ned, "but i didn't pay any attention to it at the time, as i had no idea that the men were out of jail." "well, what else happened?" inquired tom "not much more. i apologized to the man, and he to me, and we let go of each other." "are you sure about the ring on his finger?" "positive. his hand was right in the light. but wait, that isn't all. i hurried on, not thinking much about it, when, i saw another man step out of the dark shadows of peterby's grocery, just beyond the bank. the man must have mistaken me for some one else, for he spoke to me." "what did he say?" "he asked me a question. it was: 'is there any chance to-night?'" "what did you tell him?" "well, i was so surprised that i didn't know what to say, and, before i could get my wits together the man had seen his mistake and hurried on. he joined the man i had collided with, and the two skipped off in the darkness. but not before a third man had come across the street, from in front of the bank, and hurried off with them." "well?" asked tom, as his chum paused. "i don't know what to think," resumed ned. "these men were certainly acting suspiciously, and, now that you tell me the anson morse gang is not locked up--well, it makes me feel that these must be some of their crowd." "of course they are!" declared tom positively. "that blue ring proves it!" "i wouldn't go so far as to say that," declared ned. "the man certainly had a blue ring tattooed on his finger--the same finger where you say happy harry had his. but what would the men be doing in this neighborhood? they certainly have had a lesson not to meddle with any of your things." "no, i don't believe they are after any of dad's inventions this time. but i tell you what i do believe." "what?" "those men are planning to rob the shopton bank, ned! and i advise you to notify the officers. that morse gang is one of the worst in the country," and tom, much excited, began to pace the room, while ned, who had not dreamed of such an outcome to his narrative, looked startled. chapter whitewashed "let's tell your father, tom," suggested ned, after a pause. "he'll know what to do." "no, i'd rather not," answered the young inventor quickly. "dad has had trouble enough with these fellows, and i don't want him to worry any more. besides, he is working on a new invention, and if i tell him about the happy harry gang it will take his attention from it." "what invention is he planning now?" "i don't know, but it's something important by the way he keeps at it. he hardly spares time to help mr. sharp and me on the airship. no, we'll keep this news from dad." "then i'll inform the bank officials, as you suggest. if the place was robbed they might blame me; if they found out i had seen the men and failed to tell them." "well, that gang would only be too glad to have the blame fall on some one else." tom little knew how near the truth he had come in his chance expression, or how soon he himself was to fall under suspicion in connection with this same band of bad men. "i'll telephone to the president on my way home," decided ned, "and he can notify the watchman at the bank. but do you really expect to have your airship in shape to fly soon?" "oh, yes. now that we have found out our mistake about the gas, the rest will be easy." "i think i'd like to take a trip in one myself, if it didn't go too high," ventured ned. "i'll remember that, when we have ours completed," promised his chum, "and i'll take you for a spin." the boys talked for perhaps an hour longer, mostly about the airship, for it was the latest mechanical affair in which tom was interested, and, naturally, foremost in his thoughts. then ned went home first, however, telephoning from tom's house to the bank president about having seen the suspicious men. that official thanked his young employee, and said he would take all necessary precautions. the telephone message was not sent until mr. swift was out of hearing, as tom was determined that his father should have no unnecessary worry about the unscrupulous men. as it was, the news that the gang was out of jail had caused the aged inventor some alarm. it was not without some anxiety that tom arose the next morning, fearing he would hear news that the bank had been broken into, but no such alarming report circulated in shopton. in fact having made some inquiries that day of ned, he learned that no trace had been seen of the mysterious men. the police had been on the lookout, but they had seen nothing of them. "maybe, after all, they weren't the same ones," suggested ned, when he paid tom another visit the next night. "well, of course it's possible that they weren't," admitted the young inventor. "i'd be very glad to think so. even if they were, your encounter with them may have scared them off; and that would be a good thing." the next two weeks were busy ones for tom and mr. sharp. aided occasionally by mr. swift, and with garret jackson, the engineer, to lend a hand whenever needed, the aeronaut and the owner of the speedy arrow made considerable progress on their airship. "what is your father so busy over?" asked mr. sharp one day, when the new aluminum gas holder was about completed. "i don't know," answered tom, with a somewhat puzzled air. "he doesn't seem to want to talk about it, even to me. he says it will revolutionize travel along a certain line, but whether he is working on an airship that will rival ours, or a new automobile, i can't make out. he'll tell us in good time. but when do you think we will finish the--well, i don't know what to call it--i mean our aeroplane?" "oh, in about a month now. that's so, though, we haven't a name for it. but we'll christen it after it's completed. now if you'll tighten up some of those bolts i'll get the gas generating apparatus in readiness for another test." a short description of the new airship may not be out of place now. it was built after plans mr. sharp had shown to tom and his father soon after the thrilling rescue of the aeronaut from the blazing balloon over lake carlopa. the general idea of the airship was that of the familiar aeroplane, but in addition to the sustaining surfaces of the planes, there was an aluminum, cigar-shaped tank, holding a new and very powerful gas, which would serve to keep the ship afloat even when not in motion. two sets of planes, one above the other, were used, bringing the airship into the biplane class. there were also two large propellers, one in front and the other at the rear. these were carefully made, of different layers of wood "built up" as they are called, to make them stronger. they were eight feet in diameter, and driven by a twenty-cylinder, air-cooled, motor, whirled around at the rate of fifteen hundred revolutions a minute. when operated at full speed the airship was capable of making eighty miles an hour, against a moderate wind. but if the use of the peculiarly-shaped planes and the gas container, with the secret but powerful vapor in it were something new in airship construction, so was the car in which the operator and travelers were to live during a voyage. it was a complete living room, with the engine and other apparatus, including that for generating the gas, in a separate compartment, and the whole was the combined work of tom and mr. sharp. there were accommodations for five persons, with sleeping berths, a small galley or kitchen, where food could be prepared, and several easy chairs where the travelers could rest in comfort while skimming along high in the air, as fast as the fastest railroad train. there was room enough to carry stores for a voyage of a week or more, and enough gas could be manufactured aboard the ship, in addition to that taken in the aluminum case before starting, to sustain the ship for two weeks. the engine, steering apparatus, and the gas machine were within easy reach and control of the pilot, who was to be stationed in a small room in the "bow" of the ship. an electric stove served to warm the interior of the car, and also provided means for cooking the food. the airship could be launched either by starting it along the ground, on rubber-tired wheels, as is done in the case of the ordinary aeroplane, or it could be lifted by the gas, just as is done with a balloon. in short there were many novel features about the ship. the gas test, which took place a few days later, showed that the young inventor and mr. sharp had made no mistake this time. no explosion followed, the needle valve controlling the powerful vapor perfectly. "well," remarked mr. sharp, one afternoon, "i think we shall put the ship together next week, tom, and have a trial flight. we shall need a few more aluminum bolts, though, and if you don't mind you might jump on your motor-cycle and run to mansburg for them. merton's machine shop ought to have some." mansburg was the nearest large city to shopton, and merton was a machinist who frequently did work for mr. swift. "all right," agreed tom. "i'll start now. how many will you need?" "oh, a couple of dozen." tom started off, wheeling his cycle from the shed where it was kept. as he passed the building where the big frame of the airship, with the planes and aluminum bag had been assembled, he looked in. "we'll soon be flying through the clouds on your back," he remarked, speaking to the apparatus as if it could understand. "i guess we'll smash some records, too, if that engine works as well when it's installed as it does now." tom had purchased the bolts, and was on his way back with them, when, as he passed through one of the outlying streets of mansburg, something went wrong with his motor-cycle. he got off to adjust it, finding that it was only a trifling matter, which he soon put right, when he was aware of a man standing, observing him. without looking up at the man's face, the young inventor was unpleasantly aware of a sharp scrutiny. he could hardly explain it, but it seemed as if the man had evil intentions toward him, and it was not altogether unexpected on tom's part, when, looking up, he saw staring at him, anson morse, the leader of the gang of men who had caused such trouble for him. "oh, it's you; is it?" asked morse, an ugly scowl on his face. "i thought i recognized you." he moved nearer to tom, who straightened up, and stood leaning on his wheel. "yes; it's me," admitted the lad. "i've been looking for you," went on morse. "i'm not done with you yet, nor your father, either." "aren't you?" asked tom, trying to speak coolly, though his heart was beating rather faster than usual. morse had spoken in a threatening manner, and, as the youth looked up and down the street he saw that it was deserted; nor were there any houses near. "no, i'm not," snapped the man. "you got me and my friends in a lot of trouble, and--" "you didn't get half what you deserved!" burst out tom, indignant at the thought of what he and his father had suffered at the hands of the gang. "you ought to be in jail now, instead of out; and if i could see a policeman, i'd have you arrested for threatening me! that's against the law!" "huh! i s'pose you think you know lots about the law," sneered morse. "well, i tell you one thing, if you make any further trouble for me, i'll--" "i'll make all the trouble i can!" cried tom, and he boldly faced the angry man. "i'm not afraid of you!" "you'd better be!" and morse spoke in a vindictive manner. "we'll get even with you yet, tom swift. in fact i've a good notion now to give you a good thrashing for what you've done." before tom was aware of the man's intention, morse had stepped quickly into the street, where the lad stood beside his wheel, and grasped him by the shoulder. he gave tom a vicious shake. "take your hand off me!" cried tom, who was hampered by having to hold up his heavy machine. "i will when i've given you what i owe you!" retorted the scoundrel. "i'm going to have satisfaction now if i never--" at that instant there came from down the street the sound of a rattling and bumping. tom looked up quickly, and saw approaching a rattletrap of a wagon, drawn by a big, loose-jointed mule, the large ears of which were flapping to and fro. the animal was advancing rapidly, in response to blows and words from the colored driver, and, before the uplifted fist of morse could fall on tom's head, the outfit was opposite them. "hold on dar, mistah! hold on!" cried the colored man in the wagon. "what are yo' doin' to mah friend, mistah swift?" "none of your business!" snapped morse. "you drive on and let me manage this affair if you don't want trouble! who are you anyhow?" "why doan't yo' know me?" asked the colored man, at whom tom looked gratefully. "i's eradicate sampson, an' dish yeah am mah mule, boomerang. whoa, boomerang! i reckon yo' an' i better take a hand in dish yeah argument." "not unless you want trouble!" cried morse. "i doan't mind trouble, not in de leastest," answered eradicate cheerfully. "me an' boomerang has had lots of trouble. we's used to it. no, mistah man, you'd better let go ob mah friend, mistah swift, if yo' doan't want trouble yo' ownse'f." "drive on, and mind your business!" cried morse, now unreasoningly angry. "this is my affair," and he gave tom a shake. our hero was not going to submit tamely, however. he had one hand free, and raised to strike morse, but the latter, letting go his hold on the lad's shoulder, grasped with that hand, the fist which the young inventor had raised. then, with his other hand, the scoundrel was about to hit tom. "break away four him, mistah swift!" directed the colored man. "yo' can fight him, den!" "i guess he'll have his own troubles doing that," sneered morse. "not ef i help him," answered eradicate promptly, as he climbed back off the seat, into the body of his ramshackle vehicle. "don't you interfere with me!" stormed the man. an instant later tom broke away from his tormentor, and laid his motor-cycle on the ground, in order to have both hands free for the attack he felt would follow. "ha! you think you're going to escape, do you?" cried morse, as he started toward tom, his eyes blazing. "i'll show you who you're dealing with!" "yes, an' i reckon i'll show yo' suffin yo' ain't lookin' fer!" suddenly cried eradicate. with a quick motion he picked up a pail of white-wash from his wagon, and, with sure aim, emptied the contents of the bucket over morse, who was rushing at tom. the white fluid spread over the man from head to foot, enveloping him as in a white shroud, and his advance was instantly checked. "dar! i reckon dat's de quickest white-washin' job i done in some time!" chuckled eradicate, as he grasped his long handled brush, and clambered down from the wagon, ready for a renewal of the hostilities on the part of morse. "de bestest white-washin' job i done in some time; yais, sah!" chapter a trial trip there was no fear that anson morse would return to the attack. blinded by the whitewash which ran in his eyes, but which, being slaked, did not burn him, he grouped blindly about, pawing the air with his outstretched hands. "you wait! you wait! you'll suffer for this!" he spluttered, as soon as he could free his mouth from the trickling fluid. then, wiping it from his face, with his hands, as best he could, he shook his fist at tom. "i'll pay you and that black rascal back!" he cried. "you wait!" "i hopes yo' pays me soon," answered eradicate, "'case as how dat whitewash was wuff twenty-five cents, an' i got t' go git mo' to finish doin' a chicken coop i'm wurkin' on. whoa, dar boomerang. dere ain't goin' t' be no mo' trouble i reckon." morse did not reply. he had been most unexpectedly repulsed, and, with the white-wash dripping from his garments, he turned and fairly ran toward a strip of woodland that bordered the highway at that place. tom approached the colored man, and held out a welcoming hand. "i don't know what i'd done if you hadn't come along, rad," the lad said. "that fellow was desperate, and this was a lonely spot to be attacked. your whitewash came in mighty handy." "yais, sah, mistah swift, dat's what it done. i knowed i could use it on him, ef he got too obstreperous, an' dat's what he done. but i were goin' to fight him wif mah bresh, ef he'd made any more trouble." "oh, i fancy we have seen the last of him for some time," said tom, but he looked worried. it was evident that the happy harry gang was still hanging around the neighborhood of shopton, and the fact that morse was bold enough to attack our hero in broad day-light argued that he felt little fear of the authorities. "ef yo' wants t' catch him, mistah swift," went on eradicate, "yo' kin trace him by de whitewash what drops offen him," and he pointed to a trail of white drops which showed the path morse had taken. "no, the less i have to do with him the better i like it," answered the lad. "but i can't thank you enough, rad. you have helped me out of difficulties several times now. you put me on the trail of the men in the deserted mansion, you warned me of the log andy foger placed across the road, and now you have saved me from morse." "oh, dat's nuffin, mistah swift. yo' has suah done lots fo' me. 'sides, mah mule, boomerang, am entitled t' de most credit dish yeah time. i were comin' down de street, on mah way t' a whitewashin' job, when i seen yo', an yo' lickitysplit machine," for so eradicate designated a motorcycle. "i knowed it were yo', an' i didn't laik de looks ob dat man. den i see he had hold ob you, an' i t'ought he were a burglar. so i yelled t' boomerang t' hurry up. now, mostly, when i wants boomerang t' hurry, he goes slow, an' when i wants him t' go slow, he runs away. but dish yeah time he knowed he were comin' t' help yo', an' he certainly did leg it, dat's what he done! he run laik he were goin' home t' a stable full ob oats, an' dat's how i got heah so quick. den i t'ought ob de whitewash, an' i jest used it." "it was the most effective weapon you could have used," said tom, gratefully. "deed no, mistah swift, i didn't hab no weapon," spoke eradicate earnestly. "i ain't eben got mah razor, 'case i left it home. i didn't hab no weapon at all. i jest used de whitewash, laik yo' seen me." "that's what i meant," answered tom, trying not to laugh at the simple negro's misunderstanding. "i'm ever so much obliged to you, just the same, and here's a half dollar to pay for the whitewash." "oh, no, mistah swift, i doan't want t' take it. i kin make mo' whitewash." but tom insisted, and picked up his machine to sprint for home. eradicate started to tell over again, how he urged boomerang on, but the lad had no time to listen. "but i didn't hab no weapon, mistah swift, no indeedy, none at all, not even mah razor," repeated eradicate. "only de pail ob whitewash. that is, lessen yo' calls mah bresh a weapon." "well, it's a sort of one," admitted tom, with a laugh as he started his machine. "come around next week, rad. we have some dirt eradicating for you to attend to." "deed an' i will, mistah swift. eradicate is mah name, an' i eradicates de dirt. but dat man such did look odd, wif dat pail ob whitewash all ober him. he suah did look most extraordinarily. gidap, boomerang. see if yo' can break some mo' speed records now." but the mule appeared to be satisfied with what he had done, and, as he rode off, tom looked back to see the colored man laboring to get the sleepy, animal started. the lad did not tell his father of the adventure with morse, but he related the occurrence to mr. sharp. "i'd like to get hold of that scoundrel, and the others in the gang!" exclaimed the balloonist. "i'd take him up in the airship, and drop him down into the lake. he's a bad man. so are the others. wonder what they want around here?" "that's what's puzzling me," admitted tom. "i hope dad doesn't hear about them or he will be sure to worry; and maybe it will interfere with his new ideas." "he hasn't told you yet what he's engaged in inventing; has he?" "no, and i don't like to ask him. he said the other day, though, that it would rival our airship, but in a different way." "i wonder what he meant?" "it's hard to say. but i don't believe he can invent anything that will go ahead of our craft, even if he is my own father, and the best one in the world," said tom, half jokingly. "well, i got the bolts, now let's get to work. i'm anxious for a trial trip." "no more than i am. i want to see if my ideas will work out in practice as well as they do in theory." for a week or more tom and mr. sharp labored on the airship, with mr. jackson to help them. the motor, with its twenty cylinders, was installed, and the big aluminum holder fastened to the frame of the planes. the rudders, one to control the elevation and depression of the craft, and the other to direct its flight to the right or left, were attached, and the steering wheel, as well as the levers regulating the motor were put in place. "about all that remains to be done now," said the aeronaut one night, as he and tom stood in the big shed, looking at their creation, "is to fit up the car, and paint the machine." "can't we make a trial trip before we fit up the car ready for a long flight?" asked the young inventor. "yes, but i wouldn't like to go out without painting the ship. some parts of it might rust if we get into the moist, cloudy, upper regions." "then let's paint it to-morrow, and, as soon as it's dry we'll have a test." "all right. i'll mix the paint the first thing in the morning." it took two days to paint the machine, for much care had to be used, and, when it was finished tom looked admiringly up at it. "we ought to name it," suggested mr. sharp, as he removed a bit of paint from the end of the nose. "to be sure," agreed tom. "and hold on, i have the very name for it--red cloud!" "red cloud?" questioned mr. sharp. "yes!" exclaimed tom, with enthusiasm. "it's painted red--at least the big, aluminum gas container is--and we hope to go above the clouds in it. why not red cloud?" "that's what it shall be!" conceded the balloonist. "if i had a bottle of malted milk, or something like that, i'd christen it." "we ought to have a young lady to do that part," suggested tom. "they always have young ladies to name ships." "were you thinking of any particular young lady?" asked mr. sharp softly, and tom blushed; as he replied: "oh no--of course that is--well--oh, hang it, christen it yourself, and let me alone," he finished. "well, in the absence of miss mary nestor, who, i think, would be the best one for the ceremony," said mr. sharp, with a twinkle in his eyes, "i christen thee red cloud," and with that he sprinkled some water on the pointed nose of the red aluminum gas bag, for the aeronaut and tom were on a high staging, on a level with the upper part of the airship. "red cloud it is!" cried tom, enthusiastically. "now, to-morrow we'll see what it can do." the day of the test proved all that could be desired in the way of weather. the fact that an airship was being constructed in the swift shops had been kept as secret as possible, but of course many in shopton knew of it, for andy foger had spread the tidings. "i hope we won't have a crowd around to see us go up," said tom, as he and mr. sharp went to the shed to get the red cloud in readiness for the trial. "i shouldn't want to have them laugh at us, if we fail to rise." "don't worry. we'll go up all right," declared mr. sharp. "the only thing i'm at all worried about is our speed. i want to go fast, but we may not be able to until our motor gets 'tuned-up'. but we'll rise." the gas machine had already been started, and the vapor was hissing inside the big aluminum holder. it was decided to try to go up under the lifting power of the gas, and not use the aeroplane feature for sending aloft the ship, as there was hardly room, around the shops, for a good start. when enough of the vapor had been generated to make the airship buoyant, the big doors of the shed were opened, and tom and mr. sharp, with the aid of garret and mr. swift, shoved it slowly out. "there it is! there she comes!" cried several voices outside the high fence that surrounded the swift property. "they're going up!" "andy foger is in that bunch," remarked tom with a grim smile. "i hope we don't fail." "we won't. don't worry," advised mr. sharp. the shouts outside the fence increased. it was evident that quite a crowd of boys, as well as men, had collected, though it was early in the morning. somehow, news of the test had leaked out. the ship continued to get lighter and lighter as more gas was generated. it was held down by ropes, fastened to stakes driven in the ground. mr. sharp entered the big car that was suspended, below the aeroplanes. "come on, tom," the aeronaut called. "we're almost ready to fly. will you come too, mr. swift, and garret?" "some other time," promised the aged inventor. "it looks as though you were going to succeed, though. i'll wait, however, until after the test before i venture." "how about you, garret?" asked tom of the engineer, as the young inventor climbed into the car. "the ground is good enough for me," was the answer, with a smile. "broken bones don't mend so easily when you're past sixty-five." "but we're not going to fall!" declared mr. sharp. "all ready, tom. cast off! here we go!" the restraining ropes were quickly cast aside. slowly at first, and then with a rush, as though feeling more and more sure of herself, the red cloud arose in the air like a gigantic bird of scarlet plumage. up and up it went, higher than the house, higher than the big shed where it had been built, higher, higher, higher! "there she is!" cried the shrill voices of the boys in the meadow, and the hoarser tones of the men mingled with them. "hurrah!" called tom softly to the balloonist. "we're off!" and he waved his hand to his father and garret. "i told you so," spoke mr. sharp confidently. "i'm going to start the propellers in a minute." "oh, dear me, goodness sakes alive!" cried mrs. baggert, the housekeeper, running from the house and wringing her hands. "i'm sure they'll fall!" she looked up apprehensively, but tom only waved his hand to her, and threw her a kiss. clearly he had no fears, though it was the first time he had ever been in an airship. mr. sharp was as calm and collected as an ocean captain making his hundredth trip across the atlantic. "throw on the main switch," he called to our hero, and tom, moving to amidships in the car, did as directed. mr. sharp pulled several levers, adjusted some valves, and then, with a rattle and bang, the huge, twenty-cylinder motor started. waiting a moment to see that it was running smoothly, mr. sharp grasped the steering wheel. then, with a quick motion he threw the two propellers in gear. they began to whirl around rapidly. "here we go!" cried tom, and, sure enough, the red cloud, now five hundred feet in the air, shot forward, like a boat on the water, only with such a smooth, gliding, easy motion, that it seemed like being borne along on a cloud. "she works! she works!" cried the balloonist. "now to try our elevation rudder," and, as the red cloud gathered speed, he tilted the small planes which sent the craft up or down, according to the manner in which they were tilted. the next instant the airship was pointed at an angle toward the clouds, and shooting along at swift speed, while, from below came the admiring cheers of the crowd of boys and men. chapter colliding with a tower "she seems to work," observed tom, looking from where he was stationed near some electrical switches, toward mr. sharp. "of course she does," replied the aeronaut. "i knew it would, but i wasn't so sure that it would scoot along in this fashion. we're making pretty good speed, but we'll do better when the motor gets to running smoother." "how high up are we?" asked tom. the balloonist glanced at several gauges near the steering wheel. "a little short of three thousand feet," he answered. "do you want to go higher?" "no--no--i--i guess not," was tom's answer. he halted over the works, and his breath came in gasps. "don't get alarmed," called mr. sharp quickly, noting that his companion was in distress because of the high altitude. "that always happens to persons who go into a thin air for the first time; just as if you had climbed a high mountain. breathe as slowly as you can, and swallow frequently. that will relieve the pressure on your ear drums. i'll send the ship lower." tom did as he was advised, and the aeronaut, deflecting the rudder, sent the red cloud on a downward slant. tom at once felt relieved, both because the action of swallowing equalized the pressure on the ear drums, and because the airship was soon in a more dense atmosphere, more like that of the earth. "how are you now?" asked the man of the lad, as the craft was again on an even keel. "all right," replied tom, briskly. "i didn't know what ailed me at first." "i was troubled the same way when i first went up in a balloon," commented mr. sharp. "we'll run along for a few miles, at an elevation of about five hundred feet, and then we'll go to within a hundred feet of the earth, and see how the red cloud behaves under different conditions. take a look below and see what you think of it." tom looked low, through one of several plate glass windows in the floor of the car. he gave a gasp of astonishment. "why! we're right over lake carlopa!" he gasped. "of course," admitted mr. sharp with a laugh. "and i'm glad to say that we're better off than when i was last in the air over this same body of water," and he could scarcely repress a shudder as he thought of his perilous position in the blazing balloon, as related in detail in "tom swift and his motor-boat." the lake was spread out below the navigators of the air like some mirror of silver in a setting of green fields. tom could see a winding river, that flowed into the lake, and he noted towns, villages, and even distant cities, interspersed here and there with broad farms or patches of woodlands, like a bird's-eye view of a stretch of country. "this is great!" he exclaimed, with enthusiasm. "i wouldn't miss this for the world!" "oh, you haven't begun to see things yet," replied mr. sharp. "wait until we take a long trip, which we'll do soon, as this ship is behaving much better than i dared to hope. well, we're five hundred feet high now, and i'll run along at that elevation for a while." objects on the earth became more distinct now, and tom could observe excited throngs running along and pointing upward. they were several miles from shopton, and the machinery was running smoothly; the motor, with its many cylinders purring like a big cat. "we could have lunch, if we'd brought along anything to eat," observed tom. "yes," assented his companion. "but i think we'll go back now. your father may be anxious. just come here, tom, and i'll show you how to steer. i'm going down a short distance." he depressed the rudder, and the red cloud shot earthward. then, as the airship was turned about, the young inventor was allowed to try his hand at managing it. he said, afterward, that it was like guiding a fleecy cloud. "point her straight for shopton," counseled mr. sharp, when he had explained the various wheels and levers to the lad. "straight she is," answered the lad, imitating a sailor's reply. "oh, but this is great! it beats even my motor-boat!" "it goes considerably faster, at all events," remarked mr. sharp. "keep her steady now, while i take a look at the engine. i want to be sure it doesn't run hot." he went aft, where all the machinery in the car was located, and tom was left alone in the small pilot house. he felt a thrill as he looked down at the earth beneath him, and saw the crowds of wonder-gazers pointing at the great, red airship flying high over their heads. rapidly the open fields slipped along, giving place to a large city. "rocksmond," murmured tom, as he noted it. "we're about fifty miles from home, but we'll soon be back in the shed at this rate. we certainly are slipping along. a hundred and fifty feet elevation," he went on, as he looked at a gauge. "i wonder if i'll ever get used to going several miles up in the air?" he shifted the rudder a bit, to go to the left. the red cloud obeyed promptly, but, the next instant something snapped. tom, with a startled air, looked around. he could see nothing wrong, but a moment later, the airship dipped suddenly toward the earth. then it seemed to increase its forward speed, and, a few seconds later, was rushing straight at a tall, ornamental tower that rose from one corner of a large building. "mr. sharp! mr. sharp!" cried the lad. "something has happened! we're heading for that tower!" "steer to one side!" called the balloonist. tom tried, but found that the helm had become jammed. the horizontal rudder would not work, and the craft was rushing nearer and nearer, every minute, to the pile of brick and mortar. "we're going to have a collision!" shouted tom. "better shut off the power!" the two propellers were whirling around so swiftly that they looked like blurs of light. mr. sharp came rushing forward, and tom relinquished the steering wheel to him. in vain did the aeronaut try to change the course of the airship. then, with a shout to tom to disconnect the electric switch, the man turned off the power from the motor. but it was too late. straight at the tower rushed the red cloud, and, a moment later had hit it a glancing blow, smashing the forward propeller, and breaking off both blades. the nose of the aluminum gas container knocked off a few bricks from the tower, and then, the ship losing way, slowly settled to the flat roof of the building. "we're smashed!" cried tom, with something like despair in his voice. "that's nothing! don't worry! it might be worse! not the first time i've had an accident. it's only one propeller, and i can easily make another," said mr. sharp, in his quick, jerky sentences. he had allowed some of the gas to escape from the container, making the ship less buoyant, so that it remained on the roof. the aeronaut and tom looked from the windows of the car, to note if any further damage had been done. they were just congratulating themselves that the rudder marked the extent, when, from a scuttle in the roof there came a procession of young ladies, led by an elderly matron, wearing spectacles and having a very determined, bristling air. "well, i must say, this is a very unceremonious proceeding!" exclaimed the spectacled woman. "pray, gentlemen, to what are we indebted for this honor?" "it was an accident, ma'am," replied mr. sharp, removing his hat, and bowing. "a mere accident!" "humph! i suppose it was an accident that the tower of this building was damaged, if not absolutely loosened at the foundations. you will have to pay the damages!" then turning, and seeing about two score of young ladies behind her on the flat roof, each young lady eying with astonishment, not unmixed with admiration, the airship, the elderly one added: "pupils! to your rooms at once! how dare you leave without permission?" "oh, miss perkman!" exclaimed a voice, at the sound of which tom started. "mayn't we see the airship? it will be useful in our natural philosophy study!" tom looked at the young lady who had spoken. "mary nestor!" he exclaimed. "tom--i mean mr. swift!" she rejoined. "how in the world did you get here?" "i was going to ask you the same question," retorted the lad. "we flew here." "young ladies! silence!" cried miss perkman, who was evidently the principal of the school. "the idea of any one of you daring to speak to these--these persons--without my permission, and without an introduction! i shall make them pay heavily for damaging my seminary," she added, as she strode toward mr. sharp, who, by this time, was out of the car. "to your rooms at once!" miss perkman ordered again, but not a young lady moved. the airship was too much of an attraction for them. chapter getting off the roof for a few minutes mr. sharp was so engrossed with looking underneath the craft, to ascertain in what condition the various planes and braces were, that he paid little attention to the old maid school principal, after his first greeting. but miss perkman was not a person to be ignored. "i want pay for the damage to the tower of my school," she went on. "i could also demand damages for trespassing on my roof, but i will refrain in this case. young ladies, will you go to your rooms?" she demanded. "oh, please, let us stay," pleaded mary nestor, beside whom tom now stood. "perhaps professor swift will lecture on clouds and air currents and--and such things as that," the girl went on slyly, smiling at the somewhat embarrassed lad. "ahem! if there is a professor present, perhaps it might be a good idea to absorb some knowledge," admitted the old maid, and, unconsciously, she smoothed her hair, and settled her gold spectacles straighter on her nose. "professor, i will delay collecting damages on behalf of the rocksmond young ladies seminary, while you deliver a lecture on air currents," she went on, addressing herself to mr. sharp. "oh, i'm not a professor," he said quickly. "i'm a professional balloonist, parachute jumper. give exhibitions at county fairs. leap for life, and all that sort of thing. i guess you mean my friend. he's smart enough for a professor. invented a lot of things. how much is the damage?" "no professor?" cried miss perkman indignantly. "why i understood from miss nestor that she called some one professor." "i was referring to my friend, mr. swift," said mary. "his father's a professor, anyhow, isn't he, tom? i mean mr. swift!" "i believe he has a degree, but he never uses it," was the lad's answer. "ha! then i have been deceived! there is no professor present!" and the old maid drew herself up as though desirous of punishing some one. "young ladies, for the last time, i order you to your rooms," and, with a dramatic gesture she pointed to the scuttle through which the procession had come. "say something, tom--i mean mr. swift," appealed mary nestor, in a whisper, to our hero. "can't you give some sort of a lecture? the girls are just crazy to hear about the airship, and this ogress won't let us. say something!" "i--i don't know what to say," stammered tom. but he was saved the necessity for just then several women, evidently other teachers, came out on the roof. "oh, an airship!" exclaimed one. "how lovely! we thought it was an earthquake, and we were afraid to come up for quite a while. but an airship! i've always wanted to see one, and now i have an opportunity. it will be just the thing for my physical geography and natural history class. young ladies, attention, and i will explain certain things to you." "miss delafield, do you understand enough about an airship to lecture on one?" asked miss perkman smartly. "enough so that my class may benefit," answered the other teacher, who was quite pretty. "ahem! that is sufficient, and a different matter," conceded miss perkman. "young ladies, give your undivided attention to miss delafield, and i trust you will profit by what she tells you. meanwhile i wish to have some conversation concerning damages with the persons who so unceremoniously visited us. it is a shame that the pupils of the rocksmond seminary should be disturbed at their studies. sir, i wish to talk with you," and the principal pointed a long, straight finger at mr. sharp. "young ladies, attention!" called miss delafield. "you will observe the large red body at the top, that is--" "i'd rather have you explain it," whispered mary nestor to tom. "come on, slip around to the other side. may i bring a few of my friends with me? i can't bear miss delafield. she thinks she knows everything. she won't see us if we slip around." "i shall be delighted," replied tom, "only i fear i may have to help mr. sharp out of this trouble." "don't worry about me, tom," said the balloonist, who overheard him. "let me do the explaining. i'm an old hand at it. been in trouble before. many a time i've had to pay damages for coming down in a farmer's corn field. i'll attend to the lady principal, and you can explain things to the young ones," and, with a wink, the jolly aeronaut stepped over to where miss perkman, in spite of her prejudice against the airship, was observing it curiously. glad to have the chance to talk to his young lady friend, tom slipped to the opposite side of the car with her and a few of her intimate friends, to whom she slyly beckoned. there tom told how the red cloud came to be built, and of his first trip in the air, while, on the opposite side, miss delafield lectured to the entire school on aeronautics, as she thought she knew them. mr. sharp evidently did know how to "explain" matters to the irate principal, for, in a short while, she was smiling. by this time tom had about finished his little lecture, and miss delafield was at the end of hers. the entire school of girls was grouped about the red cloud, curiously examining it, but mary nestor and her friends probably learned more than any of the others. tom was informed that his friend had been attending the school in rocksmond since the fall term opened. "i little thought, when i found we were going to smash into that tower, that you were below there, studying," said the lad to the girl. "i'm afraid i wasn't doing much studying," she confessed. "i had just a glimpse of the airship through the window, and i was wondering who was in it, when the crash came. miss perkman, who is nothing if not brave, at once started for the roof, and we girls all followed her. however, are you going to get the ship down?" "i'm afraid it is going to be quite a job," admitted tom ruefully. "something went wrong with the machinery, or this never would have happened. as soon as mr. sharp has settled with your principal we'll see what we can do." "i guess he's settled now," observed miss nestor. "here he comes." the aeronaut and miss perkman were approaching together, and the old maid did not seem half so angry as she had been. "you see," mr. sharp was saying, "it will be a good advertisement for your school. think of having the distinction of having harbored the powerful airship, red cloud, on your roof." "i never thought of it in that light," admitted the principal. "perhaps you are right. i shall put it in my next catalog." "and, as for damages to the tower, we will pay you fifty dollars," continued the balloonist. "do you agree to that, mr. swift?" he asked tom. "i think your father, the professor, would call that fair." "oh, as long as this airship is partly the property of a professor, perhaps i should only take thirty-five dollars," put in miss perkman. "i am a great admirer of professors--i mean in a strictly educational sense," she went on, as she detected a tendency on the part of some of the young ladies to giggle. "no, fifty dollars will be about right," went on mr. sharp, pulling out a well-filled wallet. "i will pay you now." "and if you will wait i will give you a receipt," continued the principal, evidently as much appeased at the mention of a professor's title, as she was by the money. "we're getting off cheap," the balloonist whispered to tom, as the head of the seminary started down the scuttle to the class-rooms below. "maybe it's easier getting out of that difficulty than it will be to get off the roof," replied the lad. "don't worry. leave that to me," the aeronaut said. it took considerable to ruffle mr. sharp. with a receipt in full for the damage to the tower, and expressing the hope that, some day, in the near future, professor swift would do the seminary the honor of lecturing to the young lady pupils, miss perkman bade mr. sharp and tom good-by. "young ladies, to your rooms!" she commanded. "you have learned enough of airships, and there may be some danger getting this one off the roof." "wouldn't you like to stay and take a ride in it?" tom asked miss nestor. "indeed i would," she answered daringly. "it's better than a motor-boat. may i?" "some day, when we get more expert in managing it," he replied, as he shook hands with her. "now for some hard work," went on the young inventor to mr. sharp, when the roof was cleared of the last of the teachers and pupils. but the windows that gave a view of the airship in its odd position on the roof were soon filled with eager faces, while in the streets below was a great crowd, offering all manner of suggestions. "oh, it's not going to be such a task," said mr. sharp. "first we will repair the rudder and the machinery, and then we'll generate some more gas, rise and fly home." "but the broken propeller?" objected tom. "we can fly with one, as well as we can with two, but not so swiftly. don't worry. we'll come out all right," and the balloonist assumed a confident air. it was not so difficult a problem as tom had imagined to put the machinery in order, a simple break having impaired the working of the rudder. then the smashed propeller was unshipped and the gas machine started. with all the pupils watching from windows, and a crowd observing from the streets and surrounding country, for word of the happening had spread, tom and his friend prepared to ascend. they arose as well as they had done at the shed at home, and in a little while, were floating over the school. tom fancied he could observe a certain hand waving to him, as he peered from the window of the car--a hand in one of the school casements, but where there were so many pretty girls doing the same thing, i hardly see how tom could pick out any certain one, though he had extraordinarily good eyesight. however, the airship was now afloat and, starting the motor, mr. sharp found that even with one propeller the red cloud did fairly well, making good speed. "now for home, to repair everything, and we'll be ready for a longer trip," the aeronaut said to the young inventor, as they turned around, and headed off before the wind, while hundreds below them cheered. "we ought to carry spare propellers if we're going to smash into school towers," remarked tom. "i seem to be a sort of hoodoo." "nonsense! it wasn't your fault at all," commented mr. sharp warmly. "it would have happened to me had i been steering. but we will take an extra propeller along after this." an hour later they arrived in front of the big shed and the red cloud was safely housed. mr. swift was just beginning to get anxious about his son and his friend, and was glad to welcome them back. "now for a big trip, in about a week!" exclaimed mr. sharp enthusiastically. "you'll come with us, won't you, mr. swift?" the inventor slowly shook his head. "not on a trip," he said. "i may go for a trial spin with you, but i've got too important a matter under way to venture on a long trip," and he turned away without explaining what it was. but tom and mr. sharp were soon to learn. chapter andy tries a trick without loss of time the young inventor and the aeronaut began to repair the damage done to the red cloud by colliding with the tower. the most important part to reconstruct was the propeller, and mr. sharp decided to make two, instead of one, in order to have an extra one in case of future accidents. tom's task was to arrange the mechanism so that, hereafter, the rudder could not become jammed, and so prevent the airship from steering properly. this the lad accomplished by a simple but effective device which, when the balloonist saw it, caused him to compliment tom. "that's worth patenting," he declared. "i advise you to take out papers on that." "it seems such a simple thing," answered the youth. "and i don't see much use of spending the money for a patent. airships aren't likely to be so numerous that i could make anything off that patent." "you take my advice," insisted mr. sharp. "airships are going to be used more in the future than you have any idea of. you get that device patented." tom did so, and, not many years afterward he was glad that he had, as it brought him quite an income. it required several days' work on the red cloud before it was in shape for another trial. during the hours when he was engaged in the big shed, helping mr. sharp, the young inventor spent many minutes calling to mind the memory of a certain fair face, and i think i need not mention any names to indicate whose face it was. "she promised to go for a ride with me," mused the lad. "i hope she doesn't back out. but i'll want to learn more about managing the ship before i venture with her in it. it won't do to have any accidents then. there's ned newton, too. i must take him for a skim in the clouds. guess i'll invite him over some afternoon, and give him a private view of the machine, when we get it in shape again." about a week after the accident at the school mr. sharp remarked to tom one afternoon: "if the weather is good to-morrow, we'll try another flight. do you suppose your father will come along?" "i don't know," answered the lad. "he seems much engrossed in something. it's unusual, too, for he most generally tells me what he is engaged upon. however, i guess he will say something about it when he gets ready." "well, if he doesn't feel just like coming, don't argue him. he might be nervous, and, while the ship is new, i don't want any nervous passengers aboard. i can't give them my attention and look after the running of the machinery." "i was going to propose bringing a friend of mine over to see us make the trip to-morrow," went on the young inventor. "ned newton, you know him. he'd like a ride." "oh, i guess ned's all right. let him come along. we won't go very high to-morrow. after a trial rise by means of the gas, i'm going to lower the ship to the ground, and try for an elevation by means of the planes. oh, yes, bring your friend along." ned newton was delighted the next day to receive tom's invitation, and, though a little dubious about trusting himself in an airship for the first time, finally consented to go with his chum. he got a half holiday from the bank, and, shortly after dinner went to tom's house. "come on out in the shed and take a look at the red cloud," proposed the young inventor. "mr. sharp isn't quite ready to start yet, and i'll explain some things to you." the big shed was deserted when the lads entered, and went to the loft where they were on a level with the big, red aluminum tank. tom began with a description of the machinery, and ned followed him with interest. "now we'll go down into the car or cabin," continued the young navigator of the air, "and i'll show you what we do when we're touring amid the clouds." as they started to descend the flight of steps from the loft platform, a noise on the ground below attracted their attention. "guess that's mr. sharp coming," said ned. tom leaned over and looked down. an instant later he grasped the arm of his chum, and motioned to him to keep silent. "take a look," whispered the young inventor. "andy foger!" exclaimed ned, peering over the railing. "yes, and sam snedecker and pete bailey are with him. they sneaked in when i left the door open. wonder what they want?" "up to some mischief, i'll wager," commented ned. "hark! they're talking." the two lads on the loft listened intently. though the cronies on the ground below them did not speak loudly, their voices came plainly to the listeners. "let's poke a hole in their gas bag," proposed sam. "that will make them think they're not so smart as they pretend." "naw, we can't do that," answered andy. "why not?" declared pete. "because the bag's away up in the top part of the shed, and i'm not going to climb up there." "you're afraid," sneered sam. "i am not! i'll punch your face if you say that again! besides the thing that holds the gas is made of aluminum, and we can't make a hole in it unless we take an axe, and that makes too much noise." "we ought to play some sort of a trick on tom swift," proposed pete. "he's too fresh!" tom shook his fist at the lads on the ground, but of course they did not see him. "i have it!" came from andy. "what?" demanded his two cronies. "we'll cut some of the guy wires from the planes and rudders. that will make the airship collapse. they'll think the wires broke from the strain. take out your knives and saw away at the wires. hurry, too, or they may catch us." "you're caught now," whispered ned to tom. "come on down, and give 'em a trouncing." tom hesitated. he looked quickly about the loft, and then a smile replaced the frown of righteous anger on his face. "i have a better way," he said. "what is it?" "see that pile of dirt?" and he pointed to some refuse that had been swept up from the floor of the loft. ned nodded. "it consists of a lot of shavings, sawdust and, what's more, a lot of soot and lampblack that we used in mixing some paint. we'll sweep the whole pile down on their heads, and make them wish they'd stayed away from this place." "good!" exclaimed ned, chuckling. "give me a broom. there's another one for you." the two lads in the loft peered down. the red-headed, squint-eyed bully and his chums had their knives out, and were about to cut some of the important guy wires, when, at a signal from tom, ned, with a sweep of his broom, sent a big pile of the dirt, sawdust and lampblack down upon the heads of the conspirators. the young inventor did the same thing, and for an instant the lower part of the shed looked as if a dirtstorm had taken place there. the pile of refuse went straight down on the heads of the trio, and, as they were looking up, in order to see to cut the wires, they received considerable of it in their faces. in an instant the white countenances of the lads were changed to black--as black as the burnt-cork performers in a minstrel show. then came a series of howls. "wow! who did that!" "i'm blinded! the shed is falling down!" "run fellows, run!" screamed andy. "there's been an explosion. we'll be killed!" at that moment the big doors of the shed were thrown open, and mr. sharp came in. he started back in astonishment at the sight of the three grotesque figures, their faces black with the soot, and their clothes covered with sawdust and shavings, rushing wildly around. "that will teach you to come meddling around here. andy foger!" cried tom. "i--i--you--you--oh, wait--i--you--" spluttered the bully, almost speechless with rage. sam and pete were wildly trying to wipe the stuff from their faces, but only made matters worse. they were so startled that they did not know enough to run out of the opened doors. "wish we had some more stuff to put on 'em," remarked ned, who was holding his sides that ached from laughter. "i have it!" cried tom, and he caught up a bucket of red paint, that had been used to give the airship its brilliant hue. running to the end of the loft tom stood for an instant over the trio of lads who were threatening and imploring by 'turns. "here's another souvenir of your visit," shouted the young inventor, as he dashed the bucket of red paint down on the conspirators. this completed the work of the dirt and soot, and a few seconds later, each face looking like a stage indian's ready for the war-path, the trio dashed out. they shed shavings, sawdust and lampblack at every step, and from their clothes and hands and faces dripped the carmine paint. "better have your pictures taken!" cried ned, peering from an upper window. "yes, and send us one," added tom, joining his chum. andy looked up at them. he dug a mass of red paint from his left ear, removed a mass of soot from his right cheek, and, shaking his fist, which was alternately striped red and black, cried out in a rage: "i'll get even with you yet, tom swift!" "you only got what was coming to you," retorted the young inventor. "the next time you come sneaking around this airship, trying to damage it, you'll get worse, and i'll have you arrested. you've had your lesson, and don't forget it." the red-haired bully, doubly red-haired now, had nothing more to say. there was nothing he could say, and, accompanied by his companions, he made a bee-line for the rear gate in the fence, and darted across the meadow. they were all sorry enough looking specimens, but solely through their own fault. chapter winning a prize "well, tom, what happened?" asked mr. sharp, as he saw the trio running away. "looks as if you had had an exciting time here." "no, those fellows had all the excitement," declared ned. "we had the fun." and the two lads proceeded to relate what had taken place. "tried to damage the airship, eh?" asked mr. sharp. "i wish i'd caught them at it; the scoundrels! but perhaps you handled them as well as i could have done." "i guess so," assented tom. "i must see if they did cut any of the wires." but the young inventor and his chum had acted too quickly, and it was found that nothing had been done to the red cloud. a little later the airship was taken out of the shed, and made ready for a trip. the gas ascension was first used, and ned and mr. swift were passengers with tom and mr. sharp. the machine went about a thousand feet up in the air, and then was sent in various directions, to the no small delight of a large crowd that gathered in the meadow back of the swift property; for it only required the sight of the airship looming its bulk above the fence and buildings, to attract a throng. it is safe to say this time, however, that andy foger and his cronies were not in the audience. they were probably too busy removing the soot and red paint. although it was the first time mr. swift had ever been in an airship, he evinced no great astonishment. in fact he seemed to be thinking deeply, and on some subject not connected with aeronautics. tom noticed the abstraction of his father, and shook his head. clearly the aged inventor was not his usual self. as for ned newton his delight knew no bounds, at first he was a bit apprehensive as the big ship went higher and higher, and swung about, but he soon lost his fear, and enjoyed the experience as much as did tom. the young inventor was busy helping mr. sharp manage the machinery, rudders-planes and motor. a flight of several miles was made, and tom was wishing they might pay another visit to the rocksmond seminary, but mr. sharp, after completing several evolutions, designed to test the steering qualities of the craft, put back home. "we'll land in the meadow and try rising by the planes alone," he said. in this evolution it was deemed best for mr. swift and ned to alight, as there was no telling just how the craft would behave. tom's father was very willing to get out, but ned would have remained in, only for the desire of his friend. with the two propellers whirring at a tremendous speed, and all the gas out of the aluminum container, the red cloud shot forward, running over the level ground of the meadow, where a starting course had been laid out. "clear the track!" cried mr. sharp, as he saw the crowd closing up in front of him. the men, boys, several girls and women made a living lane. through this shot the craft, and then, when sufficient momentum had been obtained, tom, at a command from the aeronaut, pulled the lever of the elevation rudder. up into the air shot the nose of the red cloud as the wind struck the slanting surface of the planes, and, a moment later it was sailing high above the heads of the throng. "that's the stuff!" cried mr. sharp. "it works as well that way as it does with the gas!" higher and higher it went, and then, coming to a level keel, the craft was sent here and there, darting about like a bird, and going about in huge circles. "start the gas machine, and we'll come to rest in the air," said the balloonist, and tom did so. as the powerful vapor filled the container the ship acquired a buoyancy, and there was no need of going at high speed in order to sustain it. the propellers were stopped, and the red cloud floated two thousand feet in the air, only a little distance below some fleecy, white masses from which she took her name. the demonstration was a great success. the gas was again allowed to escape, the propellers set in motion, and purely as an aeroplane, the ship was again sent forward. by means of the planes and rudders a perfect landing was made in the meadow, a short distance from where the start had been made. the crowd cheered the plucky youth and mr. sharp. "now i'm ready to go on a long trip any time you are, tom," said the aeronaut that night. "we'll fit up the car and get ready," agreed the 'youth. "how about you, dad?" "me? oh, well--er--that is, you see; well, i'll think about it," and mr. swift went to his own room, carrying with him a package of papers, containing intricate calculations. tom shook his head, but said nothing. he could not understand his father's conduct. work was started the next day on fitting up the car, or cabin, of the airship, so that several persons could live, eat and sleep in it for two weeks, if necessary. the third day after this task had been commenced the mail brought an unusual communication to tom and mr. sharp. it was from an aero club of blakeville, a city distant about a hundred miles, and stated that a competition for aeroplanes and dirigible balloons was to be held in the course of two weeks. the affair was designed to further interest in the sport, and also to demonstrate what progress had been made in the art of conquering the air. prizes were to be given, and the inventors of the red cloud, the achievements of which the committee of arrangements had heard, were invited to compete. "shall we go in for it, tom?" asked the balloonist. "i'm willing if you are." "then let's do it. we'll see how our craft shows up alongside of others. i know something of this club. it is all right, but the carnival is likely to be a small one. once i gave a balloon exhibition for them. the managers are all right. well, we'll have a try at it. won't do us any harm to win a prize. then for a long trip!" as it was not necessary to have the car, or cabin, completely fitted up in order to compete for the prize, work in that direction was suspended for the time being, and more attention was paid to the engine, the planes and rudders. some changes were made and, a week later the red cloud departed for blakeville. as the rules of the contest required three passengers, ned newton was taken along, mr. swift having arranged with the bank president so that the lad could have a few days off. the red cloud arrived at the carnival grounds in the evening, having been delayed on the trip by a broken cog wheel, which was mended in mid-air. as the three navigators approached, they saw a small machine flying around the grounds. "look!" cried ned excitedly. "what a small airship." "that's a monoplane," declared tom, who was getting to be quite an expert. "yes, the same kind that was used to cross the english channel," interjected mr. sharp. "they're too uncertain for my purposes, though; they are all right under certain conditions." hardly had he spoken than a puff of wind caused the daring manipulator of the monoplane to swerve to one side. he had to make a quick descent--so rapid was it, in fact, that the tips of one of his planes was smashed. "it'll take him a day to repair that," commented the aeronaut dryly. the red cloud created a sensation as she slowly settled down in front of the big tent assigned to her. tom's craft was easily the best one at the carnival, so far, though the managers said other machines were on the way. the exhibition opened the next day, but no flights were to be attempted until the day following. two more crafts arrived, a large triplane, and a dirigible balloon. there were many visitors to the ground, and tom, ned and mr. sharp were kept busy answering questions put by those who crowded into their tent. toward the close of the day a fussy little frenchman entered, and, making his way to where tom stood, asked: "air you ze ownair of zis machine?" "one of them," replied the lad. "ha! sacre! zen i challenge you to a race. i have a monoplane zat is ze swiftest evaire! one thousand francs will i wager you, zat i can fly higher and farther zan you." "shall we take him up, mr. sharp?" asked tom. "we'll race with him, after we get through with the club entries," decided the aeronaut. "but not for money. it's against my principles, and i don't believe your father would like it. racing for prizes is a different thing." "well, we will devote ze money to charity," conceded the frenchman. this was a different matter, and one to which mr. sharp did not object, so it was arranged that a trial should take place after the regular affairs. that night was spent in getting the red cloud in shape for the contests of the next day. she was "groomed" until every wire was taut and every cog, lever and valve working perfectly. ned newton helped all he could. so much has appeared in the newspapers of the races at blakeville that i will not devote much space here to them. suffice it to say that the red cloud easily distanced the big dirigible from which much was expected. it was a closer contest with the large triplane, but tom's airship won, and was given the prize, a fine silver cup. as the carnival was a small one, no other craft in a class with the red cloud had been entered, so tom and mr. sharp had to be content with the one race they won. there were other contests among monoplanes and biplanes, and the little frenchman won two races. "now for ze affaire wis ze monstaire balloon of ze rouge color!" he cried, as he alighted from his monoplane while an assistant filled the gasolene tank. "i will in circles go around you, up and down, zis side zen ze ozzer, and presto! i am back at ze starting place, before you have begun. zen charity shall be ze richair!" "all right, wait and see," said tom, easily. but, though he showed much confidence he asked mr. sharp in private, just before the impromptu contest: "do you think we can beat him?" "well," said the aeronaut, shrugging his shoulders, "you can't tell much about the air. his machine certainly goes very fast, but too much wind will be the undoing of him, while it will only help us. and i think," he added, "that we're going to get a breeze." it was arranged that the red cloud would start from the ground, without the use of the gas, so as to make the machines more even. at the signal off they started, the motors making a great racket. the monoplane with the little frenchman in the seat got up first. "ah, ha!" he cried gaily, "i leave you in ze rear! catch me if you can!" "don't let him beat us," implored ned. "can't you speed her up any more?" inquired tom of mr. sharp. the aeronaut nodded grimly, and turned more gasolene into the twenty-cylindered engine. like a flash the red cloud darted forward. but the frenchman also increased his speed and did, actually, at first, circle around the bigger machine, for his affair was much lighter. but when he tried to repeat that feat he found that he was being left behind. "that's the stuff! we're winning!" yelled tom, ned joining in the shout. then came a puff of wind. the monoplane had to descend, for it was in danger of turning turtle. still the navigator was not going to give up. he flew along at a lower level. then mr. sharp opened up the red cloud's engine at full speed, and it was the big machine which now sailed around the other. "i protest! i protest!" cried the frenchman, above the explosions of his motor. "ze wind is too strong for me!" mr. sharp said nothing, but, with a queer smile on his face he sent the airship down toward the earth. a moment later he was directly under the monoplane. then, quickly rising, he fairly caught the frenchman's machine on top of a square platform of the gas container, the bicycle wheels of the monoplane resting on the flat surface. and, so swiftly did the red cloud fly along that it carried the monoplane with it, to the chagrin of the french navigator. "a trick! a trick!" he cried. "eet is not fair!" then, dropping down, mr. sharp allowed the monoplane to proceed under its own power, while he raced on to the finish mark, winning, of course, by a large margin. "ha! a trick! i race you to-morrow and again to-morrow!" cried the beaten frenchman as he alighted. "no, thanks," answered tom. "we've had enough. i guess charity will be satisfied." the little frenchman was a good loser, and paid over the money, which was given to the blakeville hospital, the institution receiving it gladly. at the request of the carnival committee, mr. sharp and tom gave an exhibition of high and long flights the next day, and created no little astonishment by their daring feats. "well, i think we have reason to be proud of our ship," remarked mr. sharp that night. "we won the first contest we were ever in, and beat that speedy monoplane, which was no small thing to do, as they are very fast." "but wait until we go on our trip," added tom, as he looked at the cup they had won. he little realized what danger they were to meet with in the flight that was before them. chapter the runaway auto had the inventors of the red cloud desired, they could have made considerable money by giving further exhibitions at the blakeville aero carnival, and at others which were to be held in the near future at adjoining cities. the fame of the new machine had spread, and there were many invitations to compete for prizes. but tom and mr. sharp wished to try their skill in a long flight, and at the close of the blakeville exhibition they started for shopton, arriving there without mishap, though tom more than half hoped that they might happen to strike the tower of a certain school. i needn't specify where. the first thing to be done was to complete the fitting-up of the car, or cabin. no berths had, as yet, been put in, and these were first installed after the red cloud was in her shed. then an electrical heating and cooking apparatus was fitted in; some additional machinery, tanks for carrying water, and chemicals for making the gas, boxes of provisions, various measuring instruments and other supplies were put in the proper places, until the cabin was filled almost to its capacity. of course particular attention had been paid to the ship proper, and every portion was gone over until mr. sharp was sure it was in shape for a long flight. "now the question is," he said to tom one evening, "who shall we take with us? you and i will go, of course, but i'd like one more. i wonder if your father can't be induced to accompany us? he seemed to like the trial trip." "i'll ask him to-morrow," said the lad. "he's very busy to-night. if he doesn't care about it, maybe garret jackson will go." "i'm afraid not. he's too timid." "i'd like to take ned newton, but he can't get any more time away from the bank. i guess we'll have to depend on dad." but, to the surprise of tom and mr. sharp, the aged inventor shook his head when the subject was broached to him next day. "why won't you go, dad?" asked his son. "i'll tell you," replied mr. swift. "i was keeping it a secret until i had made some advance in what i am engaged upon. but i don't want to go because i am on the verge of perfecting a new apparatus for submarine boats. it will revolutionize travel under the water, and i don't want to leave home until i finish it. there is another point to be considered. the government has offered a prize for an under-water boat of a new type, and i wish to try for it." "so that's what you've been working on, eh, dad?" asked his son. "that's it, and, much as i should like to accompany you, i don't feel free to go. my mind would be distracted, and i need to concentrate myself on this invention. it will produce the most wonderful results, i'm sure. besides, the government prize is no small one. it is fifty thousand dollars for a successful boat." mr. swift told something more about his submarine, but, as i expect to treat of that in another book, i will not dwell on it here, as i know you are anxious to learn what happened on the trip of the red cloud. "well," remarked mr. sharp, somewhat dubiously, "i wonder who we can get to go? we need someone besides you and i, tom." "i s'pose i could get eradicate sampson, and his mule boomerang," replied the lad with a smile. "yet i don't know--" at that instant there was a tremendous racket outside. the loud puffing of an automobile could be heard, but mingled with it was the crash of wood, and then the whole house seemed jarred and shaken. "is it an earthquake?" exclaimed mr. swift, springing to his feet, and rushing to the library windows. "something's happened!" cried tom. "maybe an explosion of the airship gas!" yelled mr. sharp, making ready to run to the balloon shed. but there was no need. the crashing of wood ceased, and, above the puffing of an auto could be heard a voice exclaiming: "bless my very existence! bless my cats and dogs! good gracious! but i never meant to do this!" tom, his father and mr. sharp rushed to the long, low windows that opened on the veranda. there, on the porch, which it had mounted by way of the steps, tearing away part of the railing, was a large touring car; and, sitting at the steering wheel, in a dazed sort of manner, was mr. wakefield damon. "bless my shirt studs!" he went on feebly. "but i have done it now!" "what's the matter?" cried tom, hastening up to him. "what happened? are you hurt?" "hurt? not a bit of it! bless my moonstone! it's the most lucky escape i ever had! but i've damaged your porch, and i haven't done my machine any good. do you see anything of another machine chasing me?" tom looked puzzled, but glanced up and down the road. far down the highway could be discerned a cloud of dust, and, from the midst of it came a faint "chug-chug." "looks like an auto down there," he said. "thank goodness! bless my trousers, but i've escaped 'em!" cried the eccentric man from whom tom had purchased his motor-cycle. "escaped who?" asked mr. swift. "those men. they were after me. but i may as well get out and explain. dear me! however will i ever get my car off your porch?" and mr. damon seemed quite distressed. "never mind," answered tom. "we can manage that. tell us what happened." "exactly," replied mr. damon, growing calmer, "bless my shoe buttons, but i had a fright, two of them, in fact. "you see," he went on, "i was out partly on pleasure and partly on business. the pleasure consisted in riding in my auto, which my physician recommended for my health. the business consisted in bringing to the shopton bank a large amount of cash. well, i deposited it all right, but, as i came out i saw some men hanging around. i didn't like their looks, and i saw them eyeing me rather sharply. i thought i had seen them before and, sure enough i had. two of the men belonged to that happy harry gang!" tom made a quick motion of a caution, pointing to his father, but it was not necessary, as mr. swift was absently-mindedly calculating on a piece of paper he had taken from his pocket, and had not heard what mr. damon said. the latter, however, knew what tom meant, and went on. "well, i didn't like the looks of these men, and when i saw them sizing me up, evidently thinking i had drawn money out instead of putting it in, i decided to give them the slip. i got in my auto, but i was startled to see them get in their car. i headed for here, as i was coming to pay you a visit, anyhow, and the mysterious men kept after me. it became a regular race. i put on all the speed i could and headed for your house, tom, for i thought you would help me. i went faster and faster, and so did they. they were almost up to me, and i was just thinking of slowing down to turn in here, when i lost control of my machine, and--well, i did turn in here, but not exactly as i intended. bless my gaiters! i came in with rather more of a rush than i expected. it was awful--positively awful, i assure you. you've no idea how nervous i was. but i escaped those scoundrels, for they rushed on when they saw what i had done--smashed the porch railing." "probably they thought you'd smash them," observed tom with a laugh. "but why did they follow you?" "can't imagine! haven't the least idea. bless my spark-plug, but they might have imagined i had money. anyhow i'm glad i escaped them!" "it's lucky you weren't hurt," said mr. sharp. "oh, me? bless my existence! i'm always having narrow escapes." mr. damon caught sight of the red cloud which was out in front of the big shed. "bless my heart! what's that?" he added. "our new airship," answered tom proudly. "we are just planning a long trip in it, but we can't find a third member of the party to go along." "a third member!" exclaimed mr. damon. "do you really mean it?" "we do." "bless my shoe laces! will you take me along?" "do you mean that?" asked tom in turn, foreseeing a way out of their difficulties. "i certainly do," answered the eccentric man. "i am much interested in airships, and i might as well die up in the clouds as any other way. certainly i prefer it to being smashed up in an auto. will you take me?" "of course!" cried tom heartily, and mr. sharp nodded an assent. then tom drew mr. damon to one side. "we'll arrange the trip in a few minutes," the lad said. "tell me more about those mysterious men, please." chapter a bag of tools wakefield damon glanced at mr. swift. the inventor was oblivious to his surroundings, and was busy figuring away on some paper. he seemed even to have forgotten the presence of the eccentric autoist. "i don't want father to hear about the men," went on tom, in a low tone. "if he hears that happy harry and his confederates are in this vicinity, he'll worry, and that doesn't agree with him. but are you sure the men you saw are the same ones who stole the turbine model?" "very certain," replied mr. damon. "i had a good view of them as i came from the bank, and i was surprised to see them, until i remembered that they were out of jail." "but why do you think they pursued you?" "bless my eyes! i can't say. perhaps they weren't after me at all. i may have imagined it, but they certainly hurried off in their auto as soon as i left the bank, after leaving my money there. i'm glad i deposited it before i saw them. i was so nervous, as it was, that i couldn't steer straight. it's too bad, the way i've damaged your house." "that doesn't matter. but how about the trip in the airship? i hope you meant it when you said you would go." "of course i did. i've never traveled in the air, but it can't be much worse than my experience with my motor-cycle and the auto. at least i can't run up any stoop, can i?" and mr. damon looked at mr. sharp. "no," replied the aeronaut, as he scratched his head, "i guess you'll be safe on that score. but i hope you won't get nervous when we reach a great height." "oh, no. i'll just calm myself with the reflection that i can't die but once," and with this philosophical reflection mr. damon went back to look at the auto, which certainly looked odd, stuck up on the veranda. "well, you'd better make arrangements to go with us then," went on tom. "meanwhile i'll see to getting your car down. you'll want to send it home, i suppose?" "no, not if you'll keep it for me. the fact is that all my folks are away, and will be for some time. i don't have to go home to notify them, and it's a good thing, as my wife is very nervous, and might object, if she heard about the airship. i'll just stay here, if you've no objection, until the red cloud sails, if sails is the proper term." "'sails' will do very well," answered mr. sharp. "but, tom, let's see if you and i can't get that car down. perhaps mr. damon would like to go in the house and talk to your father," for mr. swift had left the piazza. the eccentric individual was glad enough not to be on hand when his car was eased down from the veranda and disappeared into the house. tom and mr. sharp, with the aid of garret jackson, then released the auto from its position. they had to take down the rest of the broken railing, and their task was easy enough. the machine was stored in a disused shed, and mr. damon had no further concern until it was time to undertake the trip through the air. "it will fool those men if i mysteriously disappear," he said, with a smile. "bless my hat band, but they'll wonder what became of me. we'll just slip off in the red cloud, and they'll never be the wiser." "i don't know about that," commented tom. "i fancy they are keeping pretty close watch in this vicinity, and i don't like it. i'm afraid they are up to some mischief. i should think the bank authorities would have them locked upon suspicion. i think i'll telephone ned about it." he did so, and his chum, in turn, notified the bank watchman. but the next day it was reported that no sign of the men had been seen, and, later it was learned that an auto, answering the description of the one they were in, had been seen going south, many miles from shopton. the work of preparing the red cloud for the long trip was all but completed. it had been placed back in the shed while a few more adjustments were made to the machinery. "bless my eyelashes!" exclaimed mr. damon, a few days before the one set for the start, "but i haven't asked where we are bound for. where are we going, anyhow, mr. sharp?" "we're going to try and reach atlanta, georgia," replied the balloonist. "that will make a fairly long trip, and the winds at this season are favorable in that direction." "that suits me all right," declared mr. damon. "i'm all ready and anxious to start." it was decided to give the airship a few more trials around shopton before setting out, to see how it behaved with the car heavier loaded than usual. with this in view a trip was made to rocksmond, with mr. swift, mr. damon and ned, in addition to mr. sharp and tom, on board. then, at tom's somewhat blushing request, a stop was made near the seminary, and, when the pupils came trooping out, the young inventor asked miss nestor if she didn't want to take a little flight. she consented, and with two pretty companions climbed rather hesitatingly into the car. no great height was attained, but the girls were fully satisfied and, after their first alarm really enjoyed the spin in the air, with tom proudly presiding at the steering wheel, which mr. sharp relinquished to the lad, for he understood tom's feelings. three days later all was in readiness for the trip to atlanta. mr. swift was earnestly invited to undertake it, both tom and mr. sharp urging him, but the veteran inventor said he must stay at home, and work on his submarine plans. the evening before the start, when the aeronaut and tom were giving a final inspection to the craft in the big shed, mr. sharp exclaimed "i declare tom, i believe you'll have to take a run into town." "what for?" "why to get that kit of special tools i ordered, which we might need to make repairs. there are some long-handled wrenches, some spare levers, and a couple of braces and bits. harrison, the hardware dealer, ordered them for me from new york, and they were to be ready this afternoon, but i forgot them. take an empty valise with you, and you can carry them on your motorcycle. i'm sorry to have forgotten it, but--" "that's all right, mr. sharp, i'd just as soon go as not. it will make the time pass more quickly. i'll start right off." an hour later, having received the tools, which made quite a bundle, the lad put them in the valise, and started back toward home. as he swung around the corner on which the bank was located--the same bank in which ned newton worked--one of the valves on the motor-cycle began to leak. tom dismounted to adjust it, and had completed the work, being about to ride on, when down the street came andy foger and sam snedecker. they started at the sight of our hero. "there he is now!" exclaimed sam, as if he and the red-haired bully had been speaking of the young inventor. "let's lick him!" proposed andy. "now's our chance to get even for throwing that paint and soot on us." tom heard their words. he was not afraid of both the lads, for, though each one matched him in size and strength, tom knew they were cowards. "if you're looking for anything i guess i can accommodate you," he said, coolly. "come on, andy," urged sam. but, somehow andy hung back. perhaps he didn't like the way tom squared off. the young inventor had let down the rear brace of his motor-cycle, and was not obliged to hold it, so he had both hands free. "we ought to lick him good and proper," growled the squint-eyed lad. "well, why don't you?" invited tom. he moved to one side, so as not to be hampered by his wheel. as he did so he knocked from the handle bars the valise of tools. they fell with a clatter and a thud to the pavement, and the satchel came open. it was under a gas lamp, and the glitter of the long-handled wrenches and other implements caught the eyes of andy and his crony. "huh! if we fought you, maybe you'd use some of them on us," sneered andy, glad of an excuse not to fight. tom quickly picked up his valise, shutting it, but he was aware of the close scrutiny of the two vindictive lads. "i don't fight with such things," he said, somewhat annoyed, and he hung the tools back on the handle bars. "what you doing around the bank at this hour?" asked sam, as if to change the subject. "first thing you know the watchman will order you to move on. he might think you were a suspicious character." "the same to you," retorted tom, "but i'm going to ride on now, unless you want to have a further argument with me." "you'd better be careful how you hang around a bank," added andy. "the police are on the lookout here. there's been some mysterious men seen about." tom did not care to go into that, and, seeing that the two bullies had lost all desire to attack him, he put up the brace and mounted his wheel. "good-by," he called to andy and sam, as he rode off, the tools rattling and jingling in the valise, but it was a sarcastic farewell, and the two cronies did not reply. "i hope i didn't damage any of the tools when i let them fall that time," mused the young inventor. "my, the way sam and andy stared at them it would make it seem as if i had a lot of weapons in the bag! they certainly took good note of them." the time was to come, and very shortly, when andy's and sam's observation of the tools was to prove disastrous for our hero. as tom turned the corner he looked back, and saw, still standing in front of the bank, the two cronies. chapter the red cloud departs "well, dad, i wish you were going along with us," said tom to his father next morning. "you don't know what you're going to miss. a fine trip of several hundred miles through the air, seeing strange sights, and experiencing new sensations." "yes, i wish you would reconsider your determination, and accompany us," added mr. damon. "i would enjoy your company." "there's plenty of room. we can carry six persons with ease," said mr. sharp. mr. swift shook his head, and smiled. "i have too much work to do here at home," he replied. "perhaps i may astonish you with something when you come back. i have nearly perfected my latest invention." there was no combating such a resolution as this, and tom and the others considered the decision of the aged inventor as final. the airship was ready for the start, and every one had arisen earlier than usual on this account. the bag of tools, for which tom had gone to town, were put in their proper place, the last of the supplies were taken abroad, final tests were made of the various apparatus, the motor had been given a trial spin, disconnected from the propellers, and then the balloonist announced: "well, tom and mr. damon, you had better begin to think of starting. we've had breakfast here, but there's no telling where we will eat dinner." "bless my soul! don't you talk that way!" exclaimed mr. damon. "you make me exceedingly nervous. why shouldn't we know where we are going to eat dinner?" "oh, i meant we couldn't tell over just what part of the united states we would be when dinner time came," explained the aeronaut. "oh, that's different. bless my pocket knife, but i thought you meant we might be dashed to pieces, and incapable of eating any dinner." "hardly," remarked mr. sharp. "the red cloud is not that kind of an airship, i hope. but get aboard, if you please." tom and mr. damon entered the car. it was resting on the ground, on the small wheels used to start the airship when the gas inflation method was not used. in this case, however, it had been decided to rise in the air by means of the powerful vapor, and not to use the wings and planes until another time. consequently the ship was swaying slightly, and tugging at the restraining cables. as tom and mr. damon entered the cabin there drove into the swift yard a dilapidated wagon, drawn by a bony mule, and it did not need the addition of a colored man's voice, calling: "whoa, dar, boomerang!" to tell tom that his friend eradicate sampson was on hand. as for eradicate, as soon as he saw the great airship, which he had never before beheld fully rigged, all ready for a flight, his eyes became big with wonder. "is dat yo' flyin' machine, mistah swift?" he asked. "that's it, rad," answered tom. "don't you want to come and take a ride with us?" "me? good land a' massy! no indeedy, mistah swift," and the whitewasher, who had descended from his wagon, edged away, as if the airship might suddenly put out a pair of hands and grab him. "no indeedy i doant! i come t' do a little whitewashin' an' when i do dat i'se gwine on mah way. but dat's a pow'ful fine ship; it suah am!" "better come and try a flight, rad," added mr. damon. "i'll look after you." "no, sah, an' i doan't take it kind ob yo' all t' tempt me dat way, nuther," spoke eradicate. but, when he saw that the craft was stationary, he ventured to approach closer. gingerly he put out one hand and touched the framework of the wheels, just forward of the cabin. the negro grasped the timber, and lifted it slightly. to his astonishment the whole front of the airship tilted up, for it was about ready to fly, and a child might have lifted it, so buoyant was it. but eradicate did not know this. wonderingly he looked at the great bulk of the ship, looming above him, then he glanced at his arm. once more, noting that the attention of his friends was elsewhere, he lifted the craft. then he cried "look yeah, mistah swift! look yeah! no wonder day calls me sampson. i done lifted dis monstrousness airship wif one hand, see, i kin do it! i kin do it!" once more he raised the red cloud slightly, and a delighted grin, not unmixed with a look of awe, spread over his honest countenance. "i suppose you'll give up whitewashing and join a circus as a strong man, now," observed mr. sharp, with a wink at his companions. "days what i will!" announced eradicate proudly. "i neber knowed i was dat strong, but ob course i allers knowed i had some muscle. golly, i must hab growed strong ober night! now, boomerang, yo' suah has got t' look out fo' yo' sef. no mo' ob yo' cuttin' up capers, or i'll jest lift you up, an' sot yo' down on yo' back, i suah will," and the negro feeling of his biceps walked over to where the mule stood, with its eyes closed. "i guess you can cast off, tom," called mr. sharp, as he entered the car, having seen that everything was all right. "we'll not go up very far at first, until mr. damon gets used to the thin air." "bless my soul, i believe i'm getting nervous," announced the eccentric man. "bless my liver, but i hope nothing happens." "nothing will happen," mr. sharp assured him. "just keep calm, when it feels as if the bottom was dropping out of everything and you'll soon get over it. are you casting off those ropes, tom? is all clear?" "all but the bow and stern lines." "you attend to the bow line, and i'll go to the stern," and, going over to the gas generator, mr. sharp started it so as to force more vapor into the red aluminum container. this had the effect of rendering the airship more buoyant, and it tugged and strained harder than ever at the ropes. "good-by, tom," called mr. swift, reaching up to shake hands with his son. "drop me a line when you get a chance." "oh, tom, do be careful," implored mrs. baggert, her kind face showing her anxiety. "may i kiss you good-by?" "of course," answered the young inventor, though the motherly housekeeper had not done this since he was a little chap. she had to stand on a soap box, which eradicate brought in order to reach tom's face, and, when she had kissed him she said: "oh, i'm so worried! i just know you'll be killed, risking your lives in that terrible airship!" "ha! not a very cheerful view to take, madam," observed mr. damon. "don't hold that view, i beg of you. bless my eyelashes, but you'll see us coming home, covered with glory and star dust." "i'm sure i hope so," answered mrs. baggert, laughing a little in spite of herself. the last ropes were cast off. good-bys were shouted as the airship shot into the air, and mr. sharp started the motor, to warm it up before the propellers were thrown into gear. the twenty cylinders began exploding with a terrific racket, as the muffler was open, and tom, looking down, saw boomerang awaken with a jump. the mule was so frightened that he started off on a dead run, swinging the rickety, old wagon along behind him. eradicate sampson, who had been feeling his muscle since he discovered what he thought was his marvelous strength, saw what was happening. "whoa, dar, boomerang!" he shouted. then, as the tailboard of the wagon swung past him, he reached out and grabbed it. perhaps he thought he could bring the runaway mule up standing, but, if he did, he was grievously disappointed. boomerang pulled his master along the gravel walk, and kept running in spite of eradicate's command to "whoa, dar!" it might have gone hard with him, had not garret jackson, the engineer, running in front of boomerang, caught the animal. eradicate picked himself up, and gazed sadly at his arms. the navigators of the air could not hear what he said, but what he thought was evident to them. then, as mr. sharp deadened the explosions of the powerful motor. tom, looking at a gauge, noted that their height was seven hundred feet. "high enough!" called mr. sharp, and it was time, for mr. damon, in spite of his resolution, was getting pale. the gas was shut off, the propellers thrown into gear, and, with a rush the red cloud shot toward the south, passing over the swift homestead, and high above the heads of the crowd that had gathered to witness the start. the eventful voyage of the air had begun. chapter some startling news "well, there they go," remarked mrs. baggert to mr. swift, as she strained her eyes toward the sky, against the blue of which the airship was now only a large, black ball. "yes, and a fine start they made," replied the inventor. "i almost wish i had accompanied them, but i must not stop work on my submarine invention." "i do hope nothing will happen to them," went on the housekeeper. "i declare, though, i feel just as if something was going to happen." "nervousness, pure nervousness," commented mr. swift. "better take a little--er--i suppose catnip tea would be good." "catnip tea! the very idea!" exclaimed mrs. baggert. "that shows how much you know about nervousness, mr. swift," and she seemed a little indignant. "ha! hum! well, maybe catnip tea wouldn't be just the thing. but don't worry about tom. i'm sure he can look after himself. as for mr. sharp he has made too many ascensions to run into any unnecessary danger." "nervous!" went on the housekeeper, who seemed to resent this state being applied to her. "i'm sure i'm not half as nervous as that mr. damon. he gives me the fidgets." "of course. well, i must get back to my work," said the inventor. "ah, are you hurt, eradicate?" he went on, as the colored man came back, driving boomerang, who had been stopped just before reaching the road. "no, mistah swift, i ain't exactly damaged, but mah feelin's am suah hurted." "how's that?" "well, i thought i had growed strong in de night, when i lifted dat airship, but when i went to stop mah mule i couldn't do it. he won't hab no respect fo' me now." "oh, i wouldn't let that worry me," commented mr. swift, and he explained to eradicate how it was that he had so easily lifted the end of the buoyant ship, which weighed very little when filled with gas. the colored man proceeded with his work of whitewashing, the inventor was in his library, puzzling over tables of intricate figures, and mrs. baggert was in the kitchen, sighing occasionally as she thought of tom, whom she loved almost as a son, high in the air, when two men came up the walk, from the street, and knocked at the side door. mrs. baggert, who answered the summons, was somewhat surprised to see chief of police simonson and constable higby. "they probably came to see the airship start," she thought, "but they're too late." "ah, good morning, mrs. baggert," greeted the chief. "is mr. swift and his son about this morning?" "mr. swift is in his library, but tom is gone." "he'll be back though, won't he?" asked constable higby quickly--anxiously, mrs. baggert thought. "oh, yes," she replied. "he and--" "just take us to see mr. swift," interrupted the chief, with a look of caution at his aide. "we'll explain matters to him." wondering what could be the mission of the two officers, mrs. baggert led them to the library. "it's queer," she thought, "that they don't ask something about the airship. i suppose that was what they came for. but maybe it's about the mysterious men who robbed mr. swift." "ah, gentlemen, what can i do for you?" asked the inventor, as he rose to greet the officials. "ahem, mr. swift. ahem--er--that is--well, the fact is, mr. swift," stammered the chief, "we have come upon a very painful errand." "what's that?" cried tom's father. "i haven't been robbed again, have i?' "there has been a robbery committed," spoke the constable quickly. "but you are not the victim," interposed the chief. "i'm glad of that," said mr. swift. "where is your son, tom?" asked the head of the shopton police force, sharply. "what do you want with him?" inquired the inventor, struck by some strange tone in the other's voice. "mr. swift," went on the chief, solemnly, "i said we came upon a very painful errand. it is painful, as i have known tom since he was a little lad. but i must do my duty, no matter how painful it is. i have a warrant for the arrest of your son, thomas swift, and i have come to serve it. i need not tell you that it is your duty to give him up to us--the representatives of the law. i call upon you to produce your son." mr. swift staggered to his feet. "my son! you have come to arrest my son?" he stammered. the chief nodded grimly. "upon what charge?" faltered the father. "on a charge of breaking into the shopton national bank last night, and stealing from the vault seventy-five thousand dollars in currency!" "seventy-five thousand dollars! tom accused of robbing the bank!" faltered mr. swift. "that is the charge, and we've come to arrest him," broke in constable higby. "where is he?" added the chief. "this charge is false! absolutely false!" shouted the aged inventor. "that may be," admitted the chief shaking his head. "but the charge has been made, and we hold the warrant. the courts will settle it. we must now arrest tom. where is he?" "he isn't here!" cried mr. swift, and small blame to him if there was a note of triumph in his voice. "tom sailed away not half an hour ago in the airship red cloud! you can't arrest him!" "he's escaped!" shouted the constable. "i told you, chief, that he was a slippery customer, and that we'd better come before breakfast!" "dry up!" commanded the chief testily. "so he's foiled us, eh? run away when he knew we were coming? i think that looks like guilt, mr. swift." "never!" cried the inventor. "tom would never think of robbing the bank. besides, he has all the money he wants. the charge is preposterous! i demand to be confronted with the proof." "you shall be," answered chief simonson vindictively. "if you will come to the bank you can see the rifled vault, and hear the testimony of a witness who saw your son with burglar tools in his possession last night. we also have a warrant for mr. wakefield damon. do you know anything of him?" "he has gone with my son in the airship." "ha! the two criminals with their booty have escaped together!" cried the chief. "but we'll nab them if we have to scour the whole country. come on, higby! mr. swift, if you'll accompany me to the bank, i think i can give you all the proof you want," and the officials, followed by the amazed and grief-stricken inventor, left the house. chapter mr. damon in danger the sensations of the voyagers in the airship, who meanwhile, were flying along over the country surrounding shopton, were not very different than when they had undertaken some trial flights. in fact mr. damon was a little disappointed after they had waved their farewells to mr. swift and mrs. baggert. "i declare i'm not at all nervous," he remarked, as he sat in an easy chair in the enclosed car or cabin, and looked down at the earth through the plate-glass windows in the floor. "i thought you'd be all right once we got started," commented mr. sharp. "do you think you can stand going a trifle higher?" "try it," suggested the eccentric man. "bless my watch chain, but, as i said, i might as well die this way as any other. hitting a cloud-bank is easier than trying to climb a tree on a motorcycle, eh, tom?" "very much so, mr. damon," conceded the young inventor, with a laugh. "oh, we'll not attempt any cloud heights for a day or two," went on mr. sharp. "i want you, to gradually get used to the rarefied atmosphere, mr. damon. tom and i are getting to be old hands at it. but, if you think you can stand it, i'll go up about a thousand feet higher." "make it two thousand, while you're at it," proposed the odd character. "might as well take a long fall as a short one." accordingly, the elevation rudder was used to send the red cloud to a greater height while she was still skimming along like some great bird. of course the desired elevation could have been obtained by forcing more gas from the machine into the big, red container overhead, but it was decided to be as sparing of this vapor as possible, since the voyagers did not want to descend to get more material, in case they used up what they had. it was just as easy to rise by properly working the rudders, when the ship was in motion, and that was the method now employed. with the great propellers, fore and aft, making about a thousand revolutions a minute the craft slanted up toward the sky. the ship was not being run at top speed as mr. sharp did not care to force it, and there was no need for haste. long distance, rather than high speed was being aimed at on this first important flight. tom was at the steering wheel, and, with his hand on the lever controlling the elevation rudder, kept watch of the face of mr. damon, occasionally noting what height the hand on the gauge registered. he fancied he saw the cheeks of his friend growing pale, and, when a height of thirty-five hundred feet was indicated, with a yank the young inventor put the airship on a level keel. "are you distressed, mr. damon?" he asked. "ye--yes, i--i have--some--some difficulty in breathing," was the answer. tom gave his friend the same advice the aeronaut had given the lad on his first trip, and the eccentric man soon felt better. "bless my buttons!" he ventured to explain. "but i feel as if i had lost several pounds of flesh, and i'm glad of it." mr. sharp was busy with the motor, which needed some slight adjustments, and tom was in sole charge of navigating the airship. he had lost the nervous feeling that first possessed him, and was becoming quite an expert at meeting various currents of wind encountered in the upper regions. below, the voyagers could see the earth spread out like a great map. they could not tell their exact location now, but by calculating their speed, which was about thirty miles an hour, tom figured out that they were above the town of centreford, near where he had been attacked once by the model thieves. for several hours the airship kept on her way, maintaining a height of about a mile, for when it was found that mr. damon could accommodate himself to thirty-five hundred feet the elevation rudder was again shifted to send the craft upward. by using glasses the travelers could see crowds on the earth watching their progress in the air, and, though airships, dirigible balloons and aeroplanes are getting fairly common now, the appearance of one as novel and as large as the red cloud could always be depended upon to attract attention. "well, what do you say to something to eat?" proposed mr. sharp, coming into the main cabin, from the motor compartment. "it's twelve o'clock, though we can't hear the factory whistles up, here." "i'm ready, any time you are," called tom, from the pilot house. "shall i cook grub, mr. sharp?" "no, you manage the ship, and i'll play cook. we'll not get a very elaborate meal this time, as i shall have to pay occasional visits to the motor, which isn't running just to suit me." the electrical stove was set going, and some soup and beefsteak from among the stores, was put on the fire. in spite of the fact that the day was a warm one in october, it was quite cool in the cabin, until the stove took off the chill. the temperature of the upper regions was several degrees below that of the earth. at times the ship passed through little wisps of vapor-clouds in the making. "isn't this wonderful!" exclaimed mr. damon, as he sat in an easy chair, partaking of some of the food. "to think that i have lived to see the day when i can take my lunch a mile in the air, with a craft flying along like a bird. bless my knife and fork but it certainly is wonderful." mr. sharp relieved tom at the wheel, while the young inventor ate, and then, with the airship heading southwest, the speed was increased a trifle, the balloonist desiring to see what the motor could accomplish under a heavy load. a drop of several hundred feet was made about an hour later, and, as this made it warmer, mr. damon, who was a great lover of fresh air, decided to go out on the platform in front of the cabin. this platform, and a similar one at the rear, was railed about, to prevent accidents. a fine view could be had from them much better than through the floor windows of the car. "be careful of the propeller," advised tom, as his friend went outside. "i don't believe you're tall enough to be hit by the blades, but don't take any chances of standing on your tiptoes." "bless my pocket handkerchief, indeed i'll not," came the answer. "but i think i shall wrap up my throat in the scarf i brought along. i am subject to neuralgia, and the breeze may bring on an attack of it." wrapping a long, woolen scarf about his neck, the eccentric man ventured out on the open platform. about the middle of it, but sufficiently high to be above a person's head, was the forward propeller, whirring around at swift speed. tom, with his eye on the various gauges and the compass, was steering the airship. he glanced at mr. damon, who appeared to be enjoying the view from the platform. for an instant the eyes of the lad were taken from the form of his friend. he looked back suddenly, however, his attention attracted by a smothered cry. he was horrified by what he saw. mr. damon was leaning far over the edge of the railing, with nothing between him and the earth a thousand feet below. he seemed to have lost his balance and had toppled forward, being doubled up on the iron pipe railing, his hands hanging limply over. then, as tom cried to mr. sharp to shut off the motor, the lad saw that, hanging to the blade of the propeller, and being whirled around in its revolutions, was a part of mr. damon's red scarf. "hurry! hurry, mr. sharp!" yelled tom, not daring to let go the steering wheel, for fear the ship would encounter a treacherous current and tilt. "hurry to mr. damon!" "what's the matter?" asked the balloonist. "he's dead--or unconscious--hanging over the railing. he seems to be slipping! hurry, or it will be too late!" chapter andy gives the clue when mr. swift followed the chief of police and the constable to the town hall his mind was filled with many thoughts. all his plans for revolutionizing submarine travel, were, of course, forgotten, and he was only concerned with the charge that had been made against his son. it seemed incredible, yet the officers were not ones to perpetrate a joke. the chief and constable had driven from town in a carriage, and they now invited the inventor to ride back with them. "do you mean to tell me a warrant has actually been sworn out against my son, chief?" asked the father, when they were near the town hall. "that's just what i mean to say, mr. swift, and, i'm sorry, on your account, that i have to serve it." "hub! don't look like you was goin' to serve it," remarked the constable. "he's skipped out." "that's all right, higby," went on the chief. "i'll catch em both. even if they have escaped in an airship with their booty, i'll nab 'em. i'll have a general alarm out all over the country in less than an hour. they can't stay up in the air forever." "a warrant for tom--my son," murmured mr. swift, as if he could not believe it. "yes, and for that damon man, too," added the chief. "i want him as well as tom, and i'll get 'em." "would you mind letting me see the warrants?" asked the inventor, and the official passed them over. the documents were made out in regular form, and the complaints had been sworn to by isaac pendergast, the bank president. "i can't understand it," went on tom's father. "seventy-five thousand dollars. it's incredible! why!" he suddenly exclaimed, "it can't be true. just before he left, mr. damon--" "yes, what did he do?" asked the chief eagerly, thinking he might secure some valuable evidence. "i guess i'll say nothing until i have seen the bank president," replied mr. swift, and the official was obviously disappointed. the inventor found mr. pendergast, and some other bank officials in the town hall. the financiers were rather angry when they learned that the accused persons had not been caught, but the chief said he would soon have them in custody. "in the meanwhile will you kindly explain, what this means?" asked mr. swift of the president. "you may come and look at the looted vault, if you like, mr. swift," replied mr. pendergast. "it was a very thorough job, and will seriously cripple the bank." there was no doubt that the vault had been forced open, for the locks and bars were bent and twisted as if by heavy tools. mr. swift made a careful examination, and was shown the money drawers that had been smashed. "this was the work of experts," he declared. "exactly what we think," said the president. "of course we don't believe your son was a professional bank robber, mr. swift. we have a theory that mr. damon did the real work, but that tom helped him with the tools he had. there is no doubt about it." "what right have you to accuse my son?" burst out the aged inventor. "why have you any more cause to suspect him than any other lad in town? why do you fix on him, and mr. damon? i demand to know." "mr. damon's eccentric actions for a few days past, and his well-known oddity of character make him an object of suspicion," declared the president in judicial tones. "as for tom, we have, i regret to say, even better evidence against him." "but what is it? what? who gave you any clues to point to my son?" "do you really wish to know?" "i certainly do," was the sharp reply. mr. swift, the police and several bank officials were now in the president's office. the latter pressed an electric bell, and, when a messenger answered, he said: "send young foger here." at the mention of this name, mr. swift started. he well knew the red-haired bully was an enemy of his son. andy entered, walking rather proudly at the attention he attracted. "this is mr. swift," said the president. "aw, i know him," blurted out andy. "you will please tell him what you told us," went on mr. pendergast. "well, i seen tom swift hanging around this bank with burglar tools in his possession last night, just before it was robbed," exclaimed the squint-eyed lad triumphantly. "hanging around the bank last night with burglar tools?" repeated mr. swift, in dazed tones. "that's right," from andy. "how do you know they were burglar tools?" "because i saw 'em!" cried andy. "he had 'em in a valise on his motor-cycle. he was standing at the corner, waiting for a chance to break into the bank, and when me and sam snedecker saw him, he pretended to be fixin' his machine. then the bag of burglar tools fell off, the satchel came open, and i seen 'em! that's how i know." "and you're sure they were burglar tools?" asked the chief, for he depended on andy to be his most important witness. "sure i am. i seen a picture of burglar tools once, and the ones tom had was just like 'em. long-handled wrenches, brace an' bits, an' all. he tried to hide 'em, but me an' sam was too quick for him. he wanted to lick me, too." "no doubt you deserved it," murmured mr. swift. "but how do you know my son was waiting for a chance to break into the bank?" "'cause, wasn't it robbed right after he was hangin' around here with the burglar tools?" inquired andy, as if that was unanswerable. "what were you hanging around here for?" mr. swift demanded quickly. "me? oh, well, me an' sam snedecker was out takin' a walk. that's all." "you didn't want to rob the bank, did you?" went on the inventor, keenly. "of course not," roared the bully, indignantly. "i ain't got no burglar tools." andy told more along the same line, but his testimony of having seen tom near the bank, with a bag of odd tools could not be shaken. in fact it was true, as far as it went, but, of course, the tools were only those for the airship; the same ones mr. sharp had sent the lad after. sam snedecker was called in after andy, and told substantially the same story. mr. swift could not understand it, for he knew nothing of tom being sent for the tools, and had not heard any talk at home of the bag of implements ordered by the balloonist. still, of course, he knew tom had nothing to do with the robbery, and he knew his son had been at home all the night previous. still this was rather negative evidence. but the inventor had one question yet to ask. "you say you also suspect mr. damon of complicity in this affair?" he went on, to the chief of police. "we sure do," replied mr. simonson. "then can you explain?" proceeded the inventor, "how it is that mr. damon has on deposit in this bank a large sum. would he rob the bank where his own funds were?" "we are prepared for that," declared the president. "it is true that mr. damon has about ten thousand dollars in our bank, but we believe he deposited it only as a blind, so as to cover up his tracks. it is a deep-laid scheme, and escaping in the airship is part of it. i am sorry, mr. swift, that i have to believe your son and his accomplice guilty, but i am obliged to. chief, you had better send out a general alarm. the airship ought to be easy to trace." "i'll telegraph at once," said the official. "and you believe my son guilty, solely on the testimony of these two boys, who, as is well known, are his enemies?" asked mr. swift. "the clue they gave us is certainly most important," said the president. "andy came to us and told what he had seen, as soon as it became known that the bank had been robbed." "and i'm going to get the reward for giving information of the robbers, too!" cried the bully. "i'm going to have my share!" insisted sam. "ah, then there is a reward offered?" inquired mr. swift. "five thousand dollars," answered mr. pendergast. "the directors, all of whom are present save mr. foger, andy's father, met early this morning, and decided to offer that sum." "and i'm going to get it," announced the red-haired lad again. mr. swift was much downcast. there seemed to be nothing more to say, and, being a man unversed in the ways of the world, he did not know what to do. he returned hone. when mrs. baggert was made acquainted with the news, she waxed indignant. "our tom a thief!" she cried. "why don't they accuse me and mr. jackson and you? the idea! you ought to hire a lawyer, mr. swift, and prosecute those men for slander." "do you think it would be a good plan?" "i certainly do. why they have no evidence at all! what does that mean, sneaking andy foger amount to? get a lawyer, and have tom's interests looked after." mr. swift, glad to have someone share the responsibility with, felt somewhat better when a well-known shopton attorney assured him that the evidence against tom was of such a flimsy character that it would scarcely hold in a court of justice. "but they have warrants for him and mr. damon," declared the inventor. "very true, but it is easy to swear out a warrant against any one. it's a different matter to prove a person guilty." "but they can arrest my son." "yes--if they catch him. however, we can soon have him released on bail." "it's disgraceful," said mrs. baggert. "not at all, my dear madam, not at all. good and innocent persons have been arrested." "they are going to send out a general alarm for my son," bewailed mr. swift. "yes, but i fancy it will be some time before they catch him and mr. damon, if the airship holds together. i can't think of a better way to keep out of the clutches of the police, and their silly charge," chuckled the lawyer. "now don't worry, mr. swift. it will all come out right." the inventor tried to believe so, but, though he knew his son was innocent, it was rather hard to see, within the next few days, big posters on all the vacant walls and fences, offering a reward of five thousand dollars for the arrest of tom swift and wakefield damon, who were charged with having flown away in an airship with seventy-five thousand dollars of the bank's money. "i guess tom swift will wish he'd been more decent to me when i collect that money for his arrest," said andy to his crony, sam, the day the bills were posted. "yes, but i get my share, don't i?" asked sam. "sure," answered the bully. "i wish they'd hurry up and arrest him." within the next few days the country was covered with posters telling of the robbery and the reward, and police officials in cities large and small, and in towns and villages, were notified by telegraph to arrest and capture, at any cost the occupants of a certain large, red airship. mr. swift, on the advice of his lawyer, sent several telegrams to tom, apprising him of what had happened. the telegraph company was asked to rush the telegrams to the first city when word came in that the red cloud had landed. chapter fired upon tom's excited call to the aeronaut, telling of the mishap to mr. damon, was answered immediately. mr. sharp jumped forward from the motor compartment, and, passing on his way the electric switch, he yanked it out, stopping the machinery, and the great propellers. then he leaped out on the platform. but something else happened. just before the accident to the eccentric man, desiring to give a further test to the planes, the gas had been shut off, making the airship an aeroplane instead of a dirigible balloon. consequently, as soon as the forward motion ceased the great ship began falling. "we're sinking! we're sinking!" cried tom, forgetting for a moment that he was not in his motor-boat. "slant your rudder up, and glide downward as slowly as you can!" directed mr. sharp. "i'll start the engine again as soon as i rescue him," for it was risky to venture out on the platform with the propeller whirring, as the dangling piece of scarf might whip around the balloonist and toss him off. mr. sharp was soon at mr. damon's side. he saw that the man was unconscious, whether from fright or some injury could not then be determined. there was, however, no sign of a wound. it was no easy task to carry, half dragging it, the heavy body of mr. damon off the platform, but the aeronaut was a muscular individual, and long hanging from a trapeze, at great heights, stood him in good stead. he brought the unconscious man into the cabin, and then, quickly returning to the platform, he detached the piece of scarf from the propeller blade. next he started the motor, and also turned on the gas tank, so that the airship, in a few minutes, could float in space without motion. "you needn't steer now, tom," said the balloonist. "just give me a hand here." "is--is he dead?" inquired the lad, his voice faltering. "no, his heart's beating. i can't understand what happened." mr. sharp was something of a rough and ready surgeon and doctor, and a small box of medicines had been brought along in case of emergencies. with the red cloud now lazily floating in the air, for, once the falling motion had been checked by the engine, the motor had been stopped again, mr. sharp set about restoring mr. damon to consciousness. it was not long before the man opened his eyes. the color that had left his cheeks came back, and, after a drink of cold water he was able to sit up. "did i fall?" he asked. "bless my very existence, but did i tumble off the airship?" "no indeed," replied tom, "though you came pretty near it. how do you feel? were you hurt?" "oh, i'm all right now--just a trifle dizzy. but i thought sure i was a goner when i fell over the platform railing," and mr. damon could not repress a shudder. mr. sharp administered some more medicine and his patient was soon able to stand, and move about. "how did it happen?" inquired the balloonist. "i hardly know," answered mr. damon. "i was out on the platform, looking at the view, and thinking how much better my neuralgia was, with the scarf on. suddenly the wind whipped loose one end of the scarf, and, before i knew it the cloth had caught on the propeller blade. i was blown, or drawn to one side, tossed against the railing, which i managed to grab, and then i lost my senses. it's a good thing i wasn't whirled around the propeller." "it's a good thing you weren't tossed down to the earth," commented tom, shivering as he thought of his friend's narrow escape. "i became unconscious, partly because the wind was knocked from me as i hit the platform railing," went on mr. damon, "and partly from fright, i think. but i'm all right now, and i'm not going out on that platform again with a loose scarf on." "i wouldn't go out at all again, if i were you, though, of course, i'm used to dizzy heights," spoke mr. sharp. "oh, i'm not so easily frightened," declared mr. damon. "if i'm going to be a balloonist, or an aeroplanist i've got to get used to certain things. i'm all right now," and the plucky man was, for the blow to his side did not amount to much. it was some time, however, before tom got over the fright his friend had caused him. they spent that night moving slowly south, and in the morning found they had covered about a hundred miles, not having run the ship to anything like its maximum speed. breakfast was served above the clouds, for a change, mr. damon finding that he could stand the great height with comfort. it was three days after the start, and the travelers were proceeding slowly along. they were totally unaware, of course, of the sensation which their leaving, conjointly with the bank robbery, had caused, not only in shopton but in other places. "we're over a good-sized city," announced tom, on the noon of the third day. "suppose we drop down, and leave some message? dad will be anxious to hear from us." "good idea," commented mr. sharp. "down it is. shift the rudder." tom proceeded to do so, and, while mr. damon relieved him at the wheel the young inventor prepared a message to his father. it was placed in a weighted envelope, together with a sum of money, and the person picking it up was requested to send the letter as a telegram, retaining some money for his trouble. as the ship got lower and lower over the city the usual crowds could be seen congregating in the streets, pointing and gazing upward. "we're creating quite a stir," observed tom. "more than usual, it seems," added mr. sharp, peering down. "i declare, there seems to be a police parade under way." "that's right," put in mr. damon, for, looking down, a squad of uniformed officers, some on horseback, could be seen hurrying along the main street, trying to keep pace with the airship, which was moving slowly. "they're looking at us through telescopes," called tom. "guess they never saw a balloon down this way." nearer and nearer to the city dropped the red cloud. tom was about to let go the weighted envelope, when, from the midst of the police came several puffs of white smoke. it was followed by vicious, zipping sounds about the cabin of the ship, the windows of which were open. then came the reports of several rifles. "they're firing at us!" yelled tom. "so they are!" cried mr. sharp. "they must be crazy! can't they see that we're not a bird." "maybe they take us for a war balloon," suggested mr. damon. another volley was directed at the airship, and several bullets struck the big aluminum gas holder glancing blows. "here! quit that!" yelled tom, leaning out of the window. "are you crazy? you'll damage us!" "they can't hear you," called mr. sharp. a third volley was fired, and this time several persons other than police officers seemed to be shooting at the airship. revolvers as well as rifles were being used. "we're got to get out of this!" shouted mr. sharp, as a bullet sang uncomfortably close to his head. "i can't imagine what's gotten into the people. send her up, tom!" the lad quickly shifted the elevation rudder, and the red cloud sailed majestically aloft. the young inventor had not dropped his message, concluding that citizens who would fire on travelers of the air for no reason, would not be likely to accommodate them in the matter of sending messages. the craft mounted rapidly upward, but before it was beyond rifle shot another volley was fired, one bullet sending some splinters flying from the wooden framework. "whew! that was a narrow escape!" exclaimed mr. sharp. "what in the world can those people be up to, anyhow?" chapter over a fiery furnace down below, the aeronauts could see the crowd, led by the police, scurrying to and fro. many individuals beside the officers appeared to be holding weapons, and, from the puffs of smoke that spurted out, it was evident that more shots were being fired. but the bullets could do no harm, and the red cloud, under the force of the rapidly revolving propellers, was soon beyond the center of the city. "well, if that isn't the limit!" cried tom. "they must have taken us for a german war balloon, about to drop explosives on them." "bless my liver!" ejaculated mr. damon, "i believe you're right. eh, mr. sharp?" the veteran balloonist took a careful look over the craft before replying. then he spoke: "it couldn't be that," and he shook his head, as if puzzled. "they would know no foreign airship would try any trick like that. beside, if by some remote possibility they did imagine it, there would be soldiers shooting at us, instead of the police. as it was, the whole population seemed anxious to bring us down." "and they nearly did," added mr. damon. "if they had shot a few holes in the gas bag where would we be?" "right in the air," answered the balloonist. "it would take several volleys of bullets to damage our aluminum container. it is in sections and when one, or even five compartments, for that matter, are pierced, there is enough gas in the others to sustain us. so they could not have damaged us much, even if they had shot a lot of holes in us. even without the gas container we can keep afloat by constantly moving, for the planes will serve their purpose. of course they could damage us, and maybe put some of our machinery out of business, and that would be a serious thing. but what puzzles me is why they fired at us at all." "it couldn't be out of pure mischief; could it?" asked the young inventor. "hardly. if we were in a savage country i could understand the natives firing at some such object as this airship, but the people of that city must have known what our craft was. they probably have read something about it in the news papers, and to deliberately fire on us, with the chance of disabling us, seems worse than barbarous." "well, we won't give 'em another opportunity," commented mr. damon. "no, indeed, not this city, but who knows but what the example may spread? we may be fired at the next town we sail over." "then steer clear of the towns," advised tom. "impossible. we must pass over some, but i'd like to solve this mystery." the day passed without further incident, though they did not go low enough down over any city to drop any messages. it was decided that it would not be safe. "we'll take a chance at night," suggested tom, and that evening, approaching a good-sized town in the dusk, several of the weighted envelopes were dropped overboard. doubtless persons walking along the street, who were startled by hearing something fall with a "thud" at their feet, were much startled to look up and see, dimly, a great, ghostly shape moving in the air. but there was no shooting, and, eventually, some of the messages reached mr. swift, in shopton. but he could not answer them for the airship kept on the move. the night was spent floating in the air, with the engine stopped, and the red cloud floating lazily this way and that as the gentle winds shifted, for it was calm. the "anchorage" if such it may be called, was above a sparsely settled part of the country, and if the lights of the airship were seen from below, the farmers doubtless took them for some new stars or, possibly, a comet. "now then for a fast, straight run!" cried tom, after breakfast had been served, and the big motor, with its twenty cylinders, started. "we'll be able to make the turn to-day, and then make for home, won't we, mr. sharp?" "well, we could do it, tom," was the answer, "but i like this mode of traveling so that i think i'll lengthen the voyage. instead of turning at atlanta, what do you say to making for key west, and then starting back? that will be something of a trip. the red cloud is behaving much better than i hoped she would." "i'm willing to go further if mr. damon is." "oh, bless my shoe strings, i'm game!" exclaimed the eccentric man. "i always did want to go to key west, anyhow." the craft was speeding along at a fast clip, and dinner that day was served about three miles in the air. then, desiring to test the gliding abilities of the airship, it was sent down on a long slant, with the propellers stationary, the shifting planes and rudders alone guiding it. as the craft fairly slid down out of the sky, like a sled on a bank of fleecy snow, tom, who was peering ahead, with his hand on the steering wheel, cried out "i say! it looks as if we were going to run into a thunder storm!" "how's that?" inquired mr. sharp, poking his head from the motor compartment. "he says there's a big storm ahead," repeated mr. damon, "and i guess he's right. i see a big bank of dark clouds, and there is a roaring in the air." mr. sharp, who had been making some adjustments to the motor went forward to take a look. the red cloud was swiftly gliding downward on a slant, straight toward a dark mass of vapor, that seemed to be rolling first one way, and then another, while as mr. damon had said, there was a low rumbling proceeding from it. "that doesn't seem to be a thunder storm," spoke the balloonist, with a puzzled air. they all regarded the dark mass of vapor intently for a few seconds. tom had brought the airship to a more level keel, and it was now spinning along under its own momentum, like a flat piece of tin, scaled by some lead. but it was headed for the clouds, if such they were, though losing speed by degrees. "i'll have to start the motor!" exclaimed mr. sharp. "we don't want to run into a storm, if we can help it, though i don't ever remember seeing a thunder disturbance like that." "whew! it's getting warm," suddenly announced the youth, and he let go of the steering wheel for a moment, while he took off his coat. "that's what it is," agreed mr. damon, who also divested himself of his garments. "bless my spark plug, but it's like a july day. no wonder there's a thunderstorm ahead." then mr. sharp uttered a cry. "that's no storm!" he fairly shouted. "it's a big forest fire! that's smoke we see! we must get out of this. turn around tom, while i start the engine. we must rise above it!" he fairly leaped for the motor, and tom and mr. damon could hear him turning the levers and wheels, ready to start. but before the explosions came something happened. there was a sound as of some great, siren whistle blowing, and then, with a howl of the on rushing air, the red cloud, the propellers of which hung motionless on their shafts, was fairly sucked forward toward the fire, as the current sucks a boat over a water fall. "start the motor! start the motor, mr. sharp!" cried tom. "i'm trying to, but something seems to be the matter." "we're being drawn right over the fire!" yelled mr. damon. "it's getting hotter every minute! can't you do something?" "you take the wheel," called the balloonist to mr. damon. "steer around, just as if it was an auto when we start the engine. tom, come here and give me a hand. the motor has jammed!" the young inventor sprang to obey. mr. damon, his face showing some of the fear he felt, grasped the steering wheel. the airship was now about a quarter of a mile high, but instead of resting motionless in the air, sustained by the gas in the container, she was being pulled forward, right toward the heart of the mass of black vapor, which it could now be seen was streaked with bright tongues of flame. "what's making us go ahead, if the motor isn't going?" asked tom, as he bent over the machine, at which the aeronaut was laboring. "suction--draught from the fire!" explained mr. sharp. "heated air rises and leaves a vacuum. the cold air rushes in. it's carrying us with it. we'll be right in the fire in a few minutes, if we can't get started with this motor! i don't see what ails it." "can't we steer to one side, as it is?" "no. we're right in a powerful current of air, and steering won't do any good, until we have some motion of our own. turn the gasolene lever on a little more, and see if you can get a spark." tom did so, but no explosion resulted. the twenty cylinders of the big engine remained mute. the airship, meanwhile, was gathering speed, sucked onward and downward as it was by the draught from the fire. the roaring was plainer now, and the crackling of the flames could be heard plainly. the heat, too, grew more intense. frantically tom and mr. sharp labored over the motor. with the perverseness usual to gas engines, it had refused to work at a critical moment. "what shall i do?" cried mr. damon from his position in the pilot house. "we seem to be heading right for the midst of it?" "slant the elevation rudder," called tom. "send the ship up. it will be cooler the higher we go. maybe we can float over it!" "you'd better go out there," advised mr. sharp. "i'll keep at this motor. go up as high as you can. turn on more gas. that will elevate us, but maybe not quick enough. the gas doesn't generate well in great heat. i'm afraid we're in for it," he added grimly. tom sprang to relieve mr. damon. the heat was now intense. nearer and nearer came the red cloud to the blazing forest, which seemed to cover several square miles. great masses of smoke, with huge pieces of charred and blazing wood carried up by the great draught, circled around the ship. the red cloud was being pulled into the midst of the fire by the strong suction. tom yanked over the elevation rudder, and the nose of the craft pointed upward. but it still moved downward, and, a moment later the travelers of the air felt as if they were over a fiery furnace. chapter "wanted for robbery!" choking and gasping for breath, feeling as if they could not stand the intense heat more than a moment longer, the young inventor and his companions looked at each other. death seemed ready to reach out and grasp them. the mass of heated air was so powerful that it swung and tossed the red cloud about as if it were a wisp of paper. "we must do something!" cried mr. damon, beginning to take off his collar and vest. "i'm choking!" "lie down in the bottom of the car," suggested mr. sharp. "the smoke won't trouble you so much there." the eccentric man, too startled, now, to use any of his "blessing" expressions, did so. "can't you start the motor?" asked tom frantically, as he stuck to his post, with his hand on the steering wheel, the elevation lever jammed back as far as it would go. "i've done my best," answered the balloonist, gasping as he swallowed some smoke. "i'm afraid--afraid it's all up with us. we should have steered clear of this from the first. my, how it roars!" the crackling and snapping of the flames below them, as they fed on the dry wood, which no rain had wet for weeks, was like the rush of some great cataract. up swirled the dark smoke-clouds, growing hotter and hotter all the while as the craft came nearer and nearer to the center of the conflagration. "we must rise higher!" cried tom. "it's our only chance. turn on the gas machine full power, and fill the container. that will carry us up!" "yes, it's our only hope," muttered mr. sharp. "we must go up, but the trouble is the gas doesn't generate so fast when there's too much heat. we're bound to have to stay over this fiery pit for some time yet." "we're going up a little!" spoke tom hopefully, as he glanced at a gauge near him. "we're fifteen hundred feet now, and we were only twelve a while ago." "good! keep the elevation rudder as it is, and i'll see what i can do with the gas," advised the balloonist. "it's our only hope," and he hurried into the engine room, which, like the other parts of the cabin, was now murky with choking vapor and soot. suddenly the elevation gauge showed that they were falling. the airship was going down. "what's the matter?" called mr. damon, from the cabin floor. "i don't know," answered tom, "unless the rudder has broken." he peered through the haze. no, the big elevation rudder was still in place, but it seemed to have no effect on the shim. "it's a down draught!" cried mr. sharp. "we're being sucked down. it won't last but a few seconds. i've been in 'em before." he seemed to have guessed rightly, for, the next instant the airship was shooting upward again, and relief came to the aeronauts, though it was not much, for the heat was almost unbearable, and they had taken off nearly all their clothing. "lighten ship!" sung out mr. sharp. "toss over all the things you think we can spare, tom. some of the cases of provisions--we can get more--if we need 'em. we must rise, and the gas isn't generating fast enough!" there was no need for the young inventor at the steering wheel now, for the craft simply could not be guided. it was swirled about, now this way, now that, by the currents of heated air. at times it would rise a considerable distance, only to be pulled down again, and, just before tom began to toss overboard some boxes of food, it seemed that the end had come, for the craft went down so low that the upward leaping tongues of flame almost reached the lower frame. "i'll help you," gasped mr. damon, and while he and tom tossed from the cabin windows some of their stores, mr. sharp was frantically endeavoring to make the gas generate faster. it was slow work, but with the lightening of the ship their situation improved. slowly, so slowly that it seemed an age, the elevation pointer went higher and higher on the dial. "sixteen hundred feet!" sung out tom, pausing for a look at the gauge. "that's the best yet!" the heat was felt less, now, and every minute was improving their situation. slowly the hand moved. the gas was being made in larger quantities now that the heat was less. ten minutes more of agony, and their danger was over. they were still above the burning area, but sufficiently high so that only stray wisps of smoke enveloped them. "whew! but that was the worst ever!" cried tom, as he sank exhausted on a bench, and wiped his perspiring face. "we sure were in a bad way!" "i should say so," agreed mr. sharp. "and if we don't get a breeze we may have to stay here for some time." "why, can't you get that motor to work yet?" asked mr. damon. "bless my gaiters, but i'm all in, as the boys say." "i'll have another try at the machine now," replied mr. sharp. "probably it will work now, after we're out of danger without the aid of it." his guess proved correct, for, in a few minutes, with the aid of tom, the motor started, the propellers revolved, and the red cloud was sent swiftly out of the fire zone. "now we'd better take account of ourselves, our provisions, and the ship," said mr. sharp, when they had flown about twenty miles, and were much refreshed by the cooler atmosphere. "i don't believe the craft is damaged any, except some of the braces may be warped by the heat. as for the provisions, you threw over a lot; didn't you, tom?" "well, i had to." "yes, i guess you did. well, we'll make a landing." "do you think it will be safe?" asked mr. damon anxiously. "we might be fired upon again." "oh, there's no danger of that. but i'll take precautions. i don't want a big crowd around when we come down, so we'll pick out a secluded place and land just at dusk. then in the morning we can look over the ship, and go to the nearest town to buy provisions. after that we can continue our journey, and we'll steer clear of forest fires after this." "and people who shoot at us," added mr. damon. "yes. i wish i knew what that was done for," and once again came that puzzled look to the face of the balloonist. the airship gently descended that evening in a large level field, a good landing being made. just before the descent tom took an observation and located, about two miles from the spot they selected for an "anchorage," a good-sized village. "we can get provisions there," he announced. "yes, but we must not let it be known what they are for," said mr. sharp, "or we'll have the whole population out here. i think this will be a good plan: tom, you and mr. damon go into town and buy the things we need. i'll stay here with the airship, and look it all over. you can arrange to have the stuff carted out here in the morning, and left at a point say about a quarter of a mile away. then we can carry it to the ship. in that way no one will discover us, and we'll not be bothered with curiosity-seekers." this was voted a good idea, and, when the landing had been made, and a hasty examination showed that the ship had suffered no great damage from the passage over the fire, the young inventor and mr. damon started off. they soon found a good road, leading to town, and tramped along it in the early evening. the few persons they met paid little attention to them, save to bow in a friendly fashion, and, occasionally wish them good evening. "i wonder where we are?" asked tom, as they hurried along. "in some southern town, to judge by the voices of the people, and the number of colored individuals we've met," answered mr. damon. "let's ask," suggested tom. "no, if you do they'll know we're strangers, and they may ask a lot of questions." "oh, i guess if it's a small place they'll know we're strangers soon enough," commented tom. "but when we get to the village itself we can read the name on the store windows." a few minutes later found them in the midst of a typical southern town. it was berneau, north carolina, according to the signs, they saw. "here's a restaurant," called tom, as they passed a neat-appearing one. "let's go inside and get some supper before we buy our supplies." "good!" exclaimed mr. damon. "bless my flapjacks, but i am beginning to feel hungry." the eating place was a good one, and tom's predictions about their being taken for strangers was verified, for, no sooner had they given their orders than the pretty, white girl, who waited on the table remarked: "ah reckon yo' all are from th' no'th; aren't yo'?" she smiled, as she spoke, and tom smiled back as he acknowledged it. "have you a paper--a newspaper i could look at?" he asked. "ah guess ah can find one," went on the girl. "ah reckon yo' all are from n' york. n' yorkers are so desperant bent on readin' th' news." her tones were almost like those of a colored person. "yes, we're from a part of new york," was tom's reply. when a newspaper was brought to him, after they had nearly finished their meal, the young inventor rapidly scanned the pages. something on the front sheet, under a heading of big, black type caught his eye. he started as he read it. wanted for robbery! bank looters escape in red airship--fired at but disappear "great jehosophat!" exclaimed tom, in a low voice. "what on earth can this mean?" "what?" inquired mr. damon. "has anything happened?" "happened? i should say there had," was the answer. "why, we're accused of having robbed the shopton bank of seventy-five thousand dollars the night before we left, and to have taken it away in the red cloud. there's a general alarm out for us! why this is awful!" "it's preposterous!" burst out mr. damon. "i'll have my lawyers sue this paper. bless my stocks and bonds, i!" "hush! not so loud," cautioned tom, for the pretty waitress was watching them curiously. "here, read this, and then we'll decide what to do. but one thing is certain, we must go back to shopton at once to clear ourselves of this accusation." "ha!" murmured mr. damon, as he read the article rapidly. "now i know why they fired at us. they hoped to bring us down, capture us, and get the five thousand dollars reward!" chapter back for vindication tom glanced around the restaurant. there were few persons in it save himself and mr. damon. the pretty waitress was still regarding the two curiously. "we ought to take that paper along with us, to show to mr. sharp," said tom, in a low voice to his friend. "i haven't had time to take it all in myself, yet. let's go. i've had enough to eat, haven't you?" "yes. my appetite is gone now." as they arose, to pay their checks the girl advanced. "can you tell me where i can get a copy of this paper?" asked tom, as he laid down a generous tip on the table, for the girl. her eyes opened rather wide. "yo' all are fo'gettin' some of yo' money," she said, in her broad, southern tones. tom thought her the prettiest girl he ever seen, excepting mary nestor. "oh, that's for you," replied the young inventor. "it's a tip. aren't you in the habit of getting them down here?" "not very often. thank yo' all. but what did yo' all ask about that paper?" "i asked where i could get a copy of it. there is something in it that interests me." "yes, an' ah reckon ah knows what it is," exclaimed the girl. "it's about that airship with th' robbers in it!" "how do you know?" inquired tom quickly, and he tried to seem cool, though he felt the hot blood mounting to his cheeks. "oh, ah saw yo' all readin' it. everybody down heah is crazy about it. we all think th' ship is comin' down this way, 'cause it says th' robbers was intendin' to start south befo' they robbed th' bank. ah wish ah could collect thet five thousand dollars. if ah could see that airship, i wouldn't work no mo' in this eatin' place. what do yo' all reckon thet airship looks like?" and the girl gazed intently at tom and mr. damon. "why, bless my--" began the eccentric man, but tom broke in hurriedly: "oh, i guess it looks like most any other airship," for he feared that if his companion used any of his odd expressions he might be recognized, since our hero had not had time to read the article in the paper through, and was not sure whether or not a description of himself, mr. damon and mr. sharp was given. "well, ah suah wish i could collect thet reward," went on the girl. "everybody is on th' lookout. yo' all ain't see th' airship; have yo' all?" "where can we get a paper like this?" asked tom, again, not wanting to answer such a leading question. "why, yo' all is suah welcome to that one," was the reply. "ah guess ah can affo'd to give it to yo' all, after th' generous way yo' all behaved to me. take it, an' welcome. but are yo' all suah yo' are done eatin'? yo' all left lots." "oh, we had enough," replied tom hurriedly. his sole aim now was to get away--to consult with mr. sharp, and he needed the paper to learn further details of the astonishing news. he and his friends accused of looting the bank, and taking away seventy-five thousand dollars in the airship! it was incredible! a reward of five thousand dollars offered for their capture! they might be arrested any minute, yet they could not go on without buying some provisions. what were they to do? once outside the restaurant, mr. damon and tom walked swiftly on. they came to a corner where there was a street lamp, and there the young inventor paused to scan the paper again. it was the copy of a journal published in the nearby county seat, and contained quite a full account of the affair. the story was told of how the bank had been broken into, the vault rifled and the money taken. the first clue, it said, was given by a youth named andy foger, who had seen a former acquaintance hanging around the bank with burglar tools. tom recognized the description of himself as the "former acquaintance," but he could not understand the rest. "burglar tools? i wonder how andy could say that?" he asked mr. damon. "wait until we get back, and we'll ask john sharp," suggested his companion. "this is very strange. i am going to sue some one for spreading false reports about me! bless my ledgers, why i have money on deposit in that bank! to think that i would rob it!" "poor dad!" murmured tom. "this must be hard for him. but what about ordering food? maybe if we buy any they will trail us, find the airship and capture it. i don't want to be arrested, even if i am innocent, and i certainly don't want the airship to fall into the hands of the police. they might damage it." "we must go see mr. sharp," declared mr. damon, and back to where the red cloud was concealed they went. to say that the balloonist was astonished is putting it mildly. he was even more excited than was mr. damon. "wait until i get hold of that andy foger!" he cried. "i'll make him sweat for this! i see he's already laid claim to the reward," he added, reading further along in the article. "he thinks he has put the police on our trail." "so he seems to have done," added tom. "the whole country has been notified to look out for us," the paper says. "we're likely to be fired upon whenever we pass over a city or a town." "then we'll have to avoid them," declared the balloonist. "but we must go back," declared tom. "of course. back to be vindicated. we'll have to give up our trip. my, my! but this is a surprise!" "i don't see what makes andy say he saw me with burglar tools," commented tom, with a puzzled air. mr. sharp thought for a moment. then he exclaimed "it was that bag of tools i sent you after--the long wrenches, the pliers, and the brace and bits. you--" "of course!" cried tom. "i remember now. the bag dropped and opened, and andy and sam saw the tools. but the idea of taking them for burglar tools!" "well, i suppose the burglars, whoever they were, did use tools similar to those to break open the vault," put in mr. damon. "andy probably thought he was a smart lad to put the police on our track." "i'll put him on the track, when i return," declared mr. sharp. "well, now, what's to be done?" "we've got to have food," suggested tom. "yes, but i think we can manage that. i've been looking over the ship, as best i could in the dark. it seems to be all right. we can start early in the morning without anyone around here knowing we paid their town a visit. you and mr. damon go back to town, tom, and order some stuff. have the man leave it by the roadside early to-morrow morning. tell him it's for some travelers, who will stop and pick it up. pay him well, and tell him to keep quiet, as it's for a racing party. that's true enough. we're going to race home to vindicate our reputations. i think that will be all right." "the man may get suspicious," said mr. damon. "i hope not," answered the balloonist. "we've got to take a chance, anyhow." the plan worked well, however, the store keeper promising to have the supplies on hand at the time and place mentioned. he winked as tom asked him to keep quiet about it. "oh, i know yo' automobile fellers," he said with a laugh. "you want to get some grub on the fly, so you won't have to stop, an' can beat th' other fellow. i know you, fer i see them automobile goggles stickin' out of your pocket." tom and mr. damon each had a pair, to use when the wind was strong, but the young inventor had forgotten about his. they now served him a good turn, for they turned the thoughts of the storekeeper into a new channel. the lad let it go at that, and, paying for such things as he and mr. damon could not carry, left the store. the aeronauts passed an uneasy night. they raised their ship high in the air, anchoring it by a rope fast to a big tree, and they turned on no lights, for they did not want to betray their position. they descended before it was yet daylight, and a little later hurried to the place where the provisions were left. they found their supplies safely on hand, and, carrying them into the airship, prepared to turn back to shopton. as the ship rose high in the air a crowd of negro laborers passing through a distant field, saw it. at once they raised a commotion, shouting and pointing to the wonderful sight. "we're discovered!" cried tom. "no matter," answered mr. sharp. "we'll soon be out of sight, and we'll fly high the rest of this trip." tom looked down on the fast disappearing little hamlet, and he thought of the pretty girl in the restaurant. chapter wrecked with her nose headed north, the red cloud swung along through the air. those on board were thinking of many things, but chief among them was the unjust accusation that had been made against them, by an irresponsible boy--the red-haired andy foger. they read the account in the paper again, seeking to learn from it new things at each perusal. "it's just a lot of circumstantial evidence that's what it is," said tom. "i admit it might look suspicious to anyone who didn't know us, but andy foger has certainly done the most mischief by his conclusions. burglar tools! the idea!" "i think i shall sue the bank for damages," declared mr. damon. "they have injured my reputation by making this accusation against me. anyhow, i'll certainly never do any more business with them, and i'll withdraw my ten thousand dollars deposit, as soon as we get back." "mr. sharp doesn't seem to be accused of doing anything at all," remarked tom, reading the article for perhaps the tenth time. "oh, i guess i'm a sort of general all-around bad man, who helped you burglars to escape with the booty," answered the balloonist, with a laugh. "i expect to be arrested along with you two." "but must we be arrested?" inquired tom anxiously. "i don't like that idea at all. we haven't done anything." "this is my plan," went on mr. sharp. "we'll get back to shopton as quickly as we can. we'll arrive at night, so no one will see us, and, leaving the airship in some secluded spot, we'll go to the police and explain matters. we can easily prove that we had nothing to do with the robbery. why we were all home the night it happened! mr. swift, mr. jackson and mrs. baggert can testify to that." "yes," agreed mr. damon. "i guess they can. bless my bank book, but that seems a good plan. we'll follow it." proceeding on the plan which they had decided was the best one, the red cloud was sent high into the air. so high up was it that, at times it was above the clouds. though this caused some little discomfort at first, especially to mr. damon, he soon became used to it, as did the others. and it had the advantage of concealing them from the persons below who might be on the lookout. "for we don't want to be shot at again," explained mr. sharp. "it isn't altogether healthy, and not very safe. if we keep high up they can't see us; much less shoot at us. they'll take us for some big bird. then, too, we can go faster." "i suppose there will be another alarm sent out, from those negroes having sighted us," ventured tom. "oh, yes, but those colored fellows were so excited they may describe us as having horns, hoofs and a tail, and their story may not be believed. i'm not worrying about them. my chief concern is to drive the red cloud for all she is worth. i want to explain some things back there in shopton." as if repenting of the way it had misbehaved over the forest fire, the airship was now swinging along at a rapid rate. seated in the cabin the travelers would have really enjoyed the return trip had it not been for the accusation hanging over them. the weather was fine and clear, and as they skimmed along, now and then coming out from the clouds, they caught glimpses below them of the earth above which they were traveling. they had a general idea of their location, from knowing the town where the paper had given them such astounding news, and it was easy to calculate their rate of progress. after running about a hundred miles or so, at high speed mr. sharp found it necessary to slow down the motor, as some of the new bearings were heating. still this gave them no alarm, as they were making good time. they came to a stop that night, and calculated that by the next evening, or two at the latest, they would be back in shopton. but they did not calculate on an accident. one of the cylinders on the big motor cracked, as they started up next morning, and for some hours they had to hang in the air, suspended by the gas in the container, while mr. sharp and tom took out the damaged part, and put in a spare one, the cylinders being cast separately. it was dusk when they finished, and too late to start up, so they remained about in the same place until the next day. morning dawned with a hot humidness, unusual at that time of the year, but partly accounted for by the fact that they were still within the influence of the southern climate. with a whizz the big propellers were set in motion, and, with tom at the wheel, the ship being about three miles in the air, to which height it had risen after the repairs were made, the journey was recommenced. "it's cooler up here than down below," remarked tom, as he shifted the wheel and rudder a bit, in response to a gust of wind, that heeled the craft over. "yes, i think we're going to have a storm," remarked mr. sharp, eyeing the clouds with a professional air. "we may run ahead of it, or right into it. we'll go down a bit, toward night, when there's less danger of being shot." so far, on their return trip, they had not been low enough, in the day time, to be in any danger from persons who hoped to earn the five thousand dollars reward. the afternoon passed quickly, and it got dark early. there was a curious hum to the wind, and, hearing it, mr. sharp began to go about the ship, seeing that everything was fast and taut. "we're going to have a blow," he remarked, "and a heavy one, too. we'll have to make everything snug, and be ready to go up or down, as the case calls for." "up or down?" inquired mr. damon. "yes. by rising we may escape the blow, or, by going below the strata of agitated air, we may escape it." "how about rain?" "well, you can get above rain, but you can't get below it, with the law of gravitation working as it does at present. how's the gas generator, tom?" "seems to be all right," replied the young inventor, who had relinquished the wheel to the balloonist. they ate an early supper, and, hardly had the dishes been put away, when from the west, where there was a low-flying bank of clouds, there came a mutter of thunder. a little later there was a dull, red illumination amid the rolling masses of vapor. "there's the storm, and she's heading right this way," commented mr. sharp. "can't you avoid it?" asked mr. damon, anxiously. "i could, if i knew how high it was, but i guess we'll wait and see how it looks as we get closer." the airship was flying on, and the storm, driven by a mighty wind, was rushing to meet it. already there was a sighing, moaning sound in the wire and wooden braces of the red cloud. suddenly there came such a blast that it heeled the ship over on her side. "shift the equilibrium rudders!" shouted mr. sharp to tom, turning the wheel and various levers over to the lad. "i'm going to get more speed out of the motor!" tom acted just in time, and, after bobbing about like a cork on the water, the ship was righted, and sent forging ahead, under the influence of the propellers worked at top speed. nor was this any too much, for it needed all the power of the big engine to even partially overcome the force of the wind that was blowing right against the red cloud. of course they might have turned and flown before it, but they wanted to go north, not south--they wanted to face their accusers. then, after the first fury of the blast had spent itself, there came a deluge of rain, following a dazzling glare of lightning and a bursting crash of thunder. in spite of the gale buffeting her, the airship was making good progress. the skill of tom and the balloonist was never shown to better advantage. all around them the storm raged, but through it the craft kept on her way. nothing could be seen but pelting sheets of water and swirling mist, yet onward the ship was driven. the thunder was deafening, and the lightning nearly blinded them, until the electrics were switched on, flooding the cabin with radiance. inside the car they were snug and dry, though the pitching of the craft was like that of a big liner in the trough of the ocean waves. "will she weather it, do you think?" called mr. damon, in the ear of mr. sharp, shouting so as to be heard above the noise of the elements, and the hum of the motor. the balloonist nodded. "she's a good ship," he answered proudly. hardly had he spoken when there came a crash louder than any that had preceded, and the flash of rosy light that accompanied it seemed to set the whole heavens on fire. at the same time there was violent shock to the ship. "we're hit! struck by lightning!" yelled tom. "we're falling!" cried mr. damon an instant later. mr. sharp looked at the elevation gauge. the hand was slowly swinging around. down, down dropped the red cloud. she was being roughly treated by the storm. "i'm afraid we're wrecked!" said the balloonist in a low voice, scarcely audible above the roar of the tempest. following the great crash had come a comparatively light bombardment from the sky artillery. "use the gliding rudder, tom," called mr. sharp, a moment later. "we may fall, but we'll land as easily as possible." the wind, the rain, the lightning and thunder continued. down, down sank the ship. its fall was somewhat checked by the rudder tom swung into place, and by setting the planes at a different angle. the motor had been stopped, and the propellers no longer revolved. in the confusion and darkness it was not safe to run ahead, with the danger of colliding with unseen objects on the earth. they tried to peer from the windows, but could see nothing. a moment later, as they stared at each other with fear in their eyes, there came a shock. the ship trembled from end to end. "we've landed!" cried tom, as he yanked back on the levers. the airship came to a stop. "now to see where we are," said mr. sharp grimly, "and how badly we are wrecked." chapter tom gets a clue out of the cabin of the now stationary airship hurried the three travelers; out into the pelting rain, which was lashed into their faces by the strong wind. tom was the first to emerge. "we're on something solid!" he cried, stamping his feet. "a rock, i guess." "gracious, i hope we're not on a rock in the midst of a river!" exclaimed mr. damon. "bless my soul, though! the water does seem to be running around my ankles." "there's enough rain to make water run almost up to our necks," called mr. sharp, above the noise of the storm. "tom, can you make out where we are?" "not exactly. is the ship all right?" "i can't see very well, but there appears to be a hole in the gas container. a big one, too, or we wouldn't have fallen so quickly." the plight of the travelers of the air was anything but enviable. they were wet through, for it needed only a few minutes exposure to the pelting storm to bring this about. they could not tell, in the midst of the darkness, where they were, and they almost feared to move for fear they might be on top of some rock or precipice, over which they might tumble if they took a false step. "let's get back inside the ship," proposed mr. damon. "it's warm and dry there, at all events. bless my umbrella, i don't know when i've been so wet!" "i'm not going in until i find out where we are," declared tom. "wait a minute, and i'll go in and get an electric flash lantern. that will show us," for the lightning had ceased with the great crash that seemed to have wrecked the red cloud. the rain still kept up, however, and there was a distant muttering of thunder, while it was so black that had not the lights in the cabin of the airship been faintly glowing they could hardly have found the craft had they moved ten feet away from it. tom soon returned with the portable electric lamp, operated by dry batteries. he flashed it on the surface of where they were standing, and uttered an exclamation. "we're on a roof!" he cried. "a roof?" repeated mr. damon. "yes; the roof of some large building, and what you thought was a river is the rain water running off it. see!" the young inventor held the light down so his companions could observe the surface of that upon which the airship rested. there was no doubt of it. they were on top of a large building. "if we're on a roof we must be in the midst of a city," objected mr. damon. "but i can't see any lights around, and we would see them if we were in a city, you know." "maybe the storm put the lights out of business," suggested mr. sharp. "that often occurs." "i know one way we can find out for certain," went on tom. "how?" "start up our search lamp, and play it all around. we can't make sure how large this roof is in the dark, and it's risky trying to trace the edges by walking around." "yes, and it would be risky to start our searchlight going," objected mr. sharp. "people would see it, and there'd be a crowd up here in less than no time, storm or no storm. no, we've got to keep dark until i can see what's the matter. we must leave here before daylight." "suppose we can't?" asked mr. damon. "the crowds will be sure to see us then, anyhow." "i am pretty sure we can get away," was the opinion of the balloonist. "even if our gas container is so damaged that it will not sustain us, we are still an aeroplane, and this roof being flat will make a good place to start from. no, we can leave as soon as this storm lets up a little." "then i'm going to have a look and find out what sort of a building this is," declared tom, and, while mr. sharp began a survey, as well as he could in the dark, of the airship, the young inventor proceeded cautiously to ascertain the extent of the roof. the rain was not coming down quite so hard now, and tom found it easier to see. mr. damon, finding he could do nothing to help, went back into the cabin, blessing himself and his various possessions at the queer predicament in which they found themselves. flashing his light every few seconds, tom walked on until he came to one edge of the roof. it was very large, as he could judge by the time it took him to traverse it. there was a low parapet at the edge. he peered over, and an expanse of dark wall met his eyes. "must have come to one side," he reasoned. "i want to get to the front. then, maybe, i can see a sign that will tell me what i want to know." the lad turned to the left, and, presently came to another parapet. it was higher, and ornamented with terra-cotta bricks. this, evidently, was the front. as tom peered over the edge of the little raised ledge, there flashed out below him hundreds of electric lights. the city illuminating plant was being repaired. then tom saw flashing below him one of those large signs made of incandescent lights. it was in front of the building, and as soon as our hero saw the words he knew where the airship had landed. for what he read, as he leaned over, was this: middleville arcade tom gave a cry. "what's the matter?" called mr. sharp. "i've discovered something," answered tom, hurrying up to his friend. "we're on top of the middleville arcade building." "what does that mean?" "it means that we're not so very far from home, and in the midst of a fairly large city. but it means more than that." "what?" demanded the balloonist, struck by an air of excitement about the lad, for, as tom stood in the subdued glow of the lights from one of the airship's cabin windows, all the others having been darkened as the storm slackened, his, eyes shone brightly. "this is the building where anson morse, one of the gang that robbed dad, once had an office," went on tom eagerly. "that was brought out at the trial. and it's the place where they used to do some of their conspiring. maybe some of the crowd are here now laying low." "well, if they are, we don't want anything to do with that gang," said mr. sharp. "we can't arrest them. besides i've found out that our ship is all right, after all. we can proceed as soon as we like. there is only a small leak in the gas container. it was the generator machine that was put out of business by the lightning, and i've repaired it." "i want to see if i can get any trace of the rascals. maybe i could learn something from the janitor of the arcade about them. the janitor is probably here." "but why do you want to get any information about that gang?" "because," answered tom, and, as mr. damon at that moment started to come from the cabin of the airship, the lad leaped forward and whispered the remainder of the sentence into the ear of the balloonist. "you don't mean it!" exclaimed mr. sharp, in a tense whisper. tom nodded vigorously. "but how can you enter the building?" asked the other. "you can't drop over the edge." "down the scuttle," answered tom. "there must be one on the roof, for they have to come up here at times. we can force the lock, if necessary. i want to enter the building and see where morse had his office." "all right. go ahead. i'll engage mr. damon here so he won't follow you. it will be great news for him. go ahead." under pretense of wanting the help of the eccentric man in completing the repairs he had started, mr. sharp took mr. damon back into the cabin. tom, getting a big screwdriver from an outside toolbox, approached the scuttle on the roof. he could see it looming up in the semidarkness, a sort of box, covering a stairway that led down into the building. the door was locked, but tom forced it, and felt justified. a few minutes later, cautiously flashing his light, almost like a burglar he thought, he was prowling around the corridors of the office structure. was it deserted? that was what he wanted to know. he knew the office morse had formerly occupied was two floors from the top. tom descended the staircase, trying to think up some excuse to offer, in case he met the watchman or janitor. but he encountered no one. as he reached the floor where he knew morse and his gang were wont to assemble, he paused and listened. at first he heard nothing, then, as the sound of the storm became less he fancied he heard the murmur of voices. "suppose it should be some of them?" whispered tom. he went forward, pausing at almost every other step to listen. the voices became louder. tom was now nearly at the office, where morse had once had his quarters. now he could see it, and his heart gave a great thump as he noticed that the place was lighted. the lad could read the name on the door. "industrial development company." that was the name of a fake concern headed by morse. as our hero looked he saw the shadows of two men thrown on the ground glass. "some one's in there!" he whispered to himself. he could now hear the voices much plainer. they came from the room, but the lad could not distinguish them as belonging to any of the gang with whom he had come in contact, and who had escaped from jail. the low murmur went on for several seconds. the listener could make out no words. suddenly the low, even mumble was broken. some one cried out "there's got to be a divvy soon. there's no use letting morse hold that whole seventy-five thousand any longer. i'm going to get what's coming to me, or--" "hush!" some one else cried. "be quiet!" "no, i won't! i want my share. i've waited long enough. if i don't get what's coming to me inside of a week, i'll go to shagmon myself and make morse whack up. i helped on the job, and i want my money!" "will you be quiet?" pleaded another, and, at that instant tom heard some one's hand on the knob. the door opened a crack, letting out a pencil of light. the men were evidently coming out. the young inventor did not wait to hear more. he had a clue now, and, running on tiptoes, he made his way to the staircase and out of the scuttle on the roof. chapter on the trail "what's the matter, tom?" asked mr. sharp, as the lad came hurrying along the roof, having taken the precaution to fasten the scuttle door as well as he could. "you seem excited." "so would you, if you had heard what i did." "what? you don't mean that some of the gang is down there?" "yes, and what's more i'm on the trail of the thieves who robbed the shopton bank of the seventy-five thousand dollars!" "no! you don't mean it!" "i certainly do." "then we'd better tell mr. damon. he's in the cabin." "of course i'll tell him. he's as much concerned as i am. he wants to be vindicated. isn't it great luck, though?" "but you haven't landed the men yet. do you mean to say that the same gang--the happy harry crowd--robbed the bank?" "i think so, from what i heard. but come inside and i'll tell you all about it." "suppose we start the ship first? it's ready to run. there wasn't as much the matter with it as i feared. the storm is over now, and we'll be safer up in the air than on this roof. did you get all the information you could?" "all i dared to. the men were coming out, so i had to run. they were quarreling, and when that happens among thieves--" "why honest men get their dues, everyone knows that proverb," interrupted mr. damon, again emerging from the cabin. "but bless my quotation marks, i should think you'd have something better to do than stand there talking proverbs." "we have," replied mr. sharp quickly. "we're going to start the ship, and then we have some news for you. tom, you take the steering wheel, and i'll start the gas machine. we'll rise to some distance before starting the propellers, and then we won't create any excitement." "but what news are you going to tell me?" asked mr. damon. "bless my very existence, but you get me all excited, and then you won't gratify my curiosity." "in a little while we will," responded mr. sharp. "lively now, tom. some one may see this airship on top of the building, as it's getting so much lighter now, after the storm." the outburst of the elements was almost over and tom taking another look over the edge of the roof, could see persons moving about in the street below. the storm clouds were passing and a faint haze showed where a moon would soon make its appearance, thus disclosing the craft so oddly perched upon the roof. there was need of haste. fortunately the red cloud could be sent aloft without the use of the propellers, for the gas would serve to lift her. it had been found that lightning had struck the big, red aluminum container, but the shock had been a comparatively slight one, and, as the tank was insulated from the rest of the ship no danger resulted to the occupants. a rent was made in two or three of the gas compartments, but the others remained intact, and, when an increased pressure of the vapor was used the ship was almost as buoyant as before. into the cabin the three travelers hurried, dripping water at every step, for there was no time to change clothes. then, with tom and mr. sharp managing the machinery, the craft slowly rose. it was well that they had started for, when a few hundred feet above the roof, the moon suddenly shone from behind a bank of clouds and would most certainly have revealed their position to persons in the street. as it was several were attracted by the sight of some great object in the air. they called the attention of others to it, but, by the time glasses and telescopes had been brought to bear, the red cloud was far away. "dry clothes now, some hot drinks, and then tom will tell us his secret," remarked mr. sharp, and, with the great ship swaying high above the city of middleville tom told what he had heard in the office building. "they are the thieves who looted the bank, and caused us to be unjustly accused," he finished. "if we can capture them we'll get the reward, and turn a neat trick on andy foger and his cronies." "but how can you capture them?" asked mr. damon. "you don't know where they are." "perhaps not where morse and the men who have the money are. but i have a plan. it's this: we'll go to some quiet place, leave the airship, and then inform the authorities of our suspicions. they can come here and arrest the men who still seem to be hanging out in morse's office. then we can get on the trail of this shagmon, who seems to be the person in authority this time, though i never heard of him before." "he seems to have the money, according to what one of the men in the office said, and he's the man we want." "shagmon!" exclaimed mr. damon. "yes, shagmon. the fellow i heard talking 'said he'd go to shagmon and make morse whack up. shagmon may be the real head of the gang." "ha! i have it!" cried mr. damon suddenly. "i wonder i didn't think of it before. shagmon is the headquarters, not the head of the gang!" "what do you mean?" asked tom, much excited. "i mean that there's a town called shagmon about fifty miles from here. that's what the fellow in the office meant. he is going to the town of shagmon and make morse whack up. that's where morse is! that's where the gang is hiding! that's where the money is! hurrah, tom, we're on the trail!" chapter the sheriff on board the announcement of mr. damon came as a great surprise to tom and mr. sharp. they had supposed that the reference to shagmon was to a person, and never dreamed that it was to a locality. but mr. damon's knowledge of geography stood them in good stead. "well, what's the first thing to do?" asked tom, after a pause. "the first thing would be to go to shagmon, or close to it, i should say," remarked mr. sharp. "in what direction is it, mr. damon?" "northwest from where we were. it's a county seat, and that will suit our plans admirably, for we can call on the sheriff for help." "that is if we locate the gang," put in tom. "i fancy it will be no easy job, though. how are we going about it?" "let's first get to shagmon," suggested the balloonist. "we'll select some quiet spot for a landing, and then talk matters over. we may stumble on the gang, just as you did, tom, on the men in the office." "no such good luck, i'm afraid." "well, i think we'll all be better for a little sleep," declared the eccentric man. "bless my eyelids but i'm tired out." as there was no necessity for standing watch, when the airship was so high up as to be almost invisible, they all turned in, and were soon sleeping soundly, though tom had hard work at first to compose himself, for he was excited at the prospect of capturing the scoundrels, recovering the money for the bank, and clearing his good name, as well as those of his friends. in the morning careful calculations were made to enable the travelers to tell when they had reached a point directly over the small city of shagmon, and, with the skill of the veteran balloonist to aid them, this was accomplished. the airship was headed in the proper direction, and, about ten o'clock, having made out by using telescopes, that there was plenty of uninhabited land about the city, the craft was sent aloft again, out of a large crowd that had caught sight of it. for it was the intention of the travelers not to land until after dark, as they wanted to keep their arrival quiet. there were two reasons for this. one was that the whole country was eager to arrest them, to claim the reward offered by the bank, and they did not want this to happen. the other reason was that they wanted to go quietly into town, tell the sheriff their story, and enlist his aid. all that day the red cloud consorted with the masses of fleecy vapor, several miles above the earth, a position being maintained, as nearly as could be judged by instruments, over a patch of woodland where mr. sharp had decided to land, as there were several large clearings in it. back and forth above the clouds, out of sight, the airship drifted lazily to and fro; sometimes, when she got too far off her course, being brought back to the right spot by means of the propellers. it was tedious waiting, but they felt it was the only thing to do. mr. sharp and tom busied themselves making adjustments to several parts of apparatus that needed it. nothing could be done toward repairing the hole in the aluminum container until a shop or shed was reached, but the ship really did not need these repairs to enable it to be used. mr. damon was fretful, and "blessed" so many things during the course of the day that there seemed to be nothing left. dinner and supper took up some time, really good meals being served by tom, who was temporarily acting as cook. then they anxiously waited for darkness, when they could descend. "i hope the moon isn't too bright," remarked mr. sharp, as he went carefully over the motor once more, for he did not want it to balk again. "if it shines too much it will discover us." "but a little light would be a fine thing, and show us a good place to land," argued tom. fortune seemed to favor the adventurers. there was a hazy light from the moon, which was covered by swiftly moving dark clouds, now and then, a most effective screen for the airship, as its great, moving shape, viewed from the earth, resembled nothing so much as one of the clouds. they made a good landing in a little forest glade, the craft, under the skillful guidance of mr. sharp and tom, coming down nicely. "now for a trip to town to notify the sheriff," said mr. sharp. "tom, i think you had better go alone. you can explain matters, and mr. damon and i will remain here until you come back. i should say what you had best do, would be to get the sheriff to help you locate the gang of bank robbers. they're in this vicinity and he ought to be able, with his deputies, to find them." "i'll ask him," replied tom, as he set off. it was rather a lonely walk into the city, from the woods where the airship had landed, but tom did not mind it, and, reaching shagmon, he inquired his way to the home of the sheriff, for it was long after office hours. he heard, as he walked along the streets, many persons discussing the appearance of the airship that morning, and he was glad they had planned to land after dark, for more than one citizen was regretting that he had not had a chance to get the five thousand dollars reward offered for the arrest of the passengers in the red cloud. tom found the sheriff, mr. durkin by name, a genial personage. at the mention of the airship the official grew somewhat excited. "are you one of the fellows that looted the bank?" he inquired, when tom told him how he and his friends had arrived at shagmon. the young inventor denied the impeachment, and told his story. he ended up with a request for the sheriff's aid, at the same time asking if the officer knew where such a gang as the happy harry one might be in hiding. "you've come just at the right time, young man," was the answer of sheriff durkin, when he was assured of the honesty of tom's statements. "i've been on the point, for the last week, of raiding a camp of men, who have settled at a disused summer resort about ten miles from here. i think they're running a gambling game. but i haven't been able to get any evidence, and every time i sent out a posse some one warns the men, and we can find nothing wrong. i believe these men are the very ones you want. if we could only get to them without their suspecting it, i think i'd have them right." "we can do that, sheriff." "how?" "go in our airship! you come with us, and we'll put you right over their camp, where you can drop down on their heads." "good land, i never rode in an automobile even, let alone an airship!" went on the officer. "i'd be scared out of my wits, and so would my deputies." "send the deputies on ahead," suggested tom. the sheriff hesitated. then he slapped his thigh with his big hand. "by golly! i'll go with you!" he declared. "i'll try capturing criminals in an airship for the first time in my life! lead the way, young man!" an hour later sheriff durkin was aboard the red cloud, and plans were being talked of for the capture of the bank robbers, or at least for raiding the camp where the men were supposed to be. chapter on to the camp "well, you sure have got a fine craft here," remarked sheriff durkin, as he looked over the airship after tom and his friends had told of their voyage. "it will be quite up-to-date to raid a gang of bank robbers in a flying machine, but i guess it will be the only way we can catch those fellows. now i'll go back to town, and the first thing in the morning i'll round-up my posse and start it off. the men can surround the camp, and lay quiet until we arrive in this ship. then, when we descend on the heads of the scoundrels, right out of the sky, so to speak, my men can close in, and bag them all." "that's a good plan," commented mr. sharp, "but are you sure these are the men we want? it's pretty vague, i think, but of course the clue tom got is pretty slim; merely the name shagmon." "well, this is shagmon," went on the sheriff, "and, as i told your young friend, i've been trying for some time to bag the men at the summer camp. they number quite a few, and if they don't do anything worse, they run a gambling game there. i'm pretty sure, if the bank robbers are in this vicinity, they're in that camp. of course all the men there may not have been engaged in looting the vault, and they may not all know of it, but it won't do any harm to round-up the whole bunch." after a tour of the craft, and waiting to take a little refreshment with his new friends, the sheriff left, promising to come as early on the morrow as possible. "let's go to bed," suggested mr. sharp, after a bit. "we've got hard work ahead of us to-morrow." they were up early, and, in the seclusion of the little glade in the woods, tom and mr. sharp went over every part of the airship. the sheriff arrived about nine o'clock, and announced that he had started off through the woods, to surround the camp, twenty-five men. "they'll be there at noon," mr. durkin said, "and will close in when i give the signal, which will be two shots fired. i heard just before i came here that there are some new arrivals at the camp." "maybe those are the men i overheard talking in the office building," suggested tom. "they probably came to get their share. well, we must swoop down on them before they have time to distribute the money." "that's what!" agreed the county official. mr. durkin was even more impressed by the airship in the daytime than he had been at night. he examined every part, and when the time came to start, he was almost as unconcerned as any of the three travelers who had covered many hundreds of miles in the air. "this is certainly great!" cried the sheriff, as the airship rose swiftly under the influence of the powerful gas. as the craft went higher and higher his enthusiasm grew. he was not the least afraid, but then sheriff durkin was accounted a nervy individual under all circumstances. "lay her a little off to the left," the officer advised tom who was at the steering wheel. "the main camp is right over there. how long before we will reach it?" "we can get there in about fifteen minutes, if we run at top speed," answered the lad, his hand on the switch that controlled the motor. "shall we?" "no use burning up the air. besides, my men have hardly had time to surround the camp. it's in deep woods. if i were you i'd get right over it, and then rise up out of sight so they can't see you. then, when it's noon you can go down, i'll fire the signal and the fun will commence--that is, fun for us, but not so much for those chaps, i fancy," and the sheriff smiled grimly. the sheriff's plan was voted a good one, and, accordingly, the ship, after nearing a spot about over the camp, was sent a mile or two into the air, hovering as nearly as possible over one spot. shortly before twelve, the sheriff having seen to the weapons he brought with him, gave the signal to descend. down shot the red cloud dropping swiftly when the gas was allowed to escape from the red container, and also urged toward the earth by the deflected rudder. "are you all ready?" cried the sheriff, looking at his watch. "all ready," replied mr. sharp. "then here goes," went on the officer, drawing his revolver, and firing two shots in quick succession. two shots from the woods below answered him. faster dropped the red cloud toward the camp of the criminals. chapter the raid "look for a good place to land!" cried mr. sharp to tom. "any small, level place will do. turn on the gas full power as soon as you feel the first contact, and then shut it off so as to hold her down. then jump out and take a hand in the fight!" "that's right," cried the sheriff. "fight's the word! they're breaking from cover now," he added, as he looked over the side of the cabin, from one of the windows. "the rascals have taken the alarm!" the airship was descending toward a little glade in the woods surrounding the old picnic ground. men, mostly of the tramp sort, could be seen running to and fro. "i hope my deputies close in promptly," murmured the sheriff. "there's a bigger bunch there than i counted on." from the appearance of the gang rushing about it seemed as if there were at least fifty of them. some of the fellows caught sight of the airship, and, with yells, pointed upward. nearer and nearer to the earth settled the red cloud. the criminals in the camp were running wildly about. several squads of them darted through the woods, only to come hurriedly back, where they called to their companions. "ha! my men are evidently on the job!" exclaimed the sheriff. "they are turning the rascals back!" some of the gang were so alarmed at the sight of the great airship settling down on their camp, that they could only stand and stare at it. others were gathering sticks and stones, as if for resistance, and some could be seen to have weapons. off to one side was a small hut, rather better than the rest of the tumbledown shacks in which the tramps lived. tom noticed this, and saw several men gathered about it. one seemed familiar to the lad. he called the attention of mr. damon to the fellow. "do you know him?" asked tom eagerly. "bless my very existence! if it isn't anson morse! one of the gang!" cried the eccentric man. "that's what i thought," agreed tom. "the bank robbers are here," he added, to the sheriff. "if we only recover the money we'll be doing well," remarked mr. sharp. suddenly there came a shout from the fringe of woods surrounding the camp, and an instant later there burst from the bushes a number of men. "my posse!" cried the sheriff. "we ought to be down now!" the airship was a hundred feet above the ground, but tom, opening wider the gas outlet, sent the craft more quickly down. then, just as it touched the earth, he forced a mass of vapor into the container, making the ship buoyant so as to reduce the shock. an instant later the ship was stationary. out leaped the sheriff. "give it to 'em, men!" he shouted. with a yell his men responded, and fired a volley in the air. "come on, tom!" called mr. sharp. "we'll make for the hut where you saw morse." "i'll come too! i'll come too!" cried mr. damon, rushing along as fast as he could, a seltzer bottle in either hand. tom's chief interest was to reach the men he suspected were the bank robbers. the lad dashed through the woods toward the hut near which he had seen morse. he and mr. sharp reached it about the same time. as they came in front of it out dashed happy harry, the tramp. he was followed by morse and the man named featherton. the latter carried a black valise. "hey! drop that!" shouted mr. sharp. "drop nothing!" yelled the man. "go on! go on!" urged morse. "take to the woods! we'll deal with these fellows!" "oh, you will, eh?" shouted tom, and remembering his football days he made a dive between morse and happy harry for the man with the bag, which he guessed contained the stolen money. the lad made a good tackle, and grabbed featherton about the legs. he went down in a heap, with tom on top. our hero was feeling about for the valise, when he felt a stunning blow on the back of his head. he turned over quickly to see morse in the act of delivering a second kick. tom grew faint, and dimly saw the leader of the gang reach down for the valise. this gave our hero sudden energy. he was not going to lose everything, when it was just within his grasp. conquering, by a strong effort, his feeling of dizziness, he scrambled to his feet, and made a grab for morse. the latter fended him off, but tom came savagely back at him, all his fighting blood up. the effects of the cowardly blow were passing off. the lad managed to get one hand on the handle of the bag. "let go!" cried morse, and he dealt tom a blow in the face. it staggered the youth, but he held on grimly, and raised his left hand and arm as a guard. at the same time he endeavored to twist the valise loose from morse's hold. the man raised his foot to kick tom, but at that moment there was a curious hissing sound, and a stream of frothy liquid shot over the lad's head right into the face of the man, blinding him. "ha! take that! and more of it!" shouted mr. damon, and a second stream of seltzer squirted into the face of morse. with a yell of rage he let go his hold of the satchel, and tom staggered back with it. the lad saw mr. damon rushing toward the now disabled leader, playing both bottles of seltzer on him. then, when all the liquid was gone the eccentric man began to beat morse over the head and shoulders with the heavy bottles until the scoundrel begged for mercy. tom was congratulating himself on his success in getting the bag when happy harry, the tramp, rushed at him. "i guess i'll take that!" he roared, and, wheeling tom around, at the same time striking him full in the face, the ugly man made a grab for the valise. his hand had hardly touched it before he went down like a log, the sound of a powerful blow causing tom to look up. he saw mr. sharp standing over the prostrate tramp, who had been cleanly knocked out. "are you all right, tom?" asked the balloonist. "yes--trifle dizzy, that's all--i've got the money!" "are you sure?" tom opened the valise. a glance was enough to show that it was stuffed with bills. happy harry showed signs of coming to, and mr. sharp, with a few turns of a rope he had brought along, soon secured him. morse was too exhausted to fight more, for the seltzer entering his mouth and nose, had deprived him of breath, and he fell an easy prisoner to mr. damon. morse was soon tied up. the other members of the happy harry gang had escaped. meanwhile the sheriff and his men were having a fight with the crowd of tramps, but as the posse was determined and the criminals mostly of the class known as "hobos," the battle was not a very severe one. several of the sheriff's men were slightly injured, however, and a few of the tramps escaped. "a most successful raid," commented the sheriff, when quiet was restored, and a number of prisoners were lined up, all tied securely. "did you get the money?" "almost all of it," answered tom, who, now that morse and happy harry were securely tied, had busied himself, with the aid of mr. sharp and mr. damon, in counting the bills. "only about two thousand dollars are missing. i think the bank will be glad enough to charge that to profit and loss." "i guess so," added the sheriff. "i'm certainly much obliged to you for the use of your airship. otherwise the raid wouldn't have been so successful. well, now we'll get the prisoners to jail." it was necessary to hire rigs from nearby farmers to accomplish this. as for morse and happy harry, they were placed in the airship, and, under guard of the sheriff and two deputies, were taken to the county seat. the criminals were too dazed over the rough treatment they had received, and over their sudden capture, to notice the fact of riding through the air to jail. "now for home!" cried tom, when the prisoners had been disposed of. "home to clear our names and take this money to the bank!" "and receive the reward," added mr. sharp, with a smile. "don't forget that!" "oh, yes, and i'll see that you get a share too, mr. durkin," went on tom. "only for your aid we never would have gotten these men and the money." "oh, i guess we're about even on that score," responded the official. "i'm glad to break up that gang." the next morning tom and his friends started for home in the red cloud. they took with them evidence as to the guilt of the two men--morse and happy harry. the men confessed that they and their pals had robbed the bank of shopton, the night before tom and his friends sailed on their trip. in fact that was the object for which the gang hung around shopton. after securing their booty they had gone to the camp of the tramps at shagmon, where they hid, hoping they would not be traced. but the words tom had overheard had been their undoing. the men who arrived at the camp just before the raid were the same ones the young inventor heard talking in the office building. they had come to get their share of the loot, which morse held, and with which he tried so desperately to get away. tom's injuries were not serious and did not bother him after being treated by a physician. chapter andy gets his reward flying swiftly through the air the young inventor and his two companions were soon within sight of shopton. as they approached the town from over the lake, and a patch of woods, they attracted no attention until they were near home, and the craft settled down easily in the yard of the swift property. that the aged inventor was glad to see his son back need not be said, and mrs. baggert's welcome was scarcely less warm than that of mr. swift. mr. sharp and mr. damon were also made to feel that their friends were glad to see them safe again. "we must go at once and see mr. pendergast, the bank president," declared mr. swift. "we must take the money to him, and demand that he withdraw the offer of reward for your arrest." "yes," agreed tom. "i guess the reward will go to some one besides andy foger." there was considerable surprise on the part of the bank clerks when our hero, and his friends, walked in, carrying a heavy black bag. but they could only conjecture what was in the wind, for the party was immediately closeted with the president. mr. pendergast was so startled that he hardly knew what to say when tom, aided by mr. sharp, told his story. but the return of the money, with documents from sheriff durkin, certifying as to the arrest of morse and happy harry, soon convinced him of the truth of the account. "it's the most wonderful thing i ever heard," said the president. "well, what are you going to do about it?" asked mr. damon. "you have accused tom and myself of being thieves, and--" "i apologize--i apologize most humbly!" exclaimed mr. pendergast. "i also--" "what about the reward?" went on mr. damon. "bless my bank notes, i don't want any of it, for i have enough, but i think tom and mr. sharp and the sheriff are entitled to it." "certainly," said the president, "certainly. it will be paid at once. i will call a meeting of the directors. in fact they are all in the bank now, save mr. foger, and i can reach him by telephone. if you will just rest yourselves in that room there i will summon you before the board, when it convenes, and be most happy to pay over the five thousand dollars reward. it is the most wonderful thing i ever heard of--most wonderful!" in a room adjoining that of the president, tom, his father and mr. damon waited for the directors to meet. mr. foger could be heard entering a little later. "what's this i hear, pendergast?" he cried, rubbing his hands. "the bank robbers captured, eh? well, that's good news. of course we'll pay the reward. i always knew my boy was a smart lad. five thousand dollars will be a tidy sum for him. of course his chum, sam snedecker is entitled to some, but not much. so they've caught tom swift and that rascally damon, eh? i always knew he was a scoundrel! putting money in here as a blind!" mr. damon heard, and shook his fist. "i'll make him suffer for that," he whispered. "tom swift arrested, eh?" went on mr. foger. "i always knew he was a bad egg. who caught them? where are they?" "in the next room," replied mr. pendergast, who loved a joke almost as well as did tom. "they may come out now," added the president, opening the door, and sending ned newton in to summon tom, mr. swift and mr. damon, who filed out before the board of directors. "gentlemen," began the president, "i have the pleasure of presenting to you mr. thomas swift, mr. barton swift and mr. wakefield damon. i also have the honor to announce that mr. thomas swift and mr. damon have been instrumental in capturing the burglars who recently robbed our bank, and i am happy to add that young mr. swift and mr. wakefeld damon have, this morning, brought to me all but a small part of the money stolen from us. which money they succeeded, after a desperate fight." "a fight partly with seltzer bottles," interrupted mr. damon proudly. "don't forget them." "partly with seltzer bottles," conceded the president with a smile. "after a fight they succeeded in getting the money back. here it is, and i now suggest that we pay the reward we promised." "what? reward? pay them? the money back? isn't my son to receive the five thousand dollars for informing as to the identity of the thief--isn't he?" demanded mr. foger, almost suffocating from his astonishment at the unexpected announcement. "hardly," answered mr. pendergast dryly. "your son's information happened to be very wrong. the tools he saw tom have in the bag were airship tools, not burglar's. and the same gang that once robbed mr. swift robbed our bank. tom swift captured them, and is entitled to the reward. it will be necessary for us directors to make up the sum, personally, and i, for one, am very glad to do so." "so am i," came in a chorus from the others seated at the table. "but--er--i understood that my son--" stammered mr. foger, who did not at all relish having to see his son lose the reward. "it was all a mistake about your son," commented mr. pendergast. "gentlemen, is it your desire that i write out a check for young mr. swift?" they all voted in the affirmative, even mr. foger being obliged to do so, much against his wishes. he was a very much chagrined man, when the directors' meeting broke up. word was sent at once, by telegraph, to all the cities where reward posters had been displayed, recalling the offer, and stating that tom swift and mr. damon were cleared. mr. sharp had never been really accused. "well, let's go home," suggested tom when he had the five-thousand-dollar check in his pocket. "i want another ride in the red cloud as soon as it's repaired." "so do i!" declared mr. damon. the eccentric man and mr. swift walked on ahead, and tom strolled down toward the dock, for he thought he would take a short trip in his motor-boat. he was near the lake, not having met many persons, when he saw a figure running up from the water. he knew who it was in an instant andy foger. as for the bully, at the sight of tom he hesitated, than came boldly on. evidently he had not heard of our hero's arrival. "ha!" exclaimed the red-haired lad, "i've been looking for you. the police want you, tom swift." "oh, do they?" asked the young inventor gently. "yes; for robbery. i'm going to get the reward, too. you thought you were smart, but i saw those burglar tools in your valise. i sent the police after you. so you've come back, eh? i'm going to tell chief simonson. you wait." "yes," answered tom, "i'll wait. so the police want me, do they?" "that's what they do," snarled andy. "i told you i'd get even with you, and i've done it." "well," burst out tom, unable to longer contain himself, as he thought of all he had suffered at the hands of the red-haired bully, "i said i'd get even with you, but i haven't done it yet. i'm going to now. take off your coat, andy. you and i are going to have a little argument." "don't you dare lay a finger on me!" blustered the squint-eyed one. tom peeled off his coat. andy, who saw that he could not escape, rushed forward, and dealt the young inventor a blow on the chest. that was all tom wanted, and the next instant he went at andy hammer and tongs. the bully tried to fight, but he had no chance with his antagonist, who was righteously angry, and who made every blow tell. it was a sorry-looking andy foger who begged for mercy a little later. tom had no desire to administer more than a deserved reward to the bully, but perhaps he did add a little for interest. at any rate andy thought so. "you just wait!" he cried, as he limped off. "i'll make you sorry for this." "oh, don't go to any trouble on my account," said tom gently, as he put on his coat. but andy did go to considerable trouble to be revenged on the young inventor, and whether he succeeded or not you may learn by reading the fourth book of this series, to be called "tom swift and his submarine boat; or, under the ocean for sunken treasure," in which i shall relate the particulars of a voyage that was marvelous in the extreme. tom reached home in a very pleasant frame of mind that afternoon. things had turned out much better than he thought they would. a few weeks later the two bank robbers, who were found guilty, were sentenced to long terms, but their companions were not captured. tom sent sheriff durkin a share of the reward, and the lad invested his own share in bank stock, after giving some to mr. sharp. mr. damon refused to accept any. as for mr. swift, once he saw matters straightened out, and his son safe, he resumed his work on his prize submarine boat, his son helping him. as for tom, he alternated his spare time between trips in the airship and his motor-boat, and frequently a certain young lady from the rocksmond seminary was his companion. i think you know her name by this time. now, for a while, we will take leave of tom swift and his friends, trusting to meet them again. courtesy of the digital library@villanova university (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction no. may , five cents motor matt's queer find or the secret of the iron chest _by the author of "motor matt"_ [illustration: _swiftly motor matt secured the end of the rope to one of the iron handles_] _street & smith publishers new york_ motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction _issued weekly. by subscription $ . per year. entered according to act of congress in the year , in the office of the librarian of congress, washington, d. c., by_ street & smith, _ - seventh avenue, new york, n. y._ no. . new york, may , . price five cents. motor matt's queer find; or, the secret of the iron chest. by the author of "motor matt." contents chapter i. the hut by the bayou. chapter ii. yamousa. chapter iii. the attack on the car. chapter iv. smoke pictures. chapter v. a queer find. chapter vi. foul play. chapter vii. dried frogs--and luck. chapter viii. the plotters. chapter ix. the head of obboney. chapter x. on the trail. chapter xi. a black mystery. chapter xii. at close quarters. chapter xiii. three in a trap. chapter xiv. an astounding situation. chapter xv. the treasure. chapter xvi. diamonds galore. the masked light. characters that appear in this story. =motor matt=, a lad who is at home with every variety of motor, and whose never-failing nerve serves to carry him through difficulties that would daunt any ordinary young fellow. because of his daring as a racer with bicycle, motor-cycle and automobile he is known as "mile-a-minute matt." motor-boats, air ships and submarines come naturally in his line, and consequently he lives in an atmosphere of adventure in following up his "hobby." =carl pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking german boy, stout of frame as well as of heart, who is led by a fortunate accident to link his fortunes with those of motor matt. =dick ferral=, a young sea dog from canada, with all a sailor's superstitions, but in spite of all that a royal chum, ready to stand by the friend of his choice through thick and thin. =townsend=, a wealthy though eccentric gentleman, who owns a remarkable submarine boat on which our friends have seen various adventures in the past. =whistler=,} =jurgens=, } a trio of rogues bent upon gaining possession of a prize. =bangs=, } =yamousa=, the hideous voodoo woman of the louisiana swamps. chapter i. the hut by the bayou. "lisden, vonce, you fellers! i t'ink i hear someding." carl pretzel turned back from the forward rail of the _hawk_, gave his chums, motor matt and dick ferral, a warning look, and then leaned out over the side of the air ship, his eyes on the earth below. the _hawk_ was sweeping over the tongue of land between lake pontchartrain and lake borgne, bound for new orleans by way of the lower mississippi. night was coming on, and the boys in the air ship had been looking anxiously for a place in which to effect a landing. interminable stretches of cypress and live oak covered the low ground beneath them, and there did not seem to be a gap anywhere in the dense growth. "you must have bells in your ears, mate," said dick, in response to carl's announcement that he had heard "something." "dowse me if i heard any noise." "listen, pards, both of you," called matt from his seat among the levers. "if you can hear a voice, down there, it will be a pretty sure sign that we're close to a clearing. we've done enough flying for to-day, and these louisiana air currents are so changeable i don't want to do any night traveling. if you----" "dere it vas some more!" cried carl excitedly. "you hear him dot time, tick?" "aye, matey," answered dick, "i heard a voice, fair enough. it was a sort of screech, as though a woman might have piped up--or a panther." "where away was it?" asked matt. "two points off the starboard bow, matt." matt shifted the rudder, thus altering the course of the _hawk_; he also depressed the horizontal plane and threw the air ship closer to the tree tops. "it's getting so blooming dark, down there among the trees," observed dick, "that it's hard to see anything, but i believe i can make out a bit of a river, and an arm of it like a bayou." "yah, so helup me," put in carl, "i can see dot meinseluf, i bed you. und dere iss a light like a fire, vich geds prighter und prighter as ve go aheadt. vat you t'ink is dot anyvay, tick?" before dick could answer, the cry that had already claimed their attention was wafted up from below, this time so clear and distinct that there was no mistaking it. "_a moi! a moi!_" it was a screech, as dick had said, and resembled greatly the yell of some wild animal; nevertheless, the call was plainly human, for it was broken into words. "french lingo, or i'm a fiji!" averred dick. "it's the same as some one calling for help. and a woman, too. no man could make a sound like that." as if to prove dick's words, the cry was repeated, but the words were english, now, and not french. "help! help!" "py chiminy grickets!" gasped carl. "dere iss someding going on vat means drouple for der laty." "we've got to land," declared matt, "and see what's the matter. can you find a place?" both dick and carl were leaning over the forward rail and staring ahead and downward. suddenly the tree tops broke away and a heap of blazing wood could be seen. the fire had been kindled on a cleared stretch of bayou bank, and not far from it was a log hovel. but there was no one in sight, either near the fire or around the hut. the two boys on the lookout announced their discoveries to motor matt. "we'll come down on the bayou bank," said matt. "give me directions, dick." the young canadian, watching sharply below, called their bearings to matt, and the _hawk_ was safely manoeuvred to the surface of the ground. the calls for aid had ceased, an ominous silence reigning in the vicinity of the fire and the hut while the boys got out their mooring ropes and secured the _hawk_ to nearby trees. "where's the woman in distress?" queried dick, coming around the front end of the car and joining matt and carl. "she was making plenty of noise, a while ago, but she's quiet enough now." "she may be in the hut," said matt. "you stay here and watch the air ship, dick, while carl and i take a look through the shanty." matt pulled a blazing pine knot from the fire, and, with this to light the way, started toward the hut. carl dropped in at his side and they proceeded onward together. suddenly carl drew to a halt and laid a hand on matt's arm. "i tell you someding, matt," said the dutch boy, "und dot iss, i don'd like dis pitzness. br-r-r! i haf some greepy feelings all droo me." carl could be as brave as a lion when brought company front with any danger he could understand, but he was so full of superstition that if a black cat crossed the road in front of him he was at once thrown into a panic. "nonsense!" exclaimed matt. "we're here to help some one who is in trouble, and we don't want to get scared at our own shadows." "der blace itseluf iss enough to make my shkin ged oop und valk all ofer me mit coldt feet; and den, for vy don'd we hear dat foice some more?" there _was_ a sort of weirdness about the place, and no mistake. the great live oaks, uncannily festooned with spanish moss, completely inclosed the little clearing, bending about it in a half circle and coming down to the very edge of the bayou. the fact that there was a fire, of course, proved that human beings had been in the clearing, even if they were not there now. but there was something ghostly about the fire, and while it threw flickering shadows across the clearing it seemed only to make the darkness deeper in the depths of the wood. "it may be, carl," said matt, "that the woman who was calling for help has become unconscious. that makes it all the more necessary for us to find her as quick as we can. come on!" waving his torch, matt hurried along toward the hut. the door was open, and the torch glare struck whitely against some object suspended over it. "vatt iss dot ofer der door, eh?" asked carl excitedly. "py shinks, it iss some pones! it iss a skeleton oof someding! whoosh! dis iss gedding on my nerfs like anyding." the young motorist whirled on his dutch chum. "you go back to the air ship, carl," said he, "and send dick here. your nerves are troubling you so much that you're not of much help." carl was only too ready to go back to the _hawk_. with a mumbled apology for himself, he turned and hurried away. when dick came up, a moment later, matt was looking at the object over the door of the hovel. "what is it, matey?" queried dick. "it looks like the skull of a cat, or a dog," answered matt. "then i suppose it was put up there to bring luck. people around here must be a jolly lot." "we'll see what's inside," and matt, holding his torch high, passed through the door. the hut contained but one room. there was a fireplace in one end, and over a bed of coals a kettle was hanging. a "shake-down" on the floor, in one corner, was covered with ragged blankets. but the strangest feature of the place was this: the whole under part of the thatched roof, and every crevice of the walls, was hung with rags, feathers, bones of cats, alligator teeth, and a thousand other objects, equally curious. "well, strike me lucky!" mumbled dick. "this is a rummy old place we've got into. between you and me and the mainmast, old ship, i'd just about as soon give it a good offing. but where's the woman that wanted help?" the question was hardly out of dick's mouth before it was answered by another screeching, "_a moi! a moi!_" the call did not come from anywhere about the hut, but from outside and somewhere in the timber. "this way, dick!" shouted matt, and rushed out of the hut. "_a moi! a moi!_" the call was again repeated, and the two boys, guiding themselves by the call, flung up the slight slope and darted in among the trees. "careful, matey!" panted dick, from close behind his comrade. "there's no telling what sort of a jolly mess we're running into. better dowse that light--it'll be safer; besides, i can see the gleam of a lantern ahead, there, through the trees." "i just caught a sight of that myself, dick," answered matt, in a low voice. "your suggestion about the torch is good," and matt dropped the blazing fagot and crushed out the fire with his foot. "now, then," he finished, "we'll go on, and go quietly." a dozen yards, perhaps, brought the boys to a spot from which they could behold a scene that caused their pulses to leap. an old crone was bound to a cypress stump, and beside her stood a man with a lithe switch. the hag was swarthy, and her kinky hair was white. evidently she was a mulatto. the man at her side was white. the moment matt's eyes rested on him, the young motorist gripped dick's arm with tense fingers. "that man!" whispered matt excitedly; "do you recognize him, dick?" "whistler, or i'm a hottentot!" gasped dick. for a moment, blank amazement held the two boys spellbound. then, as whistler lifted the switch and brought it viciously down on the old woman's shoulders, the spell was broken and the two boys started forward. "will you tell?" demanded whistler, pausing after the blow. "_a moi! a moi!_" screeched the woman. "you can call till you're blue in the face," went on whistler savagely, "and you'll not bring anybody. i'll find out from you what i want to know, yamousa, or i'll flay you alive. will you tell?" at that moment, matt and dick broke into the lantern light. the lantern was suspended from the broken limb of a tree, and the glow was so faint that the boys had not been seen until they were close upon the man and the woman. whistler, with an oath of consternation, jumped backward. the next moment, he had whirled his gad and brought it down on the lantern. a crash followed, and stygian blackness shrouded the spot. a sound of running feet, fading away in the timber, came to the boys' ears. "never mind whistler, dick," said matt; "let's look after the woman." chapter ii. yamousa. no sound had come from the woman since the two boys had reached the scene. groping their way to her, they found that she had become unconscious and was drooping heavily in the cords that held her bound to the stump. "of all the things that ever happened to us, mate," remarked dick, "this captures the prize. we get cast away on a little turtle back in the bahamas, and lat jurgens and this old hunks, whistler, come to the island in nemo, jr.'s submarine. we capture the pair and leave 'em roped in our tent; then we capture the submarine. later we send ashore for jurgens and whistler and the landing party reports that they have vanished. now, dropping down here in answer to a cry of distress, we find whistler giving an old woman a taste of the cat. whistler, of all men! i'm fair dazed with it all."[a] [a] for an account of the adventures of motor matt and his friends in helping archibald townsend, otherwise captain nemo, jr., recover his stolen submarine from jurgens and his rascally followers, see no. of the motor stories, "motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas." "so am i," said matt, "but we'll not let that bother us now. this old woman has been brutally treated, and has fainted away. we must get her to the hut and see what we can do to revive her." "right-o," agreed dick. "i've my sheath knife handy and i'll cut her loose from that stump in a brace of shakes." matt held the limp form upright while dick severed the cords; then, picking the woman up, they carried her through the woods, back to the clearing, and laid her on the ragged blankets in the hut. "i think i saw a candle on the shelf over the fireplace, dick," said matt. "better light it." dick found the candle. it was a tallow dip stuck in an old tin candlestick. with the light in his hand, he walked to the old woman's side and bent downward. the face of the woman was scarred and hideous. there were big gold earrings pulling down the lobes of her ears, and another large ring pierced her nose and fell down over her upper lip. her cheeks were hollow, and the yellow skin resembled parchment. her clothing was a motley garb of patched rags. two claw-like hands, with finger nails an inch long, lay on the blankets beside her. matt lifted his eyes to dick's with a shudder. "she's not what you'd call cinderella, exactly," grinned dick, "and i don't think her beauty will ever prove fatal." "anyhow," said matt, "she's a woman and needs help. that's enough for us to know." a tin water pail stood on a bench, and there was a gourd dipper hanging over it. matt filled the gourd and returned and dashed the water in the old woman's face. the effect was magical. with a screech that caused the boys to start backward in consternation, the old woman sat up suddenly and glared about her, with eyes like coals. abruptly her attention fixed itself on the boys and she began to croon in a harsh, mumbling voice: "si to te 'tit zozo et moi-meme mo te fusil mo sre tchoue toi--_boum!_" she exploded the last word like the crack of a revolver, lifting and aiming her fingers as she might have done with a weapon. "avast, there, old lady!" cried dick. "we're friends of yours. can't you understand that?" "american?" shrilled the woman, rising slowly to her feet. "yes," said matt. "where is ze man zat take me from my home and beat me wiz ze stick?" she demanded, crouching like a cat, while her talon-like hands clawed the air angrily. "he ran away," answered matt. "we cut you loose from the stump and brought you here. do you know that man?" the old woman staggered to the fireplace and stirred up the coals under the kettle; then she turned back, took the candle out of dick's hand and studied his face. from dick she turned to matt, giving him a similar scrutiny. her eyes were bright and fiery--age had not seemed to dim them. as she turned from matt, the hag gave a croaking laugh. "i guess we'd better send the 'blue peter' to the masthead, old ship," said dick, "trip anchor and slant away. this don't look like a comfortable berth, to me." "you not go 'way yet," cried the woman, whirling about. "you are ze good boys, you help yamousa, ze obeah woman, and by gar, yamousa help you! sit on ze bench." she waved one hand toward the bench on which the water pail was standing. dick, heeding a significant look from matt, followed to the bench and sat down. "do you know that man who was beating you?" asked matt, again, determined if possible to get a little information about whistler. "_oui_, i know heem!" answered the woman, with a spitting snarl. "one time he work on ze sugar plantation near ze bayou, and he come many time to see yamousa and have her tell him ze t'ings he do not know. he come now from ze bahamas and ask about ze iron chest, and where zis townsend take heem. but yamousa, she no tell. for why yamousa no tell, eh? well, she see zat whistler haf ze bad heart. whistler try to beat her, _make_ her tell; zen ze american boys come and drive heem away. how you get here, eh?" "we came in an air ship," matt answered. "_sacre tonnere!_ i know zat you come--i seen him in ze smoke." yamousa had said things which had aroused the intense curiosity of the two boys. whistler had tried to force her into telling him the whereabouts of an "iron chest." that iron chest had been found in a sea cavern of an uninhabited island among the bahamas, had been taken aboard townsend's submarine, and had been in the submarine when matt and his chums turned the boat over to her owner on the florida coast. townsend had taken the chest to new orleans, and jurgens and whistler were eager to recover it. what the chest contained, no one knew. a man who called himself simply the "man from cape town" had given townsend a chart and secured his promise to find the chest, carry it to new orleans, and open it in the presence of a woman whom the cape town man claimed was his daughter. these two were then to divide the contents between them. the fact that whistler, and presumably jurgens, as well, still had designs on the chest, was surprising information for matt and dick. the three boys were proceeding to new orleans in the _hawk_, in response to a request from townsend; and it might easily chance that the business which had led townsend to call motor matt and his friends to new orleans was to cross the evil designs of jurgens and whistler. "do you know anything about that iron chest, yamousa?" inquired matt. "not now, but i find heem out," replied the old woman. "by gar, i find out anyt'ing zat ees wanted to be known." "you say you knew that we were coming?" "_oui._" "i can't understand how you discovered that. we didn't know ourselves we were coming until we got a telegram at palm beach, florida, yesterday." "i tell by ze smoke," repeated the woman; "i read heem in ze smoke." "what sort of a place is this, anyhow?" muttered dick to matt uncomfortably. "is the old lady a fortune teller? i never took much stock in that sort of thing, you know." "yamousa ees ze obeah woman," chirped the hag, her ears having evidently been sharp enough to overhear what dick had said: "i am ze voodoo queen. i know t'ings ozzers don't know, an' ze people come from ever'where to see yamousa--from new orleans, _oui_, and from algiers, plaquemine, st. bernard--all up and down ze river an' ze coast--zey all come to haf yamousa tell zem t'ings zat zey don't know. i tell you ze same. you are my franes--_mes amis_--an', i do planty mooch for you. where is ze ozzer of you? in ze smoke i see t'ree, all in ze flying boat zat come to bayou yamousa." "she means carl," muttered dick, "and how the old harry she knew anything about him is a fair dazer." "in ze smoke i see heem," replied the hag, again catching dick's words. "i think i'm beginning to see through this a little, dick," said matt. "in some way, jurgens and whistler got off that island in the bahamas and----" "zey hide in a cave till you go 'way," broke in yamousa, "an' zen zey come out an' bymby ze boat come from ze great bahama an' pick zem off. _oui, hé_, zey ees bot' ver' bad an' haf ze bad heart." "how did you find that out, yamousa?" asked matt. "not in ze smoke, not zat, _non_. whistler tell me." yamousa's knowledge, which, for the most part, seemed to be derived from unusual sources, filled matt and dick with growing bewilderment. "sink me," muttered dick, "but my nerves are beginning to bother me. go on, though, matey. what about whistler?" "why, he's still after the iron chest, he and jurgens. they got away from that turtle back in the bahamas, landed in this vicinity, and whistler came here to get this voodoo priestess to tell him where he could locate the chest." "all my eye and betty martin, that! just as though yamousa could tell him!" "anyhow, whistler must have thought so or he wouldn't be here. we saw and heard enough to convince us that what yamousa said about his designs was true. we got here in time to drive him off and----" just there occurred a startling interruption. a frantic yell came from the clearing--a yell that was plainly given by carl. "more trouble!" boomed dick, leaping from the bench, "and it's carl that's flying distress signals now." matt did not reply, but he led the way to the door and through it into the dying glow of the fire on the bayou bank. chapter iii. the attack on the car. carl was having a fight. matt and dick were able to discover that much as they rushed from the house. and the fight was against hopeless odds, for at least a dozen men could be seen in the faint glow of the fire. they were pressing around the car, and carl, standing in matt's chair, was laying about him with a long-handled wrench, keeping the attacking force temporarily at bay. "keelhaul me!" cried ferral, as he raced after motor matt. "what does that gang mean by making a dead-set at the _hawk_? they're negroes, the lot of them!" "there's one white man, dick!" answered matt. "whistler is there. he must have recognized us in the woods and he's setting the negroes on to smash the air ship, or else capture it." "the confounded swab! he'll not find it so easy, i warrant you." whistler, leaving the negroes to get the better of carl, was working at one of the mooring ropes. this made it look as though he was trying to steal the air ship rather than to destroy it. carl, sweeping his makeshift weapon in a fierce circle about him and now and then bowling over a negro who came too close, caught sight of his two chums hustling for the scene. "hoop-a-la!" carl bellowed. "here comes my bards, und now you fellers vas going to ged more as you t'ought. dere vill be doings now, und don'd forged dot! slide indo der scrimmage, matt, you und tick! it vas going to be some hot vones, i dell you dose." just then the wrench hit a negro and knocked him off his feet. "dot vas me," yelped carl, "und i gif you some sambles oof vat you vas to oxpect! i peen der olt missouri rifer, py shinks, und ven i shvell my banks den it vas dime peoples took to der hills! i vas der orichinal pengal diger, fresh from der chungle und looking to gopple oop vatefer geds in my vay! ach, vat a habbiness! sooch a pooty fighdt vat it iss!" it was perhaps a sad thing, yet nevertheless true, that carl pretzel loved a fist fight better than he loved a square meal; and that was saying a good deal--for carl. while he was fighting it was his custom to waste a good deal of valuable breath boasting about his own prowess and taunting his foes. just now he was the old missouri river and the original bengal tiger, both rolled into one. but he had hardly finished introducing himself to the negroes before one of them hit him with a stone. the wrench dropped from carl's hand and he turned a back somersault over the rail of the car. before he could get up, half a dozen husky negroes had piled on top of him and he was helpless and unable to make a move. matt and dick, bearing down with all speed upon whistler, saw their chum as he tumbled out of the car. they could not do anything for carl at that moment, however, as whistler had straightened erect and flung a hand to his hip. the boys knew what that motion meant. whistler was a desperate man, and as quick to use a revolver, when he had one, as he was to use his fists when he hadn't. "land on him--before he can shoot!" as dick yelled the words, matt cleared the distance separating him from whistler with a wild leap. his body struck whistler's squarely, and with a terrific impact. both went down and rolled over and over on the ground. the revolver, which whistler had just drawn from his pocket, fell from his hand. dick saw it and was less than a second in grabbing it up. "we've drawn whistler's fangs, mate," he shouted to matt, who had regained his feet. "he'll not trouble us, and this piece of cold steel will give the negroes something to think about. break away, there!" and dick, flourishing the weapon, jumped for the crowd that had laid hold of carl. the negroes, from what matt could see of them, appeared to be laborers from some neighboring plantation. nearly all of them were big and powerful, but ran to brute strength rather than to science. the attack on the car, there was no doubt, had been engineered by whistler. he recognized in matt and his friends a source of peril, and by capturing the _hawk_ and injuring one or more of the boys, he would be able to reduce the peril to a minimum. it had been strange, indeed, that the boys should have encountered their old enemy there on the bank of that louisiana bayou. but whistler, either acting for himself or in conjunction with jurgens, was scheming to regain possession of the iron chest. inasmuch as the chest was presumably still in the hands of townsend, the man whom matt and his friends were going to new orleans to meet, there was a reason for whistler and the boys being in that part of the country at the same time. so their meeting was not such a remarkable coincidence, after all. the sight of the revolver threw the blacks into a panic. those who had captured carl sprang away from him and retreated warily toward the edge of the timber. at the same time, the others began to draw back from the car. "go for 'em, you cowards!" yelled whistler, scrambling to his feet. "you're getting a dollar apiece, all around, for this, but by thunder you've got to earn it." "keep away from this air ship," shouted matt sternly, posting himself near the end of the car. "the man who lays a hand on the _hawk_ does so at his own peril." "never mind him!" bawled whistler, "sail into 'em with stones if you can't do any better." stones could be used at fairly long range, and the negroes, screened by the shadows of the timber, began at once to act upon whistler's suggestion. missiles, large and small, began raining down upon the boys, banging against the car, slapping into the silken envelope of the gas bag, and menacing the motor. something would have to be done, and quickly, or disaster would overtake the _hawk_. "stay with the _hawk_, carl!" shouted matt. "this way, dick! we've got to scatter those fellows into the timber or they'll put a hole in the gas bag or do some damage to the motor." as he spoke, matt flung away in the direction of the timber line. with a whoop, dick followed him. before matt had got half way to the timber, he was struck in the shoulder and knocked down. half stunned, and with his whole right side feeling as though it was paralyzed, he rose to his knees. dick had fared little better. a rock, thrown by one of the black men, had hit the revolver he was carrying and knocked it from his hand. the weapon flew off somewhere in the darkness, and while the stones continued to hail through the air, dick went down on all fours and tried to locate the six-shooter. "now you've got 'em!" came the voice of whistler. "they've lost the gun and are all but done for. rush 'em!" the negroes, considering that they were only receiving a dollar each for helping whistler, were putting a lot of vim and ginger into the one-sided combat. giving vent to exultant yells, they rushed from the timber and, in a few minutes more, would have overwhelmed matt and his friends by sheer force of numbers. but the unexpected happened. from the door of the hut came old yamousa, her tattered garments flying about her as she ran. over her head she held a gleaming white skull--either of a cat or a dog--and the picture she made, gliding through the firelight, was enough to awe the fiercest of the superstitious blacks. "stop!" she screeched. "zis ees somet'ing i will not have. zese boys are my franes--_mes amis_--an' i will not haf zem hurt. you hear? t'row one more stone an' yamousa puts _obi_ on ze lot of you, ev'ry las' one. how do you like zat, you niggers? how you like ze evil eye on you?" instantly the headlong rush of the blacks was stopped. halting in trepidation, they drew together, hands drooping at their sides and every ounce of hostility oozing out at their finger tips. the boys were amazed at the old woman's power. under the spell of their superstition, the negroes were held as by iron chains. "don't let the old hag fool you!" shouted whistler. "she can't hurt you as much as those white boys can if you leave 'em alone. they came out of the sky in their bird ship, and if you don't capture them they'll put something worse than the evil eye upon you. never mind yamousa!" a murmuring went up from the blacks and they began to move undecidedly. hissing like an enraged wild cat, yamousa flung herself forward and laid the skull she was carrying in the forward end of the car, just where the firelight would show it to the eyes of the black men. "ze white man talk," she screamed, tossing her arms, "an' what he say ees nozzing. you know what yamousa can do--how she can spoil ze luck an' bring ze long sickness. zis air ship ees under ze protection of obboney. touch heem if you dare! an' zeese white boys are my franes--hurt zem an' you hurt me. shall i put ze spell on you? spik!" lifting herself to her full height, yamousa raised her skinny arms and waved her talon-like hands. a yell of fear went up from the blacks. to a man they fell on their knees, imploring the obeah woman not to work any evil spells. whistler raged and fumed, but all to no purpose. the negroes were completely dominated by yamousa and would not listen to him. "zis white man who gif you ze dollar apiece to do zis what you try," went on yamousa, "come to yamousa's place zis night, drag her to ze stump in ze wood, tie her zere an' beat her wiz ze stick----" roars of consternation went up from the blacks. "zese white boys save yamousa," the hag went on, "an' now you come an' try to keel zem an' take zeir bird ship! _sacre tonnere!_ me, i put _obi_ on zat white man wiz ze black heart! you catch heem, bring heem to me, give heem blow for blow zat he struck yamousa, an' i gif you each ze lucky charm. zat ees better zan a dollar each, eh?" by then the blacks were completely under yamousa's influence. as she finished, they sprang up and made a rush for whistler. that worthy, understanding well how cleverly he had been worsted, took to his heels and fled into the timber, the blacks whooping and yelling, and pushing him hard. "you all right now," said yamousa, turning to the boys with a cackling laugh. "come back in ze house while i show you somet'ing in ze smoke." "i don'd vant to shtay py der _hawk_ mit dot t'ing!" whooped carl, pointing to the white skull. "my nerfs iss vorse as dey vas, a heap! don'd leaf me alone, bards!" "you go on with matt, carl," said dick, "and i'll stay and watch the air ship. i guess there's not much danger now, anyhow. yamousa has got the negroes under her thumb in handsome style, and whistler will have his hands so full looking after himself that he won't be able to try any games with the air ship." carl was not in love with the idea of going into the house; still, he liked it better than staying out in the open all by himself. a supernatural twist had been given to the course of events and carl was anything but easy in his mind. when matt followed yamousa back toward the hut, carl took hold of his arm and kept close beside him. chapter iv. smoke pictures. "sit on ze bench," said yamousa, when they were all in the house again, pointing to the bench where matt and dick had rested themselves a little while before. carl made it a point to keep a grip on matt, and he walked with him to the bench and snuggled up close to his side when they sat down. the dutch boy's eyes were almost popping from his head. the queer assortment of odds and ends with which the roof and walls were decorated cast over him a baneful spell, and he was beginning to wish that he had stayed with the car. yamousa hobbled back and forth, getting together materials for the work she had in prospect. first, she took an earthen jar from one corner of the room and set it down in front of the boys. as she moved across the floor with the jar she sang the creole song which matt had already heard, finishing by aiming her finger at carl and shrieking out the final "_boum!_" carl gave a howl of consternation, his feet went into the air, and he would have tumbled from the bench if matt had not held him. "donnervetter!" gasped carl huskily. "i dradder be some odder place as here. vat's der madder mit der olt laty? she gifs me some cholts." "don't be afraid," whispered matt. "she has proved herself a friend of ours." "yah, meppy, aber i don'd vant her to boint her finger ad me like dot some more." yamousa got a small box from a cupboard and emptied a brownish powder out of it into the jar; then, with a pair of tongs, she removed a live coal from the fireplace and dropped it into the jar with the powder. a wisp of smoke floated upward, accompanied by a sizzling noise. the noise increased until it resembled the buzzing of a swarm of bees, and the smoke spread out until it filled all that part of the room, growing denser every moment. in and out through the vapor, stumbling around the jar in a sort of dance, moved yamousa, tossing her arms and crooning a chant. "di tems missié d'artaguette, hé! ho! hé! c'était, c'était bon tems, yé té ménin monde a la baguette, hé! ho! hé!" the boys stared breathlessly. yamousa's candle was on the other side of the room, glowing like a coal through the vapor. suddenly figures began to take shape in the smoke, the filmy fog thickening in places and decreasing in others as though some invisible hand was moulding the black haze into a scene _en silhouette_. by degrees the picture perfected itself until, at last, it lay clearly before the boys. they saw a broad river on which a small boat was floating. there was no one in the boat, but on the stern thwart, in plain view and unmistakable, was townsend's iron chest. the boat and the chest heaved and rolled on the waves, and the oars in the oarlocks played up and down on the surface of the water. then, as the two boys watched, scarcely breathing, so great was their interest and excitement, a vague shape came gliding over the river out of the distance. presently the shape resolved itself into the form of the air ship. the _hawk_ glided low and halted hoveringly over the boat. there were three passengers in the air ship's car, and matt and carl had no difficulty in recognizing themselves and ferral. a rope was thrown downward by ferral, and matt could be seen climbing over the rail and descending the rope. on reaching the boat, matt made the rope secure to the iron handles of the chest and carl and dick laid back on the rope and drew the chest upward. the moving picture had proceeded thus far when carl, overcome by the uncanny nature of the whole proceeding, lifted a hair-raising yell, hurled himself from the seat, and bolted for the door. the frenzied shout seemed to destroy the spell. the smoke billowed shapelessly into a blank fog, and matt darted from the house after carl. dick, startled by the dutch boy's shout, had run toward the cabin, meeting carl a few yards from the air ship. "der olt laty vas der teufel," carl was excitedly explaining to dick. "she makes moofing bictures, py shinks, oudt oof nodding but shmoke. ve see der air ship, und meinseluf, und you, und modor matt, und ve vas doing some t'ings vat i don'd know und vat ain'd peen done, yah, so helup me. led's ged avay from here, mitoudt losing some more time." carl was in a nervous condition, and while he talked he jumped up and down and flourished his arms. when he was through, he made a bolt for the _hawk_, but matt was close enough to catch hold of him. "don't get excited, carl," said matt. "calm yourself down." "how i vas going to do dot," exploded carl, "ven i see der hocus-pocus dot olt laty make mit us? himmelblitzen! she iss some relations mit der olt nick, und oof ve know ven ve vas vell off ve vill pull oudt oof here righdt avay." "chuck it, carl!" said dick. "i guess there ain't anything going to hurt you. give me a line on this, matt. i can't overhaul carl's talk and get much sense out of it." matt proceeded to describe what had taken place in the hut. dick listened with wide eyes. "keelhaul me if i ever heard anything like that before!" he exclaimed, when matt had finished. "it sounds like a yarn for the marines. you two must have been hypnotized and imagined you saw all that. fakirs in india do stunts of that sort, but they only make people _think_ they see such things; they don't really see them." "i know ven i see somet'ing, you bed my life," fluttered carl, "und i see der air ship, und you and matt und meinseluf in der shmoke, und ve do t'ings schust so natural like life. it don'd vas some treams, i tell you dot. oof----" carl was interrupted by a shrill cry from the hut door. "come once more an' see ze smoke picture! come queek!" "nod me!" and carl galloped on toward the air ship. "we'd better go, dick," said matt. "do you think carl will try to unmoor the _hawk_?" returned dick, with a hurried look in the direction carl had gone. "no, he won't do that." matt and dick thereupon retraced their course to the hut. yamousa had vanished from the door and the boys groped their way through the stifling, pungent vapor to the bench. the smoke picture had already been formed and showed the interior of a room with stone walls. on the floor of the room lay a man, bound hand and foot and, to all appearances, a prisoner. he had gray hair and mustache, and his features, although vague and indistinct, were easily recognized. "townsend!" whispered matt. "aye!" returned dick, "townsend, as i live!" the stone chamber faded into the front of a building, and along the front was a sign, the lettering of which could easily be read: "m. crenelette, antiques." this second picture faded and yamousa laid a piece of board over the top of the jar. slowly the air cleared and the old woman stepped close to the bench, shaking her withered head until the gold rings in her ears and nose danced glimmeringly. "you know ze man in ze stone room?" she asked. "yes," replied matt, in a stifled voice. "ah, ha! zat will be in new orleans. me, i live zere one time. ze front of ze buildings you see has ze stone chamber in ze basement. eet ees in royal street, on ze french side of canal. you look an' you fin' ze sign, zen you get ze white-haired man away from ze enemies. go 'way an' sleep; zen, in ze morning, i gif you breakfus, an' you go on to ze big city an' safe your frane. _bo' soir, mes amis!_ sleep an' do not fear." without answer, matt and dick stumbled out of the house, full of wonder and bewilderment. "strike me lucky!" breathed dick. "this is the first time anything like that ever crossed my hawse. the question is, is there anything in it, or is it all a fake?" "i don't take much stock in wonder-workers like yamousa," answered matt, "because they usually prey upon the ignorant and the superstitious. i haven't the least notion how she make the pictures. that part of it is strange enough, and maybe, as you say, she only hypnotizes us and causes us to think we see something that isn't really in the smoke at all. but i don't see how those pictures can really mean anything, and i'm going to bunk down in the car and get some sleep." matt tried to persuade himself that the smoke pictures of yamousa were merely a trick, but somehow the idea that there _might_ be something in them clung to his mind. although his thoughts kept him unsettled and restless for a time, yet he finally fell asleep. there was no sleep for carl, however. he found the revolver that had been knocked out of dick's hand by the flying stone. the mechanism had been damaged and the weapon was useless, but nevertheless carl felt safer with it, and placed himself on guard. dick, like matt, was able to get some rest, and the night passed uneventfully. it was only when morning dawned that anything of an unusual nature occurred. a shout from carl brought matt and dick to their feet. carl had retreated until he was standing midway between the air ship and the edge of the clearing, his fearful eyes on yamousa, who was crouching at the side of the car. "queek!" cried yamousa, "hurry away. your enemies come--i see zem in ze smoke--an' zey come close. leesen!" she held up one talon-like finger in token of silence. from somewhere, off in the timber, could be heard faint sounds as of some one approaching through the undergrowth. in another moment the boys were actively at work casting off the ropes. "take zis," said yamousa, handing matt something wrapped in a piece of newspaper. "it will breeng you ze luck. you haf helped yamousa, an' yamousa she try to help you. but hurry; zere ees no time to lose." carl, gathering courage from the prospect of an early departure from that ill-omened spot, ran forward and helped dick with the ropes. matt laid the small parcel yamousa handed to him in the bottom of the car and immediately got the engine to going. the woman, meanwhile, with an apprehensive look over her shoulder, had started toward the timber. as dick and carl leaped into the car, yamousa gave a screech of warning and pointed toward the other side of the cleared space. one look in that direction was enough for matt. half a dozen white men had hurried into sight. whistler was in the lead. "let 'er go, matey!" yelled dick. "they'll be on us in half a minute." matt, with a twist of a lever, threw the power into the machinery and the _hawk_ took the push and glided upward. chapter v. a queer find. had the boys been a minute later in casting loose, there would certainly have been trouble--and perhaps they would not have been able to get away at all. whistler, who was well in advance of the others, strained every nerve to reach the car, but the _hawk_ was well in the air before he reached the spot where it had been moored. neither he, nor any of those with him, seemed to be armed. no shots were fired, and whistler shook his fist upward and shouted maledictions. "py chiminy," whooped carl, "ve'll led him vistle some. he ought to be good at dot." swiftly the clearing vanished behind the _hawk_, and the tops of the trees soon hid it entirely. carl drew a long breath. "i vas nefer so habby ofer anyt'ing as i vas to ged avay from dot blace," he averred. "der olt voman vas pad meticine, und ve vas lucky dot ve vas aple to ged avay ad all." "avast there, matey!" answered dick. "yamousa tried to be a friend of ours." "i don'd like friendts vat iss so spookish," went on carl, kicking the cat's skull off the front of the car and watching it tumble into the green tree tops below. "dere iss all kindts oof drouples come oof sooch pitzness." "she said she looked into the smoke and saw whistler and those other fellows coming," muttered dick. "meppy she dit, und meppy she saw dem, or heard dem." "if she saw whistler and his outfit in a smoke picture," went on dick, "and then came to warn us, it not only proves that she means well, but that there's something in that smoke business." matt smiled a little. "we'd better forget all that happened last night, pards," said he. "we can't make head or tail out of it, anyhow, and i don't believe in worrying over things you can't understand. we helped yamousa; and yamousa, in her own way, has tried to befriend us. suppose we let it go at that and sponge out the occult part of it? the biggest, and possibly the most amazing discovery we made, was that whistler got clear of the bahamas and seems to have got this far on the trail of the iron chest. if whistler is on the trail, no doubt lat jurgens is, also. perhaps townsend knew about this when he telegraphed us to come to new orleans." "i hope nothing has happened to townsend," murmured dick, his mind reverting to the smoke picture he had seen. "there you go again," laughed matt. "you're still thinking of what yamousa showed us, and imagining there may be something in it. cut it out, dick. if there's anything in the picture we'll know it before long. dip into the ration bag and get out some breakfast--i'm nearly starved." while dick held to the post of lookout, carl drew on the food supply and all hands ate a cold breakfast. after the meal the boys passed an hour discussing jurgens and whistler, their designs on the iron chest, and the way they had probably escaped from the sand key in the bahamas. for the most part, the discussion led nowhere. the boys could make guesses, but unless they were to put their faith in what yamousa told them, their talk could bring them to nothing definite. the conversation was interrupted by dick. "mississippi, ho!" he cried. "the river's dead ahead, mates, and hard under our forefoot." "good!" exclaimed matt. "we'll follow the river to new orleans." "where we going to keep der air ship when we reach der city?" inquired carl. this was always a conundrum to the boys. the _hawk_ was so big and unwieldy, and withal so easily damaged, that to stow it away where it would be safe from wind and storm was a difficult problem. "we might anchor the _hawk_ on some scow in the river," suggested dick, "and then put the canvas cover over her. if we find we're going to stay in new orleans long, it might pay to build a roof over the scow." "that would cost too much," objected matt. "it would take a mighty high roof to clear the top of the gas bag, and a mighty big one to cover it. why not berth her on one of the docks? the docks are high, they're roofed, and there's always a watchman in charge." "right-o!" said dick. "you've tagged on to the right rope, old ship. we'll use the docks. stuyvesant dock will about suit us. i was in this port once on the old _billy ruffin_. we coaled over in algiers, and some of us had shore leaves. a great town, that, and----" carl, who had been leaning over the rail, went limp and white all of a sudden and looked around with staring eyes. "what's the matter with you, mate?" demanded dick, startled by the dutch boy's manner. "sick?" "n-o-o," gurgled carl, "i vas vat you call flappergasted--so astoundet mit vat i see dot i can't shpeak. look ofer der site, und see vat you see py der rifer. ach, du lieber! i don'd know vat to t'ink." matt had already swerved the _hawk_ into an upstream course. the murky waters of the mississippi lay no more than a hundred feet below, and the light, variable winds were helping rather than retarding the air ship. matt and dick both cast downward looks over the guard rail, and what they saw caused them to straighten erect and stare at each other in amazement. for a moment or two, neither could speak. ahead of them drifting downstream with the current was a skiff. although there were oars over the skiff's sides, trailing in the water, the boat was empty. in the stern sheets, however, was the iron chest! the boys had seen that particular iron chest so many times that they were perfectly familiar with its appearance. during the interval that passed while the lads were staring at each other, before the mental eyes of all of them floated that smoke picture seen the evening before in yamousa's hut. "der olt nick has somet'ing to do mit dot," muttered carl, drawing one hand over his puzzled eyes. "it's the queerest find i ever heard of!" stuttered dick. "from the way you described that first smoke picture to me, matt, this event is fitting into it in a way that takes my breath." "it--it might be a coincidence," mumbled matt, hardly knowing what to believe, now that he was face to face with such a reality. "coincidence nothing!" averred dick bluntly. "yamousa has powers we never dreamed of. she may be a clairvoyant, or something like that." "i never took much stock in clairvoyants," demurred matt. "well, anyhow, there's the chest. in some manner it's got away from townsend." "exactly," said matt, throwing aside the uncanny feeling that had come over him. "no matter how we happened to make this queer find, nor how little we understand the manner in which we made it, our duty is clear. we've got to recover the chest, find townsend, and turn it over to him." "stand by, then, to go aboard the skiff," called dick. "port your helm, matt. i'll do the conning for you." "keep away!" shouted carl. "don'd go near dot poat und don'd fool mit dot safe. it's pad meticine! eferyt'ing iss pad meticine vat has anyt'ing to do mit dot olt laty. ach, blitzen, i vish ve hatn't seen dot poat!" but matt and dick knew what their duty was and paid little heed to carl's protests. guided by dick, matt brought the _hawk_ within a dozen feet of the boat, cut off the power, and the air ship hovered in the air, motionless save for the slight influence of the wind. dick tossed a rope over the side. matt, leaving his seat among the levers, prepared to get over the rail and lower himself into the boat. "hadn't i better go, matey?" queried dick. "i'm used to sliding up and down ropes and backstays." "you and carl stay here and make ready to hoist the safe aboard," replied matt. "i'm a pretty fair hand at rope climbing." probably none of the boys thought, at that moment, how closely they were copying the smoke pictures shown matt and carl by yamousa. that smoke scene seemed to have depicted the event with the sureness of fate. matt dropped over the side quickly, in order to get into the boat before the _hawk_ should drift away from it. he succeeded in carrying out his design and, still clinging to the rope, stepped from the gunwale of the skiff to one of the midship thwarts and then into the stern. there was nothing in the boat to show who the occupant had been. a bailing tin lay in the bottom, but there was absolutely nothing else in the skiff apart from the iron chest. "work quickly, old ship!" ferral called down. "the wind is freshening and we'll be blown away from you if you don't hustle." swiftly, motor matt secured the end of the rope to one of the iron handles. "haul away," said he, stepping back. carl and dick seized the rope and began to pull. the chest rose slowly into the air; and then, when it was lifted about half way, one of the sudden gusts of wind which the _hawk_ had been encountering all along the gulf coast struck the air ship, and she leaped sideways nearly to the shore of the river. carl and dick secured the rope frantically. while the chest continued to swing below the car, dick jumped into the levers and got the propeller going. this gave him a better command of the air ship and he attempted to manoeuvre the craft back and into matt's vicinity. again and again he tried, but, as the wind was now high and shifting quickly from one quarter to another, no success attended his efforts. "take the chest aboard," matt cried, standing up in the skiff and making a trumpet of his hands, "and go on to town. berth the _hawk_ on one of the docks, if you can, and, if you can't, make a landing farther inland. i'll follow you." there was nothing else to be done, and matt watched the _hawk_ bear away up the river, dick at the motor and carl heaving in the chest by slow degrees. chapter vi. foul play. matt was greatly worried over the way that experience with the boat and the chest had worked out. dick knew enough about handling the air ship to be able to look after her in ordinary weather, but those shifting air currents had bothered even matt. it was so easy for some little thing to go wrong and either wreck or cause irreparable damage to an air ship. in that respect, an air ship was totally unlike any other craft. but there had been no other way out of the dilemma and matt, facing the situation with all the grace he could muster, dropped on the midship thwart, seized the oars, and headed the skiff upstream. fortune favored him a little, for a lugger from the oyster beds came lurching up the river, all sails set and bound for the landing. matt hailed the lugger and the oysterman took him aboard. he said nothing to the lugger's crew as to how he had happened to be in the skiff. had he done that, one explanation would have led to another and it would have been necessary to speak of the iron chest--a subject which it was well enough to keep in the background. when the lugger tied up at the landing, matt left the skiff with her crew and went ashore. his object now was to find carl, dick, and the _hawk_, and he made his way along the river front in the direction of canal street. he could see nothing of the _hawk_ in the air, but along the wharves he encountered several groups of roustabouts who were talking excitedly about the "flying machine" that had recently passed over the town. by making inquiries, he learned that the _hawk_ had settled earthward in the vicinity of the stuyvesant docks. instructions were given him as to the best way for finding the docks, and he hurried on. fully three hours had passed since the chest had been recovered and the _hawk_ and matt had parted company. a good many things could happen in three hours, and matt continued to feel worried. as he was passing the morgan line docks he saw dick bearing down on him. the look of elation in dick's face was indirect evidence that all was right with the _hawk_. "hooray!" shouted the canadian. "you were so long turning up, matey, that i was afraid something had happened to you. i hope we won't ever again part company like we did down there on the river. confound this louisiana wind, anyhow! it never blows twice from the same direction, seems like. you didn't row all the way to town against the current?" "if i had, dick," answered matt, "i couldn't have got here before night. a lugger picked me up. where's the _hawk_?" "safely berthed on the big dock. i gave the dock watchman a five-dollar note to look after her and keep curious people away. we've stretched a rope around the air ship and no one can get within a dozen feet of her. she's as snug as possible, and there couldn't be a better place for her. why, the dock's better than that old balloon house in south chicago!" "where's carl?" "he went away with bangs, and----" "bangs? who's bangs?" "why, he introduced himself to carl and me as soon as we got the _hawk_ moored. he's a friend of townsend's and has been hanging out on the levee looking for us ever since townsend sent that telegram asking us to come. he was there by townsend's orders, and was to tell us where to berth the _hawk_ and where to go our selves." "i should think townsend would have been there to meet us," observed matt. "oh, that's all right--bangs explained that point. townsend is full of business, these days, and asked bangs as a favor to watch for us." "what did you do with the iron chest?" "bangs and carl took it away in an express wagon. as soon as carl delivers the chest to townsend, he's coming back to the docks. i told him that, by that time, you'd probably be there, and that we could all go up to see townsend. bangs said that carl would surely get back to the docks by noon." as dick finished speaking, the noon whistles took up their clamor. "did bangs identify himself in any way?" asked matt. "why, no," answered dick, puzzled. "it was identification enough, i thought, to have him meet us, tell us all about townsend, and say townsend had sent him to watch for us." "that might be a yarn, dick, with not a particle of truth in it." "but he was on the levee----" "everybody up and down the river front could see the _hawk_, so you were known to be coming. well, maybe everything is all right. carl went with bangs and the chest, anyhow. he'll see that the chest is properly delivered." "bangs insisted on either carl or me going with him to see townsend," pursued dick, "and that gives the whole business a straight look. if there was anything crooked about bangs he wouldn't have wanted any one to go with the chest, see?" dick was so honest himself that he was rarely looking for treachery in others. matt made no response to what he had just said, but turned the subject, as they walked together in the direction of the stuyvesant docks. "did you have any trouble making a landing, dick?" he asked. "there was a big freight boat alongside the docks and she blanketed us against the wind. if it hadn't been for the freighter, carl and i might have had more than we could attend to. we just grazed the steamer's stacks, ducked under the dock roof, and rounded to as neat as you please. we were lucky rather than skillful, you see, for it would have been an easy matter to smash the _hawk_ into smithereens." the boys continued on along the levee, and on every hand the queer craft that had dropped out of the sky was the topic of conversation. not many people were allowed on the dock where the _hawk_ was moored, but there were a few curious ones clustered around the guard rope and surveying the craft. carl pretzel, however, was not in evidence. "he's probably been delayed," suggested dick. "we'll just hang around and wait for him." while they were waiting, the watchman came up to them. "it's none o' my business," said he, "and i reckon you'll think i haven't any call buttin' in, but that feller that drove away with your friend, in the express wagon, hasn't got a very good character in this town." "is that straight?" queried dick. "straight as a plumb-line. he's as crooked as a dog's hind leg. proctor used to run a boat on the river, but he took to drinkin' an turned 'shady,' an' now he's not much better than a loafer. i'd have told you before, only i supposed you knew what you was doin' an' that you wouldn't thank me to interfere. i heard proctor say, though, that your friend would sure be back here by noon. well, it's noon, an' he ain't here. that's why i'm talkin' now." "proctor?" cried dick. "why, he said his name was bangs." "he's been known to change his name before now, so i ain't surprised at that. but his real name is proctor." the watchman went on about his business, and matt and dick withdrew by themselves in no very easy frame of mind. "dowse me!" growled dick. "can't carl and i be away from you for a few hours, old ship, without making fools of ourselves? but bangs told such a straight yarn----" "if a trap was laid, dick," interposed matt, "it was a clever one and i don't see how you could avoid dropping into it. it's a pretty safe guess, i think, that there has been foul play. this fellow proctor, or bangs, wanted the iron chest and laid his plans to get it." "but how could he lay his plans?" muttered dick. "sink me if i can understand that part of it. first off, he couldn't have known we had the iron chest, seeing that we fished it out of that skiff so recently." matt listened thoughtfully. he was trying to figure the matter out in his own mind, but it was a difficult problem. "then, again," continued dick, "bangs was here watching for us. if he wasn't a friend of townsend's how could he have known we were coming?" "from what we knew of archibald townsend," answered matt, "we can bank on his being honest and square. if that's the case, he'd hardly have a friend like bangs, would he? and certainly, if he knew bangs, he'd hardly trust him to meet us, as bangs told you he had done." "i'm a swab," growled dick, with profound self-reproach, "and carl's a swab. we've dropped into a tangle of foul play, and it don't make it any brighter because we can't understand where bangs got the information that enabled him to carry out his plot. i had an idea that i wouldn't let bangs touch that iron chest until you got here, but he told such a straight story that i was argued out of my original intention. oh, keelhaul me!" dick fumbled in his pocket for a handkerchief. when he drew it out, a bit of crumpled newspaper came with it. "ah," muttered dick, picking up the bit of paper, "maybe carl will have some luck. he unwrapped that little parcel yamousa gave you as we were leaving the bayou. what do you think we found in it?" "a rabbit's foot?" "no, a dried frog! carl, before he started away in the express wagon, put the frog in his pocket. he said he'd try it out before he turned it over to you. if we're right in thinking that bangs is playing a treacherous game, then carl will have plenty of chance to find out what the charm is good for." "we've got to be doing something, dick," said matt. "we can't hang around and wait for the dried frog to help carl." "we might slant away and look up that expressman," returned dick. "he could probably tell us where he took carl, and bangs, and the box." "a good tip!" exclaimed matt. "we'll go on a still hunt for the expressman." after reassuring himself that the _hawk_ would be safely looked after by the watchman, matt and dick left the docks and began hunting for the man who had been hired by bangs to take the iron chest into the town. chapter vii. dried frogs--and luck. mr. bangs had a very dark complexion, black hair, black eyes, and a ropy black mustache. his face had a puffed, unhealthy look--probably due to dissipation--and his walk was a sort of slumping process which proved, beyond the power of words, that he was dead to ambition and lost to hope. in the worst sense of the term, he had ceased to live for himself and was living for others--a mere tool for the unscrupulous whenever there was a dollar to be turned. and yet there was something very plausible about bangs. he had an engaging way with him, whenever he desired to put it forward, and he used it to the limit when accosting dick and carl on the docks. carl, no less than dick, believed firmly that everything was all right, and that bangs was really the friend of townsend and had been sent to the levee to watch for the air ship. it pleased the dutch boy to think that he was to go with bangs and the iron chest, and he was delighted with the dried frog amulet, which matt had seemed to forget about since leaving the bayou. of course carl believed in charms. having a wholesome regard for yamousa's powers, it was natural for him to have abundant faith in the dried frog. stowing the relic away in his pocket, he mounted the express wagon with the utmost confidence, waved his hand to dick, and then rolled away with bangs, the expressman, and the iron chest. carl's "luck" began the moment the express wagon turned into canal street. the old, square stone flagging, in that part of town, was deeply worn. the front wheel of the wagon on carl's side plunged into a rut, and carl fell forward on the backs of the mules and then rolled down under their heels. the hind heels of a mule are dangerous objects to tamper with, and in less than half a second the expressman's team got very busy. carl distinctly remembered pitching over upon the backs of the mules, and he had a hazy recollection of slipping down inside the pole, but after that he drew a blank. when he opened his eyes and looked around, he was sitting up in the street, supported by bangs. the expressman was picking up his hat, and a crowd was gathering. "it was a right smart of a jolt," grinned one of the bystanders. "don't you-all know it's bad business t' tampah with the south end of a mu-el goin' no'th?" asked another. "vas it an eart'quake?" inquired carl, mechanically taking his hat. "der puildings vas shdill shdanding on der shtreet, und nodding vas dorn oop mooch, aber somet'ing must haf habbened." "you done drapped on de mu-els," said the colored proprietor of the express wagon. "dey's gentle, an' dey'll eat oats off'n de back of a choo-choo engyne, but dey won't stan' fo' no meddlin' wid dey feet." "hurt?" inquired bangs, helping carl erect. "vell," answered carl, feeling himself all over, "dere don'd vas any vone blace vere i feel der vorst, but dere iss a goneness all ofer me, oop und down und sideways. oof i hat a gun," he finished, his temper rising, "i vould go on a mule hunt." carl slapped the dust from his clothes and climbed back into the wagon. before he gripped the seat with both hands, he transferred the dried frog from the left-hand pocket of his coat to the right-hand pocket. "meppy i ditn't put it in der righdt blace," he thought. the express wagon turned from canal street into royal, and from royal into st. peter, halting before a dingy building, with iron balconies, not far from congo square. a mulatto woman sat in the doorway of the building with a basket of pralines in front of her on the walk. carl took one handle of the chest, and bangs the other. the chest, being of iron, was heavy. somebody had spilled a pitcher of milk on the sidewalk and carl's foot slipped as he crossed the wet spot. his end of the chest dropped, barking one of his shins and landing on the toes of one of his feet. carl gave a yell of pain and toppled over, sitting down with a good deal of force in the basket of pralines. the praline vendor had been knitting, but she sprang up, when she saw the destruction the dutch boy was causing to her stock in trade, and tried to make a pin cushion of him with her knitting needles. bangs rushed to the rescue, and carl, after placating the woman with a silver dollar, once more picked up his end of the chest and limped after bangs. the doorway through which they passed led them into a narrow, ill-smelling corridor, open to the sky and filled with rubbish. out of the rubbish grew a number of untrimmed and uncared-for oleander bushes. "now," remarked bangs, not unkindly, "you can sit down here and rest. i'll have the creole gentleman who lives here help me up to townsend's room with the chest; then i'll tell townsend about you, and he'll come down and give you a hearty greeting." "mebby i pedder go mit der chest?" objected carl. a look of pained surprise crossed bangs' face. "you don't think for a moment, my dear friend," said he, "that i'm trying to deceive you? i merely wish to announce your coming to my friend townsend so that he'll come down here personally and give you welcome." "ach, vell go aheadt," muttered carl, dropping down on a box near a clump of oleanders and nursing his foot. bangs gave a whistle. the creole gentleman, barefooted and wearing a red flannel shirt and tattered trousers, appeared in the courtyard from nowhere in particular, and he and bangs passed a few words in french. the creole gentleman grinned a little and laid hold of one of the iron handles. bangs took the other, and they carried the iron chest up a stairway to a gallery on the second floor. carl watched the two mount the stairs and pass around the gallery to a door; then the door opened and the two men and the iron chest disappeared. the creole gentleman did not show himself again, and if he left the room into which he had gone with bangs he must have passed out by some other way than the gallery. the moment carl was by himself, he changed the dried frog to the breast pocket of his coat. "i don'd got him in der righdt blace for luck," thought carl. "meppy dot iss pedder. oof i lif long enough to ged der frog vere he ought to be, i bed you i haf some goot fortunes." while carl leaned back, and waited, there came a shrill cry from behind another clump of oleanders: "get out of here! get out! get out! sic him, tige!" carl, fearing the onslaught of a dog, snatched up a piece of wood and jumped to the top of the box. no dog came. "don'd you set some dogs on me!" he called. "i got as mooch righdt here as anypody. i vas vaiding for misder downsent. who you vas, anyhow?" "you're the limit!" came the shrill words. "go soak your head! police! police!" as the last word rang through the courtyard, carl's cap was jerked off his head from behind. with an angry shout, he whirled just in time to see the branches shaking as the thief got away. "i'm der limid, am i?" he muttered, crashing through the bushes. "want me to go soak my headt, hey? vell, py chiminy, i show you somet'ing." when carl got through the bushes the thief had disappeared, but a wild, rollicking laugh came from behind the other thicket of oleanders. running in that direction he came upon a yellow-crested parrot chained to a perch. the parrot seemed to be getting a good deal of fun out of the situation, for he was lifting himself up and down and chuckling fiendishly. "vy," gasped carl, a slow grin working its way over his face, "it vas a barrot! pooty poll! sooch a nice pird vat it iss! vant some crackers? say somet'ing, vonce, und----" just at that moment, something hit carl on the back of the head. whirling away from the parrot, he looked upward. a black monkey was clinging to the ironwork of the gallery overhead. in one paw the monkey held carl s cap, and with the other paw he was fishing bits of plaster out of the wall and throwing them downward. "und dere iss a monkey, too!" exclaimed carl. "it looks like i vas in a menacherie. say, you monk, gif me dot hat!" "sic 'im, tige!" shrilled the parrot. "police! police!" the monkey chattered and flaunted the cap defiantly, at the same time getting ready to throw another piece of plaster. "nice leedle monk!" wheedled carl. "iss der leedle monkey hungry? den come down und ged some peanuds vich i ain'd got! pooty leedle monk! py shinks, i vill preak you in doo oof you don'd----" biff! the piece of plaster came downward, straight as a die, and landed on carl's chin. that was more than carl's temper could stand, and he started up the stairway toward the gallery. in order to get near the monkey he had to run around the gallery, past the door through which the creole gentleman and bangs had vanished with the chest. there was a window, set in a sort of embrasure, beside the door, and one of the lights was broken out. as carl passed under the window, on his way around the gallery, he heard a voice that brought him to a gasping halt. all thoughts of his stolen cap, and the monkey, left his mind. staggering up against the balcony rail, he stood there blinking in stunned bewilderment. "vas i ashleep?" he whispered; "vas i treaming? i vonder oof i can pelief vat i hear, or----" he broke off his words abruptly, turned and stepped to the wall. here he paused just long enough to shift the dried frog from his coat to his trousers pocket, then, softly, climbed into the embrasure and peered through the broken pane of the window. no, he had not been asleep, or dreaming. he was peering into a room in which were two men, neither of whom was the creole gentleman. one of the men was bangs, and the other was--lat jurgens! between them stood the iron chest. chapter viii. the plotters. "you're a good one, proctor!" jurgens was saying, leaning over the chest and rubbing his hands. "this is the biggest piece of luck that ever came my way. did whistler have anything to do with it?" "whistler?" returned bangs. "how could he have anything to do with it? he's not in town." "i know that, but he went to see the voodoo woman to try and have her give him a line on the chest. he left yesterday, and here the chest drops into our hands. it looks to me as though old yamousa had been giving us a helping hand." "bosh!" returned bangs disgustedly, "yamousa didn't have a thing to do with it. i was waiting for that air ship to come in, accordin' to that telegram townsend sent to motor matt and which you found out about. it came, but there were only two boys in the car. they landed on stuyvesant dock, and they hadn't any more than got the craft secured before i was right there. i told 'em the yarn we had framed up--how townsend was expecting them but was so busy he couldn't come, so had sent me." bangs chuckled. "they swallowed the yarn, all right," he went on. "while i was talking i saw the iron chest in the car. say, that almost took me off my feet. however did it happen to get into the hands of those boys?" "pass the ante, proctor. didn't they tell you?" "nary a word. they said motor matt would be along, in a little while, but that's all they told me about him. i suggested that one of them go with me to take the chest to townsend, and the dutch boy was the one who came. he's down in the courtyard now, waiting for townsend to come and give him a welcome." bangs dropped into a chair as he finished and gave vent to a low laugh. "didn't they ask you how townsend had come to get separated from the chest?" asked jurgens. "yes." "and what did you tell 'em?" "the truth; that the chest had been stolen from townsend. even then the two boys wouldn't tell me where they had found the chest. i reckon motor matt, who seems to be pretty long-headed, must have warned them to keep mum." jurgens continued to chuckle and rub his hands. "blamed if things aren't coming our way better than i had imagined they would!" he exclaimed. "this is rich, and no mistake. and you say the dutchman is down in the court?" "that's it." "waiting for me to slip down and give him the glad hand?" "that's what he's waiting for," guffawed bangs. "well, i'll give him the hand, all right, but there'll be something in it. we've got to take care of him, in some way, until----" whatever jurgens' plans were concerning carl they did not appear. fate, at that moment, hastened events toward a conclusion. the square window, against which carl was leaning and listening, was far from secure. in his interest and excitement, he bore rather harder upon the window than he intended. as a result, the window suddenly gave way and carl fell crashing with it into the room. just how much the dried frog in carl's pocket had to do with the mishap is for those versed in superstitious lore to answer. ever since he had taken possession of the charm he had encountered a run of hard luck, but everything that had so far happened to him was trivial as compared with this final catastrophe. before he could get to his feet he had been pounced upon by bangs and jurgens, dragged clear of the broken glass and held firmly down on his back. "he's not so much of a fool as you thought, proctor!" growled jurgens. "he was in the window, listening." "much good it'll do him!" grunted bangs. "we've got the chest, and what he discovered won't do him any good." "you bet it won't! get a rope." bangs secured a rope from somewhere in the room and carl was expeditiously lashed by the hands and feet. "himmelblitzen!" ground out carl. "you vas a humpug, pangs! you say you vas somet'ing, und you peen somet'ing else. py chincher, oof i hat der use oof my handts i vould make you t'ink you vas hit mit some cyclones." "oh, come," laughed bangs, "don't be so fierce. we've got you, and we've got the chest, and that pal of yours is away off on stuyvesant dock and hasn't the least notion where you are. sing small, my fat kiskidee; it won't do you any good to take on." "vait, py chinks!" flamed carl; "schust vait ondil modor matt findts oudt vat iss going on. den, i bed you, someding vill habben. i don'd know nodding, und tick he don'd know nodding eider; aber matt--vell, dere iss a feller vat knows more as you. look oudt for him, dot's all." "where is motor matt?" demanded jurgens. "ask me," said carl. "that's what i'm doing." "veil, keep on; und ven i dell you somet'ing, schust led me know. churgens, you vas a pad egg, und you vill ged vat's coming by you vone oof dose tays. how you ged off dot islant in der pahamas? "ask me," taunted jurgens. "vat a frame-oop!" muttered carl dejectedly. "look here, vonce: vere iss downsent?" "ask me again," said jurgens mockingly. "how you steal dot chest from him?" "i don't mind telling you that," grinned jurgens. "the information can't possibly harm us, because we'll be out of the way long before you can tell any one; and i'd like to have motor matt, who's been bucking us ever since we first went on the trail of the chest, know just what we've done to his friend townsend. "townsend bobbed up off the levee in that submarine boat of his, a few days ago, and whistler and i were on hand watching for him to arrive. he got here at night, unloaded the chest, and had a man start for town with it on a wheelbarrow. it was a foolish thing for townsend to do--try to wheel the chest away with only himself and the man at the wheelbarrow to look out for it." jurgens paused and gave bangs a wink. "townsend never got to the place he was going with that chest, eh, proctor?" he continued. "we'd just lowered the chest into a rowboat when a couple of watchman came along. we got off from the levee to wait until the watchman got past, and then, when we went after the boat, it had disappeared. we hunted good and hard for it, but haven't seen the boat since. whistler went to talk with a voodoo woman he used to know to see if she could tell him what became of the boat and the chest. he hasn't got back yet; but here's the chest, big as life, all safely locked and ready for us to open it. where did you fellows pick up the chest, dutchy?" "talk aboudt der vedder," suggested carl. "oh, well, if you don't want to loosen up you needn't. we knew you were coming here to help townsend. townsend sent you a telegram--or, rather, cassidy, one of his men, sent the telegram the next day after we got hold of the chest. townsend hadn't shown up on the submarine, but cassidy had his orders, i reckon. an assistant of mine was shadowing cassidy, and he discovered the contents of the message. after that, i had proctor down on the river front waiting for you to arrive in the _hawk_. proctor was surprised when he found that you were bringing the chest with you. it was a joyful surprise for all of us, and you and ferral dropped into proctor's trap too easy for any use. i wonder if you've got anything of importance about your clothes? search him, proctor." carl never had much money, and very little else of any importance, in his pockets. he had nothing, now, but, as bangs knelt beside him and began his search, carl thought instantly of the dried frog. so far from being a luck bringer, the frog was a hoodoo. carl was thoroughly convinced of that; and he had a feeling that no good fortune could come his way so long as he kept yamousa's charm in his pocket. he wanted to unload it, and he would rather unload it upon bangs or jurgens than any one else. if he could give them the same run of hard luck that he had been having, it might be easier for matt to recover the chest. "i don'd got nodding," said carl, squirming and playing a part which he had swiftly mapped out for himself. "i reckon what he says is true," bangs reported, having discovered only a jackknife, a fishline, a stump of a lead pencil, and a ham sandwich. "he's panning out mighty slim, jurgens. if---- ha! what's this?" bangs pulled the dried frog out of carl's hip pocket, looked at it curiously and held it up for jurgens' inspection. "great guns!" exclaimed jurgens. "it looks like a dead frog." "gif it pack!" cried carl, to all appearances greatly perturbed. "it vas moder matt's charm, his luck pringer. it don'd vas vort' anyt'ing to you." "motor matt's luck bringer, eh?" muttered bangs. "well, from all i heard of that fellow his luck has been phenomenal. do you want this thing, jurgens?" "not i, proctor," answered jurgens. "then," went on bangs, coolly appropriating the charm, "i'll just take it myself and see if some of motor matt's luck won't come my way." "i thought you didn't believe in such things?" "no more i don't, but i'm going to test this amulet and see what it will do for me." "take efervt'ing else vat i got," begged carl, "only gif me pack dot charm!" "not on your life!" said bangs. "if it's so valuable to motor matt it ought to be worth just as much to me." carl, it is needless to say, was delighted to have the trouble maker in bangs' possession. it was the first bright spot in his experiences since leaving the docks with bangs and the expressman. "get a cold chisel and a hammer, proctor," said jurgens, briskly; "it's high time we got the chest opened and pulled out with the treasure." "you leaf dot chest alone!" fumed carl. "yes?" laughed jurgens. "well, hardly. just lie there, dutchy, and see us dig out more treasure than you ever set eyes on in your life before. when you leave here, you can tell townsend how we got away with the loot. inform him, for me that lat jurgens wasn't born yesterday, and that it will take a better man than nemo, jr., to get the best of him." at that moment, bangs came up with a cold chisel and a hammer and fell to work on the treasure box. chapter ix. the head of obboney. carl's pleasure in getting rid of the charm was rather tempered by this attack on the iron chest. that chest had had a checkered career. where the man from cape town got it, or what he had put into it, no one knew. the man from cape town had declared that it contained treasure, and he had drawn a chart, showing an uninhabited sand key in the bahamas and indicating a cave on the key where the chest could be found. the chest had passed rapidly into the hands of jurgens and whistler, then into the possession of motor matt and his friends, then to townsend, then back to jurgens, then once more to motor matt, and now, for the final time it seemed, to jurgens. all these changes were attended with more or less violence and astonishing adventure. with keen eyes carl watched proceedings. sturdy blows of the hammer drove the point of the cold chisel into the old lock, destroyed its mechanism and rent it apart. as bangs dropped his hammer and chisel and prepared to lift the lid, jurgens approached and leaned over excitedly. "there ought to be enough treasure in that chest," said he to bangs, "to make whistler and you and me independent, proctor." a gleam arose in bangs' watery black eyes and a deeper red ran into his puffy face. "all i want's enough to keep me in liquor," said bangs. "it's a modest ambition," returned jurgens. "i've got other plans for myself--but every man his own way. lift the lid." the heavy cover grated on its hinges as bangs pushed it back. the chest appeared to be filled with brownish particles. with a disappointed oath, jurgens scooped up a handful of the particles and held them close to his eyes. "sawdust!" he exclaimed; "mahogany sawdust!" and he cast the stuff from him fiercely. "that's your treasure, is it?" sneered bangs. "that's what we've been workin' for, and playin' tag with the law for, and gettin' into trouble for, is it? pah!" bangs got up disgustedly. "i was a fool ever to go into this thing. that man from cape town has been playin' a joke. sawdust! a box of sawdust!" carl chuckled, but the two men were so wrought up they did not hear him, or pay any attention to him. carl felt sure that the dried frog was getting in its work. the spell of the hoodoo was over jurgens, and bangs, and the iron chest. of course, carl was wide of his reckoning when he allowed his thoughts to take this course. but, then, he was superstitious. why yamousa, a friend of matt's, should want to load him up with hoodoo and tell him it would bring him luck, was a point carl had already considered. he explained that point, to his own satisfaction at least, by imagining that the charm would bring luck to matt alone, and bad luck to everybody else. explanations are always easy when a fellow wants to prove anything! "wait a minute, proctor," called jurgens. bangs had started for the door with the evident intention of going away and washing his hands of the whole affair. at this call, however, he turned back. "well?" he queried. "i'll bet money there's something in here besides sawdust. let's not form any snap judgments till we dig to the bottom." "pirates don't pack pieces-of-eight in sawdust!" scowled bangs. "pirates didn't have anything to do with this treasure. it came from south africa and was brought to the spanish main in a modern ship." "you half told me cap'n kidd had stowed that away on turtle key!" "i said that to get you interested, and secure your help." "and i've rung the creole gentleman that owns this house in on the deal! well, you'll have to make it right with him, that's all." "i'll take care of the creole gentleman!" with that, jurgens turned the chest upside down, pushed it away and began kicking the heap of sawdust right and left. something was found--but it was not what jurgens and bangs seemed to hope for. a round object rolled out of the brownish particles and stopped rolling directly at jurgens' feet. jurgens leaped back with a startled exclamation, and stood staring. bangs muttered something, and backed away. the round object was a carved head--and as hideous a bit of work as carl had ever seen. the eyes were black and beady, and set under heavy overhanging brows; the nose was wide at its base and suggested the negroid type; the mouth had thick lips and was twisted into a grin. but it was not a mirthful grin the face wore--far from that. there was something demoniacal, menacing and uncanny in that petrified grin--something that caught the heart with clammy hands and sent chill after chill along the nerves. carl turned his face away. bangs, with a terrified yell, jumped for the door, but jurgens grabbed him before he could get out of the room. "hold up, you fool!" stormed jurgens. "are you going to run from a piece of carved wood?" "hanged if i want to be anywhere near that thing!" palpitated bangs. "let's get out of here!" "wait. put a clamp on your nerves and don't make a fool of yourself." leaving bangs to watch him with bulging eyes, jurgens returned to the head and picked it up. "there are letters carved in the top of it," said he. "do they spell anything?" whispered bangs, moistening his dry lips with his tongue. "'obboney.' that's what i make out of them." "what's obboney?" queried bangs. "does it mean anything? if it does, what?" "dere iss a baper in der sawdust," spoke up carl, whose interest in the head was about as terrifying as bangs. jurgens looked down, saw a bit of white in the sawdust, then reached for it and shook it clear of the brown particles. he unfolded a note, written on parchment or some sort of tanned skin. "well!" he exclaimed. "what is it?" asked bangs, anxiously. "it's a key to the mystery. listen." thereupon bangs read the following: "'the head of obboney. read and give heed, for the head of obboney contains many things, perilous and otherwise to human beings. "'obboney is a malicious deity of the koromantyn, or gold coast negroes, of africa; he is the author of all evil, and when his displeasure is signified by the infliction of pestilential disorders, or otherwise, nothing will divert his anger but human sacrifices; and these sacrifices are selected from captives taken in war, or, if there be none, then from the slaves of the koromantyns.'" jurgens paused. the paper shook in his fingers and fell fluttering to the floor. he lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. "what's the matter with you?" demanded bangs. "i don't know," answered jurgens, hoarsely. "do you smell a peculiar odor in this room?" "i've been smelling that for several minutes. where does it come from?" "i--i don't know, but it seems to lay hold of muscle and brain, like--like poison." jurgens had been holding the head of obboney in the crook of his left arm. just when he finished speaking, the head dropped with a thump into the sawdust; jurgens staggered back, tried to recover his balance, failed, and crumpled to the floor. "are you sick?" demanded bangs, stepping hurriedly to jurgens' side. "i--i don't know what's the matter with me," whispered jurgens. "some--some infernal power has--has laid hold of me and----" his head sank back, his limbs relaxed, and he lay with closed eyes, silent save for his stentorous breathing. carl was also conscious of a slow stupor creeping through his nerves. "let me oop!" he gasped, struggling to sit up. "take der ropes off oof me und led us ged oudt oof here. oof ve don't leaf, ve vill be deadt men pefore you can say chack ropinson!" "but--but where does that--that odor come from?" demanded bangs, himself rapidly losing consciousness. "from--from der headt!" stuttered carl, wildly. "take it avay! trow it from der vindow! it iss pad--pad meticine! it vas a hootoo, py shinks, und----" carl's words faded into silence. like jurgens, he fell backward and began breathing heavily. bangs stared for a moment, then staggered toward the door, intent on reaching purer air. but he never gained the entrance. the mysterious odor claimed him and he sank to the floor with a hollow groan. he tried to roll away, but gave a gasp and his senses left him. thus the malicious obboney was doing his deadly work. the head, lying face upward in the sawdust, grinned vindictively and the jetty eyes glittered. could any one have seen the carved head, just then, it would have seemed to be exulting over its power, and what its power had accomplished. heavier and heavier came the breathing of the sleepers, and thicker and thicker grew the odor in the room. it seemed certain that death must overtake the three who were under the head's evil influence. then, suddenly, a black shape bounded into the embrasure of the window. it was the monkey, and the monkey was still playing with carl's cap. standing on all four paws in the embrasure, the monkey danced up and down and surveyed the scene below him. he seemed to wonder at the silence of the figures sprawled on the floor. his simian senses were attracted by the gleaming eyes of obboney, and he began to chatter; in another moment he had leaped into the room, bounded to the heap of sawdust and picked up the head. then, like a thief fearing detection, he bounded chattering back to the window, dropping the cap and clinging with both his forepaws to the head. in the space of a breath, he was out of the room and upon the gallery. chapter x. on the trail. it looked as though bangs, in carrying out his plot to secure the chest, had overreached himself in one important particular. the expressman he hired to carry the iron chest to the house in st. peters street had a stand near the railroad station, close to the levee, and it was here that matt and dick found him. prudence in carrying out his treachery should have made bangs wary about hiring an expressman who could be found so easily. however, bangs had probably but little time to spare, and no doubt he expected to be away from the st. peters street house before any one could suspect what he was up to and follow him there. "you're the fellow who came to stuyvesant dock about half-past ten this morning and took away an iron chest, aren't you?" inquired dick, facing the expressman. "ah reckons you-all's got de wrong pig by de ear, boss," said the darky. "ah didn't tote no iron chest fo' nobody." "stow it!" cried dick, looking at the man keenly. "you're the swab, all right." "positive of it, dick?" put in matt. "i'd take my solemn alfred he's the man!" "then," went on matt, quietly, "bangs has probably paid him something to keep still! i'll watch him, dick, while you go and get a policeman." at that, the darky rolled up the whites of his eyes, and showed other signs of trepidation. "hol' up dar, cap'n," he called to dick, who had started away. "doan' go an' hurry off daterway. mebby ah was de feller. what ob it?" "now you're talking sensibly," said matt. "do you remember where you took the chest?" "ah doan jis' riccolect," the negro answered, scratching his woolly head. "ah wisht ah did, sah, if it would be any help t' yo, but mah mem'ry is dat sho't ah done kain't seem tuh remembah nuffin'." this was so plainly a falsehood that matt turned to dick. "go on after the officer, dick," said he. "this fellow don't intend to play fair with us. perhaps we can take him to jail and make him talk." "wait, dar!" cried the darky. "you-all is so quick tuh go off an do somefin'. yassuh, ah reckons ah kin remembah de place. hit was in toulouse street. ah'll take yo' dar if yo' wants tuh go." "we'll go," answered matt. "get into the wagon, dick." the darky drove over his former course, but instead of keeping on to st. peters he turned to the left at toulouse, and brought up before a building two blocks from royal. "dar's de bery place," said he, pointing to the building with his stump of a whip. matt had one of his swift "hunches" that the darky was still trying to fool them. "you stay here with him, dick," said he, starting to get down from the wagon. "it won't take me long to find out whether or not the chest is in that house. if it isn't there, we'll know we haven't been brought to the right place, and then we can call in the officer." "ah reckon yo' bettah sot right down ag'in, boss," said the expressman to matt. "dishyer ain't de place. hit's on st. peters street, an' dis time i'll take yo' dar, hones'. 'clar tuh goodness, ah nebber seen sich fellers as you-all tuh stick an' hang. now, den, we's goin' tuh de right place." he started up his mules again. "you're going to run foul of a lot of trouble if you keep trying to fool us," warned dick. "ah ain't gwine tuh try hit no mo'," returned the darky, earnestly. "how much did bangs give you to keep still about that iron chest?" queried matt. "bangs?" echoed the darky. "whaffur yo' call him bangs, boss? dat feller's name is proctor." "well, proctor, then. how much did he give you?" "he done gib me five dollahs. yo' ain't expectin' tuh take hit away from me, is yo'?" "if we find you're still trying to fool us," answered matt, severely, "we'll not only have the money taken from you, but your license, as well." "ah's gwine tuh do de right thing now, boss," was the earnest response. "you-all kin bank on dat." a little later he stopped at the right place, and matt and dick got down from the wagon. the praline woman had repaired the damage carl had caused her stock in trade and was still in the doorway. "how long have you been here, aunty?" matt asked, dropping a quarter in the negress' lap. "all day, boss," was the answer. "did you see a man and a boy go in here with a big iron box?" "'deed ah did, sah!" said the woman, vehemently. "de fat boy done slipped on de walk an' squashed down en mah basket ob pralines. i was paid fo' dat, dough, an' dey went on into de house." "the trail's getting hot," spoke up dick. "who lives in the house?" asked matt. "m'sieu rigolette." matt turned and pulled a bell at the door. after a minute or two some one came out on an iron balcony over the door and looked down. it was the creole gentleman, still in his bare feet and wearing his tattered trousers and flannel shirt. there was a wild, apprehensive look in his face, and he would have withdrawn as suddenly as he had appeared if dick had not caught sight of him and given a yell. "ahoy there, you!" "vat you vant?" came the query. "your name rigolette?" "_oui_--yes. why?" "come down here," said matt. "we want to talk with you." "i haf done nozzing wrong," returned rigolette, in a whining, apologetic voice. "we don't say you have," answered matt, fully convinced now that something unusual had taken place in the house, "and all we want you to do is to come down and talk with us." the fellow disappeared from the balcony and presently showed himself in the door. "vat eet ees?" he inquired. there was fear in his shifty eyes as he flashed them over matt and carl. "is there a man named townsend in your house?" returned matt. "_non_--no. zere ees no man lak dat.' "a man named jurgens, then?" rigolette started and hunched his shoulders. "no, jurgens ees not here, m'sieu." "he's talking double, matt," struck in dick; "i can see it in his eyes." "zere ees no sooch man," cried rigollette, "_non_, i swear eet!" "or proctor?" rigolette quailed under matt's steady look. the creole, with a groan, flung out his hands. "_oui_--yes," he murmured, "zey was here, _mais_ not no more. zat ees ze trut'." "where are they? and where is the german boy who came with proctor? and the iron chest they brought with them?" "zat ees ze puzzle--ze riddle, wat you call. ze chest, ah, ha, i show heem; _mais_ ze boy, proctair an' jurgens, zey haf gone. one by one zey go, run down ze stairs lak ze wild man, zen t'roo de court and out ze door, and away. zey was cr-r-razy, an' zey keel ze p'tit joujou!" rigolette wrung his hands. "ze p'tit joujou," he wailed. "the more he talks," said dick, "the less we know." "take us to the chest," ordered matt, turning to the creole. "zen _allons_!" returned the owner of the house. "i haf done nozzing wrong, for i be ver' good frenchmans, creole frenchmans," he called over his shoulder. "something has happened, we can be jolly sure of that, matey," remarked dick, moving along at matt's side. "that's an easy guess, dick," said matt. "the question is, what's happened?" in the court the creole paused beside a black shape lying on the ground. it was a monkey, and the monkey, as could be seen at a glance, was dead. its hairy arms were embracing the head of obboney, holding it in such a position that the beady eyes stared upward into the faces of the boys. "wow-whoosh!" gulped dick, starting back. "keelhaul me if i ever saw anything like that before. br-r-r! it sends the cold shivers up and down my spine. what do you make of it, matt?" matt, an odd, uncanny feeling racing through him, bent down and examined the head. "it looks like the head of some heathen idol, dick," he replied. "what killed the monkey, rigolette?" he asked. "zat i do not know, m'sieu," whimpered the creole. "ze poor p'tit joujou!" "i smell something that's powerful strong," observed dick, lifting his head and sniffing. "don't you, mate?" "yes," said matt, "and it's something that makes me dizzy. where did that head come from, rigolette?" "me, i do not know, m'sieu. ze hor-r-rible head! ou, ai, i don't like zat to be here, but i plenty scare' to take heem away from ze p'tit joujou." "well," and matt turned away, "where's the chest? take us to the chest, rigolette." the creole led the way to the stairs and up to the room on the first balcony. "here ees w'ere zey breeng ze chest," said he, "an' zere you see heem." with the last words he stepped into the room and pointed. the chest, with the lid thrown back, lay to one side of the room. near it was the pile of sawdust. dick, catching sight of something near the heap of sawdust, stepped forward and picked the object up. "carl's cap!" exclaimed matt. "right-o!" returned dick. "but why should the cap be here and not carl? we're in deep waters, matey. look at that raffle of cord on the floor. some one's been tied, here, and slipped the lashings. sink me, but it must have been carl!" matt whirled on the creole. "did proctor and jurgens make the boy a prisoner?" he demanded. "i know nozzing, m'sieu," replied the creole; "i haf done nozzing wrong." "did you----" just at that moment a door opened--a door opposite the one leading upon the gallery that overlooked the court. "bangs!" shouted dick, pointing to a wild figure that appeared in the doorway. with a snarl like that of an angry panther, the figure turned and leaped for an open window. matt and dick both sprang in pursuit. chapter xi. a black mystery. bangs, it seemed clear, had entered the other room through a window in the side of the house. the roof of a one-story building came close up under the window, so that it was comparatively easy to enter rigolette's house in that manner. and bangs was trying to make his escape in the same way he had come. he jumped from the window to the neighboring rooftop and started for the edge of the roof. matt and dick, however, were upon him before he could get over the roof's edge and drop to the ground. bangs fought fiercely, clawing and growling, like a wild animal. his eyes were wild, he was bareheaded and his hair was tumbled over his forehead. "the man's crazy," said matt. "is it drink did it?" asked dick. "has he been topping the boom too much?" "no, it wasn't drink; it's something else. let's get him back to rigolette's and see if he's able to give us any information." getting the squirming bangs back to the creole's was not an easy matter. however, rigolette dropped the pieces of rope lying in the room where carl had been confined, from the window, and the boys made their captive's wrists and ankles secure; then they heaved bangs upward, and the creole caught him by the shoulders and dragged him through the opening. "he ees wild," chattered rigolette; "ever'body ees wild. i was wild myself." "i say, bangs!" called dick, kneeling beside the prisoner and shaking him. "what's the matter with you?" bangs mumbled incoherently and stared fiercely. "do you think he's putting it on, mate?" said dick, appealing to matt. "no, he's not putting it on. the man's really daft." matt turned to rigolette. "you say the boy and jurgens were like bangs, here?" "_oui_--yes," said the creole. "zey run from ze house; now proctair, he ees come back by ze roof. w'y he do zat w'en he could come by ze door? zat ees a mystery." "aye, a black mystery!" cried dick. "carl was certainly here," mused matt; "the finding of his cap proves it. and it's almost equally clear that he was a prisoner. something locoed him, as well as bangs and jurgens; and carl, in some manner, got out of his ropes. where is he now? that's the point. and the iron chest--was that all that was in it?" and matt nodded toward the heap of sawdust. at that moment the scrap of paper, which jurgens had dropped, met his eyes. he picked it up. "what is it, mate?" asked dick, anxiously. "does it shed any light?" matt read the paper aloud. "strike me lucky!" exclaimed dick. "that head--it must have been in the box. wasn't there anything else?" matt dropped to his knees excitedly and began running his fingers through the sawdust. "that was all," said he, "the head of obboney and this paper." dick laughed harshly. "and that's the treasure jurgens and whistler have been hunting for!" he exclaimed. "the head of an idol--a heathen idol! i wonder what townsend will say to this? the man from cape town seems to have pulled the wool over the eyes of everybody." "why didn't jurgens take the head away with him if it was in the box?" matt queried, thoughtfully. "probably he didn't think it was worth bothering with; either that or else he was too crazy to think of it." "go down and get the head, dick," said matt. "we might as well put it back in the chest and try and deliver everything to townsend just as we found it." "aye, aye," answered dick, and started. matt was astounded by the situation which confronted him and dick in the creole's house. bangs had engineered a piece of successful treachery, but, in the end, the treachery had somehow turned against him and jurgens. what had caused the death of the monkey? and what was it that had turned the brains of bangs, jurgens and carl? bangs was clearly demented, and if rigolette was to be believed, so were jurgens and carl. and only that idol's head had been in the iron chest! yes, truly, the affair was a mystery--and a black one. while matt was struggling to think of something that might help to a solution of the problem, dick came bounding up the stairs and along the gallery. "it's gone!" he panted. matt whirled on him in consternation. "what, the head of obboney?" he asked. "nothing else, old ship! it's not where we saw it and it isn't anywhere in the court. the negro woman at the door says that a man answering jurgens' description rushed into the house and out again. he had something when he went out, but she couldn't see what it was. i'll bet it was that idol's head, mate!" "it must have been!" exclaimed matt. "perhaps a little reason returned to jurgens and he came back after the head. did he seem to be crazy, or in any manner off his balance?" "the woman says he looked wild, didn't say a word and went like a streak." "well," said matt, regretfully, "we've been beaten out, after all. what we've got to do now is to find carl." "where'll we look for him? we can go cruising around, but this is a big town and, if carl is off his bearings, there's no telling where he'll go." "if he's very much off his bearings, the police will pick him up. and the same with jurgens. but----" matt halted and gave a glance at rigolette, who was leaning moodily against the wall. "come over here, dick," said matt, stepping to one side. when his chum joined him, he lowered his voice so the creole could not hear what was said. "you remember that smoke picture of yamousa's--the one you and i saw?" "dowse me, mate, if i could ever forget that!" "what do you think of yamousa and her smoke pictures, by now?" "why, i'm not much of a hand to believe in things like that," replied dick, slowly, "but that first smoke picture, showing the boat and the chest, with the _hawk_ overhead and you below--why, that was a dead ringer for what happened. blow me tight! i'm fair dazed to account for that picture." "so am i," continued matt, earnestly, "but this is what i'm trying to get at. if one picture gave a truthful forecast of what was to happen, isn't it possible that the second picture was equally truthful and to be depended on?" "more than possible, matt--_probable_." "do you recollect what that second picture was? "why, a room with stone walls and a man who looked like townsend lashed by the hands and feet and lying on the floor!" "then, if you remember, we saw the outside of the building--or what yamousa said was the outside of it--and the lower story was occupied by an antique shop." "right-o! the sign above the shop bore the name of crenelette." "exactly. now, dick, it strikes me we ought to go down royal street and look for crenelette's place of business. there's nothing we can do for carl, just now, inasmuch as we don't know where to go to find him, and there may be something we _can_ do for townsend." "your head's level, matey, like it always is. we'll go on a hunt for townsend. if the contents of the iron chest can't be recovered, we must do the next best thing and help townsend out of a hole--provided he _is_ in a hole, which seems almost certain." matt turned away and addressed himself to rigolette. "how long was jurgens here, in your house, rigolette?" he asked. "two--t'ree day, m'sieu." "what was he doing here?" "zat i do not know. _sapristi!_ my head ees buzzing wit' all dese zings vat i don't onderstan'." "you may not have been doing anything wrong, of your own knowledge, by harboring and helping jurgens and proctor, rigolette, but those men are criminals, and you've got to walk pretty straight from this on if you don't want to get yourself into trouble." "i no want ze trouble, m'sieu!" whined the creole. "i have ze trouble enough wizout making more." "then keep proctor here, just as he is. he may come to himself, before long, and when he does we'll try to get back and have a talk with him. comprenny?" "_oui_--yes. he ees my friend, but i keep heem lak you say. zen, bumby, eet may be he can tell what keel ze p'tit joujou." "i haven't any doubt but that he can let in a good deal of light upon the mystery. we'll try and return here, in a few hours. meanwhile, if the dutch boy wanders back, try and keep him." "i do w'at i can, m'sieu." matt and dick, puzzled and bewildered but hoping for results from their fresh line of inquiry, inquired their way to royal street and turned along it in the direction of canal. fortune favored them, for they had not gone a block along royal street before they saw an antique shop with the sign, "m. crenelette, antiques," over the door. matt and dick went to the other side of the street and took in the appearance of the building. in every particular it conformed to the smoke picture which they had seen, miles away, in the hut of yamousa. "i'm all ahoo!" admitted dick. "yamousa must know a whole lot of things that scientists haven't yet discovered. that's the building, to a dot!" "it's amazing!" murmured matt. "our cue seems to be a good one and it's up to us to follow it and see where it leads." "right-o! heave ahead and i'll tow along, ready for anything that happens." as the boys pushed across the street toward the door of the antique shop, a face dodged away from a second-story window. and it was a face which, if the boys had seen it, would have warned them to be on their guard. chapter xii. at close quarters. m. crenelette was a gray-haired, benevolent looking man with mild blue eyes. it was impossible to associate him with anything in the nature of lawlessness, and the boys were tempted to think they were on the wrong track. m. crenelette was french, but he talked english like one to the manner born. his establishment was a veritable junk shop. "what can i do for you, my friends?" he asked, getting up from a desk where he had been writing. "have you any objections to letting us take a look through your basement?" asked matt. "basement? basement?" repeated the antiquarian, puzzled. "yes, through the cellar under your store." "my dear young man, there are no cellars in new orleans. the ground is too low, and there is water too near the surface." once more matt and dick began to feel that they were making a mistake in coming to m. crenelette. "is there a room in this building that is inclosed with stone walls?" "ah!" and m. crenelette's face brightened, "you speak now of the vaults of the old bank. they are on the second floor. i do not use the second floor, and it was rented, a few days ago, to an american gentleman. he has not moved in, yet. what interests you in the old vault?" "we simply want to look it over," matt answered. "will you show us how to get up there? if the man who rented the place hasn't moved in yet i suppose there won't be any objection?" "certainly not. come this way." the frenchman passed out the rear of his store and pointed to an open back stairway. "the door may be locked," said he, "and, in that case, you will be disappointed, for i have given the key to the new tenant. you might go up the stairs and try the door." as matt and dick ascended the stairs, m. crenelette posted himself to watch. the bell at his front door suddenly tinkled, however, announcing a customer, and he had to go away. the boys tried the door and found it open. "the new tenant," remarked dick, "isn't a very careful man. i wonder if his name is jurgens?" "probably," said matt, stepping into the room beyond the door. it was a small room, and there was another door opposite the one by which he had entered. "dowse my toplights!" exclaimed dick. "this doesn't look much like a bank. and then the idea of a bank being on the second floor! all my eye and betty martin!" "perhaps the bank was on the first floor and the vaults on the second," suggested matt. "it was probably an old institution. from the looks of this building it must have been standing at the time jackson whipped the britishers." "i'm a britisher, you know, old ship," laughed dick, "and i don't like to have you rub that jackson fight into me. push ahead and let's see what's in the next room." matt opened the door and was confronted by a windowless room as dark as egypt. the only daylight that reached it came from the room in which the two boys were standing. "shiver me!" muttered dick. "i guess we've reached the vaults, matey." "they wouldn't have a door like this to a bank vault, dick. we'll go in and see if there isn't a door on the other side that we can open." matt entered the room, groping his way through the thick gloom. dick followed him closely. suddenly, the door through which they had just come slammed shut and a key was heard grating in the lock. "trapped!" muttered dick. "there was some one here and laying for us." "quick!" called matt, whirling around. "try the door." before dick could get back to it, matt heard a muttered exclamation and the sound of a struggle. it was impossible to see a thing, and the young motorist could only guess at what had happened. "dick!" he called, leaping forward. "look alive, mate!" panted dick. "some one's got hold of me." before dick had fairly finished speaking, a pair of stout arms went around matt, and he was forced to fight on his own account and leave dick to look after himself. it was a struggle at close quarters, and a very unequal one. slowly but steadily matt was forced across the floor. "who are you?" he panted. "what are----" "whistler!" came a husky voice, "i'm closer to you, now, than i was at the bayou. saw you coming across the street and opened the door to make it easy for you to get in. i don't know how you found out about this place, but your call here won't do you any good. you've bothered jurgens and me as long as you're going to, and you and ferral will never live to get away from this building!" with that, matt felt himself hurled roughly backward. he struck against a wall and dropped half stunned to the floor. the next moment dick came banging against him, and there followed the clang of an iron door, the rattle of a key, then silence. "matt?" called dick, his voice echoing and reëchoing strangely. "here," answered matt. "blest if we smoked whistler's roll quick enough! we came easy for him--so easy that i'm ashamed of myself. the fact that he was here proves that this is a sort of headquarters for him and jurgens." "if this wasn't a rendezvous of theirs, of course whistler wouldn't have been around." "where are we?" "i guess," answered motor matt, slowly, "that we have found the old vault. that was an iron door that closed on us, if the noise it made counts for anything." "oh, glory!" grunted dick, disgustedly. "how long can we stay in here without smothering to death?" "the air seems to be fairly pure, at present--purer, in fact, than it was out in that other room. but, whistler! why he was the last man i was expecting to see." "and we didn't see much of him, at that," growled dick. "my eye, but here's a go! whistler didn't lose much time coming in from that bayou. i wonder if he's found jurgens, and if the two of them have got the hooks on carl?" "there are a whole lot of things i wish i knew, dick," said matt. "same here, matey. whistler had some one with him, and that other man may have been jurgens." "well, if it was jurgens, then it's a cinch jurgens wasn't so much off his balance as rigolette led us to believe. but i don't think it was jurgens." "why not?" "jurgens would have said something to let us know that he had a hand in our capture." "right-o. jurgens is a good deal of a boaster and likes to run up his signals whenever he gets the chance. we've had a nice time of it since we reached new orleans, i must say! with you and me locked up, and carl running around with his mind in a haze, i wonder what's going to become of the _hawk_? she can't roost out there on the dock indefinitely." "we're not going to stay locked up for long," returned matt. "just as soon as we catch our breath we've got to take a look around here and see if we can't get away." "with an iron door to batter down, matey, the outlook isn't what you might call promising. i've heard of men being shut up in bank vaults, but they usually smothered. oh, hang the luck! and hang the way we dropped into this bunch of trouble! we ought to have suspected there was some one in here when we found the door open." "no use crying over spilt milk, dick. don't you think it might have been whistler instead of jurgens who rushed into the house of rigolette's and took the idol's head away from joujou?" "one guess is as good as another," said dick, heavily. "well, we'll stop guessing and try and get down to facts. have you any matches?" "a pocketful." "then strike one and we'll find out where we are." the floor of the room was of brick. dick scratched a match on the floor and then got to his feet and held the light in the best position for him and matt to make a survey of their quarters. the room in which the boys found themselves was about ten feet square. the walls and ceiling were of stone, and there was only one opening, and this was closed with a heavy iron door. dick stepped to the door and pushed against it. although rust encrusted the iron plates, yet the door rigidly resisted his push upon it. "we might blow the door down with a stick of dynamite," said dick, "but that's the only way we could do the trick, mate. i'm a fiji if----" "look!" came hoarsely from matt; "on the floor, there, off to the left of you!" the flame of the match was eating close to dick's fingers, but in the last, dying glow he swerved his eyes in the direction indicated by matt, and an astonishing duplicate of yamousa's second smoke picture burst on his eyes. on the brick floor lay a man with gray hair and gray mustache, bound hand and foot and gagged. it seemed to matt and dick as though they were again in the hut by the bayou and peering into the smoke arising from the earthen jar under the spell of yamousa. "townsend!" gasped dick. chapter xiii. three in a trap. the boys knew archibald townsend, otherwise captain nemo, jr., of the _grampus_, well. the matchlight was feeble, but there could be no mistake. both of them crept forward, and while dick groped about with his hands to unloosen the cords that bound the prisoner, matt removed the gag. "king!" gasped townsend, as soon as he could speak; "and ferral! this is the most amazing thing i ever heard of! how is it you happen to be here?" "that will be even more amazing, townsend," answered matt, "when we tell you about it. how long have you been here?" "it must be all of two days, although there's no telling the difference between night and day in such a black hole. gad, but it's good to see you boys again. when did you get here?" "to-day," answered matt. "and it's been our busy day, too," added dick. "we've been on the jump ever since we struck the town." "i was so astounded when you boys were thrown in here that i could hardly think," continued townsend. "later, when you began to talk, what you said aroused my curiosity. you got my telegram, of course?" "yes, and started at once as soon as it came to hand." "what happened to you? i might as well tell you, before you begin to talk, though, that jurgens has got the iron chest away from me again." "we know that," said matt, "for we picked it up out of an empty boat in the river." an exclamation of astonishment burst from townsend. "start at once," said he, "and give me the whole of your experiences. after that i'll tell you what happened to me, and we'll have a fair understanding of the situation." matt and dick, between them, related their adventures, beginning at bayou yamousa. townsend was absorbed in the recital, but made no comment until the last word was spoken. "mystery seems to have been following mystery!" he exclaimed. "the obeah woman has helped you, and me, in a most remarkable way. i am not particularly credulous, and that talk of yours about the smoke pictures, coming from any one else but you, would be hard to swallow. most remarkable--in fact, astounding! by some arts of her own she seems to have thrown into the screen of smoke events that were to happen, as well as to give you a view of my situation, many miles away--a view that was complete in every particular. "all that is strange and incomprehensible, but it is hardly a marker to the rest that happened. the head of an idol in that iron chest! i wonder if it had anything to do with the unbalancing of jurgens, bangs and carl? furthermore, i wonder how it happened that bangs was on the levee to spring that cock-and-bull story on you when you arrived? these are all inexplicable things to me." townsend fell silent, apparently musing in the blank gloom. "you are probably anxious to hear how i lost the chest a second time," he presently went on. "it happened principally because i was ignorant of the fact that our old enemies, jurgens and whistler, were in new orleans. i had not heard a thing about them since they vanished so mysteriously from that little island in the bahamas. "as soon as the _grampus_ reached this port, i immediately laid my plans to have the iron chest removed to a place of safety. it was night, and i hired a man with a wheelbarrow to take it into town. i went with the man, but, before i left the _grampus_, i arranged with cassidy to send you a telegram on the following day. it was not my intention to return to the _grampus_ that night, and i expected to be busy locating the lady for whom the man from cape town had asked me to look. "while we were crossing the levee, and were in a dark and obscure place on the water front, i and the man with the wheelbarrow were set upon by a gang of roughs. the man who was wheeling the chest was knocked down and left unconscious, and i was bound, put in a closed carriage and brought here. since that time my mind and body have both been shrouded in total darkness. twice a day a negro has come and given me food, but i have seen nothing of either whistler or jurgens. "however, i surmised the reason for my capture and detention in this place. my scoundrelly enemies wished to keep me in limbo until they had divided the treasure in the iron chest and got well away with their booty. yet the time i spent here has not been altogether lost. i have cultivated my negro jailer. he would tell me nothing about my captors, nor why i had been captured, but he has promised to release me if i would give him $ . the last time he came with food i wrote a line to cassidy telling him to pay over the money and ask no questions. the negro may get the money and then fail to carry out his part of the contract--but it was a chance i had to take." "isn't there any other way to get out of here except by the negro's aid?" asked matt. "i have had little else to do, while lying here, but turn such expedients over and over in my mind. i believe there is a way, matt, providing we were armed with a crowbar. you will notice that the air in here is pure and wholesome--something you would not find in an air-tight vault." "matt noticed that, townsend," returned dick, "as soon as we landed in here." "well," pursued townsend, "light another match, ferral, and then watch the flame." the match was lighted, held about a foot from the floor, and the flame was seen to be sucked sideways and downward, as though by a draught of air. "there's a current of fresh air blowing through here," observed matt. "i noticed that the first time the negro brought my food to me," said townsend. "he had a candle, and the flame of the candle, like that of the match, inclined downward and burned with a hissing sound as though fanned by a draught of air. i managed to roll about and investigate a little, tapping with my heels on the brick. there are crevices in the brick, over near the end of the vault, and i am sure that a little work with a crowbar would bring us either into the outside air, or into the shop below. but," and townsend gave a grim laugh, "we have no crowbar; and, at the time i made my discoveries, i did not even have the use of my limbs." "i've got a dirk, old ship," said dick. "give me time enough and i could dig through a stone wall with it." "it will be just as well to wait until night," answered townsend. "the man in the store below might hear us and he may be in league with jurgens and whistler." "he's not," averred matt, "i'll answer for that. if there was ever an honest frenchman, he's one." "but he's letting jurgens and whistler use this floor for lawless purposes." "he doesn't know what they're using it for. in fact, he doesn't think they've moved in here yet." "then we might go ahead with our work," said townsend. "can you work in the dark, ferral?" "if i have to, aye, aye," answered dick; "and it looks as though i'd have to, considering that the only light we have is furnished by matches." "well, start in. you can tell where the place is by the cool air along the floor. it will be a long job, and matt and i will relieve you from time to time." dick lost not a moment in getting to work. "the chances are, townsend," observed matt, "your negro will never have the opportunity to get into this vault again. whistler has been away and has come back. he will take the vault key and act as jailer, if i'm any prophet." "from what whistler said when he and his man threw us in here," spoke up dick, "it's my idea that he intends to leave us here to starve. he wouldn't be above that sort of thing." "he and jurgens," said townsend gravely, "wouldn't be above anything. this is a rare opportunity to get all of us out of the way--too good an opportunity, i'm afraid they'll think, to be allowed to pass. we'd better depend upon our own efforts, and dig out as quick as we can. we'll have to be quick, too, before hunger and thirst get the better of us." "have you any idea, townsend," asked matt, "why that man from cape town should put an idol's head in that iron chest?" "not the slightest," declared townsend. "i can't believe it possible that he is trying to hoax anybody. we must not lose sight of the fact that the lady i am to look for, in this city, he claimed to be his daughter. i was to find her, you may perhaps remember, open the chest in her presence and divide the contents of the chest equally. it would be difficult for us to divide an idol's head, and there would be small gain for us, even if we did it. no, no, boys, there is something more back of this--another mystery among the many that have already put us at sea." "something must have turned the brains of jurgens, bangs and carl," remarked matt, "and that could not have happened until the chest had been opened. could you make a guess as to what it was, townsend?" "guesses are easy--but profitless. bangs, you say, is a prisoner. if he recovers his wits, perhaps he will tell us what we want to know." "that creole in st. peters street," put in dick, "may not hang onto bangs if we don't show up at the house to-night. we told him we'd come, but he may think we've slanted away for good and let bangs go. he told us bangs was a messmate of his." "well," suggested townsend, "there's carl. he'll be able to tell us something when he comes to himself and finds you again. if----" there came a snap as of broken metal from dick's end of the vault, followed by a muttered exclamation. "what's the matter, ferral?" asked townsend. "i've broken my dirk short off at the hilt!" growled dick. "keelhaul me for a bungler! _now_ what are we going to do? we haven't even a knife to work with." a pall of dejection settled over the three in the stone and iron trap. each, perhaps, was casting vainly about in his mind for some expedient which could help them to their freedom. before any of them could speak, there came from the door a sound as of some one trying to push a key into the lock. "whistler!" whispered matt. "he'd not come here alone, mate," said dick, "knowing that two of us are free and that we have surely released townsend. if it's whistler, you can lay something handsome he has a gang at his heels." "no matter if he has," spoke up townsend, "it's a chance to fight our way out of this dungeon. group yourselves about the door and, when it opens, spring out and do what you can with your fists." the suggestion captured the instant approval of matt and dick. all three of the prisoners huddled close to the door, and when the key grated, and the door was pulled ajar, they all sprang out. contrary to their expectations they met with no resistance. a negro with a candle had unlocked the door, and he was nearly overturned by the concerted rush of the prisoners. "why," cried townsend, "it's the man who has been bringing my meals." "great spark plugs!" exclaimed matt, "we know him, too. he's the fellow that hauled bangs, carl and the iron chest to the house in st. peters street!" "well met, old ship!" jubilated dick. "we can forgive you a whole lot for this." chapter xiv. an astounding situation. from his appearance, the expressman was not feeling at all easy in his mind. his knees were knocking together, the candle was shaking in his hand, his teeth were chattering, his eyes were rolling frenziedly, and a grayish pallor had overspread his black face. "ah's got de feelin' dat ah's er gone niggah," he mumbled. "da's right, cap'n. ah's done seen t'ings, dis ebenin', dat ah ain't nevah gwine tuh git ober." "you got the five hundred?" asked townsend. "sho'ly, sho'ly. en ah's er hones' niggah er ah'd nevah come hyeh afteh what ah seen." "did you have the key?" "whistler got de key away f'om me, along endurin' de aftehnoon, cap'n; but i come hyeh en ah--ah done got it back, but ah mos' died a-doin' it. oh, by golly, hit's de wustest t'ing ah evah did!" "you didn't have to kill whistler to get the key, did you?" went on townsend, startled by the darky's fright. "no, no, boss, ah ain't dat kind." "where's whistler?" "he's heah----" "here!" "da's whut! en jurgens is heah, en anudder white man--dey's all heah." "where are they? what are they doing? can't they overhear us?" townsend fired his questions like the reports of a gatling, meanwhile looking about him as though to fight whatever peril might show itself. "you ain't got tuh feah dem no mo', cap'n," went on the darky. "ah took de key f'om whistler, en he didn't stop me--he wasn't able. i's feelin' monsus out ob sorts wif mahse'f, en now dat ah's let you-all loose, ah's gwine tuh cl'ar out. take de candle if you want tuh stay heah, but ah's gwine." the darky forced the candle into townsend's hand and whirled away. "hold up!" cried townsend. "don't be in such a rush. tell us what----" but the negro was gone, clattering across the floor of an outer room and rushing down the outside stairs. "what do you suppose put him in that kind of a taking, mates?" asked dick. "it puzzles me," answered townsend. "suppose we look around," said matt. they were in the dark room in which matt and dick had had their short struggle at close quarters with whistler and his man. dick opened the door on the right. it led into the room that opened upon the outside stairs. the door at the head of the stairs was ajar, and the released prisoners could see that dusk had fallen outdoors. "nothing in this direction, mates," announced dick. "try that other door next to you, matt." matt opened the door, and instantly a peculiar odor was perceptible. "we've sniffed that before, matt," said dick. "i remember it," returned matt; "it was in the court of rigolette's house. i wonder what it can be, and how we are able to smell it here?" shielding the flaring candle with his hand, matt stepped into the other room. in doing so he stumbled against something on the floor and stooped downward. it was the form of jurgens! as matt recoiled, startled cries came from townsend and dick. "three of 'em, or i'm a hottentot!" exclaimed dick. "look, will you! and there's the head of obboney!" dick's report was literally true. lying sprawled about the floor, breathing heavily, was not only jurgens, but whistler and one other man, as well. they lay around the idol's head, and the head, face upward, offered a most diabolical spectacle in the candlelight. the beady eyes gleamed and glittered, and the distorted face took on an expression it had not held in the broad light of day. "most remarkable!" murmured townsend, stepping over the form of jurgens and picking up the head. "what a monstrous thing!" he added, shuddering as he held the head up and looked into its face. "what heathen mind was ever able to conjure that out of a block of wood? the arch fiend himself must have had a hand in the work." "but how do you account for all this layout?" queried dick, waving his hand at the forms on the floor. "jurgens, after he took the head from the court of rigolette's house," surmised matt, "must finally have reached here with it. he arrived after you and i were thrown into the vault, dick, and that unknown man, lying near whistler, must have been the one who helped put us into the stone chamber. jurgens, whistler and the other man came into this room, and in due course they fell under the baneful spell of obboney. i don't know what else to call it." "that's the way of it, matt," said townsend; "that must have been the way of it. when the negro came here, he found these men sprawled out, just as we see them now. negroes as a rule are superstitious, and you can understand what a tremendous effort it must have taken for that darky to step across jurgens, pass this head and take the key of the vault from whistler's pocket! no wonder the fellow was half scared to death! it speaks pretty well for him that he dared to do what he did and earn the five hundred i asked cassidy to give him." "a main fine thing for us," remarked dick, "that he had nerve enough for the job." "there must be something about this head that is valuable," muttered townsend. "it would not have been in that chest if it wasn't valuable. still, i can't understand why the man from cape town should want the chest opened and the idol's head revealed before a woman. why, this thing is enough to send a woman into hysterics." "he had a scheme," said dick, "but shiver me if i can fathom it." "i'm beginning to feel a bit queer in the head," spoke up matt. "i wonder if i only imagine it?" "no imagination about it, matey," declared dick. "i'm feeling some queer myself." "i don't see why we should," said townsend. "what is there about this head to exert such an evil influence?" "there must be something," returned matt, "to stretch out fellows like whistler and jurgens as we see them." "whoosh!" exclaimed dick. "hear 'em breathe! their breath seems to be coming harder and harder. i wonder if that odor could kill a man?" "it must have killed the monkey," said matt. "if it would kill an animal in that way, i don't see why it wouldn't kill a man." "have you that paper that was found in the chest, matt?" asked townsend. "yes." "read it to me." matt drew the parchment from his pocket and stepped closer to the candle which, a few moments before, he had handed to dick. then, while he read the written words, townsend kept his keen, inquiring eyes on the idol's head. "it may be," observed townsend, when the reading was finished, "that there is a hidden meaning in that communication. the question is, what is that hidden meaning? does it deal with high finance, or thaumaturgy, or any of the other arts, black or white, with which princes of the black art are supposed to arm themselves? ha! answer me, some of you." matt gave a jump and stared at dick. dick, also startled, returned matt's stare with interest. townsend was talking nonsense--and he was always a grave, earnest man with no use whatever for anything foolish or extravagant. was the deadly odor taking effect upon his brain? holding the head as hamlet held the skull of yorick, townsend struck an attitude. "alas, poor yorick!" he began. but he got no further. just at that moment some one bounded into the room, snatched the head of obboney from his hands and hurled it against the wall. there was a smash, a tinkling clatter as of pebbles upon the floor, then silence. "ged oudt oof here! ged oudt or you vas all deadt men! helup me, matt, to pull dose fellers on der floor indo der odder room. ach, himmelblitzen! you don'd know vat a shance you vas daking. aber _i_ know--yah, so helup me!" "carl!" gasped matt, staggering toward the dutch boy. "you bed you," answered carl. "ged downsent avay, kevick! tick, you do dot. matt und i vill look afder der fellers on der floor." chapter xv. the treasure. townsend was babbling shakespeare as dick grabbed him and hauled him out to the room at the top of the stairway. there, seated on the landing, with the cool night air fanning his face and clearing his brain of the deadly influence of the odor, he slowly regained his poise. matt and carl dragged jurgens, whistler and the other man out of the fatal room, and carl, the last to leave, shut the door tightly. a few minutes in the night air served to revive carl, matt and dick. then, quite naturally the others wanted to know what had happened to the dutch boy, and where he had been. carl related his experiences in the house of rigolette, holding his listeners spellbound with his recital. "afder i dumpled ofer," he went on, "i ditn't know nodding ondil i seemed to vake oop und foundt meinseluf in a shdreed. i don' know der shdreed, und i vas losdt. vat i vanted vas to findt my vay to der tock, und der air ship, for i got der notion dot you vould be dere, matt, und dick, too. i vanted to dell you vat a mess tick und me made oof it py hafing anyt'ing to do mit dot pangs feller. "veil, i feel kindt oof hazy yet mit meinseluf, und i vander aroundt ondil id pegins to ged tark. i know vere i vant to go, aber i don'd seem to haf der sense to ask somepody vich vay it iss. den, pympy, i see dot jurgens feller comin' along der shdreet. he has der headt under his arm, und he iss valking fasdt, baying no addention to any vone. i follow him, und he comes py dis blace. oop der shdairs i come afder him, und he valks indo dot front room. i vould haf valked in dere, too, only i see dot whistler und anodder mans, so i packs oudt. "you see, my mindt vas gedding clearer und clearer, und i know a leedle how to dake care oof meinseluf. i ged indo der pack room und vait, und t'ink vat i shall do; und vile i vait und t'ink, i keep vishing und vishing dot matt und tick vas somevere aroundt. "vell, pympy, pooty soon, along comes dot nigger feller vat took pangs und me und der chest py dot house vere ve vent. he comes droo der room vere i vas und goes in der odder, und i hear him yell. i shday avay, und greep town der shdairs, t'inkin' i vas pedder off oudt oof der house as in id. den i t'ink meppy i go pack, but i vait some more for der nigger feller comes down der shdairs so kevick as anyt'ing und runs avay. "all der time i vait in der air, oof course my headt vas gedding clearer mit itseluf. in a liddle vile it geds so clear dot i haf der nerf to come oop der shdairs some more. den vat a surbrises! i look in der front room und i see whistler, und jurgens, und der odder feller on der floor, und matt, und tick, und downsent shdanding oop, und downsent looking at der itol's headt. den i rush in so fast as bossiple, snatch dot teufelish t'ing avay, und--und--vell you know der resdt. "it's der headt vat has der otor dot makes peobles grazy! und oof der headt shdays long enough py a feller, it vill make him as deadt as some mackerels. yah, so helup me!" silence followed carl's talk. "rigolette's monkey got the idol's head, carl," said matt. "the animal must have crawled in through the window that gave way under your weight, picked up the head and scampered off with it." "hooray for der monkey!" said carl. "if it hatn't peen for him you vouldn't have a dutch bard some more, matt und jurgens und pangs vould have peen some goners, too." "it seemed," said townsend, with his usual gravity, "as though i was somewhat affected by that head." "sink me if you weren't, townsend," answered dick. "you were spouting shakespeare and using words a fathom long." "i have no remembrance of that--only a hazy recollection that i didn't know what i was doing. i presume the idol was carved out of some kind of wood that has that deadly odor, and that the mahogany sawdust in the iron chest helped the head to retain the baneful influence. but why should the man from cape town pack the deadly thing in the chest and then ask me to open the chest in the presence of his daughter? there are features of this case which it is difficult to reconcile with the facts." matt started up suddenly. "did you break that idol's head, carl, when you smashed it against the wall?" he asked. "vell, i bed you!" answered carl. "i made oop my mindt dot i vould preak him indo a t'ousant bieces. dot von't shtop der shmell oof der vood, aber it vill shpoil der headt, all righdt." "we'll have to go back there," said matt. "nod on your life!" cried carl. "we can't leave the fragments, for one thing," insisted matt, "because they would be a source of peril to whoever found them and did not understand their power; then, for another thing, i have just thought of something." "of course we'll go back," said townsend. "there can't be any danger in going into the room for a few minutes." "den," said carl, "der fairst t'ing vat ve do vill be to put der bieces oof der headt in my coat und tie dem oop tight; und der next t'ing afder dot vill be to go to der rifer und shake out der bieces indo der vater. dot vill be der lasdt oof obboney." "good idea, carl," approved townsend. "pull off your coat and come on." dick had left the candle in the room where jurgens, whistler and the other man were lying. the three men were lying just as when townsend and the boys had left them, a short time before, but it was plain that their breathing was becoming easier by slow degrees. matt picked up the candle and preceded his companions into the front room. the head of obboney was not in a thousand pieces, but it had been smashed utterly beyond repair. carl sprang forward, his coat in his hand, to pick up the pieces and wrap them in the garment. before he got near the wall, however, he started back with a shout of surprise. "look!" he cried; "see dere, vonce! vot you call dose t'ings?" matt held the candle nearer the floor, and the light fell over little scattered objects that gleamed like dewdrops. there were several handfuls of them, and in two or three places they were heaped up in irridescent piles. "by jove!" gasped townsend, starting forward and dropping to his knees. he picked up several of the glimmering objects and examined them under the flame of the candle; then he turned to the boys with an odd, exultant look and spoke but one word: "diamonds!" "tiamonts?" echoed carl. "strike me lucky!" muttered dick. "do you mean to say those are diamonds, townsend?" queried motor matt. "yes, and of the first water. they're south african stones. there was quite a little method in the madness of the man from cape town, after all. get the pieces of the head in your coat, carl, and put up a window, dick. we can't take any chances with these stones while those fellows are in the next room." carl hurried to spread out his coat and pile the fragments of the head upon it. while he was engaged in that, dick hoisted a window and allowed the outdoor air to purify the noxious atmosphere of the room. after that, matt, townsend, dick and carl spread their handkerchiefs upon the floor and gathered up all the scattered stones. "you had an idea that idol's head was hollow and that there was something in it, hadn't you, matt?" queried townsend, as they hunted the floor over for diamonds. "yes," was the answer. "i dug it out of the first paragraph written on that piece of parchment. 'read and give heed, for the head of obboney contains many things, perilous and otherwise.' i got to thinking that those words might be read in two ways." "it was a great scheme that," observed townsend, "hiding a treasure of diamonds in the head of an idol which gives off a deadly odor. i wish we knew more about the man from cape town and where he got the stones; but he is dead, and the mystery will no doubt always remain unsolved." "unless his daughter can tell us something about her father," said matt. "that is possible, of course. there must be fully two hundred of these stones, and they are all of the very finest. a fortune, my lads! part of it comes to me, and out of my part we shall share and share alike." the boys, with the exception of carl, began to protest, but townsend silenced them with a word. "it is only right," he averred. "you have borne many dangers on account of that iron chest, and mere justice calls upon you to have your due share of the treasure. i shall make it my business to see that you get it." when the last stone was gathered off the floor, and the handkerchiefs were all carefully tied up, the little bundles of stones were turned over to townsend. he stowed them carefully away in his pockets. "the question now arises," said he, "as to what we shall do with jurgens, whistler, bangs and the unknown? no doubt we could make them smart for what they have done, not only here in new orleans, but also for jurgens' and whistler's criminal work in stealing the _grampus_. but will it pay to bother with them?" "not to-night," returned matt, promptly. "the thing for you to do, townsend, is to get safely aboard the _grampus_ as quick as you can. you have the price of a king's ransom about your clothes and it would be foolish to take any chances with it." "like alvays," chirped carl, "modor matt has hit der nail righdt on der head. vat he says goes mit me, und it ought to go mit eferypody else." "it does," asserted townsend. "i have lain a prisoner in that old bank vault for two days, and the inconvenience and discomfort i have been put to i shall not soon forget; but jurgens and whistler have been beaten at their own game. besides, my lads, it was, on the whole, a good thing that bangs worked his little game successfully. if he hadn't, i should have opened that iron chest in the home of a lady on st. charles avenue, and who knows what the consequences would have been? jurgens and bangs first tested the deadly effluvia of the idol's head, and we were able to profit by their experience. yes, it is best to leave them here and allow them to recover and go their ways. the knowledge that they are beaten will be punishment enough for them." having settled the matter in this way, townsend and the boys passed the prostrate forms in the other room, gained the apartment at the head of the stairs, blew out the candle and went away. fifteen minutes later they were on the levee; and ten minutes after that they were boarding the _grampus_ and slipping down under her decks through the top of the conning tower. chapter xvi. diamonds galore. before carl climbed downward through the conning tower of the _grampus_, he shook the fragments of the idol's head out of his coat upon the rounded deck of the submarine and heard them glide off and splash into the water. "dere vill be some foolishness among der fishes, i bed you!" he chuckled; "aber, all der same, it vas goot-py to obboney! und may nodding like him efer come oudt oof africa again." cassidy, mate of the _grampus_, was the only one of the crew aboard. he had had no idea of the perils through which townsend had passed, nor of the troubles encountered by the boys. he knew, of course, that the boys had arrived, for all up and down the river front the _hawk_ was the topic of conversation. in the conning tower of the _grampus_, that evening, there was a spread. cassidy opened canned goods and made coffee on an alcohol stove. the guests at the "feed" sat around with their tin plates in their laps, and while they ate they talked over recent exciting events. carl offered information of value by telling how the iron chest had been stolen from townsend, placed on a boat in the river, and had then vanished while jurgens and whistler were dodging the watchmen. "that boat must have been adrift on the river for two days!" exclaimed townsend. "strange that some one else did not find the chest instead of you boys." "i reckon she caught in the eddies below the town and drifted back and forth until she finally got out in the current," surmised dick. "that's the only way you can account for the fact that she wasn't picked up." "you vas bot' wrong," asserted carl, solemnly. "dere vas a gaptain on dot rowpoat all der time. it vas captain obboney, in der chest. nodding could habben py dot poat mit dot itol's headt apoard." "there may be something in that," observed townsend, half smiling and half serious. "this new orleans affair appears to be wrapped up in a great deal of occultism. personally, i never took much stock in occultism, but i don't know how i can dodge the facts developed by those smoke pictures." "and then there's a whole lot more to yamousa than just those smoke pictures," said dick. "whistler went to see her to find out if she couldn't tell him what had become of the chest." "voodooism used to be quite strong in new orleans, among credulous blacks and superstitious whites," said townsend. "of course, there's nothing in voodooism as it is usually practiced, but this yamousa seems versed in many peculiar things. really, i don't know what to think of her." "well," asserted carl, "she makes a misdake vonce in a vile." "how so, carl?" "vy, she gave matt a charm vich vasn't no charm ad all, but a hootoo. i tried it oudt, und i know. tick," and here carl faced his chum, "dot dried frog don'd vas any goot as a luck pringer. it got me indo lods oof drouple. i safed dot from you, bard," and carl shifted his gaze to matt. "where is that charm now, carl?" inquired matt. "pangs dook it avay from me," chuckled carl, "und i bed you someding for nodding dot it made all der drouple for pangs, jurgens und whistler." "we might just as well explain it that way as in any other," said townsend. "many things have happened which defy explanation, so carl's guess is just as good as any one's else." "i can tell you somet'ing vich ain'd a guess," continued carl, "und dot iss dot jurgens hat a feller vatching cassidy, und ven cassidy sent dot delegram to modor matt, jurgens' man vas aple to findt oudt vat vas in it. dot's der vay pangs habbened to be on der levee ven der air ship come down on der dock. he knowed dot ve vas coming." "where were you this afternoon, cassidy?" inquired matt. "i took the _grampus_ over to algiers yesterday," answered the mate, "and didn't get back until about four this afternoon." "that's the reason we didn't see you," put in dick. "if you had been around the levee bangs would never have been able to pull off that game of his." "i told cassidy to drop over to algiers if he thought best," said townsend. "it was unlucky that he happened to be there at just the time he might have been of service to matt and his friends. however, as i told you in the rooms over the antique shop, it's just as well events turned out as they have. we have won out against jurgens and whistler, and if they know when they're well off they'll steer clear of all of us in future." "dose fellers hat two hang-oudts," remarked carl. "vone vas ad rigolette's blace, vere der chest vas dook from der tock, und der odder vas ofer der antique shop. vone, i reckon, vas vere dey dook us in, und der odder vas vere dey viped us oudt. but der itol's headt fooled der lod oof us. i vish, py shinks, you couldt haf seen jurgens und pangs ven der chest vas obened und dey saw nodding more as sawdust!" carl threw back his head and laughed till he shook. "i vasn't in der blace vere i could enchoy dot, at der time," he went on, "but i can haf fun mit it now. id vas a derriple tissapointment. den, ven jurgens kicked der headt oudt oof der sawdust, eferypody vas scart, including me. yah, i vas as afraidt as anypody. den, pympy, i tropped ashleep und i vasn't affraidt no more." "you were tied, weren't you, carl, while you were in that room at rigolette's?" "you bed you i vas, matt, handt und feet." "how did you get clear of the ropes?" "dot vas some mysderies. i don'd know dot, onless i vorked meinseluf loose ven i come to und vas grazy. anyvay, ven i vas aple to know vere i vas i vas in der shdreed und dere vasn't any ropes on me. vat you say rigolette call dot monkey?" "joujou," replied dick. "den i vas mooch opliged to chouchou. how t'ings fall oudt mit demselufs oof you leaf dem alone! dere vas me, und jurgens, und pangs, lying in dot room mit der itol's headt, und passing oudt oof der game py inches, ven along comes chouchou. he hat dook my hat, pefore dot, und i oxbect he vas looking for me to gif it pack. anyvay, he leafs der hat und goes off mit der itol's headt, safing me, und dose odder fellers, aber killing himseluf in der oberations. yah, chouchou vas a goot monkey, i tell you dot. dit you see der barrot?" "no," said dick. "has rigolette a parrot?" "yah, so, und dot barrot make some foolishness mit me aboudt der time der monkey shdeal my cap. vell, anyhow, it vas all ofer now, und i feel dot i can laugh at some t'ings vich ditn't blease me pefore." "what will you and your chums do now, matt?" inquired townsend. "we seem to have wound up our business in new orleans in short order," laughed matt, "so i suppose we had better bear away for atlantic city." "you haven't helped me, yet, in the work for which i wired you to come on here." all three of the boys were startled. "wasn't it to help you recover that chest?" asked matt. "not at all. at the time i requested cassidy to send you the telegram, i had the chest safely in my hands and hadn't the least idea that jurgens and whistler were around and still had designs on it. you got here in good time to be of invaluable assistance to me, and fate so played the cards that i couldn't have won out without you--but i wanted you for something else." "in that event," returned matt, "we'll have to stay and give you our assistance." "the _hawk_ has an excellent berth on the big dock and will be amply protected in case of high winds or bad weather; and, so far as i can see, you and your friends will be as well off as though you were in atlantic city. so far as profit is concerned, there will be diamonds galore for all of you, and by this one trip to new orleans you will have cleaned up more than you could possibly have made in a dozen years at atlantic city." "tiamonts galore!" caroled the dutch boy. "dot soundts goot. i like tiamonts pedder as anyt'ing else, und ven you ged a whole lod, all in a punch, it makes you feel like you vas somepody. i vould like to haf some oof dem set in pins, und rings, und pud dem all ofer me. i vant to be a prilliant feller," he grinned, "und i guess dot's der only vay vat i can be dot." "to-morrow morning," went on townsend, "i will hunt up this lady about whom the man from cape town told me. following the division of the gems, i will call on this rigolette and, if he has not already released bangs, will have him do so. then, when we have a clear slate, i will lay before you the business which i have in prospect." "iss it easy?" queried carl. "no, very difficult." "dot's vat ve like. anypody can do der easy t'ings, aber it dakes modor matt to do der hard vones." "carl has an armful of bouquets, to-night," laughed matt, "and he don't care where he throws them." "iss id t'rilling vork?" continued carl. "likely to be," smiled townsend, "and perhaps a bit dangerous." "den be sure und keep id for us. all vat i ask iss, dot you cut out der foodoos. a leedle oof dose iss more as enough." the end. the next number ( ) will contain motor matt's promise; or, the wreck of the _hawk_. on the levee--mixed identities--double trouble--tricked--motor matt's promise--dashington dashed--a hot starter--a bullet from below--the wreck--the unexpected--a friend from the enemy's camp--the bag of diamonds--a daring plot--on the road--a new man takes a hand--conclusion. motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction new york, may , . terms to motor stories mail subscribers. (_postage free._) single copies or back numbers, c. each. months c. months c. months $ . one year . copies one year . copy two years . =how to send money=--by post-office or express money-order, registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. at your own risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. =receipts=--receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of number on your label. if not correct you have not been properly credited, and should let us know at once. ormond g. smith, } george c. smith, } _proprietors_. street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york city. the masked light. san josé lighthouse shone from the back of a tunnel-like creek on a barren stretch of the chilian seaboard. passing ships caught its secret rays most suddenly; much in the same manner as a lonely wayfarer might be startled at a swift glance of a light far down a secret entrance. the moment the light of san josé fell upon a ship, that vessel at once hugged the land and crept warily along the inshore water. a false order, a mistake at the helm, and the "devil's teeth," the offshore reef, would grind her ribs to matchwood. the light was built on top of an old chapel whose ponderous walls could have carried the eddystone itself. this building crouched in the left-hand corner of the creek, with its back built into the angle of the cliff, which, on that side, rose plumb as a wall and ran out into deep soundings. there was, however, one break in it about eighty yards in front of the lighthouse. from this opening an overhead traveling cable passed across the creek to the mid-level of "cassandra mine," which honeycombed the right bank. this latter side, though rocky, was fairly easy of ascent by means of buttress-like masses of rock jutting out from the cliff, and the rubbish shot out from the mine. such was the lonely creek of san josé when the revolution broke out against president balmaceda, and left us, gilbert and myself, stranded helplessly on a foreign shore. nine months before, we had departed from our homes in the states, appointed engineers to the cassandra coppermining company, limited. nine months before! and now our situation was worse than any bowery loafer's; he, at all events, could try the station house when the nights grew colder. "i knew it was too good to last," cried gilbert, one morning as we awoke to find ourselves in a dismal plight. the mine was deserted: every man had gone to shoulder a musket on the principle of "compulsory volunteering." we transferred our worries by means of a letter to the head office, and then fell to unlimited euchre, awaiting instructions. meanwhile, our funds melted away. at last came one day of maddening heat that drove us to the shade of the mid-level of the mine. there we did what we ought to have done a month before: we held a council of war. "we've just three and a half pesos left--that's about three dollars," quoth gilbert sourly. "then we've got to tramp." "tramp!" echoed gilbert, "in _that_!" and he cast an exasperated glance at the landscape. it was an open oven. below us, the lighthouse lenses flashed back the sunlight in such brightness that if we had not known that all the lights on the coast had been extinguished by order, we might have thought the lamps were still burning. the village huts seemed to shrink and huddle from the glare. not a creature was abroad; the very air seemed to have swooned in the heat of that narrow creek. and yet, over the hill crest where the village path cut the upland, a tiny speck rose to sight, and without a pause descended the slope toward us. "impossible!" gasped my chum, starting up in amazement. "he's stark, staring mad!" it was a man running at a sling trot. "madman number two," cried gilbert, and another speck breasted the crest, and hurriedly descended on the heels of the first comer. and then, by ones and twos, more men appeared and swung downward, hurriedly and without a halt, until we counted twenty-one of them on the slope. they came nearer and lower, and we saw sparkles of light breaking off them as they ran; then we both cried together: "soldiers!" and at that word all the world was of interest. by this time they were up to the first huts, and at a cry every soul rushed outside. some of the runners had fallen by the houses, and people began to carry water to them. "poor beggars," cried gilbert, "but if they _will_ run on a day like this--why on earth don't they go inside and rest peacefully?" but that was the last thing they gave us any impression of so doing. we saw henrico, the old sailor with the earrings and spanish handkerchief for a cap, talking among a group of the soldiers. now and again they looked back to the crest, and then toward our side of the creek. something of great interest was meanwhile passing from hand to hand. suddenly henrico turned to the villagers, addressing them in no little heat. the soldiers seized their guns, and then, led by henrico, the whole crowd, villagers and soldiers, began to ascend the talus of the mine. halfway up, henrico turned and called back to the women, "all you in siesta again." but one of them, chloe, the sharp-tongued beauty of the village, broke away, and headed the whole crowd. striding along with her buoyant energy, she soon outstripped them all, and in a few minutes she appeared on the ledge in front of us, two hundred feet above the creek. for a moment she stood silent, a swarthy black-eyed beauty, holding the two plaits of her hair in outstretched hands: just in the same attitude and with just the same smile on her arched lips we saw her every morning when she called us to breakfast; for she was henrico's niece and we lodged with him. "fortune, señors!" cried she. "here are soldiers with a message; we do not read in our village; we come to you to speak it to us." and now the soldiers filed in, and henrico proffered me a crumpled paper. i read on it: "to capitan barras." "here!" cried i, "this is not for us." "no," said a dusty, sweat-soaked soldier, "capitan barras is killed. i am his sergeant. read, señor, i am the next." "i nodded and read on: "the enemy are reënforcing by sea. have correct information that they intend capturing the lighthouse at san josé on the th, and light it to guide the transports which are due to pass the inshore channel of the devil's teeth. detail a command to destroy the lighthouse beyond repair. i have wired to the cruisers; latter will be able to overtake and capture transports if delayed off san josé on the night of the th. you have six ( ) hours start of the enemy. "rodrique gomez." as i finished this terse and emphatic message the sergeant cried "ho!" and "is that the lighthouse?" "yes," sang out the villagers as one man. "advance!" cried the sergeant, shouldering to the front of the crowd; chloe was already on her way out, but with a sharp, smothered cry she stopped dead in the opening, turned round, and thrust back the following men, hissing the while through her teeth: "silence! not a breath; the enemy!" there came a sudden metallic rattling, a rapid snapping of rifle breeches, then dead, nervous silence. the lighthouse was in possession of the enemy! already a couple of soldiers leaned over the balcony round the lenses, and we could hear their voices as they sang out to a mounted officer below. about this latter, and standing at ease, were some eighty men. "and the videttes," growled the sergeant, as he pointed to the hill crest. at this an angry murmur arose about us. they were completely outnumbered by the balmacedians; and outmaneuvred by the fatal mischance to their captain in a skirmish at daybreak. he had been shot through the throat. with a last effort he had thrust the note into the sergeant's hands and bade him haste to san josé, halting neither to fight nor to rest. this we learned afterward. from the first appearance of the soldiers in the mine, gilbert had been eying them with undisguised irritation. he now called out in a sharp voice for their attention. "if you stay here those other soldiers will attack you and 'gastado' the whole set of you. and this mine being american property and not a battle field, the best you can do is to clear out by the level on the far side before they discover you." at this the sergeant looked blankly in his face. "it's no good," quoth gilbert, "you must clear out." the sergeant's face changed. he slapped the breech of his rifle, swore a round oath, and cried heartily: "this place is our last stand; i shoot the first of my men that leaves!" gilbert dropped his eyelids in his tired way, and pulled out his watch. "i give you five minutes," he said, in a level, matter-of-fact voice. "and we," cried the sergeant, "have to destroy that lighthouse!" here chloe thrust herself into the front of the gathering storm. "the soldier has it," she cried, "the lighthouse must be destroyed. you, señors, engineer chiefs will show us the way; it will be done." "i'll see you all hanged first," broke in gilbert in terse english. then he added in spanish: "clear out! only another two minutes." chloe lifted her head in a passion, and her black eyes narrowed. "señors," she cried with scorn, "have we idled in the fetching of water when water was so scarce, for the big 'tub' every morn? and you have had meat and your coffee roasted to the hour. all; and not one pesos these months. have we cried 'clear out' to you when you could not no more than these soldiers?" gilbert thrust his watch back in his shirt. we both flushed hotly, and we both found it disconcerting to look in one another's faces. but it had to be done. "that's a bitter pill to swallow," growled he. "it's true enough," i said. gilbert, with a short, grim laugh in his throat, growled out, "well, let us begin to earn our grub." chloe read our decision in our faces. "huzza," she cried, "the engineer chiefs--capitanos--will show us how to destroy it. we are the legs, the arms; they are the head. the lighthouse shall not be there to-night!" in this manner gilbert and i became "capitanos" in the revolutionary army. from an inert and baffling position we were lifted on a wave, and flung into a rushing current. there was work for our hands and brains: a problem to solve, a thing to accomplish. and we were no longer weary. henrico and the sergeant joined us in a short council of war. and as at any moment the enemy's scouts might blunder on us and bring on a fight, we decided to retreat to a lower level, where we could hold an army corps at bay. safe in this, gilbert and i sat apart; the soldiers scooped out resting places, and, with their knapsacks for pillows, fell instantly asleep. "confound that girl," said gilbert, "and confound the whole place and their tin-pot armies too! but it is a fine problem, eh? i suppose the only way to do it is by--well, anything else but fighting." i quite agreed with him. but as hour after hour passed, and scheme after scheme was rejected, we began to think a little less of our abilities. we wrestled with the problem till our heads reeled. if only we could get a side glance even at a workable scheme. but no. at last gilbert pulled out his waterbury. "five o'clock!" he cried, "we are undiluted frauds if we can't do it in another hour. it will be dark by six!" chloe had, in the meantime, crawled out by another level to report what was doing in the creek. she had just come back. the enemy were bivouacked round the lighthouse. on the upland, and commanding every approach, sentries and videttes marked the land as far as she could see. however, she had brought one piece of comfort in the shape of a cool jar of water. as she served us she asked for news of our scheme. "how soon do the hands and legs begin to work, capitanos?" she asked with a complacent smile. gilbert, with a diplomatic, spanish-fashion wave of his hand, replied: "so! so!" "ah, señors," said she, "i should want to do it--how? why, shut up that lighthouse like flinging a blanket over it: so!" "and," cried gilbert, "that's just what we are going to do! tell the men to be ready on the instant." as she departed he turned to me with dancing eyes. "see?" he whispered. "no; not an atom." "no? well, old man, she has struck the only plan possible! observe the overhead traveling wire. it lands on the flat just outside the other opening, doesn't it? well, suppose we hang a curtain--even chloe's skirt, if it were big enough--on that wire, and run it out, and cut off the light from flashing out to seaward." "but," i objected, "we can't make a screen big enough to intercept all the light at a hundred feet distance--it is impracticable." he laughed in my face, and cried out: "my boy, rays of light from lighthouses are _parallel_!" i had forgotten this elementary fact. i cried "eureka!" and then we faced our task: a race against time. the men streamed up to us, heard, and set to work immediately. we requisitioned the tarpaulin covers from the bags of cement; even emptied the bags themselves. we stripped hundreds of yards of telephone wires in the galleries. we descended to a still lower level; we were all tailors, sailmakers, anything, everything. some patched holes, while others sewed cover to cover until a sheet, fifty feet square, grew beneath our hands, sewn together with wire, and impervious to a single ray of light. as the last hole was stilettoed with the point of a bayonet, gilbert and i sought the upper level. we found the night had fallen. the cold sea breeze tasted like nectar after the candle-burnt atmosphere in the workshop below. our eyes sought the lighthouse; a couple of men were in the lantern; one held a candle, and was clumsily striving to light the argand burners. "good!" cried gilbert, "they'll smash some glasses, or i'm an idiot. now for the launch!" we descended to our workshop. the flushed, wet faces of the screen makers confronted us, and gilbert spoke. "we want a volunteer to cross to the other side and clear the wire, and to signal back when ready for us to haul out the screen. it must be one of you from the village, one who knows every stone in the darkness. and one who is not afraid. who volunteers?" there was a silence in which we heard the water dripping in far-deep levels. gilbert looked from face to face; in vain, it seemed. the villagers were, however, weighing the risk of failure. chloe stepped quietly from the group, and as quietly said: "this is a woman's business; is it not so, uncle henrico? who knows so well as i the rock paths through the lines of the sentinels? and if i meet them--well, i am a woman and i laugh. if i were a man--well, the end of me and our venture." "'tis true," growled henrico, "chloe must go." he had hardly spoken before she had given a swift wave of her hand to us, and vanished up the adit. we followed, dragging our great screen, and presently we peered out into the night. in that little time they had managed to get some at least of the lamps to burn, and now we saw a glowing circle of light. henrico, gilbert, and myself alone crept on to the ledge outside. everything had to be done by touch. henrico had been a sailor, and to him fell the delicate task of hooking the screen on to the traveling wire. foot by foot it disappeared overhead, and presently henrico swarmed back to us and we crept together, and laid our ears on the wire cable. it sang and hummed in the night wind like a harp string. little jars and metallic jingles broke the even rise and fall of sound. was it chloe? should we hear the signal clear or confused, loud or soft? on a sudden our doubts were settled. our ears rang as a clear sharp blow quivered on the wire. "safe," we cried in delight, and soon after that came the arranged three clear blows across the wire. in another second we were all heaving hard and fast at the traveler overhead. foot by foot it crept along, until we saw, with breathless delight, a huge blackness slicing into the circle of light. an unforetold eclipse! it intersected it completely. not a ray escaped seaward. so far we had won. dripping with sweat, and nigh breathless, we dropped to the rock and looked toward the lighthouse. the lantern seemed to be utterly deserted. against the lower windows of the chapel we could see the silhouettes of the guard. they were playing cards. not an eye had seen our operations. as we rejoined the sergeant, gilbert chuckled and said: "the game is ours! joker, right bower, and left!" "not yet," quoth henrico grimly, "the fight is at the dawn." "across there," added the soldier, nodding his head toward the other landing place of the wire. we had much yet to learn of the ups and downs of war; and more, too, to learn about our mine. for we now found every villager busily polishing up a rifle; and soon, too, they were dragging up half a dozen cases of ammunition from secret places in the far levels. and we were the engineers of this same mine! henrico served round the ammunition. the sergeant inspected every new rifle. he handed one to each of us in such an ordinary way of routine, that we accepted them and fell immediately into line to wait the coming of events. two hours later, the tide had fallen sufficiently to enable a crossing to be made outside the mine. fifteen men were to guard the other landing place of the wire. they passed out in single file, five soldiers and ten villagers, the sergeant in command. he carried two rifles. "one for our 'advance guard,' chloe," he said, with a laugh wrinkling his brown face as he passed us. the next instant he stepped through the opening. and so he passed from our life: a little, sinewy man, of few words, but of most prompt decision; following his trade cheerfully, and uncomplaining if in the day's march bad tools or adverse luck befell him. he died across there in the dawn; perhaps he saw the sun rise, and knew the end of the night's work; i hoped so. it was now close upon ten o'clock, and there were about seven hours for us to keep most vigilant and secret watch upon the lighthouse. from time to time we saw a man enter the lantern and trim the lamps. once he stepped out on the balcony, and, leaning over the rail, quietly smoked his cigarette. gilbert clutched my arm like a vise. "if that man moves to the other side we are done! he will see his shadow on the screen!" but, to our infinite joy, he passed in and down to join his comrades. below, in the chapel, they played cards, changed sentries, and slept; all in complete unconsciousness of the ill trick we had played them. night was waning. henrico pointed to a paler shadow on the crest above the creek. the wind had dropped; the air was filled with the sound of the tide seething in the rocks and weeds below us. save that, all was still. everything seemed to be watching and waiting. presently we could see one another's hands and faces. henrico at once mustered all the defenders and posted them among the serried rocks on the talus. it was an ambuscade in an amphitheatre. some one dropped a musket, and, at the sound, we all glanced nervously at the lighthouse; no one stirred within, and we were crouching down--when a most horrid crash and volleying of shots broke out across the creek. "on guard!" cried henrico; "the patrol has found our outpost." even while he spoke, and even above the din, we caught the ring of quick hoarse cries of command from the lighthouse. the door was flung open and a stream of soldiers sallied forth--to instant death. from every stone of our ambuscade, spitting flashes converged on the open door. it was a butchery at such a point-blank range, and with a light behind to show the mark. the crash of our volley died away as swiftly as it commenced. for a moment i thought that not a man had escaped uninjured. nothing but a tumbled, dark heap filled the doorway and the little circle of light. but, suddenly, from the shelter of the interior, some one struck down the candle inside with the butt end of a musket, and the darkness swallowed all up, for it was as night yet down there. then we became aware of the hushed silence that was about us. not a shot resounded from the direction of our outpost. had the attack failed or had they captured our post? involuntarily i glanced at our screen. it was still there, now just dimly outlined on the paling sky. gilbert called softly to henrico to know what he thought of the silence at the other side. we saw henrico craning over his rock, and striving to pierce the blackness at the foot of the creek; his hand was up to keep silent. at last, out of the vagueness of empty sounds, we caught a faint patter of footsteps, and, as we heard it, it came nearer and nearer: men running in desperate haste. in a trice they were below us in the shadows. some one cried "up here"; another called to henrico: "they have left the post," and all in the same breath we were fighting for our lives! to be concluded. latest issues brave and bold weekly all kinds of stories that boys like. the biggest and best nickel's worth ever offered. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --madcap max, the boy adventurer; or, lost in the land of the mahdi. by frank sheridan. --always to the front; or, for fun and fortune. by cornelius shea. --caught in a trap; or, the great diamond case. by harrie irving hancock. --for big money; or, beating his way to the pacific. by fred thorpe. --muscles of steel; or, the boy wonder. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith in zululand; or, how "checkers" held the fort. by lawrence white, jr. --the boys' revolt; or, right against might. by harrie irving hancock. --the mystic isle; or, in peril of his life. by fred thorpe. --a million a minute; or, a brace of meteors. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith under african skies; or, four comrades in the danger zone. by lawrence white, jr. --two chums afloat; or, the cruise of the "arrow." by cornelius shea. --in the path of duty; or, the fortunes of officer dan deering. by harrie irving hancock. --a bid for fortune; or, true as steel. by fred thorpe. --a battle with fate; or, the baseball mascot. by weldon j. cobb. --three brave boys; or, adventures in the balloon world. by frank sheridan. motor stories the latest and best five-cent weekly. we won't say how interesting it is. see for yourself. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, castaway in the bahamas. tip top weekly the most popular publication for boys. the adventures of frank and dick merriwell can be had only in this weekly. =high art colored covers. thirty-two pages. price, cents.= --dick merriwell's "dip;" or, the mysterious movements of a hat. --dick merriwell's rally; or, making a fighting finish. --dick merriwell's flier; or, the champions of the ice. --frank merriwell's bullets; or, a steady nerve and a sure hand. --frank merriwell cut off; or, the result of the great spring rise. --frank merriwell's ranch boss; or, big bruce and the blossoms. --dick merriwell's equal; or, the fellow with the flying feet. --dick merriwell's development; or, the all-around wonder. --dick merriwell's eye; or, the secret of good batting. --frank merriwell's zest; or, the spirit of the school. --frank merriwell's patience; or, the making of a pitcher. --frank merriwell's pupil; or, the boy with the wizard wing. --frank merriwell's fighters; or, the decisive battle with blackstone. --dick merriwell at the "meet"; or, honors worth winning. _for sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york =if you want any back numbers= of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. fill out the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. =postage stamps taken the same as money.= ________________________ _ _ _street & smith, - seventh avenue, new york city._ _dear sirs: enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_: tip top weekly, nos. ________________________________ nick carter weekly, " ________________________________ diamond dick weekly, " ________________________________ buffalo bill stories, " ________________________________ brave and bold weekly, " ________________________________ motor stories, " ________________________________ _name_ ________________ _street_ ________________ _city_ ________________ _state_ ________________ adventures of a boy genius motor stories the boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as motor stories. "motor matt" is not an impossible boy character. he is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. his sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal, lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural adventures that ever befell a boy. _here are the titles now ready_: --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. to be published on may th. --motor matt's queer find; or, the secret of the iron chest. to be published on may th. --motor matt's promise; or, the wreck of the "hawk." to be published on may st. --motor matt's submarine; or, the strange cruise of the "grampus." to be published on june th. --motor matt's quest; or, three chums in strange waters. price, five cents at all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of the price. street & smith, _publishers_, new york transcriber's notes: added table of contents. italics are represented by _underscores_, bold by =equal signs=. all oe ligatures have been expanded to "oe" for this text edition; the ligatures are retained in the html edition. page , changed "se" to "see" in "i can see dot meinseluf." page , added missing apostrophe to "an', i do planty." page , changed "srceech" to "screech" in "screech of warning." page , changed "all sail sets" to "all sails set." added missing quote after "into smithereens." page , changed "anwered" to "answered" after "knew of archibald townsend." changed "handkerchif" to "handkerchief" ("fumbled in his pocket for a..."). page , added missing open quote to "the more he talks." page , added missing open quote to "a pocketful." page , changed "indentities" to "identities." page , changed "matallic" to "metallic" ("metallic rattling"). changed "fact" to "face" in "the sergeant's face changed." [transcriber's notes: an underscore (_) is used to denote _italic_ text. a tilde (~) is used to denote ~bold~ text. a equals (=) is used to denote =underlined= text. several illustrations are either blank or have only text in them. those were rendered as fully as possible in plain text. other illustrations are noted with an [illustration] tag and the caption, if there is one. the advertisements which were originally at the front of the book have been moved to the back. ] jane's all the world's aircraft a reprint of the edition of all the world's air-craft edited by fred t. jane arco publishing company, inc. new york first published by sampson low marston in this edition published by arco publishing company, inc. park avenue south, new york, n. y. library of congress catalog number - arco book number - - printed in great britain _published annually._ all the world's air=craft. (originally known as "all the world's airships.") (war flying annual.) founded and edited by fred t. jane, founder and editor of "fighting ships" (naval annual), etc. part a.--aeroplanes and dirigibles of the world. part b.--historical aeroplanes of the last six years. part c.--the world's aerial engines. part d.--aerial "who's who" and directory. fifth year of issue. (founded .) london: sampson low, marston & co., ltd. . printed by netherwood, dalton & co., phoenix works, rashcliffe, huddersfield. contents page preface glossary of technical terms ~part a.~ argentine (~j. schiere~) austrian (~special austrian editor~) aeroplanes dirigibles belgian (~j. bracke~) aeroplanes dirigibles brazilian british aeroplanes dirigibles british colonies, etc. bulgarian central american republics chilian chinese danish dutch (~j. schiere~) french (~special french editor~) aeroplanes dirigibles german (~special german editor~) aeroplanes dirigibles greek italian (~special italian editor~) aeroplanes dirigibles japanese (~partly official~) aeroplanes dirigibles mexican norwegian peruvian portuguese (~j. schiere~) roumanian russian aeroplanes dirigibles servian spanish swedish (~lieut. dahlbeck~) swiss (~special swiss editor~) turkish uruguay united states (~w.l. jones~) aeroplanes dirigibles ~part b.~ historical aeroplanes of the last six years b et seq. ~part c.~ principal aeroplane engines c austrian (~w. isendahl~) c belgian c british c french c german (~w. isendahl~) c italian c swiss c u.s.a. c ~part d.~ aerial "who's who" d classified aerial directory d alphabetical index--aeroplanes end of " " dirigibles book preface. as conjectured last year, considerable further changes have been produced in this edition. when, some five years ago, work on this annual was first commenced, the military aviator was an idle dream. fighting men in dirigibles were a bare possibility; but nothing more than that. every amateur building an aeroplane (or even merely intending to build one) in his back garden was a possible "conqueror of the air." the aeroplane was going to oust the motor car as a sporting vehicle--everyone was quite certain about that! beyond that, nothing! to-day everything is completely changed and except as a war machine the aeroplane is of little interest or use to anyone. a few civilian aviators are still flying, but in practically every case they are doing so in connection with the business aspect of the question. there is no "sport of aviation" such as the prophets foretold a few years ago. an increasing number of people obtain their pilot certificates and lists of these are still given, although the title of "aviator" is in the bulk of cases somewhat of a courtesy one, since so few keep on flying once they have secured their brevets. it is as a _war machine_ that the aeroplane has come into its own. the italian aeroplanes over and over again proved their utility in tripoli. although in the balkan war aircraft were less in evidence than many expected, this may be attributed to the peculiar circumstances of the campaign and also to the scarcity of available machines. every country is now engaged in forming its aerial fleets. how far the naval and military branches will coalesce, or how far they will differentiate remains to be seen. the probabilities, at present, all point in the latter direction, and that just as an army is made up of cavalry, infantry, artillery, etc., and a navy of battleships, cruisers, torpedo craft and submarines, so the sky fleets seem destined to consist of groups of different types of machines, each type designed for some special purpose. the increased war utility of aircraft has necessitated an extension of the pages devoted to organisation of military aviation, etc. the details given are by no means as full as i could wish; but all organisations are being so continually changed owing to increased experience that satisfactory data are not very easy to come by. during the past twelve months or so we have learned at least one or two important things. the mere fact of the possession of aeroplanes by a nation is a military factor of comparatively little importance. a nation possessing next to no aeroplanes can easily acquire a few hundreds in case of emergency _if she has the people to build them_. the real problem is two-fold. first, of course, is the possession of trained and efficient aviators to fly the machines. naval and military officers who have merely secured their brevets at a flying school are of no immediate value; civilians of the same kind are of still less utility. second to this is the productive capacity of any country; which may roughly be gauged from the number and importance of its firms engaged in construction. these points cannot too strongly be enforced. the air strength of any nation in case of war resides in its efficient flying men and in its own productive capacity. the next war will see aircraft quite as much "contraband" as warships, and the nation which relies upon aerial imports will be foredoomed at once. one month is probably the utmost effective life of an aeroplane on hard active service and it may well be a good deal less. and firms capable of building efficient machines cannot be improvised. a remarkable feature of the last twelve months has been the recrudescence of the dirigible, which is now in far greater esteem than it was a year ago, or for that matter, ever before. in the past there is no doubt that progress was hampered by arguments between the advocates of "heavier than air" and "lighter than air," and a curious notion that the one could only exist at the expense of the other. such ideas are now dead, and it is recognised that for war purposes both have their uses and that both are interdependent. it is not quite yet realised how intense this interdependence is likely to be. briefly the present situation may be summed up as follows: the dirigible has enormous potentialities for attack on fortified bases and the like, but its powers of defence, guns or no guns, are very slight. a single aeroplane should be able to disable or destroy without very great difficulty the finest dirigible yet built (supposing it able to find the airship in the vastness of the air). the damage that a single aeroplane can do to land defences or ships is, however, entirely trivial--at any rate at present. hence the aerial war unit already formed in germany, and likely to be in existence everywhere else ere another year or so has passed. this unit is a dirigible of great offensive powers, associated with a number of aeroplanes presumably intended to defend it and ward off and defeat attack by hostile aeroplanes. this is merely the crude beginning, it seems reasonably safe to prophecy that in the early future the aerial war-unit will be made up somewhat as follows:-- (_a_) an offensive dirigible, carrying the maximum of bombs, etc. (_b_) one or two dirigibles carrying oil and petrol for the aeroplanes--possibly capable of dealing with all minor repairs and of carrying a certain number of aeroplanes on board. (_c_) a number of war aeroplanes specially designed for fighting other aeroplanes and attacking hostile dirigibles as chances may occur. (_d_) a few very swift one man aeroplanes which will be the eyes of the unit. this seems an early certainty. after all it merely reproduces for the air what centuries of experience have shewn to be essential for fleets and armies. the matter is a fascinating subject for speculation; but in connection with a work that exists merely to deal with things as they are at present, is perhaps, better not now pursued further. one point, however, may perhaps be mentioned, and that is that victory or defeat in aerial warfare seems likely to depend upon which side can first destroy the other's bases. a base-less dirigible will not live long. this is likely to lead to very great attention being paid at an early date to anti-aircraft guns and other devices for the defence of aerial bases. reverting to the arrangement of the present edition, a few words may be said about some of the changes. as stated last year the clumsy old system of grouping monoplanes, biplanes, etc., separately has been abolished. so many firms specialise in both that any such grouping could only lead to confusion. a tabular system has been generally adopted for most new matter. this will be found far more convenient for reference, and of course, saves a great deal of space. the effective age of aeroplanes is somewhat of a vexed question, for while one year probably represents the really effective war utility endurance, even in peace time, school life is more or less indefinite and so is ordinary private life. consequently--although "dead machines" are excluded it has not been possible to draw an exactly uniform age limit line beyond that. speaking generally modern machines represent as a rule detail improvements rather than the complete changes of the past. for example, the gap between and , is far less than the gap between and . this fact is beginning to make itself felt in war machines. in part b an attempt has been made to collect illustrations of aeroplanes of the past which for one reason or another possess an historical interest. this section is remarkable for two totally different things ( ) the early anticipations of some modern practice, and ( ) the past prevalence of certain other ideas which are now totally extinct. part c deals with aero-engines. it is mainly remarkable--in comparison with past issues--for the large number of engines which have ceased to exist. it is probably still too ample; as a year hence quite half the makers still recorded are likely to disappear. the mere ability to construct motor car engines is no longer of value. the aeroplane engine designer needs to be a specialist. the absolutely ideal aero-engine no doubt yet remains to be produced; but meanwhile the tendency of users to concentrate upon fewer makes is increasingly evident, despite the fact that the best engine for one particular type of machine is not necessarily the best for some other type. in conclusion i tender my most grateful thanks to all those who have so kindly collaborated with or for me in the various sections. the book is still some way from being near my ideal, but i have every hope that this edition will be generally considered a very considerable improvement upon previous issues. fred t. jane. _bedhampton,_ _hants.,_ _england._ glossary of technical terms, etc. english. | dutch. | french. | german. | italian. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abaft | achterste deel | arrière | hinter | a poppa accessories | onderdeelen | accessoires | zubehör | accessori accumulator | accumulator | accumulateur | akkumulator | accumulatore ~aeroplane~ | dekvlieger | aéroplane | drachenflieger | aereoplano aeronaut | luchtvaarder | aéronaute | luftschiffer | aereonauta | | aviateur | | aerostat | luchtbal | aérostat | freiballon | aereostato aft | achterdeel | arrière | hinten | addietro after (rear) | achter | arrière | hinterer | poppa air-cooled | luchtgekoeld | refroidit par | luftgekuhlt | raffredda ad | | pair | | aria angleiron | hoekÿzer | cornière | eck schiene | ferro ad angolo anti-friction | wit metaal | métal | lagermetall | metallo beanco metal | | anti friction | | (anti frizione) | | on regule | | aviation | vliegtechniek | aviation | flugtechnik | aviazione babbit metal | babbits metaal | métal babbitt | lagermetall | metallo babbitt | | on regule | | balance | evenwicht | equilibre | gleichgewicht | equilibrio ball bearings | kogellagers | coussinets à | kugel lager | cuscinetti a | | billes | | sfere ballonet | luchtzak | ballonet | ballonet | palloncino | | | | compensatore battery | batterÿ | batterie | batterie | pila a secco bearing metal | kussenmetaal | métal pour les | lager metall | metallo par | | coussinets on | | cuscinette | | regule | | behind | achter | derrière | hinter | di dietro bevel geared | kegelraderwerk | engrenage | konischer | ingranaggio | | conique | antrieb | conico biplane | tweedekker | biplan | zwei decker | biplano blades | bladen | pales | flügel | pale (of propeller)| (der schroef) | | | delt'elica body | romp | fuselage | körper | telaio o | | | | chassis bolt | bout | bonlon | bolzen | bollone box-kite | kabel-vlieger | cerf-volant | drachen | aquilone a celle bracket | klamp | tasseau | stütze | sostegno brake | rem | frein | bremse | freno breadth | breedte | largeur | breite | larghezza canvas | doek | toile | leinwand | tela car | gondel | nacelle | gondel | navicella carburetter | vergasser | carburateur | vergaser | carburatore casting | gietstuk | moulage | guss stück | getto centre of | zwaartepunt | centre de | schwerpunkt | centro di gravity | | gravité | | gravità chain driven | door ketting | transmission | ketten antrieb | trasmissione a | gedreven | par chaine | | catena chassis | gestel | chassis | motor rahmen | chassis circumference | omtrek | circonférance | umfang | cuconferenza clutch | haak | embrayage | kupplung | innesto connection | schakeling | couplage | kupplung | connessione control | stuurinrichting | direction | lenk | meccanismo di | | | ubersetsung | direzione coupled | gekoppeld | jumelé | paarweise | accoppiato crank shaft | krukas | arbre à | kurbelwelle | albero delle | | manivelle | | manovelle cylinder | cÿlinder | cylindre | zylinder | cilindro die cast | ondermetaallager | coussinets | schalenguss | cuscinette fusi bearings | | moutés | lager | in conchiglia | | encogiulles | | ~dirigible~ | motorballon | dirigeable: | motorluftschiff | dirigibile | | aéronat | | diameter | middellÿn | diamètre | durchmesser | diametro direct driven | direct | prise directe | direkter | presa diretta | gekoppeld | | antrieb | electric | electrische | soudure | elektrisches | soldatura welding | lassching | électrique | schweissen | elettrica elevator | hoogtestuur | gouvernail de | hohensteuer | timone (horizontal | | profondeur | | orizzontale rudder) | | | | engine | motor | moteur | motor | motore fan | ventilator | ventilateur | ventilator | ventilatore fittings | fittings | garniture | garnitur | armamento flight | vlucht | vol | flug | volo flown | gevlogen | volé | geflogen | volato fore | voor | avant | vorderer | ouvanti forward | van voren | en avant | vor | davanti (in front) | | | | frame | romp | fuselage | rahm | telais framework | geraamte | fuselage | gerüste | intelaiatura gas bag | gaszak | enveloppe | luftballon (hülle) | involucro geared to | vertand | multiplié à | uebersetst auf | moltiplicato a gear driven | met tandrad- | | durch zahnrädern | trasmissione | overbrenging | | getrieben | a ingranaggi girder | balk | poutre | balken | longarin glider | glÿdvlieger | planeur | gleitflieger | apparecehio a | | | | planare gondola | gondel | nacelle | gondel | navicella helices | schroeven | helices | schranben | eliché helicopter | schroefvlieger | helicoptère | schraubenflieger | elicoplano | | | | elicottero horizontal | horizontaalvlak | plan horizontal| horizontal fläche | piano plane (in a) | (in een) | | | orizzontale horse power | paardekracht | puissance en | pferdekraft | forza cavalli | | chevaux | | hydrogen | waterstof | hydrogène | wasserstoff | idrogens ignition | ontsteking | allumage | zündung | accensione inch | duim | . m/m. | . m/m. | pollice = | | | | . m/m. inclination | helling | inclination | schrägstellung | inclinazione keel | kiel | carène | kiel | chiglia k.p.m. | k.p.u. (kilom. | kilometres par | kilometre pro | chilometre (kilometres | per uur) | heure | stunde | all'ora per hour) | | | | kite | vlieger | cerf volant | drachen | aquilone length | lengte | longueur | länge | lunghezza lining metal | lagermetaal | métal pour | lagermetall | metallo per | | garnir less | | bronzine dei | | coussinets ou | | cuscinetti | | régule | | lower (planes)| onder (vlakken) | inferieur | untere flächen | piani inferiori | | (plans) | | magneto | magneet | magneto | magnet | magneto ~maximum~ | maximum | maximum | maximum | massimo middle (plane)| midden (vlak) | (plan)au | mittel deck | piano medio | | milieu | | mile | mÿl | mile | meile | miglio military | militair | militaire | militärische | militare miscellaneous | verschillend | general | verschiedenes | diversi | (allerlei) | | | ~monoplane~ | eendekker | monoplan | ein decker | monoplano ~motor~ | motor | moteur | motor | motore m.p.h. | m.p.u. | vitesse | m.p.s. | miglia all'ora (miles per | (mÿl per uur) | | | hour) | | | | multiplane | veeldekker | multiplan | vieldecker | multiplano nacelle | schuitje | nacelle | gondel | navicella ~non-rigid~ | slap | souple | unstarr | non-rigido-- | | | | flessibile petrol | benzine | essence | benzin | benzina gasoline) | | | | pilot (driver)| bestuurder | flyer: aviateur| führer | aviatore pivot | tap | pivot | gewinde zapfen | perno planes | vlakken | plans | flächen | piani plug | kaars, stop | bougie | zünd kerze | candela pound (lb.) | eng pond = | . kg. | . kg. | libbra = | , k.g. | | | . kg. pressure | druk | pression | druck | pressione propeller | schroef | helice | schraube | eliche quadruplane | vierdekker | quadruplan | vier decker | qudruplani quintuplane | vÿfdekker | quintuplan | fünf decker | quintuplani radiator | koeler | radiateur | kühler | radiatore rear (in) | achterkant | en arrière | hinten | indictro | (aan de) | | | reduction | reductie- |engrenage de | ubersetzung | ingranaggi di gearing | overbrenging |demultiplication| | ridugione r.p.m. | omw. per minuut | tours | umlauf | giri al minuto (revolutions | | | | per minute) | | | | ~rigid~ | stÿf | rigide | starr | rigido rises | stÿgt | s'eléve | hebt sich | si eleva rubber | gummi | caoutchouc | gummi | gomma rudder | roer, stuur | gouvernail | steuer | timone section | doorsnede | section | durchschnitt | regione ~semi-rigid~ | halfstÿf | demi-rigide | halb starr | semi-rigido span | spanwÿdte | envergure | spanweite | apertura ~speed~ | snelheid | vitesse | geschwindigkeit | velocita stability | evenwicht | stabilité | gleichgewicht | stabilità stabilising | evenwichtsvlakken| ailerons | gleichgwichtsflächen| piani fins | | | | stabilizzaton steel | staal | acier | stahl | acciaio ~steering | stuurtoestel | direction | steuerung | meccanismo gear~ | | | | | | | | di direzione steering wheel| stuurwiel | volant | steuerrad | volante di | | | | direzione ~supporting~ | draagvlak | surface | tragfläche | superficio ~surface~ | | | | di sostegno surfaces | oppervlakken | surfaces | flächen | superfici suspension | ophanging | suspension | aufhängung | sospensioni switch | omschakelaar | interrupteur | schalter | interruttore | | | | tail | staart | queu | schwanz | coda ~total weight~| totaal gewicht | poids totale | gesamtlast | peso totale transmission | overbrengingsas | arbre de | transmissions welle | albero di shaft | | transmission | | trasmissione trial | proef | essai | probe | prova ~triplane~ | driedekker | triplan | drei decker | triplano | | | | universal | kogelgewricht | joint | kardan | guinta joint | | | | | | universel | | universale unladen | onbelast, leeg | à vide | leerlaufend | upper (planes)| boven (vlakken) | superior | ob ere | piani superior ~useful lift~ | nuttier last | poids utile | outlast | forza utile di | | | | elevation valve | kelp | soup ape | lentil | valvular vertical plane| vertical vlak | plan vertical | (in der) | neal piano (in the) | (in heat) | | vertikalfläche | verticale vertical | zÿstuur | gouvernail | seitensteuer | timone rudder | | | | | | verticale | | verticale ~volume~ | inhoud | volume | inhalt | volume | | | | water-cooled | watergekoeld | refroidissement| wasserkühlung | raffreddata | | par eau | | ad acqua ~weight~ | gewicht | poids | gewicht | peso wheels | wielen | roues | raeder | ruote ~wings~ | vleugels | ailes | flügel | ali wood | hout | bois | holz | legno | | | | yard (measure)| yard (maat)= | . mètres | . meter | jarda= . m. | , m | | | part a. aeroplanes & dirigibles. arranged by nationalities in alphabetical order. note.--every nation is given in the following fixed order:-- list of aerial societies and clubs, with addresses and secretaries where possible. list of aerial journals, with addresses, price, and dates of publication. list of flying grounds for aeroplanes, and hangars for dirigibles (if any). list of military and naval machines and aviators. list of private aviators, total of machines, etc. aeroplanes in alphabetical order, _uniform scale_ plans, and particulars. dirigibles: military and private _uniform scale_ plans, and particulars. note.--the uniform scale of dirigible plans is a smaller scale than that used for aeroplanes. argentine. (revised by j. schiere, aeronautical engineer and librarian, dutch r. ae. c.) ~aerial societies~:-- ae.c., argentino, , s. martin, buenos ayres. ~aerial journals~:-- boletin del ae.c., argentino (monthly). ~flying grounds~:-- ~aerodromo villa lugano~. (p. castabert, director.) ~aerodromo del palomar~. (military). ~military aviation.~ at the end of there were military aeroplanes ( _bleriot_, _castaibert_, _nieuport_, and _h farman_)--all models. marcel paillette is director of the military flying ground at the palomar aerodrome. more machines will be added and by the end of the present year it is probable that a very considerable air force will exist. ~private aviators.~ bregi, henri (a.c.f. ) de bruyn, a. ( ) castaibert, b. ( ) fels, t. ( ) england, gordon f.c. (british p.) goffre, c.a. ( ) hentsch, h. ( ) mascias, a.r. ( ) melchior, e. ( ) newbury, g. ( ) origone, m.f. ( ) paillette, marcel (french p.) parravicini, f. ( ) roth, j.a. ( ) valleton a. (french p.) pablo castaibert. monoplane. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | type | _bleriot-hanriot_ type. | _bleriot_ type. | ________________|__________________________|_________________________| | | | length | - / feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | span | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | area | sq. ft. ( - m².) | sq. ft. ( m².) | weight (total) | lbs. ( kgs.) | lbs. ( kgs.) | motor (h.p.) | anzani | gnome | speed (p.h.) | - / m. ( km.) | m. ( km.) | note. both fly well. description in _boletin de ae.c. argentino_. austro-hungarian. (by our austrian editor.) ~aerial societies:--~ cesky club automobilistn. aviatische sektion. (prague.) deutscher luftfahrt-verein in boehmen (teplitz-schoenau). flugtechnischer verein für mähren (brunn.). flugtechnischer verein in schlesien (troppau). flugtechnischer verein in steiermark (graz, schmiedgasse ). k.k. oesterreichischer flugtechnischer verein (wienstrasse , vienna). kärtner automobil club (klagenfürt.) klub awiata (obertynska str. , lemburg, galicia). magyar automobil club (budapest). magyar athletikai club (abt. fur aviatik) budapest. oberösterreichischer verein f.l. in linz (landstr. , linz). oesterreichischer aero club (st. annahoff, vienna) (_formerly wiener aero club_). oesterreichischer flugsport club (breitegasse , vienna vii). k.k. oesterreichischer flugtechnischer verein (weinstrasse , vienna). oesterreichischer luftflotten-verein (vienna). oesterreichischer wintersportklub (vienna). _glider club._ verein für l. in tirol (innsbruck). ~aerial journals:--~ _allgemeine automobil zeitung._ (fleischmarkt , vienna) weekly. _allgemeine sport zeitung._ (st. annhoff, vienna) weekly. _h.p. fachzeitung für automobilismus und flugtechnik._ (vienna) weekly. _oesterreichische flugzeitschrift._ (aspernplatz, wien i) fortnightly. _wiener luftschiffer-zeitung._ (st. annahof, vienna) fortnightly. ~flying grounds:--~ _military._ ~fischamend~ (principal army). ~goerz.~ ~zaule b. triest.~ _naval._ ~pola.~ _private._ ~aspern bei wien~, vienna. ~rakos bei budapest.~ ~wiener neustadt.~ austro-hungarian aeroplanes. ~military aviation: general.~ in june, , a central aeronautical committee was created, under the presidency of prince fürstenberg, to deal with the creation of a national aerial fleet. one of the objects is the perfection of the austrian machines and factories. about the same date, pola was selected as a naval aviation school, and two _paulhan-curtiss_ hydro-avions purchased. in august the record making _lohner_ was purchased for the army. during september captain odolek tested before the military authorities a parachute of his invention; and a number were ordered. in october very strict regulations were issued as to aircraft flying over prohibited areas, a rule that any offenders would be shot at was subsequently modified. in november a _donnet-lerêque_ was purchased for the navy and another ordered at the whitehead works, fiume. ~army section.~ at the end of the army possessed monoplanes and one biplane (a _lohner_), now available for school work. during there were acquired:-- ~ monoplanes.~-- _bleriot_, _nieuport_, _etrich-taube_, _etrich_ limousine, _deperdussin_. ~ biplanes.~-- _lohner-daimler_, _mars_, _klobucar_, (of the above the _nieuports_, _etrich_ limousine and the _lohners_ were the only ones built in austria). ~naval section.~ ~ hydro-avions~ were acquired during ; _donnet-levêque_ and _paulhan-curtiss_. ~military pilots.~ banfield, ob. leut. blaschke, v. ob. leut. eyb, ob. leut. flassig, leut. holeka, ob. leut. kenese, ob. leut. klobucar, ob. leut. miller, ob. leut. ( ) oelwein, ob. leut. perini, leut. petroczy, haupt. von. riedlinger, ob. leut. von. schindler, leut. schünzel, leut. stohanzl, ob. leut. k ( ) umlauff, major von. ( ) uzelac, ob. leut. venczel, leut. welhelm, ob. leut. von the military centre is at goerz, the naval one at pola. flying officers receive each a grant of , crowns; also crowns a month for upkeep. special certificate brings , crowns extra grant. ~private aviators.~ * = superior brevet. + = killed. auer, j. ( ) baar, r. baboncse, k. banfield, k. bauer, dr. v.r. von. bernat, m. *brier, h. ( ) blaschke von. z.r. booms, w. ( ) bratmann, j. buchstätter, a. cejnek, j. cihak, e. ciszek, j. czermak, j. dworak, w. *economo, c.f. von. ( ) fiedler, p. ( ) *flesch, j. ( ) friedmann, w. haner, e. hesse, m. heyrowski, a. hieronimus, o. hinter, k. hold, hermann huss, h. *illner, k. javor, j. kaiserfeld, r. von. kasulakow, w. keck, z. kenese, w. király, k. klobucar, v. knirsch, a. kolowrat, a. graf. ( ) kreiner, e. lagler, b.v. latzel, j. lettis, a. libowitzky, a. mandl. mazuranic, b. +mosen. nemec, h.e. von. nittner, e. ockermüller, h. +petrovics, a. von. ( ) pischof. a.r. von. ( ) rabis, m. reisner, h. riedlinger, e. v. kastrenberg. rosenthal, f. +russjan. sablatnig, j. ( ) schartner, h. schindler, a. schonowsky, b. schönpflug, f. seidl, franz. simon, r. ( ) stanger, r. steiner-göltl, e. v. a. stiploschek, m. *székely, m. tauszig, a. teufl von. ferland, r. umlauff von f. vlaicu, a. *warchalowski, a. ( ) warchalowski, k. ( ) weiner, t. widmer, j. +wiesenbach, v. woseçek, w. ~private aeroplanes.~ at the end of march, , the total number of private aeroplanes in the country was about twenty. etrich monoplanes. etrich flieger werke, wiener neustadt. igo etrich was a very early experimenter in conjunction with wels. in he produced on his own account the first _etrich_ monoplane, a characteristic machine, which except for detail improvement, varying dimensions, etc., has not been appreciably altered since. (see historical section.) [illustration: _photo, c. maleuit._] -----------------------------+---------------+-----------------+---------------------+ | | ~viii - .~ | ~ - .~ | model and date. | ~vii .~ | -seater | limousine -seater. | -----------------------------+---------------+-----------------+---------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p. | daimler | | daimler | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.) | ... | ... | ... | number built during | | | | -----------------------------+---------------+-----------------+---------------------+ remarks.--a number of _vii_ & _viii_ have been sold for military purposes to the austrian, russian, german, and other governments. [illustration: etrich viii. uas.] [illustration: etrich. limousine. _photo, guld._] lohner-daimler. this firm is now amalgamated with etrich. [illustration] ----------------------------------+------------------+-------------------- | | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | lohner daimler | | pfeilflieger. ----------------------------------+------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.) | ... | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.) | ... | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².) | ... | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.) | ... | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs.(kgs.) | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p. | aust. daimler | aust. daimler ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.) | ( ) | ( ) number built during | ? | ----------------------------------+------------------+-------------------- remarks.--staggered and ~v~ shape. late in one was purchased for the austrian army. in made a world's altitude. passenger record, , metres ( , feet.) mercep monoplanes. mihalis mercep, aeroplanwerkstatte, agram, hungary. russjan was connected with this firm, which built biplanes to his designs in . russjan was killed in the second of these. in , a _mercep_ was built. ----------------------------------------+-----------------+----------------- | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ ----------------------------------------+-----------------+----------------- ~length~ feet (m.) | - / ( ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m²) | ... | ( ) {machine, etc. lbs. (kgs.) | ... | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.) | ... | ( ) ~motor~ h.p. | ... | gnome number built | | ----------------------------------------+-----------------+----------------- [illustration: mercep. - .] warchalowski, biplane. karl warchalowski, autoplan werke, odoakergasse , vienna xvi. [illustration] a machine generally on _m. farman_ lines, but with different shaped ailerons and corners of the leading edge rounded. whitehead. whitehead & co., fiume, austria. the whitehead torpedo co. has laid down plant for the production of hydro-aeroplanes. ziegler monoplane. flugzengwerke johann ziegler, vienna. --------------------------------+----------------- | ~ - .~ --------------------------------+----------------- ~length~ feet (m.) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².) | ( ) { total | ( ) ~weight~ { | { useful | ... ~motor~ h.p. | mercedes ~speed~ m.p.h. (k.m.) | ( ) number built during | --------------------------------+----------------- austro-hungarian dirigibles. ~military.~ -------+------------+-------------------+-------+----------+-------+-----------------+------------- date | | | | capacity | | speed. | of | name. | make. | type. | in m³. | h.p. | m.p.h. (k.p.h.) | remarks. order. | | | | | | | -------+------------+-------------------+-------+----------+-------+-----------------+------------- | | | | | | | | ~m ~ | parseval p.l. | n.r. | | | ( ) | | ~m ~ | lebaudy-juillot | s.r. | | | ( ) | wrecked | | | | | | | but repaired | ~m ~ | körting (k.w. ) | n.r. | | | - / ( ) | | ~m ~ | zeppelin | | , | | ( ) | _building._ -------+------------+-------------------+-------+----------+-------+-----------------+------------- military dirigible pilots. cajanek, v. grebenz, k. hauswirth, j. heller, s. hofstätter, e. macher, m. tauber, f. tepser, g.e. von. weiss, h. ~private.~ ------------------+-------------------------+-------------+-------+----------+------+------------------+---------- date of | | | | capacity | | speed. | commencement. | name. | make. | type. | in m³. | h.p. | m.p.h. (k.p.h.) | remarks. ------------------+-------------------------+-------------+-------+----------+------+------------------+---------- | ~mannsbarth-stagl~ | mann-sl. | n.r. | | | ( ) | | ~boemcher ii~ | boemcher ii | | | | ( ) | ------------------+-------------------------+-------------+-------+----------+------+------------------+---------- two _renners_ and a _boemcher i_ have ceased to exist. private dirigible pilots. adrario, k. baumann, f. becker, t. berlepsch, f.f. von. cassinone, a. fürst, a. hoffory, w. hinterstoisser, f. kaiser, k. mannsbarth, f. nowy, v. richter, von. b. stagel, h. stratmann, w. wagner, e. von. f. zborowski, j. boemcher ii. ( - .) non-rigid. +------------------+ | | | _building._ | | | +------------------+ ~length~, ? feet ( ? m.) ~diameter~, ? feet ( ? m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~gas bags.~-- ~motor.~-- ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~propeller.~-- lebaudy-juillot =military m ii. ( .) semi-rigid. [illustration] ~length,~ - / feet ( m.) ~diameter,~ feet ( m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~gas bags.~--austro-american rubber co. ~motor.~-- h.p. mercedes. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) ~propellers.~--two -bladed. remarks.--built by the austrian daimler works to _lebaudy-j._ designs. sister to the russian _lebed_. kÖrting-wimpassing (k-wi). non-rigid=military. m iii. ( .) [illustration] ~maximum length~, - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ - / feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- lbs. ( kgs.) ~useful lift,~ lbs. ( kgs.) ~gas bags.~-- ballonets of , c. feet ( m³.) ~motors.~-- körting, of h.p. each (= h.p.) ~speed.~-- - / m.p.h. ( km.) made on trials march, . ~propellers.~--two -bladed. diameter, - / feet ( m.) ~steering.~--_parseval_ style. this ship is generally an adaptation of the _parseval_ type. accommodates people. completed . military airship. remarks.-- [illustration: uds.] mannsbarth. non-rigid ( ). _(alias ~stagl mannsbarth.~)_ [illustration] ~maximum length,~ ? feet ( ? m.) ~maximum diameter,~ ? feet ( ? m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- ? lbs. ( ? kgs.) ~useful lift,~ ? lbs. ( ? kgs.) ~gas bags.~--divided into compartments. ballonet in each. ~motors.~-- of h.p. each (= h.p.) ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~propellers.~-- . diameter, feet ( m.) also helice. ~steering.~--helice used as elevator. rudder aft. forward and after ballonets also used as elevators, _parseval_ style. completed . remarks.--built for government, but not taken over. parseval p.l. . non-rigid. = military m i. ( .) [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~approx. diameter,~ - / feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ ? c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~gas bags.~--rubbered fabric by austrian american rubber co. ~motor.~-- - h.p. mercedes daimler. , r.p.m. at h.p. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) made on trials. ~propellers.~--_parseval_ type, semi-rigid, chain driven, -bladed. diameter, - / feet ( . m.) ~steering.~--_parseval_ system. remarks.--built by the austrian motorluftschiff gesellschaft to the _parseval_ type c design (see germany). taken over by the austro-hungarian army, december, . has flown - / hours. has risen to , metres and subsequently flown - / hours. carries persons, _about_ lbs. ( kgs.) ballast, and fuel for hours. _station_: fischamend. belgian. (revised by m. bracke, aeronautical engineer & editor of "l'aero mécanique.") ~aerial societies:~-- aero club belgique. aero club of hainault. la ligue nationale belgique. delta club (kites). ae. c. de flanders. ae. c. du littoral. ae. c. de liege-spa. ~aerial journals:~-- _la conquête de l'air._ ( rue royale, brussels) bimonthly, francs p.a. _l'aero mécanique_ (brussels edition). chemin de st. denis, casteau, mons., belgium, . f. _l'aviation industrielle et commerciale_ (monthly), chemin de st. denis, casteau, mons., . f. ~flying grounds:~-- berchem. brasschaet (military). camp de casteau. (aviation industrielle & commerciale). etterbeek, near brussels. kiewit. st. job (private property baron de caters.). belgian aeroplanes. ~military aeroplanes.~ at the end of the military air force consisted of three h.p. gnome _h. farman_ military, used for instructional purposes, and twenty-four h.p. gnome _h. farmans_ (model military), for war work: the military school is at brasschaet, near antwerp. major campion in command. the course is as follows: . _theoretical course._--lectures on meteorology, structure of aeroplanes, aviation motors, etc. . _practical._--this, in addition to flight, consists of dismounting and replacing parts of aeroplanes and aerial motors, all general repairs, erecting hangars and aerial photography. the school possesses nine hangars, of which three are bessonneau type, three wooden, and three metal. for the sum of £ , is to be expended for purchase of aeroplanes and the establishment of aerial squadrons at antwerp, liege, and brasschaet. these are organised into six squadrons of four units each. the full complement of each squadron is eight aviators, fifteen to mechanics, etc., and six citizen soldiers. the question of hydro-avions for the congo is under consideration. ~aviators.~ (the number against any name is, unless otherwise stated, the ae. c. belgique pilot certificate number.) military. broune, lieut. ( ) cozic, r. ( ) dhanis, lieut. ( ) heinter poorten ( ) lebon, lieut. ( ) moulin, e. ( ) movtens, lieut. ( ) nelis, lieut, (in command) ( ) robert, v. ( ) sarteel, lieut. ( ) sournoy, j. ( ) tocy, lieut. private. allard, e. ( ) armand, c. ( ) baugniet, edmond ( ) boel bracke, a. camille, amand ( ) christiaens, joseph ( ) crombez ( ) de caters, baron ( ) de heel, emile ( ) d'hespel, comte joseph ( ) de la hault, adhemar de laet, e. ( ) de laminne, chev ( ) de jonckeer ( ) depireux, isidore ( ) de petrovsky, alexandre ( ) de ridder, alphonse ( ) de roy, w. ( ) descommines deudeuner, a. ( ) dolphyn ( ) doneryos, j. ( ) duray, a. ( ) dutrieu, mdlle. h. ( ) fischer, jules ( ) frenay, fernand ( ) hanciau, p. ( ) hanouilleo, p. ( ) hasen lamblotte, f. ( ) lanser, alfred ( ) lescart, f. ( ) mestagh, g. ( ) michez, s.r. ( ) olieslagers, jan ( ) olieslagers, max orta, josé peeters pickard stellingwerff, j. ( ) tyck, jules ( ) van den born, chas. ( ) verschaeve, fernand ( ) verstraeten, léon ( ) the following belgian aviators have been killed:-- +---------------------+ | kinet, daniel ( ) | | kinet, nicolas ( ) | | verrept, john ( ) | +---------------------+ behueghe (bron), in herseun. built in . a monoplane that flew very well at camp of casteau aerodrome during may--october. ~motor.~-- . h.p. type morane. new designs in wing construction, landing chassis, etc. a. bracke (formerly bracke, missyon & co.), casteau, mons. in , constructed the first aeroplane built by a belgium firm--a monoplane with planes at . this machine has not been duplicated: but the firm have since built machines to private specifications. the only firm which has in belgium the speciality of aeronautical patents. de brouckere, rue joardens, brussels. biplane. h. farman. type. built in , modified in . de la hault adhémar de la hault, rue royale, brussels. in , built a flapper of novel design. this was followed in , by a machine on monoplane lines with one fixed plane and two flapping wings. this failed to fly, and in august, , was altered into a biplane. it did not succeed, however. m. hault is still pursuing the ornithopter question. harel i. biplane. ~length.~-- - / feet ( m.) ~surface.~-- - / sq. feet ( m².) ~weight.~-- lbs. ( kgs.), flying order. warping wings. monoplane tail. ~motor.~-- h.p. gnome, mounted just under and forward of the upper wing. ~tractor.~-- chauviere. elevator placed in front and in rear, _h. farman_ style. rudders, in rear. completed may, . for further details see _conquete de l'air_, july st, . property of m. van der stegen. williams. biplane. ~motor.~-- h.p. e.n.v. generally of headless _voisin_ type on a _farman_ body. completed . has flown fairly well. belgian dirigibles. military. ~ .~ . la belgique ii~ (late ~i~)_ , m³. ~ .~ . la belgique iii note.--_la belgique i_ was built in and re-built . private. ville de bruxelles , m³. la belgique ii. (no. rebuilt.) military. [illustration] ~length,~ feet ( . m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~capacity,~ , cubic feet ( , m³.) ~total lift,~ , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~gas bag.~--rubber proofed continental fabric. ballonet, filled by a separate motor giving . inches of water pressure. warm air can be pumped in if required. ballonet, , c. feet ( m³.) ~motors.~-- , each of h.p., vivinus, -cylinder, × . ~propellers.~-- in front of the car. revolutions per minute. wood construction. ~speed.~-- miles per hour. km. per hour. ~planes.~--horizontal: a gas tube bent horizontally round the tail. vertical: vertical fins on the tail, and a long vertical keel under the gas bag. ~car.~--a girder, square in section, tapered at both ends. built of tubular steel. length, feet ( m.) ~miscellaneous.~--built by l. godard, france, . crew, men. accommodation for passenger. fuel for hours. greatest height attainable, , feet ( , m.) ~table of weights.~-- gas bag, complete with ballonet, valves, planes, lbs. kgs. suspension, etc , propellers ( ) - / blower h.p. motor for blower motors ( ) complete with gearing and shafting , car fuel for hours - / ballast - / passenger (or ballast) crew ( ) guide ropes, etc miscellaneous ----- ----- _about_ , , remarks.--reconstructed in the winter of . there are two noteworthy innovations in connection with the ballonet. ( ) the ballonet can be warmed by the motor. ( ) in case of real emergency air can be pumped direct into the gas bag. experiments of the utmost importance to all airships are in progress with a view to ridding the gas of this air cheaply and quickly. la belgique iii. military. presented to the belgian government by h.m. the king of the belgians. , m³. practically same as ii, but has propellers. ~motors.~--two h.p. germain. ville de bruxelles. (formerly known as la flandre.) (astra type.) [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~useful lift,~ lbs. ( kgs.) ~gas bags.~--continental rubbered fabric, yellow. ballonet, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~motors.~-- pipe motors of h.p. each, placed in line with each other in the fore and aft line, and with clutches and the necessary gearing in between them. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ~propellers.~-- , namely: one at the fore end, driven by the two motors when coupled together, and two placed above and on either side of the centre of the car, for use when only one motor is running. chauvière propellers. ~steering.~--vertical steering by means of a large double aeroplane fixed above the car, about a third from the front. horizontal steering by means of a double vertical rudder above the rear end of the car. stability is secured by the usual astra pear shaped stabilising gas bags, with fins of rubbered cloth spread between the inner edges of these shapes. remarks.--the distinctive feature of this ship is the arrangement of the propellers. both motors can be coupled either on to the front propeller or on to the two rear propellers, or on to all three together, but they are actually intended only to drive the front one. on stopping either motor the other is connected to the two rear propellers, which are designed for a slower speed of translation than the front one, with the result that the running motor does not find itself overloaded as it would if the same propeller had to serve both for one and for two motors. brazilian. ~aviators.~ garos, queiroz, robert, henri, santos-dumont, versepuiz. there are possibly one to two aeroplanes in brazil, but the well-known aviators live in france. little or nothing seems doing in brazil as yet. british. ~aerial societies:~-- royal aero club. aerial league. aeronautical society. (premier society, founded .) brooklands aero club. there were once a great many local aero clubs, but the majority of these have ceased to exist and with one or two possible exceptions all the rest are moribund. ~aerial journals, etc.:~-- _aeronautical journal._ quarterly. , victoria st., london, s.w. _aeronautics._ d. monthly. , chancery lane, london, w.c. _the aero._ d. monthly. , tudor st., london, e.c. _flight._ d. every saturday. , st. martins lane, london, w.c. (official organ of the r. ae. c.) _the aeroplane._ d. weekly, , piccadilly, london. _all the world's aircraft._ /-. annual. , southwark street, london, s.e. and , queen victoria street, london, e.c. in addition, the _car illustrated_ and the _motor_ devote considerable space to aerial matters. ~principal flying grounds:~-- ~aldershot.~--army school. ~brighton,~ shoreham aerodrome. aero school. ~brooklands.~--bristol school. ~camber sands,~ rye, sussex.--at low tide moderately hard sand and soft places. area two miles by one mile. ~dagenham~ (aeronautical society). ~dartford marsh.~--vickers school. ~dunstall park,~ wolverhampton. ~eastbourne.~ aerodrome school. ~eastchurch,~ sheppey.--(r. ae. c.) acres. sheds. members only. r. naval school. ~filey.~--blackburn school. ~hendon.~--grahame-white, blackburn, bleriot, deperdussin, temple and ewen schools. ~lanark.~--deperdussin school. ~liverpool~ (melly school). ~llandudno & north wales.~--aerodrome. ~mapplin sands,~ essex.--(foulness). very hard sand at low tide. area ten miles by four miles. property of war office. flying forbidden in winter. ~salisbury plain.~--bristol school. vast space available. plenty of fairly smooth ground. army school. ~shoreham.~--(see brighton). ~upavon.~ central flying school (r. flying corps.) ~british military aviation.~ ~royal flying corps.~ in the royal flying corps was instituted. it consists of two wings, navy and army, with a central flying school at upavon, salisbury plain. the staff is as follows:-- _commandant_: paine, capt. g.m., m.v.o., r.n. _secretary_: lidderdale, asst. paymaster j.h., r.n. _medical officer_: lithgow, capt. e.g.r., r.a.m.c. _quarter-master_: kirby, hon. lieut. (qr.-mr.), v.c. _instructor in theory and construction_: cook, lieut.-col. h. r., r.a. _instructor in meteorology_: dobson, g., esq. _instructors in flying_: fulton, capt. j. d. b., r.a. gerrard, capt. e. l., r.m. shepherd, lieut. p. a., r.n. trenchard, mt. maj. h. m., d.s.o., r. sc. fus. salmond, capt. j. m., r. lanc. r. _inspector of engines:_ randall, eng.-lieut. c. r. j., r.n. ~royal aircraft factory.~ this is situated at farnborough. mervyn o'gorman is superintendent. there are large sheds. some _b e_ biplanes have been built here, but the principal object of the factory is understood to be repairs and maintenance. ~naval wing royal flying corps, aeroplane section.~ there is a special air department at the admiralty with captain m. f. sueter, as director, commander o. schwann and lieut. c. l'estrange-malone, as assistants, eng. lieut. g. w. s. aldwell, as eng. inspector. officers are graded flying officers, then flight commanders, thence to squadron commanders. the flying school is at eastchurch, sheppey. commander sampson, s.c., in command. there are at present four air stations: ( ) isle of grain, ( ) calshot, ( ) harwich, ( ) yarmouth. at the end of march, , the total number of aeroplanes including those on order, school machines, etc., was about ; of which about were effective for war purposes or available at short notice. these machines were as follows:-- monoplanes (= bleriot, deperdussin, etrich, nieuport, short). biplanes (= avro, bristol, breguet, caudron, h. farman, m. farman, short, sopwith). hydro-avions (= astra, avro, borel, donnet-leveque, h. farman, m. farman, short). the _personnel_ is as follows (number after names is the r. ae. c. brevet number):-- ~squadron commanders.~ gerrard, capt. f. l., r. m. ( ) gordon, capt., r. m. ( ) gregory, lieut. ( ) l'estrange-malone, lieut. c. ( ) longmore, lieut. sampson, com. c. r. ( ) shepherd, lieut. p. a. ( ) ~flight commanders.~ courtney, lieut. i. t. (r. m.) grey, lieut. spencer ( ) risk, capt. c. e., r. m. ( ) seddon, lieut. j. w. ( ) ~flying officers.~ those marked * are under instruction, not yet graded. *agar, lieut. a.w.s. babington, lieut. j.t. ( ) bigsworth, lieut. a.w. ( ) *bobbett, boatswain h.c. ( ) bowhill, lieut. f.w. ( ) *brodribb, lieut. f.g. ( ) courtney, lieut. i.t., r.m. courtney, lieut. c.l. ( ) *davies, lieut. r.b. ( ) *edmonds, lieut. g.h.k. *fawcett, capt. h., r.m. *gaskell, lieut. a.b. *hathorn, lieut. g.h.v., r.m. hewlett, sub. lieut., f.e.j. kennedy, lieut. j.b. *maude, lieut. c.e. *noyes, asst. paymaster, c.r.f. oliver, lieut. e.a. ( ) *parker, asst. paymaster e.b. ( ) rathbone, lieut., c.e., r.m. ross, lieut. r.p. ( ) *sitwell, lieut. w.g. travers, lieut. j.l. vernon, lieut. h.d. ( ) wildman-lushington, lt. g.v., r.m.a. the following r.n. officers and men are aviators employed in various duties at the admiralty, at the central flying school or at eastchurch:-- aldwell, eng. lieut. g.w.s. andrews, j.c. ( ) ashton, ldg. seaman batemad, able seaman p.e. ( ) briggs, eng. lieut. e.f. brownridge, carp. collins, art. eng. j.v. cresswell, lieut. t.s., r.m. ( ) deakin, a. ( ) gerrard, capt., r.m. ( ) l'estrange-malone, lieut. c. ( ) lidderdale, asst. paymaster h.j. ( ) o'connor, art. eng. t. ( ) paine, capt. g.m. ( ) randall, eng. lieut. ( ) schwann, com. o. ( ) scarff, art. eng. f.w. shaw, shipwright d. ( ) shepherd, lieut. p. ( ) susans, f. ( ) wells, staff. surg. h.v. the following have privately secured pilot certificates in the years mentioned but are not employed in the r.f.c. for aeroplane work. some of them, however (d), are employed in the airship section:-- ~ .~ bower, lieut. j.a. ( ) clark-hall, lieut. ( ) leveson-gower, com. williamson, lieut. ( ) williamson, lieut. h.a. ( ) ~naval. .~ blatherwick, lieut. g. ( ) brown, com. a m.t. ( ) edwards, lieut. c.h.h. d freeman williams, lt. f.a.p.( ) head, lieut, g.g.w. ( ) hooper, sub. lt. c.w.w. ( ) johnson, capt. c.d. d masterman, com. e.a.d. (ae.c.f.) prickett, lieut. c.b. ( ) trewin, asst. paymaster ( ) d usborne, lieut. n.f. ( ) wheeler, mid. n.f. ( ) ~naval. .~ d boothby, lieut. f.l.m. (ae.c.f.) brady, b.j.w. ( ) brown, lieut. a.c.g. ( ) dobie, lieut. w.f.r. ( ) fitzmaurice, lieut. r. ( ) freeman, s.t. ( ) littleton, sub. lieut. h.a. ( ) picton-warlow, lieut. w. ( ) ross, lieut. r.p. ( ) ~army wing royal flying corps, aeroplane section.~ the army wing has its headquarters at s. farnborough, its constitution being as follows:-- st squadron (airships or kites) see dirigible section. nd " (aeroplanes) base at montrose. rd " " " " salisbury plain. th " " " " s. farnborough. (four more aeroplane squadrons _pro._) an aeroplane squadron nominally consists of aeroplanes ( in service, remounts). at the end of march, , the total number of aeroplanes, including those on order, school machines, etc., was about , of which about (including some monoplanes not in use) were effective for war purposes or available at short notice. the total of was thus made up:-- monoplanes (= bleriot, bristol, deperdussin, howard-flanders, martinsyde, nieuport). biplanes (= avro, b.e. type,[a] various makers), breguet, caudrons, farman (various types), short--and about avro or farman or short not delivered. ~squadron commanders.~ brooke-popham, capt. h.r.m. ( ) burke, capt, c.j. ( ) (ae.c.f. ) carden, lt. a. d. ( ) cook, lt.-col. h. r. ( ) fulton, major j. d. b. ( ) raleigh, capt. g. h. ( ) trenchard, major h. m. ( ) ~flight commanders.~ allen, capt. c. r. w. ( ) beor, lt. b. r. w. (r.a.) ( ) becke, capt. j. h. w. ( ) connor, lt. d. g. ( ) fox, lt. a. g. ( ) higgins, major j. f. a. (r.a.) ( ) longcroft, lt. c. a. h. ( ) reynolds, lt. h. r. p. (r.e.) salmond, capt. j. m. webb-bowen, capt. t. i. ( ) ~flying officers.~ abercromby, nd lt. r. o. ( ) allen, lt. d. l. ( ) anderson, lt. e. v. ( ) atkinson, lt. k. p. ( ) barrington-kennett, lt. b. h. (adjutant) ( ) beatty, capt. w. d. ( ) *birch, lt. w. c. k. ( ) board, capt. a. g. s. ( ) boyle, lt. the hon. d. g. burchardt-ashton, lt. a. e. burroughs, lt. j. e. g. carmichael, lt. g. i. ( ) *chinnery, lt. e. f. ( ) cholmondeley, lt. r. ( ) *christie, lt. a. (r.a.) ( ) conran, lt. e. l. ( ) *corbalis, lt. e. r. l. darbyshire, capt. c. ( ) dawes, lt. l. ( ) dawes, capt. g. w. p. ( ) *gill, lt. n. j. ( ) glanville, lt. h. f. ( ) gould, nd lt. c. g. s. ( ) harvey, lt. e. g. *harvey-kelley, lt. h. d. herbert, capt. p. l. w. ( ) holt, lt. a. v. ( ) hubbard, nd lt. t. o. b. ( ) hynes, lt. g. b. (r.a.) ( ) james, lt. b. t. joubert, de la f. lt. p. b. ( ) lawrence, lt. w. macdonnell, capt. h. c. ( ) macclean, lt. a. c. h. *mapplebeck, lt. g. w. c. ( ) martyn, lt. r. b. mead, sergt. j. ( ) mellor, capt. c. ( ) *mills, lt. r. p. ( ) moss, bt.-major l. b. ( ) *musgrave, capt. h. (r.e.) *mulcahy-morgan, lt. t. w. *noel, lt. m. w. ( ) pepper, lt. j. w. ( ) *picton-warlow, lt. w. ( ) playfair, nd lt. p. h. l. ( ) *pretyman, lt. g. f. ( ) porter, lt. g. t. (r.a.) ( ) pryce, hon. lt. w. j. d. (qr.-mr.) *read, lt. a. m. ( ) *rodwell, lt. r. m. roupell, nd lt n. s. ( ) shepherd, capt. g. s. ( ) soames, lt. a. h. l. small, lt. f. g. d. ( ) *small, lt. r. g. ( ) smith-barry, nd lt. r. r. ( ) stopford. lt. g. b. *todd, lt. e. ( ) thompson, lt. a. b. tucker, capt. f. st. g. *vaughan, nd lt. r. m. wadham, nd lt. v. h. n. ( ) waldron, lt. f. f. ( ) wanklyn, lt. f. a. ( ) ~reserve.~ ashmore, major e. b. ( ) bell, nd lt. c. g. ( ) de havilland, nd lt. g. ( ) hartree. nd lt. a. ( ) henderson, col. d. ( ) marks, lt. c. h. ( ) pizey, nd lt. c. p. ( ) salmond, capt. w. g. h. smith, lt. s. c. w. unwin, lt. e. f. warter, nd lt. h. de v. ( ) ~special reserve.~ (_ nd lieuts. on probation._) biard, h. c., de la f. ( ) busteed, h. r. ( ) charteris, r. l. ( ) cutler, h. d. ( ) davies, e. k. ( ) *fuller, e. n. ( ) fuller, h. c. (ae. c. f.) gibson. w. e. ( ) hammond, j. j. ( ) humphreys, g. n. ( ) lerwill, f. w. h. metford, l. s. ( ) perry, e. w. c. ( ) rickards, g. b. ( ) sippe, s. v. ( ) spratt, n. c. ( ) ware, d. c. wilson, c. d. (ae. c. f. ) *wilson, c. w. ( ) young, d. g. ( ) the following have qualified privately, r. ae. c. brevets, but are not at present employed in the aeroplane section:-- ~ .~ gibb, lt. ( ) snowden smith, lt. ( ) watkins, lt. h. e. ( ) wood, capt. h. f. ( ) ~ .~ blacker, lt. ( ) cross, lt. ( ) dickson, capt. (ae. c. f. ) harford, lt. ( ) harrison, capt. ( ) hoare, capt. ( ) hooper, lt. ( ) hutchinson, capt. steele ( ) manisty, lt. g. ( ) pitcher, capt. ( ) sebag-montefiore, lt. ( ) smeaton, lt.-col. ( ) strover, lt. e. j. ( ) ~ .~ agnew, capt. c. h. ( ) alston, capt. r. c. w. ( ) ashton, lt. a. e. b. ( ) bannerman, major sir a. ( ) boger, capt. r. ( ) borton, lt. a. e. ( ) boyle, capt. m. ( ) brodigan, lt. f. j. ( ) broke-smith, capt. d. w. ( ) bulkeley, lt. h. t. ( ) carfrae, lt. g. t. ( ) chamier, capt. j. a. ( ) cordner, capt. r. h. l. ( ) ellington, capt. e. l. ( ) empsom, lt. j. ( ) fielding, l. h. c. ( ) fletcher, lt. ( ) hanlon, lt. d. r. ( ) jones, lt. b. t. ( ) lewis, lt. d. ( ) mackay, lt. m. e. ( ) mackworth, lt. j. d. ( ) martin-barry, lt. (ae. c. f.) mccudden, capt. j. h. ( ) miller, capt. g. r. ( ) murray, lt. r. g. h. ( ) nicholas, capt. c. p. ( ) penn-gaskell, lt. l. de c. ( ) percival, lt. d. ( ) pollok, lt. r. v. ( ) powell, capt. d. w. ( ) price, capt. c. l. ( ) rawson, lt. k. ( ) reilly, lt. h. l. ( ) ridd, corporal f. ( ) roger, capt. r. ( ) stott, capt. j. n. j. ( ) styles, lt. f. e. ( ) thomas, staff-sergt. ( ) trevenon, lt. b. j. ( ) weeding, capt. ( ) winfield-smith, lt. s. g. ( ) worthington-wilmer, lt. f. m. ( ) ~ .~ archer, lt. r. h. ( ) bayly, lt. c. g. g. ( ) bruce, sergt. w. r. ( ) bourke, lt. u. j. d. ( ) cameron, major n. j. ( ) chidson, lt. m. r. ( ) crogan, lt. f. j. l. ( ) harrison, lt. hawker, lt. l. g. ( ) hordern, lt. l. c. ( ) hosking, lt. c. g. ( ) hunter, sergt. kemper, sergt. k. ( ) lee, lt. c. f. ( ) maclean, lt. l. l. ( ) marshall, lt. r. ( ) mcmullern, lt. j. d. ( ) merrick, major g. c. ( ) mitchell, lt. w. g. s. ( ) read, lt. w. r. ( ) rees, lt. col. w. b. ( ) stafford, sergt. w. g. ( ) street, sergt. e. j. ( ) thomas, sergt. major vagg, sergt. h. r. ( ) the above figures are mainly taken from _the aeroplane,_ st may, . * = under instruction; not yet graded. private aviators. (the number against any name is, unless otherwise stated, the r. ae. c. pilot certificate number). _to end of_ ~ .~ abbott, c. r. ( ) aitken, a. h. ( ) anderson, j. a. ( ) archer, ernest (ae. c. f. ) ballard, f. m. ( ) barber, h. ( ) barnes, g. a. ( ) blackburn, h. ( ) bowens, r. g. ( ) boyle, hon. alan ( ) bretherton, john ( ) breton, j. ( ) brown, h. b. ( ) chataway, j. d. ( ) challenger, g. h. ( ) chambers, c. f. m. ( ) cockburn, g. b. ( ) cockerell, p. ( ) cody, s. f. ( ) conway-jenkins, f. ( ) crawshay, r. ( ) colmore, g. c. ( ) dacre, g. b. ( ) darroch, g. r. s. ( ) dolphin, w. h. ( ) dunkinfield-jones ( ) ducroq, m. ( ) dyott, g. m. ( ) driver, e. f. ( ) egerton, m. hon. ( ) england, gordon ( ) esterre, c. r. (ae. c. f. ) ewen, w. h. ( ) fleming, h. r. ( ) george, a. e. ( ) graham-white, claud ( ) (ae. c. f. ) gresswell, c. h. ( ) grey, w. h. de ( ) halse, e. ( ) hamel, gustav ( ) (ae. c. f. ) harding, howard (ae. c. f. ) harrison, eric ( ) hewlett, mrs. ( ) higginbotham, gerald ( ) hilliard, w. m. ( ) hubert, charles ( ) hotchkiss, e. ( ) houdini, harry hucks, b. g. ( ) hunter, a. ( ) johnston, st. croix, p. g. ( ) johnstone, w. barnley ( ) kemp, r. c. ( ) keith-davies, e. king knight, archibald ( ) lawrence, w. ( ) longstaffe, j. l. ( ) loraine, robert (ae. c. f. ) low, a. r. ( ) macdonald, l. f. ( ) maron, louis ( ) martin, j. v. mrs. ( ) macfie, r. ( ) mcardle, w. e. (ae. c. f.) m'clean, f. k. ( ) mellersh, o. s. ( ) melly, h. g. (ae. c. f.) moorhouse, w. b. r. ( ) morrison, o. c. ( ) moore-brabazon, j. ( ) noel, louis ( ) ogilvie, a. ( ) pashley, cecil l. ( ) pashley, e. c. ( ) paterson, c. e. ( ) paul, e. a. (ae. c. f.) percival, n. s. ( ) petre, h. a. ( ) philpott, r. w. ( ) pixton, h. ( ) prentice, w. r. ( ) radley, j. ( ) rawlinson, a. ( ) raynham, f. p. ( ) roe, a. v. ( ) salmet, h. ( ) sassoon, e. v. ( ) santoni, l. singer, a. m. ( ) (ae. c. f. ) slack, r. b. ( ) smith, s. e. ( ) smith, w. w. (ae. c. f.) spencer, h. ( ) somers-somerset (ae. c. f. ) sopwith, t. ( ) stanley-adams, h. ( ) stark (ae. c. f. ) stocks, mrs. c. de b. ( ) thomas, j. h. ( ) travers, j. l. ( ) turner, c. c. ( ) turner, l. w. f. ( ) valentine, j. ( ) watt, w. o. ( ) weir, j. d. ( ) weston, john (ae. c. f.) wickham, r. f. ( ) woodward, g. a. t. (a _to end of_ ~ .~ barnwell, r. h. ( ) beech, a. c. (ae. c. f.) bendall, w. ( ) bettington, a. v. ( ) birch, e. ( ) brock, w. l. ( ) cheeseman, w. e. ( ) featherstone, w. ( ) fowler, f. h. ( ) gates, r. t. ( ) garne, t. ( ) geere, a. e. ( ) gill, r. w. r. ( ) hall, h. w. ( ) hall, j. l. ( ) hardman, w. l. ( ) harrison, w. j. ( ) hawker, h. g. ( ) hedley, w. s. ( ) hewitt, v. ( ) higginbotham, v. c. ( ) holyoake, r. g. ( ) james, j. h. ( ) james, h. h. ( ) kershaw, r. h. ( ) lister, r. a. ( ) nesham, h. p. ( ) nevill, m. r. ( ) manton, m. d. ( ) meredith, c. w. ( ) merriam, f. w. ( ) parr, s. ( ) payze, arthur ( ) potet, a. ( ) prensiel, g. ( ) simms, r. h. ( ) stodart, dr. d. e. ( ) summerfield, s. ( ) sutton, e. f. ( ) sweetman-powell, h. ( ) taylor, v. p. ( ) tremlett, l. a. ( ) wood, v. g. ( ) wynne, a. m. ( ) wright, h. s. ( ) yates, v. ( ) ~ ~ (brevets from onward). andreas, f. g. ( ) barron, j. c. ( ) hodgson, w. p. ( ) kehrmann, j. c. ( ) king, r. a. ( ) lane, h. t. g. ( ) lawford, e. h. ( ) macandrew, h. e. w. ( ) macneill, w. (ae. c. f.) mcnamara, j. c. ( ) minchin, f. r. ( ) muller, p. m. ( ) temple, g. l. ( ) thompson, a. b. a. ( ) tower, h. c. ( ) rainey, t. h. ( ) russell, a. l. ( ) stewart, h. ( ) strain, l. h. ( ) the following british aviators have been killed: +-------------------------------------+ | . | | rolls, hon. c. ( ) | | | | . | | benson, r. | | cammell, lieut. ( ) | | grace, cecil ( ) | | napier ( ) | | oxley, h. ( ) | | ridge, t. ( ) | | smith, v.[b] | | | | . | | allen, d. l. ( ) | | astley, j. h. d. ( ) | | bettington, lt. c. a. ( ) | | campbell, lindsay ( ) | | clark, miss j. | | fenwick, r. c. ( ) | | fisher, e. v. b. ( ) | | gilmour, graham (ae. c. f.) | | hardwick, a. | | hamilton, capt. p. ( ) | | hotchkiss, lieut. | | loraine, capt. ( ) | | petre, edward ( ) | | parke, lieut. w. ( ) | | wilson, st. serg. ( ) | | wyness-stuart, lt. a. | | | | . | | arthur, lt. desmond ( ) | | berne, paym'st'r (r.n.) | | england, g. ( ) | | macdonald, l. f. | | rogers-harrison, lieut. l. c. ( ) | +-------------------------------------+ british aeroplanes ~a~ aircraft factory. royal aircraft factory, farnborough, near aldershot. for a long time this establishment had been engaged in dirigible construction and repairs. in it was decided to expand it in connection with the royal flying corps. its precise functions are somewhat uncertain. its nominal main purpose is the repair, etc., of service aircraft. during , however, it turned out several machines to a design of its own, known as the _"b.e."_ this design was at one time regarded as confidential; but subsequently duplicates were built by private contractors, and the design illustrated below, published by the advisory committee for aeronautics. [illustration: b.e. type. r.a.f. uas.] ~length,~ - / feet ( m.) ~span.~-- - / feet ( . m.) ~area.~-- sq. feet ( - / m².) ~weight.~-- ~motor.~-- h.p. renault and others. ~speed.~-- aero's ltd. st. james' street, norwich union buildings, piccadilly, london, s.w. established for the sale of all parts and accessories; also for the sale of second hand aeroplanes and motors of all makes. does not construct at present. aircraft manufacturing co., ltd. , victoria street, london, s.w. works: hendon, london, n.w. this company established in , holds all the british rights for the _h. & m. farman_ types. it constructs in england all _farman_ types at its own works. (see _farman_, french). avro. aeroplanes. a. v. roe & co., clifton street, miles platting, manchester; also shoreham, sussex. a. v. roe designed his first machine, a biplane, in . it was the first british machine to leave the ground. he then experimented with triplanes in lea marshes, where he managed to fly with only h.p. in - . in august, , built _roe iii_, and in september, _roe iv_, also triplanes (see edition for full details). in he abandoned triplanes for the _avro_ biplane. school: shoreham. [illustration: type d ( ). _photo, alan h. burgoyne, esq., m.p._] ----------------------------------------+-------------------+----------------+----------------+-------------------+-------------------- | ~d - .~ | ~e .~ | ~f .~ | ~g - .~ | ~e - .~ model. | -seater | -seater | totally | totally | hydro-biplane. | biplane. | biplane. | enclosed | enclosed | | | | mono. | biplane. | ----------------------------------------+-------------------+----------------+----------------+-------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. ft. (m².) | ( ) | ( ) | ( - / ) | ( ) | ( - / ) {empty lbs. (kgs.) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | {fully loaded, lbs. (kgs.) | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p. | , any make | gnome | viale | green | gnome ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | . ( ) | ( ) number built during | several | | | | ----------------------------------------+-------------------+----------------+----------------+-------------------+-------------------- remarks.--of the above, of the gnome e type were purchased by the british royal flying corps, and one by the portuguese government; the other went to windermere on january, , for hydro experiments. climbing speed of this type is feet per min. ( m.) dual control fitted. d type are no longer being built. climbing speed of f type, feet per min. ( . m.) gliding angle, in . g has a gliding angle in . . on october th, , made british record to date, ' - / " (= miles). the hydro. was delivered to the british r.f.c. naval wing early in . [illustration: avro. type d ( - ). u.a.s.] [illustration: e type standard h.p. avro biplane.] +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | _no suitable photo available._ | | the machine is on usual lines. the first had a single float, but now | | two floats are used. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ e type h.p. avro hydro-biplane. [illustration: f type enclosed avro mono.] [illustration: g type enclosed avro biplane.] ~b~ blackburn aeroplanes. blackburn aeroplane co., balm road, leeds. blackburn produced his first machine early in (see edition for details). in the latter part of that year he designed the machine which ultimately developed into the _blackburn_ military. in other types were produced, all being fitted with the patent blackburn triple control. school at filey hucks has been the principal _blackburn_ flyer. the type has also been very successfully flown by naval officers. capacity of works: about a year. ------------------+------------------------+------------------------+------------------------------- | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | military. -seater. | military. -seater | hydro-biplane. | | | -seater ------------------+------------------------+------------------------+------------------------------- ~length~ | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | feet ( km.) ~span~ | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | & ft. ( . & km.) ~area~ | sq. ft. ( m².) | sq. ft. ( m².) | sq. ft. ( m².) ~weight~ (total) | ... | lbs. ( kgs.) | lbs. ( kgs.) ~motor~ h.p.| ... | gnome. | gnome or anzani ~speed~ | - m. ( - km.) | m. ( km.) | m. ( km.) ------------------+------------------------+------------------------+------------------------------- notes.--petrol for hours (higher endurances can be fitted). specially designed for military work--all steel construction. all parts unwelded to admit of rapid displacement. clear observation provided for. ~fuselage.~--the fuselage is ~v~ shaped and constructed of weldless steel tubing in the form of a lattice girder. the main longitudinals are of round section; cross members, oval section. connections are not welded but made with strong steel clips so that should any member become damaged a new one can be readily arranged. the front portion is covered with sheet metal giving additional strength and reducing the head resistance. stream line form tapering towards the rear which is covered with fabric. ~chassis.~--two long skids connected up to fuselage by metal struts. each skid borne by a pair of wheels, axle held down by elastic shock absorbers. on the axle of the wheels are fitted steel springs which take side thrust. each pair of wheels held by radius rods forming a bogie. ~control.~--patent blackburn triple, independent or simultaneous on hand wheel, but special foot control for rudder is fitted if desired. in , five machines were built, of which two were of the mil. model. others, non-military models (see last edition.) [illustration: military monoplane.] [illustration: blackburn. military type. two-seater. uas] [illustration: blackburn. naval type.] bristol. the british & colonial aeroplane co., ltd., filton house, bristol. founded . capital ( ), ?. have very extensive works (area. ? sq. feet) on the outskirts of bristol, employing over men, where they manufacture to their own designs practically every type of flying machine. flying grounds: salisbury plain, brooklands. royal aero club certificates won on _bristol_ machines during (of which were officers of his majesty's forces). ----------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+----------------- | ~military~ | ~military~ | | | ~mono.~ | ~mono.~ | ~tractor~ | ~school~ | -seater. | -seater. | ~biplane~ | ~mono.~ | h.p. | h.p. | ~ .~ | side by side. | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | | ----------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+----------------- ~length~ feet (m.) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ~total~ {machine, lbs. (kgs.) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ {useful lbs. (kgs.) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~motor~ h.p. | gnome | gnome | renault | gnome ~speed~ {max. m.p.h. (km.) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | {min. m.p.h. (km.) | ... | ... | ... | ~endurance~ hrs. | | - | ... | number built during | ... | ... | ... | ----------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+----------------- notes.--~monoplane:~ box section fuselage convex on bottom side to minimise resistance. mounted on wheels and skids with smaller wheels attached at the forward end. bristol tractor. ~biplane:~ box section fuselage, convex on top and bottom sides. mounted as monoplane. bristol tractor. this machine is the latest production of the bristol co., and has proved an exceptionally successful flyer. designed by m. coanda. [illustration: h.p. monoplane.] [illustration: h.p. biplane. uas.] bleriot aeronautics. belfast chambers, , regent street, london, w. school: hendon. british office of the _bleriot_ firm (see france). british breguet co., , albemarle street, piccadilly, london, w. works and offices: , hythe road, cumberland park, willesden, london, n.w. established . constructs in england _breguet_ models, some of which are beginning to vary in detail from the originals (see france). british caudron. (see _ewen_.) british deperdussins. british deperdussin aeroplane co., ltd., , victoria street, westminster, london, s.w. school: hendon. chairman: admiral the hon. sir e. r. freemantle, g.c.b., c.m.g. managing directors: lieut. j. c. porte, r.n., d. laurence santoni. secretary: n. d. thompson. this firm handles the french models of _deperdussins_, but has in addition a special hydro-aeroplane of its own, of which one was built in . details of this special machine are:--~length,~ feet inches ( . m.) ~span,~ feet ( . m.) ~area,~ sq. feet ( m².) ~weight,~ total, , lbs. ( kg.); useful, , lbs. ( kg.) ~motor,~ h.p. anzani. ~speed,~ m.p.h. ( k.m.) other models sold by the firm are of french type exactly (see france). british donnet-leveque. handled by aeros, ltd., , st. james' street, piccadilly, london, s.w. company forming march, (see france). works and school at shoreham. british farmans. (see _aircraft co._) british hanriots. hewlett & blondeau, omnia works, vardens road, clapham junction, london, s.w. construct all types of _hanriot_ machines (see france), also build to private specifications, and deal in accessories generally. british nieuports. company forming . representative: m. bonnier, , goulders green crescent, london, n.w. ~c~ cody. cody flying school, farnborough. cody commenced experiments with kites in very early days on behalf of the british admiralty. subsequently built the first british army dirigible, and an experimental army aeroplane. in , his direct connection with the army ceased. a _cody i_ was built in . a _cody ii_ was completed june . the _special features_ of both were: very strong construction, great size (_ii_ had area of sq. feet), ailerons. later types, except that warping is substituted for ailerons, do not differ very materially except in minor details. all wood construction. ---------------------------------+-----------------+-------------------+------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | model. | -seater | -seater | may, ~ .~ | biplane. | biplane. | monoplane. ---------------------------------+-----------------+-------------------+------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( - / ) | ( - / ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~motor~ | green, later | aust. daimler | aust. daimler | a green | | {max m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | {min m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) number built to end of last year | | | ---------------------------------+-----------------+-------------------+-------------------- remarks.--the is the famous _cody_, which, as a h.p., won both michelin prizes, and completed the _daily mail_ circuit. as a h.p. it won the michelin cross-country. by the end of it is said to have flown a total of miles. the is practically a duplicate with a more powerful engine. _special features_ of the biplanes, maximum camber to lower plane. both planes equal span. very strong landing gear. propeller chain driven: - / to gearing. in february, , four biplanes were ordered for the british army. cody lists a mono. for a trifle longer than the above; also five variations on the biplane of from to h.p., which can be built if required. [illustration: biplane.] coventry ordnance. the coventry ordnance works, ltd., coventry. london office: , broadway, westminster, s.w. established . capacity: machines a year without difficulty. ----------------------------+--------------+ | ~ .~ | | model . | ----------------------------+--------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ~speed~ { | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | number built during | | ----------------------------+--------------+ remarks.--experimental machines. [illustration] ~d~ dunne. the blair atholl aeroplane syndicate, ltd., , queen victoria street, london, e.c. school: eastchurch. in lieut. dunne was employed by the british army authorities for secret aeroplane experiments. he had at that time patented a monoplane of < type. in _dunne i_ was tried on the duke of atholl's estate in scotland, but failed to fly, being smashed on the starting apparatus. _dunne iii_, a glider, , was experimented with successfully by lieut. gibbs. in the same year _dunne iv_, a larger power driven edition made hops of yards or so. early in the war office abandoned the experiments. _dunne ii_, a triplane of design, was, by consent of the war office, assigned to prof. huntingdon, who made one or two short flights with it at eastchurch in . at the same time the above syndicate was formed, and _dunne v_, built by short bros., was completed in june, . in - the huntingdon, modified, was flying well. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | gnome. | | | | ~ - ~ | ~ - ~ | ~ - ~ | ~ - ~ model and date. | single-seat | -seater | biplane. | biplane. | mono. | mono. | ~d .~ | ~d .~ | ~d .~ | ~d ~ _bis._ | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| _not given_ | ... | ... | ... ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | green | gnome ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) number built during | | | | b'lding (' ) -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ notes.--biplane _d _ is identical with the original pattern _dunne v_, except that it has only one propeller instead of two. it has been flown completely uncontrolled in a m.p.h. wind, carrying a r. ae. c. observer as passenger. [illustration: dunne. original dunne biplane d .] ~e~ ewen. the w. h. ewen aviation co., london aerodrome: hendon. also works at lanark, scotland (opened february, ). hold the british rights for and construct at their works _caudron_ aeroplanes (see france). ~f~ ferguson. j. b. ferguson, ltd., belfast. [illustration] this machine first appeared in . owing to an accident to mr. ferguson it was laid up for a long time. about the end of it re-appeared. principal details:-- ~span.~-- feet ( . m.) ~area.~-- sq. feet ( m².) h.p. . ~g~ grahame-white. the grahame-white aviation co., ltd., piccadilly, london, w. works and flying ground: hendon. founded by c. grahame-white, the well-known aviator, who in commenced operations with a school at pau. later this was removed to england, and a general agency for the sale of aeroplanes, etc., established. this developed, and early in the firm was handling a special british agency for the u.s. _burgess_ type known as "the baby." the hendon aerodrome was acquired, and a factory established, which has grown continually ever since. in april, , a monoplane to special design was completed. by the close of the same year biplanes of advanced design were constructed. capacity of the works, march, , was equal to machines a year if necessary. ----------------------------------+--------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+----------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | military | "popular" | "popular" | tractor | monoplane. | biplane. | biplane. | biplane. | hydro-biplane | type ix. | type vi. | type vii. | type vii. | type viii | single-seat. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | | | | | | ----------------------------------+--------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+----------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( - / ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | | | ( ) | ... ~weight~ { | | ... | ... | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | | | ( ) | ... ~motor~ | aust. daimler | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome {max. m.p.h (k.p.h.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | {min. m.p.h (k.p.h.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | | | | number built during | | ... | ... | | ... ----------------------------------+--------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+----------------- | also built with a | also built | | also built | also built with | aust. daimler. | with a | | with a | a anzani. | | | | | | designed to carry | | | | two main floats | a gun on the bow. | | | | with - / ft. track. | | | | | floats are ft. | very good view. | | | | long, ft. wide, | | | | | ft. in. deep. | very strong landing| | | | | carriage. | | | | ----------------------------------+--------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+----------------- [illustration: military type vi. uas.] [illustration: "popular" biplane. type vii. uas] [illustration: hydro-biplane. type viii. uas.] ~h~ howard-flanders. l. howard-flanders, ltd., , townsend terrace, richmond, surrey. school: brooklands. established february, , by howard-flanders, whose connection with aviation dates from the pioneer days. richmond works opened april, . capacity of the works at end of was sufficient to turn out from to machines a year. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~f .~ | ~b .~ | ~s .~ | ~f .~ | ~b .~ | -seater | -seater | single-seat | -seater | -seater | military | biplane. | monoplane. | monoplane. | biplane. | monoplane. | | | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m²)| ( ) | ( ) | ( - / ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| renault | a.b.c. | gnome | gnome | gnome {max m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | {min m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) number built during | | | | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.--_f _ climbing speed feet ( m.) in - / minutes, in - / mins., in mins. _b _ climbing speed feet ( m.) per minute. the four _f _ type were bought by the british army during . [illustration: monoplane.] [illustration: biplane.] [illustration: flanders. uas.] [illustration: flanders. uas.] handley-page monoplanes. handley page, , victoria street, s.w. works: , cricklewood lane, n.w. flying ground: hendon. established at the end of . in june, , it was turned into a limited liability co. since then it has been busily employed in producing its own machines, also others to inventor's specifications. about the end of the firm bought up and sold all the machines of the aeronautical syndicate--_valkyrie_ and _viking_ types. it is doubtful whether any of these v type still exist--in any case it does not matter. four were presented to the r. flying corps. of these one was smashed up, the others, one army and two navy, were used to teach mechanics to take down and re-assemble engines, etc. handley-page also bought up the _radley-moorhouse_ machines (bleriot copies), and disposed of them. the - _handley-page_ type is as follows--a development along regular lines of the original h.p. machine:-- [illustration: handley-page v.] ~length,~ - / feet ( . m.) ~span,~ - / feet ( . m.) ~area,~ sq. feet. ( - / m².) ~weight.~--total, lbs. ( kgs.) empty, lbs. ( kgs.) ~motor.~-- h.p. gnome. ~speed.~ m.p.h. ( km.) remarks.--the fixed tail area is sq. feet. body is entirely enclosed, stream line form. the passenger sits behind the pilot. mounted on wheels and one long skid forward. full description and details, _flight_, th october, . principal pilots have been the late e. petre (who made in it the only flight through london), the late lieut. parke, r.n., s. pickles, and l. r. whitehouse. the machine has been flown with two passengers, in addition to the pilot. ~military work.~--during five biplanes of the _b.e._ type were ordered by the british war office. several monoplanes were ordered by foreign governments. [illustration: handley page. uas.] ~l~ lake flying co. windermere. established , by e. w. wakefield, with a view to hydro-aeroplane experiments. the first machine was a _curtiss_ type built by a. v. roe, which flew in november, . in , a special biplane generally of _farman_ type but with more camber to the planes, was built. [illustration: water hen.] ~length.~-- - / feet ( m.) ~span.~-- feet ( . m.) ~area.~-- sq. feet ( m.²) ~motor.~--gnome. ~speed.~-- . m.p.h. ( . k.p.h.) the single float is feet wide, flexibly connected. balancers mounted on a spring board. water rudders for steering at slow speed. fuller details see _flight_, december th, . early in , an _avro_ was purchased for further experiments. ~m~ martinsyde. messrs. martin & handasyde, brooklands, weybridge, surrey. output capacity: about per annum. ----------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | model and date. | mono. -seater. | mono. -seater. | ----------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+ ~length~ feet. (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~span~ feet. (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( - / ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| antoinette | laviator | {max m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~speed~ { | | | {min m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | number built during | ... | ... | ----------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+ notes.--wood construction. landing: wheels and one skid. _controls_: warping wings and rear elevator. triangular body. the two models are very nearly identical. [illustration: martin-handasyde. uas.] ~p~ piggott. piggott bros. & co., ltd., , & , bishopsgate, london, e.c. this well-known firm of shed makers built a novel biplane in may, (details _flight_, may st, ), and in a monoplane with enclosed body (_flight_, april st, ). in , both were disposed of, and the firm is not proceeding with its experiments. it has, however, a staff of skilled mechanics and a great deal of floor space for the construction of aeroplanes to specifications. planes. planes, ltd., , lord street, liverpool. works: duke street & cleveland street, birkenhead. not building at present. in october, , the firm produced a biplane, designed by w. p. thompson, fitted with a special pendulum stabilising device. this was followed a year or so later by a monoplane. ~r~ radley-england. this is not an aeroplane firm, but a special hydro built by two well-known aviators for the _daily mail_ competition. ~length,~ feet. ~span,~ feet. floats, feet long by foot inches wide. pilot in starboard float. ~weight,~ with petrol for hours, , lbs. ~motor,~ h.p., made up of -- h.p. gnomes, but two greens to be fitted for competition. one -bladed propeller in rear. ~speed,~ m.p.h., with h.p. ~s~ sanders. this firm appears to have ceased to exist. short bros. works and flying grounds: eastchurch, isle of sheppey, kent. london office: queen's circus, battersea park. took up construction at a very early date. _wright_ agents in . have built numerous biplanes and monoplanes to specifications. produced their own first machine (see edition) in . ----------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------+-------------------------------------+-----------------+------------------ | ~s . . hydro biplane.~ | ~s . . military tractor~ | ~s . .~ | ~s . standard school.~ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | | ~biplane.~ | ~military nacelle biplane.~ | | -seater, | tandem +----------------+----------------+----------------|----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+------------------+------------------+ mono. | tractor | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | h.p. | | biplane. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | | ----------------------------------+----------------+----------------+----------------|----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+------------------+------------------+-----------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ( ) | ... {machine lbs. (kg.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | | | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kg.)| ( ) | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome. | gnome. {max (m.p.h.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | | | | | | | {min (m.p.h.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | | | | | | | | | | | number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+---------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-----------------+------------------ remarks.--floats are two long pontoons. subsidiary floats at tips of |tandem seats, pilot in front. |specially designed for |solely designed for |no longer built, but still lower plane. small tail float with water rudder. w.-t. compartments |fittings for maps, etc. |reconnaissance. tandem |school work. |in existence. to floats. tandem seated, pilot in front. the observer's seat can | |seats, pilot in front. an |seats side by side. | accommodate two if necessary. | |extra passenger can be | | | |accommodated. | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------+-------------------------------------+------------------------------------ [illustration: old - tractor biplane.] [illustration: old - mono.] [illustration: short. hydro. "short" hydro-aeroplane type s . fp tractor bi-plane uas.] [illustration: short. s. type. uas.] [illustration: short. s. military. uas.] sopwith. sopwith aviation co. works: canbury park road, kingston-on-thames. school: at brooklands. established by t. o. m. sopwith, the well known aviator at brooklands, autumn of , where during , a h.p. tractor biplane and a h.p. biplane was turned out. floor area of the kingston works in march, , was , sq. feet with electric power plant. works manager: f. sigrist. general manager: r. o. cary. output capacity: at full pressure about machines a year. ----------------------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ model and date. | bat boat | tractor | school | armoured | hydro | biplane | biplane. | warplane. | biplane. | -seater. | | ----------------------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ' - / " ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| austro-daimler | gnome | gnome | austro-daimler {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... ----------------------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+------------------- notes.--wood construction. carriage wheels and skids. _control:_ balanced ailerons. [illustration: sopwith. flying boat.] [illustration: . tractor biplane.] ~v~ vickers. vickers, ltd., vickers house, broadway, westminster. school: brooklands. seven pupils qualified during . -----------------------------------+-----------------+------------------+ | monoplane. | military | model and date. | ~ - .~ | biplane. | | -seater. | ~ .~ | -----------------------------------+-----------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ... | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | {total, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ... | ~weight~ { | | | {useful, lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | wolseley | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| | ... | number built during | ... | ... | -----------------------------------+-----------------+------------------+ notes.--steel construction. landing shock absorbing: wheels and skid. rectangular enclosed body. _controls_: warping and rear elevator. ~monoplane~ climbs feet a minute fully loaded. ~biplane~ is armed with a vickers r.c. automatic gun in the bow. [illustration: vickers. uas.] [illustration: vickers. monoplane.] +------------------------------+ | | | | | | +------------------------------+ vickers. armed biplane. ~w~ white. j. samuel white & co., ltd., shipbuilders and engineers, east cowes, isle of wight. london office: , victoria street, s.w. this well-known firm of torpedo craft builders, etc., formally opened an aviation department on st january, , with howard t. wright as general manager and designer. ----------------------------------+----------------+ | ~ .~ | | navy 'plane. | ----------------------------------+----------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( - / ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ~speed~ { | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built | ... | ----------------------------------+----------------+ remarks.--hydro-biplane, with howard t. wright patent aeroplanes to give wide range of speed. two patent hydro floats, feet (m.) long, three steps on each. [illustration: uas.] british dirigibles. ~navy.~ ~army.~ /-------------------------^----------------------------------\ /------------------^--------------------\ --------------------------------+----------------+---------------------+-----------------------+-------------------+--------------------- | | | | | ~iii, & iv & v~ name and date. | ~ii willows .~|~iii astra torres .~| ~iv parseval .~ | ~ii beta.~ | ~gamma, delta,~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ ( .)~ | ~epsilon.~ | | | | | ~ , , .~ --------------------------------+----------------+---------------------+-----------------------+-------------------+--------------------- ~volume~ c. feet (m³.)| , ( ) | , ( , ) | , ( , ) | , ( ) | , ( , ) ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ... | ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) ~diameter~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ... | - / ( ) | ( . ) | ( . ) {fabric | spencer | continental | metzler | gold beater skin | continental ~gasbags~ {compartments | _nil_ | | _nil_ | _nil_ | _nil_ {ballonets | | | | | {total tons| about / | about | about | _about_ / | - / ~lift~ { | | | | | {useful, tons| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motors~ h.p.| (= ) | -- chenu (= ) | -- maybach (= ) | -- green (= ) | -- green (= ) {number | (swivel) | | (s.r.) steel | | (swivel) ~propellers~ {blades | | | | | {diameter feet (m.)| ... | ... | ... | ( . ) | - / ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~endurance~ full speed| ... | ... | ... | ... | hours ~max. complement~ | | - | - | | ~station~ | farnborough | ... | ... | farnborough | farnborough --------------------------------+----------------+---------------------+-----------------------+-------------------+--------------------- notes.--all the above are non-rigid. the military ones were all built at the royal aircraft factory. ~navy dirigible pilots.~ boothby, lieut. f. l. m. (_f.c._) everett, gunner f. masterman, comdr. e. a. d. (in command) usborne, lieut. n. f. (squad comdr.) woodcock, lieut. h. (_f.c._) undergoing naval aircraft course: crocker, lieut. w. r. hicks, lieut. w. c. wilson, lieut. r. a. ~military dirigible pilots.~ ~squadron commanders.~ maitland, capt. e. m. ~flight commanders.~ waterlow, lieut. c. m. ~flying officers.~ brabazon, capt. honble. c. m. p. fletcher, lieut. j. n. (r.e.) hetherington, lieut. t. g. mackworth, lieut. j. d. pigot, capt. r. the following hold dirigible pilot certificates, but are not at present employed:-- broke smith, capt. p. capper, col. j. e. fox, lieut. a. g. ~private dirigibles.~ there are one _willows_ ( ) (sister to the naval one) and a couple of _spencers_ about the size of _beta_. ~private dirigible pilots.~ willows, e. t. ( - , villa rd. handsworth, birmingham). ~british naval dirigibles.~ [illustration: willows. the naval one is fitted with a boat-shaped car.] [illustration: parseval. (photo of a sister ship.)] +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | ~new construction.~ | | | | messrs. vickers have acquired the parseval rights for the british | | empire, and several airships of this type are likely to be put in | | hand by them shortly. | | | | also reported that a big rigid is projected. | | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ ~british military dirigibles.~ [illustration: beta.] [illustration: beta.] [illustration: gamma (delta the same, but a smaller and enclosed car).] [illustration: gamma.] british colonial aircraft. ~australian.~ ~military aviation.~ in january, , the australian flying corps was instituted, as a part of the citizen forces. during , about £ , is to be spent. the force is to consist ultimately of officers, warrant officers and sergeants, mechanics. the school is at duntroon. course includes--mechanics of the aeroplane, aerial motors, meteorology, aerial navigation by compass, aerial photography, signalling, etc. mr. harrison is in command with lieut. h. petre as assistant. ~australian aviators.~ banks, r. c. busteed, h. duigan, j. r. hammond, j. j. harrison +hart +lindsay, c. petre, h. pickles watts +=killed. ~private aeroplanes.~ j. r. duigan has built an aeroplane of his own design. ~new zealand.~ nothing doing worth mention. one _bleriot,_ h.p., presented by the _standard,_ london. ~canadian.~ ~aerial societies.~ aeronautical society of canada, c/o. m. p. logan, gloucester street, toronto mcgill aviation club, mcgill university, montreal oshawa, ontario ae. c. note.--owing to the fact that the late aerial experiment association was half canadian and half u.s.a., it is difficult to draw a very clear dividing line between canadian and u.s. aviators or machines. thus, one given here is partly u.s.a., while at least one u.s. machine may be claimed as "partially canadian." ~aviators.--private.~ bell, dr. graham mccurdy, j. a. d. (u.s.a. ae. c. ) mchardy symonds, e. f. st. henry r. ~canadian aeroplanes.~ graham-bell ii. flights were made by dr. graham-bell in a tetrahedal type, similar to one described in the edition. mccurdy-willard. biplane. ~maximum length,~ - / feet ( m.) ~maximum breadth,~ - / feet ( . m.) ~supporting surface,~ ? sq. feet (? m².) ~total weight.~-- ~body.~--central skid in combination with wheels. triangular body, base of triangle on top. fuselage entirely enclosed. ~planes.~--maximum span, - / feet ( . m.) chord, - / feet ( m.) gap, feet ( . m.) ailerons at trailing edge of wing tips, feet x feet ( . × . m.) ~motor.~-- ~speed.~-- ~tractor.~--diameter, - / feet ( . m.) pitch, feet ( . m.) ~steering.~--double elevator placed in rear of tail. _control_, push and pull wheel. rudder in rear. _control_, wheel. ailerons. _control_, turning steering-wheel left or right. remarks.--see _aeronautics_, u.s.a., august, . there has been also the _baddeck_ and other early machines (see edition), but none of them seem to be in existence at the present time. ~indian.~ ~military aviation.~--a certain number of officers belonging to the indian army have qualified as pilots when home on leave, but there is no organised force. one is, however, proposed. ~private aviation.~--in the past two or three home-made machines appeared, and one or two were imported, but most or all are now extinct. ~south africa.~ ~military aviation.~--non-existent. ~private aviation.~--j. weston is a qualified pilot, but at the outside there are not more than two effective machines in the country. bulgarian. in the balkan war, - , bulgaria hastily organised an aviation corps. this, though necessarily lacking in military organisation, proved very useful on several occasions. at the end of march, , the aeroplanes effective included _bristol_ monos.; one h.p. _bleriot xxi_; _bleriot xi bis_ (captured from the turks); also some half-dozen or more miscellaneous machines temporarily hired. ~military aviators.~--the principal are lieuts. milkoff, taraxchieff and petroff. a number of other officers in various stages of training. central american. ~general note.~--nicaragua and s. domingo have both purchased one or two aeroplanes for their military forces: but nothing appears to have been done with them. chilian. ~aviator.~--edwards, emilio. sanchez besa is a chilian, but resides in paris (see france). ~military aviation.~--in , a commencement was made and one h.p. _deperdussin_ purchased. other machines are now on order. chinese. ~aviators.~ lee, y. l. (british ae.c. ) tsai tao prince ~military aviation.~ in march, , orders were placed for six h.p. _caudrons_, also for six h.p., and a decision arrived at gradually to acquire a force of aeroplanes, but very little has actually been done to date. danish. ~aerial societies~:-- danske aeronautiske selskab, amaliegade, copenhagen. ~aerial journals~:-- none; but motor ( bredgade, mezz, copenhagen) deals with aerial matters. ~flying grounds~:-- klampenburg, copenhagen. skandinarisk aërodrom. ~army aeroplanes.~ in there was an antoinette. nothing done since. ~aviators.~ military. ullitkz, kapt. private. arntzen, dr. christiansen, s. ellerhammer folmes, hansen maltke, count nervoe, a. svendsen, r. thorup, k. dutch. (revised by i. schiere, aeronautical engineer and librarian of the dutch ae. c.) ~aerial societies:--~ haagsche proefvliegtuig club ( e v.d. boschstreet , the hague). nederlandsche vereeniging voor luchtvaart (nassau zuilensteintraat, , the hague). (ae. c.) rotterdamsche model aero club (rochussenstreet b, rotterdam). _colonial:_ nederlandsche indische vereeniging voor luchtvaart. ~aerial journals:--~ _de luchtvaart_ (ged onde-gracht, , haarlem). fortnightly. _avia_, wynbrugstraat , rotterdam. fortnightly. ~flying grounds:--~ ~breda-gilske-rijen.~-- hangars. ~soesterberg.~-- hangars. ~army aeroplanes.~ up to the end of there were none, though some officers had their own private ones (_h. farman's_ mostly). at end of . monos. _deperdussin_ (for java). biplane. _de brouchére_ (for java). ~aviators.~ (the number against any name is, unless otherwise stated the ae. c. nederlandsche pilot certificate number.) to end of ~ ~. military. bakker, h. yandrig labouchere, lieut. j. meel, lieut. van poorton, lieut. h. ter versreegh, lt, w. c. j. private. bahle, f. k. boerlage, m. burgh, van der fokker, a. h. g. hilgers, j. w. e. l. konings, l. koolhoven ( ) küller, g. p. ( ) lutge, f. ( ) ( , f.) mulder, a. riemsdyk, van f. ( ) ryk, madame bde. wynmalen, h. ( ) ( , f.) the following dutch aviator has been killed: +------------------+ | . | | van maasdyck, c. | | ( , ae. c. f.) | +------------------+ dutch aeroplanes. de brouckere. biplane. _h. farman_ type. details, _de luchtvaart_, no. , . fokker. monoplane. anthony fokker, of haarlem. in early flew at breda. monnier-harper. monoplane. (o.p.i.i.) generally _bleriot_ type. built . van den burg. monoplane. early in was flying at johannisthal, germany. vreedenburgh. monoplane. (o.p.i.i.) blend of _bleriot_ and _antoinette_. motor, h.p. miesse. completed december, . [illustration] fokker. monoplane. (see germany for details.) firm now established in germany. dutch dirigibles. ~military.~ duindigt. non-rigid. (zodiac make.) ~length~, - / feet ( m.) ~diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~capacity~, , c. feet ( m³.) ~motor~.-- h.p. remarks.--small edition of _zodiac iii_. (see france.) french. (special french editor.) ~aerial societies:--~ aero club de france. academie aeronautique de france. aeronautique club de france. société des aëronautes du siège. aero club du sud ouest. aero club du rhone. aero club du nord. la ligue aerienne du sud. société francaise de navigation aérienne. société d'encouragement à l'aviation. (_full list of clubs next page._) ~aerial journals:--~ _l'aerophile._ _l'aero._ _l'aeronaute._ _aerostat (bulletin aeronautique)._ _aerostat (academie d'aerostation)._ _revue de l'aerostation._ _le ballon._ _l'aerostation._ _l'aeronautique._ _bulletin aeronautique._ _encyclopediede l'aviation._ _la ligue nationale aerienne._ _revue de l'aviation._ _l'aeromécanique._ ~principal flying grounds:~ ~antibes.~--hanriot school. ~beauce.~ ~betheny.~--sommer school. ~deperdussin school.~ ~buc.~--m. farman school. ~buoy.~ ~chalons.~--sommer school. ~chalais-mendon.~ (military) ~chatres.~--savary school. ~cran~, marseilles. ~crotoy.~--caudron school. ~croix d'hins~, bordeaux (aer. lig. du sud.) area km. track. free sheds. ~corbeaulieu~ pres. compregne.--doutre school. ~etampes.~--bleriot school. farman school. ~grand camp, lyons.~ ~issy les moulineaux.~--astra school ~juan-le-pias.~--paulhan aquaplane school. ~juvissy~, near paris.--aerodrome. caudron school. goupy school. ~la brayelle~, douai.--breguet school. ~da motte brueil dans l'oise.~ ~le bourget~, paris.-- sheds. ~le mans.~ ~moisson.~ ~mourmelon.~--voisin school. ~napante.~ ~nice.~--small and rough surface. ~pau.~--bleriot school. ~reims.~--aerodrome. ~st. cyr.~ ~villacoublay~, paris.--breguet, nieuport and astra schools. french aeroplanes. ~military aviation.~ in february, , the then total of effective aeroplanes were divided into "squadrillas" consisting of eight aeroplanes; attached to these eleven or twelve motor cars, one traction car and one fast car, also a repairing car and repairing van. it was then estimated that at the end of , ~ ~ aeroplanes would be available for service. the estimated _personnel_ was provisionally fixed at officer pilots, scouts, mechanics, officers, , corporals or sappers and privates. approximately £ , was spent in aviation during , and £ , , was estimated for future years. the french military aviation centres are all upon somewhat the same footing as fortresses, and the greater part of the work comes under the head of "confidential." the principal school is at st. cyr, which was specially selected because the ground is rough and mostly covered with small shrubs: it being held important to train officers from the first to rise and land on ground similar to that most likely to be found in war time. each station is supplied with large portable wooden-framed hangars covered with canvas. these can be rapidly taken to pieces and re-erected. each station is supplied with its own special motor transport. all military machines are provided with a compass and map case in front of the pilot and sketching apparatus in front of the observer. although a few non-commissioned officers have been taught flying, the organization only contemplates the employment of commissioned officers as pilots. the age limit is . on april th, , the flying corps was modified. the principal features of the corps as now existing are as follows:-- ~establishments.~ . schools. . special establishments, dealing with purchase, construction, and big repairs. . _directions._ administration of _material_. . depots. a species of dockyards dealing with minor repairs, etc. ~administration.~ there are three main groups, each commanded by a colonel. each group consists of dirigibles and aeroplane "escadrilles," and is fully equipped with establishments, etc. the three centres are:-- . versailles. . reims. . lyon. ~general.~ all squadron units are made up of machines of the same make and power. pilots are detailed as required to any particular unit, and liable to transfer from one to another, though in practice such transfers are rare. ~army aeroplanes.~ during nearly machines were delivered to the army, but a great many old machines have been scrapped. at the end of march, , the force stood at effective for war machines, plus an uncertain number of school machines and obsoletes. about one-third or more of the effective aeroplanes were _farmans_. the rest consisted of all leading french types, proportionated more or less to the productive capacity of these firms. also certain other makes experimental. ~navy aviation.~ the navy section of french military aviation is still in the "being formed" process. no data are yet available as to the ultimate force to be provided. at present the number of effective war machines is small. it is made up of hydro-avions of the following types:--_astra_, _borel_, _breguet_, _caudron_, _deperdussin_, _donnet-leveque_, _farman_, _paulhan-curtiss_, _sanchez-besa_, the total at end of march, , being well under . there are also two special _bleriot_ type fitted with floats, which carry lbs of explosive, are fitted with wireless, have a speed of km.p.h. ( m.p.h.), and a radius of about miles ( , km.) ~principal french army and navy aviators.~ (in each case the number against each name is, unless otherwise stated, the ae. c. french certificate pilot number.) army. abadie, sous officier acevedo, lieut. ( ) acquaviva, lieut. paul v. ( ) aiguillon, lt. r.d' ( ) aubry, lieut. balensi, capt. albert ( ) bares, capt. ( ) basset, lieut. paul ( ) battini, lieut. g. ( ) baugnies, lt. j. b. e. ( ) beatrix, sous officier bellemois, lieut. g. ( ) bellenger, capt. m. ( ) berni, lieut. ( ) biard, capt. g. m. ( ) bihan, lieut. binda, lieut. louis ( ) blard, lieut. ( ) bobillier, lieut. boerner, lieut. boissonas, lieut. ( ) bon, lieut. boncour, lieut. ( ) bonnier, lieut. ( ) bonnier, general ( ) boucher, lieut. bousnuet, lieut. p. ( ) breley, lieut. brenot, capt. brouchard, lieut. brugiere, lt. brule, lieut. ( ) bruncher, lieut. burgeat, capt. m. ( ) camerman, lieut. f. ( ) camine, capt. campagne, lieut. ( ) casse, capt. ( ) chabert, lieut. charoux, sous officier chavenac, lieut. e. ( ) cheutin, lt. e. j. ( ) chevreau, lieut. r. ( ) clavenad, lieut. p. ( ) clerc, lieut. ( ) clolus, commdt. g. ( ) couret, lieut. coville, capt. d'abrantes, lieut. d'aquillon, lieut. de beruis, lieut. de caumont, capt. de chanac lanzac, capt. de geyer, lieut. de gorge, lieut. ( ) de goys, capt. de lafargue ( ) de l'estrade, lieut. de rose, lieut. p. ( ) destace, capt. destouches, capt. devarenne, lieut. devaulx, lieut. r. ( ) de ville d'avray, lieut. didier, sous officier ( ) do-ird, lieut. drevet, sous officier ( ) duparquet, capt. duperron, capt. ( ) dupin, lieut. eteve, capt. a. ( ) erstorac, capt. felix, capt. j. ( ) fequant, lieut. a. ( ) fequant, lieut. p. ( ) fierstein, sous officier francezon, e. ( ) foirelline, lieut. garnier, lieut. ( ) garnier, lt. ( ) gastringer, lieut. gaubert, lieut. e. ( ) germain, lieut. girard, lieut. j. ( ) gironde, lt. a. de godefroy, sous officier ( ) gouin, lt. m. e. r. ( ) gourlez, lieut. ( ) grezaud, s.-lt. p. ( ) grailly, lieut. ( ) gronier, lieut. j. ( ) grandjean, sapper guibart, lieut. guiton, sous officier hable, sous-lt. a. l. ( ) hugoni, capt. e. ( ) hanouille, lieut. henequin, lieut. henri, lieut. ( ) herli, s.-lt. ( ) hurard, sous officier issartier ( ) jacquet, lieut. joly, lieut. f. ( ) jost, lieut. r. g. ( ) kass, capt. langardt, lieut. laurent, sous officier ( ) le beau, capt. le bleu, lieut. lelievre, lieut. e. ( ) lemasson, lieut. ( ) le mauget, capt. letheux, lieut. g. ( ) letort, sapper ( ) letourneur, lieut. lucca, lieut. d. ( ) ludmann, lieut. g. ( ) lussigny, lieut. machin, lieut. mailfert, lieut. f. ( ) maillois, lieut. j. ( ) malherbe, lt. de ( ) maneyrol, lieut. manoha, lt. marc, lt. marconnet, capt. ( ) marie, capt. felix ( ) marlin, lieut. marmies, lieut. marty, sous officier ( ) massol, lieut. mauger, lieut. maurice, lieut. mazac, lieut. ( ) migaud, lieut. g. ( ) morel, sous-lt. p. ( ) morlaye, lieut. la mouchard, lieut. negre, capt. nicaud, lieut. nogues, capt. ( ) normand, lieut. f. ( ) pelloux, sous-lt. m. ( ) peraldi, lieut. peretti, sous officier pierre, lieut. ponchet, lieut. prat, lieut. precardin, lieut. princetau, lieut. postulat, sergt. quennehen, sous officier ragot, lieut. remy, lieut. h. c. ( ) reynard, lieut. ( ) rimbert, lieut. rocca-serra, lieut. rochette, lieut. j. ( ) rolland, lieut. m. e. ( ) ronin, lieut. rougerie, lieut. sauleillon, lt. a. ( ) saunier, lieut. g. ( ) seguin, sapper ( ) sevelle, lieut. ( ) silvestre, lieut. ( ) sido, capt. marie ( ) sourdeau, lieut. a. ( ) soulielani, lieut. thomas, lieut. ( ) thomas, r. ( ) touzet, e. ( ) tretane, lieut. tricornot de rose, lt. de ( ) vandamone, lieut. ( ) van de vaero, lt. ( ) vandine, lieut. varcin, lieut. vaudein, lieut. verdier, sous officier ( ) vibra, lieut. vigne, lt. henri ( ) vinda, lieut. vitra-rougerie, lieut. vocayeau, lieut. vogoya, capt. vuilliereme, lt. l. ( ) watteau, lieut. willemenz, lieut. ( ) yence, lieut. r, ( ) naval. byasson, lt. de v. ( ) cayla, lieut. ( ) conneau, lieut. ( ) "beaumont" davelny, comdt. delage, lieut. g. ( ) fournier, lieut. hautefille, lieut. ( ) lafon, lt. ( ) leve, lieut. ( ) parasa, lieut. ( ) reymond, lieut. ( ) ~french aeroplanes--private.~ ~private aeroplanes.~ the total number of machines built in france during has been estimated at about , . this includes military as well as private machines, also machines exported, and appears to be unduly generous even so. the actual total of machines commenced and completed in is nearer , . the number of private aeroplanes--excluding demonstration and school machines is small. ~private aviators~ (brevets to end of ). (in each case the number against each name is, unless otherwise stated, the ae. c. french certificate pilot number.) algrin, rene ( ) allard, m. ( ) alincourt ( ) andre, c. ( ) aubrun ( ) bachot, a. ( ) baeder, f. de ( ) bague, e. ( ) balliod, louis ( ) balaye, a. ( ) balsan, jacques ( ) baratoux, marcel ( ) barbotte, ernest ( ) barra, franck ( ) barrier, a. ( ) banier, rene ( ) bathiat, georges ( ) bathiat, leon ( ) beard, pierre ( ) beaud, edouard ( ) becue, jean f. ( ) bellier, albert ( ) bellot, andre ( ) benoist, jean ( ) bergognie, charles ( ) bernard, a. ( ) berlot, henri j. ( ) biard, desire j. ( ) bielovucic, jean ( ) bill, henri ( ) blanchet, georges ( ) bleriot, louis ( ) blondeau, gustave ( ) bobba, andre ( ) boillot, geo. ( ) boissounas, l. ( ) boise de courcenay, comte ( ) boivin, albert ( ) bonzon, maurice ( ) bouvier, andre ( ) boyer, louis ( ) bregi, henry ( ) breguet, louis ( ) bresson, georges ( ) briancon, lucien ( ) briey, f. de ( ) brindejonc des moulinais ( ) bruneau de laborie, e. ( ) bunau-varilla, e. ( ) busson, guillaume ( ) caille, albert ( ) caramanlaki, a. ( ) carles, fernand ( ) carlin, l. v. ( ) caudron, rene ( ) cayla, p. ( ) chailliey, henri ( ) challe, m. j. ( ) champel, florentin ( ) chanteloup, p. ( ) chapelle, j. ( ) charpentier, louis ( ) chassagne, jean ( ) chausse, p. ( ) chaussier, piere ( ) chatain, marius l. ( ) chatain, l. m. l. ( ) chateau, edouard ( ) chaunac-lenzac de ( ) chemet, geo. ( ) cheuret, leon ( ) cherent, l. ( ) chevalier, j. ( ) chevalier, louis ( ) chevillard, maurice ( ) chioni, basile ( ) clerc, paul a. l. ( ) clement, m. ( ) collardeau, geo. ( ) collieux, m. ( ) collin, georges ( ) conard ( ) contard, paul ( ) contenet, henri ( ) contour, ernest ( ) contre ( ) cordonnier, robert ( ) corso, e. ( ) crochon, andre ( ) cronier, andre m. h. ( ) cugnet, gaston ( ) cure, gaston m. ( ) daillens, jean ( ) dancourt, p. h. ( ) debener, m. ( ) deletang, fernand ( ) delacroix, maurice ( ) delagrange, robert ( ) de la roche, mde. ( ) deloche, r. d. ( ) denis, auguste ( ) deroy, francis ( ) derry, leon ( ) deruissy, andre ( ) despres, e. m. l. ( ) deschamps de bois, hébert ( ) didier, a. ( ) divetain, pierre ( ) driancourt, m. l. ( ) dubonnet, emile ( ) ducoweneau ( ) dufour, jean m. r. ( ) dufour, jean ( ) dufour, louis ( ) duval, e. ( ) duval, emile ( ) echeman, p. m. ( ) esnault-pelterie, r. ( ) espanet, dr. g. ( ) farman, henry ( ) farman, maurice ( ) fiorellimo, louis ( ) florencie, jean ( ) fournie, j. p. s. ( ) frantz, joseph ( ) francq, baron de ( ) frey, alfred ( ) frey, andre ( ) froussart, ernest ( ) frugier, leon ( ) gaget, joseph ( ) gaillard, j. o. c. ( ) gallie, fernand ( ) gardey, m. ( ) garros, roland ( ) garsonnin, l. ( ) gastinger, edouard m. ( ) gassnier, rené ( ) gassier, marcel ( ) gasnier, pierre ( ) gaudart, louis ( ) gaulard, charles ( ) gautheron, louis ( ) gaye, georges ( ) gibert, louis ( ) gilbert, eugene ( ) giraud, etienne ( ) glorieux, leon ( ) gobe, armand ( ) gobron, jean ( ) goffin, marcel ( ) gouguenheim, p. ( ) goux, jules ( ) gournay, henri ( ) goys de mereyrac, louis ( ) grandjean, e. c. h. ( ) grandseigne, r. ( ) granel, marcel ( ) grellet, alexis ( ) gressard, m. ( ) gue, albert ( ) guerre, henri ( ) guidard, v. p. ( ) guilband, c. j. ( ) guillemard, t. ( ) guillaume, c. ( ) hainaux, marcel r. ( ) hanriot, marcel r. ( ) hanriot, rene ( ) herbster, maurice ( ) herveu, mlle. jane ( ) hesne, paul ( ) houlette, andre ( ) jacquemart, g. c. ( ) jamblez, paul a. ( ) janoir, l. ( ) joliot, andré ( ) joly, c. e. m. ( ) julleriot, henry ( ) junod, auguste ( ) kauffman, paul ( ) kergariou, engard de ( ) kieffer, c. e. ( ) kummerling, a. ( ) koechlin, jean p. ( ) kuhling, paul l. ( ) labouchere, rene ( ) labouret, rene ( ) lacombe, p. ( ) ladougne, emile ( ) lafarge, henri ( ) lajous, francois, a. ( ) lambert, comte de ( ) langhe, armand de ( ) lastours, h. r. de ( ) larfinty-tholosan, marquis jules ( ) laroche, mme. raymonde ( ) latzel, j. ( ) leblanc, alfred ( ) lecomte, henri ( ) legagneux, georges ( ) le lasseur de ranzay, g. ( ) lemartin, theodore ( ) lenfant, louis ( ) leouet, b. l. ( ) leprince, p. ( ) lesire, eugene ( ) lesseps, jacques de ( ) leyat, marcel ( ) lieutard, h. ( ) liger, a. ( ) lombardi, henri ( ) loridan, marcel ( ) magnan, leon ( ) magneval, gabriel ( ) mahieu, georges e. ( ) mallet, j. a. p. ( ) mamet, julien ( ) marchal, anselem ( ) maron, p. h. ( ) marquezy, rene ( ) martin, edouard ( ) martin, xavier ( ) martinet, robert ( ) marvingt, marie ( ) mauvais, jean ( ) metrot, rene ( ) meyer, jules m. ( ) mignot, robert ( ) miltgen, paul ( ) moineau, r. l. ( ) molla, henri ( ) montalent, o. de ( ) montjou, guy de ( ) mollien, elie a. ( ) molon, leon ( ) molon, louis ( ) molon, lucien ( ) montigny, alfred de ( ) morane, leon f. ( ) morelle, edmond ( ) morel, p. f. ( ) morin, roger ( ) mouthier, louis ( ) mousnier, yvon ( ) niel, albert ( ) niel, mme. marthe ( ) nissole, edouard ( ) noe, a. g. m. ( ) noel, andre ( ) obre, emile ( ) ors, jean ( ) orus, maurice ( ) osmon, geo. ( ) paillette, marcel ( ) paillole, e. c. l. ( ) palade, antoine ( ) pallier, mdlle. parent, francois ( ) paris-leclerc, max ( ) partiot, g. ( ) pascal, ferdinand ( ) paul, ernest ( ) paulhan, louis ( ) pequet, henri ( ) perin, albert ( ) perreyon, edmond ( ) perrigot, j. ( ) picard, pierre ( ) planchet, edmond ( ) poillot ( ) pommier, martin ( ) porcheron, l. a. ( ) pouleriguen, f. ( ) poumet ( ) pourpe, marc pourpe, m. m. e. a. ( ) prevost, m. ( ) prevoteau, g. ( ) prier, pierre ( ) raoblt, jean ( ) reimbert, ernest ( ) reichert, henri ( ) renaux, eugene ( ) renaud de la fregeoliere ( ) rey, p. a. p. ( ) reymond, senator richet, a. ( ) rigal, victor ( ) rivolier, jean ( ) robillard, g. de ( ) robinet, j. ( ) romance, f. de ( ) rougier, henry ( ) ruby, f. l. ( ) ruchonnet ( ) sallard, h. ( ) sallenave, henru ( ) savary, robert ( ) schlumberger, m. ( ) sée, raymond ( ) servies, jules ( ) simon, rene ( ) sommer, roger ( ) tabateau, maurice ( ) taurin, andre ( ) tetard, maurice ( ) thieulin, joseph ( ) tissandier, paul ( ) tixier, henri ( ) toussin, rene ( ) train, emile louis ( ) vallier, edmond p. ( ) vallon, rene ( ) van gaver, paul ( ) vasseur, narcisse ( ) vedrines, jules ( ) vendrines, e. ( ) verliac, adrien ( ) vergmault, o. ( ) verrier, pierre ( ) versepuy, leon ( ) vialard, charles ( ) vidart, rene ( ) villeneuve trans, louis de ( ) vimard, e. ( ) visseaux, henri ( ) vittoz-gallet, g. ( ) wagner, louis ( ) walleton, louis ( ) weiss, h. ( ) wintrebert, henri ( ) zens, ernest ( ) the following french aviators have been killed:-- +-------------------------+ | . | | ferber, capt. | | lefebvre, e. | | | | . | | blanchard ( ) | | delagrange, leon ( ) | | le blon ( ) | | poillot ( ) | | | | . | | byasson, lt. | | camine, capt. | | caumont, lieut. ( ) | | carron, capt. | | chotard, lieut. | | de grailly, lieut. | | desparmet, j. ( ) | | dupuis, lieut. | | gaubert ( ) | | laffont, a. ( ) | | lautheaume, lt. | | level | | liere, louis | | loder, lt. | | madiot, capt. ( ) | | mommlin | | nieuport, e. ( ) | | noel | | princeteau, lt. ( ) | | ruchonnet | | tarron, capt. | | vallon, rene | | wachter, c. l. ( ) | +-------------------------| ~french private aviators, .~ adam-gironne ( ) arondel, p. ( ) andenis, c. ( ) badet ( ) balighant, g. ( ) barbarou, m. ( ) basano, f. ( ) baudrin, e. ( ) bedel, r. ( ) beatrix, c. ( ) benoit, o. ( ) benoist, g. ( ) bertin, l. ( ) blaignan ( ) bleu, le ( ) boiteau, g. ( ) boerlage ( ) bordage, a. ( ) boncour ( ) boucher, f. ( ) borie, a. ( ) brocard, a. ( ) brodin, e. ( ) brouard, e. ( ) bruginere, a. ( ) cailleaux, a. ( ) carreard, g. ( ) castellan, e. ( ) cavalier, m. ( ) caye, m. ( ) cerantes, f. ( ) chabert, v. ( ) chandenier, l. ( ) coblyn, l. ( ) contre ( ) corsini, a. ( ) cornier, r. ( ) coville, f. ( ) couffin, l. ( ) dambricourt, j. ( ) de beausire de seyssel ( ) debroutelle, p. ( ) de chabot, p. ( ) de gensac, a. ( ) de lareinty tholozan, h. ( ) delacour, j. ( ) delaunay, p. m. ( ) deleraye, m. ( ) de l'escaille ( ) delmas, m. ( ) de marmies, r. ( ) de mazurkiewicz, w. c. ( ) denhaut, f. ( ) des pres de la morlais ( ) de pontac ( ) de reals, r. ( ) de ryk (mme. b.) ( ) de segonac, r. ( ) desille, l. ( ) de vergnette, c. ( ) de villepin, o. ( ) do huu, t. ( ) drouhet, f. ( ) dussot, a. ( ) dutertre, c. ( ) ecomand, g. ( ) ehrmann, l. ( ) escot, p. ( ) eymien, s. ( ) fassin, f. ( ) faucompre, l. ( ) fleiche, l. ( ) foudre, r. ( ) foulquier, m. ( ) francois, a. ( ) galon, s. ( ) garros, r. ( ) glaize, f. ( ) godot, j. ( ) grazzioli, a. ( ) grasset, a. ( ) greppo, j. ( ) guerre, p. ( ) guillaux, e. ( ) hanne, a. ( ) helen, e. ( ) hembert ( ) hurard, j. ( ) hustinx, c. ( ) irate, g. ( ) jacquin, a. ( ) jailler, l. ( ) jeannerod, h. ( ) jeansoulin, l. ( ) joachim, h. ( ) jourjon, r. ( ) junquet, p. ( ) kormann ( ) lambert, a. ( ) lanier, p. ( ) lantheaume, c. ( ) latzel, j. ( ) le bleu, p. ( ) leclerc, p. ( ) lefebvre, l. ( ) lecontellec, h. ( ) lenfant, p. ( ) lemoine, a. ( ) leroy, j. ( ) lesne, m. ( ) levasseur, j. ( ) le vassor, j. ( ) lewis, j. ( ) loubignac, l. ( ) lumiere, g. ( ) madon, g. ( ) magnin, l. ( ) maicon, a. ( ) mandelli, p. ( ) mauger, d. ( ) malecaze, j. ( ) mancarot ( ) mazier, l. ( ) melin, e. ( ) metairie, a. ( ) mouroux, j. ( ) navarre, a. ( ) noel, l. ( ) nove-josseraud ( ) olivier, l. ( ) pasquier, baron r. ( ) penet, h. ( ) pia, g. ( ) picard, f. ( ) poulet, e. ( ) radisson, v. ( ) raulet, f. ( ) richer, h. ( ) ridont, r. ( ) roussel, l. ( ) roux, h. ( ) saint-michel rivet ( ) sallard, h. ( ) sauson de sausal ( ) schneegaus, c. ( ) senart, j. ( ) sensever, h. ( ) senougue, a. ( ) serant, l. ( ) seyrat, j. ( ) shigeno, k. ( ) soularis, m. ( ) soyer, h. ( ) testulat, p. ( ) thierry de ville d'avray ( ) thoret, j. ( ) tierch, m. ( ) tournier, a. ( ) trescartes, l. ( ) vallet, c. ( ) vaudelle, r. ( ) vandinck, a. ( ) vandal, p. ( ) ventre, l. ( ) vidal soler, e. ( ) vogoyeau, a. ( ) whitehouse, w. ( ) zens, p. ( ) zorra, l. ( ) ~killed.~ +---------------------------------+ | . | | barillon ( ) | | bedell, r. | | bernard, suzanne | | boerner, lieut. | | boncour, lieut. | | bressand, lieut. | | chanteriers, lieut. | | dubois, capt. | | ducourneau, lieut. | | etienne, lieut. | | faure, capt. | | lacour | | madiot, capt. ( ) | | maguet, capt. le | | nieuport, c. | | olivers, g. | | peignan, lieut. a. | | poutrin, lieut. | | sevelle, lieut. h. p. | | thiery de ville d'avray, lieut. | | thomas, lieut. | | wagner, a. | | | | . | | bresson, lieut. | +---------------------------------+ french aeroplanes. ~a~ aerienne. l'aerienne, quai des grands agustins, paris. builds to specifications and supplies all parts. antoinette. company has ceased to exist. astra. "astra" soc. de constructions aéronautiques, (anciens etabs. surcouf) soc. an'yme rue couchat, billancourt (seine). works: - rue de bellevue, billancourt. flying grounds: issy-les-molineux villacoublay (s-&-o). this old established balloon and dirigible firm first took up aviation as french agents for the _wrights_ in . for a time they built _wrights_ with certain modifications, but by , little save the wright system of warping remained. capacity: about machines a year. +------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+----------------- | biplane, | military | biplane, | mil. biplane, | hydro-biplane, | type c. | biplane | type c. | type c.m. | type c.m. | ~ - .~ | type c.m. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | wood. | ~ - .~ | wood & steel. | wood & steel. | wood & steel | | wood | | | -------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+----------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) ~area.~ sq. feet (m²)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | (unladen) {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| renault | renault | renault | renault | renault | | or chenu | | | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... -------------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+----------------- remarks.--the - and types differ only in the adoption of metal in the models, which are consequently considerably lighter. general features.--warping wings. fixed tail planes with two elevators in rear. single rudder. single tractor geared down to . type c carries litres petrol; type c.m., litres. [illustration: astra. military "c.m." .] [illustration: astra. hydro-avion, .] ~b~ bertin. l. bertin, rue de rocroy, paris. about bertin began building helicopters. the machine below was exhibited in the paris salon. [illustration: bertin. uas.] ------------------------------+-------------+ | ~ .~ | | monoplane. | | -seater. | ------------------------------+-------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {machine, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ~motor~ h.p.| bertin | ~speed~ {max m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | | ------------------------------+-------------+ remarks.--wood and steel construction. on wheels only. _controls:_ warping and rear elevator. besson. marcel besson, rue marbeuf, paris. capacity: small. besson first appeared in with a tail-first mono. in the paris salon, , he exhibited an improved machine along similar lines. ------------------------------+-------------+ | ~ ~ | | _canard_ | | -seater. | ------------------------------+-------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {machine, lbs. (kgs.)| ( . ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | ~speed~ m.p.h.(km.)| ( ) | number built during | | ------------------------------+-------------+ remarks.--all steel construction. on wheels and skids. _control:_ ailerons and front elevator. bleriot monoplanes. l. bleriot, "bleriot-aeronautique," , route de la révolte, paris-levallois. flying grounds: buc etampes and pau. l. bleriot began to experiment in , along langley lines. by he was one of the leading french firms; and the first cross channel flight was made by him. details of standard types:-- -----------------------------+----------------+----------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+------------ | | ~xxi.~ | ~xxvii.~ | | | | ~xi~ _bis._ | military | single seat | ~xxviii.~ | ~xxviii.~ | monocoque | -seater mono. | side by side | mono. | single seater | -seater | -seater |(~ ~ onward) | -seater mono. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | | ~ .~ | | | | -----------------------------+----------------+----------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+------------ ~length~ feet (m)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ... ~span~ feet (m)| ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. ft. (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {unladen, lbs. (kgs)| ... | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ... ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... -----------------------------+----------------+----------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+------------ note.--the monos., as usual, are of wood construction; wheels only for landing. rectangular section bodies. warping wings, elevator in rear. chauviere propeller. the monocoque has wood, steel and cork construction. coque body. skids to landing chassis. levasseur propeller. otherwise as the other monos. principal _bleriot_ flyers are or have been:--aubrun, balsan, bleriot, busson, chavez, cordonnier, delagrange, drexel, efimoff, gibbs, hubert, hamel, moissant, paulhan, prevetau, prevot, prier, radley, thorup, tyck, wienzciers, and many others. [illustration: bleriot xi _bis._] [illustration: type of xi _bis._ uas.] [illustration: bleriot xxvii.] [illustration: blÉriot xxi. uas. general standard type of _bleriot_ & .] ~special types of bleriots.~--in addition to the standard machines, bleriot from time to time produces special machines, of which the best known is the _limousine_, built for m. deutsch de la meurthe, built and still existing. one or two canards have also been built, including an armoured military. [illustration: bleriot-limousine. uas.] early in a special experimental military machine was produced with considerable secrecy. [illustration: bleriot military. special military. uas.] borel. g. borel & cie, rue brunel, paris. established . capacity: about machines a year. -----------------+----------------------+----------------------+--------------------- model. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | monoplane. | monocoque racer. | hydro-mono. | | | -seater. -----------------+----------------------+----------------------+--------------------- ~length~ | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) ~span~ | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) ~area~ | sq. ft. ( m².) | sq. ft. ( m².) | sq. ft. ( m².) {total | lbs. ( kgs.) | lbs. ( kgs.) | lbs. ( kgs.) ~weight~ { | | | {useful | lbs. ( kgs.) | ... | ... ~motor~ | gnome | gnome | gnome ~speed~ (p.h.)| m. ( km.) | m. ( km.) | m. ( km.) -----------------+----------------------+----------------------+--------------------- note.--the monocoque is of wood and steel construction, the others wood only. the monocoque has coque body, the others ordinary rectangular section. floats of the hydro as illustrated. for the rest the ordinary mono. is practically on the same lines as the . the racer is somewhat on _deperdussin_ lines, but the body is built up inside. no fixed tail. the hydro. is an enlarged edition of the mono. floats display nothing very original, except that a float under tail is interconnected with the rudder, and that the two front floats are fitted for being rowed. fitted with a self-starter. [illustration: borel. hydro-avion. _by favour of "flight."_ uas.] [illustration: hydro-avion.] there is also a denhaut design, , about the same as a _donnet-leveque_. [illustration: borel. monocoque. uas.] breguet. soc. anonyme des ateliers d'aviation, louis breguet, boulevard vauban, donai (nord). capacity: about machines a year. paris office: , boulevard jules sandeau. schools at la brayelle, pris douai, vélisy-villacoublay, pris paris. ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------ | | | | | aérhydroplane | ~g ~ bis. | ~g .~ | ~c-u .~ | ~c-u .~ | tandem ~ models.~ | or -seater | -seater | -seater | -seater | mono. | biplane. | biplane. | biplane. | biplane. | -seater, | | | | | side by side. ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m)| ( ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m)| ( ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m²)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {empty, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | canton unmé. | canton unmé. | canton unmé. {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| - / | | | | number built during |a total of sold| during for| military purposes.| | ... ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+------------------ _in each case._-- ~construction.~--all steel. ~landing chassis.~--c consists of three wheels each protected by skids. the two main wheels, placed on either side of the centre of gravity, are fitted with patent "oleopneumatic" shock absorbers. the steering wheel and the front skid have a spring suspension. ~military machines.~--the sales of these were:-- to france; british; italian; swedish. ~steering.~--the patented control system consists of a wheel mounted on a pivoted lever. the backward and forward movement of the entire system operates the elevator: the sideway movement warps the rear edge of the upper wings, and the rotation of the wheel steers the machine. the latter operation also governs the front wheel of the landing chassis, so that when on the ground the machine can be steered like a motor car. ~portability.~--the main planes can be folded alongside of the fuselage. the machine can then be towed on any ordinary road, or be housed in places such as farm buildings, stables, &c. [illustration: aerhydroplane, - .] [illustration: breguet. hydro. uas] [illustration: breguet. biplane. uas] [illustration: brÉguet. - , g type -seater military. uas] c caudron. caudron fréres, rue (somme). schools: crotoy and juvissy. capacity: about - a year. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------++--------------------+--------------------++--------------------+------------------------ | ~m ~ | ~n.~ | ~g.d.~ | || ~b.~ | ~e.~ || monaco type, | model and date. | - | - | - | ~ ~ || - | - || | ~ ~ | mono. | mono. | mono. | mono. || biplane. | biplane. || hydro-biplane. | hydro-biplane. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------++--------------------+--------------------++--------------------+------------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) || - / ( ) | - / ( . ) || ( . ) | - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) || - / ( ) | - / ( . ) || ( . ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) || ( ) | ( ) || ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ machine, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) || ( ) | ( ) || ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| anzani or gnome | anzani | anzani or gnome | gnome. || anzani or gnome | gnome || gnome | gnome ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | || ( ) | ( ) || ( ) | ( ) number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... || ... | ... || ... | ... -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------++--------------------+--------------------++--------------------+------------------------ || lateral control, warping. wood construction. notes.--lateral control, warping. wood construction. on wheels. enclosed body. || on wheels as well as || floats. (special caudron patent.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------++--------------------------------------------- [illustration: hydro. _by favour of "aeronautics," u.s.a._ uas] [illustration: caudron. uas] [illustration: hydro. uas] [illustration: caudron. mono. _by favour of "flight."_ uas] clement-bayard. usines clement-bayard, quai michelet, levallois-perret (seine). [illustration] ----------------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | | military -seater | military single seater | | biplane. | monoplane. | ----------------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ ~length~ feet (m)| ( . ) | - / ( . ) | {upper feet (m)| ( ) | ( . ) | ~span~ { | | | {lower feet (m)| ( ) | ... | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ----------------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ notes.--_control_: lateral, warping. d d'artois. soc. anonyme des anciens chantiers tellier, longuenesse, pres st. omer. re-established . capacity: small. ---------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | ~ ~ model. | ~ ~ | model and date. | "aero torpille" | "aero torpille" | | hydro-biplane. | biplane. | ---------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | - / ( . ) | {| ( ) | ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.){| | | {| ( ) | ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ empty, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | number built during | ... | ... | ---------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ notes.--single long boat body, canoe-shape. [illustration: _by favour of "aeronautics," u.s.a._ uas] deperdussin. armand deperdussin, rue des entrepreneurs, paris. school: courey-betheny (marne). established . capacity: about - machines a year. ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ~e - .~ | ~p - .~ | ~t - .~ | ~h - .~ | monocoque | mono. | school mono. | single seater | -seater | -seater | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | | mono. | mono. | mono. | -seater. | -seater. ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ... ~span~ feet (m)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | ( ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... ~weight~ { | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| anzani | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ( ) | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | | | | | | ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- notes.--wood construction. lateral control by warping. mounted on wheels without skids. fabric: "aviator" ramie. principal _deperdussin_ records: gordon bennett (vedrines) and a number of world records for speed and distance. principal pilots include: busson, prévost, vedrines, vidart. [illustration: h.p. monocoque.] [illustration: deperdussin. h.p. uas] [illustration: the h.p. mounted on floats as a hydro.] donnet-leveque. ---------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ~a .~ | ~b .~ | ~c .~ | ~ .~ | -seater | -seater | -seater | -seater | hydro-biplane | hydro-biplane | hydro-biplane | hydro-biplane ---------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... ---------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- notes.--lateral control by warping ailerons. motor in gap just below upper plane: propeller in rear, direct driven. fabric: "aviator" ramie. floats.--one large central boat feet ( . m.) long--two small ones at each extremity of lower plane. [illustration: _by favour of "aeronautics," u.s.a._] [illustration: uas] doutre. soc. anonyme doutre, , rue talbot, paris. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ type. | biplane -seater, | biplane -seater, | | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ... | {| ( . ) | ... | ~span~ feet (m.){| | | {| ( ) | ... | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ... | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| renault | renault | ~speed~ max. m.p.h (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | number built during | | ? | -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ notes.--fabric: "aviator" ramie. both types fitted with the doutre patent stabiliser, which automatically and instantaneously counteracts troubles due to sudden gusts or partial motor failures. weight of the model stabiliser is only lbs. ( kgs.) [illustration: model stabiliser.] [illustration: doutre. uas] f farman. henry and maurice farman, , rue de silly, billancourt (seine) aerodromes: buc, pres versailles and etampes. depots: camp de chalons--reims. established by h. farman in . m. farman established works a little later. in the two brothers combined. the present works were opened in january, , and had an output capacity of at least machines a year in march, . ---------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | _h. farman._ | _h. farman._ | _h. farman._ | _h. farman._ | _m. farman._ | _m. farman._ | _m. farman._ | military. | single-seater. | -seater | -seater special | military biplane. | big military | staggered | or -seater. | military. | monoplane. | hydro-biplane. | | biplane. | biplane. | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | | ~ .~ | | | | biplane. | biplane. | | | | | ---------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {| | | designed for | | | | ~motor~ h.p.{| - gnome | - gnome | gnomes from | gnome | renault | renault | renault {| | | up to h.p. | | | | {max. m.p.h. (km)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ---------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- remarks.--the whole of the above can easily be converted into hydro-avions--two long narrow floats without steps. _h. farmans_ are of wood and steel construction; _m. farman_, wood. in all biplanes the ailerons are inter-connected. all machines designed to carry one or in some cases two mitrailleuse, and special attention is paid to facility for taking down for transport and re-assembling. the - _h. farmans_ had elevators forward, were a good deal longer, and had more surface than models. ailerons not inter-connected. the _m. farmans_ generally as now, except that all planes, etc., had rounded edges. on september th, , foury, in an _m. farman_ military, made world's endurance record to date, hrs. min., covering miles ( , km.) all models of this type, also the "big military," are fitted with the doutre stabiliser. fabric: "aviator" ramie. ~latest hydro.~--in march, , a new hydro was produced experimentally. there is a boat body, without steps, carrying the motor which is chain connected with the propeller. machine is fitted with wheels and skids as well. [illustration: h. farman. - military biplane.] [illustration: h. farman. latest type military biplane.] [illustration: m. farman. - military biplane.] [illustration: m. farman. - staggered biplane. this is the type which has done best as a hydro-aeroplane.] g goupy. a. goupy, , avenue marceau, paris. school: juvissy (port aviation). capacity: about machines a year. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | | | ~ .~ model and date. | ~ a.~ | ~ b.~ | hydro-staggered | staggered biplane. | staggered biplane. | biplane. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m²)| ... | ... | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | or gnome | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | | -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- fabric: "aviator" ramie. [illustration: goupy. hydro. _from "flight."_ uas] [illustration: goupy. hydro. _by favour of "aeronautics," u.s.a._ uas] h hanriot. aeroplanes hanriot & cie., rue de neufchatel, reims. paris office: boulevard berthier, paris. school: antibes, reims. ------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~ ~ models. | ~d i.~ | ~d ii.~ | ~d iii.~ | ~d iv.~ | ~d vii.~ ~monoplanes.~ | single seater. | or -seater. | racer. | steel. | ------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m²)| ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| anzani | gnome | gnome | r. peugeot | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- notes.--there are also two school types and h.p. records include world record for speed with passengers. none of the above machines represent any very particular divergence from recognised _hanriot_ practice. _d iv_ is all steel construction, the others wood and steel. [illustration] m morane-saulnier. soc. de constructions aéronautiques, morane-saulnier. boulevard pereire. capital: , , francs. school: villacoublay. output capacity: about machines a year. ----------------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ~military, .~ | ~ places.~ | | ~tandem.~ ----------------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~surface~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| h.p. | h.p. ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) number built during | ... | ... ----------------------------------+--------------------+---------------------- in each case ~body~ is of rectangular section, wood, mounted on wheels only, except for the ~military~ type which has skids also. fabric: "aviator" ramie. in all there is a rear elevator and a chauvière tractor. note.--flown in the european circuit, , by vedrines, gajet, lesire, morisson, verept, frey, garnier and dalgier. [illustration] [illustration: . h.p. gnome engined.] moreau. moreau fréres, combs-la-ville. -----------------------------------+--------------------+ | ~ .~ | model and date. | -seater. | -----------------------------------+--------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | | -----------------------------------+--------------------+ notes.--fitted with a special stabilising device. [illustration: moreau. uas] n nieuport. etablissements nieuport, rue de seine, suresnes (seine). established by the late edouard nieuport. approximate capacity of works: about machines a year. chief designer during was pagny, who has now joined the hanriot firm. ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- model and date. | ~ii n,~ | ~ii g,~ | ~iv g, - .~ | ~iv m, - .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ ~monoplanes.~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | -seater. | hydro -seater. ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ( - / ) | ( ) | ( - / ) | ( - / ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| nieuport | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | gnome | nieuport | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- notes.--early types had a _hanriot_ style landing carriage; the models revert to a _bleriot_ type. warping wings. fuselage entirely enclosed, rectilineal with rounded nose. [illustration: nieuport. hydro. _by favour of "flight."_ uas] p paulhan-curtiss. soc. anonyme d'aviation paulhan, (s.a.p.) boulevard berthier, paris. flying ground: bois d'arcy par st. ayr (s. et o.) hydro school: juan-les-pins, par antibes (alpes maritimes). founded by the well-known aviator, l. paulhan. he first produced biplanes, then triplanes and finally a monoplane type, the _tatin-paulhan_ ( ). these are now all abandoned, and the firm devotes itself to building hydro-aeroplanes under curtiss (u.s.a.) license. principal type built are:-- ------------------------------------+------------------+------------------+ model and date. | flying boat. | flying boat. | ~biplanes.~ | single-seater. | -seater. | ------------------------------------+------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ... | ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | ( - / ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| curtiss | curtiss | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | number built during | | | ------------------------------------+------------------+------------------+ pischoff. Établissements autoplan, rue beranger, boulogne sur seine (seine). this firm has produced various types in the past, but at present, appears confined to constructing to specifications (see _pischoff-werner_ last edition). [illustration: paulhan-curtiss. flying boat.] r r.e.p. robert esnault-pelterie, billancourt. school: bue. one of the earliest established french firms. the first to go in for steel construction. reported to have amalgamated with _breguet_ in , but this fell through. -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ model. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~steel monoplanes.~ | -seater. | -seater. | military. | -seater. | hydro-mono. | | | | -seater. | | -seater. | -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ~weight~ { | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ~motor~ make and h.p.| rep. | rep. | rep. | rep. | rep. | {max. mph. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~speed~ { | | | | | | {min. mph. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ( ) | ( ) | number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ remarks.--steel construction. pentagonal and triangular body. mounted on wheels and skids. the hydro is on one very large central float. [illustration: _flight._ uas] s sanchez besa. avenue de villiers, paris. ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ model and date. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | | hydro-biplane. | hydro-biplane. | hydro-biplane. | | | | (amphibious) | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ... | - / ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ... | ( ) | {àvide lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ... | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| renault | renault | renault | ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ( ) | ~endurance~ hrs.| | | | number built during | | | | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ notes.--wood and steel construction. controls.--ailerons and rear elevators. floats: the first has two and the second three floats. the model has a single boat body mounted on wheels. [illustration: hydro.] savary. soc. anonyme des aeroplanes. robert savary, rue dunois, paris. school: chartres. output capacity: to machines a year. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- model and date. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | biplane. |military ( -seater.)| biplane. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ {feet (m.)| ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) {feet (m.)| ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ... | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| various | labor | renault | | | (gnome or labor) {max m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | {min m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ... number built during | ... | | ... -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- notes.--wood and steel construction. _control_: ailerons and rear elevator. landing gear: wheels and skids. _special features_: there are rudders in the gap, and tractors, chain driven. aeroplatte fabric. [illustration: savary. . uas] sloan. "bicurve." sloan & cie, rue de louvre, paris. works: rue victor hugo, charenton. flying ground: port aviation. output capacity: small. ------------------------------+------------------+------------------+ model and date. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ------------------------------+------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m²)| ( ) | ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | laviator | ~speed~ {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | number built during | ... | ... | ------------------------------+------------------+------------------+ notes.--wood construction. wheels and skids landing gear. _control_: ailerons and rear elevator. [illustration: sloan.] sommer. ateliers roger sommer, mouzon, ardennes. flying grounds: douzy, mourmelon, vidammé. ~monoplanes.~ ~biplanes.~ /-----------------^-----------------\ /-------------------------------------------^------------------------------------------------\ -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ model and date. | ~e .~ | ~ .~ | ~k .~ | ~r .~ | ~s .~ | ~l .~ | ~r .~ | | | single seater. | or -seater | | | or -seater -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| anzani | gnome | various | various | various | various | renault | or gnome | | | | | | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ wood and steel construction. landing: carriage |wood and steel construction. landing: wheels and skids. wheels. _control_: warping and rear elevator. |_control_: ailerons and front rear elevator. rectangular body. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [illustration: sommer. uas] t train. e. train, buoy, camp de chalons (marne). -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ model and date. | -seater. | -seater. | hydro-mono. | ~monoplanes.~ | | | | -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| / anzani | gnome | gnome | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ... | number built during | ... | ... | ... | -----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ notes.--steel construction. landing: carriage wheels and skids. _control_: warping and rear elevator. the hydro has one very large float which extends a considerable distance ahead of the tractor. [illustration: train. uas] tubavion. ponche & primaud, long. -----------------------------------+------------------+ model and date. | monoplane. | | ~ .~ | -----------------------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | | -----------------------------------+------------------+ notes.--tubular steel construction. landing: wheels and very long skids. propeller: amidships. [illustration: tubavion. uas] v vinet. gaston vinet, - quai de seine, courbevoie: also - rue larnac. established for automobile work, . aeroplane output capacity: small. -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ model and date. | type ~d~ | ~ .~ | | ~ ~ mono. | mono. | -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome | ~speed~ max m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | number built during | | ... | -----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ notes.--wood construction. landing wheels and skids. _control_: warping and rear elevator. rectangular body. the two types are practically identical. [illustration: vinet. type d. uas] voisin. voisin aéroplanes, boulevard gambetta, issy le molineux, (seine). school: mourmelon. capital , , francs. the oldest aeroplane firm in the world, founded by the brothers voisin in . (see past editions). latest models are: ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | military | | military | model and date. | biplane. | hydro-biplane. | biplane. | | model ~ .~ | model ~ .~ | model ~ .~ | ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| renault | gnome | gnome | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | number built during | | | ... | ----------------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ [illustration: canard with floats. _by favour of "aeronautics," u.s.a._] z zodiac. société zodiac, route du havre, puteaux _pres_ paris (seine). aero park: st. cyr l'ecole _pres_ versailles. established . capital , francs. -----------------------------------+------------------+ model and date. | ~s .~ | | ~ .~ | -----------------------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | {feet (m.)| ( ) | ~span~ { | | {feet (m.)| ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | ... | -----------------------------------+------------------+ notes.--wood construction. _control_: ailerons and rear elevator. upper planes staggered in advance of lower. quadrilateral fuselage. piloted passenger side by side. landing carriage: wheels and skid. aeroplatte fabric. the model was practically the same. [illustration: zodiac. uas] [illustration] french dirigibles. ~military.~ ---------------+----------------------+-------------+-------+----------+------+-------------+------------------ | | | | capacity | | speed. | date. | name. | make. | type. | in m³. | h.p. | m.p.h. (k) | notes. ---------------+----------------------+-------------+-------+----------+------+-------------+------------------ | ~libertÉ~ | lebaudy | s.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~col. renard~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~adjutant reau~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~lieut. chaure~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~adj. vincennot~ | c. bayard | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~selle de beauchamp~ | lebaudy | s.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~capt. marÉchal~ | lebaudy | s.r. | | | | " | ~le temps~ | zodiac | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~capt. ferber~ | zodiac | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~comdt. coutelle~ | zodiac | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~spiess~ | zodiac | r. | | | ( ) | " | ~fleurus~ | c. bayard | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~eclaireur contÉ~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | " | ~dupuy de lÔme~ | c. bayard | n.r. | | | - / ( ) | | | | | | | | _building_ | _a_ | astra |} | | | | | _b_ | c. bayard |} | | | | | _c_ | lebaudy |} | | | - / ( ) | | _d_ | zodiac |} ? | | | | | | |} | | | | _pro._ | _ new_ , c.m. | |} | | | | ---------------+----------------------+-------------+-------+----------+------+-------------+------------------ ~military sheds~ at belfert, epinal, maubenge, reims, toul, verdun ( ). --total . during the year the principal work done was as follows:-- -----------------+------------+---------------------+------------ | hours out. | distance travelled. | gas used. name. | | m. (km.) | m³ -----------------+------------+---------------------+------------ _c. ferber_ | | ( ) | , _adj. reau_ | - / | ( ) | , _dupuy de lôme_ | | ( ) | , _adj. vincennot_ | | ( ) | , _le temps_ | | ( ) | , _fleurus_ | - / | ( ) | , -----------------+------------+---------------------+------------ ~army dirigible pilots.~ airault, f. balny d'avricourt baudry, a. bayard de mendoca clerget, p. cohen, a. herbster, m. hirschaner, col. juchmès, g. mugnier, capt. noe, martial périssé, y. renard, col. p. roussel, a. schelcher, a. note.--there are no dirigibles attached to the navy. ~private.~ ------+--------------------+----------+-------+----------+------+-----------------+---------------- | | | | capacity | | speed. | date. | name. | make. | type. | in m³. | h.p. | m.p.h. (k.p.h.) | remarks. ------+--------------------+----------+-------+----------+------+-----------------+---------------- | ~astra~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~zodiac iii~ | zodiac | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~astra torres~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~transaerienne ii~ | astra | n.r. | | | ( ) | ------+--------------------+----------+-------+----------+------+-----------------+---------------- ~private sheds~ at chalons-s-marre, issy ( ), lamotte-breuil, meaux, melun, mousson, reims, pau, st. cyr ( ).--total . sheds are building or projected by the national aviation committee. ~private dirigible pilots.~ capazza, louis godart, louis julliott, henri kapferer, henri la vaulx (de) compte santo-dumont, albert surcouf, edward =astra class.= astra societe de constructions aeronautique, , rue couchot, and , rue de bellevue, billancourt. this society was founded by surcouf for the production of ordinary balloons. the first dirigible work was building part of the old _lebaudy_ in , followed in by the _ville de paris_. the total number of dirigibles of this type completed by the end of stood at , one very large dirigible in hand for the french army, and one small one for the british navy, and another for the russian army. owing to changes in names, or owing to two names getting supplied to one ship, confusion frequently exists as to the names of the astra dirigibles. the correct list is as follows:-- . part of the lebaudy . ville de paris . ville de bordeaux . ville de nancy . russian military dirigible, kommissionny,} originally known as clement-bayard i} . colonel renard . astra-transaerienne-ville de pau-ville} de lucerne[c] } . espana (spanish military) . ville de bruxelles . lieut. chaure (french military) . adjutant rÉau (french military) . eclaireur contÉ (french military) . transaerienne ii . astra-torres i the general features of the _astra_ class are: non-rigid, weights distributed by means of a long girder hung under the gas bags, a long nacelle, and inflated stabilising shapes at the rear end of the balloon. the _astra-torres_ type are also non-rigid, but of trefoil section with a short nacelle. the compagnie generale transaerienne was first established in with _transaerienne i_, and during the summers , and , this ship made a total of ascents, carried passengers, and voyaged kilometres. the astra firm has dirigible hangers at issy, pau, meaux, and reims. its constructional capacity is sufficient to build six dirigibles at any one time. "astra i-transaerien-ville de pau-ville de lucerne" ( ). [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~--just over tons= , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~useful lift,~ lbs. ( kgs.) ~gas bags.~--continental rubbered fabric, yellow. ~motor.~--one - c. bayard. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~propellers.~--one. [illustration: side elevation] colonel renard. military ( ). [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- , lbs. ( , kgs.)=about - / tons. ~gas bags.~--yellow coloured rubber proofed continental fabric. ~motor.~--one h.p. -cylinder panhard. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ~propellers.~-- , at the front end of the car. "integrale." ~steering.~--elevators. remarks.--the two side stabilising shapes are duplicated, as they were in the _ville de paris_. a webbing stretched on steel tubes is introduced between the inner edges of the main stabilising shapes to provide extra stabilising surface. [illustration: colonel renard. uds note.--an elevator aft has since been added.] improved _col. renard's_ are:-- lieut. chaure. military ( ). adjutant rÉau. military ( ) transaerien ii ( ). particulars of these are as follows:-- --------------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------- | _lieut. chaure._ | _adjutant reau._ | _transaerien ii._ --------------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------- ~length~ | - / feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) | feet ( . m.) ~diameter~ | feet ( m.) | feet ( m.) | feet ( m.) ~volume~ | , c. ft. ( , m³.) | , c. ft. ( m³.) | , c. ft. ( , m³.) ~motors~ | panhard, each h.p. | brasier, each h.p. | of h.p. each ~speed~ (p.h.) | m. ( km.) | m. ( km.) | m. ( km.) --------------------+-----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------- notes.--all have propeller forward of m. diameter, and aft of . m. the _lieut. chaure's_ empeunage is by ballonets; in the other two a cellular system and automatic stabilisation are the special feature. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | appearance practically the same as for _colonel renard_. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------+ Éclaireur contÉ. military. ( ) nominal volume, , m³. [illustration] ~length,~ feet ( m.) ~diameter,~ feet ( m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~ballonets.~--volume, , c. feet ( , m³) empeunage: cellular. ~nacelle.~--length, feet ( m.) breadth, - / feet ( . m.) height _about_ feet ( - . m.) ~motor.~-- chenu, h.p. hele-shaw clutch. ~speed.~--_about_ m.p.h. ( - km.p.h.) ~propellers.~-- central aft, each of m. ( feet) diameter. r.p.m. ~empeunage.~--cellular, stabilisation automatic. notes.--in this type the usual astra style, rear of gas bag, is entirely done away with. surface of each elevator is m², of the rudder m². there are petrol reservoirs, each of litre capacity. ~weights.~ lbs. (kgs.) crew ( ) details ( ) tools, etc. ( ) "lest d'altitude" ( ) " securité ( ) ---- ------ total ( ) astra-torres i. [illustration] ~length,~ feet ( . m.) ~diameter,~ feet ( m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~ballonets.~--volume, , c. feet ( m³.) ~nacelle.~--length, feet ( . m.) breadth, feet ( . m.) height, - / feet ( m.) ~useful lift.~-- , lbs. ( kgs.) ~motor.~-- chenu, h.p., at , r.p.m. clutch, ruban. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) ~endurance~ _about_ hours. ~propeller.~-- in rear of nacelle. diameter, - / feet ( . m.) notes.--the special feature of this type is that it is constructed in three lobes, two below and one above. this particular ship is merely experimental, and is known as a "vedette." three models of it are to be obtained, ( ) this h.p. of , m³. volume. ( ) a h.p. of , m³. nominal volume. ( ) a h.p. of from , - , m³. volume. this latter is designed to have two propellers instead of one. larger editions of the type are also projected as follows:-- ~"scouts:"~ - m³. of h.p. ( motors.) ~"transaeriens:"~ , - , m³. of h.p. ( motors.) ~"dreadnoughts:"~ , m³. or so, of h.p. ( motors.) [illustration: uds] =clement-bayard class.= usines clement-bayard, , quai michelet, levallois-perret (seine). these dirigibles closely resemble the _astra_ class in some main particulars; but (excepting _i_) differ from them in the sharp sterns and absence of stabilisers on stern. the ships of this class are:-- clement-bayard i (kommissionny) russian military " ii british military (wrecked) " " iv (_adjutant vincennot_) french military " v (_fleurus_) " " vi private " vii french military (_building_), to be of , m³. adjutant vincennot. military. ( .) (clement-bayard iv.) [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( . m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , m³. ~total lift.~--nearly tons ( , kgs.) ~useful lift,~ - / tons ( kgs.) ~gasbags.~--continental rubbered fabric. weight, grammes per m². strength , kg. per metre. leakage under litres per m² per hours. ~motors.~-- clement motors, -cylinder, of h.p., each placed on either side of the motor space. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) ~propellers.~-- chauvière. diameter, - / feet ( m.) placed one on either side of the motors, well above the level. ~steering.~--vertical steering by means of a treble horizontal rudder over the rear end of the car. horizontal steering by means of vertical rudders placed one on each side of the rear horizontal rudder. remarks.--the feature of this _c.b._ type, which distinguishes it from the astra ships of about the same size, is the arrangement of the propellers and the use of a speed gear in connection with these. normally each motor drives its own propeller through two sets of gearing connected by a cardan shaft. on stopping one motor, the stopped motor is unclutched from its propeller shaft, which is then connected up by chain drive to the opposite shaft. the running motor is then put on to a "low gear," so that it can make the revolutions necessary for obtaining full power, while the propellers run slower than before. the ratio of "low gear" to "high" is to , so that a single motor will be running under its best conditions when well throttled down. a sister, _c. bayard ii_ was sold to the british army, and wrecked or dismantled, . list of weights. kgs. gas bag , valves ( ) suspension girder (complete with fittings) bow portion ( m. long.) engine room ( . m.) , bridge and passenger space ( m.) after part ( m.) raised tail ( . m.) propeller brackets propellers rudders water trail ropes ----- total , lift , ----- balance, for ballast fuel, oil, crew , fleurus. military. (c.b. v.) ( .) c. bayard vi. (private.) ( .) these two are slightly smaller sisters of the _adjutant vincennot_. =lebaudy class.= ateliers lebaudy frères, moisson, par la roche-guyon (seine-et-oise). ~distinctive characteristics:~ the cars are short and suspended from a long keel which is suspended close up to the gas bag, and is mostly covered in with fireproof canvas. the rear end of the keel is expanded into fixed vertical and horizontal fins, and carries a vertical and a horizontal rudder. the rear end of the gas bag is fitted with thin fixed planes (compare with the pear shaped or tubular fins of the "astra" class). the cars are provided underneath with an extraordinarily strong conical structure, which takes the shock of striking the ground and distributes it over the whole car. aeroplanes are now fitted, one each side of the keel, well forward. ships of this class which have been built:-- ~lebaudy i~ ~french military airship.~ rebuilt into _lebaudy ii_. } now . ~lebaudy ii~ " " original _lebaudy i_ rebuilt. ~known as~ _le jaune_.} discarded . ~patrie~ lost in a storm. . ~republique~ ~french military airship.~ wrecked autumn, . . ~la russie~ ~sold to russian government.~ now _lebed_. . ~libertÉ~ ~french military airship.~ . ~capitaine marechal~ " " . ~"morning post"~ ~british military.~ (_lebaudy iii._) wrecked . ~lieut. selle de beauchamp.~ ~french military airship.~ . new ship of , m³ building. " " to lebaudy designs:-- ~one~ ~austrian military airship.~ ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | | ~capitaine~ | ~selle de~ | new ship. name | ~libertÉ~ | ~marÉchal.~ |~beauchamp.~ | _building._ date | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ service | military. | military. | military. | military. ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~volume~ c. feet (m³)| | | | , ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~diameter~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | {fabric | lebaudy | lebaudy | lebaudy | ~gasbags~ { | | | | {ballonets | | ... | ... | {total tons| - / | ... | | ~lift~ { | | | | {useful tons| ... | ... | ... | ~motors~ h.p.| -- panhard | -- panhard | -- panhard | {number | wood | wood | wood | ~propellers~ {blades | | | | {diam. feet (m.)| ... | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ~complement~ | ... | ... | | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ [illustration] [illustration: liberte.] [illustration] =zodiac class.= société française de ballons dirigeables et d'aviation, zodiac, route du havre, puteaux (seine). these dirigibles were intended primarily for private pleasure purposes. consequently they are designed to fly when filled with coal gas if necessary. every effort is made to render them easily transportable; the long girder frame by which the weight is distributed is made to take to pieces. it is held in france that numbers of this class of vessel would form an invaluable asset in time of war, as each could be transported in a single cart, filled with a very few bottles of hydrogen, and when so filled could man[oe]uvre for some hours at a speed which compares favourably with that of the standard types. when the service of reconnaissance was performed, the vessel could be packed up and sent out of harm's way in an hour, whereas this could scarcely be done with a larger vessel on account of the quantity of hydrogen that would be required if it had to be filled afresh for each service. the mooring of an airship in the open during war requires such an amount of preparation and attention as to be a serious drawback to the alternative plan of keeping such vessels unfilled, while the sending of an airship back to its distant shed on each occasion means doubling the work that the ship is called upon to perform. ships of class are:-- . zodiac i (_petit journal_) . " ii (_de la vaulx_) " iii " iv dutch military . " v south american (private) . " vi sold to united states " vii sold to russian army . " viii " " . " ix (_le temps_) french army . " x (_capitaine ferber_) " . " xi (_commandant coutelle_) " . " xii (_spiess_) " (rigid) zodiac iii. [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( . m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , m³. ~total lift.~-- - / tons ( , kgs.) ~useful lift,~ lbs. ( kgs.) ~gas bags.~--light continental rubbered fabric. ~motor.~--ballot, -cylinder, - h.p., , r.p.m. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.p.h.) ~propellers.~--driven at r.p.m. integral type, - / feet ( . m.) in diameter. pitch, - / feet ( m.) in rear of the car. ~steering.~--vertical balanced rudder in rear of the vertical fin, under the rear of the gas bag. double elevator above the fore end of the car. horizontal fins of material spread on iron frames on either side of the rear end of the car. remarks.--the car consists of a feet ( m.) long wooden girder, which can be divided into separate parts of feet ( m.) each. the suspension is by steel wires fitted with adjusting screws at the lower ends and toggles at the upper ends, by which they connect to the crows' feet which are sewn to the suspension strips. [illustration: zodiac iii.] detailed weights of _zodiac iii._ kgs. lbs. gas bag (_including_ ballonet) - / valves - / suspension wires and gear tail fins horizontal rudder vertical rudder girder car - / motor (_including_ pump, magneto, lubricating gear, etc.) - / motor bearer and gear - / petrol tank radiator reduction gearing - / shafting fan steering gear water - / petrol miscellaneous: men --- --- total , , _about_ ballast ----- ----- total weight , total lift , le temps. military. (_alias ~zodiac ix.) [illustration] ~maximum length~, feet ( . m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( m.) ~volume~, , cubic feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- ~gas bag, etc.~-- ballonets, each of m³. ~motor~.--dansette-gillet. h.p. ~propellers~.-- , chain driven, one on either side of car. ~speed.~-- ~steering.~--elevator in _nacelle_ amidships. rudder aft. remarks.-- [illustration: le temps. uds.] capitaine ferber. military. (_alias ~zodiac x.) ~maximum length,~ - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ - / feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , m³. this ship has ballonets of m³. each, and a car × × m., made up of sections. ~motors~. dansette-gillette, h.p., each actuating propellers ( -bladed), geared to r.p.m. carries petrol for hours work. completed . [illustration: _photo, branger._] [illustration: capitaine ferber. uds.] commandant coutelle. military. (zodiac xi.) +-------------------------------+ | | | (enlarged _captaine ferber_.) | | _building._ | | | +-------------------------------+ ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( m.) ~volume,~ , m³. ~gas bags, etc.~-- ballonnets, each , c. feet ( , m³.) ~nacelle.~--nickel steel in sections. length, - / ( m.) width, - / feet ( . m.) hung - / feet ( m.) below the balloon. pilot in centre. carries a total crew of six, petrol and oil for hours' continuous work at full power. ~motors.~-- , each of h.p.=total of h.p. placed one at either end of the nacelle. ~propellers.~-- , of feet ( . m.) diameter. two geared to each motor to half engine speed. ~speed~ (expected).-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) zodiac xii. rigid. military. (spiess.) [illustration: spiess. _building._ _photo, branger._] ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ - / feet ( m.) ~volume,~ , m³. ~gas bags.~--sections . number of cylindrical sections . number of sides to polygon . ~motors.~--two -cylinder h.p. in each nacelle, each driving propellers of feet ( . m.) diameter. ~speed.~ (expected)-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) [illustration] german. (by our special german editor.) ~aerial journals:--~ _deutsche luftfahrer zeitschrift fur luftschffahr_ berlin, w. (fortnightly). _allgemeine automobil zeitung_, berlin (weekly). _automobil welt_, berlin (thrice weekly). _das deutsche auto_, munich (weekly). _die luftflotte_, berlin (monthly). _internationale revue für autowesen & aviatik_, leipzig (fortnightly). _flugsport_, frankfurt (fortnightly). _motor_, berlin (monthly). _der motorwagen_, berlin (thrice monthly). _monatshefte der reichsfliegerstiftung_, charlottenburg (monthly). _zeitschrift für flugtechnik & motorluftschiffahrt,_ berlin (fortnightly). ~private flying grounds~ (military see further on):-- ~adlershof,~ teil des flugfeldes johannisthal (_wright_ school). ~bork,~ post brück in der mark (_mars_ school). ~burg bei magdeburg~ (_schulze_ school). ~darmstadt~ (truppenübungsplatz). ~dotzheim bei wiesbaden.~ ~frankfurt a.m.~ (_august euler_). ~fühlungen bei köln~ (kölner club für flugsport). ~garching b. münchen~ (_hoffman-harlan_). ~griesheim b. frankfurt a.m.~ (frankfurter flugsport-club & flugtechn. verein). ~habsheim b. mülhausen i.e.~ (_aviatik_). ~hainberg b. nürnberg~ (flugtechn. ges. nürnberg-fürth). ~hamburg~ (_grade_). ~holten. niederrh. verein f.l.~ (_hilsmann_). ~johannisthal b. berlin~ flugschule _albatros, dorner, harlan, fokker, luftverkehrs-ges. m.b.h., _rumpler & wright_. ~kitzingen in bayern,~ (hildebrand & schroth). ~lindenthal b. leipzig.~ (school for deutschen flugzengwerke). ~loddenheide b. münster.~ ~meerheimb b. köln.~ ~milbertshofen b. münchen~ (dr. wittenstein). ~neuenlande b. bremen~ (_müller-aviatik_, bremer v.t.l.) ~niederwalluf,~ (_goedecker_). ~oberwiesenfeld bei münchen~ (_gustav otto_). ~puchheim b. münchen.~ ~reichenberg-boxdorf b. dresden.~ ~schneverdingen~ (_oertz_). ~schulzendorf b. berlin~ (_a.e.g._) ~strassburg i.e.,~ "polygon" (e.e.c. _mathis_). ~suechteln.~ ~teltow bei berlin.~ ~velten bei berlin~ (_a.e.g._) ~wandsbek,~ exerzierplatz, (_rumpler_ und jordan). ~weimar~ (_wright_). ~wustenbrand b. chemnitz~ (flugtechn. ges. in chemnitz). ~zahlbach b. mainz~ (school for aut. & flugtechnik). ~aerial societies:--~ aachener v. f. l. aix la chapelle. aero club (imperial), , nollenderfplatz, berlin. sec.: h. von frankenberg und ludwigsdorf. akademie für aviatik, munich. allgemeiner deutscher automobil club, munich. anhaltischer v. f. l. (e. u.) m. antoineatten str. a, dessau. augsburger verein für luftschiffahrt, augsburg. automobil-und flugtechnische-gesellschaft (e. v.) nurnberger platz , haupyverein berlin, hochster str. , bezirksverein frankfurt a. m, neuer wall , ii, hamburg. bayerischer a. k. munich. berliner v. f. l., berlin. bilterfeldt v. f. l., bilterfeld. braunschweigische v. f. l. breisgau v. f. l., freiburg. bremer v. f. l. (e. v.) n. w., obernstr, / i, bremen. bromberger v. f. l. (e. v.) o, gasanstalt, bromberg, stadt. chemnitzner v. f. l. deutsche touring club, munich. deutscher luftflotten verein, mannheim. dusseldorfer luftdahrer-klub (e. v.) w. dusseldorf, breite str. , i. erfurter v. f. l. (e. v.) m. dalversweg , erfurt. flugverein neustadt a. d. haardt, s. w., neustadt, i. flugzeugkonvention des v. d. m. l., potsdamer str. h, iii, berlin w. frankfürter flugsport-club (e. v.) neue mainzer str. , frankfurt a. m. frankfurter flugtechn, verein (e. v.) bahnhofplatz , frankfurt a. m. frankfurter v. f. l. (e. v.) s. w. kettenhofweg , frankfurt, a. m. frankischer v. f. l. (e. v.) s. kurschnerhof , wursburg. hamburger v. f. l. (e. v.) n. w., , colonnaden - , hamburg. hannoverscher v. f. l. (e. v.) n. w., lortzingstr. , hannover. hereforder verein fur lufthahrt, bahnhofplatz, alfermann, herford. hildesheimer v. f. l., hilkesheim, lucienvorder str. . kaiserlicher aero-club, k. nollendorfplatz , berlin w. kaiserlicher automobil-club, k, leipzigerplatz , berlin w. karlsruher luftfahrt-verein (e. v.) s. w., bachstr, , karlsruhe. kolner club, f. l. (e. v.) w. bischofsgartenstr. , koln. koniglich bayerischer automobil-club, b. brienner str. i, munchen. koniglicher sachsischer v. f. l. (e. v.) sa, ferdinandstr. i, dresden. kurhessischer v. f. l. (e. v.) s. w., physikalisches institut, marburg ad lahn; cassel sektion, kolnische str. , cassel. leipziger v. f. l. (e. v.) sa, markt , leipzig. lubecker v. f. l. (e. v.) n. w., israeldorfer allee a, lubeck. luftshrverein gotha (fruther reichsflugverein gotha), gotha, i. luftfahrtverein touring-club, pranner str. , i. munchen. luftschiffahrt-verein munster fur munster und das munsterland (e. v.) n. w., munster i. w, klosterstr. - . magdeburger v. f. l. (e. v.) m, wetterwarte, bahnhofstr. , magdeburg. mannheimer v. f. l. "zahringen" (e. v.) s. w., - hansa-haus, mannheim. mecklenburgerischer aero-club, kaiser-wilhelm-str. , ii, i, schwerin i. m. mindener verein fur luftfahrt, n. w., grosser domhof , l, minden i. w. mitterheinischer v. f. l., s. w., weisenauer, str. , mainz. munchener v. f. l. (e. v.) residentzstr. iii, munchen. niederrheinischer v. f. l. (e. v.) wilhemstr. , bonn, wupperthal sektion, hauptfeuerwache, barmen; essen sektion, bachstr. , essen-ruhr; bonn sektion, wilhelmstr. , bonn. niedersachachsischer v. f. l. (e. v.) hildesheimer bank, filiale gottingen, gottingen. niederschlesisch-markischer verein fur luftfahrt, grunberg i. schl, i. nordmark-verein fur motorluftfahrt (e. v.) dusternbrooker weg , kiel. obererzgebirgischer v. f. l. (e. v.) sa, geschaftsstelle, schwarzenberg i. s., erla im erzgebirge. oberrheimischer v. f. l. (e. v.) s. w., blauwolkengasse , strassburg i. els. oberschwabischer v. f. l. (e. v.) s, promenade , ulm a. d. osnabrucker v. f. l. (e. v.) n. w., wittekindstr. , osnabruck. ostdeutscher v. f. l. (e. v.) o, courbierestr. , ii. graudenz. ostpreusischer v. f. l. (e. v.) o, kneiphofische langgasse i, konigsberg i. pr. pfalzischer luftfahrtverein speyer, s. w., speyer a. rh. i. pommerscher v. f. l. (e. v.) pasewalk (stettin) f. . posener luftfahrer-v. (e. v.) o, posen, kronprinzenstr, a. reichsflugverein (e. v.) motztrs, , berlin. rheinisch-westfalische motorluftschaff-gesellsch. (e. v.) bachstr. , essen-ruhr. saarbrucker verein fur luftfahrt, s. w. saarbrucken, i. sachsisch-thuringischer v. f. l. belvedere-allee , weimar; halle a. s. sektion (e. v.) halle a. muhlweg und poststr. ; thuringische sektion, staaten; belvederealle, , weimar. schlesischer aero-club (e. v.) o, schweidnitzerstr. - breslau. schlesischer v. f. l. (e. v.) o, schweidnitzerstr. - breslau. schleswig-holstein. flieger-club, n. w., niemannsweg b, kiel. seeoffizier-luftclub (s.l.c.w.) n. w., peterstr. ii, wilhelmshaven. trierer club. f. l. (e. v.) w., nagelstr. , trier. v. d. luftchiff-industrieller, kleiststr. , iii, berlin, w. v. d. motorfahrzeug-industrieller, potsdamerstr. b, berlin, w. v. f. flugwesen in mannheim, s. w., lange rotterstr. , i. mannheim. v. f. l. am bodensee (e. v.) s. w., zummsteinstr. , schwedenchanze a, konstanz. v. f. l. darmstadt, s. w., darmstadt, i. v. f. l. gieben, s. w., seltersweg , i., gieben. v. f. l. kolmar (posen), (e. v.) o. privinzialbank, kommanditgesellschaft a. a., kolmar i. pos. v. f. l. limbach (sa, u. umgegend) (e. v.) postr. , limbach (sachsen). v. f. l. in mainz (e. v.) s. w., grosse bleiche , mainz. v. f. l. in worms, s. w., worms, i. v. f. l. und flugtechnik nurnberg-furth, klaragasse i, nurnberg. v. f. l. in weimar (e. v.) erfurter str. , weimar. vogtlandischer v. f. l. (e. v.) sa, plauen i. v, furstenstr. . westfalisch-lippischer luftfahrverein (e. v.) n. w., kavalleriestr, petri, bielefeld. westfalish-markischer luftfahrer-verein, herne, i. westpreussicher v. f. l. (e. v.) o., dr. waldmann, abte-inng schiffbau, technische hochschule, danzig-langfuhr. wissenschaftliche gesellschaft fur flugtechnik, nollendorfplatz , berlin w. . wurttenbergischer flugsport-club, s. hegelstr. b, stuttgart. wurtembergischer v. f. l. (e. v.) s. am salzmannsweg , stuttgart. zwickauer v. f. l. (e. v.) sa, hauptmarkt , zwickau i. s. ~german military aviation.~ ~army general.~ the new army law provides £ , ( million marks) for army aviation (including dirigibles), in addition to a considerable share of the £ , , which is being spread over a period of five years. the army aerial force will be commanded by inspector generals. the aviation force is put at batallions. _headquarters_: berlin. _stations_: aachen, allenstein, cologne, darmstadt, doebritz, freiburg, graudenz, hannover, insterburg, jüterbog, koenigsberg, metz, posen, strassburg, zeithain. the scheme will be complete by the end of the year. ~army flying schools.~ ~diedenhofen.~ ~doeberitz.~ ~metz.~ ~oberwiesenfeld~ bei münchen (bavarian). ~saarburg.~ ~sperenberg~ bei jüterbog. ~army aeroplanes.~ at the end of the aeroplane force was as follows:-- bought in monoplanes ( grade, schultze, rumpler). biplanes ( albatross, farman type.) bought in monoplanes ( bristol, dorner, etrich taube, grade, harlan, mars, rumpler taube). biplanes ( albatros, aviatik, euler, otto, l.v.g., mars, wrights). ---- making a total of ~ ~ of which number about were war-effectives. for ~ ~ there are ~ ~ new aeroplanes building or provided for. under the new regulations, military machines must comply with the following conditions:-- . must be of entirely german manufacture, with ample and comfortable seating accommodation for pilot and passenger. . design must permit of fitting bomb droppers and photographic apparatus. . speed capabilities must not be less than kilometres ( m.p.h.) . dimensions must not exceed feet span ( . m.), feet long ( m.), feet high ( . m.), and the motor not more than h.p. . minimum endurance, hours. ~army aviators.~ ackermann, lt. k. albrecht, ob-lt. k. altrichter, lt. k. v. apell, lt. k. barends, lt. von beaulieu, ob-lt. w. berlin, ob-lt. e. blume, lt. w. boeder, lt. o. braun, lt. busch, lt. h. v. buttlar, lt. w. canter, lt. cipa, t. coerper, w. lt. von detten, lt. g. demmel, lt. m. dransfield, lt. e. eich, h. von eickstedt, ob-lt. v. erhardt, ob-lt, r. ( ) von falkenhayn, lt. f. e. graf finck von finckenstein, lt. l. fisch, lt. w. ( ) von freyberg-eisenberg-allmendingen, lt. f. e. funck, lt. w. geerdtz, f. h. ( ) von gersdorff, ob-lt. e. geyer, lt. h. goebel, ob-lt. w. grade, w. h. st. ( ) von hadeln, lt. f. v. hammacher, lt. ( ) von hammerstein gesmold, ob-lt. f.a. hantelmann, ob-lt. m. von helldorf, ob-lt. v. hiddessen, f. lt. ( ) hildebrand, ob-lt. f. hofer, ob-lt. w. höpker, lt. a. von jagwitz, lt. f. joly, lt. a. justi, lt. k. kahl, h. kastner, lt. h. keim, lt. j. ( ) keller, lt. g. koch, lt. w kohr, lt. r. lauer, lt. r. lauterbach, ob-lt. f. von lichtenfels, lt. s. ( ) von liusingen, lt. l. ludewig, f. ob-lt. meyer, lt. w. ( ) von minkwitz, lt. h. von mirbach, lt. k. mudra, lt. h. ( ) neumann, ob-lt. h. von obernitz, ob-lt. w. oelsner, lt. w. von oertzen, ob-lt. j. von osterroht, lt. p-h. petri, ob-lt. f. ( ) pfeifer, lt. l. pirner, lt. h. k. von poser und gross-nädlitz, ob-lt. f. püschel, ob-lt. k. rapmund, lt. m. reiche, lt. a. v. reichenberg-wolfskeel, graf. ( ) reinhardt, lt. s. reuss, lt. w. ritter, lt. k. ( ) roser, h. h. ( ) schäfer, ob-lt. l. v. scheele, lt. a. schlegel, lt. o. schneider, lt. h. schreyer, f. schulz, lt. j. schwartzkopff, lt. h. serno, lt. e. sieber, lt. h. solmitz, f. lt. sommer, lt. p. steindorf, h. steger, o. lt. von stoephasius, lt. m. striper, lt. f. suren, lt. e. suren, lt. g. suren, lt. h. taeufert, lt. w. v. tiedemann, ob-lt. r. ( ) von trotha, ob-lt. vogt, lt. v. wedemeyer, ob-lt. e. wendler, lt. w. weyer, lt. g. wiegandt, lt. w. wilberg, ob-lt. h. ( ) wildt, lt. k. ( ) wirth, ob-lt. w. ( ) wulff, lt. a. zwickau, lt. k. ~navy general.~ the expenditure on naval aviation (including dirigibles) is £ , ( million marks), plus a portion of the special expenditure. ~naval flying schools.~ ~holminsel~ b. danzig. ~putzig~ b. danzig. ~naval stations.~ ~north sea.~--cuxhaven (staff to be officers and under officers and men), emden and hamburg. ~baltic.~--kiel, putzig and konigsberg. ~general headquarters.~--berlin. each station will ultimately consist of one dirigible and a number of hydro-aeroplanes. ~navy aeroplanes.~ at the end of the total effective force was:-- ~ monoplanes~ (_rumpler_ hydro.) ~ biplanes~ ( _albatros_ hydro., _curtiss_ hydro., _euler_). -- total ~ ~ the _curtiss_ were purchased towards the end of , all the others in . all are or can be fitted with wireless, range miles. . others on order, including _ottos_ on floats (_a.g.o._), of which one was delivered in april. ~navy aviators.~ bertram, ob-lt. ( ) coulmann, w. francke, ob-lt. c. ( ) goltz, kap-lt. k. von gorrissen, lt. ( ) hartmann, r. ob-lt. ( ) hering, kap-lt. m. janetzky, kap-lt. w. langfield, ob-lt. w. prinz heinrich von preussen ( ) schroeter, ob-lt. w. stemmler, b. ~german private aviation.~ to end of march, . ~private aeroplanes.~ at end of march, , the number of private aeroplanes in germany was about , of which most were school, etc., machines. abelmann, carl abramowitch, wasewolod albers, wilhelm alig, ernst. arntzen, orla, dr. jur. schirrmeister, hans badowski, ludwig baierlein, anton basser, gustav beck, otto becker, reinhold beese, frl. behrend, adolf berliner, rudolf v. bieber, harald, dr. jur. birkmaier, august blattmann, ernst bohlig, edmund bosenius, rudolf bossin, fritz boutard, charles braselmann, karl breton, raymond arthur brociner, marco brunnhuber, simon büchner, bruno charlett, willi clauberg, fritz cremer, fritz curdts, carl de waal, bernard dick, fritz donnevert, willy dorner, hermann dücker, werner eberhardt, alfred eckardt, willy eckelmann, frank engelhard, paul erblich, heinz euler, august evers, heinrich eyring, raymund (dr. huth) falderbaum, heinz faller, artur faller, otto flégier, th. v. fokker, anthony fremery, hemmann friedrich, alfred gasser, hermann geiss, franz georgi, johannes v. gorrissen, ellery grade, hans griebel, otto, leutnant a d. grulich, karl grünberg, arthur haas, heinrich hansen, hans hanuschke, bruno hartmann, alfred hasenkamp, emil häusler, hugo heim, oskar heirler, paul hennig, alfred hess, robert heydenreich, fritz hild, luc. hintner, cornelius hirrlinger, albert hirth, helmuth hoff, wilhelm hoffmann, siegfr. hoos, josef, dr. jur. hormel, walter horn, albin hoesli, gordian ingold, karl jablonski, bruno jahnow, reinhold, leutn. d. landw. jänisch, m. jeannin, emil kahnt, oswald kammerer, k. f. ludwig kaniss, gustav kanitz, willy karsten, otto kaspar, referendar katzian, artemy keidel, fridolin kern, willy kiepert, rudolf kleinle, josef kober, theodor köhler, erich kohnert, herbert könig, benno könig, martin krastel, heinz, reimar krieg, friedrich krieger, karl krüger, leutnant a. d. krüger, arthur krumsiek, wilhelm kühne, ernst herbert kunze, ernst kurtscheid, nicolaus ladewig, heinz. ladewig, herbert, leutnant, inf.-regt. lagler, fräulein bozena laitsch, felix laemmlin, charles lange, paul langer, bruno lecomte, ingenieur lenk, willy lichte, carl lie, christian lindpaintner, otto e. linnekogel, otto lissauer, walter lochner, erich loew, karl lübbe, fluglehrer manhardt, alfred willy mente, willy, oberleutnant a. d. meybaum, theodor michaelis, g. a. mischewsky, bernard mohns, karl möhring, charlotte v. mossner, robert, oberleutnant a. d. mügge, wilhelm, kapitan d. handelsmarine müller, b. c. oscar müller, friedrich müller, karl müller, kurt munkelt, kurt mürau, georg netzow, georg niemela, edmund, leutnant a. d. noelle, max oelerich, heinrick oster, franz ottenbacher, ernst otto, gustav paul, alfred pentz, hermann pietschker, alfred placzikowski, udo von platen, horst plochmann, ernst pokristev, penn, oberleutnant poulain, gabriel reeb, alfred reichhardt, otto rentzel, adolf rode, franz de le roi, wolfram roempler, oskar rosenstein, willy roessler, fritz rost, gottlieb v. rottenburg, otto roever, hans rupp, albert rütgers, august schadt, karl schäfer, otto schakowskoy, fürstin eugenie schall, karl schauenburg, theodor schendel, georg scherff, mauricio schiedeck, hermann v. schimpf, ernst, dr. jur schirrmeister, hans schlatter, joseph schlegel, ernst schlüter, fritz schmidt, erich schmidt, richard schmigulski, hans schöner, georg schultze, gustav schüpphaus, heinrich ernst schwandt, paul schwarz, erwin sedlmayer, gerhard senge, paul seydler, frank siewert, lotherm steffen, bruno steinbeck, hans stiefvater, otto stöffler, victor stoldt stoephasius, curt von strack, karl strack, peter stüber, joachim, leutnant d. r. suvelack, josef thelen, robert thiele, erich toepfer, otto trautwein, max treitschke, friedrich tybelski, franz tweer, gustav vollmöller, hans wecsler, rubin weickert, julius artur weinaug, ernst werntgen, bruno wertheim, paul weyl, richard wiencziers, eugen wieting, werner wirtz, reinerm witte, gustav wittenstein, oskar, dr. witterstätter, e. w. wolter, richard von zastrow, alexanderm note.--abramowitch was a russian by birth (killed april, ). the following german aviators have been killed:-- +-------------------------------+ | . | | lilienthal | | | | . | | haas, lieut. | | mente, lieut. | | plochmann | | robl, thaddeus | | | | . | | bockmüller | | bournique ("pierre marie") | | choendel | | dax | | englehardt, kapt. | | eyring, r. | | frh. v. freytag-loringhoven | | laemmlin | | lecomte | | neumann, lieut. | | reeb | | pietschker | | schendel, g. | | stein, lieut. | | tachs | | voss | | | | . | | alig | | altrichter | | beissbarth | | berger | | birkymayer | | buchstätter | | v. falkenhayn | | frh. v. schlichting | | fischer | | hamburger | | hofer | | hösli | | junghans | | könig | | kugler | | lachmann | | lang | | libau | | meyer | | preusser | | pochmeyer | | rheinle | | rost | | schmidt | | schmigulski | | stille | | werntgen | | witte | | | | | | held | | schlegel | +-------------------------------+ german aeroplanes. ~a~ albatros. albatroswerke g.m.b. h, flugzeugfabr. u. fliegerschule, johannisthal bei berlin. established . one of the largest constructors in germany. capacity: machines a year. [illustration] ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ | | | -seat tractor | military tractor | military tractor | hydro. | mono. | biplane. | biplane. | | | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ... | ... ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ... | ... ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ... | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... ~weight~ { | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| argus | mercedes or | n.a.g. or | ... | ... | | argus | aust. daimler | | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... ~speed~ { | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | | - | ... | ... number built during | about | | | | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.--in all the upper plane is slightly staggered. in all the control is duplicated. [illustration: albatros. uas.] [illustration: albatros. military hydro-biplane.] [illustration: albatros. monoplane.] aviatik. autemobil & aviatik a.g., mülhausen i.e. established . capacity: a year. [illustration: biplane.] ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ | monoplane. | biplane. | racing biplane. | hydro-biplane. ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| (. ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| argus | argus | argus | argus {max. m.p.h. (km.)| - / ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | - | - | - number built during | | | | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.--the monoplanes are constructed under _hanriot_ license. [illustration: tractor-biplane (racer).] [illustration: monoplane.] ~d~ delfosse. ceased to construct. [illustration: dorner] dorner iii. monoplane. ~length.~-- - / feet ( . m.) ~span.~-- - / feet ( m.) ~surface.~-- sq. feet ( m².) ~weight.~-- lbs. ( kgs.) type ii: ~length.~-- - / feet ( m.) ~span.~-- feet ( . m.) ~surface.~-- - / sq. feet ( m².) ~weight.~-- lbs. ( kgs.) see _flugsport_, no. , . ~e~ etrich. etrich fliegerwerke, g.m.b. h, dittersbach b. liebau (schlesien). capacity: a year. [illustration] ------------------------------+------------------------------- | ~ .~ | ~etrich~ (original) _taube._ | monoplane. ------------------------------+------------------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... ~motor~ h.p.| mercedes or argus { max. m.p.h. (km.)| to ( to ) ~speed~ { | { min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ------------------------------+------------------------------- remarks.-- euler. august euler, frankfurt a.m. in euler secured _voisin_ rights for germany. in he took out a patent for a design of his own. in the summer of he built a successful monoplane, in the autumn of the same year a triplane. existing models are as follows:-- ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+---------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | | triplane. | monoplane. | military biplane. ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+---------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | no data | no data ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | | ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | | ~endurance~ hrs.| - | | number built during | _about_ | of various types | ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+---------------------- [illustration: euler. triplane.] [illustration: euler. monoplane, .] [illustration: euler. military biplane.] ~f~ fokker. monoplanes. fokker-aeroplanbau, g. m. b. h., parkstrasse, johannisthal bei berlin. capacity: . ---------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+--------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | ~a.~ | ~b.~ | ~a.~ | ~b.~ | ~c.~ | hydro-aeroplane. ---------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+--------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... ~weight~ { | | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.{| argus | argus | argus | argus | renault | renault {| | | or dixi | | | or mercedes {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ( ) | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| - | - | - | - | - | number built during | | | | | | ... ---------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+--------------------+------------------ remarks.--the _fokker_ is a machine of dutch origin. (see dutch). [illustration: - model.] [illustration: hydro.] fohn. this firm ceased to exist january, . ~g~ grade. hans grade fliegerwerke, bork, post bruck (mark). founded by h. grade, who was the first man in germany to fly with a german machine. during _grades_ had a considerable vogue, but since then have not been prominent. [illustration: racer.] -----------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+---------------------- model and date. | racer, ~ .~ | racer, ~ .~ | racer, ~ .~ | ~c.~ | ~d.~ | ~e.~ -----------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+---------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {machine, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... ... | ... ... | ... ... ~motor~ h.p.| various | ... ... | ... ... ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) number built during | ? | or | ? -----------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+---------------------- [illustration: grade. uas.] goedecker. j. goedecker, flugmaschinen-werke, niederwalluf a. rh. flying school: flugplatz grosser sand bei mainz. [illustration: goedecker.] ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | monoplane | monoplane | "sturmvogel." | "sturmvogel." ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| dixi | argus ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... number built during | | ----------------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~h~ hansa-taube. heinrich heitmann, aviatik und konstructions werkstätten, altona. [illustration] ----------------------------------+----------------------+---------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | monoplane. | monoplane. ----------------------------------+----------------------+---------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| or argus | argus ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| to ( to )| ( ) number built during | | ----------------------------------+----------------------+---------------------- remarks.-- harlan. harlan werke, g. m. b. h., moltkestrasse, johannisthal bei berlin. established , turned into present company, . output capacity about machines a year. [illustration] ----------------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ | military monoplane. | military monoplane. ----------------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) ~weight~{ | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| argus or mercedes | argus ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| - | - number built during | | ----------------------------+-----------------------+---------------------- hanuschke. bruno hanuschke, flugzeugbau, johannisthal b. berlin. capacity: small. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | "typ populaire" | typ ii. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| anzani | gnome ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| | number built during | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.-- ~j~ jatho. jatho flugzeugwerke, g. m. b. h., stader chaussee , hannover. karl jatho built his first aeroplane in , and has produced machines at intervals ever since. capacity: small. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ -----------------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| n.a.g. ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| number built during | -----------------------------+------------------ remarks.-- jeannin. emile jeannin, flugzeugbau, g. m. b. h., stahltauben & renneindecker fabrik, johannisthal b. berlin. capacity: small. [illustration: "taube."] -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | "taube" monoplane. | racing monoplane. -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ... ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ... ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| - argus | argus ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| - | - number built during | | -----------------------------+--------------------+------------------ remarks.--the was building only in march. ~k~ kahnt. oswald kahnt, flugzeugbau, leipzig. capacity: small. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------ | ~k. f. .~ | "falke." -----------------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... ~motor~ h.p.| - ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) number built during | new firm -----------------------------+------------------ kondor. kondor flugzeugwerke g. m. b. h., essen, ruhr. fabrik auf dem flugplatz. rotthausen. capacity: or so a year. [illustration: model. ( same appearance.)] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| argus | argus ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) number built during | | ... -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.--both models torpedo body, on skids. planes dart ~v~ form. constructor: j. suwelack. kÜhlstein. kühlstein wagenbau, karosseriefabrik, salzufer , charlottenburg. this old-established motor car firm commenced to build aeroplanes in . capacity: a year. [illustration: h.p.] -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | torpedo monoplane. | torpedo monoplane. | i. | ii. -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| argus | mercedes {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... ~speed~ { | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| | number built during | | -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- remarks.-- ~m~ mars. deutsche flugzeugwerke g. m. b. h., lindenthal bei leipzig. established . this is one of the most important and successful aviation works in germany. capacity: from to machines a year. [illustration: mars. monoplane.] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | monoplane. | biplane. | hydro-aeroplane. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | _building._ ~motor~ h.p.| n.a.g. | mercedes | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| - | - | number built during | | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.-- [illustration: mars. biplane.] mrozinski. bernard mrozinski, berlin-wilmersdorf. established . [illustration] ~length~, feet ( m.) ~span~, - / feet ( m.) ~area~, sq. feet ( m².) ~weight.~-- lbs. ( kgs.) ~motor.~-- h.p. anzani. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) remarks.--one machine only built in . ~o~ oertz. max oertz, yachtwerft, reiherstieg b. hamburg. famous yacht builder. commenced aeroplane construction in . existing models as below. capacity about machines a year. [illustration: - model.] -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ~m - .~ | ~m - .~ | monoplane. | monoplane. -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( . ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | number built during | | -----------------------------+--------------------+-------------------- otto. gustav otto, flugmaschinenwerke, schleissheimer str. , munich. started building in . present max. capacity about machines a year. [illustration] ------------------------------+----------------- | ~m .~ | biplane. ------------------------------+----------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ... ~span~ feet (m.)| ... ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... ~motor~ h.p.| a. g. otto. {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) ~speed~ { | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... ~endurance~ hrs.| - number built during | ------------------------------+------------------ remarks.--all machines purchased for german army. ~p~ pega-emich. flugtechnische und mechanische werke vorm. pega & emich, falterstrasse - , griesheim, frankurt-a-m. commenced building with a -decker in . capacity: small. [illustration] ----------------------------+-------------------- | ~ .~ | buteno monoplane. ----------------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kg.)| ( ) ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kg.)| ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| argus {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) ~speed~ { | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... ~endurance~ hrs.| number built during . | ... ----------------------------+-------------------- pippart-noll. pippart-noll-flugzeugbau, mannheim. [illustration] ------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------- | p. n. | p. n. . | p. n. . type. | sporting. | "uberland" | military. | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ ------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . also ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| argus | argus | argus {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... number built during | | | ------------------------------+------------------+------------------+-------------------- ~r~ rumpler. e. rumpler, luftfahrzeugbau g. m. b. h., siegfriedstrasse , berlin-lichtenberg, also johannisthal b. berlin. established by e. rumpler and r. haessner for the construction in germany of _etrich_ (see austria) monoplanes. these now vary considerably from the original _etrich_. capacity at present about to machines a year. standard models are as follows:-- -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | monoplane. | "taube." | hydro. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( ) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| mercedes | argus | argus {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| - | - | ... number built during | | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ [illustration: rumpler. hydro-aeroplane.] [illustration: rumpler. monoplane.] [illustration: rumpler. "taube." with limousine body.] ruth-rohde. ruth-rohde, motorgleitflieger, g. m. b. h., wandsbeck. established . capacity: small. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | biplane i. | biplane ii. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| argus | argus {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | {min. m.p.h.(km.)| ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | - number built during . | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~s~ schelies. richard schelies, conventstrasse und b, hamburg . flying station, etc.: dockenhuden a/elbe. [illustration] -----------------------------+-------------------- | ~ .~ | hydro-monoplane. -----------------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| rheinische aero ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ... -----------------------------+-------------------- schulze. gustav schulze, flugzeug werke, burg b. magdeburg. schulze began to build in light monoplanes, generally along _santos-dumont_ lines. maximum present capacity about machines a year. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | i. | ii. | iii ( -seater). | i ( -seater). -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ( ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| - hilz | - hilz | haacke | haacke {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) number built during . | | | | _building._ -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ sigismund. prinz sigismund von preussen, berlin. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ model and date. | monoplane. | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~motor~ | argus, | ~speed~ max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------ ~u~ union flugzeugwerke. union flugzeugwerke g. m. b. h. elsenstrasse & , berlin s. o. . established . capital , marks. capacity of works: machines a year. [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------+ | ~bomhard.~ | model and date. | pfeilflieger, | | ~ .~ | -----------------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~motor~ | argus | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ~speed~ { | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | new firm | -----------------------------+------------------+ ~w~ wright. flugmaschine wright, g. m. b. h., adlershof, bei berlin. company formed to trade in german rights for the wright bros.' patents. considerable departures have been made from the u.s. pattern, and some have been built with a single propeller only. capacity of works - a year. [illustration: armoured war aeroplane.] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | military. | sporting. | military. | military. | | | | -seater. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ... ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| n.a.g. | n.a.g. | argus or | | | | mercedes | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | | ? | ... | ... -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~z~ ziegler. ziegler, potsdam. established late in . [illustration] -----------------------------+------------------ | ~ - .~ | monoplane. -----------------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~motor~ h.p.| n.a.g. {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) ~speed~ { | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... ~endurance~ hrs.| number built in | -----------------------------+------------------ german dirigibles. (approximately m³= , c. feet.) ~military.~ ----------+--------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- date. | name. | make. | type. |capacity| total| speed. | remarks. | | | | in m³. | h.p. | m.p.h. (km.)| ----------+--------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- | ~z i~ | zeppelin b | r. | | | ( ) | as _rebuilt_ | | | | | | | | ~z ii~ | zeppelin b | r. | | | ( ) | as _rebuilt_ " | ~l. s i~ |schütte lanz | r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~z iii~ | zeppelin | r. | | | ( ) |was _schwaben l. z _ " | ~l i~ | zeppelin | r. | | | ( - / ) | naval: gun | | | | | | | | ~z iv~ (z i _ersatz_) | zeppelin | r. | | | ( - / ) | guns building. | ~l ii~ | zeppelin | r. | | | ( - / ) | naval: _bldg._ guns | ~s. l ii~ |schütte lanz | r. | | | ( - / ) | _building_ | | | | | | | ----------+--------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- | | | | | | | | ~p i~ | parseval | n.r. | | | - / ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~p iii~ | parseval | n.r. | | | - / ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~m i~ | gross-bas | s.r. | | | ( ) | old _rebuilt_ " | ~m ii~ | gross-bas | s.r. | | | ( ) | old _rebuilt_ " | ~m iii~ | gross-bas | s.r. | | | - / ( ) | old _rebuilt_ | | | | | | | | ~m iv~ | gross-bas | s.r. | | | - / ( ) | old _rebuilt_ " | ~p ii~ ersatz | parseval | n.r. | | | ( ) | _building_ " | ~p iv~ | parseval | n.r. | | | ( ) | _building_ ----------+--------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- ~private.~[d] ------------+------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- date. | name. | make. | type. |capacity| total| speed | remarks. | | | | in m³. | h.p. | m.p.h (km.) | ------------+------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- | ~deutchland ~ | zeppelin a | r. | | | ( ) | deutschland _ersatz_ | | | | | | | delag | | | | | | | | ~v. luise~ | zeppelin | r. | | | ( ) | delag " | ~hansa~ | zeppelin | r. | | | ( ) | delag | | | | | | | | ~sachsen~ | zeppelin | r. | | | ( - / ) | _building._ delag _bldg._ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------+------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- | | | | | | | | ~p. l ~ | parseval | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~stollwerck~ | parseval | n.r. | | | ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~p. l ~ | parseval | n.r. | | | ( ) | sporting[e] " | ~r ~ | ruthenberg | n.r. | | | | experimental | | | | | | | | ~suchard~ |suchard reb'lt| n.r. | | | ( ) | to be _rebuilt_ " | ~p. l xii~ | parseval | n.r. | | | - / ( ) | | | | | | | | | ~p. l ~ | parseval | n.r. | | | ( ) | _building_: delayed " | ~r ~ | ruthenberg | n.r. | | | | _building_ ------------+------------------------+--------------+-------+--------+------+-------------+---------------------- ~dirigible sheds.~ (_see note._) bickendorf bei köln. biesdorf bei berlin. *bitterfeld (_parseval co._) breslau. cuxhaven. düsseldorf (_delag_) frankfurt a/m. friedrichshafen (_zeppelin co._) gotha. hamburg (_delag_). *johannisthal (_l.v.g._) kiel (_private_). köln. königsberg i/pr. leichlingen. manzell (_zeppelin co._) metz. *münchen (_private_). oos bei baden-baden (_delag_). potsdam (_delag_) reinickendorf bei berlin. rheinau. strassburg. stuttgart. thorn. note.--unless otherwise stated the above are military sheds. all private ones capable of holding _zeppelins_ are subsidised. *=not large enough for _zeppelins_. ~dirigible pilots.~ for m. dirigibles. geerdtz, oblt. george, hptm. v. jena, hptm. kirchner, oberltn. lohmuller, hptm. masius, oberltn. v. muller, hptm. nichisch v. rosenegk, oberltn. schlutter, obltn. sperling, major. von zech, obltn. ~dirigible pilots.~ z=zeppelin. s=schutte-lanz. p=parseval _pilot_. (the number after each name is the imperial ae. c. certificate number.) z abercron, h. v. major ( ) z bassus, k. v. ( ) z bentheim, kapt. lt. a. d. v. ( ) z blew ( ) clouth, r. ( ) p dinglinger, f. ( ) z dorr, w. e. ( ) z durr ( ) z eckener, dr. ( ) p forsbeck, ob. lt. a. d. ( ) z glund, f. ( ) z hacker, ( ) p hackstetter, reg. b. a. d. ( ) z hanne, g. ( ) z heinen, a. ( ) z holzmann, ob. lt. a. ( ) s honold, r. ( ) p hormel, kap. lt. ( ) p jordens, w. ( ) p kehler, r. v. ( ) p kiefer, t. ( ) kleist, hptm. a. d. v. ( ) pz krogh, hptm. a. d. v. ( ) z lange, k. ( ) z lau ( ) z lempertz, e. ( ) z mechlenburg, w. c. ( ) z meyer, ob. lt. e. ( ) p parseval, a. v. ( ) z stahl, k. ( ) p stelling, a. ( ) z sticker, j. ( ) p thewaldt, c. h. ( ) z zeppelin, graf. v. ( ) z zeppelin, graf. f. v. junr. ( ) =german military class--gross-basenach. (semi-rigid)= up to date, these vessels have been designed by major gross and oberingenieur basenach. the utmost secrecy is observed as to their details. the system of employing ballonets has been borrowed from the _parseval_ type, and presumably the _parseval_ system of working the automatic valves has also been adopted. in all other features, these ships appear to resemble the french _lebaudy_ type, the shape of the hulls being rather better. list of ships built, re-built and re-building of this type:-- = aeronautical society. ( , m³) _non-effective._ (reconstructed) = m , military. ( , m³) " = m " ( , m³) " = m " ( , m³) " = m " ( , m³) m i (re-built ), & m ii (re-built ). military. [illustration] ~length,~ - / feet} ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( m.) ~capacity~, , c. feet ( , kg.) ~total lift~, , lbs. ( , m³) _about_ tons ~useful lift.~-- , lbs. ( , kgs.)=about - / tons. ~gas bag.~--continental rubber cloth, diagonal thread. tapering shape. ~ballonet.~--one-fifth of total volume. ~motors.~-- - h.p. daimler. propellers, with aluminium blades. ~speed.~--about m.p.h. ( km.). _remarks.--m i_ was originally built in , re-built and enlarged and again in . _m ii_ built , re-constructed . [illustration] m iii (re-built ). military. [illustration] ~length~, - / feet ( m.) ~diameter~, - / feet ( m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~motors.~-- körting of h.p. each = h.p. total. ~speed.~-- metres per second = m.p.h. ( - / k.p.h.) ~propellers.~-- , on outriggers from car, chain-driven. remarks.--built . burned th september, . rebuilt . m iv (re-built ). military. +---------------------+ | | +---------------------+ ~maximum length~, - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- lbs. ( kgs.) ~useful lift~, lbs. ( kgs.) ~gas bags.~--continental. ~motors.~-- körting, h.p. each = total h.p. ~speed.~-- - / m.p.h. ( - / k.p.h.) ~propellers.~-- (two for each motor.) carried on outriggers projecting from the car. remarks.--departs from previous practice in having two separate cars, each of which contains one motor. originally built in of , m³. re-built - to details as above. =parseval class (non-rigid).= luftfahrzeug-gesellschaft m.b.h, berlin, w. . when the "motorluftschiff studien gesellschaft" was formed at the instigation of the german emperor, a committee was formed to acquire an experimental airship of the most promising type. major von parseval's first airship was selected, and since that time the above company has confined itself to improving this type, and to making exhaustive and costly researches, all of which have been embodied in successive ships. the characteristic feature of every one of these craft is its unequalled portability. almost all other so-called non-rigid vessels distribute the load by means of a long girder which also serves as a car. this girder is awkward to pack up and transport. parseval uses a comparatively small car, and distributes the weight by hanging it further below the balloon than usual, and also by using ballonets which are placed one near each end of the gas bag. these ballonets enable the ship to be trimmed by merely pumping air into either at the expense of the other. another essential feature of the type is the system by which the valves are worked automatically. at the present time there is no other system of valve working so reliable as this. a third essential feature of the class is the use of a swinging car, in such a manner that pitching, due to alterations of propeller thrust, is automatically checked by an alteration of the position of the centre of gravity. a fourth feature is the use of limp propeller blades. a propeller of this type is very easily packed up. the shape of these vessels is in accordance with the experiments of professor prandtl. ships of this class built or building (figures supplied by the parseval co.):-- experimental parseval , m³. p. l. kals. ae. c , m³. military p i , m³. military p ii , m³. p. l. austrian military , m³. p. l. luftverkehrs gesellschaft , m³. p. l. " " , m³. p. l. russian army , m³. p. l. military p ii ersatz , m³. p. l. luftverkehrs gesellschaft , m³. p. l. motorluftschiff studien gesellschaft , m³. military p iii , m³. p. l. luftverkehrs gesellschaft , m³. p. l. japanese army , m³. p. l. russian army , m³. p. l. italian army , m³. p. l. military p iv, prussian army , m³. p. l. italian army , m³. p. l. british navy , m³. (of the above, the experimental is no longer in existence, _p. _ is out of service, and _p. l. _ has been burned and destroyed). parseval (p.l. ). ( .) (belongs to the kaiserl. aero club.) (parseval class.) [illustration] ~length,~ feet ( m.) ~max. diam.~ feet ( . m) ~capacity,~ , c. feet ( , m³) ~lifting power,~ , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~gas bag.~--cylindrical, with semi-conical front. of rubber-proofed material in longitudinal strips. pressure in ballonets and gas bag, mm. of water. ~motor.~--one h.p. daimler. ~fuel.~-- lbs. ( kg.) gallons ( litres) ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~propeller.~--one -bladed. semi-rigid parseval. this vessel was somewhat altered on being bought by the society. her essential principle is that she can be taken to pieces in a few minutes, and carried in a truck. her main feature is that she has a ballonet at each end. this is described in the case of type a (_p.l. _). this class rise with the forward ballonet empty, and inclined up by the bow. the propeller is similar to that of _p.l. _. the car also is mounted on wire runners. she was originally , m³. capacity. built . station: bitterfeld. the car is at present in deutsches museum, munich. parseval p.l. = p. i. military. ( .) [illustration] built by the "society for the study of motor air ships," and taken over by the german war office. ~length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter,~ feet ( . m.) ~capacity,~ , cubic feet ( , cubic m.) ~lifting power,~ , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~gas bag.~--front end semi-ellipsoidal with semi-axes . feet ( . m.) and . feet ( . m.), from which it increases to its maximum diameter. this is maintained for about two-thirds of its length, when it begins to taper to a point at the stern. made of layers of transverse strips of rubber proofed material, crossing each other diagonally. fitted with a tearing strip. ~ballonets.~--one at each end, together amounting to about one-quarter of the total capacity. owing to this disposition, the trim can be altered, and steering effected in the vertical plane by filling either more than the other. pressure in the ballonets and gas bag, mm. of water pressure. ~motor.~-- -cylinder h.p. daimler placed at one side of the car to give more room. , to , r.p.m. ~propellers.~-- - / feet ( . m.) diameter, to r.p.m. -bladed, the blades being of peculiar construction. when stopped, the fabric of which they are made hangs down limply; when running, these flaps fly out under centrifugal force. ~speed.~-- miles per hour. kilometers per hour. ~car.--length~, - / feet ( . m.) width . feet ( . m.) made of nickel steel, u bars, screwed together so as to take the pieces rapidly. the sides are lattice girders. the whole is boat shaped and covered with canvas. contains motor, chart table; trail rope feet ( m.) long, weighing lbs. ( kg.) wheel for horizontal steering at the bow. gal. ( litre) cask of petrol on the girders at the after point. feet ( - / m.) below the gas bag. it is capable of swinging horizontally on wires running over rollers. whereas without this device a forward swing of the car would lift the nose to a possibly dangerous extent, the free motion of the car shifts the centre of the gravity forward and so preserves stability. ~steering.~--in vertical plane, by altering the trim. in horizontal plane, by a rudder of . sq. feet ( - / m²) immediately behind the vertical plane. two fixed horizontal planes are placed at the rear end of the gas bag above the central line. [illustration: parseval ii.] ~table of weights~:-- gas bag , lbs. cordage . " trail rope " car and motor " fuel " oil " oil and fuel tanks, instruments, miscellaneous , " crew, passengers, ballast , " --------- total , lbs. note.--this remarkably successful ship has performed a continuous flight of - / hours. she also remained at a height of , feet ( , m.) for hour. she can be transported in railway truck or pair horse wagons, and be assembled and filled ready for ascent within hours of arrival by train. built . station: metz. parseval p.l. . "stollwerck." ( .) [illustration] ~length~, - / feet ( m.) ~diameter~, - / feet ( m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³) ~gas bags.~--riedinger. ~motors.~-- n.a.g. of h.p. each = h.p. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~propellers.~--two -bladed. semi-rigid material. remarks.--station, johannisthal. parseval p.l. . = p ii. ersatz. military. ( .) [illustration] ~maximum length~, - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- - / tons= , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~gas bags.~-- ballonets, usual arrangement. ~motors.~-- h.p. made up of two h.p. daimler motors, placed one behind the other. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) ~propellers.~-- parseval, -bladed, semi-rigid steel. ~steering.~--as in others. remarks.--station, cologne, (cöln). parseval p.l. ( ), & . (building .) [illustration] ~maximum length~, feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~gas bag.~--continental fabric. one central ballonet instead of the usual two. ~motors.~-- n.a.g. of h.p. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~propellers.~--one -bladed, wooden. diameter, - / feet ( m.) ~steering.~--differs from other standard types, in that only one ballonet being fitted, an elevator is introduced under the bow. remarks.--small ships for sporting purposes. a remarkably successful type of small dirigible. a small _p.l. _, burned . _p.l. _ delayed owing to press of other work. [illustration: parseval type d.] parseval p.l. . = p. iii. military. ( .) [illustration] ~maximum length~, - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- ~gas bags.~-- ~motors.~-- körting, each of h.p.= total. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ( . metres p. sec.) ~propellers.~--two -bladed parseval. remarks.--built . station, koenigsberg. parseval p.l. . "charlotte." ( .) [illustration] ~maximum length~, feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- ~gas bags.~-- ~motors.~-- n.a.g. of h.p. each= total. ~speed.~-- - / m.p.h.= k.p.h. ( m. per sec.) ~propellers.~-- parseval. ~steering.~--usual. remarks.--built . station: wanne. parseval p.l. = p. iv. military. ( .) +---------------+ | | | _completing._ | | | +---------------+ ~maximum length~, - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~gas bags.~--metzler. ~motors.~-- maybach, of each= h.p. ~speed.~-- m.p.h.= k.p.h. ( m. per sec.) ~propellers.~--two -bladed, wooden (on trial). remarks.--for the prussian army. station: berlin. ruthenberg ii. ( ). h. ruthenberg, lehderstrasse / , weissensee bei berlin: also luftfahrzeug-ges, ruthenberg, krefeld. +-----------------------------------+ | | | _small ships on parseval lines. | | still existing, but stored away._ | | | +-----------------------------------+ ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~diameter~, - / feet . (m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~gas bags.~-- ~motor.~-- ~speed.~-- ~propellers.~-- ruthenberg. remarks.-- ruthenberg iii. ( ). +---------------+ | | | _building._ | | | +---------------+ ~length~, feet (m.) ~diameter~, feet (m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³) ~gas bags.~-- ~motor.~-- ~speed.~-- ~propeller.~--ruthenberg. remarks.-- suchard. non-rigid (trans-atlantic). (re-constructed ). [illustration] ~maximum length~, - / feet ( / m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , cubic feet ( , m³.) ~total weight.~--about tons ( , kgs.) ~gas bags.~--metzeler fabric. one ballonet. ~motors.~-- of h.p. (one a n.a.g., the other an escher). placed one behind the other. a h.p. motor carried for auxiliary purposes. petrol carried, ( kil.) oil, ( kil.) ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h). ~propellers.~--two -bladed zeise. diameter, - / feet ( m.) chain driven. ~steering.~--elevation by moving weight slung on cable under body. rudder aft. remarks.--built march, , with a view to crossing the atlantic from the canaries to the antilles. re-constructed . proposed further re-construction in . schÜtte-lanz . military. s.l. i. ( .) h. heinrich lanz, rheinau bei mannheim. [illustration] ~maximum length,~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume~, , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~--about tons ( , kgs.) ~useful lift.~--about tons ( , kgs.) ~gas bags.~--these are of great strength and of unusual shapes, made to fit the interior, which is encumbered with cross stays. all but two of the bags are always full, and when the gas expands it flows into the remaining two, which are nearly empty at sea level, and full at feet ( , m.) a centrifugal pump is used for distributing the gas. there are gas bags. ~motors.~-- maybach of h.p. each. the propellers are at the ends of the car, driven through set of reduction gear. ~speed.~-- - m.p.h. about - k.p.h. ~propellers.~-- aft. also with its axis vertical. ~steering.~--vertical and horizontal rudders at both ends of the ship. also see propellers. remarks.--two of these ships were under construction, and one was to be presented and one sold to the german government. the hull is built of special -ply wood made of russian white fir; this wood is pressed into channel bars, angle bars, and all other requisite shapes. the strength of the hull is such that it can be supported at the ends without damage; its lightness is such that although the ship is nearly half as large again as _zeppelin ii_, yet the hull weighs about tons less. designed by prof. schütte. in , structural defects were found in _schütte i_ when the loads were applied. this has necessitated extensive alterations and much delay. in it was completed, and sold for £ , to the german army. schÜtte-lanz . military. s.l. ii. ( .) +------------------------------+ | | | _building._ | | enlarged edition of above. | | , c. feet ( , m³.) | | | +------------------------------+ zeppelin type. rigid. graf von zeppelin, friedrichshafen. the features of this type are--a rigid framework of aluminium, a number of drum-shaped gas bags, and a thin outer cover. [illustration] at the end of march, , the total of _zeppelins_, limit and building was , including one (number ) for austria. of these several had come to grief in various ways, and the actual total at the date mentioned, was:-- ~ effective~ = army (of which one _z _ was still on trials), naval and private. completing or building = naval, private and for austria. others projected but not actually in hand. all are on the lines of the above plan, differing only in minor details, such as the provision of a cabin amidships, etc., and in dimensions. details see the following pages. ----------------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------ | | _ersatz._ | | | ~z iii.~ | | | _(ersatz z i.)_ | | name | ~z i.~ | ~deutschland.~ | ~z ii.~ | ~vict. luise.~ | _(ex schwaben)_ | ~hansa.~ | ~l i.~ | ~z iv.~ | ~l ii.~ | ~sachsen.~ ~zeppelin~ no. | ~ b.~ | ~ a.~ | ~ b.~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ date | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ service | ~army.~ | "delag." | ~army.~ | "delag." | ~army.~ | "delag." | ~navy.~ | ~army.~ | ~navy.~ | "delag." ----------------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------ {c. feet| , | , | , | , | , | , | , | , | , | , ~volume~ { | | | | | | | | | | { (m³.)| ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ , ~ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~diameter~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~envelope~ | pegamoid | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... {fabric| continental | continental | ... | ... | continental | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~gas bags~ { | | | | | | | | | | {number| | | | | | | ... | | ... | ... {total tons| - / | - / | | | | | | | | ~lift~ { | | | | | | | | | | {useful tons| - / | | - / | ... | - / | ... | | ... | ... | ... ~motors~ h.p.| -- daimler | -- daimler | -- maybach | -- maybach | -- maybach | -- maybach | -- maybach | -- maybach | | | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) {number | | | | | | | | | ... | ... ~propellers~ {blades | | | | | | ... | forward} | forward} | ... | ... { | | | | | | | aft } | aft } | | {diam feet (m.)| ... | ( . ) | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~max. speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~full speed endurance~ hrs.| | | | | | | | ... | ... | ... ~complement~ | ... | ... | ... |{ crew | ... | ... | | ... | ... | ... | | | |{ passengers | | | | | | ~station~ | metz | oos | cologne | wechselnd | cologne | weschselnd | hamburg | ... | johannisthal | leipsig ----------------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------ [illustration: z military. ( .) _obsolete._ shortly to be struck off list.] [illustration: ersatz deutschland. (private.) ( .)] [illustration: z ii. military. ( .)] [illustration: viktoria luise. (private.) ( ).] [illustration: z iii. military. ( .)] [illustration: zeppelin dirigible. sachsen.] [illustration: hansa. (private). ( .)] l i. naval. ( .) armament: gun on top. +-----------------------------+ | | | no photo procurable. | | generally resembles _z iv._ | | | +-----------------------------+ [illustration: _photo. deliius._ z iv. military. ( ). armament: gun on top, in each gondola, can be lowered from central cabin] greek. ~aerial societies:~-- _none._ ~aerial journals:~-- _none._ ~military aeroplanes:~-- at end of march, , these included:-- _astra_ hydro. (fitted with scott's bomb dropper), or _nieuports_, -- h.p. _m. farman_, and probably some others. owing to the war, details are unobtainable. _bleriots_ reported captured from the turks, and _farmans_ on order. ~military aviators:~-- adamis ( ae. c. f.) kamberos ( ae. c. f.) montoussis ( ae. c. f.) mutassas, sub-lt., naval. savoff, lt. ~flying grounds~:-- ~phaleron.~ +------------------+ | killed . | | argyropulus, lt. | | | | | +------------------+ italian. ~aerial societies:~-- ae. c. d'italia (ae.c.i.), via colonna, rome. ae. club di roma (ae.c.i.), , via del triton, rome. circolo, aeronautico napoletano, v. roma, naples. lega aerea nazionale (l.a.n.), via della signora, milan. societa aeronautica italiana (s.a.i.), via boccaccio, milan. societa aeronautica italiana (s.a.i.), , via cernaia, turin. societa aviazone, di torino (s.a.t.), via roma, turin. societa ital. di aviazone, (s.i.a.), v. monte napoleone, milan. ~aerial journals:~-- ( times a week.) _gazzetta dello sport_, v. della signora, milan. l--. (= / d.) (weekly): _italia sportiva_, rome. l--. per no. (= / d.) _lettura sportiva_, corso porta romana, milan. l--. (= d.) _sports (gli)._ and dei prefretti, rome. l--. (= / d.) _stampa sportiva_, v. davide bertolotti, turin. l--. (= d.) _tribuna sport_, via s. giacomo, naples. l--. (= d.) (monthly): _rivista della l.a.n._ (lega aerea nazionale), milan. _rivista del t.c.i._ (touring club italiano), v. monte napoleone, milan. l--. (= d.) _la navigazione aerea_ (bolletino dell' ae. c. d'italia). l-- . (= / .) (annual): _annuario dell' aeronautica_ (touring club italiano), v. monte napoleone, milan. l-- . (= /-) ~flying grounds~ (military see next page):-- ~cameri~, novara.-- hangars (thouvenot school). ~mirafiore~, turin.-- hangars (asteria and chiribiri schools). ~s. giusto~, pisa.-- hangars (antoni school). ~taliedo~, milan.-- hangars. ~vizzola ticino.~-- hangars (caproni school). ~dirigible headquarters~ (with hangars, etc., etc.):-- bracciano. milan. rome. venice. verona. ~italian military aviation.~ ~organisation, etc.~ the _battaglione aviatori_ has its headquarters at turin. in july, , it was re-organised along the following lines:-- command at turin. flying work. technical work. troop duty. at the aviation schools, with a certain number of mobile squadrillos. the recognised grades are:-- _a.a.p._ aspirante allievo (learners). _a.p._ allievo pilota (certificated pilots). _p._ pilota militare (superior military brevet). in flying work the superior pilots are mostly using _bleriots_; the ordinary pilots _bleriot-caproni_, _bristol_, _antonis_, _deperdussins_ and _voisins_. the technical section chiefly supervises the theoretical instruction of the _a.a.p._ the companies on troop duty practical work, preparation for the schools. ~flying schools.~ the military schools are:-- ~aviano.~--central school. size about × kilometres. sheltered from all winds except westerly, by banks of trees. numerous hangers. ~mirafiori (turin).~--mixed military and civil school. hangers. school machines confined to _asteria_, _bleriot_, _nieuport_ and _savary_ types. ~pordenone.~--school for superior brevets. treeless plain. principal school machines _breguets_ and _farmans_; but some _bleriots_ and _caproni_. ~s. francesco al campo.~--_m. farman_ machines. at present for officers trained in france. ~somma lombarda.~--camp school for _nieuports_. ~venaria reale.~--formed late in . _bristol_ monos for certificated pilots. ~general training.~ officers in training during the first quarter of . aspirants commence with instruction in the theory of heavier than air machines, resistance of material and particular instruction in the various type of aero motors in use. they are taken for flights as passengers. all then go to the training camp about % for monoplane work, the remainder for biplanes. monoplanes. special attention paid to teaching _gauchis dessent_. biplanes. much shorter course. principal feature: _vol plané_. for the _military brevet_ the examination is most comprehensive, special attention is paid to flying in wind, manoeuvring, climbing, good landings without inconvenience to passengers, cross country flights, etc. the course is generally modelled on war experiences. ~total flying strength.~ no particular distinction between naval and military aviators. total by end of june, , to be about certificated aviators of whom a fair percentage hold the superior brevet. in addition all the best civilian aviators are held at disposal. ~military aeroplanes.~ at the end of there were about machines, mostly _bleriots_ and _farmans_. the majority of these are still in use for school purposes. at the end of march, , the machines effective for war purposes were roughly as follows:-- _bleriot._ } _bristol_ (mono.) } _caproni._ } _deperdussin._ } total _about_ , plus a number _farman._ } of school machines. _hanriot._ } _nieuport._ } _savary._ } about machines were on order, including _bristol-capronies_. ~naval aeroplanes.~ effective at end of march, . _calderara_. _guidoni-farman_. or others. ~italian aviators.~ military. agostoni, capt. v. ( ) bailo, lieut. ( ) *bolla, capt. ( ) cannonieri, lieut. ( ) +cammarotta, lieut. ( f) de filippi, com. ( ) *de rada, lieut. ( ) *falchi, capt. ( ) garassini. ( ) *gavotti, lieut. ( ) gazzera, lieut. ( ) guidoni, capt. ( ) *lampugnani, lieut. ( ) +manazini, lieut. ( ) moizo, capt. ( ) neri, lieut. ( -ae. c. f.) ( ) *palmadi, cesnola lieut. ( ) *piazza, major ( ) pizzagalli, capt. ( ) poggi, lieut. ( ) prandoni, capt. ( ) *pulvirenti, lieut. ( ) raffaelli, lieut. a. ( ) ravelli ( , ae. c. f.) roberti, lieut. ( ) rossi, capt. ( ) +saghetti, lieut. ( ) savoia, lieut. t. u. ( ) surdi, lieut. ( ) *vece, lieut. f. ( ) +vivaldi, lieut. ( ) _brevets in ._ andriani, capt. o. ( ) antonini, capt. l. ( ) almerigi, f. ( ) alvisi, lieut. a. ( ) baglione, lieut. a. ( ) baracca, f. ( ) bonamici, l. ( ) bongiovanni, lieut. e. ( ) bongiovanni, c. l. ( ) bonuti, r. ( ) brach, lieut. f. ( ) buzzi, lieut. m. ( ) calderara, lieut. a. ( ) calori, s. ( ) capuzzo ( ) casabella, lieut, g. ( ) clerici, lieut. u. ( ) cuzzo, capt. a. ( ) de giovanni, lieut. g. ( ) de riso, lieut. g. ( ) della chiesaconte, lieut. a. ( ) ercole, lieut. e. ( ) franceschini, lieut. e. ( ) gallotti, lieut. a. ( ) garino ing. g. ( ) girotti, lieut. m. ( ) gordesco, lieut. m. ( ) *graziani, lieut, c. ( ) jacoponi, lieut. a. ( ) kerbaker, lieut. e. ( ) laureati, lieut. g. leffi dott. sott. med. a. ( ) *mareno, m. a. ( ) moreno, capt. g. ( ) nosari, g. ( ) *novellis di coarazze, capt. a. ( ) oddo, a. ( ) pagano, p. ( ) palpacelli, a. ( ) perrucca, d. ( ) poggioli, q. ( ) pongelli, r. ( ) porta, capt. e. ( ) prandoni, capt. e. ( ) resio, lieut. ( ) rosetti, a. ( ) russi, lieut. s. ( ) suglia, lieut. c. ( ) torelli, f. ( ) valdimiro, lieut. f. ( ) venanzi, u. ( ) zanuso, lieut. g. ( ) naval. (_to end of _). calderara, lieut. ( ) ginnochio, lieut. ( ) *rossi, sub. lieut. ( ) strobin, lieut. ( ) (_during _). de muro, lieut. ( ) frigerio, lieut. ( ) scelsi, capt. difreg. g. private. (_to end of _). akachew, c. ( ) amerigo ( ) barigiola, g. ( ) battagli, b. ( ) bianchi, p. ( ) biego, c. ( ) bigliani, a. ( ) borgotti, g. ( ) brilli, d. g. ( ) brociner, m. ( ) cagno, u. ( ) cagliani, a. ( ) cannoniere, umberto ( ) cattaneo, bartelomo ( ) cavaglia, pietro ( ) cavalieri, alfredo ( ) cei, j. ( , ae. c. f.) casaroni, a. ( ) +cirri, ciro ( ) cobianchi, mariot ( ) darioli, ernesto ( ) da zara, leonino ( ) de agostina, a. ( ) de antonis, a. ( ) faccioli, mario ( ) franzoni, r. ( ) garassini, g. g. ( ) gianfelice ( ) ginnochio, t. ( ) graziani, nob. ettere ( ) lusetti, a. ( ) maffeis, c. ( ) maggiora, c. ( ) manissero, r. ( ) +marra, r. ( ) marro, e. ( ) mogafico, mario ( ) mosca, francesco ( ) pasquali, r. ( ) picollo, g. ( ) poggioli, quinto ( ) porro, a. ( ) ramasotto, m. m. ( ) ravetto, clemento ( ) ré, umberto ( ) ruggerone, g. ( ) sabelli, g. ( ) santoni, l. ( ) stucchi, federico ( ) verona, a. ( ) (_brevets in _). amour, ing. e. arista, a. ( ) ballerini, m. ( ) bergonzi, p. c. ( ) berni, l. ( ) +bertoletti, r. ( ) borsalino, g. m. ( ) brunetta d'usseaux, g. ( ) carabelli, c. ( ) +caramanlaki, a. ( ) caramanlaki, g. ( ) carminati di, b. n. ( ) colucci, g. ( ) corsini, j. c. ( ) corsini, a. e. ( ) dalla, n. c. ( ) dal mistro, c. a. ( ) de campo conte, s. ( ) fabri, a. ( ) facchini, e. ( ) garino, g. ( ) gelmetti, a. ( ) grassi, conte a. ( ) leonardi, g. ( ) mandelli, p. ( ) marazzi, e. ( ) nardini, g. ( ) paolucci, g. ( ) piceller, g. ( ) sacerdoti, c. ( ) salengo, r. ( ) vallet, c. ( ) zorra, l. ( ) ~private aeroplanes.~ at the end of march, , there were about machines in use at the various private schools, and about privately owned aeroplanes. italian aeroplanes ~a~ antoni. soc. di aviazione antoni, via vitt. emanuele, , pisa. school: s. guisto, pisa. output capacity: about machines a year. ----------------------------+-------------------+-------------------+ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | | single seat mono. | -seater military | | | mono. | ----------------------------+-------------------+-------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | {machine lbs. (kg.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kg.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome or anzani | gnome and anzani | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | number built during | ... | ... | ----------------------------+-------------------+-------------------+ asteria. fabbr. ital. aeroplani ing. darbesio e. c., via salbertrand, , torino (turin). school: mirafiori. capacity: small. -----------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | | monoplane. | biplane. | -----------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | {| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.){| | | {| ... | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| gnome | renault | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | number built during | ... | ... | -----------------------------+-----------------+-----------------+ ~c~ calderara. navy hydro-monoplane. ----------------------------+-------------------- model ~ - .~ | "hydro vol." ----------------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) ~weight~ { | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... ~motor~ h.p.{| (formerly {| gnome) {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) ~speed~ { | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) ~endurance~ hrs.| - / number built during | ----------------------------+-------------------- lieut. calderara's floats consist of a plurality of w.t. compartments with internal lattice frame, well braced. hull is formed of three skins of wood, sail-cloth between each. distance between outer floats, feet ( . m.) centre of gravity is only - / feet ( . m.) above water. if necessary wings can be cut away and the central hull used as a boat with emergency sail. [illustration: calderara. uas.] caproni. soc. di aviazione ingg, caproni e faccanoni, vizzola ticino. school: vizzola ticino. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ models ~ - .~ | single seat | single seat | -seater mono. | -seater mono. | mono. a. | mono. b. | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ... | ... ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ... | ... ~area~ sq. ft. (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| anzani | gnome | anzani | gnome {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| - / | ... | ... | number built during | ... | ... | ... | ... -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ remarks.--at the end of , held italian record for speed, - k.m. flown by cobioni. caproni-bristol. caproni also builds under bristol license. chiribiri. a chiribiri e. c, via lamarmora , and via don bosco - . torino (turin). [illustration: chiribiri.] -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ models ~ - .~ | h.p. mono. | h.p. mono. | racing mono. | h.p. mono. -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. ft. (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {machine lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~weight~{ | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| chiribiri | chiribiri | chiribiri | chiribiri {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... number built during | ... | ... | | ... -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~f~ friuli. e. pensuti e e. calligaro, pordenone. school: pordenone. a - h.p. anzani motor monoplane. area, sq. feet. ( m²). generally of _bleriot_ type, but _hanriot_ type landing carriage. ~g~ guidoni. naval hydroavions. either a _farman_ biplane or a _nieuport_ mono. is used, mounted on special floats designed by capitano del genio navale guidoni. there are two long floats, each of which is fitted with parallel fins. ~foreign agencies.~ foreign types of machines are constructed in italy under licenses as follows:-- bleriot. soc. ital. transaerea, corso peschiera , torino (turin). bristol. (british), by caproni. deperdussin. soc. ital. degli aeroplani, via giulini b, milan. nieuport. carrozzeria macchi. varese. italian dirigibles. ~italian military dirigibles.~ ~army.~ ~navy.~ /----------------------------------------------^--------------------------------------------------\ /-----------------^-----------------\ --------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+----------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ name and date. | ~p .~ | ~p & p .~ | ~p & p .~ | ~citta di milano~ | ~parseval.~ | ~m .~ | ~m & m .~ | . | & . | both . | . | (p.l. ). | . | & . | | | | | - . | | --------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+----------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ { c. feet| , | , | , | , | , | , | , ~volume~ { | | | | | | | { (m³.)| (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) ~diameter~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ( ) {fabric | silk | continental | continental | ... | riedinger | metzeler | metzeler ~gas bags~ {compartments | | | | ... | | ... | ... {ballonets | | | | ... | | ... | ... {total tons | . | . | . | ... | ... | . | . ~lift~ {useful tons | . | . | . | ... | . | . | . ~motor~ h.p. {| - c. bayard | - c. bayard | - fiat | - / isotta | - maybach | - fiat | - wolseley {| (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= / ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) {number | | | | | parseval | | ~propellers~{blades | | | | | | | {diameter feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ... | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~max. speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) ~full speed endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... | | | ~max. complement~ | | | | ... | ... | | ~station~ | bracciano | tripoli | vigna di valle | baggio | venice | bracciano | --------------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+----------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ notes: all the above are semi-rigid. the _p_ and _m_ are all of the same general type. principal features of these ships, which were designed by captains crocci and ricaldoni, are the shape of the envelope, (maximum diameter very far forward), keel and the box kite tail. the _citta di milano_ (semi-rigid) is an enlarged _leonardo da vinci_ (which see). _special feature_ is the keel built into the envelope. this serves as a nacelle. building.--one _parseval_ (p.l. ) about the same size as the other (p.l. ), which was completed first. ~army dirigible pilots.~ agostoni, capt. biffi, ten. bosio, ten. crocco, capt. g. dal fabbro, capt. c. denti di piraino, march, capt. gallotti, ten. longo, ten. manni, ten. menenti, s. ten. merzari, capt. messina, ten. munari, capt. e. pastina, capt. ricaldoni, capt. a. scelso, ten l. seymandi, capt. g. stabarin, ten. tagliasacchi, ten. ~navy dirigible pilots.~ carniglia, ten. d. vas. gravina, ten. d. v. conte m. penco, ten. d. v., a. ponzio, ten. d. v., e. scelsi, capt. di f., g. valerio, sot. v. valli, ten. d. v., g. [illustration: p.i.] elevation of p. i. the later ships only differ in dimensions, and the fact that the middle rudder is done away with. [illustration] [illustration: dirigibles m & m .] [illustration: citta di milano.] [illustration: parseval (p.l. ). first italian _parseval_.] ~italian private dirigibles.~ ----------------------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------+----------------------+------------------+ name and date. | ~ausonia bis.~ | ~italia i.~ | ~italia ii.~ | ~leonardo da vinci.~ | ~usuelli.~ | | reconstructed .| . | . | . | . | ----------------------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------+----------------------+------------------+ ~volume~ (m³.)| (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | (~ ~) | ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ~diameter~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | {fabric | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ~gas bags~ {compartments | nil. | nil. | nil. | | | {ballonets | | nil. | nil. | | | {total tons| ... | . | . | . | ... | ~lift~ { | | | | | | {useful tons| . | ... | ... | ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| - h.p. s.p.a. | - / antoinette| - h.p. | - antoinette | - h.p. s.p.a. | {number | | | | | | ~propellers~ {blades | | | | | | {diameter, feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ... | ~max. speed~ m.p.h (k.m.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... | ( ) | ~full speed endurance~ hrs.| ... | ... | ... | ... | | ~max. complement~ | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ~station~ | bosco mantico | schio | building | laid up at baggio | turin | | | | | near milan | | ----------------------------------+--------------------+------------------+------------------+----------------------+------------------+ notes: ~ausonia.~ nico piccoli, via accademia , padova (padua). works: magré, vicenza (schio). semi-rigid. ~italia.~ cont almerico da schio, schio. non-rigid. _special features_ is a "belly" of para rubber in lieu of a ballonet. ~leonardo da vinci.~ ing. enrico forlanini, via boccaccio , milan. works: baggio. semi-rigid, keel and nacelle, incorporated in envelope. ~usuelli.~ usuelli and borsalini, torino (turin). non-rigid. ~private dirigible pilots.~ forlanini, ing. e. piccoli, d. usuelli, c. [illustration: italia.] [illustration: usuelli.] [illustration: ~forlanini.~ uds.] [illustration: leonardo da vinci.] japanese. (naval aviation data. official). ~aerial societies~:-- tokio, ae. co. aeroplane assoc., , yayesu cho, i-chome, kojimachi, tokio. (sec.: dr. fujioka). kikyu kinkyu kai (connected with war office). ~flying grounds~:-- near ~yokohama~. ~saitama~, tokorozawa (government).--dirigible shed and hangars. ~port arthur~, (government). ~general military aviation.~ this was originally formed as one body without distinction between army and navy. it was subsequently re-modelled on lines somewhat similar to the british royal flying corps with naval and military wings. ~navy.~ the naval section is superintended by capt. k. yamaji, i.j.n. the naval headquarters are at oihama (near yokosuka). the naval force at the end of consisted of hydro-aeroplanes ( _curtiss_ and _farman_). the available total of qualified naval aviators was . ~finance.~ the total amount granted for aviation of the navy in (fiscal year) was , yen (£ , ). for the year the estimates amount was , yen (but not approved yet). ~pay of flying officers.~ the special pay for officers employed in aerial work is undecided. ~army.~ the army wing is responsible for the dirigible. aeroplanes are one or two _bleriots_, a _grade_, _tokogawa_, and a _farman_. ~aviators.~ military. hino, major saigom, capt. tokogawa, capt. tokogama, lieut. naval. narahara, naval constr. kaneko, lieut. kono, lieut. obama, eng. lieut. umikita, lieut. usuioku, naval constr. private. doig, s. iga, baron shigeno, baron tsuzuki, yamada, isaburo the following have been killed:-- +----------------+ | . | | aibata, lieut. | | | | . | | kimura, lieut. | | tokuda, lieut. | | takeishi. | +----------------+ ~private aviation.~ there are some private aeroplanes being regularly flown in japan. a number of aeroplanes have from time to time been invented by naval and military officers and private individuals, and some of them are in use. inventors include major hino, naval constructor narahara and ushioki, baron iga, baron shigeno and mr. tsuzuki. japanese aeroplanes. [illustration: bleriot (since wrecked). tokogawa. wright. grade. army flying school ground.] [illustration: narahara.] [illustration: tokogawa ii. type i the same except for minor details.] japanese dirigibles. parseval type. military. (p.l. .) [illustration] ~length~ feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~ - / feet ( . m.) ~capacity,~ , m³. ~gas bag.~-- ballonets. usual parseval. ~motors.~--total, h.p., made up of two h.p. maybach. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( km.) ~propellers.~--two -bladed. parseval. ~steering.~--usual parseval (see german). remarks.--of _parseval p.l. _ type (see german). built . yamada. non-rigid. (private.) [illustration: _photo by favour of m. samuro kuki._] ~maximum length~, feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, feet ( m.) ~volume,~ m³. (_about_) ~gas bag.~-- ~motor.~--american make. ~speed.~-- ~propeller.~--one. ~steering.~--biplane elevator forward. triangular rudder in rear under gas bag. remarks.--generally of american type. mexican. ~army aeroplanes.~ there are old pattern _h. farman_; also one or more _curtiss_ and _wright_ machines. nothing seems doing with them. ~aviators.~ military. martinez, n. (ae. c. f. ) mendia, (ae. c. f. ) private. duval, raoul lebrija, miguel morales noriega ramsey, e. l. saavedra, alfonso probably others (the above are mostly amateur builders.) norwegian. ~aerial societies:~-- aero club, norsk flyveselskad (christiana). secretary, d. barth. norsk luftseilads forening (christiana). president, h. mohn. ~aerial journals:~-- _none._ ~flying grounds:~-- ~military aviation.~ at the end of the army possessed two h.p. _m. farmans_ (renault motors), and the navy a h.p. n.a.g. _rumpler_. for the purchase of further machines is contemplated for both arms. ~private aeroplanes.~ total at end of ~ ~ at end of there were in existence --a _grade_ and a _deperdussin_. ~aviators.~ ~military.~ dichi, lieut. jacobsen, lieut. ~private.~ hansen. st. dons. peruvian. ~military aeroplanes.~ the peruvian government has made a special grant for aviation students, and war machines are projected. actual order to end of was one _avro_ mono. ~private aeroplanes.~ total at end of ~ ~ " ~ ~ " ~ ~ _none_ probably. ~aviators.~ bielovucic, j. chavez, j. monterc ( a. c. f.) peruvian aviators killed: +------------+ | . | | chavez, g. | | | | . | | tenaud, c. | | | +------------+ portuguese. (revised by j. schiere, aeronautical engineer.) ~aerial societies:~-- ae. c. de portugal (r. nova docklaemada d. isl.) ~aerial journals:~-- rivista aeronautica (ae. c. journal.) ~flying grounds:~-- campo do seigcal. mounchãvo da povoa. ~private aeroplanes.~ total at end of ~ ~ " ~ ~ " ~ ~ ~private aviators.~ de castro, sanchez de silva, gomez ~military aviation.~ in a military corps was formed. at the end of it possessed _avro_ ( -- h.p.), _voisin_ ( -- h.p.), and _m. farman_ ( -- h.p.) (since wrecked). _deperdussin_. ~private aviation.~ in the _gouveia_ mono. was built, span metres, but it failed to fly. also the _avante_ biplane, which also failed. first flight in portugal by a portuguese was de castro in september, , with an old _bleriot_. roumanian. ~army aeroplanes.~ at end of march, , there were several h.p. _bristol_ monos., _bleriots_, _nieuport_, _morane_, _vlaiclu_, and several _h. farman_ biplanes. government school is at bucharest. ~aviators.~ military. capsa, lieut. negrescu, lieut. protpopscu, lieut. vacas, lieut. poly zorileann, lieut. (ae. f. ) private. bibesco, prince (ae. c. f. ) oznoth vlaiclu monoplane. designed by ouvret vlaiclu. first shewn at the vienna exhibition, . modified; it flew very well indeed at aspern, june, . the model is of entirely novel type, a tail first monoplane with a propeller either end of the main planes, and a triangular tail aft. principal details are:--~length~, - / feet ( . m.) ~span~, feet ( . m.) ~height~, feet ( . m.) wing frame in three sections with gap between. ~motor~, h.p., gnome chain driven. ~fuselage~, old style; landing chassis on three wheels only, with a single ash skid in front. covered in engine driving the foot propeller shaft for the propellers. rear tail consists of fixed planes, a triangular damping plane and a triangular keel plane. forward, an elevator and two semi-circular rudders (double faced). from this combination remarkable results are achieved, and all gyrostatic effect from the propellers eliminated. _control_, horizontal wheel on column. elevator depressed or otherwise by action on column. note.--at vienna, , this machine took first prize for the smallest circle and also for accurate bomb-dropping. the original machine was purchased by the roumanian army. russian. ~general note.~--in the number of military machines and general attention to aviation russia is only second to france. there are no effective machines of russian design, but the aviataka, dux & lomatuk firms build at home under foreign license, and there is also the kennedy school (anglo-russian). ~aerial societies:~-- (imperial) aero club. . odessa branch. . rostow and don branch. . st. petersburg " finland ae. c., helsingfors. kieff university ae. c., kieff. moscow ae. c., moscow. moscow imp. tech. college (aviation section). riga ae. c., riga. russian aeronautical society, st. petersburg. sevastopol ae. c. students' aviation club. tomsk ae. c., tomsk. volunteer aerial fleet. ~aerial journals:~-- _aeronautical journal of st. petersburg._ _aero_ ( , liteiny, st. petersburg). weekly. _dans l'empire des airs_ ( , rota , petersburg). fortnightly. _revue de navigation aérienne_ ( rue stremmiannaya, petersburg). weekly. _sport_ ( , ekaterineska, odessa). _wozdookhoplavatel_ (st. petersburg). monthly. _wosduchoplawanie y sport_ (moscow). monthly. ~flying grounds:~-- ~gatchina park.~-- flying here under restrictions. v.f. school. ~kieff.~--school for pilots. ~kolomiaggi.~--racecourse. ~novo therkask.~ ~odessa.~ ~st. petersburg.~--kennedy school. ~sevastopol.~--volunteer fleet school. ~warsaw.~ ~russian military aviation.~ ~army aviation.~ early in , under the presidency of the grand duke alexander, the special school of the volunteer aerial association was finally formed at sevastopol for the winter and gatchina for the summer. june . vote for aeroplanes ( to be built at home). vote , , roubles for new school at tauride. november, . military trials results. ( ) sikorsky in a _sikorsky_. ( ) haber in a _m. farman_. ( ) boutmy in a _nieuport_. december, . aeronautical school re-organised. put under control of one commandant, one assistant, and four juniors. course made seven months-- pupils per school at a time. a one month course in aeroplanes, aerial motors, etc. of the pupils, will be selected for aeroplanes. new flying school established at taskend in turkestan. march, . new schools established at moscow, odessa and omsk. at the end of the total number of military aeroplanes was about . at the end of march, , the total number was about , of which about were modern. principal types: _albatross_, _aviatik_, _bristol_, _deperdussin_, _farman_, _nieuport_, _rumpler_, there being an average of of each. the majority built under russian license in russia. the number of actual military pilots was . there is, however, a special volunteer corps of about private aviators, bringing the available total to or thereabouts. ~navy aviation.~ july, . lieut. andreadi, h.p. _nieuport_, did a flight with stops from sevastopol to st. petersburg. september, . special naval aerodrome for hydro-avions ordered for golodai island, near petersburg, bringing total of military and naval aerodromes to . _sikorsky_ hydro-avion acquired. also an _m. farman_ ditto. new naval station projected at libau. october, . naval purchase of several _curtiss_ hydro-avions after trials at sevastopol. at the end of march, , the approximate effective force was as follows (all hydros, or capable of being so fitted): _astra_, _breguet_, _donnet-leveque_, _farman_, _paulhan curtiss_, _nieuport_ ( h.p.), _sikorsky_. (a number of others on order.) early in experiments were carried out with a combination of floats and skids, invented by m. lobanoff, of moscow. this proved equally effective on land or water. ~aviators.~ the following are army, navy or volunteer aviators. the number is the russian ae. c., unless otherwise stated. f = french. prefix + = killed. n = navy. abramowitch wissewold ( ) agababa, n. ( f.) agofonoff ( ) aleknovitch, g. ( ) alexandroff, d. ( f.) n andreadi, lt. artsgouloff ( ) avinass, j. ( ) badowski, l. bakhmoutoff, n. ( ) berdchenko, v. ( ) bistritsky, v. ( ) boukshevden, bar. g. ( ) boutmy (de), e. campo, scipio ( f.) childovski ( ) chioni, b. ( ) chimansky ( ) choudinoff ( ) dmitrieff, j. ( ) dorogouski ( f.) dougowezky, a. ( ) n dybovski, v. ( ) efimoff, m. ( f.) efimoff, t. erdeli, g. ( ) eristov, prince ( f.) evsukoff, p. ( ) firstemberg flegfier, von. gelgar ( ) glouchenko, s. ( ) godoulsky, a. ( ) gorghkoff, g. ( f.) goumberto-dros, b. ( ) grekoff g. ( .) grigoraschirilly ( f.) houeninsey, a. ( f.) husarenko ( ) illin, a. ( ) iougmeister ( ) jankovsky, g. ( ) joukoff ( ) kaidenoff ( ) kamensky, v. ( ) katzian, a. + kauzminski ( f.) kebouroff, v. ( f.) kirchstern kolchin, f. ( ) komaroff, m. ( f.) kostine, n. ( f.) kauznezoff, p. kreiner, e. kroumm, a. lachtionoff, g. ( ) lambert (de) c. ( f.) lebedeff, v. ( f.) lerche, m. ( ) lewkowicz, h. ( f.) linno, g. ( ) lipowski, h. ( f.) kokteff ( ) makaroff, d. ( ) makeef, p. ( ) matyevitch, matzevitch ( f.) n+matyevitch, capt. ( f.) meybaum, t. miller ( ) monakoff, ( f.) naidenoff, g. naslennikoff, b. nikiforoff ( ) nikolaieff ( ) nikolsky, p. ( ) oulianine, s. ( f.) pehanovsky, b. ( f.) + pietrowsky, g. ( f.) porcheron, j. ( f.) popoff, n. ( f.) poliakoff, a. ( ) poplavko ( ) pongolowski, w. ( ) pristchepoff ( ) raevsky, a. (f.) raygorodsky, a. ( f.) rossinsky ( ) n rouaroff, m. ( f.) rynin, n. ( ) sakoff, n. de ( f.) salesky ( ) samoilo ( ) samouiloff, p. ( ) séméniovitch ( f.) semenko-slavorossoff, h. ( ) semitan ( ) seversky-prokofieff, n. ( ) sewkowicz, l. shidloovsky, m. shimansky, k. shimkevitch, v. sikorsky, i. ( ) skarginsky, a. ( ) slusarenko, w. + smith, v. ( f.) sobansky graf. ( ) soechnikoff, a. soupnevsky, c. ( ) springuefeld sredinsky, a. strelmkoff ( ) tchemiakoff ( ) tkatcheff, v. ( ) tounochensky ( ) tselary, i. ( ) wassilieff, a. ( f.) zaikine ( f.) zelinsky, col. ( f.) + zolotouchin, m. ( ) ~civilian aviators.~ there are very few purely civilian aviators in russia. russians who have obtained brevets include mdlles anarta ( ), golantchikova ( ), zvereva ( ), count de lambert, ( f.) and count malynski ( f.) and one or two others. few or none do any flying now. russian aeroplanes. ~a-z~ aviatik. st. petersburger aviatik gesellschaft, petersburg. construct aviatiks. (see germany.) bronislawski. experimental biplane with special stabilising features. dux. fabrica moscovita tneerskaja "dux," lastawa, moscow. construct under license. geltouchow. w. g. geltouchow and a. w. preiss, piasnitzkajai, moscow. constructs. gilbert. c. gilbert, twerskaja, moscow. constructs. kennedy. soc. d. dirigibles and aeroplanes kennedy, st. petersburg. motor. riga-sassenhof. rodjestveisky. built a triplane in . russian military dirigibles ( ). -----------------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- | ( ) | ( ) | ( & ) | ( , , ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) name | ~lebedj.~ | ~kommissiony.~ | ~jastreb~ and | ~zodiac vii,~ | ~parseval.~ | ~forszmann i.~ | ~forszmann ii.~ | ~astra .~ | ~parseval .~ | ~c. bayard ,~ | | | ~goloubj.~ | ~viii & ix.~ | | | | | | _bis._ make | lebaudy. | c. bayard i. | outchebny i & ii. | | parseval . | forszmann. | forszmann. | | | date | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ system | semi-rigid. | non-rigid. | semi-rigid. | non-rigid. | non-rigid. | non-rigid. | non-rigid. | non-rigid. | non-rigid. | non-rigid. -----------------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- ~volume~ c. feet (m³.)| ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | ~ , ~ | ~ ~ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | ( . ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ... | ( . ) | ( ) | ( . ) ~diameter~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ... | - / ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ... | ( . ) | - / ( ) | - / ( ) {fabric | continental | continental | ... | continental | continental | ... | ... | continental | reidinger | continental ~gas bags~{ballonets | | | ... | | | ... | ... | ( m³.) | | {compartments| | | | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... ~lift~ {total tons | | - / | ... | | | / | / | ... | ... | - / {useful tons | - / | | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | nearly | about - / | - / ~motor~ h.p.| - panhard | - clement b. | - e.n.v. | - labor | - n.a.g. | - (= ) | ... | - chenu | - maybach | - clement b. | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) | | | (= ) | (= ) | (= ) ~propellers~ number| | | | | two -bladed | | | | two -bladed | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ... -----------------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- _notes_ | _ex la russie._ | _jastreb_ reported | | | carries | | one-man | carries litres | | special speed | | wrecked, march, | | | litres of petrol. | | dirigible. | petrol. crew . | | gear to propellers. | | . | | | has done - / | | | weights: | | | | | | | hours at | | |crew: lbs. | | | | | | | metres, with | | |tools, &c. " | | | | | | | on board. | | |petrol, oil, &c. | | | | | | | | | | " | | | | | | | | | | ---- | | | | | | | | | | " | | | | | | | | | | ---- | | | | | | | | | |forward propeller | | | | | | | | | | m. diameter; the | | | | | | | | | |two after ones m. | | | | | | | | | | each. | | -----------------------+------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-------------------- note.--illustrations see next page. [illustration: lebedj. uds.] [illustration: jastreb (outchebny).] [illustration: kommissiony. uds.] [illustration: furszmann.] note.--the other dirigibles are of usual type. see france and germany. servia. ~military aviation.~ at end of march, , there were aeroplanes, and more (_bleriots_) on order. spanish. ~aerial societies:~-- el real aëro club de españa ( rue alcala, madrid). la asociacion de locomocion aérea ( plaza de cataluna, barcelona). real aero club d'espana. cataluna ae. c. ~aerial journals:~-- _boletin oficial de la asociacion de locomocion aérea_, , plaza de cataluna, barcelona (monthly). _españa automovil_, , plaza de isabel ii, madrid. official organ, spanish r. ae. c. _revista de locomotion aerea_, , plaza de cataluna, barcelona (monthly). ~flying grounds:~-- ~carbouchelle~ military school. ~army aeroplanes.~ there are old _farmans_ ( - model), and one or two more modern monoplanes: but little is doing. some hydro-aeroplanes are on order for the navy. ~aviators.~ military. adaro, lt. j. alfaro, lt. h. arridaga, capt. berron, lt. e. echevarria, j. gonzales, capt. c. j. granche kindelan, capt. a. menendez, m. ortiz, so. lt. j. penas, m. de las pujo, capt. ( f) private. campano dras, j. f. jezzi, r. g. l. (british ae. c. )[f] lailhacar, de pascal, ferdinand pimentel, b. l. prince alphonse d'orleans ( ) the following spanish aviators have been killed:-- +---------------+ | . | | fernandez, a. | | | | . | | pola, m. | | mauvais | | | | . | | bayo, capt. | +---------------+ ~military dirigible pilots.~ herrera, lt. e. kindelan y duany, capt. a. vives y vich, col. spanish dirigibles (non-rigid). espana. military. (astra class.) [illustration] ~maximum length~, feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( . m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet , m³. ~total lift.~-- , lbs. ( , kgs.) ~useful lift~, ? lbs. ( ? kgs.) ~gas bags.~--yellow coloured rubber proofed continental fabric. ~motor.~--one h.p. -cylinder panhard. ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ~propellers.~-- , at the front end of the car, of wood, "integrale" type. ~steering.~--as in _clement bayard i_ and _ville de nancy_. remarks.--the two side stabilising shapes are duplicated, as they are in the _ville de paris_. a webbing stretched on steel tubes is introduced between the inner edges of the main stabilising shapes to provide extra stabilising surface. torres-quevedo ii. military. +------------------+ | | | | +------------------+ ~maximum length~, - / feet ( m.) ~maximum diameter~, - / feet ( m.) ~volume,~ , c. feet ( , m³.) ~total lift.~-- ? lbs. ( ? kgs.) ~useful lift~, ? lbs. ( ? kgs.) ~gas bags.~-- ~motor.~-- h.p. chenu. ~speed.~-- ~propellers.~-- ~steering.~-- remarks.--designed by captain kindelan and engineer torres quevedo. swedish. ~(revised by lieut. dahlbeck, r. swedish navy.)~ ~aerial societies:~-- svenska aëronautiska sällskapet (stockholm). kungl. automobil klubben: (fenixpalatset, stockholm). svenska motor-klubben: aero sektion (stockholm). ~aerial journals:~-- _svensk motor-tidning_ (fenixpalatset, stockholm) fortnightly. ~flying grounds:~-- ~ljungbyhed~ (skåne), sheds. ~malmsl[~a]tt~, sheds. ~military aeroplanes.~ at the end of march, , the army possessed monoplane, biplane, and biplanes building. the navy had _bleriot_ type monoplane and building. at the end of there were privately owned aeroplanes. ~aviators.~ (the number against any name is, unless otherwise stated, the ae. c. swedish pilot certificate.) military. von porat, lieut. ( ) ljungner, lieut. ( ) hamilton, capt. ( ) naval. dahlbeck, lieut. ( ) (british ae. c. ) werner, lieut. ( ) private. cedarstr[~o]m, baron c. ( ) fj[~a]llb[~a]ck ( ) Ångstr[~o]m ( ) sundstedt ( ) thulin, m.a. ( ) swedish aeroplanes. ask. monoplane. [illustration: _harlan_ type. built by ask, .] nyrop. naval monoplane. [illustration: _bleriot_ -seater. built in sweden by nyrop, . ~motor~, h.p. gnome.] dahlbeck. [illustration: _farman_ type. built by lieut. dahlbeck. .] swiss. (by our special swiss editor.) ~aerial societies:~-- aero club suisse ( , hirschengraben, berne). sec.: f. filliot. a ostschweizerischer v. für l. (zürich). b sektion mittelschwerz (bern). c sektion westschweiz (romande) (lausanne). d club suisse d'aviation (geneva). club genêvois d'aviation (geneva). sec.: p. brasier. flügsport klub (rorschach). sec.: a. zürn. ~aerial journals:~-- _bulletin de l'aero club suisse_ (berne). monthly. _la suisse sportive_ ( , rue de hesse, geneva). weekly. _sport_ ( , boulevard exterieur, berne). _automobil revue_ (berne). weekly. _le sport suisse_ (geneva). weekly. _l'auto sport_ (geneva). weekly. _a.c.s._ (swiss aut. clubs) (geneva). fortnightly. _das illustrierte programm_ (zurich). fortnightly. _revue weinfelden._ monthly. ~flying grounds:~-- ~avenches.~ ~collex-versoix.~ (club suisse d'aviation). ~lucerne.~-- acre park. sheds. ~petit lancy.~ geneva (geneva club). ~dübendorf bei zurich.~ ~dirigible station~ (with hangars):-- ~lucerne.~ ~army aeroplanes.~ at the end of march, , there were no army aeroplanes, a _farman_ bought in having ceased to exist. ~private aeroplanes.~ total at end of ~ ~ _about_ " ~ ~ " at the end of march, , there were about ~ ~ privately owned aeroplanes. ~aviators.~ (the number against any name is, unless otherwise stated, the ae. c. suisse pilot certificate number.) + = killed. military. real, lieut. t. ( ) + schmidt, capt. j. private. audemars, e. ( ) bianchi, p. ( ) bider, o. ( ) + blane, m. ( ) bucher, m. ( ) burkard, h. ( ) burri, e. ( ) casser, e. ( ) + cobioni, e. ( ) domenjoz, j. ( ) durafour, f. ( ) failloubaz, e. ( ) grandjean, r. ( l) gsell, r. ( ) + hösli, g. ( ) hug, m. ( ) ingold, k. e. ( ) jucker, a. ( ) kramer, h. ( ) mallei, a. ( ) parmelin, a. ( ) + primavesi, e. ( ) rech, e. ( ) rettig, j. j. ( ) reynold, m. ( ) ruchonnet, e. ( ) rupp, a. ( ) salvioni, c. ( ) + schmid, h. ( ) schumacher, j. ( ) taddoli, e. ( ) trepp, m. ( ) wyss p. a. ( ) züst, b. ( ) swiss aeroplanes. [illustration: grandjean.] [illustration: taddeoli.] [illustration: wetterwald.] -----------------------------+-------------------+-----------------+------------------+ | ~grandjean.~ | ~taddeoli.~ | ~wetterwald.~ | model and date. | hydro-monoplane. | monoplane. | monoplane. | | ~ - .~ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | -----------------------------+------------------ +-----------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( ) | - / ( ) | ( ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | { total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | | {useful, lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| oerlikon | gnome | e.n.v. | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ~speed~ { | | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ... | number built during | | | | -----------------------------+-------------------+-----------------+------------------+ turkish. ~army aeroplanes.~ there is a military aerodrome at s. stefano, with amerigo, renzel and thanlau as instructors. in march, , there were about monoplanes (_harlans & reps_), and one or two biplanes. only one seems actually to have been used. several other aeroplanes were captured during the war--generally in their packing cases unopened. in april, machines were reported ordered in germany. ~aviators.~ military. fessa, bey ( , f.) kienan, lt. ( , f.) nouri, lt. ratzian refik, capt. sismanoglou, j. uruguay. ~aeroplanes in the country.~ _none._ ~aviator:~ cameo, m. garcia u.s.a. (edited by e. l. jones, editor of "aeronautics," u.s.a.) ~general note.~--in the early nineties, professor langley and the bros. wright were experimenting with heavier-than-air machines, but general interest in the subject is quite recent. though some small dirigibles exist, american attention is mainly devoted to aeroplanes. ballooning was quite the thing in - , but has languished. it is stated that there are certainly no less than _two thousand_ people in the u. s. a. who have built flying machines. the greater percentage of these have been home-made copies of standard machines. individual builders of copies and freaks have diminished greatly in numbers, and there remains a few well-established manufacturers. although inventors are still prolific in the patent office and clubs numerous, the general public takes very slight intelligent interest in aviation. the majority of clubs are inactive. in the year commercial development seemed to have great possibilities. the copyists were being weeded out and competent aeronautical constructors financed by adequate means began operations on systematic business lines. the latter half of the year saw a great slump. in the spring of prospects looked greatly improved, and there was generally increased activity. ~aerial journals:~-- ~aeronautics.~-- , east th street, new york. monthly. ~aircraft.~-- , east th street, new york. monthly. ~fly.~-- , chestnut, philadelphia, pa. monthly. ~aero.~--chicago, ills. weekly. ~flying grounds:~-- ~belmont park, n.y.~--old race track. not very good. scene of meet. sheds occupied by few experimenters. ~dayton.~--_wright_ school private field. ~chicago, ills.~--two fine fields. ~fort myer, va.~--government and private sheds. ~hammondsport, n.y.~--_curtiss_ factory. field (small) and lake for water planes. ~los angeles, calif.~--several fields in vicinity. used for _eaton_ school and private flyers. ~marblehead, mass.~--poor field. home of burgess c. fine for hydro-aeroplanes. ~mineola, n.y.~--_moisant, sloane_ and another school, and individuals. about by miles level field, without obstructions. ~oakwood heights, staten i., n.y.~--the aeronautical soc. grounds, on bay for use of hydro-aeroplanes. ~san diego, calif.~--winter quarters _curtiss_ camp; also used by army flyers. ~san francisco~ (near).--good. ~st. louis, mo.~--kinloch park. _benoist_ school and private owners. ~u. s. a. aero clubs.~ an attempt has been made here to give the name of every aero club that has been formed recently in the united states, or has been in existence for a long time. it is believed this list covers every club in the united states. many of these clubs are nothing but a name. they were formed to conduct meets or exhibitions, given by the various aeroplane concerns engaged in this business. many clubs are not incorporated. others have no organisation, being run by principals of boys' schools or classes. clubs even affiliated with the aero club of america have no members' meetings, nor have they in many cases even meeting rooms. there are but a half-dozen live aero clubs worthy the name in america. three clubs own balloons, which are rented to members for ascensions. little attempt is made by more than one or two associations to popularise aeronautics, to encourage experimenters, or to indulge in scientific work. the aero club of america, the aeronautical society and aero club of illinois, are the principal organisations. the ae. c. represents the f.a.i., and has a beautiful club house. the aeronautical society has rooms in the united engineering building, conducts well-attended lectures twice a month, and has grounds on straten island (for hydro-aeroplanes and aeroplanes). clubs affiliated with the ae. c. of america are marked * ~california.~ new orleans aero club, wm. allen, sec., new orleans *aero club of california, prof. h. la v. twining, pres., calumet st. los angeles. *pacific aero club, pacific buildings, octavia street, san francisco postal aero club, w. santa clara street, san jose university of california aero club, t. w. veitch, sec., berkeley oakland aero club, oakland *aero club of colorado, west colfax avenue, denver, col. aero club of blackstonehill, oakland, calif, c/o w. r. davis, jr., prospect street curtiss amateur aviation club, harold scott, secretary, los angeles santa clara valley aero club, chamber of commerce, san jose aero club of san diego, san diego, colonel c. c. collier, pres. aero club of pasedena, w. j. hogan, pres., chamber of commerce, box ~connecticut.~ *aero club of connecticut, pres., a. holland forbes, at fairfield yale university aero club, new haven aero club of hartford, hiram percy maxim, pres., hartford ~cuba.~ *aero club de cuba, ignario , havana ~delaware.~ aero club of delaware, wilmington ~district of columbia.~ washington aero scientific club, f. l. rice, sec., c/o y.m.c.a., washington *aero club of washington, dr. albert f. zahm, sec., cosmos club, washington ~florida.~ aeronautic society of florida, davenport and kerrison, secs., main street, jacksonville ~illinois.~ *aero club of illinois, f. mccormick, pres., michigan avenue, chicago aeroplane and kite club, e. e. harbert, pres., n. clark street, chicago university of chicago aero club, chicago *aircraft club of peoria, c/o leslie lord, e. armstrong street, peoria aeronautical society of the university of illinois, urbana, r. watts, sec., e. john street, champaigne ~indiana.~ purdue aero club, purdue university, lafayette south bend aero club, south bend. *aero club of indiana, indianapolis ~kansas.~ aero club of topeka, topeka *western aero association, e. s. cole, sec., topeka kansas state aero club, c. h. lyons, sec., overland park ~kentucky.~ continental aero club, richmond ~louisiana.~ southern aero club, canal street, new orleans new orleans aero club, wm. allen, sec., new orleans ~maryland.~ *aero club of baltimore, col. jerome h. joyce, pres., baltimore ~massachusetts.~ aero club of north adams, north adams *aero club of new england, a. r. shrigley, sec., trement st., boston amherst aero club, amherst *pittsfield aero club, l. j. minahan, pres., pittsfield springfield aero club, c/o charles t. shean, pres., john street, springfield tufts college aero club, tufts college *harvard aeronautical society, prof. a. lawrence rotch, pres., blue hill observatory mass. inst. of technology aero club, john s. selfridgem, sec., inst. of technology, boston dartmouth aero club, richard f. paul, sec., dartmouth first assn. of licensed pilots, chas. j. glidden, pres., hotel somerset, boston williams aeronautical society, williams college, robert o. starret, sec., williamstown ~michigan.~ *aero club of michigan, c. b. du charme, sec., detroit university of michigan aero club, ann arbor ~minnesota.~ minneapolis junior aero club, stillman chase, sec., th avenue, s., minneapolis st. louis experimental ass'n., zealand street, st. louis *kansas city aero club, george m. myers, pres., convention hall, kansas city ~missouri.~ *aero club of st. louis, pine street, st. louis ~montana.~ aero club of st. charles college, helena ~nebraska.~ aero club of nebraska, col. wm. h. glassford, pres., fort omaha junior aero club or the y.m.c.a., c/o y.m.c.a., omaha lincoln aero club, lincoln, c/o g. r. brownfield, "o" street aviation club of nebraska, arthur frenzer, sec., california street, omaha ~new jersey.~ princeton university aero club, princeton aeronautic society of new jersey, c/o n.j. automobile & motor club, broad street, newark aero club of new jersey, c/o james k. duffy, sec., madison avenue, new york new jersey aeronautical league, w. a. kraus, sec., guttenberg aero and motor club, asbury park atlantic city aero club, col. walter e. edge, sec., atlantic city model school aero club, trenton, r. g. teavitt, sec. trenton aero club, james fenton, sec., trenton ~new york.~ *aero club of america, madison avenue, chas. walsh, sec. the aeronautical society, w. th street, arnold kruckman, gen. sec. aeronautic alumni ass'n., c/o west side y.m.c.a., west th street new york model aero club, adrien lacroix, sec., lexington avenue national model aero club, c/o a. leo stevens, th avenue stuyvesant aeronautic society, east th street, percey w. pierce, sec. columbia aero club, columbia university, th street dewitt clinton high school aero club, th street and th avenue *aero club of buffalo, lafayette hotel, buffalo, n.y. thousand islands aero club, c/o dr. j. m. gibbons, montague street, ithaca aeronautic section, technology club, syracuse boys' high school aero club, henry st. pieless, sec., avenue, j., brooklyn *rochester aero club, c/o l. j. seely, culver road, rochester aero club of the y.m.c.a., harold c. carpenter, pres., white plains aero club, haliano, u.s.a., , west th street, n.y. seventy-two members. c. chiantelli, sec. junior aero club, c/o a. e. horn, public school, park avenue and th street aero club of long island, c/o hohn h. lisle, alen cove commerce aero club, west th street *aero club of new york, garden city. mechanics aeronautical ass'n., c/o h. h. simms, cutler building, rochester aeronautical research club of the y.m.c.a., h. c. myers, sec., buffalo aero club italiano, saverio a. mascia, park avenue aeronautical society of women, miss dorothy e. ball, sec., west th street ~ohio.~ *aero club of ohio, canton *aero club of dayton, dayton international aeroplane club, dayton cleveland aero club, c. j. forbes, sec., hollanden hotel, cleveland *aero club of cincinnati, c/o p. l. mitchell, traction buildings, cincinnati ~oregon.~ portland aero club, e. henry wemme, pres., portland ~pennsylvania.~ aviation section, professional chauffeurs ass'n. of america, spring gardens, phil. *aero club of pennsylvania, rev. geo. s. gassner, sec., betz buildings, phil. ben franklin aeronautical ass'n., c/o dr. t. chalmers fulton, th and diamond street, phil. philadelphia aeronautical recreation society, dr. thos. e. eldridge, pres., n. broad street, phil. haverford college aero club, haverford, pa. swartmore college aero club, swartmore, pa. univ. of penn. aero club, univ. of penn., phil., pa. aero club of carnegie, tech. schools, pittsburg, pa. intercollegiate aeronautical ass'n., geo. a. richardson, pres., univ. of penn., phil. pittsburg aero club, h. p. haas, sec., magel buildings, pittsburg, pa. ~rhode island.~ pawtucket aero club, pawtucket rhode island aeronautical society, providence, john j. long, sec., c/o brown university ~tennesse.~ nashville aero club, nashville, e. fisher coles, sec. ~texas.~ dallas aero club, c/o chamber of commerce san antonio aero club, c/o dr. fred j. fielding, hick's buildings, san antonio south western aero club, p.o. box , fort worth texas junior aeronautical ass'n., hugh dumas, pres., fort worth ~utah.~ aero club of utah, c/o l. r. culver, eagle block, salt lake city salt lake city aero club, c/o mr. campbell, walker bank buildings, salt lake city ~vermont.~ aero club of vermont, chas. t. fairfield, pres., c/o rutland news, rutland ~virginia.~ university of virginia aero club, stanford swin, sec., university of virginia virginia-tennesse aero club, bristol, va-tenn, c. w. morey, sec. ~washington.~ aero club of washington, union trust buildings, washington, d.c. aero club of seattle, c/o m. robert guggenheim, lonan buildings, seattle walla walla aero club, walla walla ~wisconsin.~ *milwaukee aero club, milwaukee, c/o major henry b. hersey, chief of the weather bureau, milwaukee milwaukee aeronautic society, pres., sherman brown, manager of davidson theatre, milwaukee ~u.s.a. military aviation.~ ~u. s. army aeroplane specifications. ( ).~ ~speed scout military aeroplane.~ ( ) carry one person with the seat located to permit of the largest possible field of observation. ( ) ascend at the rate of feet in three minutes, while carrying fuel for one hour's flight. ( ) carry fuel for a three hours' flight. ( ) must be easily transportable by road, rail, etc., and easily and rapidly assembled and adjusted. ( ) the starting and landing devices must be part of the machine itself, and it must be able to start without outside assistance. ( ) the engine must be capable of throttling. ( ) the engine will be subject to endurance test in the air of two hours' continuous flight. ( ) speed in the air of at least miles an hour. ( ) capable of landing on and arising from ploughed fields. ( ) the supporting surfaces must be of sufficient size to insure safe gliding in case the engine stops. ( ) the efficiency and reliability of the system of control must have been demonstrated before the purchase order is placed. the aeroplane must be capable of executing a figure eight within a rectangle yards by yards, and without decreasing its altitude more than feet at the completion of the figure eight. this test to be made by aviator alone without carrying extra weight. ( ) the extreme width of the aeroplane supporting surfaces must not exceed feet. ~scout military aeroplane.~ ( ) the aeroplane must carry two persons with seats located to permit of the largest possible field of observation for both. ( ) the control must be capable of use by either operator from either seat. ( ) the machine must be able to ascend at least feet in ten minutes while carrying a weight of lbs. including the aviator and passenger, lbs. of gasoline, and extra weight to make lbs. all of the extra weight must be carried on the engine section and not distributed over the wings. ( ) the fuel and oil capacity must be sufficient for at least four hours continuous flight. this will be determined by a trial flight of at least one half-hour, measuring the consumption of gasoline while carrying the passenger and weight stated in paragraph . ( ) same as no. above. ( ) same as no. above. ( ) the engine must be of american manufacture and capable of throttling to run at reduced speed. ( ) same as no. above. this test will be made with aviator and passenger, extra weight and fuel enumerated in paragraphs and . ( ) the aeroplane must develop a speed in the air of at least forty miles an hour. this test will be made with aviator and passenger, extra weight and fuel enumerated in paragraphs and . the maximum speed must not exceed sixty-five miles per hour. ( ) same as no. above. this test will be made with aviator, passenger, extra weight and fuel enumerated in paragraphs and . ( ) same as no. above. ( ) same as no. above. ( ) same as no. above. in ~ ~ additional requirements specified enclosed body, bullet-proof armour, . chrome steel, for engine and aviator, provision of necessary instruments and wireless, with, as desirable features, silencer and cut-out, self-starter and an efficient stabilising device. at end of march, , the effective army aeroplanes consisted of three h.p. _wrights_, one _wright-burgess_, several old machines. the navy had two _wright-burgess_ hydros and a few nondescripts. a _burgess_ flying boat since added. the estimate for army effectives at end of the present year ( ) is ( _burgess_, _curtiss_, _wright_). ~aviators.~ (the numbers after any name is the number of the u. s. aero club certificate.) army. arnold, lieut. h. h. ( ) beck, p. capt. ( ) brereton, lt. l. h. ( ) burge, corp. v. s. ( ) chandler, c. de f. capt. ( ) foulois, lieut. ( ) geiger, lieut. h. ( ) goodier, lt. l. e. ( ) graham, lieut. h. ( ) hennessy, capt. f. b. ( ) humphreys, lieut. kirtland, lieut. r.c. ( ) lahm, lieut. f. p. ( ) love, lieut. m. l. ( ) mcclaskey, lieut. j. w. ( ) mckay, capt. g. w. ( ) mcleary, lieut. s. h. ( ) mcmanus, lieut. milling, lieut. ( ) rodgers, j. lieut. ( ) sherman, lieut. w. c. ( ) winder, lieut.-col. c.b. ( ) navy. herbster, ens. ( ) ellyson, lieut. t. g. ( ) rodgers, john, lieut. towers, lieut. j. h. ( ) ~u.s.a. private aviators (to end of ).~ (the number against any name is, unless otherwise stated, the ae. c. america pilot certificate number. only a few american aviators have bothered to obtain the ae. certificate. america produces a large number of aviators who fly for pleasure or exhibitions only and have not gone into competitions under international rules. these consequently do not bother about certificates; but most of those recorded could easily obtain them, if they cared to try.) adams, clarence adams, a. s. ( ) alvarez, f. ambrose, charles andrews, thornwell apto, h. j. arndt, edw. f. atwater, mrs. l. j. atwater, w. b. ( ) atwood, h. n. ( ) baker, g. h. baldwin, ivy baldwin, capt. t. s. ( ) barnett, a. e. barton, sam bates, m. f. ( ) beachey, hillery ( ) beachey, lincoln ( ) beatty, g. w. ( ) beckly, wm. a. beers, w. c. ( ) benoist, t. w. bergdoll, louis, j. betton, kaid bishop, cortland bleakley, w. h. boandette, a. b. bonner, g. t. bonette, c. c. bonney, l. w. ( ) brackett, a. j. brewer, roy brindley, o. a. ( ) brinker, h. s. brodie, o. w. ( ) brookins, w. r. ( ) brown, h. h. ( ) bumbaugh, capt. g. l. burgess, w. starling ( ) burligh, chas. bush, j. f. butler, p. j. callon, j. l. ( ) champion, frank ( ) christmas, wm. cannon, jack cline, w. f. coffyn, f. c. ( ) cole, r. coleman, r. f. cook, w. b. ( ) cooke, henry c. cooke, f. g. ( ) cooper, john d. ( ) costello, a. b. coutourier, c. ( ) crewelson, w. h. cross, redmond w. ( ) crosby, r. w. cummings, j. a. curtiss, glenn h. ( ) & (ae. c. f. ) curzon, j. w. degiers, c. de hart, d. c. de kor, f. ( ) dennis, d. l. dixon, s. d. dougherty, e. s. ( ) doyle, h. drew, a. ( ) drexel, j. a. ( ) durgan, w. e. dyott, g. m. eaton, warren ecot, robert g. eells, fred. elton, albert ( ) engel, a. j. erickson, louis, g. eshoo, d. evans, w. ey, g. fish, farnam ( ) fortney, lewis fowler, r. g. freeman, a. ( ) fuchs, joseph funk, t. b. gallaudet, e. f. ( ) games, a. b. gantz, saxe p. gardener, hubbard g. garner, r. w. gaskell, bud gratz, h. f. gray, george green, william, dr. gregory, donald greider, c. greider, j. gressier, romaine guey, fung joe hadley, c. o. hall, hamilton, c. k. ( ) hamilton, j. w. hamilton, thos. w. hammond, lee ( ) harper harkness, h. s. ( ) harmon, c. b. ( ) hartman, a. haupt, willie havens, beckwith ( ) hendrian, a. henning, j. c. henningsen, fred heth, eugene henry, r. st. hilliard, w. m. (brit. ae. c. ) hills, h. v. hofer, w. hoff, wm. h. ( ) hoflake, charles holden, j. j. holt, l. e. ( ) hoover, fred. ( ) hoover, h. h. huddleston, e. d. james, stanley janicke, w. jannus, anthony ( ) jennings, j. c. jerwan, s. s. ( ) johnson, frank h. johnson, walter e. ( ) jumel, august kantner, h. ( ) kellrey, h. kemmerle, horace kennedy, f. m. ( ) kiley, j. e. kimball, wilbur r. klein, h. h. klockles, j. g. korn, edward krasting, theodore la chapelle, duval lambert, a. b. ( ) lambreath, c. e. lapadat, n. laser, g. f. le van, howard lewis, s. c. ( ) lewkowicz, ladis lidstone, ed. s. lillie, m. t. ( ) lockwood, chas. longfellow, h. w. loose, geo. h. lougheed, a. longo, t. ludwig, vandy maier manners, george mars, j. c. ( ) martin, j. b. martin, g. l. ( ) martin, j. v. massar, a. m. masson matalach, s. h. mattingley, o. a. maynard, arthur mayo, albert ( ) mccally, j. b. ( ) mccarty, james mcclellam mccollum, w. c. mccurdy, j. a. d. ( ) mcgoey, thomas mcnamara, geo. e. mcmanus, l. mcmahon, a. j. medrick, f. h. meyerhoffer, orvar miller, clinton r. moisant, miss m. e. ( ) morok, chas. b. mourfield, carl murias, de e. f. ( ) murphy, t. murphy, wm. neidmiller, ed. nelson, n. b. nelson, nels. t. ovington, e. l. page, p. w. ( ) paine, n. b. paridon, michael park, henry paulding, dwight paulhan, l. ( ) pfiel, p. post, augustus powers, h. w. prince, norman ( ) prentice, prospect, louis prowse, c. o. raiche, mrs. f. ragot, louis reichert, h. d. w. ( ) remington, earle reynolds, dr. percy, l. richter, j. ( ) riggs, e. roat, arthur r. robinson, h. ( ) roehrig, b. f. rowe, f. e. russell, geo. sackett, harry sands, h. hayden (ae. c. f. ) schafer, g. e. schmidt, g. s. schneider, fred, p. schulz, g. c. schwartz, a. schwister, john scott, miss b. seeman, j. r. seignor, h. a. seligman, j. ( ) seymour, joseph sellers, m. b. shelton, t. sherwood, oliver, b. shneider, fred. shoemaker, chas. w. ( ) sill, f. simmonds, o. g. ( ) skinner, s. r. slaik, e. slavin, j. j. smith, a. smith, kyle smith, r. m. sommerville, w. e. soreusen, prof. sparling, j. n. steitz, f. m. ( ) stewart, j. g. stone, a. (ae. c. f. ) summer, gill. suppe, talmage, m. p. takisow, tarbox, j. thomas, w. t. thomas, o. w. thompson, george tickell, sam timothy, s. r. troxey turpin, j. c. ( ) tuttle, t. t. vanderbilt, w. k. vaughan, stanley vogt, jesse s. walden, dr. h. w. ( ) walker, clarence ward, j. j. ( ) warner, a. p. webster, c. l. ( ) weeks, f. w. wells, g. wetzig, h. h. weymann, charles ( ) wilcox wildman, dock willard, c. f. ( ) williams, beryl ( ) williams, b. j. willoughby, capt. hugh l. wilson, edward wiseman, fred. e. witmer, c. c. ( ) worden, john h. ( ) wright, orville ( ) (ae. c. f. ) wright, wilbur ( ) (ae. c. f. ) young, c. m. yan, j. the following american aviators have been killed:-- +-----------------------+ | . | | selfridge, lt. (army) | | | | . | | johnstone, r. ( ) | | moisant, j. b. ( ) | | | | . | | badger, wm. r. ( ) | | castellane, tony | | clark, c. b., dr. | | dixon, cromwell ( ) | | ely, eugene | | frisbie, j. j. ( ) | | hoxsey, arch. ( ) | | johnston, st. croix | | kelly, lieut. (army) | | kreamer, dan. a. | | miller, f. h. | | oxley | | penot, marcel | | purvis, wm. g. | | rosenbaum, louis | | schriver, tod ( ) | +-----------------------+ ~u.s.a. private aviators. (brevets, .)~ aldasoro, j. p. ( ) aldasaro, e. a. ( ) andrews, w. d. ( ) arnold, g. ( ) barlow, f. e. ( ) beckwith, s. f. ( ) beech, a. c. ( ) belcher, o. t. ( ) bell, dr. f. j. ( ) bell, g. e. ( ) bergdoll, g. c. ( ) berlin, c. a. ( ) bleakley, w. h. ( ) bouldin, w. ( ) boysdorfer, c. ( ) brown, r. m. ( ) bryant, g. m. ( ) burnside, f. h. ( ) carlstrom, o. g. ( ) colovon, p. ( ) crossley, s. j. ( ) dalwigk, g. b. ( ) de hart, d. c. ( ) eaton, w. s. ( ) edelman, d. ( ) elliott, r. ( ) figyelmessy, h. ( ) fritts, e. v. ( ) gilpatric, j. g. ( ) gray, g. a. ( ) gray, j. f. ( ) gunn, t. ( ) hattemer, h. l. ( ) hemstraught, w. h. ( ) hetlick, w. a., jr. ( ) hild, f. c. ( ) hunt, e. n. ( ) holmes, h. ( ) johnson, r. r. ( ) kabitzke, w. ( ) kammski, j. g. ( ) kemper, f. w. ( ) klockler, j. g. ( ) korn, e. ( ) lamkey, w. a. ( ) law, r. b. ( ) maroney, t. t. ( ) masson, d. ( ) mcmillen, r. e. ( ) meyer, c. ( ) miller, b. a. ( ) niles, c. f. ( ) park, h. ( ) peoli, c. ( ) piceller, w. ( ) prodgers, c. b. ( ) reid, m. e. ( ) reid, p. h. ( ) remer, l. h., de ( ) richardson, r. h. c. ( ) robinson, r. w. c. ( ) ruiz, h. ( ) russell, r. b. ( ) salinas, a. ( ) salinas, g. ( ) schaeffer, j. s. ( ) scholovinck, e. ( ) schuman, f. j. ( ) singh, m. m. ( ) sjolander, c. t. ( ) smith, j. f. ( ) spaulding, j. d. ( ) stark, w. m. ( ) stinson, k. ( ) sverkerson, j. s. ( ) tait, g. m. ( ) takeiski, k. ( ) terrill, f. j. ( ) thomson, c. ( ) thompson, de l. ( ) twombly, w. i. ( ) vought, c. m. ( ) waite, h. r. ( ) weeks, e. o. ( ) weiner, t. ( ) wiggins, c. l. ( ) wood, c. m. ( ) u.s. aviators killed: _continued._ +---------------------------+ | in ~ .~ | | | | blair, r. | | chambers, w. b. | | clarke, j. ( ) | | gill, h. w. ( ) | | hazelhurst, lieut. | | kearney, h. f. ( ) | | kondo, m. ( ) | | lawrence, c. | | longstaffe, j. l. | | mitchell, l. ( ) | | page, r. ( ) | | parmelee ( ) | | peck, p. ( ) | | quimby, miss h. ( ) | | rodgers, c. p. ( ) | | rockwell, lt. l. c. ( ) | | scott, corp. f. | | southard, f. j. | | stevenson, j. | | turner, h. | | underwood, g. | | walsh, c. f. | | welsh, a. l. ( ) | | | | in ~ .~ | | | | boland, f. e. | | chandler, lieut. r. | | park, lieut. t. d. ( ) | +---------------------------+ u.s.a. aeroplanes. ~a~ aerial exhibition co. (biplane), , broadway, new york. built a _curtiss_ type with kirkham motor, . skids, with wheel between, and usual _farman_ rubber shock absorbers. aerial yacht co., san francisco. inc. . capital, $ , . aeronautical supply co. see _cordeaux-etter_. american aeroplane supply house (monoplane), , main street, hempstead, n.y. builders of monoplanes after the _bleriot_ type. half-a-dozen machines were built and sold during . fitted with gnomes or american engines. ~b~ baldwin biplanes. captain thos. s. baldwin, po box, , madison square, n.y. about half-a-dozen steel biplanes have been produced in by captain baldwin, and he and other aviators, badger, hammond, miss scott mass, etc., have flown these at various exhibitions and meets, and are classed with well-known successful american biplanes. [illustration: _photo, edwin levick, n.y._] details of _baldwin_ ("red devil"). ~length.~-- - / feet ( . m.) ~span.~-- - / feet ( . m.) ~motor.~-- - h.p. hall-scott ~propeller.~--one requa-gibson in rear of main planes. diameter, feet ( . m.) pitch, feet ( . m.) ~speed.~-- m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) [illustration: baldwin. red devil. uas.] benoist. benoist aircraft co., , delmar boulevard, st. louis, mo. (formerly aeronautic supply co.) -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+ | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | model and date. | "headless." | flying boat. | | | tandem biplane. | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | ... | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) | ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ~motor~ h.p.| ... | roberts | {max. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ~speed~ { | | | {min. m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ... | ~endurance~ hrs.| | | -----------------------------+------------------+------------------+ notes.--the boat of the flying boat is - / feet long, by feet - / inches wide. shipable wheels. see _aeronautics_, january, . [illustration: benoist. flying boat. uas.] boland. boland aeroplane & motor co., , broadway, new york. works: ft. center st. newark, n.j. [illustration] ----------------------------+------------------+ model and date. | ~ .~ | | "tailless." | ----------------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ~motor~ h.p.| boland | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | number built during | | ----------------------------+------------------+ a refinement of the original machine of the late f. e. boland, which first flew in . _control_ by two special jibs which work inward. designed to be used also as a hydro, with three step floats. no rudder or ailerons. full details, etc., see _aeronautics_, u.s.a., may, , and _aircraft_, u.s.a., may, . burgess. burgess co. & curtis, marblehead, mass. built _wright_ types under license, also machines of their own. ----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------- model and date. | military tractor. | coast defence hydro. | naval flying boat. | ~ - .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ ----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( ) | ( . ) | | | -- ----- | | | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ... | ... | ( ) {total lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ( ) | ... ~motor~ h.p.| renault | sturtevant | renault | | _muffled_ | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| - / | - / | ... number built during | ... | ... | ... ----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------- remarks.-- | lumina fabric. | special clear view | boat - / feet long. | single screw. | for observation. | -- step floats. | details, _aeronautics_, | -- step mahogany | petrol, gallons. | (u.s.a.), may-june, | and copper floats. | details, _aeronautics_, | . | useful weight | (u.s.a.), may, . | | includes floats. | | | details, _aeronautics_, | | | (u.s.a.), feb., . | ----------------------------+----------------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------- [illustration: burgess-wright.] [illustration: burgess-wright as a hydro (the u.s. navy has two of these).] [illustration: military tractor. _by favour of "aeronautics," u.s.a._ uas.] [illustration: "coast defense" hydro. _from "aeronautics."_] [illustration: burgess-curtis. naval flying boat.] ~c~ christmas. durham christmas aeroplane sales & exhibition corporation, inc. . capital: $ , to $ , . claims for it are that it is "automatically balanced." this is attained by the shape of the machine, not through the agency of any auxiliary apparatus. [illustration] cordeaux-etter. cordeaux-etter mfg. corporation, brooklyn, n.y. capital: $ , . took over, , the aeronautical supply co., of n.y. cooke. weldon b. cooke aeroplane co., sandusky, ohio. founded by the well-known aviator, w. b. cooke. [illustration] ---------------------------+------------------+ model and date. | ~ .~ | ---------------------------+------------------+ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ~weight~ { | | {usefullbs. (kgs.)| ... | ~motor~ h.p.{| roberts cycle| {| _upside down_ | ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ... | number built during | new firm | ---------------------------+------------------+ details, _aeronautics_, u.s.a., february, . [illustration: cooke. uas] curtiss. curtiss aeroplane co., hammondsport, n.y. glenn h. curtiss in and was a member of the aerial experiment association, formed by dr. and mrs. alexander graham bell. this association built four machines, each along the lines of one of the four engineers belong to the association, f. w. baldwin, lieut. t. e. selfridge, g. h. curtiss and j. a. d. mccurdy. the last built was the _june bug_, designed by curtiss and was the most successful. in the spring of , the association was disbanded and the aeronautical society gave curtiss an order for an aeroplane with _carte blanche_ as to design. he produced a cyl. machine, curtiss engine, and flew it. a duplicate was hurriedly built, cyl. engine installed, and taken to europe for the first gordon bennett, which he won. returning, the same type was continued with minor improvements. later the front elevator was brought closer in, finally discarded, and the fan tail adopted and this remains the standard land machine to-day. in april, a military tractor was built and flown. on january th, , first successful flights were made with a hydroaeroplane, at the winter camp at san diego, calif. this had two floats tandem. one was finally adopted and great success was achieved, and remains standard at the present time. with this machine various experiments were made. it was altered in a tractor for one occasion, it was lifted on board warships; made into triplane, etc. in he brought out his present type of flying boat. this is being rapidly developed and minor changes in details are made in practically every machine put out. in may, , he produced a special -passenger flying boat for a customer on special order. note.--in addition to those tabulated, special small racing machines have been built, as well as similar machines with extra sections simply added either side for army use. ---------------------------+--------------------+----------------------+-------------------- model and date. | ~type d.~ | ~type e.~ | ~type f.~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ ---------------------------+--------------------+----------------------+-------------------- ~length~ feet (m.)| - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~span~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( . ) | - / ( . ) ~overall~ feet (m.)| - / ( ) | - / ( ) | - / ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( - / ) | ( - / ) | - / ( ) {total lbs. (kgs)| ... | ( ) | ... ~weight~ { | | | {useful lbs. (kgs)| ... | ( ) | ... ~motor~ h.p.| curtiss | curtiss | curtiss ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ... | ( ) | ... ---------------------------+--------------------+----------------------+-------------------- remarks.-- | land service, but | fitted either with |used to date only |is also made fitted | wheels, pontons, or |as military tractor | with floats. | boat. |or heavy flying boat. | panels. | _vilas boat._ | _mccormick boat._ | | boat ft. long. |boat ft. long ft. | |beam - / ft. long. |wide. freeboard | |height ins. long. |ins. cockpit ins. | |cockpit ft. long by |long by ins. wide. | | ft. ins. wide. |length of tail, incl. | | | elevator feet. ---------------------------+--------------------+----------------------+------------------ for full details of the tractor (f) see _aeronautics_, u.s.a., february, . [illustration: tractor. type f.] [illustration: flying boat. _by favor of "aeronautics," u.s.a._] [illustration: curtiss. flying boat. uas.] ~g~ gallaudet. gallaudet eng. co., norwich ct. [illustration] in produced a special racer as above. ~span~, feet ( . m.) ~area~, sq. feet ( - / m².) ~speed~, m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) ~motor~, gnome. ~k~ kirkham biplanes. chas. b. kirkham, motor manufacturers, savona, n.y. began to manufacture aeroplanes in , after previous experiments and flights near his factory. ~length~, ? feet ( ? m.) ~span~, feet ( . m.) ~surface~, ? sq. feet ( ? m².) ~weight.~--complete, _without pilot_, lbs. ( kgs.) ~motor.~-- h.p. kirkham, located in front under bonnet. h.p. also fitted. ~speed.~-- - m.p.h. ( - k.p.h.) remarks.--rises easily at under m.p.h., and has a full speed radius of - / hours. full details in _aeronautics_, u.s.a., january, . , no changes. [illustration] ~l-s~ loening. monoplane aero boat, with one very deep step. see _aeronautics_, u.s.a., may-june, . sellers. quadruplane. matthew b. sellers, r.f., d , norwood, ga. has been successfully experimenting for a number of years with a staggered quadruplane, and has given the aviation world a number of valuable papers. his aim is to fly successfully with the least possible horse power. for several years he has been making flights with various engines delivering from to h.p. on careful test. the actual thrust has been measured and recorded in late experiments. details in _aeronautics_, june, ; october, ; november, ; january, ; january, . no actual details of the machine are available, but it follows closely the patent drawings (see references). he is one of the few real scientific flying men in the u.s.a. the original machine with slight changes was still flying at end of with only h.p. b.h.p. the flying speed is m.p.h. [illustration] sloane. sloane aeroplane co., , broadway, new york. established . agents for _caudrons_ and _deperdussins_. run a school for these. ~t-v~ thomas biplanes. thomas bros., bath, n.y., o.w., and w.t. thomas began experimenting and flying in with a machine on the order of a _curtiss_. in the winter of - , a type of their own was produced and was flown during by walter johnson in exhibitions. in they continued the same type, with refinements. in they adopted the overhanging top plane type, but of the same general high order of construction. ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | ~ .~ | | ~ .~ | ~ .~ | ~ .~ model and date. | tractor | ~ .~ | standard | special | flying boat. | biplane. | monoplane. | biplane. | biplane. | ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------- ~length~ ft.(m.)| ... | ( . ) | ... | ( . ) | ... ~span~ ft.(m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( . ) | ... | ( . ) | ( ) | ( ) ~area~ sq. ft.(m².)| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ... ~weight~ { | | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ( ) | ... ~motor~ h.p.| kirkham | kirkham | kirkham | kirkham | | | _muffled_ | | | maximotor ~speed~ m.p.h.(km)| ( ) | ... | ( ) | ( ) | ... ~endurance~ hrs.| | ... | | - / | ... number built during | | _building_ | ... | ... | _building_ ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------- remarks. control in all: ailerons, rudders. elevator operated by rocking post on which wheel is mounted. the tractor was given up as less efficient than the standard . special: full description _aeronautics_, u.s.a., may, . the move was evolved , but not built till well into . [illustration: standard biplane. uas.] ~w~ washington. washington aeroplane co., washington, d.c. in built a flying boat to private order. ~length~, feet ( . m.) ~maximum span~, feet ( . m.) ~motor~, h.p. gyro. boat with eight compartments and one inch step. [illustration: miss columbia. uas.] [illustration: latest thomas.] witteman. witteman bros., , ocean terrace and little clare road, staton island, n.y. these people do a considerable business building curtiss type machines or machines to special designs for others. they built the _baldwin_ biplanes for captain baldwin, to his design, using steel tubing throughout. see _aeronautics_, december, , for a _witteman_ of special design shown by them at the aero show. [illustration: witteman. - .] wright bros. biplanes. the wright co., dayton, ohio. the original type of _wright_ machine was mounted on skids only, and started along a rail. its special features were a biplane elevator forward, main planes with warpable tips to trailing edge, small keel in gap, propellers, chain driven in rear of planes, double rudder in rear and no tail. wilbur wright flew a machine of this type for h. m. - / s. in . (details of early _wrights_ see previous editions of this book.) ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ model and date. | ~b.~ | ~c.~ | ~ex.~ | ~e.~ ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ ~length~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | - / ( ) | ... | ... ~span~ feet (m.)| ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ~area~ sq. feet (m².)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... {total lbs. (kgs.)| ( ) | ... | ... | ... ~weight~ { | | | | {useful lbs. (kgs.)| ... | ... | ... | ... ~motor~ h.p.| - wright | - wright | or wright | or wright ~speed~ m.p.h. (km.)| ( ) | ( ) | ... | ... ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ | | standard. | for exhibition | | | this machine as | work only. | for exhibition | | a hydro is fitted| single seater | work only. | | with two step | small duplicate | single seater | | floats. | of b. | duplicate of ex | | mea magneto. | |except fitted with | | | |a single propeller | | | | only. ----------------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------ [illustration: wright. model b. uas] [illustration: wright. model c. _from "aeronautics," u.s.a._ uas.] u.s.a. dirigibles. there are a few small dirigibles in the u.s.a., but they are in no way to be compared to french and german productions. up-to-date, they have only been used as attractions at fairs about the country. in the past several larger ones of poor design have been built and found failures. ~military.~ baldwin ( ) , c. feet ( m³) part b. historical aircraft. in the following pages an attempt has been made to include photographs of all aeroplanes of the past six years, which, for one reason or another, "made history" in their own day. while many are merely freak machines, which in the light of present knowledge seem ridiculous, the germ of modern practice is to be found in many other aircraft illustrated in this cemetery of dead ideals; and it is worth noting that at least one constructor, who is one of the first in the field to-day, commenced operations with machines which were entirely "freaks." ~austrian.~ [illustration: wels & etrich ( ). original form of the modern _etrich_ (q.v.).] [illustration: hipssich ( ). tandem mono. with one propeller before and another in rear of rear plane.] [illustration: nemethy ( ). the first "aviette."] [illustration: soltau ( ). an ornithopter based on the earlier ideas of _adehmar de la hault_ (see belgium).] ~belgian.~ [illustration: de la hault ( ). one of the earliest attempts at an ornithopter. no flights.] [illustration: de la hault ii. ( - ). the ornithopter principle applied to a monoplane. no success met with.] [illustration: d'hespel ( - ). single plane and suspended body. early example of enclosed body. no flights.] ~brazil.~ [illustration: santos-dumont xix. this little machine, surface only m². made an extraordinary sensation in france in . it flew at the then incredible speed of m.p.h. ( k.p.h.) santos-dumont presented all rights to the world soon afterwards, and a large number were built before it was realised that only an extremely light weight pilot could fly in one. few of the copies ever left the ground.] ~british.~ [illustration: avro ( ). this h.p. biplane, designed by a. v. roe, was the first british machine to leave the ground.] [illustration: avro ( ). tractor triplane of only h.p. this flew in lea marshes--the lowest horse power yet flown in europe to the present day.] [illustration: cody ( ). development of a much earlier machine. this one was a general laughing stock for a long time; but it was the direct predecessor of the machine (not very materially different) which was an easy first in the british army aeroplane trials, .] [illustration: de havilland ( ). the performances of this machine secured a government appointment for its aviator-designer.] [illustration: howard wright ( - ). the first machine in the world in which special attention was paid to securing a stream line body and minimised wind resistance.] [illustration: humphrey ( - ). earliest british attempt at a hydro-aeroplane; possibly the earliest design ever produced anywhere.] [illustration: huntingdon (dunne ii) ( ). one of the earliest aeroplanes in existence--designed by captain dunne about - , previous to the secret experiments of the british war office in scotland, on the duke of atholl's estate. assigned to prof. huntingdon in . made a few short flights.] [illustration: porte ( ). designed by lieut. porte, r.n., in conjunction with lieut. pirrie, r.n. this machine, on which the former well known aviator commenced his flying career, was smashed up in preliminary trials as a glider on portsdown hill, portsmouth. its design apparently preceded the _goupy_ in the use of staggered planes.] [illustration: "safety" ( - ).] [illustration: seddon. ( ). designed by lieut. seddon, r.n.] [illustration: short ( ). the first machine to short's own design. (the tail here shown is a specially large one fitted by moore-brabazon).] [illustration: valkyrie ( ). this was one of the first "tail first" machines to be designed. the experimental machine (also known as the _a.s.l._), was completed in feb., .] ~danish.~ [illustration: ellehammer ( ). on th september, , this machine made the first free flight in europe. on th june, , it won the prize at kiel for the first flight in germany (distance, m.) it was a tractor biplane with a revolving ellehammer motor. it also had a pendulum seat as a stabilising device.] ~french.~ [illustration: antoinette iv ( ). in this machine latham made the first attempt to fly the channel, th july, .] [illustration: bleriot iv ( - ).] in the famous _bleriot xi_ was built. this did very well at reims, . on th july, , bleriot made the first cross-channel flight in the machine illustrated below. [illustration: bleriot xi.] this machine had ~length~, feet ( m.) ~span~, - / feet ( . m.) ~area~, sq. feet ( - / m².) aspect ratio - / to . ~motor~, - , cylinder anzani. ~speed~, _about_ m.p.h. ( k.m.) _special features_: fixed wings with rounded edges. twin elevator and fixed surface tail. [illustration: bousson-borgnis ( - ).] [illustration: breguet ( ). the first breguet, known as _breguet gyroplane i_. made a flight in october, , being the first helicopter to leave the ground.] [illustration: breguet-richet ii bis. ( ). a large and unsuccessful development of the gyroplane.] [illustration: breguet iv ( ). on its appearance, this machine was generally laughed at and nicknamed the "coffee pot," till in aug., , it made a world's record by carrying six, and later proved itself superior in stability to anything then existing.] [illustration: chauviÉre ( - ). attempt to develop a monoplane with propellers in rear. the idea has been resuscitated for some military monoplanes.] [illustration: collomb ( - ). ornithopter, from which great things were once expected.] [illustration: cornu ( ). an early helicopter for which flights were claimed, but have also been denied.] [illustration: d'equivelly ( - ). interesting example of the strange machines devised by pioneers.] [illustration: h. farman ( ). this famous machine is the first _voisin_, and the one on which h. farman taught himself to fly. it was the first machine to make a turn in the air. won the deutsh-archdeacon grand prix, th january, , with a flight of minute, seconds. the extra third plane was added later. an austrian syndicate subsequently bought the machine.] [illustration: h. farman ( ). farman's first idea of a monoplane. it proved too heavy to fly with the power provided. was eventually sold to a german officer. three sets of wings and entirely enclosed body.] [illustration: gabardini ( - ). very early hydro-aeroplane, antedating the _fabre_.] [illustration: givaudin ( - ). built by the vermorel co. the first conception of an idea which has since attracted a certain class of inventor in germany, italy and the u.s.a.] [illustration: military ( ). the first special military aeroplane ever built. it was specially designed by capt. dorand, for what were then held to be the aerial necessities of the french army. the planes were placed well above the body, giving the pilot a very clear uninterrupted view.] [illustration: pischoff-koechlin ( or earlier). dates from the days when a box-kite was the elementary idea in design, and the accepted position of the aviator lying prone.] [illustration: pischoff-koechlin ( ). very early example of a tractor biplane. the extra span of the upper plane is also of interest. the machine had twin mono-elevators aft and also twin rudders.] [illustration: r.e.p. ( ). early example of enclosed stream line body. apparently the first machine in which steel construction appeared.] [illustration: voisin ( ). the first european aeroplanes to fly with any real success.] [illustration: vuitton-huber ( ). early helicopter.] [illustration: vuia ( ). earliest known machine with folding wings.] [illustration: witzig-liore-dutilluel ( - ). first or one of the first appearances of the idea of a series of staggered planes, with which sellers has ever since experimented in the u.s.a.] ~german.~ [illustration: beilharz. ( ). first design in which a completely closed in body figured.] [illustration: geisler ( ).] [illustration: grade ( ). the first german built machine to fly.] [illustration: lorenzen ( - ).] [illustration: parseval ( ). early hydro-aeroplane. specially designed for military purposes by major parseval.] [illustration: scholtz ( ). never left the ground.] ~italian.~ [illustration: miller ( - ). first aeroplane to be designed and constructed by italians.] ~swiss.~ [illustration: dufaux ( - ). first swiss machine.] ~u.s.a.~ [illustration: bokor ( ). the third american machine to leave the ground; the second purely u.s. one.] [illustration: call ii ( ).] [illustration: cygnet ii ( ). designed by dr. graham bell, of the aeronautical society of america. bell (canadian), glen curtis (u.s.), herring (u.s.), and burgess (canadian). it made short flights.] [illustration: english ( ). in extraordinary claims were made for this machine and great things expected. on a full power trial in its shed it broke loose, and smashed itself against the roof. no recorded outdoor results.] [illustration: herring-burgess ( ).] [illustration: hulbert ( ). this strange machine built in switzerland by dr. dane hulbert, achieved several flights. the planes were placed longitudinally instead of in the usual way.] [illustration: june bug ( - ). famous machine of its era. built by the aeronautical society of america (see _cygnet ii_). second machine to fly in the u.s.a. did miles before being broken up.] [illustration: kimball ( ). first machine in which a large number of propellers was attempted. failed.] [illustration: loose ( ).] [illustration: luyties otto ( ).] [illustration: moissant ( ). built entirely of aluminium. designed by the late john moissant. failed.] [illustration: rickman ( ).] [illustration: roshon ( ).] [illustration: williams ( ).] [illustration: zerbe ( ).] [illustration] [illustration: wright ( ). two views of the machine with which wilbur wright startled all europe from august, to april, . first u.s. machine to fly.] part c. aero engines, alphabetically arranged in order of country of origin. ~austrian, belgian, british, french, german, italian, u.s.a.~ ~note.~--so far as possible this is a complete list of all the aero engines of any importance. data are confined to what is now being made or actually in use; untested "show novelties" are ignored. in the case of some engines it has for various reasons proved impossible to obtain full data in time for inclusion in this edition. in a general way these lists are confined to aeroplane engines. ~austrian.~ ~revised by herr ing. w. isendahl.~ ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ ~austro-daimler.~ | ~kÖrting.~ | ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | [illustration] | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | note.--this engine is no longer made, but it is to | | be found still in some dirigibles. | vertical water-cooled. | | | | h.t. magneto. | | all valves overhead. rocking levers and piston | | rods. | | forced lubrication. | | | | pressed steel pistons. | | nickel-chrome crank shaft, hollow and closed. | + white-metal bearings. | | cast-iron single cylinders (copper jackets). | | single camshaft. | | | | [illustration: h.p.] | | | | the has carburetters and h.t. magnetos. | | ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ ~belgian.~ +-------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- | ~metallurgique.~ | ~pipe.~ +-------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | vertical, air-cooled (fan). | vertical, water-cooled. | | | h.t. magneto. | h.t. magneto. | mechanical inlets. | mechanical inlets. | pump lubrication. | pump lubrication. | | | | | | | +-------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- | <b>miesse.</b> | <b>vivinus.</b> | | | - h.p., cyl. lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. |horizontal opposed, air-cooled (fan). | | | vertical, water-cooled. |h.t. magneto | |mechanical inlets. | h.t. magneto. |pump lubrication. | mechanical inlets. | | pump lubrication. |<i>features.</i>-- | | | |air cooling is carried out by fans which drive | |air through air jackets on cylinders. | |all valves in cylinder heads, rocker operated. | |vertical crank shaft. | +-------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~british.~ --------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~a.b.c.~ | ~green.~ | ~n.e.c.~ | ~wolseley.~ all british engine co., ltd., brooklands, surrey.| green engine co., ltd., , berners street, | new engine (motor) co. ltd., , grafton street, | wolseley tool & motor car co., ltd., | london, w. | bond street, london, w. | adderley park, birmingham. --------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × , type a lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | " " " " b lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × lbs. | | " " " " c lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | vertical, water-cooled (pump). h.t. magneto. | two stroke vertical for the h.p. ~v~ for the . | " " " " d lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | mechanical inlets. forced lubrication.| | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.t. magneto. | ~v~ type. types a and b of the - air-cooled h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | _features._-- | valveless. | (water-cooled exhausts). the others water-cooled. | cast-iron cylinders. overhead cam shaft. | forced lubrication. | types a and c of the - are for direct coupling ~v~ type, water-cooled (pump). | copper jackets. nickel chrome crank shaft.| | of propeller, with double thrust ball bearings. | overhead valves. white metal bearings. | _features._-- | types b and d geared to half crank shaft speed. h.t. magneto. | | | bosch dual ignition. mechanical inlets. | [illustration] | pistons after uncovering exhaust ports open | mechanical inlets. forced lubrication. | | the inlet ports. air from blowers | forced lubrication. | | scavenges. strong mixture enters | _features._-- _features._-- | | immediately on compression stroke. | steel cylinders (single). | | this is effected by a central mechanism. | overhead valves (removable seats). steel cylinders (steel and copper jackets). | | | carburettor between cylinders. overhead vertical valves. | | (n.b. older types see previous editions.) | nickel chrome crank shaft, on bearings. cast-steel crank case. | | | nickel chrome crank shaft, white metal | | [illustration] | [illustration] bearings. | | | --------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~french.~ ---------------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------- ~anzani.~ | ~bertin.~ | ~canton-unnÈ (salmson).~ | ~clement bayard.~ , _bis_ quai d'asinières (seine). | , rue garancier, paris. | e. salmson, , rue grange aux belles, paris. | usineo clement bayard, quai michelet, | | | levallois-perret, (seine). ---------------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m,) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( rp.m.) lbs. - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | ~x~ type air cooled. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | the h.p. has parallel a.c. cylinders, the other | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | two are radial w.c. | | | | h.t. magneto. radial type, air-cooled (but water-cooling is occasionally | | there is also a horizontal radial engine (w.c.) | g.a. carburetter. forced lubrication. fitted). | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | | overhead valves worked by two cams only. h.t. magneto. | | h.t. magneto. | exhausts opened and closed by spring on tappet. mechanical inlets. | | mechanical inlets. | forced lubrication. | | forced lubrication. | _ h.p._, vertical, _en bloc_, water-cooled, copper, | | steel cylinders, copper jackets. | jacket, all valves same side, single cam shaft, _features._-- | | overhead valves. | splash lubrication. special carburetter, jet in | | single special steel crank shaft on ball bearings. | centre of float chamber. extremely simple construction. | | aluminium alloy or steel crank case. | mainshaft single crank. | | | _ and h.p._ (for dirigibles), cylinders in pairs, flywheel specially balanced to compensate. | | [illustration] | water-cooled. overhead valves, single over-head zenith carburetter. +--------------------------------------------------+ | cam shaft. two ignitions. expanding | ~burlat.~ | | clutch. | avenue de saxe, lyon (rhone). | | | | | [illustration: dirigible engine.] | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | | | | rotary, air-cooled. | | ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ ~chenu.~ | ~clerget.~ | ~dansette gillet (laviator).~ | ~de dion.~ chenu, rue fontaine-saint-georges, paris. | clerget & cie, rue leon-cogniet, paris. | dansette gillet & cie., quai de. | Établissements de dion-bouton, avenue des | | suresnes, suresnes (seine). | champs-Élysées, paris. ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) - / lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m,) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | ~v~ type, air-cooled for the ; water-cooled for the | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | . vertical, water-cooled (thermo syphon). | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.t. magneto. h.t. magneto. | the h.p. and vertical engines, w.c. | | pump lubrication. automatic lubrication. | | the , ( cyl.) and are vertical, the | forced lubrication. | the - h.p. is a radial, rotary. | others are ~v~ type. | cylinders in pairs. | | | [illustration: de dion.] | the h.p. has carburetters and magnetos, | | | and is ~v~ type. | | | | | | [illustration: h.p. clerget.] | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ ~dutheil chalmers (eole).~ | ~gnome~ | ~labor aviation.~ | ~panhard.~ dutheil chalmers & cie., - avenue d'italie, paris.| société des moleurs gnome, rue la boëtie, paris. | soc. anonyme des moteurs labor aviation, rue de | société panhard & levassor, avenue d'ivry, paris. | | la révolte, levallois perret (seine). | ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., $ ×$ ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., $ ×$ ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. opposed horizontal, water-cooled. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | vertical water-cooled (pump). | vertical, water-cooled. h.t. magneto. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | automatic inlets. | | h.t. magneto. | h.t. magneto. pump lubrication. | radial rotary, air-cooled. | mechanical inlets. | mechanical inlets. | | forced lubrication. | pump lubrication. also | h.t. magneto. | | | automatic inlets. | _features:_-- | _features._-- ~eole.~ (dutheil chalmers.) | forced lubrication. | | | | automatic carburetter. | cast-iron cylinders, jackets in casting. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | _features._-- | | valves at side. | | [illustration] | cam shaft in crank case. horizontal w.c., with central crank shaft over | single crank pin +------------------------------------------------------+ nickel chrome crank shaft; white metal head valves. | steel cylinders turned from solid. | ~la rhone~ | bearings. | single ignition point. | | h.p., cyl. | gas admitted through hollow crank shaft to | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | [illustration] | crank case, thence to pistons; oil enters | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | crank shaft at either end, all valves in centre. | in a similar way. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | there is also a h.p. cylinder for dirigibles. | nickel chrome crank shaft, ball bearings. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | [illustration] | steel crank case. | ( r.p.m. in all.) | | the h.p. has seven cylinders behind seven | | | others. larger sizes ditto. | rotary, air-cooled. | | older engines of - h.p. do not differ in | | | general details. | | | | | | [illustration: h.p. gnome.] | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ ~renault~ | ~r.e.p.~ | ~rossel-peugeot.~ | ~viale.~ automobiles louis renault, rue gustav-sandoz, | Établissement robert Ésnault pelterie, rue de |soc. anonyme de constructions aerienne rossel-peugeot,| viale & cie. rue de la mairie, boulogne-sur-seine billancourt (seine). | silly, billancourt (seine). | rue de longchamp, à suresnes (seine). | (seine). ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | radial, air-cooled. | rotary, air-cooled. | (all at r.p.m.) | | | radial, air-cooled. | h.t. magneto and accumulators. | h.t. magneto. | cylinders at °. | mechanical inlets. | mechanical inlets. | [illustration: viale.] ~v~ type, air-cooled. | forced lubrication. | forced lubrication. | | | +------------------------------------------------------ h.t. magneto. | _features._-- | [illustration: rossel-peugeot.] | mechanical inlets. | | | ~verdet.~ pump lubrication. | in the cyl. the cylinders are in two planes, | there is also a vertical water-cooled motor ( ). | | four being in front of the others. | h.p., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. _features._-- | | | | the cyl. engines are fan shape in one plane. | | rotary, air-cooled. two to one shaft, made specially strong to | | | admit of the direct coupling of a propeller. | [illustration: cylinder.] | | | | | inlet valves operated from below, exhausts | | | placed above them at the side. | | | | | | plain bearings. | | | | | | special cooling. | | | | | | [illustration] | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------ ~german.~ ~revised by herr ing. w. isendahl.~ ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~argus.~ | ~benz.~ | | argus-motoren g.m.b.h., flottenstrasse and , | benz & cie, mannheim. | ~delfosse (radial.)~ | ~delfosse (rotary.)~ reinickendorf bei berlin. established . | | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl. ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.t. magneto (bosch). | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | mechanical inlets. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | forced lubrication. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | rotary air-cooled. | _features._-- | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) | h.t. magneto (bosch). h.t. magneto (bosch). | | | overhead valves. mechanical inlets. | cast-iron cylinder, steel jackets. | radial air-cooled. | automatic inlets. _features._-- | single cylinders. | h.t. magneto (or volt accumulator). | steel cylinders. | all valves overhead (single cam shaft). | automatic inlets. | crank shaft on ball bearings. cast-iron cylinders. | crank shaft hollow oil metal bearings. | forced lubrication. | cylinders in pairs. | | | [illustration: delfosse] valves one side (single cam shaft). | [illustration] | _features._-- | crank shaft on ball bearings, closed and hollow. | | | | this engine won the kaiser's prize of , marks.| special metal cylinders. | [illustration: h.p.] | | very large valve chambers. | | | chrome nickel crankshaft and big ends. | | | water-cooling fitted if required at a % increase | | | of weight. | | | | | | [illustration: delfosse radial.] | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~dixi.~ | ~hilz.~ | ~mercedes-daimler.~ | dixi luftfahrt-u-bootsmotoren-verkaufsgesellschaft | hilz motorenfabrik g.m.b.h., fürstenwallstr. , | daimler motoren g.m.b.h., stuttgart-unterturkheim. | m.b.h., bulowstr. , berlin w. . established .| düsseldorf. | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) ? | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) ? | h.p. (as above, but _inverted_) lbs. | [illustration: h.p. mercedes-daimler.] h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | radial, air-cooled. | | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | h.t. magneto (bosch). | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | | automatic inlets. | h.t. magneto (eismann in the , two bosch in | h.t. magneto (bosch). | splash and forced lubrication. | the ). | mechanical inlets. | steel cylinders. | mechanical inlets. | forced lubrication. | crank shaft, hollow, on white metal bearings. | forced lubrication. | | | | _features._-- | [illustration] | _features_ of the 's-- | | | | cast-iron cylinders, copper jackets. | | cast-iron cylinders (in pairs). | single cylinders. | | overhead valves. | overhead inlets (single cam shaft). | | single cam shaft. | crank shaft, hollow, on metal bearings. | | crank shaft, hollow, on metal bearings. | | | | [illustration: h.p.] | | _features_ of the .-- | | | | | | steel cylinders, with steel jackets. | | | carburetters (mercedes-daimler), _otherwise | | | as the 's_. | | | | | | [illustration: h.p.] | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~n.a.g.~ | ~otto ("a.g.o.")~ | ~rotor.~ | ~sylphe.~ neue automobile ges. m.b.h., berlin-oberschoneweide. | gustav otto, g.m.b.h., karlstrasse , munich. | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) ? lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | rotary, air-cooled. vertical, water-cooled (pump). | | rotary, air-cooled. | | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | | h.t. magneto (eismann). h.t. magneto (bosch), in the h.p. | | h.t. magneto. | automatic inlets. mechanical inlets. | h.t. magneto (bosch). | automatic inlets. | forced lubrication (fresh oil). forced lubrication. | mechanical inlets. | forced lubrication (fresh oil). | | forced lubrication. | | _features._-- _features._-- | | _features._-- | | _features._-- | | chrome nickel steel cylinders. cast-iron cylinders, copper jackets. | | steel cylinders. | single cylinders. cylinders in pairs. | cast-iron cylinders. | single cylinders. | overhead valves. single cam shaft. | single cylinders, all connected by long bolts | overhead valves. | crank shaft, hollow, on metal bearings. overhead valves. | and nuts. | crank shaft, hollow, on ball bearings. | crank shaft, hollow, on metal bearings. | overhead valves in the h.p. side valves | | [illustration: - h.p.] | in the and . | | [illustration: h.p.] | single cam shaft. | | | crank shaft hollow, on metal bearings. | | | | | | [illustration] | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~italian.~ ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------- ~caproni & faccanoni.~ | (_dirigibles only._) ~fiat.~ | (_dirigibles only._) ~isotta-fraschini.~ | ~itala.~ soc. di aviazione ing^{ri} caproni & faccanoni, | fabbrica italiano automobile torino, - | fabbrica automobili isotta-fraschini, via | itala fabbrica automobili, barriera orbassano, vizzola ticino. | corso dante, turin (torino). | monte rosa, milan. | turin (torino). ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × lbs | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | | | vertical, water-cooled (pump). radial, air-cooled. | vertical. | vertical. | | | | h.t. magneto. h.t. magneto. | h.t. magneto and accumulators. | h.t. magneto. | mechanical inlets. mechanical inlets. | mechanical inlets. | mechanical inlets. | forced lubrication. forced lubrication. | forced lubrication. | forced lubrication (pump). | | | | _features._-- | _features._-- | _features._-- | | | | cylinders in pairs. | enclosed valves. | overhead inlets. | overhead inlets. | single cast-iron cylinders. | horizontal exhausts. | automatic carburetter. | | special radiation. | +----------------------------------------------------+ zenith carburetter. | [illustration] | ~gnome.~ | | | fab. italiana mot. gnome, strada venaria, | | | turin (torino). | | +----------------------------------------------------+ | | works of the italian built gnome engines. | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ ~l. u. c. t.~ | ~s. p. a.~ | ladetto-ubertalli & cavalchini, via cavalli.-angolo| società ligure piemontese automobili, barriera | via circonvallazione turin (torino). | crocetta, turin. | ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ h.p., cyl., × lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | horizontal, water-cooled (pump). | | | rotary, air-cooled. | h.t. magneto and accumulators. | | mechanical inlets. | h.t. magneto. | forced lubrication. | mechanical inlets. | | forced lubrication. | _features._-- | | | | two pistons per cylinder. | | ball bearings throughout. | | | | [illustration: _dirigible engine._] | | there is also a vertical h.p. dirigible engine.| | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ ~swiss.~ +---------------------------------------------------- | <b>oerlikon.</b> |société oerlikon suisse de machines outils, oerlikon. | +---------------------------------------------------- | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | horizontal opposed, water-cooled (pump). | | h.t. magneto ( circuits for sets of plugs). | mechanical inlets. | forced lubrication. | | <i>features.</i>-- | | steel cylinders (copper jackets). | single cylinders. | overhead valves. | single cam shaft. | carburetters (one for each pair of cylinders). | crank shaft, solid, on ball bearings. | open crank case. | | [illustration] | +---------------------------------------------------- ~u.s.a.~ ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~adams-farwell.~ | ~albatross.~ | ~call.~ | ~curtiss.~ , athol street, dubuque, iowa. | albatross co., detroit, mich. | aerial navigation co. of america, girard, kansas. | curtis aeroplane co., hammondsport, n.y. ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl. lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × lbs. | | | also | radial. the is air-cooled, the water-cooled.| | h.p., cyl., ( r.p.m.) lbs. rotary horizontal. | | horizontal opposed, water-cooled. | | | | and , ~v~ shape, water-cooled (pump). h.t. magneto. | | | , vertical water-cooled (pump). special valves. | | mechanical inlets. | | | magneto ignition (bosch). | h.t. magneto (bosch dual). _features._-- | | special silencer. | mechanical inlets. | | vanadium iron cylinders. | splash and forced lubrication. no flywheel. | | forced lubrication. | all valves in cylinder head, actuated by a | | | _features._-- single push and pull lever worked by a | | | single cam. valves close outwardly and | | _features._-- | single cylinders, copper jackets. are held shut by centrifugal force. | | | all valves in cylinder heads, actuated by rocking variable lift. | | [illustration] | levers from single cam shaft. exhaust ports. | | | mechanical oil feed. | | | [illustration] | | | engine weights are "fully complete." | | | | | | [illustration] | | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~detroit aeroplane co.~ | ~elbridge.~ | ~hall-scott.~ | ~kemp (grey eagle).~ detroit aeroplane co., detroit, mich. | elbridge engine co., , culver road, rochester, | hall-scott motor car co., san francisco, cal. | kemp machine works, muncie, ind. | n.y. | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | _models_: | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | cycle horizontal, air-cooled. | | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., d cyl., × lbs. | vertical, water-cooled. valveless. oil in gas. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., e cyl., × lbs. h.t. magneto. | | h.p. lbs. | automatic inlets. | _features._--extra large bearings. | | _models_: splash lubrication. | | first two are vertical, the others | | [illustration] | v type, water-cooled (pump). | h.p., g cyl. lbs. _features._-- | | h.t. magneto (bosch). | h.p., i cyl. lbs. | | mechanical inlets. | h.p., h cyl. lbs. all valves in cylinder heads operated by a | | pump lubrication. | h.p., j cyl. lbs. single cam. | | | valves easily detached. | | cast-iron cylinders. | vertical, air-cooled. very large valves. | | all valves overhead. | schebler carburetter | | copper jacketted. | h.t. magneto. | | special stromberg carburetter. | mechanical inlets. | | special radiators. | pump lubrication. | | | [illustration: over-all length of the / is in.]| | [illustration] | _features._-- | | | | | | overhead valves. | | | extra large exhausts in centre of cylinders. | | | special semi-steel (grey iron) cylinders. | | | designed to work at °- ° faht. | | | | | | [illustration] ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~kirkham.~ | ~maximotor.~ | ~roberts.~ | ~sturtevant.~ c. kirkham, savona, n.y. | maximotor makers, detroit, mich. | roberts motor co., sandusky, ohio. | b. f. sturtevant co., hyde park, boston, mass. ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | - h.p., cyl., ( r.p.m.) lbs. | vertical, cycle, water-cooled (pump). | h.t. magneto (mea). | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | mechanical inlets. vertical, water-cooled (pump). | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | h.t. magneto. | pressure feed lubrication. | | rotary inlets. | h.t. magneto (bosch, spark). | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | forced lubrication. | _features._-- forced lubrication. | | | | h.t. magneto (bosch or mea). | _features._-- | semi-steel cylinders (jackets cast with them). _features._-- | mechanical inlets (automatic in the and .) | | single cylinders. | forced lubrication. | carburetters. | single cam shaft. cast iron cylinders and pistons. | | special magneto advance. | no overhead valves. patent poppet-sleeve valves. | _features._-- | babbit bearings. | exhaust valve lifters. | | very large hollow crank shaft. | nickel steel hollow crank shaft ( bearings in [illustration] | started from aviator's seat. | special metal cylinders (aerolite). | the cyl., in the cyl.) | double plugs. | special by-pass. | | half compression fitted. | rotary inlets. | | crank shaft, hollow, on ball bearings. | | | | [illustration] | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~welles & adams.~ | ~wright.~ | wells & adams, bath, n.y. | the wright co., dayton, ohio. | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+ h.p., cyl. lbs. | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | | h.p., cyl., × ( r.p.m.) lbs. | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | | | vertical, water-cooled (pump). | h.t. magneto. | | mechanical inlets (overhead). | h.t. magneto. | forced lubrication. | rotary valves. | | pump lubrication. | ~note.~ _features._-- | silencer fitted. | | | there are a good many other u.s. engines of single cylinders (large brass jackets). | | little or no account. the majority of these are double plugs. | | merely more or less accurate copies of well-known no valve cages. | | european engines, and none of them have any chrome nickel crank shaft, on bearings. | | vogue. | | ------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------- ~part d.~ aerial "who's who," directory & indices. ~note.~--so far as possible the directory lists are exhaustive for the entire world. anyone accidentally omitted is requested to communicate with the manager, _all the world's air-craft_, , queen victoria street, london, e.c. sub-heads of this section. "who's who" in aviation. ~directory:~ carburetters. fabrics. garments for aviation. hangar and shed builders. insurance. lubricants. magnetos. miscellaneous accessories. packers and shippers. patent agents. petrol. propellers. radiators. ~indices:~ alphabetical aeroplanes. " dirigible types. "who's who" in aviation. ader (clement), chateau de ribonnet, beaumont-sur-leze (haute-garonne, france). born . officer leg. d'hon. experimented from . his _avion_ flew metres at satory, th october, . this was the first flight ever made by a power machine in europe. one of his early machines is in the _arts et metiers_ museum, paris. alexander (h. i. h. grand duke), michailovitch of russia, xenia palace, st. petersburg. born . admiral of the russian navy. prime mover in anything having to do with aviation in russia. alexander (patrick y.), whitehall court, london, s.w. donor of the £ patrick alexander prize for british aerial engines. founder and supporter of various aerial clubs and societies. andre (ing. a.), rue d'amsterdam, paris. editor _revue francaise de construction automobile et aeronautique_. writer on aviation. experimenter. arbuthnot (c. b.) (major general h. t.) chairman of the aerial league of the british empire. archdeacon (ernest), rue de prony, paris. born . chev. legion d'honneur. vice-president _ligue nat. aerienne_. barrister. from made balloon ascents. in made glider experiments with gabriel voisin. giver of the archdeacon cup, won by santos dumont, th october, . also part giver with deutsch of the deutsch-archdeacon prize, for a kilometre flight, closed circuit, won by henry farman, th january, . arnoux (réne), rue du ranelagh, paris. born . vice-president tech. com. a.c.f. designer of the electric motor of the _tissandier_ dirigible, . member soc. civil eng. and soc. internat. elec. contributor to _omnia_, etc. inventor of the _arnoux_ biplane. attwood (harry). well-known american aviator. in august, , covered , miles in eight days. auffm-ordt. (swiss). avenue hoche, paris. pioneer aviator. avery, american pioneer aviator, associated with herring, chanute, and others. bacon (_late_ rev.), british prominent aeronaut and lecturer. bacon (miss), daughter of the above. aeronaut and lecturer. baden-powell (major, b.), f.r.a.s., f.r. met. soc., late scots guards. prince's gate, london, s.w. inventor of the baden-powell box kite. president of the aeronautical society from to . early experimenter and investigator with aeroplanes. lecturer. editor of _aeronautics_. baldwin (capt. thomas s.), maddison square, new york. well known u.s. aeronaut of many years standing. invented the _baldwin_ dirigible. balsan (jacques), quai debilly, paris. born . aeronaut from . made an altitude record of , metres. in went by balloon, paris to england. vice-president _aero club de france_. bannerman (major sir alexander, bart.) in command of the british army air battalion, . barber. british. aeronautical syndicate, - . _valkyrie_ type, etc., etc. barnwell. british. instructor , vicker's school. barra. well known french aviator. basenach. german. associated with major gross in producing the _m_ type german dirigibles. barton (dr.) built the first british dirigible in . capacity, , c.f. bathiat (georges). frenchman. after only one hour's tuition at the hanriot school, secured his certificate at rheims, october, . brother of the bathiat who flew a _breguet_. baumann (otto), berlin. second german to fly. baumann. french. instructor at the ewen school in . beachey (lincoln). american subject. in august, , reached , feet ( , m.)--world's record to that date. flew niagara, th june, , in a _curtiss_. beatty (george w.) american aviator. at the chicago meet, august, , he made the world's passenger flight duration trip in hours, minutes, seconds. also made american records for man altitude feet and man duration on a _wright_. becke (captain). british army. in december, , made a (to that date) record flight--flamborough to plymouth, and later back again-- - / hours out; hours back, excluding landings en route. beese (nellie). first german lady to get her pilot certificate, which she did on a _rumpler_. bell (dr. alexander graham bell). canadian. one of the founders of the aerial exp. assoc. in u.s.a. began experiments . inventor of the tetratedal, etc. bendall. british. instructor bristol school at brooklands, . berget (alphonse). french subject. professor inst. oceanographique. past president soc. francoise de nav. ae. author of _la conquete de l'air_. bernard. french. tester for _farmans_ - . berriman (a. e.) british. , st. martin's lane, london, w.c. technical editor of _flight_. author of _principles of flight_, etc., etc. berson (prof. arthur), haupstrasse , lehlendorp, germany. born . austrian. well-known author on meteorological and similar subjects affecting aviation. besancon (georges), rue francois i., paris. born . chev. leg. d'hon. editor of _l'aerophile_. secretary ae. c.f. experimented with balloons from onward. bessonneau (j. b. lieut. de reserve), rue de louvre, paris. french. born . pioneer aviation helper. produced special steel cables of high resistance; also the well known bessonneau _hangars demontables_. organised the first town-to-town flights, ; also first grand prix, . bezold (professor wilhelm von), director of the meteorological institute, berlin, etc. author of several works on aeronautics, etc. biss (gerald), british, , melina place, grove end road, london, n.w. automobile correspondent of the _standard_. aviation expert. blanchard. frenchman. - . first man to cross the english channel in a balloon ( ). bland (lillian e., miss), carnmoney, belfast, ireland. first woman aviator to design and build her own machine, _the mayfly_. has since ceased. bleriot (louis), boulevard maillot, paris. chev. legion d'honneur. inventor of the _bleriot_ monoplane. pioneer. experimented from . has had more falls than any other aviators. first man to fly the channel, which he did in _bleriot xi._, th july, . member, com. d'aviation of the ae. c.f. bielovucic. peruvian. flew the alps, . well known aviator. biss (gerald). , melina place, grove end road, london, n.w. well-known writer on automobile and aviation. bocklin. swiss. - . in became interested in aviation. in built gliders and a model aeroplane. triplane, . biplanes, - . in a monoplane with electric motor. bolotoff (prince), reigate priory, reigate, england. russian subject. pioneer aviator. boom (j. a.) editor of the _de luchtvaart_, ged. aude gracht , haarlem. borgnis (achille), rue d'université, paris. early experimenter and inventor. vice-president of the com. d'aviation aeronautiques club de france. member ae. c.f. (see aviators.) boothby (lieut. f. l. m.) british navy. served on board the _hermione_ when she was mother ship for aviation and aeronautics. holds certificates for both aeroplanes and dirigibles. bosquet (chev. du), place de la concorde, paris. chev. de l'ordre de leopold. sec. commission auto-aérienne. bouttieaux (col.) in command french military aviation, - . bracke (albert), chemin de saint-denis, casteau-mons, belgium. engineer. editor _l'aero mecanique_. inventor of the _bracke_ and _misson_ monoplane. author on aerial matters. breguet (louis charles), rue morel, donai (nord), france. born . began experimenting june, , and in july, , his gyroplane flew yards at a height of feet. president de la section du nord de la ligue nat. aérienne. brereton (j.). british. instructor at british deperdussin school, . brewer (w.). author of a standard technical work, _the art of aviation_. formerly manager of grahame-white & co. writer on aerial matters. brindley (oscar). american citizen. in august, , he made , feet, at chicago. these figures were afterwards stated to be incorrect, so the record was not allowed. brookins, u.s.a. up to august, , held world's height record, , feet ( , m.), made in a _wright_ at atlantic city, u.s.a. badly injured in an accident, august, . buist (a. massac). well-known british writer on aviation subjects. technical contributor to _morning post_, _country life_, etc., etc. burgeat (captain). the first french officer after captain ferber to take up flying. he purchased _antoinette vi_.--the first _antoinette_ sold to the public. busteed (harry). australian. _bristol_ pilot in the british military competition, . butler (frank hedges). f.r.g.s., regent street, london, w. founder of the r. ae. c. crossed the channel in a balloon . member ae. c. f. buttenstedt (carl). a, friedrichshaven str, berlin. born . author of aviation works and early experimenter over many years. designer of aeroplanes, etc. cailletet (louis paul), boulevard s. michel, paris. officer leg. d'hon. doctor. president ae. c. f. calderara (lieut.). italian navy. sent to france to study aviation in . has made many good flights ever since. in - produced a naval hydro-aeroplane of his own design. capazza (louis). frenchman. born . head of the clement-bayard works. capper (col.). formerly in command of british army aviation headquarters, farnborough, - . cassinone (alexander), nordpolstr. , vienna. leading figure in austrian aeronautical circles. castagnieris (capt. guido), via della muratte, rome. founder and secretary leading italian aero clubs, etc. castillon de saint-victor (comte g. de), avenue marceau, paris. born . aeronaut since . did a trip, paris to sweden. treasurer ae. c. f., . caters (baron de), berchem-les-anvers, belgium. born . motorist of renown in the early days. early aviator pioneer. cattaneo. italian. well-known aviator since . carden (capt.). experimental officer, appointed , to british army air battalion. caumont (_late_ lieut.). french aviator. killed in a _nieuport_ monoplane, december th, . cayley (george, sir). experimented about a hundred years ago with models and man-carrying gliders. also wrote on aviation, and is known as "the father of aviation." chandler (capt. c. de f.) commanding signal aviation school, u.s.a. chanute (octave), u.s.a. frequently alluded to as "the father of aviation." in company with herring he joined langley in . he did much work with gliders. he propounded the theory that little was to be learned from studying birds. discovered that the greatest lift was obtained from a plane flat in front and arched from the side. died november, . aged . chatley (professor h.), b.sc, imperial eng. col. tientsin, china. britisher. author of _the force of the wind_ (griffin & co.), and an authority on aviation matters in general. chavez (georges). peruvian aviator, resident in france. maker of many records. first aviator to fly the alps, nd september, . fatally injured on that occasion. chereau. frenchman. london manager of the bleriot co. and bleriot school at hendon. choendel (_late_). german aviator, who made an altitude record of metres with a passenger. killed on alighting. clement (gustave adolphus), quai michelet, levallois-perret (seine), france. born . officer leg. d'hon. creator of the _clement-bayard_ dirigibles, etc. cockburn (geo. b.), gloucester, england. one of the first englishmen to take up aviation. cody. american; naturalised british, . inventor of the cody kite. employed by the british war office for aviation work, - . inventor of cody biplanes. won michelin prize and . one of the best-known british aviators. in august , made a biplane speed record of . m.p.h. constructor. collomb. frenchman. early experimenter with flappers, etc. colmore (cyril). british. ae.c. pilot . flying partner with the late cecil grace. now given up flying. colsman (alfred), friedrichshaven, germany. director of the zeppelin co., etc. conneau (lieut.) french navy. winner of the _daily mail_ £ , prize, , with a _bleriot_. winner of the paris to rome and the circuit of europe races, . flies under the name of "beaumont." cornu (paul), rue de la gare, lisieux, france. pioneer experimenter with helicopters. in one of his inventions rose inches. crocco (lieut.) italian. had a good deal to do with the designing of the _ricaldoni_ dirigible. crookshank (major c. de w.), r.e. prominent supporter of aviation. member of the r. ae. c. committee, - . curtiss (glen. h.), hammondsport, n.y., u.s.a. won the gordon bennett in on the _curtiss_. formerly a member of the aerial experiment association, out of which the _curtiss_ was evolved. is ae. c.f. pilot . head of the curtiss aeroplane co. dahlbeck (lieut.). first swedish naval aviator. trained in england. davelny. commandant french navy. appointed , to take command of french naval aviation. daucourt. frenchman. first pilot to fly from paris to berlin, th april, . average speed k.p.h. time hours, minutes, including two stops. de baedar (f.), rue rameau, paris. editor _revue sportive de l'aviation et de l'automobile_. de dion (marqus), avenue des champs elysées, paris. born . principal founder and hon. president ae. c. f. de haviland (g.) british aviator. designer of a biplane and a motor purchased by the war office, in december, . he was subsequently engaged by the government for work on salisbury plain. in august, , made the british altitude record to date of , feet with a passenger. delagrange (the _late_ leon). born . french sculptor. took up aviation early in . he purchased _voisin no. i._, which made its first trials th february, . subsequently engaged in experiments with archdeacon. in bought a _voisin no. iii._ later on got a _bleriot_. killed th january, , at croix d'hins, bordeaux, in a _bleriot_. was ae. c. f. pilot . demanest (rene). french. , rue d'orleans, neuilly sur seine. began flying an _antoinette_ in . won the ae. c. f. prize. deperdussin. (see machines). deprez (marcel). frenchman. writer on aerial subjects. desbleds (l. bein). lecturer on aeronautical engineering, polytechnic, london. deutsch (henri de la meurth), place des etats-unis, paris. officer leg. d'hon. founder member of the ae. c.f. donor of the prize of , francs won by santos dumont, th october, . owner of the dirigible _ville de paris_. vice-pres. legue nat. aérienne. donor in part of the deutsch archdeacon prize. offered to found a technical institute of aviation, paris university. dickson (captain). ex-british army officer. the first british aviator to distinguish himself at an international flying meet. doutre. french lawyer, interested in aviation. invented a stabilising device in which maurice farman was interested. drexel (a.) scotland. american citizen. made world's record at lanark, th august, , in a _bleriot_, , feet ( , m.), beating previous record of brookins. driver. british aviator. flew in first aerial post, . drzewiecki (stefan), rue boileau, paris. russian. born . chev. leg. d'hon. in investigated aviation in connection with bird flight. well known otherwise as an inventor of submarines, torpedo tubes, etc. du cros (harvey), m.p., regent street, london, s.w. born . takes considerable interest in aviation. member of the parliamentary committee thereon. dufaux (armand). swiss. he and his brother henry were interested in aviation in , and in built an helicopter. in the first swiss aeroplane built by them appeared. dunne (lieut.), eastchurch, sheppey, kent, england. ex-british army officer. engaged by british war office to carry out heavier than air experiments immediately after the aeroplane had been demonstrated a possibility. (see _dunne_ in part i.) dupuy de lome. frenchman. made a hand-propelled dirigible in - . dÜrr (ludwig). german. born . chief engineer zeppelin works. dutrieu (mdlle. hélène). belgian. second woman to take up aviation. efimoff (michael). russian. made his first appearance in france early in . (ae. c. f. pilot ). distinguished himself on _h. farmans_ and _sommers_. on his return to russia he was made chief instructor of the special school of the volunteer aerial association. ellehammer (j. c. h.), istedgade , copenhagen. commenced aviation studies in . on th sept., , he made a flight--the first in europe since ader. ellyson (lieut. t. g.) u.s. navy. in company with lieut. towers made the first flights ever made in a hydro-aeroplane. ely (eugene b.) american. was the first to fly successfully off a warship, which he did in a _curtiss_ biplane on january th, , from the u.s. cruiser _pennsylvania_. killed . englehardt (kapitan). prominent figure in german aeronautical and aviation circles. writer on aerial subjects. began flying in , in which year he won several prizes. killed . equivelly (marquis d'), place wagram, paris. pioneer aviator, with a queer multiplane, . erbsloch (the _late_ oscar). well known aeronaut. inventor of a german dirigible, the _r. m. w. g._, afterwards named after him. he was killed in it with four others, july, . esdaile. british. pioneered aviation displays in india, . esnault-pelterie (robert), rue de silly, billancourt (seine), france. early experimenter with aeroplanes. flew the first _r.e.p._, october, . designer of the _r.e.p._ engine. espitallier (georges), rue st. petersburg, paris. associated with the late col. renard in early dirigible experiments. author of many aeronautical works. etrich (igo), rotunde, vienna ii. pioneer aviator with wels. designer of the _etrich_ monoplane--the first austrian machine to fly. evans (william evans), , charlotte street, kansas city, mo. purchased a biplane built by dr. william greene, who has since given up aeroplane building. evans made a number of exhibitions in the middle west, but had given up flying by summer of . ewen (w. h.) british. head of the school for british _caudron_. "f. a. i." federation of the leading aero clubs of all countries, for control of international aviation meets, pilot certificates, etc., etc. the bulk of certificates were first obtained in france, but in they were made obtainable in any country from its own ae. c., under identical rules. no aviator may compete in any international event without a certificate. aviation has now more or less outgrown the f.a.i, on account of the virtual disappearance of private aviation events before military interests; but it did excellent service in its time and is still of considerable indirect value. farman (henri), avenue de la grande armée, paris. born in paris, , but is of english descent. chev. leg. d'hon. first a racing cyclist, then racing motorist. took up aviation. bought _voison no. ii_ (known as "_farman i._"). on january th, , he won the deutsch-archdeacon prize for covering a triangular course of one kilometre. in designed and built his own machine. won the michelin cup in , making the record of h. min. . s. in the air. ae. c. f. pilot . in , did h. mins. in the air, covering - / m. ( km.) farman (maurice), rue villaret de joyeuse, paris. brother of above. went in for aeronautics and motor racing. bought _voisin no. iv_ at an early stage of aviation. he fitted this with alterations of his own, and subsequently evolved the _m. farman_ biplane. ae. c. f. pilot . faure (jacques), rue washington, paris. born . has long been prominent in aeronautical circles. has crossed the channel five times in gas bag balloons. owns the _faure_ dirigible. member of committee ae. c. f. felix (capt.) in in charge of the bleriot military school at etampes. ferber (the _late_ capitane), flew as "de rue." born at lyon. commenced experiments with gliders in on lilieuthal lines. in he built a power-driven machine. he taught gabriel voisin how to fly gliders. in was very active and flew several machines. killed in a _voisin_, nd september, . fernandez (the _late_). a spanish tailor, resident in paris, killed in in a machine of his own design. fisher (e. u. b.) first flew on a _hanriot_, early in . august, , engaged as pilot by messrs. vickers. fokker (antony), haarlem, holland. born in java, . designed a monoplane in with special stabilising device. he flew this at johannisthal. subsequently started a company. fourny. french. on september th, , broke all previous distance and duration records by flying, non-stop, hours, minutes in _m. farman_. renault motor. distance , km. ( miles) at etampes, france. frisbie (j. j.) american aviator. killed in a _curtiss_ at norton, kan., having been driven to fly in unsuitable weather by the jeers of a hostile crowd. fÜrstenberg (prince). austrian. president of the centre aeronautical committee, formed in june, . galanschikoff (mdlle.) russian. on november nd at johannisthal, made world's altitude record for lady fliers with , meteres. garros. french aviator. came in second in paris to rome and the circuit of europe races, . up to november, , held world's height record ( , feet). made in a _bleriot_. gasnier (rené), rue scribe, paris. winner of many prizes in balloon events. french champion for the gordon-bennett. on committee of ae. c. f. hon. president ae. c. d'l'ouest. inventor of an aeroplane, . gast (madame c. crespin du), rue levoux, paris. well-known in aeronautical circles. gastambide (robert), boulevard de courcelles, paris. born . civil engineer. took great interest in aviation at the start. designed the _gastambide-mengin_ from which _antoinettes_ were evolved. this was the first monoplane to carry a passenger (september, .) geleyns (c.) editor of the _avia_, wynbrugstreet , rotterdam. gerrard (lieut.), r.m.l.i. british. august th, , made world's passenger record to date, hours, minutes, on _short_ no. . giffard (h.) britisher, resident in france. in built the first practical dirigible. it had a steam motor. in it made a controlled speed of about m.p.h. gilbert. french. on march th, , flew from lyons to villacoublay in hours, minutes, a world's record to date from town to town non-stop. gill (howard). u.s.a. aviator. in october, , flew for hours minutes seconds in a _wright_. american record to that date. gilmour (graham). british. pilot ae. c.f., april, . in , flying a _bristol_: with which many of his flights have been directly or indirectly of a highly sensational nature. these have included a flight alleged to be over london (reported to r. ae. c.--case dismissed), flying low over henley regatta (certificate suspended, with subsequent litigation). won second prize in the brooklands-brighton race, may, . killed february, . gibert. french aviator who made records, . glazebrook (dr. r. t.), c.b., f.r.s. director of the british national physical laboratory. glidden (charles j.) the well-known american motorist. founder of many of the u.s.a. ae. clubs. godard (louis), rue legendre, paris. builder of the _america_ wellman arctic airship; inventor of the godard kite-balloon; designer and builder of the _la belgique_, etc., etc. gordon-bennett (james), avenue des champs elysees, paris. american citizen. owner of the _new york herald_. giver of the gordon-bennet aviation prize. previous to this he had instituted a similar event for motor cars, and few, if any, have done so much to advance the international sporting side of automobilism. goupy (ambrose), avenue marceau, paris. an early pioneer in aviation experiments--had the first triplane built for him by _voisins_. now a well known constructor. grace (_late_ cecil). naturalised british subject, ex-chilian. lost at sea while competing for the baron de forest prize, december, . grade (h.), magdeburg, germany. first man to fly in germany. he did this on a grade triplane early in . now a well known german constructor. grahame-white (claude), albemarle street, piccadilly, london. pilot ae. c. f. on a _h. farman_. attempted to win the _daily mail_ £ , london-manchester prize, . gordon bennett, . now constructor. greene (dr. w.), treasurer, aeronautic society, u.s.a. has done a great deal to advance aviation in the u.s.a. designer of the _greene_ biplane--a machine which in no way infringed the wright patents. greswell. british aviator. flew in first aerial post, . grey (chas. g.), piccadilly, london, w. editor of the _aeroplane_. well-known writer on aerial matters, formerly as "aero-amateur," later under his own name. by , had come to occupy a unique position of his own by an uncompromising statement of facts without regard to other circumstances. gross (major). in command of the german war dirigibles. designer of the _m_ type. (_gross_). grubb (capt. a. h. w.) d.s.o., r.e. prominent supporter of aviation. member of r. ae. c. committee, - . guillemeau (r.), rue d'amsterdam, paris. editor _revue francaise, de const. autble et aeronautique._ haenlein (paul). german, - . early experimenter with dirigibles. inventor of the "semi-rigid" system. hamel (gustav). british. well-known aviator. winner of brooklands-brighton race, may, . flew the first british aerial mail, . in april, , on behalf of the london _standard_, made a non-stop flight with a passenger london to cologne in a _bleriot_. many other famous flights. hammond (j. j.) australian. pilot , ae. c. f., on a _sanchis besa_, th october, . in , visited australia with a _bristol_, when he made many sensational flights. hargrave (lawrence), sydney, n.s.w., australia. a pioneer in aviation, - . experimenter with and inventor of box kites. harkness (harry). american aviator. has made various records. harmon, (clifford b.) one of the best-known u.s.a. amateur aviators. made u.s.a. time record ( h. m.), nd july, . harrison (eric). australian subject. instructor of the bristol school at lark hill, salisbury plain, . harrison (lieut. l. c. r.) british r. f. c. killed th april, , in the famous _cody_ which won the british military aeroplane competition. hault (adhemar de la), rue royale, brussels. editor of _la conqûete de l'air_. well-known aviation pioneer. interested in ornithopters. hawker (h. g.) australian subject. on october th made british duration record to date-- hours mins. in _sopwith_ biplane. awarded the michelin cup, . hekking (r.) frenchman. in september, , carried out experiments with a biplane glider of m. span and m². surface. he rose to a height of m., and is stated to have remained stationary for minutes. not confirmed, however. helen. french aviator. has appeared in various competitions since early in . henderson (brig. gen.) british army. first general to obtain british r. ae. c. aviator certificate. flying under the name of "davidson" he obtained his certificate on a _bristol_, at brooklands, after seven days' training. henry, prince of prussia. well known for practical interest in motoring and aviation. has driven his own car in races, and is a certificated aerial pilot for germany. henson. died . projected a steam-driven monoplane early in the xix century. herring (a. m.), freeport, long island, u.s.a. started the study of aviation . with langley, . with chanute, . joined ae. exp. assoc. and associated with curtiss in the _herring-curtiss_. subsequently ( ) with burgess in the _herring-burgess_. herve (henri), rue hautefeuille, paris. well-known authority on matters aeronautical. author, etc. hewlett (mrs. maurice) ("madame franck"). first lady aviator to obtain a british r. ae. c. certificate. hildebrand (kapitan alfred), martin-lutherstrasse, berlin w. . retired from german army. a very well-known aeronaut. owner of a baldwin dirigible. author of many works on aeronautics and aviation--the best known german writer on these subjects. hinterstoisser (hauptmann franz), luisenstrasse , vienna v. commanding austro-hungarian aeronautical service. - . hirth (helmuth). german. made german passenger altitude record to date, at johannistal, september-october, . height metres. many other records. the best known of all german aviators. hoffman (joseph). german. built a steam-driven aeroplane in . holden (col. h. c. l.) r.a.f.r.s. prominent supporter of aviation. member of the r. ae. c. committee, - . howard-flanders. see british aeroplanes, part a. howard-wright. british. early designer (_see_ part b). in january, , became manager of s. white & co., of cowes. houdini (harry). british. the famous "handcuff king" flew a _voisin_ so long ago as november nd, . he took it to australia and won the first aeroplane flight prize there. he is the first to have taken out a "third party" insurance, which he did with the albingia-versicherungs-aktien-gesellschaft, hamburg, germany, on november th, . the policy was for , marks. hubert. french aviator. flew in the first british aerial post and was badly injured. hucks (b. b.) british aviator. has made several fine exhibition flights on a _blackburn_. first man to make the double journey across the bristol channel, also to carry out wireless telephone experiments with aeroplane. huntingdon (prof. a. k.), buckingham st., charing cross, london, w.c. born . balloon expert, - . connected with the _dunne_ machines. member of the r. ae. c. committee, - . hurlbert (dr. dane), vermont, lucerne, switzerland. u.s.a. citizen. experimenter in original types of aeroplanes, - illner. first man to fly in austria, which he did on an _etrich_. issatier. french private soldier who obtained three weeks' leave and secured his flying certificate at betheny after fourteen days, in a _deperdussin_. isendahl (walther). german. holsteinstrasse , berlin-wilmersdorf. leading authority on aerial and boat motors. jane (fred t.), the hill, bedhampton, hants, england. naval author, founder and editor of _all the world's air-craft_. jannus (antony). american. well-known aviator. jatho (karl), stader chausse , hanover, germany. born . pioneer aviator from . has built various machines--none very satisfactory. jeannin (emil), berlin. prominent german aviator. jefferies (dr. john). - _about_. american. accompanied blanchard in the first balloon voyage across the english channel, . jenkins (f. conway). in may, , obtained his certificate ( ) after only four flights on a _roe_ biplane. johnstone (st. croix). american aviator. th july, , beat american duration records in a flight of hours, minute, seconds. distance miles. killed . jones (ernest l.), west street, new york. editor of _aeronautics_ (u.s.a.) josef ferdinand (grand duke of austria). enthusiastic aeronaut and moving spirit in aviatory matters in austria. joynson-hicks. british m.p. who has specialised in endeavouring to advance aviation. julliot (henri), rue de flandre, paris. born . chev. leg. d'hon. technical director of the _lebaudy_ works. originator of the _lebaudy_ type of dirigibles. designer of _lebaudy_ aeroplane. member of committee ae. c. f. kapferer (henry), rue de clichy, paris. chev. leg. d'hon. director of the _astra_ cie, and the cie gen. transaerienne. part designer of the clement-bayard dirigibles. took an early interest in the aeroplane movement, and had a biplane built to his own design by voisins in . also had an early monoplane about the same date or a little later. on committee ae. c. f. kassner (carl), wilhelmstr. , berlin. professor, german writer on technical aviation matters. kennedy (rankin), british authority on aviation subjects. kennedy. st. petersburg. british subject. engineer who has studied aviation for many years. in , was an honorary aerial adviser to the russian government on matters aerial. kindelan (captain), guadalajara, spain. born . interested in balloons since . designer of the spanish military airship _torres quevedos_. knight. british. instructor , vickers school. koenig. german aviator. won the st prize given by the berliner _zeitung am mittag_. , - / kilos. krauss. well-known german aviation engineer. author of many articles. kress (wilhelm), waaggasse , vienna. born . flew a model ornithopter in . author. krieger (hans). german. formerly chauffeur to the kaiser. built a monoplane of his own design, and on september th, , obtained his certificate on it. laffont (_late_ a.) killed in an _antoinette_, december th, . lahm (frank), washington d.c., u.s.a. well-known aeronaut. lambert (albert b.) president of ae. c. of st. louis, u.s.a. flies a _wright_. lambert (count charles), rue charles-lafitte, neuilly-sur-seine, paris. russian subject. born . interested in aviation onward. first pupil of wilbur wright. lammlin. german. killed at strasburg, may rd, . lana (francisco), ( - ), (italian). jesuit who projected flying machines. lanchester. author of well-known aerial classic. lane (howard), , parliament street, westminster, london, s.w. british citizen. mechanical and chemical engineer. born at warwick. government contractor; birmingham city councillor, - . honours, south kensington, . inventions, the seamless steel gas cylinder, ; multiple stage gas compressor, ; roller method of skin balloon construction, ; regenerative hydrogen producing plant, ; turbine aero-motor, , etc., etc. langley (samuel pierpont). born . died . american pioneer from . commenced work in with dr. graham bell, and later, herring and chanute. in may, , he flew a large steam-driven model tandem monoplane--the _langley_ type. author of _experiments in aero dynamics_ and other aerial classics. lanz (karl), lachnerstrasse , mannheim, germany. wealthy patron of aviation in germany. giver of the £ lanz prize won by grade. financed the _schütte_ dirigible. laroche (madame la baronne raymonde de). the first lady aviator. pilot ae. c. f. . purchased a _voisin_ in the summer of and entered for international events. badly injured in an accident at reims, july, . in , took up flying again. latham (hubert), rue rembrandt, paris. of english descent one side. pilot ae. c. f. director of the _antoinette cie_. attempted to fly the channel, . ( ) in _antoinette iv_. ( ) in _antoinette vii_. ( ) in august, . maker of many records. killed by a buffalo, . la vaulx (comte henri de), rue gaston de st. paul, paris. born . chev. leg. d'hon. vice-president ae. c. f., and one of its promoters. founder and vice-pres. of the f.a.i. took up aeronautics in , since when he had made over ascents. record holder for "gas bags." owner of a _zodiac_ dirigible in - . lebaudy (robert), rue de lubeck, paris. sugar refiner. member ae. c. f. founder of the _lebaudy dirigible cie_. le blanc (alfred), rue lakanal, paris. born . aeronaut in . winner of the _circuit d' l'est._, aug., . le blon (_late_). frenchman. born . killed in a _bleriot_ at s. sebastien, nd april, . lefÈbvre (eugene). french aviator. killed on a _wright_, th september, , at juvissy. legagneux. in december, , made a flight of nearly hours, at pau, ( mile-- m.p.h.) average, in a _bleriot_. lesseps (comte jacques de), avenue montaigne, paris. well-known aviator in the early days. levavasseur. known in france as "pére levavasseur." chief engineer of the antoinette works and _deus ex machina_ of the type. he severed his connection early in , but rejoined in june, , and remained as long as the company existed. leve (pierre), rue cassette, paris. editor of _la revue aérienne_, official organ of _la ligue nat. aérienne_. lilieuthal (gustav), marthastrasse, gross-lichterfelde, germany. brother of the late otto lilieuthal, whose work he has carried on. author. lilieuthal (otto, the _late_). german subject. began his interest in aviation when years old. in published his _bird flight as a basis of the flying art_, the result of years observation of sea-gulls and storks. in he made glider flights. in he produced a biplane glider. on th aug., , he was killed while experimenting. lilieuthal was the fountain head of modern aviation. linke (dr. franz), kettenhofweg , frankfurt, germany, scientist. born . author of _moderne luftschiffahrt_ and other works. liore (f.), bis rue de corneille, levallois-perret, france. early pioneer with the _witzig-liore-duthileuil_. since then evolved a monoplane. lÔme (dupuy de). see dupuy de lÔme. loridan. in july, , in a _h. farman_ racer broke the existing altitude record by making , m. ( , ft). did km., july, . malone (lieut. cecil j. l'estrange). r.n. navy wing of british r. f. c. assistant to director of flying at admiralty, end of . mahieu. in september, , made the world's passenger record of metres ( feet) in a _voisin_, at issy. duration of flight - / hours. manning (h.) british. aeroplane designer. marey (professor). inventor of the whirling table, . marie (capitaine). french army. on staff of inspector general of aeronautics. marie (pierre). alsatian. real name was bournique. he made his name on a _r.e.p.'s_. in may, , he was trying a h.p. _deperdussin_ when the machine capsized and fell. he was taken to hospital and died a few hours later. his passenger, lieut. depuis, was burned to death. mars ("bud"). well-known american aviator. has more than once been reported killed; but always appears again. martin (glen l.) santa ana, california, u.s.a. flying _curtiss_ types. obtained a considerable reputation, and local amateur record at los angeles meet, end of . massac buist. (see buist). matsievitch (kapitan). russian army. was instructor of the military aviation school at sevastopol. killed at sevastopol, . maxim (sir hiram), baldwyn's park, kent. inventor of the maxim gun, etc. american by birth, naturalised british subject. began experiments with propellers, etc., in . in to he experimented with a full-sized aeroplane, steam propelled. abandoned the experiments after spending £ , on them. resumed work , without success. author of _artificial and natural flight_. mcclean. british aviator. towards the end of , he loaned two _short_ biplanes to eastchurch flying ground for the training of naval officer in aviation, and himself acted as instructor. these were the first machines used by the british naval officers, consequently mr. mcclean may be regarded as the founder of the british naval aeroplane division. member of the r. ae. c. committee. mengin (l.), rue debrousse, paris. born . early experimenter. flew in in the _gastambide-mengin_, from which the _antoinette_ was evolved. director of the late _antoinette cie_. merriman. british. expert bristol flyer at brooklands, etc., . instructor. messner (haupt. e.), claridenstr. , zurich. in command swiss military aviation section, - . michelin (a. j.), boulevard periére, paris. born . chev. leg. d'hon. director of the well-known tyre manufacturers. donor of the michelin prize for aviation. founder member ae. c. f. moedebeck (hermann w. l.) born . died . german author on aerial matters. moedebeck (lieut. col.). german subject. author of _fliegen de menschen_ (salle), a very useful work on aviation. also of a _pocket book of aeronautics_, etc. moineau. frenchman. in august, , with two passengers made a record on a _breguet_, of reaching metres in twenty minutes at douai. moisant (miss matilda). sister of the late j. m. moisant. second american lady to obtain certificate. used a _moisant_. moisant (john). architect. american citizen, resident in paris. invented two monoplanes. in aug., , flew the channel with a passenger in a _bleriot_. this was the first cross-channel passenger trip. killed . montagu (lord), of beaulieu. editor of _the car illustrated_. prominent in arousing british interest in aviation. montgolfier (joseph michael and jacques etienne). frenchmen, who about the year invented hot air balloons. in , one such, of feet diameter, rose to a height of about , feet. montgomery (john professor), u.s.a. citizen. began experiments with gliders in , which he continued till his death by accident with one, on st october, , at evergreen, santa clare, california. moore brabazon (j. t. c.), chesham st., london, s.w. born . originally sporting motorist; winner circuit des ardennes, . took up aviation at an early stage. bought an early _voisin_ which he named _bird of passage_. this machine was later sold to a. george, who had a smash in it, and sold it later to grace. moore brabazon was the first britisher to fly. pilot i, r. ae c. moorhouse (w. b. r.), portholme aerodrome, huntingdon. british. has done a good deal of cross country flying, . part inventor of the _radley-moorhouse_ (r. m.) monoplane, . morane (leon). frenchman. well-known _bleriot_ pilot. subsequently built the _morane_ monoplane. very badly injured in an accident, autumn, . moreau. french amateur. inventor of a special stabilised aeroplane. moris (colonel). commanding italian air battalion, - . nemethy (emil), arad, hungary. born . built his first effort, a helicopter, in . has experimented ever since, but without much success. inventor of the _aviette_. neumann. germany. author of various very reliable works on dirigibles. nickel (hugo ludwig), kahlenbergerstrasse , vienna. born . aerial author and journalist. nimfÜhr (dr. raimund), lerchengasse , vienna. born . experimentalist onward. author. northcliffe (alfred charles harmsworth) lord. british subject. founder and proprietor of the "daily mail." donor of many important aviation prizes, including the £ , london-to-manchester prize. oertz (max), holzdamm , hamburg, germany. interested in gliders. connected with german north pole dirigible expedition. designer of various aeroplanes. ogilvie (a.) represented great britain in both the and gordon bennetts. took fourth place in . average speed, miles per hour. flew a _wright_. in december, , flew for nearly hours on a _wright_ over the camber sands; distance being - / miles. associated with the wright brothers experiments at kitty hawk, october, . o'gorman (mervyn). well-known authority on aviation matters, and superintendent of the royal aircraft factory. osmont. frenchman. formerly racing cyclist. did some fine flights at chalons in . in february, , appointed chief aviation instructor to the spanish army. otto (fried), hohenstaufeurstrasse , berlin. w. . aerial journalist, etc. ovington (earle). u.s.a. aviator. carried first u.s.a. aerial post, sept . winner of many prizes in america. oxley. instructor to the blackburn school, at filey, . paine (capt. g. m.) m.v.o., r.n. commandant of the british central flying school at upavon, salisbury plain. appointed early in . parke (lieut. wilfred, r. n.) started flying in , and made a large number of meritorious performances. killed in a monoplane at wembley, december th, . parseval (major von), _late_ german army. inventor of the _parseval_ type dirigibles and the _parseval_ monoplane. leading figure in all aerial matters in germany. (see part a.) paterson (compton). british aviator. liverpool motor house, ltd., liverpool. designed a successful machine in . also flies _farmans_. designed new machine . patiala (maharajah of). in december, , purchased a _bleriot_ and a _voisin_. member of the r. ae. c. pagny. french. designer of _hanriots_, . paulhan (louis). frenchman. born . served afloat as a boy. later served with the _late_ col. renard; also with the _late_ captain ferber. in was with surcouf. in his spare time he made models. in he won a _voisin_ biplane, given as prize for the best model in france, and rapidly came to the front. in he won the _daily mail_ £ , prize for the london to manchester flight. numerous other prizes have been won by him. took up construction in without much success till in he took over french, etc., agency for _curtiss_ hydros. pequet (h.) frenchman. certificated june, . flew a _humber-sommer_ in india, where he conveyed the first officially recognised aerial post at allahabad. perrin (h.) british. secretary of the r. aero club. perry (ida), metropol theater, berlin. german actress, who has gone in for aviation. pfitzner (_late_ lieut. alexander l.) hungarian. born . served in the austro-hungarian artillery. leaving the army he went to the u.s.a. and became connected with the herring-curtiss work, designing the novel pfitzner monoplane. he met many mishaps with this, which depressed him. he returned to hungary early in , but meeting no success there came back to america. drowned in marblehead harbour, th july, . phillips (horatio f.), wealdstone, harrow. pioneer experimenter. discoverer of the "dipping front edge," patented by him and . ("philips' entry.") leading authority on aviation subjects. pickles (sydney). australian. chief pilot at the ewen school at hendon, . pichan (court). early french experimenter. flew a flapper model . picollo (_late_ jules). brazilian aviator. killed december th, . pierre (petit). frenchman. the _late_ secretary of bleriot school at hendon. assassinated at hendon, august, , by a swiss pupil named hanot, who went insane at not learning to fly so quickly as he had expected. pilcher (_late_ percy s.) born . british naval engineer. commenced glider experiments, , on lilieuthal lines. designed a power machine in , but was killed in glider experiments before it was completed. pixton (h.) british r. ae. c. pilot . qualified at brooklands, january, , on a triplane. has since done some very fine flights on an _avro_, taking various prizes. pischoff (alfred de), rue amiral de joinville, paris. in conjunction with koechlin was a pioneer of french aviation. in december, , he flew a kilometre on a biplane. his earliest machine was practically a large box kite with a motor fitted. in produced a monoplane of his own design. he is an austrian resident in france. popper (josef). austrian. concerned with aviation, etc., ever since . pollock (c. f.) prominent supporter of aviation. member of the r. ae. c. committee, - . ponnier. frenchman. director of the hanriot company. prandtl (dr. ludwig). prinz albertstrasse , göttinger, germany. born . leading figure in german aerial circles. connected with the _parseval_ design. prevost (m.) french. created world's record on december nd, , by reaching a height of , feet at rheims. prier (pierre). made london-paris in hours, minutes, th april, . designer to the _bristol_ co., . queroz (the _late_). brazilian. killed at s. paulo, june, , in a monoplane of his own design. quimby (miss harriet). mineola, u.s.a. first american lady to qualify for aviator certificate, st august, . used a _moisant_. killed . quoika (haupt. emanuel), margarethenstrasse , vienna. aeronaut from . now aviator and writer on subject. radley (james). well-known british aviator, flying a _bleriot_. patented a special wing. represented great britain in the gordon bennett. at lanark, , broke the world's then speed record, and did miles per hour. pilot r. ae. c. , june th, . august, , flew the channel in minutes; calais to folkestone. subsequently embarked on construction. raynham (f. r.) british subject. flew hours, mins. competing for the michelin cup. used an _avro_ fitted with a horse green. reissner (dr. ing. hans), lutticherstrasse , aachen. born . professor on matters aerial. reltich. french. cyclist who succeeded in getting an avietter to fly one metre, october, . won the dubos prize. renard (_late_ colonel). in association with krebs built a dirigible in , with electric motor. killed. renard (commandant paul), rue madame, paris. born . officer leg. d'hon. brother of late col. renard, with whom he worked. vice-president, _ligue nat. aerienne_. professor _ecole sup. d'aeronautique_. has written a good deal on aerial subjects. renaux. did hours minutes on a _m. farman_, th august, . ( k.m.) won the quentin bauchart prize, . renaux. french aviator. winner of the grand prix michelin, march, , paris, to top of the puy de dome. machine, _maurice farman_. richet. french patron of early aviation experiments, . tatin built a large model machine for him in those days, which after a yard flight fell into the sea and was lost. ridge (theodore). assistant superintendent of the army aircraft factory. killed on august st, . robinson (hugh). well-known u.s.a. aviator. robl (_late_ thaddeus). german aviator. killed on a _farman_, , through attempting to fly in unpropitious weather in order to allay the complaints of sightseers. has been designated the "first martyr of aviation"--not without some cause. rodgers (c. p.) u.s.a. aviator. _wright._ in september-october, , he flew across america, distance , miles. he started to win the hirst prize of £ , , but having taken longer than days was disqualified. roe (a. v.) clifton st., miles platting, manchester. was the first man to fly in england, and also the first to fly an all-british machine. is a persistent experimenter on original lines. has flown with as little as h.p. in one of his triplanes. now builds mono. and biplanes (_avro_). roehrig (b. f.) u.s.a. aviator. obtained wide reputation with _curtiss_ types on pacific coast. roger, rue grange-batelière, paris. founder and editor of _revue de l'aviation_. rogues (general). french army. inspector general military aeronautics, . rolls (_late_ hon. c.) well-known british sportsman, motorist, and aviator. first englishman to order an aeroplane--a _wright_. flew the channel both ways early in (first record). killed at bournemouth, july, , in a _wright_. ruck (major-general), c.b., r.e. chairman of the aeronautical society of great britain. russijan. austrian aviator. killed january th, . salmet (henri). french. born . made british height record, , feet, november, . made record london-paris flight, march, . time: hours, minutes. sampson (lieut.) british navy. on august th, , made british flight duration record to date, hours - / minutes, at eastchurch on a _short_ . now acting-commander. employed by naval wing, r.f.c. samuelson (arnold), hamburg waterworks, germany. born . writer on aerial matters. santos-dumont (alberto), avenue des champs-elysees, paris. brazilian, of french descent. born . officer leg. d'hon. took up ballooning at an early age. he was the first to use a petrol motor in a balloon. in the fifth dirigible constructed by him crossed the seine. on oct. th, , in no. , he circled the eiffel tower and won the , franc deutsch prize. in he became interested in heavier than air machines, and began on a helicopter. abandoning this he built a box kite type of aeroplane, and on october rd, , won the archdeacon prize for a heavier than air flight of not less than metres. thereafter, comparatively little was heard of him, except that he was experimenting with the _demoiselle_, till in he made a record on this type--the designs of which he presented to the world. has not been prominent since. schabsky (athanasius ivanovitch). russian. builder of the _outchebny_ type dirigible. schiere, j. aeronautical engineer. stephonsonstraat , the hague, holland. librarian dutch ae. c. schÜtte (prof. johann), jäschkenthal b, danzig-langfukr, danzig, germany. born . designer of the _schütte_ dirigible. schwann (commander oliver). british navy. navy air dept., - . in , conducted a number of hydro-aeroplane experiments. scragg (geo. h.), american citizen, - , great queen street, kingsway, london, w.c. european correspondent of american _aeronautics_. sellers (m.b.) (see u.s. aeroplanes) sells (chas. de grave), la colombara, cornigliano-ligure, italy. british. a leading authority on all matters having to do with engineering. also a writer on these subjects. authority on matters having to do with aviation in italy. shaffer (cleve t.) american citizen. west coast correspondent to _aeronautics_ (u.s.a.) writer on aerial subjects generally. simon (rene). august th, , tied with sopwith for the world's climbing speed at chicago; metres in ' ". smith (h. white). british. secretary to the bristol co. sommer (roger) mouzon, ardennes, france. born . early interested in aviation. in built a machine of his own design. this was a failure. he then bought one of the first _farman's_, on which he rapidly achieved success. towards the end of he produced the _sommer_ biplane. sopwith (t.) british. won the baron de forest prize on a _howard wright_, . also won many other prizes in england and america. th august, , tied with simon, world's climbing speed-- metres in ' "--at chicago. now a constructor. spencer (stanley). early british dirigible builder ( ). died . spooner (stanley), st. martin's lane, w.c. editor of _flight_. prominent supporter of aviation. member of r. ae. c. committee. stein (lieut.) german aviator. killed at doerlitz, february th, . stringfellow. british. a very early experimenter. in he evolved a triplane model. sueter (capt. r. n.) british. in command of british navy dirigible section, . admiralty air dept., - . surcouf (edward louis), boulevard lannes, paris. born . chev. leg. d'hon. secretary com. sport ae. c. f. sec. com. aerienne mixte. director of the _astra_ societé. constructor of the majority of french dirigibles. swann (rev. sydney), the vicarage, crosby ravensworth, westmoreland, england. first clerical aviator. ceased. sykes (major f. h.) officer commandant in charge of records, royal flying corps, military wing. tabuteau. french aviator. winner of the michelin trophy. taddeoli. swiss. first swiss to obtain an aviator's certificate, which he did on a _dufaux_, october, . badly injured at lausanne, june, , during exhibition flights. , built a hydro-aeroplane. tatin (victor), rue de la folie-reynault, paris. chev leg. d'hon. born . commenced heavier than air experiments so long ago as , when he made an aeroplane driven by compressed air. designed the _ville de paris_. had a good deal to do with the _bleriot_ in its early days. in designed the _clement-bayard_ monoplane. associated with paulhan in . writes on all aerial subjects. taylor (vincent p.) australian subject. well-known aeronaut, using the _nom de plume_ of capt. penfold. in went in for aeroplaning, using a _bristol_. tissandier (gaston). french pioneer aeronaut. made an electrically-propelled dirigible in . born . died . tissandier (paul), avenue victor hugo, paris. son of gaston tissandier. born . instructor of aviation. taught many of the best known aviators. turnbull (w. r.) american engineer. in the year commenced to experiment with hydro-aeroplanes; and may be regarded as the originator of all experiments in this direction. the french _gabardine_ of much later date did not differ materially from his early models, while the more recent _fabre_ and the successful _curtiss triad_ embodied similar ideas. turner (charles e.) authority on aviation matters, special aerial correspondent of the _observer_, etc. turner (lewis w. f.) british. chief pilot of the ewen school, . twining (s. frisco). cal. u.s.a. experimenter with flappers, man propelled, from onward. usborne (lieut. neville f.), r.n. first british naval officer detailed for aerial work. was appointed to _clement-bayard ii_ in , and subsequently to the first naval dirigible. , naval wing, r.f.c. vanniman (melvin). built the gondola of the first _wellman_ airship, and intimately concerned with _wellman ii_. also designed a triplane . designed _akron_, . killed . vedrines. french. second in the _daily mail_ £ , prize, , in a _morane_. won paris-madrid, . one of the best known aviators. began life as a mechanic. vivaldi (_late_ lieut.) italian naval officer. killed in a _m. farman_, august, . voisin (charles), quai du point du tour, billancourt (seine), france. born . director of _voisin freres_. flew the _delagrange i._ in . induced h. farman to be interested in aviation. voisin (gabriel). brother of above. born . chev. leg. d'hon. director of _voisin freres_. commenced to study aviation in with archdeacon. experimented with gliders. founded _voisin freres_ in . designer of the _voisin_ biplane. killed in a motor accident. vuia. french pioneer, who with a machine somewhat like a _demoiselle_, flew yards in and yards in . walden (dr.). u.s. citizen. badly hurt, , in a machine of his own design, but not killed as reported. (see u.s. aeroplanes.) walsh (c.f.) american aviator. winner of various trophies on a _curtiss_. warcholowsky. austrian aviator. on october th, , made world's record to date by flying minutes with three passengers. weiller (lazare), rue de la bienfaisance, paris. officer leg. d'hon. head of the syndicate which in was responsible for wilbur wright coming to france. weiss (josé). british subject. pioneer experimenter in aviation. the starting stage used by him for early glider experiments is still to be seen near arundel castle, sussex. much of our knowledge as to the distribution of weights is due to him. wellman. an american who hoped to reach the north pole by dirigible. his first ship came to grief at spitzbergen. in oct., he attempted a cross-atlantic voyage, but failed. (see vanniman). weymann (c). american. won the gordon bennett on a _nieuport_. average speed, miles per hour. wheeler (r.f.) british navy. as naval cadet at the age of he obtained his pilot certificate at the bristol school. white (sir george, bart. ll.d. j.p.) founder and chairman of the british and colonial aeroplane co., ltd. president of the bristol and west of england ae. c. widmer. austrian aviator. in october, , made a flight over the adriatic, venice to triest. willows (e.t.) cardiff, wales. british airship pilot . inventor of the _willows_ airship. patentee swivelling propellers. started a dirigible school, . wiseman (fred t.) american aviator. flies his own type machine. has made sensational flights delivering newspapers at farmhouses, april, , also letters. wright (howard). see howard wright. wrights (the) (orville and wilbur), hawthorn street, dayton, ohio, u.s.a. chevs. leg. d'hon. in the brothers wright began to study aerial flight. in they were making glides. in they first fitted a motor, and on december th of that year made a power flight of about yards. reports of this were received with incredulity, and right up to july, , when wilbur wright appeared in france, many people still regarded the wrights as a myth. wilbur wright easily beat the french machines in circling, etc. he won the michelin cup, being up h. m. - / sec. distance - / miles official record. actual, estimated at miles. the exploits of wilbur wright put aviation on quite a new footing. since the _wright_ type has been surpassed by others; but to the wrights will always belong the credit of having made a decided step in the science. wilbur died of typhoid, . wynmalen (henri). dutch. reached , feet in a _farman_ in , and was then compelled to descend because after , feet blood oozed from his finger nails and lips. ae.c.f. pilot , th august, . has made many famous flights. zens (ernest), rue la boétie, paris. born . pioneer aviator. on committee of ae. c. f. first passenger in an aeroplane (carried by wilbur wright, th september, ). built a monoplane, . zeppelin (count). the first zeppelin dirigible was tried in on lake constance. it made a small speed against a - m.p.h. wind. it also circled. the experiments exhausted the count's resources until . details of this and later _zeppelins_ will be found on the german dirigible pages in part a. ~carburetters.~ ~austrian-hungarian.~ denes friedmann, mitterbergasse, vienna, xviii. ~belgian.~ dasse (g.), rue david, verviers fagard (j.) & cie, rue bouille, liege, (_sthénos_). ~british.~ brown & barlow, ltd., loveday street, birmingham burgess (w. h. m.), glasshouse street, london, w. (_white & poppe_). carburation, ltd., fleet street, london, e.c. claudel-hobson, vauxhall bridge rd., london, s.w. davis paraffin carburetter co., london fenestre, cadische & co., harp lane, london, e.c. moseley motor works, birmingham scott, robinson, great winchester st., london, e.c. trier & martin, ltd., trinity works, new church road, camberwell, london, s.e. (_t.m._) wailes (george) & co., - , euston road, london, n.w. (_s.u._) ~white & poppe, ltd.~, lockhurst lane, coventry woodnutt & co., st. helens, i.w. ~french.~ amoudruz, rue d' armaillé, paris. (carburateurs "r.v." et "l' econome"). aster (société de construction mécaniques (l')), , rue de la victoire, paris aufiere (ch.), rue de flandre, paris bariquand & marre (société), de oberkampf, paris bellan et frantz, avenue de villiers, paris. ("le va-partout.") bourrienne, impasse amelot, paris breuzin (ed.) fils, - rue morand, paris briest, rue de rennes, nantes brousset (f.), rue leprince, nogent-sur-marne. ("normal" & "lion"). caillette et narÇon, rue de la plaine, paris charron, ltd., rue ampère, puteaux claudel (henri), rue des arts, levallois-perret clerc & quantin, rue tandou, paris cottin & desgouttes, place de bachut, lyon emmel (a.), boulevard raspail, paris evens, nolo & cie, , avenue st-ouen, paris filtz (j.), avenue du roule, neuilly-sur-seine gautreau fréres, dourdan goubert, rue du pont, arles grianoli (Étabs. l.), boulevard magenta, paris grouvelle (j.) h. arguembourg & cie, rue du moulin-vert, paris. ("_g. a._") harding (h. j.), _bis_, rue du débarcadere, paris. (_j.a.p._) janvier (v.), rue d'alésia, paris. ("_véji._") jangey (p.) et cie, _bis_, rue saint-didier, paris joly frÉres, rue marcadet, paris jullian frÉres & herault, beziers laurent frÉres, plandher-les-mines longuemare (f. & g.) freres, rue du buisson-st-louis, paris martha (l.), rue du champ-les-mines, paris meneveau & cie, rue des trois-bornes, paris meriot (l.), _bis_, rue de' taillandiers, paris panhard-levassor (etablissements), avenue d'ivry, paris pascaud, boulevard magento, paris pilain (soc.), chemin de monplasir à grange-rouge, lyon pouderoux (l.), rue waldeck-rousseau, paris progressa (soc.), passage moitrier, levallois-perret schmitz (j.) & cie, rue saussier-leroy, paris storr & cie, rue saussier-leroy, paris stromberg motor devices manufacturing co., michigan avenue, chicago, u.s.a. tollet & cie, rue de la charité, lyon vaurs, rue brunel, paris vautrian (l.), rue brunel, paris. ("_claudet._") vitu (p.), villa aline, rue des soupirs, epinal wagner, galeme de la madeleine, paris zenith (soc. du carburateur)-- chemin feuillat, lyon-monplasir rue denis-poission, plancher-les-mines ~german.~ dulong, lingstrasse, berlin escher (b.), sachsische werkzeug maschinenfabrik, chemnitz "ideal" metallwarenfabrik, opladen (_ideal a.g._) neue vergaser gesellschaft, urbanstrasse, berlin ~swiss.~ wagner (soc. d' ind., suisse d'outillage), bate ~u.s.a.~ beckly ralsdon. lake street, chicago breeze carburetter co., halsey street, newark, n.y. buffalo carburator co., main street, buffalo, new york byrne, kingstone & co., kokomo, ind. goldberg motor car devices mfg. co., michigan avenue, chicago heitger carburetter co., west south street, indianopolis holley bros. co., beaubien street, detroit, mich. kalamazoo carburetter co., kalamazoo, mich. marvel manufacturing co., s. meridion street, indianopolis myers (a. j.), west th street, new york. (_g. & a._) speed changing pulley co., washington st., indianopolis. (_speed_). stromberg motor devices manufacturing co., michigan avenue, chicago, london, d.e. (_t.m._) western motor co., logansport, ind. wheeler & schebler, indianopolis ~fabrics for aeroplanes and dirigibles.~ ~austrian-hungarian.~ metzeler & cie, konigstrasse (gummihof), vienna vi. ~belgian.~ dupt (a. d.), avenue de keyser, antwerp englebert fils & cie, rue des vennes, liege ~british.~ accordion boat co., tufton st., westminster, london, s.w. "aeroplatte." (see rogers bros.) automobile & aerial supply co., norwich union buildings, piccadilly, london, w. avon india rubber co., ltd., melksham, wilts benetfink & co., ltd., cheapside, london, e.c. beney (r.) & co., carlisle st., oxford st., london, w. clarke (t. w. k.) & co., kingston-on-thames ~continental tyre & rubber co., (great britain) ltd.~, clerkenwell road, london, e.c. dunlop rubber co., ltd., manor mills, aston, birmingham frankenburg & sons, ltd., salford, lancashire "harts," liverpool street, e.c. hutchinson aero cloths, basinghall street, london, e.c. ioco proofing co., ltd., , fraser street, bridgeton, glasgow imperial tyre & rubber co., brook st., holborn, london, w.c. ~jones (bros., ltd.)~, york street, manchester. mclean, mclean & co., - / gracechurch st., london, e.c. new motor & general rubber co., ltd., euston road, london, w.c. north british rubber co., ltd.:-- long acre, london, w.c. castle mills, edinburgh pegamoid (new) ltd., queen victoria street, london, e.c. roe (a. v.) & co., brownsfield mills, manchester ~rogers (bros.),~ mitre court, milk street, london, e.c. ("_aviator_" _ramie_), (_aeroplatte_). spencer (c. g.) & sons, a, highbury grove, london, n. ~danish.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., amaliegade, copenhagen ~dutch.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., prinsengracht, amsterdam ~french.~ alberti (l.) (_harburg-wien_), rue d'enghien, paris ~barbet-massin~, popelin & cie., - rue st. fiacre, paris ~bessonneau~, rue louis gain, angers caoutchouc manufacture (soc. du.), rue notre dame-de-nazareth, paris continental caoutouchouc & gutter percha co., avenue malakoff, paris deville (j.), rue des jeuneurs, paris falconnet-perodeand (Étabs.), place carnot, choisy-le-roi (seine). godard (louis) (etabls. aeronautiques de paris), rue legendre, paris hutchingson (etablts.) , rue saint-lazare, paris metzeler & cie, rue villaret-de-joyeuse, paris michelin & cie, clermont-ferrand, puy de dôme oppenheimer neveu, rue bergere, paris peter (louis), rue de courcelles, paris russian-american india rubber co., rue st. ferdinand, paris sulfimate (service du), boulevard victor hugo, clichy (seine). telephones (soc. indle. des), rue de quatre septembre, paris torrilhon (soc. an. des anciens etab. j. b.), chamaliéres puy de dôme ~valdenaire~ (~h.~) adenet & cie., rue des jeuneurs, paris ~german.~ clouth (franz) (rheinische gummiwaarenfabrik, cologne-nippes) continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., fahrenwalderstrasse, hamburg michelin & cie, frankenalle , frankfort riedinger (august), augsburg, bavaria schuckert & co. (elektrizitats a.g.), nuremburg ~italian.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., via bersaglio, milan michelin & cie:-- via livorno, gia via schina, turin via toro, milan ~russian.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., boiscbaja dmitrovka russian-american india rubber co., tregolnik, , canal abovdny, st. petersburg ~spanish.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., calle fernando el santo, madrid michelin & cie, - calle sagasta, madrid ~swedish.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., riddoregatan , stockholm ~swiss.~ continental caoutouchouc & gutta percha co., lowenstrasse, zurich ~u.s.a.~ baldwin (captain thos. s.), box madison square, new york conover (c. e.) & co. (_naiad_), franklin street, new york continental caoutouchouc & gutter percha co, muskegon, mich. french american balloon co., chouteau avenue, st. louis goodyear tire & rubber co., akron, ohio michelin & cie, milltown (n. t.). "naiad," franklin street, new york stevens (aeronaut leo), box , madison square, new york ~garments for aviation.~ ~austrian.~ baur (r.), rudolfstrasse, innsbruck goldman & salatsch, graben, vienna i. makovsky & co., baumannstrasse, vienna ~belgian.~ depart (au), boulevard anspach, brussels gausset (f.), rue du jardin botanique, liege hoeber & cie, chemin de hall, forest-les-brus reekie (a.), rue royale, brussels ~british.~ aeroplane supply co., ltd., piccadilly, london, w. baker & co., ltd., tottenham court road, london, w.c. ~burberys~ - haymarket, london, s.w. basingstoke dunhill (a.), ltd., euston road, london, n.w. gamage (a. w.), ltd., holborn, london, e.c. harrod's stores, ltd., brompton road, london, s.w. johnston (g.) & co., cannon street, london, e.c. nicoll (h. j.) & co., ltd., regent street, london, w. north british rubber co., ltd., castle mills, edinburgh penton (e.) & son, mortimer street, london, w. piggott (j.), ltd., cheapside, london, e.c. ~rogers~ (~bros.~), mitre court, milk street, london, e.c. (_mascot_ vests), (_aeromac_) samuel (bros.), ltd., ludgate hill, london, e.c. smee (e.), oxford street, london, e.c. ~french.~ aberdeen, rue auber, paris arnoux, boulevard malesherbes, paris audouard, rue du commandant, rivière, paris aux marins, avenue de la grande-armée, paris barban, rue rambuteau, paris bazar de l'hotel de ville, rue de rivoli, paris belle ferniere (la), rue saint-pierre, caon belle jardiniere (la), rue du pont-neuf, paris bernard, rue du faubourg, saint-honoré, paris binet (e.), boulevard diderot, paris bluet, boulevard haussmann, paris boillau (m.), rue d'tory, lyon boinet (g.) & cie, saint-quentin bon marche (le), rue de sèvres, paris bonnet (g.), rue de la bastille, paris bonniol, rue turbigo, paris borowsky, rue d'argout, paris boursin, rue la boéthe, paris brunschwig (ch.), rue des bourdounais, paris burberys, boulevard malesherbes, paris bussey (geo. c.) & cie, rue tronchet, paris busvine & cie, rue marbeuf, paris caoutouchouc manufacture (société du), rue notre dame de-nazareth, paris carnaval de venise (au), boulevard de la madeleine, paris chamanski & bloch, place des victoires, paris chocquenet (v.), rue des jeûneurs, paris chotin (g.), rue des archives, paris ciret (f.) & cie, rue rivoli, paris cook & cie, rue auber, paris crabette, faubourg saint-honoré, paris damerval (a.), rue réamur, paris daroles-vincent, rue de faubourg-du-temple, paris day, rue du faubourg-saint-martin, paris deitz (e.), rue d'aboukir, paris deniau & cie, _bis_, rue de rome, paris dewachter, boulevard voltaire, paris dugas, freres, boulevard sébastopol, paris durot & lery, rue des trois-cailloux, amiens dubessy (j.), villefranche dubreuil & parmentier, rue montorqueil, paris egger & cie, rue de la vrillière, paris esders (maison henri), rue montmartre, paris fashionable house, boulevard montmartre, paris feldstein, rue des marais, paris fraenkel (h.), rue du quartre-septembre, paris galeries lafayette, boulevard haussmann, paris grande maison (a la), rue croix-des-petits-champs, paris halimbourg-akar (etablissements), places des victoires, paris henry-treille, marcigny high-life, rue de richelieu, paris hutchinson (etablissements), rue saint-lazare, paris kriegck & co., rue royale, paris lachassagne (e.), saint-etienne lamblin (a.), rue tiquetonne, paris lamartine, rue des bons-enfants, paris leconge & willmann, rue du renard, paris leon, rue daunou, paris louvre (grande magazines du), rue de rivoli, paris lyon (grand bazaar de), rue de la république, lyon magnant & cie, rue réaumur magne (a.), moulins, france manby, _les_ rue auber, paris marchal (m.), rue le peletier, paris marechal (a.), nevers max-auspitz, rue saint-honoré, paris michel jackson (a.), rue richelieu, paris michel jackson (e.), halluin menagere (À la), boulevard bonne-nouvelle, paris mettez (maison), place de l'hotel de ville, paris molay (jacques), rue du temple, paris mathan (g.), rue saint-sabin, paris nicolle, rue tronchet, paris old england-- boulevard des capucines, paris via nazionale, milan, italy olivieri & co., rue claude-decaen, paris paguin (j.) bertholle & cie, boulevard des capucines, paris paris-tailleur, rue du louvre, paris payen (maison g.), rue de la république, lyon petit matelot (au), quai d'anjou, paris pfeiffr-brunet, rue de l'ancienne-comedie, paris printemps (magasius du), boulevard haussmann, paris rageuneau, avenue de la grande-armée rÉaumur (a.), rue réaumur, paris revillon, freres, rue de rivoli, paris ribby, boulevard poissonière, paris ricour, rue du bouloi, paris roddy, boulevard des italiens, paris roffy, bis, rue du bouloi, paris rousseau, passage du havre, paris royal taylor, avenue de wagram, paris russian american india rubber co., rue saint ferdinand, paris saint, freres, rue du louvre, paris samaritaine, rue du pont-neuf, paris seynoha (f.), rue saint-honoré, paris "sieg," avenue de la grande-armée, paris sorin & marzettier, rue haudaudine, nantes, paris sport (the), boulevard montmartre, paris steinmetz, freres, rue cambronne, paris strom (d. schneider & cie)-- rue de la chaussee-d'antin, paris avenue de la gare, nice telephone (société industrielle des), rue du quartre septembre, paris thiery & sigrand, boulevard sébastopol, paris torrilhon (j. b.), chamalieres trois-quartiers (aux), boulevard de la madeleine, paris tunmer (a.) & co., rue du quartre-septembre, paris veloce-club (au), avenue de la grande-armée, paris vincene, rue du temple, paris vollant (a.), boulevard sébastopol, paris west end tailors, rue auber, paris williams & cie, rue caumartin, paris ~german.~ anwander (a.), sonnenstrasse, munich hertzog (r.), breiterstrasse, berlin ~italian.~ martiny (manufacture), via pietro micca, turin sanguinetti (frat), corso vittorie emanuele, milan ~spanish~ sancha (m.), calle de la cruz, madrid ~swiss.~ geistdorfer & co., paradeplatz, zurich ~u.s.a.~ scandinavian fur & leather co., west rd street, new york ~hangar and shed builders.~ ~british.~ aeroplane supply co., ltd., piccadilly, london, w. harbrow (w.), south bermondsey station, london, s.e. harrison, smith buildings, ltd., vauxhall works, dollinan street, birmingham. humphreys ltd., knightsbridge, london, w. morton, francis & co., ltd., hamilton ironworks, garston, liverpool. ~piggott, bros. & co., ltd.~, , , , bishopsgate, london, e.c. smith (f.) & co., carpenters road, stratford, london, e. wire-wove roofing co. & portable buildings co., queen victoria st., london, e.c. ~french.~ ~bessonneau~-- rue du louvre, paris rue louis gain, angers compagnie aerienne, , avenue des champs, elysees, paris constructions demontables (compagnie des), rue lafayette, paris constructions economiques (société de), avenue de l'opera, paris dubois et cie, rue saint-amand, paris lapeyrere (l.), rue de l'eglise, paris office d'aviation, avenue de l'opera, paris ruberoid (societe du), boulevard beaumarchais, paris sainte-beuve (a.), quai jemmapes, paris ~german.~ muller (a.), fritcherstrasse, berlin-charlottenburg ~hydrogen supplies.~ ~british.~ british hydrogen co. (lane's system), - parliament street, london, s.w. british oxygen co., ltd.:-- elverton st., westminster, london, s.w. saltley works, birmingham great marlborough st., manchester boyd st., newcastle-on-tyne rosehill works, polmadis, glasgow ~knowles' oxygen co., ltd.~, wolverhampton. wolf (j.), seething lane, london, e.c. ~french.~ electrolyse francaise (l'), rue des ecluses, saint martin, paris hydrogÈne pour l'aerostation et l'industrie (soc. francaise de l') (lane's system), boulevard sénart, st. cloud (seine et soise). hydroxgene pur (l') rue de douai, paris marais de lomme, lille (nord) oxydrique francaise (l'), rue nouvelle, paris ~insurance (aviation).~ ~belgian.~ monet (alfred), avenue de cortambert, bruxelles, belgium ~british.~ aeroplane supply co., ltd., piccadilly, london, w. ~bray, gibb & co., ltd.~, sherborne lane, king william street, london, e.c. ~car & general insurance corporation, ltd.~, queen victoria street, london, e.c. dolamore (w. t.), aviation insurance broker, piccadilly, w. forbes (m. w.) & co., queen street, london, e.c. glasgow assurance corporation, ltd., queen street, cheapside, london, e.c. gold (guy), cornhill, london, e.c. kinloch (d. a.), leadenhall street, london, e.c. planche, hearn & co., newgate street, london, e.c. white cross insurance assoc., cornhill, london, e.c. ~french.~ assurance speciales d'automobiles (les) rue taitbout (seine), paris bandu de chantpie (ch.), rue blanche, paris (seine) capron & harel, rue viollet-le-duc, paris casaniva et gribaumont, boulevard maesherbes, paris caubert et garnia (e.), rue moreau, paris fastinger (l.), rue du sentier, paris hancian (g.), omnium des assurance terrestries, rue de chateaudun huret (g.), rue d'amsterdam, paris lauriers (des) et dumont, rue lafitte, paris law-car, rue pergotese, paris le chartir et dardonville, avenue moatespan, paris lefevre (p.), rue villaret-de-joyeuse, paris lloyd (continental), rue druout, paris muller & despierres (g.), rue etienne-marcel, france nicolleau (auguste), rue de la chapelle, paris piefr (g.), boulevard richard-lenoir, paris stevens (pierre), rue bergere, paris terrier (v.), courtier d'assurances, boulevard sébastopol, paris trollet (h.), rue de rome, paris ~lubricants.~ ~austrian.~ gerson boehn & rosenthal, donaueschingenstrasse, vienna xx. ~belgian.~ benzo-belge (la), boulevard du régent, brussels guelette & cie, hug. (_diamond-running oil._) ~british.~ adams british oil co., ltd., plough bridge, deptford, london, s.e. ~anglo-american oil co., ltd.~, billiter street, london, e.c. anglo-bosphorus oil co., ltd., bristol bowring petroleum co., ltd., finsbury court, london, e.c. british monogram oil co., ltd., the vale, acton, london, w. butterworths, ltd., roscoe chambers, liverpool british petroleum co., ltd., fenchurch street, london, e.c. carless, capel & leonard, hope chemical works, hackney wick, london, n.e. county chemical co., ltd., chemico works, bradford street, birmingham dick & co,, ltd., eastcheap, london, e.c. englebert & co., finsbury pavement, london, e.c. grindley & co., ltd., poplar, london, e. kaye (j.) & sons, ltd., high holborn, london, w.c. monovo co., mono works, stewart's road, london, s.w. o'brien (h.f.) & co., broadheath oil works, manchester petroleum co., ltd. (the british), fenchurch street, london, e.c. price's patent candle co., ltd., belmont works, battersea, london, s.w. rose (sir w. & co.), upper thames street, london, e.c. stern-sonneborn (a. g.), royal london house, finsbury square, london, e.c. vacuum oil co., ltd., caxton house, westminster, london, s.w. wakefield (c. c.) & co., cannon street, london, e.c. white, curtain road, london, e.c. wilcox & co., ltd., southwark street, london, s.e. ~danish.~ beauval (de) saxlund, kobmagergade, copenhagen meyer & henckel, kobmagergade, copenhagen ~french.~ acker, rue de bac, ivry port (_auto victoire._) andrÉe (a.) fils (societe anonyme), rue de la tour-des-dames, paris (_volgaline & spidoléine._) amelin & renaud, rue jean-jacques-rosseau, paris american oil co., rue lepeletier, paris badin, rue de la mare, paris bailly, rue de la michodiére, paris bantegnie & nevu, rue bateau, aubervilliers barbat (c.), charenton baud, rue saint-roch, paris baudouin, quai saint-vincent, lyon bedford petroleum co., boulevard hausmann, paris bÉsancon (e.), saint-denis boniface, frères, sotteville-l-rouen bonneville, rouilly & cie, rue du landy, saint-denis borrel & fils, rue de vincennes, bagnolet bouchon & bertrand, rue des bateliers, clichy bougault & cie, boulevard ornano, paris bourgeois-oudry, rue de la paix, vincennes buisine & cie, rue de viarmes, paris burckhardt, rue poliveau, paris (_auto-gazoline._) (_auto-moto._) cabanne-nirouet, route de joinville, champigny-s-marne calisch-oreste, avenue du cog, paris camus, _bis_, rue des rosiers, paris capet, rue de la verrerie, paris cathalifaud, boulevard magenta, paris cauÊt, boulevard pagel, saint-denis cayeux, place de marche-aux-herbes, compiegne chailly, rue catulienne, saint-denis chatelet, rue de fontenay, nogent-sur-marne chaudin & cie, faubourg, saint-denis, paris chemet, route de versailles, boulogne chemin (a.), rue gresset, amiens (_lubrifa._) chichignaud au cornillon, saint-denis chouillou, rue duphot, paris claudy, rue neuve-des-charpennes, lyon colmet & cie, rue de rivoli, paris columbria (soc. des prod. & pub.), rue de paris, saint-denis costadau, rue vendome, lyon (_golden oil._) daniel, . rue villedo, paris. dÉgremont, rue gudot-de mauroi, paris (_lion_.) degueant, avenue lagache, villemonble delage, quai d'issy, issy-les-moulineaux delettrez. rue gide, levallois-perret (_g.d._) deligny, rue de buisson-saint, louis, paris descroix (p.) & lesage, rue de normande asnières dessalle, rue de paradis, paris deutsche (les fils de), rue de châteaudun, paris (_a.d._) (_jupiter._) (_viscositas._) dion bouton (de), quai national, puteaux domont, boulevard ornano, paris drouot, faubourg saint-martin, paris faucher, boulevard sebastopol, paris feigel, rae barbette, paris ferrandon, avenue de valmy, paris ferron, boulevard saint-denis, courbevoie firbach, rue violet, paris floquet, rue de la haie-cog., paris fournier, frères, rue castérès, clichy franco-russe, cie, rue thimonier, paris (_newoléine._) gagnepian, gonnot & cie, rue victor-hugo, levallois-perret galena oil co., paris gamard & laflÈche, rue de thorigny, paris gardair, rue de vaugirard, paris gaubert, avenue de la grande-armée, paris gÉnÉral industrielle (la), boulevard voltaire, paris georgier (a.), route de flandre, bourget girard, rue du gazometre, montreuil (_la becanine_) gonnot, boulevard de la chapelle, paris guillaud & vallat, chemin, saint-matthieu, lyon guillet-pusard, fils et cie, rue poccard, levallois-perret (_royal oil._) guyenot (j.), rue du printemps, paris (_motoléine._) hachard, boulevard, richard-lenoir, paris hamelin, rue rivay, levallois-perret hamelle, quai de valmy, paris (_valvoline_). harmignies, rue de paris, ivry port herzemberg, rue saint-mandé, saint-ouen huiles & graisses industrielles de, rue gambetta, nice (_omnia._) huiles-vitesse (soc. an. des.), rue des minimes, courbevoie industrielle generale (l'), rue la bruyère, paris lacarriÈre & gravelin, rue de neuilly, clichy (_la preferee._) laget, rue lafayette, paris lampe, freres, rue saint-lazarre, paris la selve & bourgeon, chemin des cures, lyon (_auto oil_) lavoix, le bourget lebrasseur & cie, rue de paris, saint-denis lebrasseur, rue de la vega, paris leclerc (c.), rue auger, pantin lenoir, rue michelet, pantin lenormand, avenue saint-germain, puteaux lÉonhard, rue coypel, paris l'heritier & cie, rue de paris, saint-denis lille & bonniÈres, rue des pyramides, paris lubin, rue du liégat, ivry-port lubricating oil co., route de sartrouville, pecg. lyndali & cie, rue taitbout, paris mackay, cité trévise, paris maillet, rue alfred condre, abbeville malicet & blin, avenue de la republique, aubervilliers (_mab._) manÇeau, rue de flanders, pantin marÉchal, avenue du chemin-de-fer, le vestinet martin (v.), boulevard de strasbourg, paris marville & cie, rueil mauprÉ, rue de la chapelle, paris michel, rue ferragus, aubervilliers morin, rue de l'aqueduc, paris nanterre, rue gambetta, nice (_omnia._) nassoy & ribaud, rue charles-nodier, pantin (_colzarine_) nickmilder, rue daquerre, paris noblet, rue pastuer, ivry-port nortz, boulevard sébastopol, paris oleo, rue perrier, levallois-perret (_oleomoto_) oleonnaphtes (societé anoyme), avenue de paris, saint-denis olÉonnaphtes Émulsionnes (societé anonyme), avenue victor-hugo orange & cie, avenue de paris, saint-denis pelon, avenue de la republique, paris pennsylvania oil co., rue sainte-cécile, marseilles petroles oil co., rue fongate, marseilles (_onctua._) peugeot, freres, avenue de la grande-armée, paris valentigney pietraterra (a.), rue des augustins, argenteuil pourcheiroux, rue saint-ferdinand, paris poulet & tayart, avenue de la republique, aubervilliers pradere & cie, rue du -juillet, pre-saint-gervais (_virginia_) quervel, rue du port, aubervilliers (_kervoline_) rastit (h.), rue bicolas, marseilles record, quai gailleton, lyon regnier, fils & rodde, rue etienne-dolet, paris renaud-leveque & cie, rue jean-jacques-rosseau, paris renault (v.), avenue, parmentier, paris revaux, boulevard thiers, amiens ricbourg, quai aux, fleurs, paris rinck, fils, rue de rivoli, paris robert, rue drouot, paris rondel, rue marceau, montreuil rondel (ch.), rue de saint-mandé, montreuil sautet, freres, route d'orléans, montrouge simonet (l.), rue gambetta, nancy simon-roche, bis, avenue du mans, tours (_auto sims_) sivan, place de l'evêsché marques, fréjus (_record, aeroline, motord_) standard oil works, rue d'hauteville, paris storace (b.), rue de paris, nice sylvester (e.), rue nationale, rouen (_w.s._) tesse, rue de surène, paris torre & cie, bis, rue de paris, vincennes tournel, avenue d'italie, paris trabet (l.), rue amelot, paris (_trabeoline_) vacuum oil co., ltd., rue de louvre, paris villeneuve (a.), boulevard saint-jacques, paris wallach & cie, avenue de la republique, aubervilliers wallet, rue rennequin, paris wilsner (g.), rue de neuilly, clichy zemmer, rue petit, paris ~german.~ depauw & cie, rue de la linère, brussels deutsche [oe]lverke, prinz-louis, ferdinandstrasse, berlin petroleum raffinerie, breme (_veloscol_) spilcke, chausseestrasse, berlin stern-sonneborn (a. g.), ritterstrasse, berlin s. sÜddeutsche oelwerke, fribourg-en-brisgau valvoline oil co., hobzbrücke, hambourg vogt & cie, görlitz (_vostol_) ~italian.~ arnoldi & cie, via paolo do cannobio, milan ceccarelli, tedeschi & cie, corso xxii., marso, , milan (_teuff_) corliÈ re, via santa-azata, boulogne foltzer (e.), rivarolo-lugure, genes koch (o.), via abbadesse, milan miragoli & petsatori, foro bonaparte, milan oleum, galleria nazionala, turin petrolio, piazza cinque lampade, genes reinach & cie, via lario, milan (_oleoblitz_) volpato & cie, via santa-maria-fulcornia, milan ~roumanian.~ trajon, bucharest, roumania ~russian.~ chabanian (r.), batoum-bakou kaiser (r.), baku mallard, caucase, batoum nobel, freres, st. petersburg pitoeff & cie, tiflis schibaeff & cie, bakau ter akopoff, place isaac, st. petersburg ~spanish.~ fontagud, fuentes, madrid oleon co., asalto, saragossa usera (de), legdnitos, madrid vacuum oil co., cortes, barcelona ~swiss.~ grisard (g.), route de greuzach, bâle haller, splugenstrasse, zurich heumann (a.) & cie, winterthur huiles minerales, route de frontenex, geneva lambercier (j.) & cie, geneva lumina (s. a.), geneva-vollandes moebius (h.) & fils, bâle omnia (maison), chêne-bourg, geneva schmid, murtenstrasse, berne ~u.s.a.~ dixon (j.) crucible co., jersey-city, new york, (_graphite_) keystone lubricating co., philadelphia white & bagley co., worcester (_oilzum_) ~magnetos.~ ~austrian.~ denes & driedman, mitterbergasse, vienna xviii. erben (s.) & arnold friedmann, stubenring, vienna i. ~belgian.~ bosch magnetos, rue de l'instruction, brussels pernstein (ateliers), rue laporte, liege-nord ~british.~ bosch magnetos-- - newman street, london, w.c. store street, tottenham court road, london, w.c. british tellier co., coburg place, hyde park, london, w. ~eisemann magneto co.~, berners street, london, w. fuller (j. c.) & son, woodland works, wick lane, bow, london, e. ~mea magneto co.~, gresse buildings, stephen street, tottenham court road, london, w. nilmelior (société d'electricité), - alfred place, tottenham court road, london, w.c. riches (g. t.) & co., store street, tottenham court road, london, w.c. simms magneto co., ltd., welbeck works, kilburn, london, n.w. van raden & co., ltd., great heath, coventry. ~dutch.~ bosch magnetos, willem van rijm, keizergracht , amsterdam ~french.~ bardon (l.), boulevard national, clichy baudot et paz, avenue de la grande-armée, paris (_simms._) boin, rue du four, paris bosch magnetos-- depôt avenue de saxe, lyon rue theophile-gautier breguet (maison), rue didot, paris debeauve, rue de sevres, paris (_vestale_) ~eisemann & co.~, lavalette & cie., avenue le choisy, paris extra. (_see_ giffard.) gianoli, boulevard magenta, paris gibaud, rue de faubourg, saint-antoine, paris giffard, rue des pyrénées, paris (_l'extra_) girardeau (a.), rue scribe, paris guenet. rue montmorency, paris guillou, rue de bagneux, montrouge henrique, quai de courbevois, courbevois herdtle & bruneau, rue pelleport, paris hommen (h.), rue de turenne, saint-etienne hydra (société de le magneto), rue charcot, neuilly-sur-seine iliyne-berline, rue des dunes, paris invicta (société) (hamille et cie), rue deves, neuilly-sur-seine juston & cie, rue du chemin-vert, paris ~mea magneto~, feld-dengen, av. malakoff, paris montbarbon (société), bis, rue de villiers, neuilly-sur-seine (_s.a.m._) nieuport (société anonyme des appareils electriques), rue de seine, suresnes nilmelior (société), rue lacordaire, paris simms magneto co., ltd., rue de courcelles, levallois-perret stuart & stichter, avenue des ternes, paris (_splitdorf_) unterberg & helme, rue lafayette, paris (_u.h._) ~german.~ bergmann's industriewerke, gaggneau (_g.m.b.h._) bosch magnetos, hopperlaustrasse, stuggart ~eisemann & co.~, rosenbergstrasse, stuttgart fielder (w.), eisenach (_ruthardt_) haendler (a.), heidestrasse, berlin ~mea~ (_g.m.b.h._), stuttgart rapid accumulatoren & motoren werke, haupstrasse, schoneberg-berlin ruthardt & co., olachstrasse, stuttgart schoeller (a.), frankfort taunus zunderfabrik (_g.m.b.h._), frankfort unterberg & helme, durlach, baden weckerlein & stocker, wodanstrasse, nuremberg (_moris_) ~italian.~ bosch magnetos, via san vittore, milan ~eisemann & co.~, ditta secondo pratti, carlo-alberto, milan lucini (enrico), via petrarca, milan ~swedish.~ bosch magnetos, fritz egnall, norra bantorget , stockholm ~swiss.~ kesserling (f.) & cie, schaffhouse komet, brunaustrasse, zurich ~u.s.a.~ bosch magnetos:-- west st., th street, new york. & west th street, new york. michigan avenue, chicago van ness avenue, san francisco dayton electric manufacturing co., st. clair street, dayton, ohio dow manufacturing co., braintree fawn river mftg. co., constantine, m. fisch (geo. l.), michigan avenue, chicago heinze electric co., lowelle, mass. holtzer, cabot electric co., boston (_h.c._) k.w. ignition co., power avenue, cleveland, ohio ~mea magnetos~, marburg bros., inc., u.s. rubber buildings, new york. also detroit and chicago. motsinger device mftg. co., pendleton, ind. pittsfield spark oil co., dayton remy electric co., anderson, ind. splitdorf co.-- - walton avenue, new york. th street, new york. ~miscellaneous accessories.~ ~belgium.~ wanson (maurice), rue jean stas, brussels ~british.~ aeros, ltd., st. james's street, piccadilly, london. aeroplane supply co., ltd., piccadilly, london, w. british american co., - widdrington road, coventry britannia engineering co. ( ), ltd., britannia works, colchester british emallite co., ltd., regent street, london, s.w. british insulated & helsby cables, ltd., warrington british low accessories co., ltd., great st. helen's, london, e.c. bonn (j.) & co., ltd., new oxford street, london, w.c. bowden patents, ltd., baldwin gardens, london, w.c. brooks (j.b.) & co., ltd., criterion works, birmingham brown (bros.), ltd., birmingham brampton (bros.), ltd., birmingham ~burberrys~, the haymarket, london, s.w. (_aviation garments_) central novelty co., snow hill, birmingham chater, lea, ltd., golden lane, london, e.c. clark (t. w. r.) & co., crown works, high street, kingston-on-thames ~coan~ (~robt. w.)~, goswell road, london, e.c. (_aluminium castings._) cowey engineering co., ltd., albemarle street, london, w. crampton & co., queen victoria street, london, e.c. ~crosley, lockwood & son~, stationer's hall court, london, e.c. (_publishers_) ding, sayers & co., elm gardens, mitcham, surrey dobbie mcinnes, ltd., glasgow, n.b. dresser & garle, regent house, regent street, london, w. ~drummond bros., ltd.~, ryde's hill, guildford ~eisemann magneto co.~, berners street, london, w. essex accumulator co., grove green road, leytonstone, london, n.e. evans (geo.) & co., albany street, regent's park, london, n.w. flather (w. t.), ltd., standard steel works, sheffield fraser begg & co., ilford. fonteyn & sons, newman street. london, w. foulis (wilfred), ltd., sunbury news, belford road, edinburgh general aviation contractors, ltd., regent street, london, s.w. ~geographia designing & publishing co., ltd.~, strand, london, e.c. (_maps, etc._) haim (n. s.), mark lane, london, e.c. handley page, ltd., victoria street, london, s.w. harris & samuel, dean street, oxford street, london, w. ~hasler telegraph works~, victoria street, london, s.w. (_indicators_) helleken, ltd., upper thames street, london, e.c. hill (rowland) & sons, ltd., albion foundry, coventry hobson (h. h.), ltd., vauxhall bridge road, london, s.w. hora (e. & h.), ltd., - , peckham road, london, s.e. ~hoyt metal co. of gt. britain, ltd.~, billiter street, london, e.c. huntsman (b.), attercliffe, sheffield hurlin (j.) & son, cambridge road, london, e. jennings, guilding & co., southgate street, gloucester ~jones bros., ltd.~, york street, manchester (_fabrics, etc._) kalker (e.) & co., much park street, coventry kempshall tyre co., trafalgar buildings, london, w.c. kirkby banks screw co., ltd., meadow lane, leeds lamplough & sons, ltd., albion works, cumberland park, london, n.w. ~mallinson (wm.) & sons~, - hackney road, london, n.e. marsh (bros.) & co., ltd., ponds steel works, sheffield markt & co., city road, london, e.c. ~mea magneto co.~, gresse buildings, stephen street, tottenham court road, london, w. melhuish (r.), ltd., fetter lane, london, e.c. mellin (f.) & co., salisbury road, kilburn, london m. p. g. co., tollington park, london, n. mogul tyre co., ltd., carlton house, regent street, london, w. motor accessories co., great marlborough street, london, w. motor aviation co., ltd., martin's lane, london, w.c. nobles & hoare, ltd., cornwall road, stamford street, london, s.e. north british rubber co., ltd., castle mills, edinburgh ~owen (joseph) & sons, ltd.~, a borough high street, london, s.e. (_aeroplane woods_) palmer (l. n.), a trevelyan road, tooting, london, s.w. palmer tyre co., ltd., shaftesbury avenue, london, w.c. ~piggott bros. & co., ltd.~, , , , bishopsgate, london, e.c. poldi steel works, napier street, sheffield randall (j. h.) & co., green street works, paddington green, london, w. reason mnftg. co., ltd., lewes road, brighton renold (hans), ltd., progress works, brook street, manchester roe (a.v.), gt. ancoats street, manchester ~rogers bros.~, aldermanbury, london, e.c. (_fabrics, etc._) rollett (h.) & co., "avia works," coldbath square, rosebery avenue, london, e.c. ross, courtney & co., ltd., ashbrook road, upper holloway, london, n. rubery, owen & co., darlaston, staffs. rutt (a.) cannon road, bromley schaffer & budenberg, whitworth street, manchester seebohm & duckstahl, ltd., dannemora steel works, sheffield short (bros.), eastchurch, sheppey smith (f.) & co., ltd., wire manufacturers, caledonia works, halifax snowden & sons, norwood road, london, s.e. spear & jackson, ltd., aetna works, sheffield spiral tube & components co., caledonian street, king's cross, london, n. spencer moulton (g.) & co., ltd., - cannon street, london, e.c. stewart & clarke mftg. co., denmark street, charing cross, london, w. ~thorn & hoddle acetylene co., ltd.~, victoria street, london, s.w. timperley (chas. b.), b snow hill, birmingham tormo mftg. co., bunhill row, london, e.c. united motor industries, ltd., - poland street, london, w. universal aviation co., piccadilly, london, w. van de raden & co., ltd., great heath, coventry ~vandervell (c. a.) & co.~, warple way, acton vale, london, w. venesta, ltd., eastcheap, london, e.c. warwick wright, ltd., high street, manchester square, london, w. webster & bennett, ltd., atlas works, coventry west london scientific apparatus co., ltd., premier place, high street, putney, london, w. whiteley exerciser ltd., - southwark bridge road, london, s.e. ~whiteman & moss~, moor street, cambridge circus, london, w.c. ~french.~ acieries de firminy, firminy, loire bardou, clerget & cie, boulevard sebastopol, paris ~bessoneau~, rue du louvre, paris blot-garnier & chevalier, rue beudant, paris borde (i.), boulevard, haussmann, paris borel et cie, chemin de pré-gaudry, paris carpentier (j.), rue delamore, paris chapman (h.), rue laffitte, paris cacatre, boulevard saint-jacques, paris ~doutre (la ste. an des appareils d'aviation)~, rue tait bout, paris ducomet, rue d'abbeville, paris gaudet (a.), avenue de montreuille fontenay-sous-bois, seine giraud (ainé), rue greffulhe, levallois-perret godard (louis), rue legendre, paris gomes (a. c.) & cie, boulevard haussmann, paris grossiord (a.), saint-maurice, seine hannoyer (f.), avenue parmentier, paris hue (e.), rue des archives, paris ladis lewkowicz, ervauville, loviet lefebvre & cie, avenue de la république, paris levesques, rue des haudriettes, paris lunken valve co., boulevard voltaire, paris maxant, rue belgrand, paris mazellier et carpentier, rue delambre, paris pareme (j.), rue lafayette, paris pelon, avenue de la république, paris peltret & lafage, rue des rigoles, paris pere (j.), boulevard magenta, paris poirelle (vve) & dourde, place thorigny, paris protais, rue montbrun, paris richard (j.)-- rue melingue, paris rue halevy, paris roebling's (j. a.) & sons co., trenton, new jersey schaeffer & budenberg, boulevard richard-lenoir, paris seebohm & dieckstahl, rue sanite-ann, paris societe generale d'appareils de controle, rue de la convention, paris ~valdenaire (h.), adenet & cie~, , rue des jeûneurs, paris (_fabrics_). ~german.~ bamberg (carl), berlin-friedenau basse & selve, altena bunge (b.), oranienstrasse, berlin, so. deutchen waffen-v-munitionsfabriken, dorotheenstrasse - , berlin n.w. ~eiseman magneto co.~, rosenbergstrasse, nuremberg. fuess (r.), steglitz hackenschmidt (ch.), kramergasse, strasbourg ~mea magneto~, s. union werke g.m.b.h. feurbach-stuttgart spindler & hoyer, goettingue ~u.s.a.~ bretz (j. s.), & co., times buildings, byrant brown & co., clinton st., syracuse, new york california aero mftg. & supply co., - golden gate avenue, san francisco church aeroplane co., brooklyn, new york deltour (j.), inc., th avenue, new york frasse (peter a.) & co., commerce street, philadelphia pedersen manufacturing co., - , first avenue, new york pennsylvania rubber co., jeannette, pa. rubel (r. o.), louisville, ky. rudolph (w. f.), broad street, pa. scott, bros., cadiz, ohio stupar, erie avenue, chicago weaver-ebling automobile co., broadway th street, new york wittemann (c. & a.), - ocean terrace, staten, st, new york willis (e. j.) & co., chambers street, new york wilson & silsby, yacht sailmakers, rowe's wharf, boston, mass. ~packers and shippers.~ ~british.~ aeroplane supply co., ltd., piccadilly, london, w. carburine. (see gas lighting improvement co.) dresser & garle, regent house, regent street, london, w. mount (j. c.) & co., , grosvenor road, london, s.w. ~french.~ bravard, rue de l'arbre-sec lyon, rhone gerfaud (c.), rue du chateau-d-eau, paris langstaff, ehrenberg & pollack, rue d'enghien, paris paysse & cie, rue amperé, paris ~italian.~ ambrossetti (g.), via nizza, turin ~u.s.a.~ brine (b. s.), transportation co. ~patent agents (aerial specialists).~ ~belgian.~ hamel (j.), liege wunderlich & cie., brussels. ~british.~ brewer & sons, chancery lane, london, w.c. chatwin, herschell & co., grays inn road, london, w.c. edwards (arthur) & co., chancery lane station chambers, holborn, london, w.c. markham & france, dudley house, southampton rogers (f. m.) & co., finsbury pavement, london, e.c. roots (j. d.) & co., thanet house, temple bar, london, e.c. ~stanley popplewell & co.~, chancery lane, london, w.c. thompson (w. p.) & co., high holborn, london, w.c., and lord street, liverpool withers (j. s.) & spooner, high holborn, london, w.c. ~french.~ armengaud, paris bletry (c.), boulevard de strasbourg, paris brandon frÉres, paris dupont & elluin, bd. bonne-norwelle, paris jouve (ad), marseilles mestral & harlÉ, rue de la rochefoucault, paris picard, rue st. lazare, paris. weismann & marx, rue d'amsterdam, paris ~german.~ ansbert verreiter, berlin w. bezugsquellen-auskunftei, berlin. ~italian.~ barzano & zanardo, via bagutta , milan ~spanish.~ bolibar (g.), barcelona. ~u.s.a.~ evans (victor j.) & co., - , ninth st. n.w. washington, d.c. owen (richard b.), dept. , owen building, washington, d.c. parker (c. l.), mcgill building, washington, d.c. ~petrol.~ ~austrian.~ lederer (w.) (_galizche karpathen petroleum a.g._), galicia naphte ungarische, vaczi-korut, budapest, hungary russian-american oil co., zozsef, budapest viii., hungary ~belgian.~ belgian benzine co. (_motogazolin_), haren-nord mottay & piscart (_motocarline_), haren-nord-lez-brussels ~british.~ ~anglo-american oil co., ltd.~, - queen anne's gate, westminster, london, s.w. (_pratt's_) bowleys & son, wellington works, battersea, london, s.w. bowring petroleum co., ltd., , billiter avenue, e.c. british petroleum co., fenchurch street, london, e.c. (_shell_) carless, capel & leonard, hope chemical works, hackney wick, london, n.e. gas lighting improvement co., ltd. (_carburine._)-- bishopsgate street without, london, e.c. royston castle, shore road, granton, edinburgh petroles de grosnyi (russie) (p.g.r.), leadenhall street, london, e.c. ~british colonies, etc.~ wilson (j.), rue common, montreal, canada ~danish.~ beauval & saxlund, kobmagergade, copenhagen meyer & henckel, kobmagergade, copenhagen ~french.~ deutsch (les de) (_moto-naptha_), rue de chateaudun, paris fanto (cie des petroles), rue st. lazare, paris fenaille & despeaux (_benzo moteur_), rue de conservatoire, paris firback (e.), rue violet, paris gerfaud (c.), rue du chateau-d-eau, paris grammont (raffineries) (_lesourd_), tours guilland & vallet, chemin st. mathieu, lyon langstaff, ehrenberg & pollack, rue d'enghien, paris lassailly (l.), rue d'oney, vitry, seine lille, bonnieres et colombes (soc. anym.) (_vaporine & spiritol_), rue des pyramides, paris naphte caspiebbe et de la mer noire (société), rue lafitte, paris petroles (cie generale des) (_naphtacycle_), rue fongate, marseilles petroles (cie industrielle des), rue blanc, paris petroles de binagadi bakou (soc. des), place des vosges, paris raffinerie de petrole du dunquerque (energie) (_touriste_), rue joubert, paris raffinerie de petrole du nord, rue d'enghien, paris (_eoline_). ~italian.~ arnoldie (g.) & cie, via pavlo da cannobis, milan petroli d'italia (soc.) (_italia_), via andegari, milan petrolio (soc. ital. americana), piazzi cinque lampa, genoa ~roumanian.~ aquila, franco-romana, bucharest etoile roumaine, bucharest ~russian.~ kaiser (b.), baku nanoyan & cie, batum pitoeff & cie, taflis schibaeff & cie, baku ter-akopoff, place isaac, st. petersburg ~spanish.~ catasus & co., colon, barcelona desmaris freres, rue claire, madrid fourcadey provot, calle de fernaflor, madrid vilella, tarragona ~swiss.~ huiles minerales (societe suisse pour le commerce de), route de frontenex, geneva ~u.s.a.~ ellis & co., broadway, new york petroleum oil trust, william street, new york pure oil co., william street, new york ~propellers.~ ~belgian.~ wanson (maurice), rue jean spas, brussels ~british.~ avro. (see roe (a.v.) & co.) beney (r.) & co., carlisle street, oxford street, london, w. ~blackburn~ (~b.~), balm road, leeds ~british & colonial aeroplane co., ltd.~, bristol brown bros., ltd., - great eastern street, london, e.c. clarke (t. w. k.) & co., clarges street, london, w. dover aviation co., ltd., dover (_normale_) general aviation contractors ltd., regent street, london, s.w. (_rapid_) grahame-white (c.) & co., ltd., albemarle street, piccadilly, london, w. handley page, ltd., victoria street, london, s.w. harris & samuels, dean street, oxford street, london, w. holland & holland, - oxford street, london, w. ludwig loewe & co., ltd., - farringdon road, london, e.c. madison dynamo electric co., littleover, derby macfie (r.f.) &. co., norwich union chambers, st. james' street, london, w. motor accessories co., great marlborough street, london, w. ~piggott~ (~bros.~) ~& co., ltd.~, - - bishopsgate, london, e.c. roe (a. v.) & co., brownsfield mills, manchester smith & dorey (g. h. & w. h.), ltd., a great marlborough street, london, w. spencer & sons (c. g.), a, highbury grove, london, n. twining aeroplane co., b grosvenor road, hanwell, london, w. webb, peet & co., gloucester w.b.g. (see wilson, bros. & gibson) wilson (bros.) & gibson, twickenham (_w. b. g._) wright (howard t.) (see howard wright) wood (t.b.), littleover works, derby ~french.~ appareils aÉriens (société de construction d'), rue du bois, levallois-perret avia (société générale d'industrie aéronautique), rue de provence, paris baudot & paz, avenue de la grande armée, paris baujard (claude), , faubourg sainte-antoine, paris (_eola_) brequet (louis), boulevard vauban, douai chauviÈre (l.), rue servan, paris (_integrale_) cherville (m.), place de l'odéon, paris. dorey (w.h.), rue torricelli, paris durville (p. n. g.), rue jouffroy, paris. eola (_see_ baugard) esnault-pelterie (etablissements), rue de silly, billancourt (_r.e.p._) godard (louis), rue legendre, paris helice (e.t.m.), paris ingenieur, rue cassette, paris kapferer (m.), avenue de messine, paris (_aero-propulser_). (_a.p._) koechlin (p.), rue denfert-rochereau, boulogne, s. labanhie et ruther, rue de seine, suresnes letord & niepce, rue paira et terre-neuve, mendon _(dargent)_ liore, _bis_, rue de cormeille, levallois-perret panhard & levassor (société des anciens Établissements), avenue d,'ivry, paris passerat & radiquet (Établissements), rue michel-bigot, paris _(progressive)_ pelliat (l.), grand rue, asnières (_rationnelle_) peyzaret-parant, _bis_, rue louis-philippe, neuilly-sur-seine, paris ratmanoff, rue eugène-eichenberger, piteaux _(normale)_ rÉgy freres (les fils de), et rue de javel, paris r. e. p. (_see_ esnault-pelterie) rossel-peugot, sochaux, près montbéliard (doubs) (société anonyme des constructions aériennes) tellier (chantiers), juvissy thomas, rue des tanneries, paris vinogradow (michel), quai d'issy, issy-les-moutisn voisin, quai du point-du-jour, billancourt vuitton (louis), rue scribe, paris ~german.~ erste-deutsche automobil-fachschule, mainz fichtel & sachs, schweinfurt a.m. parseval, bitterfield schlotter (g.a.), dresden-a. ~u.s.a.~ aerial propeller co., white plains, new york american propeller co., washington, d.c. (_paragon_) brauner (p.) & co., - east nd street, new york craftsman perfect propellers, erie avenue, chicago detroit aeronautic construction co., holcomb avenue, detroit, michigan duquet (l. g), w. th street, new york green (rurl. h.), delta buildings, los angeles, cal. holbrook aero. supply co., joplin, mo. requa-gibson, west th street, new york stupar (m.), erie avenue, chicago wilcox propeller, box madison square, new york ~radiators.~ ~belgian.~ tolÉrie automobile belge, rue des boyards, liège ~british.~ albany manufacturing co., willesden junction, london, n.w. coventry motor fitting co., far gasford street, coventry doherty motor components, ltd., coventry lamplough & son, ltd., willesden junction, london, n.w. (_lamplough-albany_) motor radiator manufacturing co.:-- parkside, coventry tanner street, bermondsey, london, s.e. spiral tube & components co., caledonia street, king's cross, london, n. ~french.~ arquembourg (louis), faubourg, saint-denis, paris banneville, rue saint-maur, paris bardou (e.), rue victor-hugo, levallois-perret baudier (ch.), - rue baudin, levallois-perret bisiaux, rue petit, paris bonfils, avenue de saint-mandé, paris brachten et gallay, bellegarde champesme, rue la vieuville, paris charoy (g.) et cie, boulevard voltaire, paris chausson frères, rue malakoff, asnieres chirol & cie, rue de lorraine, levallois-perret choubersky (société anonyme des etablissements), rue félicien-david, paris cochaux (emile), deville darbilly (j.), boulevard pereire, paris desnoyers freres, boulevard richard-lenoir, paris durand, giroux & cie, rue saint-marri, paris electric acetylene (l.), rue balay, saint-etienne eloy (lucien), rue louis soyer, villemonble entrepot metallurgigue (l.), passage de l'industrie, paris establie freres et louis establie, quai de valmy, paris frees (de), rue de recroy, paris furest (g.) et cie, boulevard henri-iv., paris gay et bourgoens, rue louis-blanc, lyon goudard mennesson, rue de montreuil, paris grimmeisen (ch. & g.), et passage piver, faubourg du temple, paris grenier & mercier (societÉ anonyme des etablissements), avenue de bouvines, paris grouvelle, arquembourg et cie, rue du moulin-vert, paris (_arécal_) laeis & cie, rue de villiers, levallois-perret lambert (p.) et cie-- rue de paris, puteaux rue vitruve, paris le brun et lecomte, rue victor-hugo, puteaux liotard freres, rue de lorraine, paris lorthioy (e.), avenue du clos, st. maur-les-fosses marchal (a.), rue de l'hotel-de-ville, neuilly-sur-seine montbarbon (société anonyme), _bis_, rue de villiers, neuilly-sur-seine (_loziano_) monnet & moyne, rue torricelli, paris moreux (g.) & cie, rue fromont, lyon (_g.m._) ossant freres, rue arago, puteaux prini et berthaud, rue servan, paris proux, boulevard pont-ochard, poitiers radiators et rÉfrigÉratuers (société des), rue de la chapelle, saint-ouen (_sans soudure_) schley (a.) et cie, rue saint-maur (_loyal_) serroval (de) et masse, rue david, lyon topolski, boulevard de belleville, paris vigneaux, rue bacon, paris ~italian.~ algostino, balagna, magnino & cia, madama cristina, turin bono & co. (societa italiana), corso porta, vittoria, milan galimberti, via senato, milan ~spanish.~ corominas (ricardo), torrente de la olla, barcelona ~swiss.~ henneberg & dey, à la jonction, geneve-frontenex ~u.s.a.~ aerial navigation co., of america, girard, kansas (_call._) el. arco co., east st street, new york kinsey mftg. co., dayton, ohio livingstone radiator co., east st street, new york long mftg. co., michigan avenue, chicago mayo radiator co., new haven, con. mccord & co., and old colony buildings, chicago motor components mftg. co., e. walnut street, desmoines, iowa rome-turney radiator co., east st street, new york wolverine radiator co., sidney avenue, detroit, mich. ~alphabetical index of aeroplanes.~ abbreviations:--aust=austro-hungarian; bel=belgian; brit.=british; ger.=german; ital.=italian; jap.=japanese; rou.=roumanian; rus.=russian. ~a~ aeros., brit., aerial exhibition co., u.s.a., aerial yacht co., u.s.a., aircraft factory "b. e." brit., aircraft manufacturing co., brit., albatross, ger., american aeroplane supply house, u.s.a., antoni, ital., ask, swede, asteria, ital., aviatik, ger., avro, brit., ~b~ baldwin, u.s.a., bayard-clement, behueghe, bel., benoist, u.s.a., blackburn, brit., blair atholl, brit., bleriot, french, boland, u.s.a., borel, french, bracke, a. bel., breguet, french, bristol, brit., bronislawski, rus., burgess, u.s.a., burgess-curtis, u.s.a., burgess-wright, u.s.a., ~c~ calderara, ital., caproni, ital., caudron, french, chiribiri, ital., christmas, u.s.a., clement bayard, french, cody, brit., cooke, u.s.a., coventry ordnance co., brit., curtiss, u.s.a., ~d~ dahlbeck, swede., d'artois, french, de brouckere, dutch, de la hault, bel., deperdussin, french, donnet-leveque, french, doutre, french, dorner, ger., dunne, brit., dux, rus., ~e~ etrich, ger., etrich, aust., euler, ger., ewen, brit., ~f~ farman, h., french, farman, m., french, ferguson, brit., fokker, dutch, fokker, ger., friuli, ital., ~g~ gallaudet, u.s.a., geltouchow, rus., goedecker, ger., goupy, french, grade, ger., grahame-white, brit., grandjean, swiss., guidoni, ital., ~h~ handley page, brit., hanriot, french, hansa taube, ger., hanuschke, ger., harlan, ger., harel, bel., howard-flanders, brit., ~i~ internat. ae. con. co., u.s.a., ~j~ jatho, ger., jeannin, ger., ~k~ kahnt, ger., kennedy, rus., kirkham, u.s.a., kondor, ger., kuhlstein, ger., ~l~ lake flying co., brit., loening, u.s.a., lohner-daimler, aust., ~m~ mars, ger., martinsyde, brit., mccurdy, canada, mercep, aust., monnier-harper, dutch, morane-saulnier, french, moreau, french, mrozinski, ger., ~n~ narahara, jap., nieuport, french, nyrop, swede, ~o~ oertz, ger., otto, ger., ~p~ paulhan-curtiss, french, pega-emich, ger., piggott, brit., pippart-noll, ger., pischoff, french, ~r~ radley-england, brit., rep, french, rodjestveisky, rus., rumpler, ger., ruth-rohde, ger., ~s~ sanchez besa, french, savary, french, schelies, ger., schultze, ger., sellers, u.s.a., short, brit., sigismund, ger., sloan, french, sloane, u.s.a., sommer, french, sopwith, brit., ~t~ taddeoli, swiss, thomas, u.s.a., tokogawa, jap., train, french, tubavion, french, ~u~ union flugzeugwerke, ger., ~v~ van den burg, dutch, vickers, brit., vinet, french, vlaiclu, rou., voisin, french, vreedenburgh, dutch, ~w~ warchalowski, aust., washington co., u.s.a., wetterwald, swiss, white, brit., whitehead, aust., williams, bel., wittemann, u.s.a., wright, ger., wright, u.s.a., - ~z~ ziegler, ger., ziegler, aust., zodiac, french, ~alphabetical index of dirigibles.~ adjutant reau, french, , adjutant re vincennot, french, , astra, french, astra torres, british, astra torres, french, astra iii, russian, astra transaerien-ville de pau-ville de lucerne, french, astra ville de pau, french, ausonia, italian, beta, british, boemcher ii, austrian, capitaine ferber, french, capitan maréchal, french, citta di milano, italian, clement bayard vi. french, clement bayard, russian, colonel renard, french, , commandant coutelle, french, delta, british, deutschland, german, dupuy-de-lôme, french, eclaireur conté, french, , epsilon, british, ersatz deutschland, german, espana, spanish, fleurus, french, forszmann, russian, gamma, british, hausa, german, italia, italian, jastreb, russian, kommissiony, russian, korting-wimpassing, austrian, la belgique ii & iii, belgian, , lebaudy-juillot , austrian, lebedj, russian, leonardo da vinci, italian, le temps, french, liberté, french, lieut. chaure, french, , l i, german, l ii, german, le temps, french, liberte, french, m i, german, m ii, german, m iii, german, m iv, german, mannsbarth, austrian, p i, german, p ii _ersatz_, german, p iii, german, p iv, german, p. l i, german, p. l , german, p. l xii, german, p. l , german, parseval, austrian, parseval, british, parseval, german, , , , , parseval, italian, parseval, japanese, ruthenberg ii, iii, german, sachsen, german, schütte-lanz i & ii, german, s. l i, german, s. l ii, german, selle de beauchamp, french, spiess, french, stollwerck, german, suchard, german, s. i. ii, german, suchard, german, torres-quevedo ii, spanish, transaerienne ii, french, usuelli, italian, vanniman, viktoria luise, german, ville de bruxelles, belgian, ville de lucerne, french, ville de paris, french, willows, british, yamada, japanese, z i, german, z ii, german, z iii, german, z iv, german, zeppelin, german, , , zodiac iii, french, zodiac xii, french, the celebrated "bristol" aeroplanes. contractors to the majority of leading governments of the world. contractors to h. m. war office and admiralty. =learn to fly= at the _"bristol schools"_ at salisbury plain and brooklands. =tuition= _is given on all the latest type "bristol" machines, including:_ _ h.p. military monoplanes._ _ h.p. military monoplanes._ _ h.p. side-by-side school monoplanes._ _tractor biplanes & school biplanes._ special facilities and reduced fees to service officers. write for information: the british & colonial aeroplane co., ltd., filton, bristol, eng. "empyrean" policy _insuring pilots of aeroplanes against_ fire & explosion. accidental damage. damage during transit. third party claims. injury to pilots. injury to employees. [illustration] car & general insurance corporation, limited. head office: , queen victoria street (bank), london, e.c. net income, £ , . liquid assets nearly £ , . _branch offices._ ~aberdeen~-- , union street ~bedford~-- , st. paul's square ~birmingham~--prince's chambers, corporation street ~bradford~--prudential buildings, ivegate ~brighton~-- , queen's road ~bristol~--west india house, bristol bridge ~cardiff~-- , bank buildings (ground floor), st. mary st. ~croydon~-- , north end ~dublin~-- , dawson street ~dundee~-- , barrack street ~ealing~-- , the broadway ~edinburgh~-- , shandwick place ~exeter~-- , gandy street ~glasgow~-- , west george street ~hanley~--p.o. chambers, crown bank ~hull~--walton chambers, jameson street ~ipswich~--st mildred's chambers, cornhill ~kent~-- - , high street, bromley ~leeds~--yorkshire post chambers, albion street ~leicester~-- , horsefair street ~liverpool~-- , south john street (lord street corner) ~london, n.e.~-- , high street, shoreditch ~" mid.~-- , strand, w.c. ~" s.~-- , great dover street, s.e. ~" s.w.~-- , great dover street, s.e. ~" w.~-- , albemarle street, piccadilly ~manchester~-- , princess street, albert square ~newcastle~--pearl buildings, northumberland street ~northampton~--market square ~nottingham~--westminster buildings, theatre square ~plymouth~-- , old town street ~reading~--broadway buildings, station road ~richmond~-- , hill street ~sheffield~--king's chambers, angel st. ~southampton~--blenheim chambers, above bar (the junction) _we are the pioneers and leaders in all insurance facilities for motorists._ more than money indemnity. our ~ ~ branch offices in charge of skilled salaried official, our engineering staff wholly in the service of the corporation, our expert claims staff everywhere, and the fact that we are the pioneers and originators of all the insurance facilities now enjoyed by motorists, enable us to offer something more than money indemnity; we can, and do, protect a motorist in a thousand ways, unobtainable elsewhere, by means of our experience and splendid organisation, and yet we only charge ~competitive rates of premiums~. alphabetical list of advertisers. page anglo-american oil co., ltd. xii barbet-massin, popelin & cie (_france_) xi blackburn aeroplane co. vii branger (_france_) xiii bray, gibb & co., ltd. ix british & colonial aeroplane co., lt inside front cover burberrys' vii car & general insurance corporation, ltd. ii coan, robert w. vi continental tyre & rubber co., (gt. britain) ltd. vii cox, g.h. & co., ltd. vi crosby lockwood & son vi doutre, appareils d'aviation (_france_) v drummond bros., ltd. viii eisemann magneto co. xii _fighting ships_ xiv "geographia," ltd. vi hasler co., the viii howard-flanders, l., ltd. xi hoyt metal company of great britain, ltd. vi jones brothers, ltd. xi kemp machine works (_u.s.a._) xiii knowles oxygen co., ltd. vii mallinson, wm. & sons, ltd. ix martin & handasyde x mea magneto co., ltd. xiii owen, joseph & sons, ltd. xi piggott bros. & co., ltd. xi pratt's motor spirit xii rogers brothers xi & xiv sampson low, marston & co., ltd. xiv sopwith aviation co. ix stanley, popplewell & co. vii thorn & hoddle acetylene co., ltd. viii valdenaire, h., adenet & cie (_france_). xiii vandervell, c.a. & co. viii vickers, ltd. xv white & poppe, ltd. vii whiteman & moss, ltd. viii wolseley tool & motor car co., ltd. vi classified index of advertisers. ~accessories.~ page anglo-american oil co., ltd. xii barbet-massin, popelin & cie (_france_) xi coan, robert w. vi eisemann magneto co. xii "geographia," ltd. vi hasler co., the viii jones brothers, ltd. xi mallinson, wm. & sons, ltd. ix mea magneto co., ltd. xiii owen, joseph & sons, ltd. xi piggott brothers & co., ltd. xi pratt's motor spirit xii rogers brothers xi & xiv valdenaire, h., adenet & cie (_france_) xiii vandervell, c.a., & co. viii white & poppe, ltd. vii whiteman & moss, ltd. viii ~aeroplane builders.~ blackburn aeroplane co. vii british & colonial aeroplane co. ltd., inside front cover doutre, appareils d'aviation (_france_) v howard-flanders, l., ltd. xi martin & handasyde x sopwith aviation co. ix vickers, ltd. xv ~aluminium.~ coan, robert w. vi ~aviation garments.~ burberrys' vii ~bearings.~ hoyt metal co., ltd. vi ~castings.~ coan, robert w. vi ~carburettors.~ white & poppe, ltd. vii ~dynamos.~ eisemann magneto co. xii ~electric lighting.~ vandervell, c.a., & co. viii ~engines.~ kemp machine works (_u.s.a._) xiii wolseley tool & motor car co., ltd. vi ~fabrics.~ barbet-massin, poplin & cie (_france_) xi continental tyre & rubber co. (gt. britain) ltd. vii jones brothers, ltd. xi rogers brothers xi & xiv valdenaire, h., adenet & cie (_france_) xiii ~flying schools.~ blackburn aeroplane co. vii british & colonial aeroplane co. ltd., inside front cover doutre, appareils d'aviation (_france_) v howard-flanders, l., ltd. xi martin & handasyde x sopwith aviation co. ix vickers, ltd. xv ~garage.~ cox, g.h. & co., ltd. vi ~hangar and shed builders.~ piggott bros. & co., ltd. xi ~hardwoods.~ mallinson, william & sons ix owen, joseph & sons, ltd. xi ~hydrogen.~ knowles oxygen co. vii ~indicators.~ hasler co., the viii ~insurance.~ bray, gibb & co., ltd. ix car & general insurance corporation, ltd. ii ~life saving vests.~ rogers brothers xi & xiv ~machine tools.~ drummond bros. ltd. viii ~magnetos.~ eisemann magneto co. xii mea magneto co., ltd. xiii ~maps (specially designed).~ "geographia," ltd. vi ~motor spirit.~ anglo-american oil co., ltd. xii pratt's motor spirit xii ~patent agents.~ stanley, popplewell & co. vii ~photographer.~ branger (_france_) xiii ~publishers.~ crosby lockwood & son vi "geographia," ltd. vi sampson low, marston & co., ltd. xiv ~stabilisateurs.~ doutre, appareils d'aviation v ~tuition.~ blackburn aeroplane co. vii british & colonial aeroplane co. ltd., inside front cover doutre, appareils d'aviation (_france_) v howard-flanders, l., ltd. xi martin & handasyde x sopwith aviation co. ix vickers, ltd. xv ~welding.~ thorn & hoddle acetylene co., ltd. viii [illustration: _ecole militaire de corbeaulieu._] [illustration: _stabilisateur doutre._] [illustration: _aÉroplane doutre._] _biplans triplaces_ _les mieux construits, les plus surs et automatiquement stabilisés_ _ecole civile et militaire_ _aerodrome de corbeaulieu près compiègne france._ _s^{té} des appareils d'aviation doutre_ _fournisseurs des armées françaises et etrangires._ _le suel_ _stabilisateur_ _automatique pesant_ _tout ÉquipÉ douze À quinze_ _kilogs et ayant fait ses preuves_ _par plus de deux mille vols sans accident._ _applicable À tous les aÉroplanes et hydroaÉroplanes._ _sÉcuritÉ absolue, vol par tous les temps._ catalogue franco sur demande - fetterer directeur gÉnÉral. rue taitbout. paris. tÉlÉph central - . aluminium castings for motors of every description, h.p. to h.p. cast aluminium motor number plates (regulation size). la. r· bright polished figures and beaded edges, with dead black back ground. send for particulars of my new combined touring plate (reg.) telegrams: "krankases," isling, london. telephones: city. central. coan casts clean crank cases on admiralty and war office lists. robert w. coan, _the aluminium foundry,_ , goswell road, e.c. [illustration: the society of motor manufacturers & traders] wolseley light aero motors h.p. and h.p. (water cooled). - h.p. (combined air and water cooled.) catalogue free on application to the wolseley tool and motor car co., ltd. proprietors: vickers, limited, adderley park, birmingham. "geographia," ltd. , strand, w.c. specialists in aviation accessories. alexander cross - anti-drift compass " " - bearing finder " " - map case "geographia" barographs and height recorders. maps for aviators drawn to order. aviation maps from aerodrome to aerodrome always in stock. ask for illustrated price list. telegraphic address:--"geografo, london." telephone city. =g. h. cox & co., ltd.= castle road, southsea, :: hants. :: largest garage in :: the south of england. [illustration: hoyt metal co. london the former unregisterable brand ice - internal combustion engine reg. lining metal hoyt metal co. copper hardened. has been abandoned to imitators.] trial ingots cheerfully supplied. recent||records: a.b.c. (aero) h.p. engine-- hrs. min. talbot h.p. car-- - / miles in hour. peugeot h.p. car-- - / miles in hour. die-cast bearings for repetition work. the hoyt metal co. of great britain, limited. , billiter street, london, e.c. two important books on aviation. pages, with diagrams. crown vo. ~ s. d.~ net. the aviation pocket book for . containing amongst other valuable information, the theory and design of the aeroplane, structural material, examples of actual machines, &c., &c. by r. borlase matthews, a.m.i.c.e., m.i.e.e., _member of the royal aero club_. contents: air pressure and resistance--aeroplane theory and design--structural materials--engines--examples of actual machines--piloting and aerial navigation--meteorological data--military information and signalling--aero clubs and societies--glossary of terms used in flying. extract from reviews: "_... a large amount of information is included in these various chapters and the diagrams and curves used to illustrate the texture some of the plainest and most easily understood that we have ever seen in a book of this class ... generally speaking the data given would appear just such as are not contained in other books of reference._"--engineer. "_the book is one which we are sure many will find useful and convenient._"--engineering. popular edition. pages. illustrations and dimensioned drawings. demy vo. cloth s. net. the art of aviation. a handbook upon aeroplanes and their engines, with notes upon propellers. by r. w. a. brewer, a.m.i.c.e., m.i.m.e., &c. "_... those who for the present have no intention of trusting themselves on the wings of an aeroplane will still find the book of value; those who already are engrossed in the study of aeronautics cannot afford to ignore it._"--engineering. _complete list, post free, from_ london: crosby lockwood & son, , stationer's hall court, e.c., & , broadway, westminster, s.w. _dependability_ in carburettors there is no greater essential than dependability, and-- the dependability of the white & poppe is such as ensures a never-failing and invariable efficiency. that's why it is the favourite with many of the leading airmen of the day. our booklet describes it fully, and we shall be delighted to send you copy. white & poppe, ltd., coventry, eng. _white & poppe carburettor_ burberry aeroplane equipment. ~designed by experts~ is workmanlike both in design and detail, and permits absolute freedom for arms and limbs. made in wind and weatherproof gabardine, lined throughout with camel fleece or quilted eiderdown, it maintains phenomenal warmth under the severest conditions. ~burberry gabardine~ is remarkably airylight, yet affords perfect protection against wind, cold or rain, and is so strong that broken stays cannot penetrate its dense texture. ~mr. c. grahame-white~:--"_i take this opportunity of thanking you for the suit i wore on my memorable flight and feel i cannot recommend the material too highly where warmth and comfort are required._" burberrys haymarket, s.w., london; boulevard malesherbes, paris; basingstoke and appointed agents in provincial towns. [illustration: burberry aeroplane outfit.] specify "continental" rubber-proofed material. it combines maximum resistance with enormous strength, and is unaffected by atmospheric conditions. write for list, free on request. continental tyre & rubber co. (gt. britain) ld. / , thurloe place, london, s.w. blackburn aeroplanes, hydroplanes and propellers. write for prices and particulars to the blackburn aeroplane co., balm rd., leeds. 'phone, central. telegrams: "propellers," leeds. hydrogen guaranteed % pure. lifts - / lbs. per cubic ft. the knowles oxygen co. limited, wolverhampton and bromborough (cheshire). patents. stanley, popplewell & co., =international and - - chartered patent agents.= _ , chancery lane, london, w.c._ _aero and motor patents a specialty._ instructive leaflet free to any address. telephone, central telegrams: "notions, london." estab. . [illustration] we specialise in light machine tools for use in portable workshops, such as are used in connection with aircraft. the above is a photograph of a travelling workshop equipped with our in. lathe and radial drill, both of which tools are fitted with treadle and electric motor drive. full particulars of machines and installations furnished on application. [illustration: in. centre screw cutting, surfacing and boring lathe here shewn, with counter shaft for power. with counter shaft or treadle drive. price £ .] [illustration: light treadle driven radial drill, taking up to in. drills ( / in. shank.) this machine is of special design, a patented form of high speed drive giving ample power for drilling by foot. with treadle and fast and loose pulley. price £ s.] also in., - / in., in., - / in., in. lathes, etc. _drummond bros. ltd., rede works,_ guildford, surrey. 'phone , guildford. telegrams: "lathes, stoughton." "tel" revolution speed indicators. approved and used by the british admiralty. owing to its conjugate movement it is accurate, possesses a uniform graduated dial and is not affected by vibration or variation of temperature. indicates with the same accuracy high and low speeds. independent of variable strains, friction. not damaged should maximum speed of dial be exceeded. rain and dust-proof. requires no upkeep or adjustment of mechanism. 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[illustration] =_the "martinsyde"_= _ h.p. two-seater, military type monoplane. fuel capacity for hours' flight, at miles per hour._ _messrs. martin & handasyde, brookland aviation ground, weybridge, surrey, england._ _telegraphic & cable address: "martinsyde, weybridge."_ contractors to the war office. _telephone no. byfleet._ "aviator" ramie fabrics for aeroplanes and dirigible balloons. indisputably the ~strongest~, ~most durable~ and ~efficient~ of all known fabrics, and consequently adopted by h.m. war office, and the leading ~aircraft constructors~ of the ~universe~. manufactured from china grass by la maison esnault-pelterie (paris) barbet-massin, popelin & cie, succrs. contractors to the french government. sole agents for the united kingdom, british colonies, and united states of america-- =_rogers brothers,_= _ , aldermanbury,_ _london, e.c._ telephone: central, . telegrams and cables: "egyptillo, london." a.b.c. code used, th edition. write for patterns and particulars. cables and telegrams: "piggott, london." a.b.c. code. th edition. telephone no. london wall (private exchange). piggott brothers & co., limited. portable canvas aeroplane sheds on hire, for prize contests, flying meetings, etc. as used for the gordon bennett and "daily mail" contests, military man[oe]vres, , and the flying meetings at doncaster, burton-on-trent, folkestone, etc., etc. [illustration: photo showing row of canvas sheds as erected at brooklands for the royal aero club, july, .] large stock of goods for hire at prize contests, flying meetings, etc., judges' boxes, pylons, ropes and stakes for course, canvas fencing, signal masts, etc., etc. , , , bishopsgate, london, e.c. _telephone hop. telegrams: "bucheron."_ joseph owen & sons, l^{imited,} supply every description of timber for aeroplanes, hydroplanes, airships. send your enquiries to a, borough high street, london, se. flanders monoplanes & biplanes for land or water. l. howard-flanders, limited, , townshend terrace, richmond, surrey. [illustration] eisemann dynamo although designed for use with accumulators--=gives results without= damaging filaments =without the use of accumulators=. perfectly automatic in action. used on the =zeppelin=. =types= volts amps. volts - amps. eisemann automatic advance magneto used on the mercedes--gnome--schutte lanz--dixi, etc., etc. entirely weatherproof--advances and retards the spark periodicity according to engine revolutions. latest models as used on above engines both single and dual. fullest particulars on hearing from you. the eisemann magneto co. , berners street, w. telegrams:-- roussillon-ox, london. telephone city. a.b.c. code th edition. c. d. c. 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[illustration: bedford new mills, leigh, lancashire.] _the "aero" cotton fabrics for aeroplanes._ h. valdenaire, adenet & cie. paris-- , rue des jeuneurs--paris. tissus de grande rÉsistance fournisseurs habituels des principales marques d'aviation et d'aerostation kemp motors [illustration] are air cooled and are the most efficient, economical and reliable power plants on the market sold at reasonable prices. built in four sizes to meet all requirements from experimental purposes to commercial use. ~full particulars on request.~ kemp machine works, muncie, indiana, u.s.a. "after hours under water" the mea (_the magneto with the bell-shaped magnet_) ran perfectly. 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"fighting ships" naval annual for . founded and edited by fred t. jane, _founder & editor "all the world's aircraft."_ plans, photographs, and all details of every warship in the world. the details of ~ ~ navies are officially revised by order of their respective ministers of marine; ~ ~ others semi-official. special article on "marine engineering in all its branches," by c. de grave sells, m. inst. c.e. london: sampson low, marston & co., ltd. the "mascot" ramie-fibre, rot-proof [illustration] life-saving vest stocked by the leading stores in all countries, or can be purchased direct from the inventors and sole manufacturers-- rogers brothers, manufacturers of "aeroplatte" all-british aircraft fabrics, and the "aeromac" water-proof garments , aldermanbury, london, e.c. _send post-card for full particulars._ telephone, central, telegrams & cables: "egyptillo, london." a b c code used. th edition. vickers limited. aviation school: brooklands. thorough tuition from slow biplanes to fast monoplanes. special terms to naval and military officers. 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[illustration] aeroplanes. all steel-framed monoplanes, biplanes & hydro-planes. aviation department: vickers house, broadway, westminster, s.w. aviation school: brooklands. testing ground: joyce green, nr. dartford. footnotes: [footnote a: twelve of these _b.e._ were held up pending some special steel wire strainers which had been specified.] [footnote b: killed in russia.] [footnote c: this ship has frequently figured as four different dirigibles.] [footnote d: p.l reported sold to turkey, april, .] [footnote e: three other dirigibles, _unger_, _veeh_, and _siemens-schuckert_, are generally credited to germany. of these _unger_ is merely a project. _veeh_ has been talked about for four years, but has never reached completion. _siemens-s._ has ceased to exist.] [footnote f: jezzi lives in england where he is a well known amateur constructor.] courtesy of the digital library@villanova university (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction no. may , five cents motor matt's promise or the wreck of the hawk _by the author of "motor matt"_ [illustration: _slowly and carefully, motor matt went about his work watched breathlessly by carl._] _street & smith publishers new york_ motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction _issued weekly. by subscription $ . per year. entered according to act of congress in the year , in the office of the librarian of congress, washington, d. c., by_ street & smith, _ - seventh avenue, new york, n. y._ no. . new york, may , . price five cents. motor matt's promise; or, the wreck of the _hawk_. by the author of "motor matt." contents chapter i. on the levee. chapter ii. mixed identities. chapter iii. double-trouble. chapter iv. tricked! chapter v. motor matt's promise. chapter vi. dashington dashed. chapter vii. a hard starter. chapter viii. a bullet from below. chapter ix. the wreck. chapter x. the unexpected. chapter xi. a friend from the enemy's camp. chapter xii. the bag of diamonds. chapter xiii. a daring plot. chapter xiv. on the road. chapter xv. a new man takes a hand. chapter xvi. conclusion. the masked light (conclusion). spanish cedar logs. cooking the venison steak. baby ostriches. mink farm in oregon. characters that appear in this story. =motor matt=, a lad who is at home with every variety of motor, and whose never-failing nerve serves to carry him through difficulties that would daunt any ordinary young fellow. because of his daring as a racer with bicycle, motor-cycle and automobile he is known as "mile-a-minute matt." motor-boats, air ships and submarines come naturally in his line, and consequently he lives in an atmosphere of adventure in following up his "hobby." =carl pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking german boy, stout of frame as well as of heart, who is led by a fortunate accident to link his fortunes with those of motor matt. =dick ferral=, a young sea dog from canada, with all a sailor's superstitions, but in spite of all that a royal chum, ready to stand by the friend of his choice through thick and thin. =archibald townsend=, a wealthy though eccentric gentleman, who owns a remarkable submarine boat on which our friends have seen various adventures in the past. =cassidy=, mate of the submarine _grampus_. =whistler=, } =jurgens=, } a trio of rogues bent upon gaining possession of a prize. =bangs=, } =joe dashington=, motor matt's double, who proves how small a matter will sometimes turn a fellow from the wrong road into the right one. =shirley, of scotland yard=, who springs a surprise at the end of the story. =fetterman, assistant chief of police=, who helps the scotland yard man. chapter i. on the levee. "py shiminy grickets!" "well, strike me lucky!" "can i pelieve vat i see mit my eyes, tick, or haf i got der plind shtaggers?" "i'm guessing good and hard, carl. it's main queer, and no mistake." "py all der rules oof der game dot feller iss matt king, oddervise modor matt, oddervise mile-a-minute matt, king oof der modor poys und gaptain oof der air ship _hawk_, aber i bed you i nefer see him like dot pefore." "it's matt, all right, but sink me if i'm not taken all aback by the way he acts. what's come over the old ship to do like that?" it was about half-past four in the afternoon, and carl pretzel and dick ferral were on their way along the water front of new orleans. they had gone into town on an important errand and were now returning to stuyvesant dock, where their air ship was moored and where they had expected to find motor matt. just off the foot of canal street a steamer was loading for false river. four-mule teams attached to heavy drays were backed up to the wharf and long lines of darkies were crossing the gang plank with bags on their shoulders and recrossing empty-handed for other burdens. it was an attractive scene for the two boys and they halted for a few moments to watch; then, suddenly, a big surprise was sprung on them. they saw motor matt, hands in his pockets, loafing along the levee--at least they thought it was motor matt, for the lad was of the same build, the same height and with a face exactly like the young motorist's. carl and dick knew matt so well that they were positive they were not mistaken, but there was something about matt they could not understand. in the first place, matt was slouching along. that wasn't like him, for as a rule he was as spry as a cricket in all his movements. then, again, matt was wearing a slouch hat, a dingy red sweater and frayed corduroy trousers--all as different as possible from the trim young motorist in his leather cap and jacket. but--and this was the most incomprehensible thing to carl and dick--matt was smoking a cigarette. now, motor matt was down on cigarettes good and hard, for he knew the havoc they made with a fellow's constitution, and that no one could keep in the pink of condition if he used them; and yet, there he was with one of the rice-paper things hanging between his lips. small wonder carl and dick were astounded. if a small-sized earthquake had happened along and shaken things up generally the two boys could not have been more astounded. although they were in plain view, yet matt did not seem to notice them. for a while they stared--and then, abruptly, dick had an idea. "he's in disguise," averred dick. "for vy iss he dot?" inquired carl. "it must be he's watching somebody and don't want the fellow to know who he is." "vat a foolishness!" muttered carl. "he can't make some disguises unless he geds anodder face. i vould know dot face oof his anyvere, no madder how he vas got oop, nor how many cigarettes he shmoked. ach, du lieber! i am surbrised ad him, und dot's all aboudt it." "well," continued dick, "this letter of townsend's is important and i've got to get it into his hands. if matt is watching somebody, the thing is to hand him the letter without giving him away. any one seeing us chinning with him would suspect right away that he was our chum, for all three of us are pretty well known up and down the river front." "dot's righdt," said carl. "ve don'd vant to tip off his game oof he iss blaying vone. how ve vas going to gif him der ledder, hey?" "i guess i can do it, but it won't be any first-chop work. i'll give a whistle and make him look this way, then i'll flash the letter, lay it on this bale of cotton, and we'll back off and give him a wide berth." "meppy der feller matt iss vatching vill see you do dot?" "mayhap, but we've got to run the risk. this letter of townsend's, you know, is important and must be acted upon to-night. now listen while i pipe up." ferral put his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. several loungers looked toward the two boys, matt himself shifting his eyes languidly in their direction. ferral at once drew a letter from the breast of his shirt, held it in front of him, cautiously pointed to it as he looked at matt and then laid it on the bale of cotton. it was far from being cleverly done--the very nature of the case, with so many loungers about, put cleverness out of the question. all dick hoped for, however, was that the man matt was watching might not see the move. the work of carl and dick was built entirely on surmises. unable to explain matt's get-up and actions in any other way, they surmised that he must be watching some one; but the biggest surmise--and which, to the boys, seemed no surmise at all, but positive reality--was that the lad was motor matt. matt, hands still in his pockets and cigarette between his lips, shuffled toward the cotton bale. "we've tipped him off," chuckled dick, as he and carl backed away. "he'll fall afoul of that letter, now, and it's up to us to give him a good offing. i hope the move wasn't seen by the swab he's got under his eye." from a safe distance the two boys watched while matt came close to the bale and leaned against it while he picked up the letter. he was amazingly open and aboveboard while he examined that letter. carl and dick thought he would sneak it off the cotton bale, tuck it in his pocket and lounge carelessly away. but they were mistaken. matt held the letter up curiously and turned it around and around in his hand. "well, keelhaul me!" growled dick. "he might just as well tell everybody what we've done as to examine the letter like that. there must be a screw loose in his head! why, i never saw him act like that before. i can't smoke his roll any way you put it." "i vas all mixed oop aboudt it meinseluf," said carl, in a puzzled tone. "he iss acting so keveer as i can't tell. oof he vas keeping drack oof somepody, vy don'd----" just then something happened that caused carl to catch his breath. a startled exclamation escaped dick. in a flash the cotton bale had leaped into flame! wild shouts came from everywhere on that part of the levee. stevedores dropped their burdens, bystanders lost their passive demeanor and teamsters jumped from their trucks. buckets were secured and dipped in the river, and hustled toward the blazing bale with the water. meanwhile, matt had slouched off to a good distance from the fire. while the boys drew nearer and watched excitedly, they saw an officer rush up to their chum, seize the cigarette from his lips and dash it on the planks and crush it under his foot. "can't you read, you idiot?" fumed the officer. "look there!" with his club he pointed to a sign which read, "no smoking." all over the levee there were signs to that effect. no matter which way a fellow turned the curt order, "no smoking," stared him in the face. "aw, forget it!" said matt, with a curt disregard for legal authority that came to dick and carl like a slap in the face. "you're a copper, all right, but you can't get gay with me." this insolence astounded the officer. likewise it served to arouse his temper. "i'll get gay with you, all right, my festive kiskedee," he snapped. "that cigarette of yours set fire to that bale, an' you'll just consider yourself pinched." the officer's hand dropped on matt's shoulder. "you will pinch me, eh?" answered matt. "well, you've got another guess coming!" with that his languid air vanished in a twinkling and he became imbued with the fiercest kind of energy. with a swift leap he wrenched himself free of the policeman's detaining hand. the policeman, with an angry shout, jumped at him, swinging his club. matt's foot went out and the policeman was neatly tripped and measured his length on the planks. this was energy of the kind motor matt could display, upon occasion, but he had never been known to direct it against an officer of the law. nor was motor matt insolent--he had other ways for meeting injustice. astonishment at the swift progress of events and the unheard-of actions of their chum held carl and dick stunned in their tracks. "he iss grazy!" averred carl, with a gasp. "modor matt has gone off der chump! he iss pughouse, yah, so helup me!" "he's all ahoo in his top hammer and no mistake!" agreed dick. "but we've got to help him, carl. we can't stand off and on while matt's in trouble. avast there!" he yelled, running toward the exciting scene. "hold back a minute, officer! sheer off, and keep those men back!" the policeman had scrambled to his feet, and stevedores and bystanders were all making a concerted rush in matt's direction. "yah, yah," taunted matt defiantly. "i'm ready for anything from a fight to a foot race." he was lightning-like in his movements now. pulling over a barrel that stood on end, he rolled it into the midst of his pursuers. half a dozen of them went down in a tangled heap and so interfered with the others that pursuit was, for a moment, checked. matt made the most of this period of grace and ducked away toward canal street. there were two or three carriages at the edge of the wharf, and by the open door of one of them a man was standing. "this way, king!" the man shouted, beckoning. carl and dick saw the fugitive swerve in the direction of the carriage. another moment and he and the man were inside, the door slammed, and the darky on the box whipped away. in less time than it takes to tell it, the carriage was lost in a crowd of vehicles, while dick and carl were gasping on the levee, staring blankly into each other's eyes. chapter ii. mixed identities. "you're all right, neighbor," panted the fugitive as he settled back in the carriage seat. "i was in a tight corner, but the copper hadn't any call to rough things up with me like he did. how did you happen to be handy by and willing to give me a lift?" "i've been watching you for fifteen or twenty minutes," answered the man. "piping me off, eh? why was that? what's your graft, anyhow? put me wise and oblige." "oh, drop it!" said the other disgustedly. "you know me, all right enough. look!" the man wore a black beard. lifting his hands as he spoke he plucked it away, revealing a smoothly shaven face. "recognize me now?" he queried, with a husky laugh. "if i do i'm a geezer," answered the youth. "why the bogus wind teasers? gee, but this is a warm play." "you make me tired!" scowled the man. "my name's whistler, as you know well enough." "whistler, whistler," murmured the fugitive. "on the level, whistler, you've got past my guard. but what's the diff? you're one-two-seven with me for lifting me out of that bunch of trouble. but, tell me, whose game of muggins is this, and what's the stake? anything higher than two-call-five and a quarter to see puts me out of the running. you've heard of the bank that broke the man at monte carlo? well, listen--i'm it. please drop that dizzy front, old fel, and tell me why you're a counterfeit. not being a has-wasser myself, i'm game for anything that promises kopecks, simoleons, or anything white or yellow with the eagle bird and e pluribus get-there on the side. have one?" with two yellow-stained fingers, the youth pulled a cigarette box from under his sweater and offered it to the man. the latter, apparently in a daze, shook his head negatively. with a grin, the fugitive lighted a cigarette and put away the box. "now, whistler," he pattered, "cut away with the straight dope and tell me all about it." whistler narrowed his eyes and studied the fugitive's face for a minute. "you've got more tricks in your basket, matt king," said he, "than i've given you credit for, up to now." "thanks, whistler," drawled the youth, "you'll never hear me putting up a roar when that sort of con talk is shoved at me. yes, indeed, i've gathered much knowledge while knocking about our little planet. experience came to me early and says, 'joe, put your little hand in mine and let's go out and take a bird's-eye view of the universe.' we went. perhaps that's why, at the present speaking, i'm in n. o. all but broke. being bashful and retiring, i don't like to feature myself; but you're keen, whistler, and i couldn't dodge you." the torrent of language flowed steadily, and as it flowed whistler grew more and more surprised. "great jumping je-lucifer!" he muttered. "you've changed a whole lot in the last few days, king. i suppose that happened when you took to cigarettes?" "nay, not according to league rules." the lad allowed a mouthful of smoke to trickle out through his lips and nose. "king, eh?" he went on. "how you do keep handing me the bokays. i was king of the track when i rode the ponies, king of the plungers when i played 'em, and king of the 'bos now they've broke me. oh, yes, call me king by all means." whistler, still staring, sat back and mumbled to himself. "what do you call yourself, _now_?" he asked. "a mistake. i took the wrong turn at the forks of the road. prosperityville lay on the other track and i'm just over the hill from the poorhouse. also i call myself dennis, and i spell it m-u-d. when i was christened they named me joe, and the other part of it was dashington. generally they referred to me as dash. that's about all i amount to, now; just a dash--a straight line that ought to stand for something, but don't." "you're a pretty slick counterfeit yourself, king," laughed whistler. "i never dreamed that motor matt could play himself up like this." "my, my!" murmured joe dashington. "he thinks i'm stringing him! if i'd been careless with the truth he'd have believed me; but now that i'm giving it to him straight, he winks the other eye and drops a mitt on his left shoulder." the carriage came to a stop. joe dashington started up and looked through the carriage window. "have the cops landed on me?" he inquired, "or have we reached the place we're going?" "we've stopped where i wanted to, motor matt," returned whistler. "do you see this?" he lifted a hand from his outside jacket pocket and showed a glimmering bit of steel. "not being blind," answered dash calmly, "i'm wise to the pepper box. ah, ha, the plot thickens! why the gun?" "i said i was watching you, there on the dock," answered whistler sternly, "and i was doing it for a purpose. you were disguised, and i believed then and am of the opinion now that you were trying to find out something about me. i intended going to false river on that boat, but changed my plans when i saw you. you're going to get out here and accompany me into the house before which we have stopped; and you're going to remember, motor matt, that this pepper box is in my pocket all the time, and that i can use it there just as well as though i had it in sight." "yes, yes, this is a funny play, but i'm a passenger, mr. whistler, and you seem to hold all the trumps. i shall be glad to go into the house with you. johnny hardluck has been rubbing my fur the wrong way for days and days, and i'd get heart failure if he didn't keep it up." whistler opened the door with one hand, and he and the youth got out of the carriage, crossed the walk, climbed a flight of steps and vanished into the house. they were met in the hall by a man who showed a good deal of surprise. "great scott, whistler!" fretted the man. "i thought you were on your way to false river, by now." "changed my plan, jurgens," replied whistler. "conduct us into the front room where the light is better. i've a surprise for you." jurgens gave a sharp look in the fugitive's direction, turned and led the way into an apartment where the late afternoon sun rendered objects clearer to the eye. "what!" he cried, startled. "matt king!" he whirled angrily on whistler. "what do you mean by bringing him here?" "don't go off the jump, jurgens," answered whistler, "until you learn more. bangs went with me to the landing, and just as i was about to go on the boat i caught sight of king. i wondered why he was got up like that, and i believed that he was watching me. while i was wondering whether i should go on the boat, or not, this lad turned a little trouble on the levee. those two chums of his, the sailor and the dutchman, signaled and one of them laid a letter on a cotton bale. king went forward to get it and a spark from his cigarette fired the bale. a policeman started after him, and i motioned for him to come to the carriage. i saw, then, that he didn't know me. he accepted my invitation and i brought him away. now we can make him tell us what his game is, and we can have a look at that letter." joe dashington listened to all this with a surprised grin. "i suppose i ought to have heart failure over this," he remarked, "but, somehow, it don't phase me. i can't be much worse off than i am, no matter what happens. when you gents find out you've made a sucker play, perhaps you'll tell me how i can turn enough of the ready for a board bill and a place to pound my ear." "he's trying to tell me that his name's not king," scoffed whistler. jurgens, deeply interested, laid his head on one side and studied the youth at some length. "his face is king's, plain enough," said he finally, "but he's rigged out like a hoodlum and talks like a beachcomber. what's the answer?" "i'm by," laughed joe dashington. "you fellows tell me." he lighted another cigarette. "pass over that letter," ordered whistler. dashington, without a dissenting word, handed the letter to whistler. "i know as much about it as you do," said he. "if it's an invite to go out with a stocking full of sand, please count me in. anything with money in it looks good to me." the envelope bore the words, "for motor matt." "he's king, easy enough," averred jurgens, looking over whistler's shoulder. "that's a cinch," averred whistler, opening the letter and removing the inclosed sheet. together the two men read the letter, managing to keep wary eyes on the youth as they did so. "dear matt: i'm lying ill in bed, out on prytania street. dick and carl know the place. there's a bag of diamonds to be delivered to the daughter of the man from cape town, over on st. charles avenue, and you're the only one i can trust to do the work. you will have to be careful about it, and i wish you would come here at midnight to-night and get the stones. i haven't told either carl or dick what i want you to do, and when you read this i think you had better keep it to yourself--even from them. i've a feeling in my bones that there's trouble ahead, and i want to get the responsibility of those diamonds off my shoulders as quickly as possible. "yours, archibald townsend." exultation flamed in the faces of whistler and jurgens. "luck!" cried whistler. "this is our lucky day, jurgens, and no mistake." "nothing ever dropped into our hands so easy before!" jubilated jurgens. "all we've got to do is to think of some way to pull off the deal and----" feet clattered up the outside steps. leaving whistler to look after the youth, jurgens darted into the hall. "hello, bangs!" he exclaimed, a moment later. "what's the trouble?" "i was down on the levee when whistler took a fellow we both thought was motor matt into a carriage and rushed away with him," came the voice of bangs, as jurgens led him into the front room; "but when i----" bangs likewise wore a false beard. he was pulling it off as he came into the room, but suddenly he stopped and stared. his eyes were on joe dashington. "well?" demanded jurgens curtly. "that--that chap is a dead ringer for motor matt!" gasped bangs, pointing to the youth. "a dead ringer for him?" echoed whistler. "why, bangs, he _is_ motor matt." "that's what i thought when you rushed away with him," continued bangs, "but you hadn't been gone three minutes when motor matt showed up on the levee and the officer tried to arrest him." jurgens and whistler seemed stupefied. they stared at each other, then at bangs, and then at the grinning face of dashington. "if i could see as much as two bones in this, gents," remarked the youth, "i'd be tickled out of my kicks. this motor matt must be a beaut if he looks like yours truly. what's in the letter? can't we use it some way and get a strangle hold on a basket of rocks? i've got a horrible financial stringency staring me in the face, and i'm ripe for anything." an idea, just then, laid hold of jurgens. "by george!" he exclaimed. "fate must have framed up this whole play for our especial benefit. get together, all of you, and listen to me! i've got a scheme, and it's a world beater." chapter iii. double-trouble. carl and dick, on the levee, gazed dumfounded at the points in the press of vehicles where the carriage had disappeared, and then faced the other way and peered at the chagrined policeman, the blackened and smoking cotton bale, and the loungers who were crowding about the officer. the roustabouts had all gone back to their work. "pinch me, vonce!" begged carl. "i bed you i vas ashleep, tick." "blow me tight!" murmured dick hazedly. "i feel as though i'd had a nightmare myself. i never thought it was in matt to act like that, even if he _was_ playing a part. i hate to think hard things about my old raggie, motor matt, but----" "don'd!" cut in carl. "vait und gif him a chance to oxblain. he vill come pack und tell us somet'ing----" "hello, there, you fellows! where have you been?" as this familiar voice rang out, carl and dick whirled in a panic. motor matt, in leather cap and jacket, trim and neat as ever, was hastening toward them across the levee. dick staggered and threw a hand to his head. carl, likewise, was at a loss for words. here was motor matt, running toward them across the levee, when, by rights, he should have been a good way off in a carriage, getting clear of a pot of trouble which he had set a-boiling. the policeman, catching sight of matt, rushed toward him, the crowd at his heels. that brought carl and dick to a full realization of what was going on. "we made a bobble!" cried dick. "yah, so helup me!" agreed carl; "der vorst popple vat iss. und dot bolicemans iss some more." the boys darted toward the officer and matt. "i've got you now, my lad," growled the officer, as the boys came up. "you can't fool me by getting into another outfit o' clothes. your face is a dead giveaway." matt looked his surprise. "you've made some mistake, officer," he answered. "what's wrong?" "oh, he don't know a thing!" cried one of the bystanders scoffingly. "he's fergot all about burnin' that 'ar cotton bale," said another. "a blame' quick change he made, anyhow," put in a third. "i don't understand you," said matt. "i just came from stuyvesant dock----" "d'you mean to say you wasn't here a few minutes ago, shufflin' around, smokin' a cigarette----" "i don't smoke cigarettes," broke in matt, "and i wasn't here a few minutes ago. i've been with the air ship, over on the dock, for the last hour." "ye was right here fer an hour," declared one of the loungers. "i seen ye." "i can easily disprove that," temporized matt. "go and talk with the watchman on the dock, officer. he will tell you that i have been with him for an hour." the policeman, as well as the others, was in a quandary. matt's whole manner was different from that of the youth whose cigarette had set fire to the cotton bale. his talk was different, too, and there was nothing "chesty" or insolent about him. "what's the trouble, pards?" asked matt, appealing to carl and dick. "i'm all at sea over this. when i got to stuyvesant dock, an hour ago, the watchman there told me that you boys had gone off somewhere on a hurry-up call. i waited for you to come back, and then, when i saw the smoke of the burning cotton bale, i started for here." "the trouble is deeper than i think any of us can fathom," muttered dick. "strike me lucky, mate, but there was a swab here who was the very picture of you--in the face, mind, for his get-up was altogether different. carl and i was fooled, for we were dead sure the other swab was you. that other fellow was smoking a cigarette, and that's what set fire to the bale." dick faced the policeman. "hands off of him, officer," said he. "this isn't the chap you want. he's motor matt--everybody up and down the river front has heard of motor matt and his chums, and of the air ship." "i'm dashed if i can savvy this," murmured the perplexed officer, "but i'm going to the stuyvesant dock with you and see if the watchman will set me right. he's a friend o' mine, the watchman is, and he'll give it to me straight." when matt, carl, dick, and the officer started for the stuyvesant dock, they left the crowd behind. "i went over town, just at the beginning of the forenoon," said matt, "and when i got back to the air ship the watchman said that a man had come there and asked for me. as i wasn't around, the watchman told me you and carl had answered the summons, dick. where did you go?" "the man who came was cassidy, townsend's mate on the _grampus_," answered dick. "he said townsend was out on prytania street, and he gave me the number of the house. cassidy said the business was important, so carl and i got on a street car and went to the place. townsend is sick a-bed----" "sick?" queried matt. "aye, and can't move. the trouble he had with jurgens and whistler was the cause of it, townsend thinks. but we couldn't do the business for you--it's you, and no one else, that townsend wants. he gave us a letter for you and wants you to call on him at midnight, to-night." "what for?" "he wouldn't tell us, but said he had explained that in the letter." "where's the letter?" there was a silence while the little group tramped over the planks in the direction of stuyvesant dock. "oh, dowse me," muttered dick. "i feel like thirty cents!" "i feel lesser as dot," chimed in carl. "what happened to the letter?" queried matt. "you see, matey," explained dick, very much crestfallen, "when carl and i saw that other fellow on the levee, we were sure he was you." "but he was dressed differently." "aye, aye, that's true enough, but we thought you were keeping tab on somebody and had put on those clothes in order to do it." matt laughed. "you fellows must be locoed!" he exclaimed. "what reason have i to go into the detective business?" "ve ditn't know dot," observed carl, "but ve vas sure dot odder feller vas you. anyvay, tick vistled ad him, laidt der ledder on der cotton bale, und ven der feller came for it, den, py shinks, his sigaroot sed der pale afire. aber he got der ledder, und some feller run avay mit him in a puggy. der boliceman hat tried to arresdt der feller, aber he slipped glear. ach, himmelblitzen, vat a pad pitzness!" "we didn't have a hap'orth o' sense," added dick gloomily. by then the little party was close to the air ship. the watchman was within hail, and a few words from him satisfied the policeman. "sorry i bothered you, motor matt," apologized the officer, "but you're a dead ringer for that other chap--which is more credit to him than it is to you. he's your double, all right, and i hope you get back your letter." the policeman went one way, the watchman another, and matt led his chums to one side, where they could have a little private talk by themselves. his face was grave as he asked them to begin at the beginning and give him all the facts, once more. the ground was thrashed over pretty thoroughly, matt putting questions from time to time that brought out even the apparently insignificant details. when the explanations were done a silence fell over the chums. dick was first to speak. "keelhaul me," he observed, in deep contrition, "neither carl nor i seem able to do a thing right when you're not around." "i'm not finding any fault with you, pards," returned matt. "even the officer was fooled, so it is quite natural that you should have made the mistake. give me that number on prytania street. i'd better hike right out there and have townsend tell me what was in the letter." "it would be a wrong move, mate." "how so?" "townsend said the matter was of the utmost importance----" "all the more reason why i should find out about it as soon as possible!" "but he insisted that you wasn't to come to him until midnight, to-night." "he don't know the letter has got into wrong hands." "sure he don't, but he's afraid the house where he is is being watched, and we were to tell you to come around the back way and knock at the rear door. i'm a fiji if i know what's up, but townsend was mighty particular that you shouldn't come until midnight." matt was thoughtful for a space. "they say that every one has a double," he remarked, with a half laugh, "and it begins to look as though my double had shown up. this double-trouble was something i never expected to run into, but it's come and we'll have to see it through. townsend didn't give you a hint as to what he wanted me for?" "never a hint," answered dick. "he was mighty close about it." "well," decided matt, "i'll be at that house in prytania street on the stroke of twelve, to-night. let's feel as easy as we can about that letter, and go and get some supper." chapter iv. tricked! "what time is it, cassidy?" "a little after eleven, cap'n." "nearly an hour, then, before motor matt gets here." "you told him not to come afore midnight, cap'n. i didn't say anything ag'in it, although it struck me as how that wasn't a very good time." "i know my business, perhaps, better than you do, cassidy." townsend was a very sick man, and fretful. apart from his illness he had other things to worry him. "aye, aye, cap'n," said cassidy easily, "you know your own business best." "was there a man across the street spying on the house when you looked last?" "i piped him off last when there was daylight enough to see. he was there, all right, just as he has been for the last two days." "he must be there now, don't you think?" "either him or somebody else. one man couldn't stay on the job all the time, cap'n, you know. a feller has to sleep an' eat." "by having motor matt come at night, and come the back way, the spy won't see him, will he?" "i reckon not, cap'n. even if matt came the front way, any time after eight o'clock, i don't think the spy could tell him from adam, across the street." "my mind's made up. there's a load on me that i've got to get rid of before i can be well." "that's what frets me, cap'n," returned cassidy earnestly. "you're just sick enough to make a whole lot more of that 'load' than you ought to. quit worryin' about it. that'll be better for the 'load' and for you, too." "does the landlady understand----" "i've told her to expect a friend of your'n by the back door, an' mrs. thomas is sittin' up herself just to let the friend in. she won't trust it to the servant girl." "i'll remember mrs. thomas for that! when i'm well again----" a bell rang sharply in front of the house. "what's that?" demanded townsend, starting up in his bed. "don't get nervous, cap'n," answered cassidy soothingly. "it's only the gate bell. some other visitor, i reckon." "i don't see why people have bells on their gates," worried townsend. "i never saw it any other place." a stir was heard in the regions below. presently there came the mellow tinkle of the doorbell, and the sound of an opening door and voices. a little later a knock on townsend's door carried cassidy to the entrance to the room. mrs. thomas was in the hall. "there must be some mistake," said the landlady in her soft southern drawl. "mr. townsend's friend came to the front do', and i reckon he didn't know anything about coming to the kitchen." "well, have him come up, mrs. thomas," called townsend. "i don't seem able to have anything as i want it. matt not only comes to the front door, but he comes nearly an hour ahead of time. i'll see him, though. he's a sharp boy, and if he's read my letter he'll know what i expect of him." the landlady went away. "i want to talk with matt alone, cassidy," continued townsend. "i know that, cap'n," replied the mate, "and just as soon as matt gets in i'll slide out and leave you to yourselves." another rap fell on the door. cassidy went to it and admitted joe dashington, still in his old slouch hat, sweater and corduroys. "great guns, motor matt!" exclaimed cassidy, "i'd hardly have known you in that get-up." "matt!" exclaimed townsend querulously, lifting himself on one elbow and staring at the caller. "is that you, matt?" "i guess i do look a reub, eh?" laughed dashington. "well, i thought i'd be foxy and get on a disguise. hope you're feeling better, mr. townsend?" "you can go now," said townsend, falling back on his pillow. the mate gave the caller a sharp sizing out of the clew of his eyes and then went out, closing the door softly behind him. "pull a chair up close to the bed, matt," went on townsend. "i guess i'm getting better--the doctor says so--but i'll know that as soon as these diamonds are off my hands. i'm worried to death about them, as some one has been watching this house for two days. why didn't you come the back way, as i told carl and dick to tell you? and why didn't you wait until midnight?" "well," answered dashington, seating himself by the bed, "the cars don't run so i could get here at just midnight, old fel. i either had to come now, or get here at half-past twelve. thought i'd take an earlier chance. as for coming the back way, i tried it; but there's no alley and there's a dog in the next yard. i think this rig i've put on'll fool anybody across the street, eh? and then the talk that goes with it is some fine, don't you think? i'm a regular lollypaloozer with the 'con' talk." "you're about the most resourceful young fellow i've ever come across," said townsend, "and i knew you'd see that everything was all right." "sure, old fel. i'm no hand to jolly, but i give you credit for being a pretty slick piece of goods yourself. but, say! don't you think we'd better rush this business? ef there's a man piping the house off, the quicker we finish and i duck, the better." "keen as ever, my boy!" exclaimed townsend, in a tone of relief. "reach your hand under my pillow and take out what you find there." it was an eager hand that went under the pillow and drew out a canvas bag. "those are the diamonds, matt," said townsend. "i don't have to tell you anything about them. the address of the lady to whom they are to go is on the card pinned to the bag." "is she looking for me to come?" inquired dashington. "this isn't exactly a fashionable hour for a call." "we'll have to overlook that point, matt. the lady will come to the door, and all you will have to say is that the package is a valuable one and comes from the man from cape town. she will understand, although i haven't been able to see her, or to send her word." "bank on me, old fel," answered dashington, hardly able to conceal the exultation he felt. "get a receipt from the lady, matt." "sure. i always get a receipt when i deliver a valuable package." "and bring the receipt to me here, to-morrow." "that's me. anything else, townsend?" "nothing, matt, except to say that you're the only person i'd trust to deliver those diamonds. why, i wouldn't even let cassidy do the errand! i was to deliver the stones personally, but it would be some time before i could do that and i can't stand it any longer to have such valuable property around me." "i'm next to how you feel, all right, and i don't blame you." "of course i could have sent cassidy to the lady and have had her come here, but that fellow across the street might have seen her come, and if he's connected with the people i think, then it's a dangerous gang who are laying to get hold of those stones." dashington pushed the bag under his sweater and got up. "how much do you think these diamonds are worth?" he asked. "a fortune, a king's ransom!" "gee! there must be a double handful of the sparks in the bag. well, old fel, i'll be going. hope you'll get well in short order." "i know i will, now," answered townsend, with a deep sigh of satisfaction. "i'll see you to-morrow, matt?" "sure. good night." dashington left the room and, as cassidy came back, the front door was heard to open and close. "i never thought matt king could get himself up to look like that, cap'n," remarked the mate, as he took the chair by townsend's bed. "he's a clever boy," averred townsend, "and as steady and reliable as a clock." "he's about as different from what he usually is as any one could imagine," pursued cassidy. "the way he acts and talks are both different. you're right, he's clever." "i don't mind telling you now, cassidy, something i've been keeping from you," said townsend, after a brief pause. "you remember that iron chest that was hidden away in an island in the bahamas, and how a fellow calling himself the man from cape town gave me a chart and asked me to go after the chest, bring it to new orleans and open it in the presence of a lady who lives in st. charles avenue?" "i know that by heart, cap'n," answered cassidy. "the lady who lives in st. charles avenue is the daughter of the man from cape town, and you was to open the chest in her presence and divide the contents. don't talk about it. it's late, and you're tired and ought to go to sleep." "i'm not done, yet," demurred townsend. "you know how jurgens and whistler stole my submarine, the _grampus_, from atlantic city, got the iron chest, and how motor matt and his friends, in their air ship, recaptured the submarine and found the iron chest aboard?" "i was mixed up in that myself, so i don't reckon i'll ever forget it." "and then, when we came on here in the submarine, you know how the chest was stolen by jurgens, whistler, and bangs; how motor matt recovered it; how dick and carl let it slip through their hands; how it was opened and found to contain the head of an african voodoo idol; how the head was smashed and found to be full of south african diamonds; how i did the worst thing i ever did in my life and let whistler, jurgens, and bangs go clear when i could have had them sent to jail; and, lastly, you know how suddenly this illness came upon me and prevented me from taking the diamonds to the lady in st. charles avenue, as i had planned."[a] [a] see no. of the motor stories, "motor matt's queer find; or, the secret of the iron chest." "yes, cap'n," said the mate, "i know all that." "well, here's something you don't know, cassidy. i have had those diamonds with me, here under my pillow, all the time i've been sick." "great guns!" "and," finished townsend exultantly, "i have just given them to motor matt to deliver to the woman. when i am well, i will go to her and get my share of them, as well as the share that is coming to motor matt and his friends." cassidy was amazed. before he could speak, however, another rap fell on the door--a nervous and excited summons, as could be told by the sound, alone. "what now, i wonder?" fretted the sick man. cassidy opened the door and found mrs. thomas. "oh, mr. cassidy," cried the landlady, "some one has just come to the back door and he says he is motor matt--a nice-looking, well-dressed young fellow who----" "what?" cried townsend hoarsely, trying to get out of bed. "softly, cap'n, softly!" warned cassidy, leaping to the bed and pushing townsend back. "mebby there's nothing wrong. anyhow, your cue is to take it easy. tell this other motor matt to come right up, mrs. thomas," he added. chapter v. motor matt's promise. townsend had a bad two minutes waiting for mrs. thomas to get downstairs and for matt to come up. finally, when the young motorist entered the room, he was astounded by what he saw. cassidy was half holding, half supporting townsend on the bed, and townsend, his face like chalk and his eyes staring glassily, was gazing at the newcomer. "what's the matter?" queried matt. "what's wrong, cassidy?" cassidy shook his head. before he could answer, townsend burst out: "were you here a few minutes ago, matt? did you have on other clothes, and did i give you the diamonds? for heaven's sake, tell me!" "easy, cap'n," warned cassidy. "no," replied matt, instantly divining that something had happened to the diamonds. "i was told not to come until midnight, but i was anxious, and even now i am ahead of time. why?" he approached the bed hurriedly, but townsend had sunk limply back, with a hollow groan. "there was a fellow here who looked like you in the face, matt, and who said he was you. townsend gave him the bag of diamonds," said cassidy. motor matt reeled backward. he could think of but two men, at that moment, and they were jurgens and whistler. and he blamed himself. he should not have listened to carl and dick, but should have posted at once to prytania street and told townsend how the letter had been delivered to some one else through a mistake. "couldn't you tell that the fellow wasn't me, cassidy?" matt demanded. "you had a close look at him. he may have _looked_ like me, but did he act, or talk, as i do? great spark plugs! in a case like that you ought to have been more than sure." "i didn't know the cap'n was going to hand the diamonds over," returned cassidy. "the cap'n only just told me. i had my suspicions, but i couldn't just see how the fellow would be here, accordin' to instructions, if he wasn't you. and he sure looked like you, although his talk and his actions were a trifle off. oh, thunder, what a go!" "how was he dressed?" demanded matt. "quick--tell me as much as you can about him." "slouch hat, gray sweater, dark corduroy trousers; slangy, devil-may-care sort of chap. not you, in that way, by a jugful." "and he left here----" "twenty minutes ago." matt whirled and dashed from the room. at the foot of the stairs he found the excited landlady. "have you a telephone in the house?" he asked. "this way," answered mrs. thomas, appreciating the fact that something important was urging matt on and that it was a time for action and not words. the telephone was in the rear hall and matt had soon rung up the police department, given a description of the youth, and of jurgens, whistler, and bangs, and told as much of what had happened as it was necessary for the officers to know in order to make a quick and effective search. in a few minutes he was back in townsend's room. "the police," said matt, "will get right to work; and as soon as i am through talking here i will get to work myself. don't be discouraged, mr. townsend. that young fellow may have got the diamonds, but he'll find it hard to get away with them." "i don't know," murmured townsend, tossing his hands, "but it seems to me as though everything connected with that man from cape town and his iron chest is fated to make me trouble. jurgens and whistler must be back of this!" "undoubtedly." "but how did they know i was going to send the diamonds to the woman in st. charles avenue to-night? where did they get hold of a young fellow who looks so astonishingly like you to help them in their villainous schemes?" "i can tell you something about that, in a minute. what did that fellow say when he came here?" "he came in at the front gate, a little after eleven, and he said he had disguised himself so that he could escape the vigilance of possible spies. he also said that he had come early, as the cars did not run, at this time of night, so he could get here at sharp twelve. oh, he had a clever story! i'll warrant you that jurgens fixed that part of it for him." "you wanted me to take the diamonds to the daughter of the man from cape town?" asked matt. "why, didn't you know that?" demanded townsend. "didn't you read my letter?" "there's the point, townsend. i did not see your letter. if i had known what you wanted me to do, i should have come here early in the evening. but i didn't. all i knew was that the work was important." "but the letter, matt, the letter! i told everything in that. i did not care to trust the information with carl or dick, or even with cassidy. this house has been watched for two days by some fellow who was skulking on the other side of the street. i was afraid--the whole thing had got on my nerves. the worst thing i ever did," townsend added in bitter self-reproach, "was to let jurgens, whistler, and bangs go when i had them where the law could take care of them." "this young fellow, who appears to be my double and who has turned up so unfortunately in new orleans," said matt, "looks so much like me that he deceived even carl and dick. while they were on the way back to the dock, with your letter, they saw the fellow, and gave the letter to him." townsend groaned despairingly. "never again," said he, "will i put such important matters in black and white. but i thought i could trust carl and dick to deliver the letter safely to you." "you can hardly blame them for making the mistake, townsend," went on matt, "when even you and cassidy were fooled." "it's the most astonishing thing i ever heard of!" muttered townsend. "how two young fellows could look so much alike, and how your double should happen around at just the right time to play havoc with my carefully worked-out plan. but it's fate. there's something about those diamonds that brings ill luck. it seems to have been destined, from the start, that they were never to be delivered to this new orleans woman." "no matter what happens, townsend," said matt, "your conscience is clear. the iron chest has caused you expense, time and trouble, and you have tried faithfully to do what this mysterious man from cape town asked of you. don't take it so hard." "i am culpable," declared townsend, "in that i did not put jurgens and whistler where they could never trouble me again, that time i had it in my power. i am in duty bound to get back those stones. i can't let those scoundrels get away with them." "leave it to the police, cap'n," spoke up cassidy. "you're a sick man, and that's all you can do. leave it to the police, and the chances are that they will capture the gang, for the trail is hot; but, if they don't capture jurgens, whistler, and that young grafter and recover the diamonds, it's just as matt says; you haven't any cause to feel cut up over it." "but i _will_ feel cut up over it," insisted townsend, with all the distorted reasoning of a sick man. "matt, i want you to promise me something. if you'll give the promise, i'll feel fairly contented and will abide the result with patience. your promise, my boy, will help me to get well." "what is it?" asked matt. "i don't remember that you ever failed in anything you have undertaken--and i've got the most of your history ever since you left arizona. what i want you to promise is this, that you'll keep after jurgens, whistler and that double of yours _until you recover the diamonds_." "but----" "the police won't be able to do it--i'm as sure of that as i am that i am lying here in this bed this minute. while everything connected with that iron chest and its contents seemed to condemn me to a run of hard luck, it has always been you and your good fortune that stepped in, at the last minute, and saved the day. i am positive that you can save the day now. there is that obeah woman, the voodoo priestess who aided you so strangely and so well the other time. go to her. she is a friend of yours. ask her to help you." "i don't think----" "you must promise me, matt!" insisted townsend vehemently. "i tell you i am to blame for the loss of the diamonds, for i should have had jurgens, whistler, and bangs sent to jail when it was in my power to do so. will you promise?" cassidy gave matt a significant look. it asked matt, for the sake of townsend's comfort and health, to agree to a task whose accomplishment would be difficult and perhaps impossible. "very well," said matt, quietly stepping to the bedside and taking townsend's hand in a firm pressure, "i promise." "that you will keep after the thieves until you finally recover the diamonds?" "yes." "then i shall rest content," said townsend. "your good luck, i know, will go with you. go and find the voodoo woman. give me some medicine, cassidy, for i'm about played out." townsend sank back on his pillow and closed his eyes. matt looked at him, at the haggard, careworn expression on his face, at the gray hair sweeping his temples, and, for the first time, realized what the difficulties and perils connected with that mysterious iron chest had meant to archibald townsend. as he turned softly away and moved toward the door, his heart was steeled with resolution to do his utmost--_and to win_! he nodded to cassidy, softly opened the door, and left the room. chapter vi. dashington dashed. joe dashington was in fine feather as he left the house with the bag of diamonds. a combination of circumstances had enabled him to make a rich haul, and to make it with an ease and celerity that surprised him. he half expected that some one would overhaul him and stop him before he got out of the house, but in this he was happily disappointed. reaching the sidewalk, he passed through the gate and was confronted by whistler. dashington had been told, whether successful or not in getting the diamonds, to walk to the first cross street south, where he would find jurgens, whistler, and bangs waiting for him. but the three men feared dashington might, if he managed to secure the diamonds, go north instead of south, with the intention of keeping the "sparks" for himself. for this reason, whistler was sent to meet him as he came out of the yard. "did you get 'em?" whispered whistler. "did i?" exulted dashington; "well, did i not! oh, it was a hot touch, but i got away with it with ground to spare. i'm the fly boy, whistler, and none of your common dubs. but let's wabble right along. the sick indian has got a hefty gazabu for a right bower, and if the right bower was played on us there'd be doings and we might get queered." "hand me the bag, dash," said whistler, as they hurried southward along the walk. "don't shove," answered dashington. "it's tucked away in my kimono and i'm so busy with the getaway i don't want to cough up until we're with the rest of the push. honest, though, i'm no understudy for a low card, am i?" "you're the goods, dash, and no mistake. don't drop that bag out of your sweater while we're hurrying." "nay, frances, i couldn't be so absent-minded. when i get my hooks onto a good thing i'm worse than the terrible turk with a strangle hold." "what did townsend say?" "he wanted me to come in at the rear; said some one had been piping off the house from across the street. who was that?" whistler chuckled. "sometimes bangs," he answered, "and sometimes a fellow bangs got to spell him." "then, bangs and the other must have spelled it like a couple of farmers. townsend was wise." "motor matt hadn't been there?" "not so you could notice." "that was the point that worried me. if he had had an idea what that letter contained, or that jurgens and i were mixed up with it, he'd have been with townsend hours ago, and the whole game would have been queered." "and your uncle joe pinched. that gives me a good, swift notion that i've taken some chances and ought to have a pretty square look-in on the divvy. how much do i pull down?" "you'll pull down a-plenty, dash." "put it in cold figures. you see, i don't like these glittering generalities." "we can't any of us tell how much we get till we see how much there is." "it ought to be ten thou, at least. townsend said there were enough sparks in the bag to make tiffany's exhibit look like a piker. ten thou will buy me an interest in a racing stable, and i'm dippy about the ponies. it's an even-money break that----" "stow it! here we are at the car." at that moment, whistler and dashington came out on the cross street. an automobile was drawn up at the curb, and two men could be seen, one on the front seat and one in the tonneau. the man behind proved to be bangs, and the man at the wheel was jurgens. both were in their shirt sleeves, and bangs' coat was lying over the side of the car. "oh, ho!" gurgled dashington, "so it's a benzine buggy for ours, eh? it's a fancy pass and ought to snatch us away before the police get busy." "how did you make out, dashington?" asked jurgens, in his anxiety getting up and leaning over the side of the car. "easy money," answered the youth. "i had my brace right with me, and the way i took that high jump calls for a hand." "you got the diamonds?" "ain't i telling you?" "take them, whistler. then both of you pile in and we'll be going--and we'll have to go hard and fast, at that." dashington dug the bag out from under his sweater. "you're all jerry to this," said he, as he reached out the bag to whistler, "that i come in for a big bunch of the dazzlers, and that----" "there's one of your dazzlers, my gay buck!" whistler, taking the bag in his left hand, struck out with his right. dashington, the breath jolted out of him, staggered back. "and there's another!" whistler struck again with all his savage strength. this time dashington dropped silently to his knees and fell on his back, with his head over the curb. "i reckon that will do him," laughed jurgens. "jump in, whistler. we'll be out of town before he gets back his wits, and it's dollars to dimes he won't say a word to the police." whistler laughed grimly as he pulled the crank and then sprang into the automobile. in another moment the machine had chugged away. perhaps it was five minutes before dashington groaned, opened his eyes and sat up. the stillness of the night was all around him. "blanked!" he muttered, lifting both hands to his aching head. "they knocked me a twister and got away on the high speed. oh, what a frost! it's a hot night, but i'm a dub if i haven't got chilblains. yes, little one, you played the game like a farmer--the genuine, blown-in-the-bottle easy mark. dashed again. i ought to be used to the double-cross by now, it's been dumped onto me so many times. ouch, my head! i'd like to pull off the block and play football with it--that's about all it's good for." dashington got up and leaned against a china ball tree. "feel like i'd been smoking some new brand of dope," he went on, waiting for the darkened landscape to stop whirling and stay where it belonged. "this game of graft don't pay," he went on moodily. "i'm always the monk that pulls the hot nuts out of the fire for some other strong-arm guy, and i'm getting weary on the job. what funny noises a fellow hears after a jolt like that!" still leaning against the tree, dashington began rubbing his head. "why not cut out the crooked work and be decent?" he mumbled thoughtfully. "i've trotted heats with dips, second-story men, and sand-bag experts, and every last one of 'em has blanked me when it came to the showdown. why not break away from the swift game and take a job at five per, with three honest square meals and a place to bunk? when you turn the x-rays on this grafting game, there's nothing in it." he left the tree and stepped from the curb to pick up a dark object on the ground. he thought it was his hat, but it turned out to be a coat. "am i daffy," he murmured, "or is this the coat i saw swinging over the side of the chug-chug wagon? it's the sack that belongs to neighbor bangs, and if there's a hundred or so in the pockets, i'm the boy to put it where it will do the most good." picking up his hat, which lay a little distance from where the coat had dropped, he hurried off toward the nearest street lamp. then, with deft fingers, he began searching the coat pockets. he found some cigars and a memorandum book; also a short-barreled, loaded revolver. but there was no money. "that's the way luck handles me," he muttered angrily, casting the coat aside. "cigars never did agree with me, and i've got as much use for the gun as i have for the notebook. but, say! maybe i can leave the pepper box with some gent at the sign of the three balls." he dropped the revolver into his pocket; then, quite casually, he opened the memorandum book and began turning the leaves. the street light was wavering and none too good, but he drew closer to it and ran his eyes over the pages. then, suddenly, he chanced upon something that caused him to draw in a long breath. "oh, sister!" he exclaimed, drumming his knuckles delightedly against his forehead. "if here ain't a chance to even up with that sure-thing crowd, i'm a geezer. if i can't go with them and take my share of the loot, i can go against them and help separate them from the lot of it. 'bayou yamousa!' that ought to be easily found. bayou yamousa for mine, and i'm on the level from this on. that's straight, and no stringin'. bangs will throw a fit when he finds out he's lost his coat, but it's a lead pipe he won't come back for it." then, as dashington dropped the memorandum book into his pocket, he had another thought. the police! for what he had done that night, even though he had failed to benefit by it, there was a chance of his getting caught and "doing time." how long would it be before motor matt reached the house in prytania street? and how long after that before the law would be called in to do what it could toward overhauling the thieves and recovering the diamonds? "if i stand to win in this little game of one call three," he muttered, "i've got to duck good and hard. if i'm pinched now, it means an easy getaway for jurgens, whistler, and bangs. but i'm not going to be run in. i guess i'm keen enough to dodge the law while hunting for bayou yamousa and giving those pinheads a taste of their own dope. me for the tall and uncut--and here goes." dashington took a swift look around. there were as yet no signs of threatening peril, but he knew danger was close on him for all that. the river lay at one end of the street, and as soon as he had got his bearings he made for it. chapter vii. a hard starter. hunting four thieves as shrewd as were jurgens, whistler, bangs, and the young fellow who had helped them, looked like a tremendous order to motor matt. and recovering the diamonds made the prospect seem even more discouraging. matt, however, was on his mettle. he had given his promise, perhaps rashly, to townsend, and townsend, as well as every one else, knew that motor matt's word was as good as his bond. _he had promised to recover the diamonds!_ townsend's mention of the obeah woman had had not a little to do with the promise. the woman's name was yamousa, and she lived in a hut near a bayou of the same name. matt knew the place well, for he and his chums had stopped there, a few days before, had been of some service to yamousa, and had been repaid by her in a way that had caused, and was still causing, them any amount of wonder. the voodoo priestess apparently possessed powers of divination that were inexplicable. her arts may have been wholly trickery, but, if so, a wonderful chain of coincidences had lent a cast of truth to her magic. matt had no belief in the supernatural, and his common sense was constantly struggling against the results of yamousa's occult powers, as he and his friends had witnessed them. as a last resort, it might be possible to consult yamousa with some show of success in this matter of the stolen gems. this, at least, was what matt had in mind when he left townsend. the authorities, knowing the ins and outs of the crescent city so well, could do infinitely more in the town than could matt and his friends. without loss of time, matt returned to the small hotel near stuyvesant dock, where he, dick, and carl had taken up their quarters. dick and carl were in their room, dressed and waiting to hear what matt had to say. quickly as he could, the young motorist set forth the amazing events of the night. the sailor and the dutch boy were greatly wrought up. "carl and i are loaded to the marks with all the blame," scowled dick. "ve made some popples," wailed carl, "und dey vas vat dit der pitzness." "what's the use of doubles, anyhow?" went on dick. "vyefer do two people look so mooch alike in dis vorlt?" added carl. "i vonder oof i haf a touple? oof i haf, he must be a bicture, aber i hope he don'd shove indo anyt'ing vat habbens mit me." "you boys made only a natural mistake," said matt. "that levee policeman was fooled, cassidy was deceived, and so was townsend. how can you blame yourselves when every one else took this double of mine just as you did?" "you've got a way, mate," observed dick gratefully, "of tacking about and trimming your sails to any breeze that blows in order to make things easier for your friends; but carl and i know that we're responsible for the whole blessed business." "well, if you're bound to have it so, let it go at that. i've promised townsend to hunt the thieves until i recover the diamonds. that means the work of our lives, for it's a promise i intend to live up to." "py shinks," cried carl, "you can gount on me to do all vat i can to helup." "aye, old ship," said dick, "and me. just show us where to begin and we'll tear into the work like a couple of navvies. it's the best we can do to square ourselves." "led us dry und be as jeerful as ve can," suggested carl. "dot iss pedder dan to be gloomed oop so mooch, hey?" "you've raised the point that bothers me, dick," said matt, "and that is, where to begin. the police are already at work in new orleans, but i haven't any idea that they'll be successful. we're dealing with clever men, and mustn't forget that for a minute. ever since the diamonds were found, jurgens and whistler seem to have been watching townsend. they had a spy across the street keeping an eye on the house where he is lying ill." "townsend missed it by not having that outfit jugged when he was able. if every man jack of them had been sent to the brig, we wouldn't be up against this proposition now." "no use crying over spilt milk," returned matt. "townsend realizes that he failed to do what he should have done, and it's that that worries him now. we'll take things as we find them and forge ahead. there's one point we can look up, although it isn't very promising." "name it, mate." "my double was taken from the levee in a carriage. it may have been one of jurgens' gang who helped him out of his trouble." "the fellow didn't look like any of the gang." "there may be some new members we don't know anything about. if we can find the man who drove the carriage, we could discover where he took that young fellow." "what good would that do? jurgens and his outfit wouldn't come back to that place. i'll lay a sov the lot of them tripped anchor and bore away the minute the stones came into their hands." "that's my idea, dick. i told you the clue wasn't very promising, but it appears to be the only one we have. townsend, however, suggested something which had also occurred to me." "vat it iss?" queried carl. "i don'd vas mooch oof a handt to dig oop clues, aber i bed you i can tell a goot clue ven i come face to face mit it. shpeak it oudt, matt." "why not bear away in the air ship to bayou yamousa?" carl began to shiver. "nod dere! ach, py shinks, don'd have somet'ing to do mit dot olt shpook laty again." carl's superstitious fears did not weigh very heavily with matt and dick. the latter slapped his hands. "first chop!" he cried. "it's the last shot in the locker, and who knows but that it may be just the thing for us to do? i'm for beginning the trip to bayou yamousa now. it's a still night, mates, and we could get the _hawk_ off the dock without any trouble. she's ripe and ready for the flight of her life!" "it's a still night, that's true, dick," answered matt, "but you forget that we have got to have daylight for finding the bayou. we can't locate it in the dark." "but we're losing time," grumbled dick, "and we haven't any to throw at the birds." "the more haste, the less speed," counseled matt. "better to go slow and be sure of what we're doing, dick, than to run wild and get tangled up in our bearings. we'd probably lose more time in the end if we did that." "but jurgens and his gang are getting farther and farther away all the time." "they'll go into hiding somewhere, if i'm any prophet, until the affair blows over a little. if yamousa can tell us where they are----" "don'd try dot," put in carl earnestly. "she vill vork a hogus-pogus und meppy ged all oof us indo drouple." "we're going to pay yamousa a visit, carl," said matt firmly. "there's nothing else we can do. the police will be able to handle this end of the work much better than we could. go to bed, both of you. i'm going over to police headquarters and tell the chief about the carriage that took the man and the young fellow away from the levee. as soon as i do that, i'll come back and pull covers myself. in the morning we'll have breakfast, and then we'll make a start for the bayou." as usual, matt's ideas prevailed. dick and carl went to bed, matt had a talk with the city authorities and gave as much further information as he thought would help them, and then returned to the hotel and turned in. by seven in the morning they were up and eating their breakfast. breakfast over, matt sent carl to the post office for any mail that might be there--he was constantly receiving letters from various parts of the country relative to the _hawk_--and he and dick started for stuyvesant dock to make ready for the flight south and east. on the way to the dock, matt bought a morning paper. there was a brief and garbled account of the robbery, but it had little interest for the boys, although they had bought the paper in order to see what it had to say about the diamonds. but there was a paragraph of overwhelming interest to the lads tucked away in one corner of the first page. matt's eye caught the paragraph casually, then he gasped and his consternation grew, as he read: "noted voodoo woman dead. "from chef menteur, in the parish of orleans, comes news of the death of a famous character in those parts known as yamousa, priestess of the voodoos. years ago she lived in new orleans, numbering her followers by hundreds, but was driven away by the police and found refuge on bayou yamousa. those with any faith in the black arts credited the aged negress with being an adept in her particular line, but others with more common sense and less superstition considered her a grafter of remarkable ability. her death, it is supposed, was the result of natural causes." here was a blow, and no mistake. matt, greatly dejected, read the paragraph to dick. "keelhaul me!" exclaimed dick. "we're up in the air now for fair. your luck seems to have taken a turn for the worse, matt. what are we going to do? the last prop has been knocked out from under us." the boys reached the dock and seated themselves moodily on a cotton bale not far from the _hawk_. matt had not the remotest idea what they were to do. yamousa had been their last hope, and a strange fatality had suddenly snatched it away from them. "the outlook is getting more and more dubious," said matt. "yamousa might not have been able to help us, but there was a chance that she could. now the chance, slim enough at best, is gone. it's a lucky thing, though, that i bought the paper and found that notice. if i hadn't, we might have been wasting time, off in the southeast. if----" "ledders! ledders. dree oof dem!" carl, at that moment, came ambling across the dock, dodging the boxes and bales and hurrying toward matt and dick. as he approached he held up the three letters he had secured at the post office. they were all for motor matt, two of them having been forwarded from atlantic city. one was from an amusement manager in chicago, offering a fancy figure to the boys to take the _hawk_ to the great lakes for exhibition purposes; another was from an enthusiastic member of the aëro club of america asking the boys their price for the air ship; but the third letter--that was the one that caused them to sit up and take notice. it ran as follows: "from what i've heard of you, you're a one-two-seven boy and all to the good. how'd you like to get your lunch hooks on that bag of sparks? you can pull it off, if you get busy, and the undersigned will help. all you need is nerve and ginger. i can furnish my share. you've got an air ship. well, hit the clouds and fly to me. i'll put you wise. meet me at bayou yamousa, wherever that is, and come in a hurry. i'm going there now and i've got the start of you by some hours. this is a hot starter, and no 'con.' "a dub who ought to have known better." chapter viii. a bullet from below. the boys were stunned. could it be possible that this was a "straight tip," and not a hoax? the letter was written on a scrap of paper taken from a notebook; and the envelope in which it was inclosed had been used twice. the first time it had been addressed to "hubert bangs, general delivery, new orleans, la." the "hubert bangs" had been scratched off with a lead pencil and motor matt's name written in its place. the ragged end of the envelope had been folded over and secured with a pin. "a drick!" muttered carl. "dot feller pangs iss vone oof jurgens' gang." "strike me lucky," put in dick, "but that's the sizing i give it, matt." "you're wrong," averred matt. "if a trick was intended, bangs would never have used an old envelope bearing his name. be sure of that. even if a trick _was_ intended, it would be a ruse to get us into the vicinity of the gang of thieves. the gang wouldn't do that, being too anxious, just now, to keep out of sight. but, supposing that was jurgens' game, wouldn't it be a good thing for us to come close to the thieves? they have the diamonds, and they are what we want." "right-o!" exclaimed dick. "hoax or no, our move is to slant away for bayou yamousa, where we intended to go in the first place. we'll not find yamousa there, but luck of another kind may be waiting for us." "vy von't ve findt yamousa?" inquired carl, his face brightening a little. dick showed him the paragraph in the paper and carl spelled it out, his face continuing to clear as he read. "i don'd vish der olt foodoo voman any hardt luck," breathed carl, "aber i vas gladder she ain'd dere as dot she vas. it vill be pedder for us. are ve going to hit der air route?" "just as quick as we can," answered matt briskly, hurrying to the car. there was no wind to speak of, but it required manoeuvring to guide the _hawk_ out from under the high roof and to the edge of the dock. the boys, after stowing the mooring ropes by which they had hauled the air ship into the open, got aboard the car and matt started the engine. a moment later the propeller took the push, and the _hawk_ glided up her airy path until she swung high over the city of new orleans. people below could be seen running about and looking and pointing upward. "we're causing quite a stir, mates," remarked dick. "we'd cause more of a stir, though, if those people down there knew what we had in our noodles." carl ran out the american flag to the rear end of the air ship, and waved his cap. a cheer arose, weirdly distinct and inspiring. "i feel in my pones," said carl, "dot somet'ing iss going to habben. it's der olt hunch come pack. i hafen't felt dot for some leedle time. aber i'd like to know," the dutch boy added, as he floundered back to his post forward, "who it vas sent dot ledder." "one of the gang may have weakened, or have been left out in the division of the booty," said matt, laying his course calmly, and feeling very much at home and contented, now that he was running his beloved motor again. "the house in prytania street, you know, was watched night and day. it was spied upon yesterday afternoon and night while jurgens, whistler, and bangs must have been laying their plans. it's my idea that there is another member of the gang, and perhaps it is this fourth man who wrote the letter." "one guess is as good as another, mate," replied dick. "we'll know who the fellow is, maybe, when we get to the bayou." "und meppy nod," said carl. "meppy dose fellers haf a drap all sed for us, und dot ve vill trop indo it und mix oop mit all kindts oof oxcidement." "that's right, carl," growled dick. "you're the original wet blanket. why don't you square away and look on the bright side? the job that's set for us is hard enough without any of your croaking." "i don'd vas croaking!" protested carl. "i look on der plack site, und den, ven der pright site shows oop ve like him pedder pecause ve don't oxbect it. i am jeerful all der dime. ask matt aboudt dot." "carl's intentions are good, dick," said matt. "you must give him credit for that. we both know the prospect ahead of us isn't any too pleasing. we're going it blind and trusting to luck. the more i think about that letter, however, the more confidence i have in the good intentions of the writer. whistler, you know, used to work on a plantation near bayou yamousa. it's easy to suppose that he has a knowledge of the country in that section, and that knowledge will stand the gang in hand, now that they're looking for a place to lay low." "that's a fact," agreed dick. "we'll get alongside those duffing beach combers, and then it will be up to us to lay them aboard and grab the diamonds. we'll do it," he added stoutly. "motor matt's along, and motor matt's luck is with us." light as the bird after which she was named, the _hawk_ skimmed through the sunlit air, five hundred feet above the "father of waters." boats below, bound for new orleans or outward to the gulf, were passed, many a glass being trained on the air ship and its passengers. matt and his chums had gone over this route once before, and now, while they were taking the back track, they remembered the landmarks and guided the _hawk_ accordingly. after two hours of sailing over the river, dick sighted their turning point and gave the order for an easterly course. the _hawk_ swung around, answering the steering rudder easily. the motor worked perfectly, and the air ship swerved and shifted with the slightest touch on the guiding lever. "and that swab who belongs to the aëro club wants to buy the _hawk_!" scoffed dick. "we'll never sell her, matt. if it's money we want, we can make more with the air ship than we could in any other line of business. besides, who'd change this air flying for anything else under heaven? i'd flog the cat all the days of my life if we were ever foolish enough to let go of this craft." "i'll go on record in the same way, dick," said matt. "me, too," chanted carl. "vile ve haf der _hawk_ ve can be vay oop in g, all der time. yah, you bed my life, i like dis pedder as anyt'ing." that flight was the very poetry of the lads' air-ship experience. fate was lowering over the _hawk_--destruction was skulking just ahead in the heavy timber below--and motor matt and his chums were to look back on that flight to bayou yamousa as their last. mile after mile of tree tops sped rearward under the car. the boys knew that they were drawing close to the bayou, and carl and dick were attending strictly to their work as lookouts. "i t'ink i see der rifer vat der bayou iss on," announced carl suddenly, pointing ahead and a little to the left. "vat you t'ink, tick? vas i righdt?" "come down a little, matt," called dick; "i think i'm beginning to recognize this country, and that carl has called the turn." matt tilted the rudder and the _hawk_ swooped downward. before matt brought the air ship to a level, they were less than twenty feet above the tops of the tallest trees. "two points to port, mate," shouted dick. "there," he added, "hold her so. very well done. we're coming to the bayou, cap'n and----" dick's words were bitten short by a sharp, incisive note from below. this was followed instantly by a smashing sound, a spiteful _slap_, and a wild hissing. cries of alarm came from dick and carl. the motor stopped with an impotent gurgle, the propeller slowed down, and the _hawk_ began to pitch forward and backward and to swerve sideways dangerously. "some one shot at us!" yelled dick excitedly. "the bullet came from among the trees, down there!" "py shinks," roared carl, in a panic, "ve're done for. ged her down on der groundt, matt! be as kevick as vat you can! ach, himmeblitzen, i bed you ve vas all goners." "steady, pards!" came the calm, unruffled voice of motor matt. "hang on! don't jump or let yourselves be thrown out. there's plenty of gas in the bag yet and it may be i can find a landing. do you see an opening anywhere among the trees, dick? look sharp and speak quick!" "i can't see the first sign of a clearing," dick answered. just then the _hawk_ went into the wildest contortions. she seemed like a living thing, wounded to the death and plunging about in fierce agony. first the car would be tilted until it was almost perpendicular in the air; then it would swerve to the same position, with the other end of the car downward; and, all the time it was leaping upward and downward in this hair-raising way, it was jerking violently right and left. it was impossible for the boys to do anything more than to hang on for their lives. occasionally they were swinging out of the car, above the tree tops, and again they would be hurled fiercely against the iron framework. matt, in this desperate plight, continued to keep his head. he knew that the bullet fired from below had struck and damaged the motor, and had then passed on through the gas bag. the gas was pouring out, but matt was hoping that enough buoyancy would remain to give them a safe landing on the surface, even if it must be a rough one. in this he was disappointed. suddenly there came a tearing sound from the bag, and all in the car knew that the bullet hole had widened into a rent under pressure of the gas. then, like so much lead, the doomed air ship swooped downward and crashed into the top of a tree. chapter ix. the wreck. for a moment, after the crash, motor matt was stunned and bewildered. when he regained his senses completely and realized where he was, he found that he was wedged between the guard rail of the car and a branch of the tree. turning his head, he looked downward through a clear depth of fifty feet. but for the guard rail, he would have dropped the entire distance and probably have lost his life. "carl!" he shouted, clinging to the limb. "here i vas, matt!" came the stifled answer. "i vas hung oudt on a pranch like der veek's vash. ach, du lieber, vat a luck! der poor _hawk_, she iss gone oop der shpout." "let's be thankful we didn't go up the spout along with her," replied matt. "where's dick?" "i don'd know vere he iss. iss he on der groundt? himmelblitzen! oof anyt'ing has habbened mit tick----" "dick?" shouted matt. "i say, dick!" there was no answer, and a sickening sensation sped along the young motorist's nerves. turning again, he stared with frenzied eyes toward the ground near the tree. with an exclamation of thankfulness, he saw nothing there to justify his worst fears. the tree was a live oak and thickly covered with spanish moss. dick could very easily be somewhere in the tree and yet out of sight. certainly, although unconscious and not able to answer, he must have been caught and held among the branches. "is your position a safe one, carl?" queried matt. "veil, oof i don't hang on mit bot' handts und my eye vinkers i vill be on der groundt in some heaps." "hang on, then, and stay right where you are. i'm going to look for dick." one of the mooring ropes was close to matt. carefully he took his knife from his pocket and severed the rope; then, making one end fast to the tree limb, he clung to it while he got out from under the iron guard rail. presently he was able to stand upright on the limb and peer about him through the trailing streamers of moss. he could not see dick, but he did see something that impressed him powerfully. the _hawk_, in one brief minute, had been relegated from the ranks of successful air ships into a mere mass of junk, wedged into the branches of the oak. the gas bag was almost entirely deflated and looped itself over the bent and broken limbs. the silken envelope was hopelessly torn and much of it in rags. the motor had been demolished, the end of the car containing it having come in smashing contact with a big limb. besides that the ironwork was twisted and parts of it had snapped off. there could be no repairing the air ship. she was as much a total loss as though she had gone to the bottom of the sea in fathomless waters. matt's heart felt a sudden wrench; but he thrust aside the feeling and continued his search for dick. carefully he made his way along the limb toward the silken envelope, pushing away the moss and peering anxiously as he went. "don'd you see nodding?" asked carl. "i can see that we'll never again do any sailing in the _hawk_," answered matt. "ach, dot makes me feel pad mit meinseluf!" wailed carl. "but i vas glad i vas alife! it vas some tight skveaks, i bed you. tick!" he yelled. "vere you vas, tick?" still there came no answer. silence reigned everywhere in the thick timber and carl's voice echoed weirdly among the trees. "he must be hurt and unable to answer, carl," said matt. "you vas looking, eh?" "yes." "vell, don'd fall off mit yourseluf, dot's all. i don'd vas goot for anyt'ing, my nerfs iss in sooch a frazzle. all i can do is to hang on und say my brayers forvarts, packvarts, und sitevays. oof ve could only find tick i vould veel pedder." matt finally reached the remains of the gas bag. climbing upward, he pushed the outer folds aside and there, lodged in the fork of a limb, was dick. dick lay across the fork, head and hands hanging downward. his cap was caught in some small branches below. "here he is, carl!" shouted matt. "yah," answered the dutch boy, "now i see him since you haf pulled der pag avay. he iss on der same limb as me. do--do you t'ink he vas deadt, matt?" "he may be only stunned," replied matt. "the thing to do is to get him out of there before he comes to and makes a move that will send him downward in a rush. see any rope near you, carl?" "dere iss a coil oof it righdt py me. vait und i vill ged it." matt heard carl moving about cautiously, and finally the end of a rope came toward him. matt caught the rope, but came within an inch of falling as he did so. "i've got it, carl," said he. "you keep hold of the other end and come forward along the limb. it will take both of us to get dick down safely." carl, on hands and knees, came slowly along the limb. while he was advancing, matt reached up and tied the end of the rope securely about ferral's body, under the arms. by that time, carl was close to ferral, standing on the limb and hanging to a branch. "there's a good big crotch of the tree below me," called matt, "and if you can lower dick down, i'll drop lower where i can work better." "i vill do der pest vat i can, matt," answered carl. "tick has der rope aroundt him, und ve can keep him from falling. go on mit yourseluf." "you'd better tie your end of the rope around the limb," counseled matt, "and i'll take a turn of it around this broken branch. that will give me a leverage when we come to lower dick." while carl secured the end of the rope, matt slid down into the large fork. "all ready!" he called up. "be careful now, carl. the least slip will send both you and dick downward." "i do der pest vat i can," repeated carl. bracing himself in the fork, matt held to the rope with one hand and reached up the other as dick came down to him. the rope tightened around the stump of the branch, and matt let it slide through his hand. slowly and carefully motor matt went about his work, watched breathlessly by carl. the purchase matt had on the rope was sufficient to enable him to hold dick in the air while he guided his swaying body downward. as soon as dick was below him, matt was able to lay hold of the rope with both hands and let dick drop at a swifter rate. in a few minutes dick was safely on the ground, an inanimate heap at the foot of the tree. "dot vas vell done!" declared carl, heaving a long sigh of relief. "now how ve going to ged down ourselufs, matt?" "have you tied the rope securely, up there?" "yah, so." "then we'll have to slide down. you go first, carl. as soon as you reach the ground, i'll follow you." "i don'd vas mooch oof a sailor," said carl, sitting down on the limb and laying hold of the rope, "und i can shlide down a lod easier as i couldt climb oop. here i go!" the first twenty feet of the rope was covered by carl like chain lightning; after that, however, he got a better grip and went the rest of the way more slowly. matt lowered himself hand over hand, descending as easily as though he was going down a ladder. carl was kneeling beside dick when matt's feet touched ground. "his heart iss going like anyt'ing," observed carl joyfully, "und i can't findt dot he has any proken pones." "we'll carry him to the edge of the bayou and see if a little water won't help revive him," said matt. "poor old dick! he'll take the loss of the _hawk_ pretty hard, but we ought all of us to be thankful we got out of that scrape with our lives." "it vas der closest call vat efer i hat, you bed you! aber say, vonce!" "well?" "ve vas forgedding aboudt der feller vat fired dot pullet. oof he vas anyvere aroundt, meppy he vill haf some more pullets for us." the wreck, and the saving of dick, had so taken up matt's attention that he had not given any thought to the marksman who had caused the trouble. as carl spoke, both boys lifted themselves erect and peered about them. they could see no one. "the scoundrel is leaving us alone," said matt darkly. "he ought to be content with what he has done, i think," and he swept a rueful glance upward into the tree. "who he vas, do you t'ink?" "some hunter, perhaps; maybe it was a superstitious negro, who fired at us and then ran away." "und meppy," suggested carl, in a tremor, "it vas some oof der jurgens gang! meppy dot iss der drap dey vas going to shpring." "maybe; but, even if what you say is correct, we've got to go right ahead and take care of dick. lay hold of him, carl, and help me." the two boys picked up their injured chum and carried him to the bank of the bayou; then, while matt made a more extensive examination, in order to determine the seriousness of dick's injury, carl went after water. there was a bad bruise on dick's forehead, but it was no more than a bruise, although it must have been caused by a pretty hard blow. "as he went over the limb, carl," said matt, "he must have struck his head against it. i don't think he is badly hurt, though." taking carl's cap, which the dutch boy had filled with water, matt dashed the contents in dick's face. while carl was going back after more water, dick suddenly opened his eyes and stared at matt. "how's everything, mate?" murmured dick. "we're alive, old chap," replied matt, "and that ought to be enough, don't you think, considering what we've been through?" "you and carl are all right?" "yes." "and i dodged davy jones, after shaking hands with him?" "it looks that way." "then, strike me lucky! it's better than i had hoped for." just then carl came running up the bank and grabbed dick's hand. "i hat radder be porn lucky as hantsome, any tay," he rejoiced, "hey, tick?" chapter x. the unexpected. ferral staggered to his feet. "it's a regular monkey's fist to me," said he, "how we ever got out of that mess. the last i remember i was slamming into the branches of a tree, then something hit me and the sunshine was turned off. it can't be, mates, that i dropped clear through that tree and hit the ground? i'm tough, but i think i'd show more marks than i do if that had happened." matt explained how dick had been got down out of the wreck of the _hawk_. "you lads must have had a rummy old time of it, hauling me around that tree top," went on dick. "and so the good old _hawk_ is done for! she carried us many a mile, mates, and we'll never see her like again unless----" he paused. "unless what?" queried matt. "why, unless we can get her out of the tree and patch her up." "impossible, dick. that would cost more than it would to build a new air ship. if we thought it worth while to do that, i have some new ideas i'd like to incorporate into the machine." dick's heaviness vanished a little. "we've money enough in the bank, matt," said he, "and if you say the word, we'll----" "we'd better get out of the trouble this air ship has got us into, dick," interrupted matt, "before we think of building another." "that's so. we look like a lot of ragamuffins. i'd like to clap eyes on that loafing longshore scuttler that brought us down! can you make a guess as to who it was?" "it might have been some superstitious negro hunter; or, as carl suggested, jurgens or one of his gang. if it was any of the latter, we have probably fallen into a snare. but if it was one of the robbers, why don't he show himself?" "that may not be his game. what's our next move, matt? we can't stand here boxing the compass when there's dirty weather ahead." "i'm expecting the writer of that letter to put in an appearance. from what he wrote, i thought he would be here ahead of us." "i tell you somet'ing!" exploded carl. "he vas der feller mit der gun. he got us here und he bagged us, und now he don'd vant to come oudt vere ve can ged a look at him. i vould like to knock his plock off, yah, so helup me!" "we might make a move in the direction of yamousa's cabin," said matt. "that would be a more comfortable place to wait than out here in the open." "don'd you nefer t'ink dot!" chattered carl. "der blace iss pad meticine. i bed you der olt foodoo's shpook haunts der capin." "avast, there, you flying dutchman!" reproved dick. "we don't believe in spooks. if you're afraid to go with us, carl, you can heave to and drop your anchor right here." "i go verefer you go, und dry und be as jeerful as bossiple, only i don'd like going to der shpook laty's house." matt and dick set out around the edge of the bayou and were presently upon familiar ground. dick indicated the spot where the _hawk_ had been moored, upon the occasion of their first visit to the place, and it was there that matt called a halt while they made a survey of the hovel where the obeah woman had lived. it had been decorated with bones of various kinds, when the chums saw the place first, but now the bones had disappeared. the door was closed, but there was a bucket standing beside the doorstep. "from the looks," said matt, "i should say that there is some one in the hut." "den dose peoble must haf been pad off for some blace to go," spoke up carl. "mayhap the jurgens outfit are in there?" said dick. "just what i was thinking," continued matt. "den ve'd pedder look a leedle oudt or ve vill be gedding indo some hod vater." "you and carl slip into the edge of the timber, dick," said matt, "and i'll go on ahead and do some reconnoitring. if the gang is there i'll find it out, and then i'll come back and we'll decide what it is best for us to do." "you're cutting out all the rough work for yourself," demurred dick. "i'm the one best able to stand it," was the answer. "you're far from being yourself, old chap, and carl is too much afraid of spooks to accomplish anything." "i do feel a bit groggy on my feet, and that's a fact," admitted ferral, staggering to the edge of the brush and dropping wearily down. "that nick on the head took the starch all out of me, but i'll feel better after a while. go ahead, matt, but don't stir up any trouble. we're not in shape to stand off that gang of pirates." "i don't intend to let the scoundrels see me," matt answered as he moved away. keeping to the edge of the timber, he was able to reach a point abreast of the hut without showing himself. from the place where he came to a halt he could look across a narrow stretch of clear ground and see a window in the rear wall of the hovel. a look through the window would tell him all he wanted to know, and he dropped down on hands and knees and began crawling across the open space. he appreciated to the full dick's suggestion as to not stirring up trouble. jurgens, according to matt's surmise, probably had two men with him and the young fellow who had played the part of matt in making the diamond haul. this made four against matt and his two comrades--an overwhelming force, when it is remembered that undoubtedly the thieves were armed. matt gained the place under the window without making a noise; then, raising cautiously, he pressed his face to the glass. to his disappointment, a piece of cloth had been placed over the window on the inside. a broken pane in the window, however, enabled him to listen for sounds which would let him know whether or not there was really any one in the hut. there were no voices and no sound of any stir, but matt's keen ear detected the slow, regular breathing of some one asleep. and there was only one sleeper--he was positive of that. for a few moments he debated the question. should he step boldly into the hut and find out who the person was, or would it be better to go back after carl and dick so as to have a superior force in case of a clash? matt decided that the move was for him to make. going back into the edge of the timber, he cut himself a stout bludgeon; thus armed, he stepped quietly around to the front of the hut and laid a hand on the door. it was locked. a little examination assured him that the bolt was not strong enough to resist a determined onslaught, and he boldly hurled himself against the door. it went crashing inward, and matt pitched forward across the floor and almost lost his footing. a shout of consternation went up, and matt saw a form spring erect and stand facing him. it was the form of a youth about matt's own age, wearing a dingy sweater and frayed corduroy trousers. at the first glance each recognized the other. "king, or i'm a reub!" "great spark plugs! the fellow that played that dodge on townsend!" matt cleared the distance separating him from the youth at a leap; but the other had jumped backward, at the same time pulling a weapon from his pocket. "don't you go and make a sucker play, motor matt!" cried dashington warningly. "put up that revolver!" ordered matt, staring sternly at the youth and taking a fresh grip on the handle of the club. "you've got a picture of me making a funny play like that--i don't think. throw away your club and i'll throw away this pepper box. gee, but wouldn't it uppercut you, the way we resemble each other? say, you ought to be delighted to see me instead of trying to make a pass at my block with that stick. i wasn't looking for you to drop in on me so soon." "i doubt if you were expecting me to drop in on you at all," said matt sarcastically. "where are jurgens, and whistler, and bangs?" "close by, cull. don't make too much noise or they'll get next to you and me and blow in on us." "where are those diamonds?" asked matt. "hand me an easy one." "you ought to know. you're the one that stole them, and you stole them for jurgens and his pals." "part of that's on the level. i did lift the bag of sparks, and it really seems as though i went to all that trouble for jurgens and his pals. anyhow, i didn't help myself so you could see it. don't get to hearing funny noises under your bonnet, now, but drop the club and let's be sociable. if you---- wow, but you're chain lightning, and then some!" quick as a flash matt had thrown the club. it struck the revolver in dashington's hand and knocked it clear to the opposite side of the room. before dashington could recover it, matt was upon him and there was a short wrestling match, catch-as-catch-can. being far and away dashington's superior in science, matt was only about two minutes in laying his antagonist on his back. when they fell, they knocked over a table, and the racket it made brought a stifled cry to dashington's lips. "they'll get wise to us! you're queering yourself, king. let me up, quick! i can hear some one coming." "you're my prisoner!" said matt sharply. "we'll both be prisoners of jurgens and his gang if you don't take a tumble to the rights of this. let me up, i tell you, or----" just then the hurrying steps outside reached the door. "what's going on here, matt?" came the excited voice of dick ferral, as he and carl flung into the room. "i've just captured that double of mine," answered matt. "if we hang onto him possibly we can make him tell us something about jurgens and the diamonds." "oh, sister!" mumbled dashington, "wouldn't that give your thinker a twist? pass it up, king. if you won't take your knees off my chest, then give me a chance to heave a little of the straight guff at you." "pick up that revolver, dick," said matt, nodding toward the weapon. "keep it in your hands and don't let this fellow lose your eyes for a moment. he wants to talk, and we're going to let him, but if he tries to bolt, he's going to wish that he had thought twice before he tried it." dick hurried to the weapon and gathered it in, then matt got up and let dashington regain his feet. chapter xi. a friend from the enemy's camp. "you blokes are wise guys--i don't think," grinned dashington. "motor matt is cracked up to be such a phenom. that i had a warm guess he'd know who wrote that letter first crack out of the box." "what letter are you talking about?" demanded matt. "the one you found in your mail this morning. my stationery wasn't the sort they use in polite correspondence, but i was in luck to have even that. an old letter of bangs', bangs' notebook and bangs' pencil helped me out. i'll bet eight big iron louies you never once suspected me of dropping that letter in the mails; and yet, who else was there for you to suspect? didn't think jurgens would do it, did you? or whistler? or bangs? get wise, motor matt, get wise. there's work ahead for the lot of us, and the longer we hang off about it, the harder it's likely to be." matt and his friends listened to this line of talk with a good deal of wonder, but they were not disposed, just then, to take dashington's word for anything. "you say you wrote that letter?" queried matt, noting how the youth's talk harmonized with the letter's contents. "want me to make a song out of it and set it to music? you haul considerable freight, in a general way, but you haven't taken on much of a load this trip." "you're the swab carl and i gave the letter to on the levee, all right," spoke up dick. "thanks for the word. swab! that expresses it nicely. because of that letter, which i didn't want, i got rung into the biggest jonah play that ever hip-locked with me. as a consequence my ticket is merely a souvenir. and now here comes motor matt and roughs things up in good old texas style. that's dead tough luck and would bring tears to a pair of glass eyes." "you stole the diamonds?" "i played understudy to motor matt and lifted the sparks. i walked two long blocks with them concealed upon my person, then whistler handed me a fistful of fives twice, right where they started the slumber song. was i down? yes, indeed, and for several minutes. when i rounded to and took a fresh grasp of the situation, jurgens, whistler and bangs had chugged away in their auto and had forgotten to leave the dazzlers." "ah!" said matt grimly. "you robbed townsend and then jurgens and his men robbed you." "i hope i may drop if that wasn't the way of it. it was a lesson for me, i think; anyhow, it's a mortal cinch i got a horrible sorry on for what i'd done. 'they played me for a mark,' i says to myself, 'and got the sparklers; now i'll turn to and help motor matt get them back again.' that's why i wrote that letter, and i dropped it in a mail box just before i pushed off in a boat and floated down the river. happened to meet a colored brother fishing; i told him i wanted to go to bayou yamousa, and the colored brother happened to know the way; also he happened to have a mule and a wagon, and he brought me here. i didn't think you'd be along before night, and i was just keeping myself as retired as possible while waiting for you to get here. this shanty looked good to me, and as i was some fagged on account of the night's labor, i locked the door, stretched myself out and have been pounding my ear ever since." "how did you know jurgens, whistler and bangs were coming to this place?" asked matt. his confidence in dashington was increasing. this would not have been the case had dashington tried to deny, or smooth over, the part he had played in the robbery. he was cheerfully admitting his guilt, and the cause he had for turning against jurgens and his men seemed sufficiently adequate. dashington told how he had discovered the coat, and showed the memorandum book found in the pocket. the notation: "if our plant works, and we get separated after the diamonds are lifted, am to meet j. and w. at bayou yamousa," appealed particularly to matt. it showed dashington's reason for coming to bayou yamousa, and for asking matt and his friends to join him there. "do you know positively," asked matt, "that jurgens is in this vicinity?" "i've seen their camp," replied dashington, "but i was foxy enough not to let them see me. i'm not altogether a flat, even if i did let jurgens and company touch me up and pull their chestnuts out of the blaze. i've about decided to cut out the crooked work entirely, and it's up to motor matt and his pals to give me a fresh chance. of course you can pinch me, and land me in the pen, but that would hardly be square after i have helped you get back the diamonds." "who are you?" said matt. "joe dashington, with the accent on the 'dash.'" "where are you from?" "every place. i seem to have broken out in new orleans just at the right time to mix things for everybody. don't let it get past you that i didn't know what i was up against when jurgens asked me to lift the stones. i was on the make, and went into it with my eyes wide. i'm not turning on the gang entirely because i have a grouch, but because i've about concluded that bunko work is a losing game." "you're right about that, dashington," averred matt. "crooked business is bad business, and you show your good sense in wanting to cut loose from it. what do you expect of us?" "i'm in wrong," replied dashington, "but maybe i can get over that if you'll help. suppose i join you and help you recover the diamonds. will that pay for letting me start for unknown regions, and then doing the nice, genteel dip for the rest of the time i'm on earth?" "i don't know why it won't," said matt, in a kindly tone. "you look to me like a chap who could do big things if you went at it in the right way." "landed! landed and strung! i'm hooked, king, and you might give me your hand. i've got the gaff from the strong-arm push for the last time. just have your pal put that gun in his pocket and i'll feel easier." "put up the thing, dick," said matt. "dash can be trusted. he's going to help us recover the diamonds, and in return for his service we're to let him go wherever he wants to." "aber vill he make goot mit vat he says?" chirped carl. "i'm class a at making good," said dashington, "when i tackle a job of my size. i can handle this one. but where's the balloonobile, the flying wonder that has shaken the crescent city from centre to circumference, and clear across to algiers? i haven't noticed it," and dashington stepped to the door and made a hasty survey of the shore of the bayou. "you're looking too low, mate," said dick. "she bounced up on a live oak and you can't see her for moss." dashington whirled with a jump. "wrecked?" "demolished. she's sailed the skies for the last time, and it was a bullet brought her down." "a bullet?" "yes," put in matt. "it was fired from somewhere in the timber, put the motor out of business and made holes in the gas bag. we all of us had narrow escapes----" "you look the part." "have you any idea who fired that shot?" a worried expression came over dashington's face. "who else but some of that sure-thing crowd?" he returned. "this boggles the situation. they know you're here, and when they find you weren't finished up out of hand they'll come looking for you. this sort of puts a crimp in our prospects, motor matt. getting the sparks isn't going to be so easy. jurgens and his crowd are over by the wagon road with an automobile, and if they think we're wise to them they may take the machine and hike." "we've got to get back those diamonds," declared matt. "if we don't, i'd look pretty asking you to pull the pin on me, wouldn't i? sure we've got to get 'em back, but----" "belay there, with your jaw tackle," came excitedly from dick, in a half whisper. he had been standing by the open door, and he suddenly drew back and hurried up to the other boys. "jurgens just showed up on the bank of the bayou," announced dick, "and he looks as though he might be laying a course for the hut." "we're double-crossed!" muttered dashington. "the head knocker of the push will be next to us in half a minute, and that means a run to safety in the chug wagon with all hands and the sparks." "no," said matt, a thought darting through his mind. "there are enough of us here to capture jurgens. he may find out about us, but he won't be able to get away with the information." "now you're making a noise like a winner," whispered dashington exultantly. "that's the play. around the door, lads, and grab him from all sides when he pushes in. don't let him yell. if he manages to put up a roar, whistler and bangs will hear it and get curious. they've got rifles with them--and a bullet is a hard thing to dodge if it's sent right." jurgens was already close to the hut--so close that there was not the slightest doubt but that he was intending to investigate it. he was probably wondering what had become of the boys from the air ship, and was abroad with the intention of locating them, if possible. carl and dick got behind the door, while matt and dashington pressed up close to the wall. the footsteps came nearer and nearer, and then, just as jurgens put his foot across the threshold, matt and dashington sprang for him. dashington threw his arms about the man's throat and hung to him like a leech, while matt seized a hand he was pushing toward his hip. in the struggle that followed, all three fell through the door and rolled off the step and onto the ground. chapter xii. the bag of diamonds. jurgens divined instantly that he had got himself into a serious predicament; but his predicament was even greater than the four boys imagined during the first part of their struggle with him. the scoundrel fought with the fury of a cornered panther, clawing, kicking and even trying to use his teeth. dashington exerted himself entirely to prevent an outcry, and this left matt to do most of the fighting until carl and dick hurled themselves through the door and lent their assistance. with four against him, jurgens had no hope; nevertheless, his desperation was so great that he vainly tried to continue his one-sided battle. carl found a piece of rope somewhere in the hut, and while he, and matt, and dashington held jurgens, dick put the lashings on his hands and feet and made them secure with hard and fast sailor's knots. a twisted handkerchief tied between jurgens' jaws relieved dashington of his part of the work, and the boys got up breathlessly and looked down at their prisoner. "that's because you didn't play square with me, jurgens," said dashington, leering into the baleful eyes of the man at his feet. "i'll back you against all comers, bar none, for being the most treacherous crook in the business. but here's where you get it handed to you. you had it easy, last night, but here's where i give you the merry ha-ha." jurgens tried to talk, but succeeded only in emitting an incoherent gurgle behind the twisted handkerchief; then he strained desperately at his bonds, but dick's knots were never known to slip. "oh, cut it out!" said dashington. "the ball and chain are as good as on you so far as your chances for getting away are concerned. what do you think of yourself, anyway? this is a regular calcimine finish, and you're going to do time enough to keep you out of mischief for quite a spell." "vat's dis?" asked carl, stooping down by the edge of the step and lifting a small canvas bag. dashington stared, then jumped into the air and shook his hat. "oh, no, this isn't luck!" he remarked, smothering his hilarity with a tremendous effort. "not at all! and yet it's as natural as can be. of course he wouldn't trust the sparks with either whistler or bangs. he keeps them himself, and when he goes out hunting for motor matt he totes them along. the bag drops out as we roll off the step, and hides itself up close to the wall of the cabin. carl finds it--and maybe we're not all to the good? take it from me, we are." "are the diamonds in that bag, dash?" demanded matt, scarcely daring to credit his ears. "nowhere else, cull," exulted dashington. "i couldn't forget that bag. it has played a big part in my life, even if it hasn't played a long one." "well, shiver me!" muttered dick, dropping down on the step. "if that's not what you call winding this up in handsome style, you can call me a lubber. motor matt's luck--that's what did it." "hoop-a-la!" fluttered carl, doing a two-step. "we're der fellers, und don'd you forged dot! der tiamonts is pack, we haf der tiamonts pack, und eferyt'ing iss so lofely as i can't tell. hoop-a-la!" "stow it, neighbor!" warned dashington. "we've got our hooks on the sparks, but we're not liable to keep them if you make too much noise. whistler and bangs are somewhere in the timber, so don't advertise the fact that we're here and have the stones. look into the bag, matt. make sure it's no counterfeit." "that's right," said dick, tempering his glad feelings until a further examination was made. "open the pouch, matt, and look into it. if the old hunks has fooled us with a bag of pebbles----" "he hasn't," cut in matt. "look here!" he pulled one hand from the bag and held up a diamond in the sun. there could be no doubt, after that. "but are they _all_ there?" demanded dashington. "the bag hasn't shrunk any since i first set my gig lamps onto it, still a few of the stones might have been taken out. what do you think?" matt, carl and dick had all seen the diamonds just as they had come from the idol's head, and they were all firmly of the belief that the stones in the bag bulked as large as ever. "this," said matt, after he had retied the bag and put it away in the breast of his coat, "makes it necessary for us to clear out of here as soon as possible. the question is, how are we to do it?" "the nearest burg is chef menteur," answered dashington. "we could go that far on our kicks and catch a train into n. o." "und leaf dot jurgens feller pehindt?" protested carl. "he'd be something of a load to carry," said dick. "one of us could go to the nearest plantation and get a wagon," suggested dashington. "und vile dot feller vas gone, whistler und pangs mighdt show oop und blay hop mit der resdt oof us." "there are four of us," said matt, "and i think, if we had a long pole, we could hang jurgens to it and carry him. he has been the ringleader in every plot that was directed against townsend and the iron chest. it's right that he should pay the penalty of his misdeeds, even if whistler and bangs should never be caught. we let him go once, you remember, dick, when he was in our hands, and now, just because of it, we lost the _hawk_, and came within one of losing the diamonds." "that's a good spiel motor matt is giving us," declared dashington. "i'll go and look for a long pole, and while i'm about it, you fellows tie jurgens' hands in front of him." dashington was probably ten minutes getting the pole. by the time he was back, jurgens' hands had been released and rebound in front of him. the pole was slipped between his hands and feet, and matt and dick, at one end, and carl and dashington, at the other, lifted it to their shoulders. jurgens hung downward, the pole catching the ropes that bound him and holding him suspended. his position was far from comfortable, but the boys could not help that. "i'm wise to the road we've got to take," said dashington, "so this end of the pole had better travel ahead. we'll come out on the turnpike a half mile the other side of where i saw the automobile. it won't be many minutes before bangs and whistler will begin to wonder what became of jurgens and the sparks, and they'll probably go out on a hunt. luck seems to be on our side, so i'm hoping they sidestep us." the ends of the pole were shifted so that carl and dashington could travel ahead. dashington had his bearings, and he led off as briskly as he could, considering that the thick timber and the long pole made it necessary to pick their way with some care. "you can see, fellows," philosophized matt, from the rear, "what greed will do for a man. jurgens wouldn't trust the diamonds with whistler and bangs. he had to take them with him. if he hadn't had them, the bag of loot wouldn't be in our hands now." "jurgens is a four-ply wonder," said dashington. "he was greedy with me, and that's how i came to scratch my entry in his free-for-all grafting game, i hope they give him ninety-nine years at hard labor." what jurgens' thoughts were as he was pitched and swayed along and listened to this talk, did not appear. he was probably meditating on the changeable nature of human affairs, and thinking of the many times he had had the treasure of the man from cape town in his hands and had failed, in the final pinch, to get away with it. as they got farther and farther into the timber, matt counseled silence. they were drawing close to the road and their voices might carry to the ears of whistler or bangs, if they happened to be abroad. after that the journey was continued in silence, the lads pausing, now and then, to change the pole from one shoulder to the other. everything was going swimmingly, and matt was looking ahead to an easy jaunt along the road into chef menteur, and then a comfortable ride on the railroad back to new orleans, when carl and dashington suddenly laid back on the pole and whirled around to get the front end farther back into the timber. matt and dick were naturally surprised at this quick move. they were on the point of speaking when dashington laid a warning finger on his lips and motioned for the pole and its burden to be let down. "what's up?" whispered matt, when carl and dashington had pressed close. "the benzine cart is right ahead of us!" answered dashington. "oof ve hat gone anodder foot," added carl, "ve vould haf come oudt righdt on whistler und pangs." "they're sitting in the front seats with a couple of rifles over their knees," finished dashington. "go take a look, matt." matt crept forward to a place from which he could get a good view of the wagon road. the automobile was pulled out on the roadside, and brush had been cut and piled over the bonnet in order to screen the car from travelers along the highway. whistler and bangs did not appear, as yet, to be very much worried over the prolonged absence of jurgens. they were lounging in the car, their feet on the dashboard and pipes between their lips. bangs was in his shirt sleeves, and across the lap of each lay a rifle. as motor matt surveyed the situation, he felt a pang to think that those two rascals would escape the penalty of their evil actions. this thought led to another which caused the young motorist's pulses to leap with an inspiration. turning in his tracks, he made his way silently back to his waiting companions. "i've got a scheme, pards," he whispered. "how'd you like to ride back to new orleans in jurgens' automobile?" "who can run the thing, matt?" asked dashington. "i can," was the answer. "i used to be in the business." "how'll ve get der pupple?" inquired carl. "here's the scheme," said matt, and drew the other three close while he talked. chapter xiii. a daring plot. "in order to get to new orleans," said matt, in a low tone, "we'll have to head west along the road. now, if we work the scheme, my part in it is settled, as i am the only one who can run the car. i shall have to stay close here, and you three can settle it among yourselves as to what parts you will take in pushing the deal through. two of you will carry jurgens half a mile westward, and wait at the edge of the road, ready to lift jurgens into the car and to hop aboard when it comes along. one of you, i am not particular which, will go about a stone's throw farther into the timber and wait about half an hour in order that the two who are to tote jurgens get to their proper place at the roadside. then, the one who is in the timber will set up a hoarse yell for whistler and bangs, and will fire off one of the revolvers. do you catch my drift?" "it vas too many for me," said carl. "i can't rise to it, either," added dick. "see if i've guessed it right," spoke up dashington. "the fellow that does the shooting and yelling in the timber will try to make whistler and bangs think he is jurgens. the guess is that whistler and bangs will leave the auto and rush off to help jurgens. then what, motor matt?" "then i run to the car and start it down the road." "und vat pecomes mit der feller in der timber?" asked carl. "he runs for the road as soon as he hears whistler and bangs pounding through the brush," explained matt. "he will angle off toward the turnpike and reach it way this side of where the other two are with jurgens. i'll take the first fellow in, then we'll slam the machine through and pick up the other two of you and jurgens. after that we ought to have clear sailing right into new orleans. and, furthermore, at the first town west we can have officers come back and hunt for the two thieves we leave behind. by making a move like that, we'll not only give ourselves a lift into the city, but, better still, we'll take from whistler and bangs their only means of escape out of the country." "that's the dope!" chuckled dashington. "anything that puts whistler and bangs on the slide makes a hit with me. it's a cinch this gang won't forget in a hurry what they did to joe dashington, nor what dash did to even the score. i've got my place picked out." "vich iss it?" asked carl. "i'm the fellow to go in the woods, shake loads out of the pepper box and put up a roar." "that means, carl," said matt, "that you and dick will have to look after jurgens. we'll give you half an hour to get where you're going. at the end of that time dash will begin his racket. then it's up to me to start the machine." "you've picked out the hot end of it for yourself, motor matt," remarked dashington. "from your talk one would think it the easiest piece of work on the job, but i'm jerry that it's some different. there's a lot of brush piled in front of the car, and on top of it. you won't have much time to get it out of the way." "i don't expect to carry it off by the armful," said matt, "but to start the car and drive through it and over it." "then it's a guess, and only a guess," pursued dashington, "that both whistler and bangs will rush into the timber to give jurgens a helping hand. suppose only one of them goes? you'll be in a fine row of stumps trying to steal the machine with a man looking at you over the sights of a rifle!" "that's the chance i take," said matt coolly. "we're all taking chances, for that matter, and you're taking as many as any one else, dash." "well," returned dashington, "i'm satisfied if the rest of you are. ring the gong, motor matt, and we'll take our corners." "you and carl had better move, dick," said matt, nodding toward jurgens and the pole. "pick up your man and start. do you feel equal to it?" he added, turning an anxious look on the sailor. "equal to anything, mate," answered dick, "now that we've got the diamonds. only don't lose the stones, that's all. grab your end of the pole, carl," he added. carl was as happy a dutchman as one could have found in seven states. he was morbidly fond of excitement, and he liked always to be "in the midst of alarms"--providing there was nothing supernatural about the alarms. his face fairly shone as he picked up his end of the pole and staggered away with it. it was only a moment before carl, dick and their swinging burden was out of sight; and less than a minute more until a wild, hair-raising yell for help came from the direction taken by the two boys. matt and dashington gave a jump of consternation. they realized at once what must have happened. undoubtedly jurgens had got rid of his gag, unknown to dick or carl, and had given vent to the yell. answering cries came almost instantly from the direction of the automobile. there was not much time for matt and dashington to think what should be done, but their wits were keen and they thought along the same line. "i'll draw them off, matt," muttered dashington, and sped into the wood. there was no time for matt to reply, for the crashing of brush proved that one or both of the men who had been in the car were close upon him. flinging himself to one side, matt crouched on his knees behind a tree. whistler and bangs rushed into sight. "where'n thunder did that yell come from?" cried whistler. "off to the left, there," answered bangs, indicating the direction taken by carl and dick. for an instant matt's hopes went down, and he had a mental picture of jurgens being rescued, and carl and dick having trouble with those long rifles. just at that moment, however, dashington was heard from. "this way, whistler! bangs! quick! the diamonds! the diamonds!" the voice was hoarse and a close imitation of jurgens'. and then that mention of the diamonds was a masterstroke. "somebody's taking the diamonds!" yelped whistler, bounding straight ahead. "confound jurgens for carryin' 'em!" fumed bangs, hurling himself after whistler. matt's time to get active had now arrived. with an exultant heart he jumped to his feet and raced for the automobile. he had to kick aside some of the brush to get at the crank, and the engine was slow in turning over; but, finally, he had the motor popping and settling down into a steady hum. into the car he leaped, there was a moment's work with the handle bars, a twist at the steering wheel and the car leaped toward the road, scattering the brush right and left. once on the highway and headed westward, fresh difficulties confronted matt. his carefully laid plan had been only partly carried out, owing to the untimely yell from jurgens. carl and dick had had no time to get very far down the road, and dashington would be put to it to double back and get around whistler and bangs. matt slowed the car and snailed along on the low speed, looking anxiously the while into the timber that edged the road. he saw nothing of dashington, who would presumably be the first one he picked up, and off somewhere in the dusky confines of the wood he heard the snarling report of a rifle. his heart almost stood still at that. at whom had the shot been fired? and had it reached its mark? matt thought of dashington. in spite of dashington's rapid past, there was something about the young fellow that was attractive, and matt was beginning to like him. it would have been a sad commentary on the course of events if dashington was to be shot down just on the threshold of a better career. in order to signal to his friends the location of the car, matt honked loud and long. again came a rifle shot, this time much closer, and matt heard the whistle of the ball through the air. that meant, if it meant anything, that dashington was coming toward the road, and that whistler and bangs were following him and shooting as they came. matt dared not stop the car, for there would be no time to crank up and he did not dare trust the engine to take the spark, even after a short stop. presently, to matt's anxious ears came a crashing of bushes and a sound of hard breathing. the noise came from a little way ahead, and he drove the car forward at a faster speed. he could hear voices now, coming out of the recesses of the timber--the voices of whistler and bangs lifted excitedly. "there he goes, whistler!" "nail him, then, bangs! he's got the loot and is trying to make a getaway with it." _bang!_ another bullet rattled through the trees and clipped the air over matt's head. just at that moment, dashington, apparently unhurt but nearly spent, staggered into sight. "bilked!" he gasped; "i bilked 'em for fair." "into the tonneau, quick!" shouted matt. dashington staggered to the running board and fell sprawling into the rear of the car. "they're stealing the car!" howled the voice of bangs, who was now close enough to the road to see what was going on. "stop 'em!" roared the panting voice of whistler. "if they get away with the car we're done for!" away jumped the car on the high speed, throwing dust and gravel from the rear tires in a shower. _bang! bang!_ came the harsh notes of the rifles, but the screen of dust and the excitement of the moment were not conducive to accurate shooting. the car raced off, made a turn in the road, and whistler and bangs were left behind. "keep an eye out for dick and carl, dash!" shouted matt. "they ought to be somewhere around here." at just that moment, carl showed himself in the road, jumping up and down and waving his hat. chapter xiv. on the road. carl and dick had jurgens close to the roadside, and not much time was lost loading the prisoner into the tonneau. carl crawled into the rear seat with jurgens and dashington, and dick got up in front with matt. "what was the shooting about?" asked dick, smothering his excitement. "whistler and bangs were taking pot shots at dash," explained matt. "jurgens sprung our scheme on us before we were ready for it." the car was rushing off down the road again, matt looking back toward the turn for some sign of whistler and bangs. the machine had taken another turn before the baffled robbers had shown themselves. "py shinks!" boomed carl, who had heard matt's remark, "i t'ought i should drow fits righdt on der shpot ven don jugens feller tuned oop. ve ditn't know anyt'ing aboudt it, matt, aber he hat chewed der handtkerchief in doo. tick und me heardt der shooding, und ve vas schared shtiff. ve t'ink, meppy, dot you or tashington vas hurt." "it was a close call for dashington," said matt. "if it hadn't been for his quickness and cleverness you two with jurgens would have had whistler and bangs down on you like a thousand of brick. they were headed that way when dash drew them off. but it's all over now. we're out of it, and we've got jurgens' car, and whistler and bangs will have to hoof it. we'll send officers back from the next town." "that will be micheaud," put in dashington. "i vonder oof dere iss a blace to eat in der town?" quavered carl. "i haf peen lifing on oxcidement all tay, und now ven der oxcidement iss gone i feel der need oof somet'ing else." "trust carl to think of his chuck," laughed dick. "what i want in the next town is a hat. after that i can get along until we reach where we're going." another handkerchief had been twisted between jurgens' jaws in lieu of the one he had gnawed in two. "there's no need of the gag now, pards," said matt, "and you'll make jurgens more comfortable by taking it off." jurgens' first words, the moment the gag was removed, were directed at dashington. "confound you!" he hissed, "you're at the bottom of all this." "thanks," grinned dashington, "that's partly the way of it." "how did motor matt know where we had gone?" "i put him next, jurgens." "how did you know?" "why, as for that, when you put me down and out, there in new orleans, bangs' coat dropped from the car. when i corralled my wits i found it. there was a notebook in the pocket and that gave me a line on your rendezvous." "bangs!" snapped jurgens. "we ought never to have hooked up with him. he's a sot and a bungler." "you're a bungler yourself, jurgens. if you had treated me square, instead of trying to hog the whole bag of tricks, i might have kept right on with you and turned into a promising crook. on the whole, it's a fine thing for me you let whistler give me that bump. i was at the turning point, and that rap on the block gave me a shove in the right direction." "you'll do time for stealing those diamonds if my evidence counts for anything!" snapped jurgens. "but it won't. you're fooling yourself with a pipe dream when you let your little two-by-four run in that groove. who was it shot at the air ship? talk a while about something sensible." "bangs, again!" snorted jurgens. "he was moseying along by the bayou and saw the air ship overhead. he blazed away, making a good shot. that was all right, but where bangs was wrong was in hustling off to tell whistler and me and not waiting to find out what damage he had done. as soon as i got bangs' story, i made for the bayou. i saw the air ship, all right, smashed to smithereens in the top of a live oak, but king, ferral and the dutchman had vanished." "den you vent to hunt for us," bubbled carl, "and got yourself in some drouples." "you mean," laughed dashington, with a taunt in his voice, "that he came to the hut to give us back the diamonds. it was a raw play, and that was what it amounted to." jurgens, in futile rage, ground his teeth. "this will be the last of the diamonds," called matt, from forward, "so far as you are concerned, jurgens." "i hope it will be the last of townsend too," scowled jurgens. "that fellow has dogged me from pillar to post ever since i left atlantic city." matt and his chums enjoyed that remark. "you dit all der dogging," said carl. "and you young whelps helped townsend," snarled jurgens. "well, we've made it expensive for you. that air ship has made its last trip." dick ferral sobered immediately. recent exciting events had kept his mind off the untimely fate of the _hawk_, but now the loss of the air ship recurred to him with added significance. "i was in love with that craft," said he. "she saved our lives more than once, and she helped us turn a good many tricks for law and order. not only that, but she has made for us five or six times the amount of money she cost us. poor little ship! i suppose she'll hang in that oak tree till the crack o' doom." "forget about it, old chap," said matt. "her last cruise was the best of all, for she helped me redeem my promise to archibald townsend. there's the town ahead," he added, "and we'll stop there for supper and to send some one back along the road to capture whistler and bangs." "they'll keep clear of any one you send," growled jurgens, "i'll guarantee that." "whose automobile is this, jurgens?" queried dick. "it belongs to a firm in new orleans," he replied, with a leer. "we rented it and were going to forget to take it back." "why didn't you leave town when townsend let you go, that other time?" matt went on, hoping for an answer to a question that had long bothered him. "because we believed townsend had got the loot that was in the iron chest," said jurgens, "and we had as much right to it as he had." "and you watched townsend, after that?" "every minute, night and day." just here matt swerved from the street of the town and came to a halt in front of a public house. "we'll go in and eat, motor matt," said dashington, with a significant look at the young motorist, "and carl and dick can stay here and keep watch over the machine and jurgens. we can send them a hand-out." matt, seeing that there was some object back of dashington's suggestion, acquiesced. they got down from the car and went into the tavern, took a seat in the dining room and sent out a hot meal to those in the car. matt and dashington were alone in the dining room and, after the waiter had served them and gone away, they were able to talk privately. "i had something up my sleeve, cull," said dashington, "when i asked you to come in here with me. here's where i have to quit you." "why can't you go on to new orleans, dash?" asked matt. "i know townsend. he's a good fellow, and he'll be so glad to get the diamonds back that i know he will not make you any trouble." "you might be able to swing townsend, all right," returned dashington, "but the chap that has it in for me, old fel, is jurgens. you've heard how he feels. he'd split on me, as sure as fate, and ring me in on the deal. no, i've got to duck, and right from this town. i've done what i could to square myself, and i'm going to put as much country between me and new orleans as i can. it will be best, all around. you and i look too much alike to be in the same section of the country." "you're going to stay straight, are you?" asked matt, quietly. "as long as i'm on the turf!" declared dashington. "there's my hand on it." matt grasped cordially the hand dashington offered him. "between two fellows who look so much alike as do you and i, dash," said matt, "there ought to be a bond of friendship. as long as you're straight, if you ever need help and i'm within hailing distance, let me know." dashington was silent for a space. "that's mighty good of you," said he finally and in a low tone. "you've been a good friend to me, and the police probably won't thank you for letting me get away; but i appreciate what you've done. don't let that get past your guard for a minute." "haven't you any relatives?" "i don't want to talk along that line," said dashington. "if i have, they'll never hear of me until i prove myself a credit to the family." "where are you going, from here?" "i'll take a side-door pullman out of the country. haven't a guess where i'll land, but i know it will be a good way off." "have you any money?" dashington laughed. "money? what's that? i haven't a sou markee in my jeans, matt, and it's that that made me desperate and ready to fall in with jurgens and his bunch. the lack of a little money puts many a chap to the bad." matt drew a roll of bills from his pocket, counted off several and laid them down beside dashington's plate. "there's fifty," said he. "what's it for?" asked dashington. "for you." "i don't want to take your money, matt. i hope i'm not an object of charity." "well, i should hope not. i'm not giving it to you, you understand. it's only a loan, and you can pay it back next week, next year, or any old time when you get around to it." "thank you," said dashington. when matt got up from the table, he left dashington still sitting in his chair. and that was the last he saw of him. chapter xv. a new man takes a hand. it was midnight when the automobile and its passengers from bayou yamousa rolled into new orleans. matt's first call was at police headquarters. here jurgens was left, and a bit of a surprise was sprung. the assistant chief, fetterman by name, was on duty, and the arrival of jurgens created a mild sensation. detectives were even then prowling about the city looking for lattimer jurgens, whistler, bangs, and a young man, name unknown, wearing a slouch hat, sweater and frayed corduroy trousers. the detectives had not met with the slightest success, and the bringing in of jurgens, by motor matt and his chums, naturally created a mild degree of excitement. the surprise was in the nature of a question by fetterman. "where are you going, king, from here?" matt gave him the number of the house in prytania street where townsend had taken up his quarters. "ah," said fetterman, with a peculiar glance, "that's the place where the diamonds were stolen. a new man is taking a hand in the game. i'll get him at once and bring him to the place in prytania street, but i'd like to have you and your friends stay there until we arrive. what this man has to say will be of interest to all of you." "who is he?" inquired matt, curiously. "i have promised to let him do his own talking," was the vague response. vastly puzzled, matt went out to the car, told his chums what fetterman had said, and all three of them wondered and guessed clear to prytania street and the house of mrs. thomas. this time matt entered by the front way. there was a light in townsend's room. the shade was drawn, but a glow could be seen through it. matt was announced by a sleepy domestic, and he and his chums were shown up the stairs to the sick chamber. cassidy was on duty as usual, and townsend was wide awake and sitting up in his bed. "what luck?" he asked, quaveringly. "the very best, mr. townsend," answered matt, cheerily, and drew the bag from his coat and laid it in townsend's hands. "are--are these the diamonds?" he asked. "yes." "and where is jurgens, whistler, bangs and the others who helped them commit the robbery?" "they have all escaped--with the exception of jurgens and the young fellow, dashington, who impersonated me. jurgens is in jail, and i allowed dashington to go." "you allowed him to go?" asked townsend, nonplused. "yes," answered matt, "for the reason that, if he had not helped us i never could have kept my promise to you." "nothing much matters," said townsend, with a long sigh of content, "now that i have the diamonds back. i don't care who helped you, or how it happened, motor matt always accomplishes the thing he sets out to do. i have been better ever since you left here, last night. now i shall get well, and get well quick. give me your hand, my boy! and the rest of you--come here and let me thank you." after carl and dick had crowded up to the bed and shaken hands with townsend, the latter would have returned the bag to matt and had him take the stones at once to the address on st. charles avenue; but, even as the request was being made, there was another ring at the gate bell, and then at the door, and the servant came up to announce "two men from headquarters." "two men from headquarters," muttered townsend, bewildered. "who can they be and what do they want?" "i don't know what they want," said matt, "but one of them is the assistant chief, mr. fetterman." "something else is going wrong," fretted townsend, "and i know it. these diamonds seem to carry a curse with them." "d'you feel strong enough, cap'n, to have more visitors?" asked cassidy. "i should be badly worried if i couldn't hear, without delay, what fetterman and this other man have to tell me." the assistant chief came in accompanied by a blond, stoutly built person whom he introduced as mr. shirley, of scotland yard. mr. shirley was genial and made friends for himself right away. "you're a sick man, i'm told, mr. townsend," said he, "and i'm going to begin at once what i have to say and come to an end as briefly as possible. i had best begin in south africa where----" "south africa?" echoed townsend. shirley nodded. "a man named hobart, an american," he went on, "worked in the bloemfontein diamond mine. he was a clever scoundrel and accomplished what many another man had tried in vain to do, and that was to steal diamonds out of the workings. how he got them to the place where he lived is a mystery that has not yet been solved, for hobart kept his plan strictly to himself and did not even let his confederate in the enterprise know how the thieving was done. "in the house where hobart had his rooms the diamonds were carefully secreted in the head of a particularly vicious-looking idol. hobart used to show the idol to his friends, taking it from an iron chest where it was carefully packed in sawdust, and to which, after a few moments of exhibiting, he was always careful to return it. "hobart declared that the head was a fragment of the malefic obboney, a deity of the koromantyn, or gold coast, negroes. this was entirely fiction, for, it afterward developed, he had had the head carved by a man in the portuguese settlements, and then steeped in a deadly liquor which caused it to give off a poisonous effluvia. this was intended as a protection for the stolen diamonds. "in due course, hobart and his confederate, sharpe, an australian, quit the diamond mines and prepared to leave for the states with their booty. they sailed for england, and from there took a west indian trader for the bahamas. when near the bahamas, sharpe demanded a division of the treasure. hobart put him off with some excuse, and then, that night, mysteriously vanished with a whale boat and his iron chest, leaving sharpe behind. "sharpe never found out where his treacherous comrade had gone, nor what he had done with the iron chest. moved by a spirit of vengeance, he sailed for england and told the entire story of the theft of the diamonds to the head of the syndicate that had charge of the diamond mines. the case was placed in my hands, and i traced hobart to philadelphia and found that he had lived there in poverty and had finally died and been buried in the potters field. "i also learned that hobart had had a friend, a wealthy inventor named townsend. having reached the end of my quest, so far as hobart was concerned, i turned my attention to finding townsend, in the hope that he could tell me something about the iron chest. "but townsend seemed every whit as hard to locate as hobart had been. he had invented a submarine and was trying it out somewhere on a long-distance cruise. i bided my time and, at last, saw an account in a daily paper of the theft of a submarine belonging to one captain nemo, jr., from the inlet at atlantic city, and of the pursuit of the submarine by a flying machine. "i was a little mixed by the name of captain nemo, jr., but i started out to follow the flying machine. this was comparatively easy, for wherever the machine was seen it was reported to the daily press, and all i had to do was to read the newspapers. well, to be brief, i finally reached new orleans last night. my coming was most opportune--a stroke of luck that does not come a detective's way more than once in a lifetime. "a big diamond robbery had occurred here. the victim was one archibald townsend, and there were strong rumors flying about of a head carved from wood, of an iron chest, and of the thieves mixed up in the robbery having given their nefarious attentions to mr. townsend before. i talked with the authorities, and they told me that they were on the trail of the robbers and were doing their utmost to apprehend them. so, i had perforce to continue my waiting game, although more than certain that i was finally on the right track. "imagine my surprise and satisfaction when mr. fetterman, here, came to my hotel, a few minutes ago, with the information that the ringleader of the thieving gang had been captured, and that the diamonds had been recovered. we came on here at once, i to explain my mission to mr. townsend, and mr. fetterman to vouch for my story." shirley, of scotland yard, sank back in his chair, his mild blue eyes roving whimsically about over the astounded faces of his listeners. "merciful powers!" gasped townsend. "can it be possible that i have been so terribly deceived in that fellow who called himself the man from cape town? i was positive of his honesty, although i had not the remotest idea, at the time, of what the treasure consisted. i first met the man from cape town in philadelphia, and befriended him. he seemed grateful, and, just before he died, called me to his bedside and gave me a chart of an island in the bahamas. the island was said to have a cave, and an iron chest was said to be in the cave. i looked upon the whole story as a fairy tale, but, as i wanted to test my submarine with a long sea cruise, promised the man i would go and look for his iron chest. "the chest, when found, was to be brought to new orleans and opened in the presence of a lady living in st. charles avenue, who, hobart told me, was his daughter. the treasure was to be equally divided between the lady and myself. "that iron chest seemed to draw upon me all manner of unfortunate adventures, and i regretted continually that i had ever had anything to do with it. but i had given my promise to this man from cape town, and felt myself bound to carry it out to the letter. i have held strictly to that policy, and motor matt and his friends have stood loyally by through everything that has happened." shirley turned an approving glance on motor matt. "i hear nothing but most excellent reports of motor matt," said he, "and i should like to hear from him, in detail, all that has happened while he and his friends were working to recover the diamonds for the last time." "it will be worth listening to, i can promise you that," said cassidy. "whenever he does a thing, he has a way o' his own of getting at it." all eyes were turned on matt. he saw that he was in for it, and began at the beginning and went through with every detail of the adventures recently encountered by him and his friends. every one followed him closely, particularly shirley. "from all this it appears," said the scotland yard man, as soon as matt had finished, "that in getting back these diamonds for the south african syndicate, you have lost a ten-thousand-dollar air ship----" "it didn't cost us that," interposed matt. "and have endangered your life and the lives of your friends," continued the detective, without seeming to notice the interruption. "i shall include that in my report when i return the diamonds. meanwhile, until mr. townsend is satisfied that i have secured stolen property, the diamonds will remain in the custody of the new orleans police department." shirley reached for his hat and got up. "i fear i have tired you, mr. townsend," said he, regretfully, "but it was necessary for me to see you at once and explain the mistake which, under the circumstances, it was a perfectly natural one to make. you have experienced much trouble and worry, and this can never be made up to you. as for the diamonds----" "take them," cried townsend, stretching out the bag to fetterman; "i am delighted to get rid of them and have them off my mind. and i am doubly glad that, being stolen property, a wrong is to be righted and the stones returned to their rightful owners. i don't wish to have anything done for me, mr. shirley. i have sufficient of this world's goods, and you have already done me the greatest favor possible by taking the diamonds off my hands. but motor matt and his friends, they----" "i give you my word that they shall be looked after," finished shirley. thereupon he shook hands all around, wished everybody luck and departed with fetterman. the fateful treasure, of course, went with them. chapter xvi. conclusion. if there was ever a happy man, townsend was the one. so far from grieving him, the loss of the diamonds appeared to have done him a world of good. "py shinks," cried carl, "dot vas der piggest surbrise vat efer anypody heardt aboudt! der man from cape town vas a t'ief, schust like jurgens, und ve haf peen fighding, und vorrying, und making some fools oof ourselufs over a lod of shtolen tiamonts. und now, ven ve lose our air ship in gedding dem pack, in valks a english feller und takes der tiamonts avay. he geds eferyt'ing und ve ged nodding--but bromises." "promises are pretty good things, sometimes," said townsend, "when they are made by the right sort of fellow. but you and your friends will not be anything out, motor matt. this shirley means to do what is right, and you will be well repaid for the loss of the _hawk_ and for your time and trouble." "the loss of the _hawk_ is the worst of it," mourned dick. "that strikes me harder than anything else." "she was a wonderful air ship," said townsend, "and i don't blame you for feeling cut up over her loss. but motor matt can build another." "i think i will leave the air-ship business for a while," said matt, "and get into something else. i suppose," he went on, shifting the subject, "that the english detective will see that jurgens gets the full extent of the law?" "there's no doubt," averred townsend, "but that jurgens will pay dearly for his last attempt to get away with those fated diamonds." "and if whistler and bangs are captured, they'll share the same fate. officers are looking for them now." "i don't think the officers will catch them, matt," said townsend. "the trail is hot and whistler and bangs will have to travel on foot." "even at that, whistler knows that part of the country too well. jurgens, i am sure, is the only member of the gang who will ever be brought to book. but i am satisfied. he is the most culpable, and whistler and bangs were only tools." "what do you think about the way i let dashington go, mr. townsend?" asked matt, anxiously. "whatever you do, my lad, is all right so far as i am concerned. on the face of it, it would look as though you had done wrong; but you were placed in a position where you could learn what dashington really was. if, armed with that knowledge, you thought it right to set him free, i don't see why any one should find fault with your judgment." matt was glad to have this approval. he felt in his own heart he had done right, but he wanted to know how others felt about it. "you'd better take a little rest now, cap'n," said cassidy. "you've been under a good deal of a strain to-night, and the doctor said you----" "the strain, as you call it, cassidy," interrupted townsend, with a laugh, "has done me good. don't go, matt," he added, seeing that matt and his friends were reaching for their hats, "i'm not quite through with you yet." "i'll drop in and see you to-morrow," said matt. "i guess you've talked enough for to-night." "i'm so pleased over getting rid of those diamonds that i feel as though i could talk all night. you say that you think, now that the _hawk_ has been destroyed, you'll get into some other line of business." "yes; something connected with gasoline motors, of course. i couldn't break away from the motors, you know." "why not go in for submarines?" "i had thought of that, but couldn't see any place where there was an opening." dick and carl looked disturbed. "i can offer you an opening." "iss dere some obenings for more as one, misder downsent?" inquired carl. "i'm a little bit interested in that point myself," added dick. "i don't like to see this combination of king, ferral & pretzel broken up." "it needn't be broken up," said townsend, "for i am sure i can take care of all three of you." "just what kind of an opening is it, mr. townsend?" asked matt. "i will tell you about that later. you remember, i think, that i asked you to come to new orleans to help me in some work that had nothing to do with the iron chest or the treasure of the man from cape town?" "i remember that, yes, sir," said matt. "we haven't got down to that business yet, and, as i told carl, some time ago, it's thrilling, exciting and a bit dangerous." "und, as i toldt you, misder downsent," put in carl, "dot's der fery t'ing vat ve like. life vouldt be some treary blaces mitoudt oxcidement to lifen t'ings oop." "before we had a chance to get at this other work of mine," continued townsend, "something connected with that iron chest would bob up and the other business had to be sidetracked. now, however, i think we can get at it without anything to interfere. but the matter will have to hold over until i am better than i am now. perhaps it will be a week before i will be able to discuss the affair with you. meanwhile, may i ask you to remain in new orleans, at my expense, for that length of time?" "certainly, mr. townsend, if it will oblige you we will stay here for a week," answered matt. "i'm obliged to you--to all of you. now, i know, you're fagged out and in need of rest, so i won't keep you any longer. i suppose you will take that automobile to the police department and leave it with them to be turned over to the firm to whom it belongs?" "we'll do that," said matt, "before we go to our hotel." "it would be wise, i think, to get it off your mind as soon as possible. and i have your promise to stay in town for a week?" "yes." "then i know you'll stay, for"--and here townsend gave a confident smile--"i know that motor matt's word is as good as his bond." he shook hands with the motor boys, and they went out of the house, got into the automobile and headed the machine back toward town. the end. the next number ( ) will contain motor matt's submarine; or, the strange cruise of the _grampus_. a startling report--mixed messages--hurry-up orders--accident or design--sixty shows his hand--an unexpected rescue--a fruitless search--the overturned boat--adrift in the storm--the derelict--the schooner--a stunning surprise--closing in--the "grampus" gets a clue--an ultimatum--"off with the old, and on with the new." motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction new york, may , . terms to motor stories mail subscribers. (_postage free._) single copies or back numbers, c. each. months c. months c. months $ . one year . copies one year . copy two years . =how to send money=--by post-office or express money-order, registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. at your own risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. =receipts=--receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of number on your label. if not correct you have not been properly credited, and should let us know at once. ormond g. smith, } george c. smith, } _proprietors_. street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york city. the masked light. conclusion. it was the enemy! we were completely trapped. the tables were turned upon us; yet, even as the fight was lost, we won it. shots crossed and recrossed about me. one flash on my left showed me a man's face and the glitter of a bayonet as he thrust at me. i struck it on one side with the muzzle of my gun, firing point-blank into him as i parried it. as he dropped back another leaped up, stamping on him to gain me. he fired from the hip, and the powder singed my hair. i clubbed my musket and struck down at him, slipped on the bowlder, and down we crashed, clenched together, he, underneath, falling on his head twelve feet below. his arms relaxed and i rolled clear. by sheer instinct alone i kept flat, for men were now leaping down, while the shrill whistle of a leaden hailstorm passed over me. for a moment i thought it was the end of us all; but out of the din i recognized a voice on our right calling shrilly: chloe's voice. our friends were reënforcing us from the ford. the attackers, caught on the flank, broke and fled. i rose up at last. the foot of the lighthouse just loomed faintly visible, and i saw the last of the enemy rush over the dark heap and gain the shelter of the building. that dark heap was now linked to our position by a chain of dead and wounded men; their retreat had cost them more than the attack. we had not escaped scatheless. seven men killed outright, and nine wounded. before we had time to move a single man to a more comfortable position, we were driven to the shelter of our rocks by a withering fire which broke out from every window and loophole of the chapel. we clung to the lee of the rocks. the air was dusty with chips and splinters of stone. as i at last recovered my wits, i found that some one else was sheltering under the same rock. it was chloe, all breathless, disheveled, and wringing wet. "take mine, capitan," she cried, on seeing me without a rifle. and she passed me a handful of cartridges from the bosom of her dress. i loaded in haste, but henrico began to roar above the din that not a shot was to be fired. it was growing lighter every moment, and as yet the enemy could only aim by the line of the dead and wounded. but, for all that, the bombardment went on unceasingly. chloe, her breath recovered, was, despite her crouching position, tidying herself to something more woman-like. i asked her for the news. "oh," she cried, "they found us, tumbled on us, but they paid!--one, two, three, four, five!" checking them off on her fingers. "then we heard you. the sergeant knew you had been surprised--by the sound he knew. so, back came ten of us. he was just dying." "ah," i said. "yes," continued she, braiding her hair. "we all die; but i put my crucifix round his neck. he said we were to come to you. so we left him." suddenly she paused and listened eagerly, as if to catch some other sound in the rattle of the firing. "listen also, capitan," she said, and pulled me close to her side where we could get a sight of the sea between two huge rocks. faintly, we heard the unmistakable moan of a steamship's siren. it was the troop ship! she was calling like some blind, lost thing for guidance. it was now between light and dark, yet to a ship in the open a shore light would show boldly out at sea. the same thought moved both chloe and myself. she rose to her feet to peer over the shelter, but something moved in me hotly, and i pulled her down on the instant and looked over myself. every window of the lighthouse vomited smoke and flashes. above, the lantern still cast level rays on the screen. but no sooner had my eye fallen on the latter, than i cried out in dismay. a man was crawling hand over hand on the wire and cutting down the sheet. already a third was hanging loose, and a section of light streamed seaward. involuntarily i called out to chloe and pointed out the sight. quick as light she whipped up the rifle, but, as she pulled the trigger, i knocked up the muzzle. and i could have done no other thing even if it had lost all. it was a magnificent thing to see a man do; he was a dead man as soon as sighted, so near he hung to us. chloe slipped in another cartridge. in a second we were struggling for possession of the weapon. at the first grip i cleverly thrust her back on the rock with the barrel across her chest; only for a moment, for, with a swift, sinuous movement, she flung me sideways, and down we went, i underneath. she hissed like a wild cat, her short upper lip held clear of her white teeth, and her eyes a depth of black and fire. i believe in her mad rage she would have worsted me, but, as we grappled, the walls of the creek fairly shivered under the boom of a startling concussion. a heavy gun had been fired to seaward. the war ship had caught the trooper! another and another explosion followed, and, at the sound, the rifle fire dropped. a shout of triumph rang in the rocks and about us. we dropped the gun and peered over our rock, and saw a white flag limply hanging from the lighthouse. the man on the wire was crawling painfully back to the other side. i could not help but start up and give him a cheer with the whole of my breath. chloe looked in my face, her black eyes big with wonder, a child again. "that's because he is as brave a man as ever carried a gun," said i. "do the americans always cheer an enemy?" asked she. "if he's brave." with that she leaped on to the rock, and, throwing back her head, sent a shrill "huzza!" to the distant man, who had now gained the firm ground. he turned and saw us, waved his hand and fled. all our men were streaming after henrico toward the lighthouse, where the enemy sullenly filed out and flung down their rifles. seventeen i counted, all that remained of the strong command. presently the doctors arrived from the cruiser, and began their grim trade on a flat rock. but the most evil sight was to see the lighthouse, forgotten by all, unblinkingly staring into the face of the now open day. but the night's work had not been wasted by us, for by sunset we were honored guests on the cruiser, with a passage home before us. chloe had brought off in her uncle's boat the odds and ends from our lodgings. the anchor cable was rattling on the deck, and at that we shook hands with her, and said good-by. she stood and looked at us, and we noticed she had put on her gala dress. still she remained, till gilbert suddenly cried: "goodness, we've forgotten. but we'll send you our debt as soon as we get home to new york--never you fear, chloe." "no! never," she cried, "not that; no money owing." she turned, her red lips open and eyes brimming; she stooped, kissed gilbert in her arms! swung round, kissed me full and fair, and was gone with a flutter of skirt and clicking of shoe heels on the brass ledges of the stair. the last we saw of san josé was a lonely boat and a woman waving and waving till she faded in the dusk and distance. the end. spanish cedar logs. in the early days of cigar box manufacture in california, they were made almost exclusively of spanish cedar. but that wood has become very scarce and high priced of late years, and other woods are taking its place to a certain extent. and one of those woods is california redwood. in california at present the cigar box makers use about one-fourth redwood; the balance is composed of spanish cedar and what is known to the trade as "imitation" lumber, which is nothing more than the common poplar and basswood of new england, sawed up, planed, and then stained in imitation of spanish cedar, or veneered with spanish cedar, because spanish cedar is par excellence the real stuff for cigar boxes. the gilt edge cigars all have to be packed in spanish cedar, else there is a kick from the opulent and fastidious smoker, who claims that the natural aroma of the wood imparts an improved flavor to the cigars. this may be a superstition, but as the well-to-do lovers of the weed are perfectly willing to pay for it the trade are only too anxious to flatter their customers' tastes. it is a luxury and one that is growing more and more expensive; for in the early days of cigar box making spanish cedar could be bought at $ a thousand feet; now it costs $ a thousand feet. now some one asks where and how is spanish cedar obtained? right here on the pacific coast; but not in california, however, replete as her resources are. you have to go away south along the mexican and central american coasts for this special kind of lumber. and california has driven a trade in spanish cedar ever since cigar box making had its inception on the pacific coast; in fact, there is hardly a product of any part of the known world that does not come to the port by the golden gate. the ever restless coasting schooners are the craft that bring our spanish cedar logs up out of the tropics, and it is a peculiar trade--not only the maritime part of the traffic, but that part which is performed on land; for that part is done along the primitive ways of the easy going mexican and central american. it is to be presumed that away back in the early days of maritime traffic on the lower coast there were supplies of spanish cedar logs that could be obtained at the regular ports of entry; but evidently such a supply, if it ever existed, finally became exhausted, and as nobody down in those regions had the enterprise to build railroads from their seaports into the lumber regions of the interior, the stock of cedar had to be picked up all along the coast, wherever the wood could be found. that made the transfer of the logs from the shore to the vessel's side a very laborious undertaking and one no white man would ever have thought of resorting to. but first in order comes the cutting of the cedar timber and the transportation of the logs to the shore. this, too, was done by the simple-minded mexicans and central americans. of course, at first these people cut the timber nearest the seashore, and then kept working back into the country, a process that involved more and more labor, because the distance of transportation was all the time increasing. the cedar trees were chopped down and then cut up into logs varying in length from six to twelve feet, according to the size of the trees. these logs were then hewn square, ranging in size from nine inches to two feet. this was done in order that they might be packed closely when on board of the california schooners. then along came a swarthy castilian, a pair of oxen attached to one of those funny wooden two-wheeled carts, with axle bare. upon this cart, called a carita, were loaded a number of logs, the number, of course, depending upon the size, and were lashed on, with one end dragging upon the ground behind. in this way the logs were hauled to the sea coast and deposited just above high tide line. after a while spanish cedar began to grow scarce along the ocean belt, and then the mexicans went up the rivers and creeks and cut cedar timber along the banks. the logs were rolled into the streams and driven down to the sea, either loose or in rafts, and were loaded thence upon the california schooners. now, there was a certain season when the loading of cedar logs down along the southern coast upon the schooners from the north was practicable, and that was in what california calls the winter season, when in southern waters the weather is the calmest of any season during the year. for there were no deep water harbors or extensive ocean piers whereat to find dockage for the schooners, and the loading had to be done offshore at any point where there might be a quantity of logs awaiting shipment. so the california sailing masters used to go cruising down the southern coast, keeping a sharp lookout for signals from ashore indicating the presence of a cargo. at a given signal they would tack to larboard and pull in as close to the beach as the soundings would permit. sometimes they would have to anchor as much as two miles offshore. when all was ready for loading two of the mexicans on shore would seize a log, watch for the next incoming comber, and just as it was about to break on the beach they would start, rush through it with their log in hand, and would then find themselves in comparatively smooth water. as soon as deep water was reached the two men would start to paddle the log out to the waiting vessel. there was a man on each side of the log, and each man had one arm flung over the log, while the other was left free to do the paddling. arriving at the vessel's side the log would be caught by the crew of the craft and pulled on board. the two swimmers would then turn about and swim back to the shore for another log. by this slow and laborious process the vessel was finally loaded, the logs paid for, and the prow turned northward. for this kind of labor the mexicans were paid $ a day each in mexican money, worth only about fifty cents in united states currency. but the mexicans appeared to be quite well satisfied with their wages, and could save something out of their pay for a rainy day; because living was cheap in that kindly climate--a bunch of bananas and some cakes sufficing for food, with mescal to drink, and anyone could sleep out of doors under a palm tree with perfect comfort. the traffic in spanish cedar logs has fallen off a good deal of late years in consequence of their growing scarcity, and california cigar box makers have been obliged to send to eastern seaports for a part of their supply, the lumber finding its way into those ports from cuba and gulf of mexico ports. cooking the venison steak. there are various ways of cooking venison steak, but the recipe given by game warden walter neal is still pronounced the best by maine woodsmen. it is that followed by hannibal hamlin and other famous hunters and diners. "get a buck deer that is fat and not over five years of age," says mr. neal. "one that weighs one hundred pounds is better than no deer, though the best should weigh nearly two hundred pounds. before the body is cold, if possible, slash off some thick slices of steak. have them nearly two inches thick and big enough to cover the bottom of an old-style spider if possible. "now get a thick and heavy cast-iron spider red-hot above the coals. be sure and do this, because the hotter the spider is the better. and when the spider is glowing and sparkling with heat, slap in a slice of steak. do not use any butter or any form of fat, but let the raw meat fall direct upon the hot iron, and then let it sizzle and smell and smoke for about a minute. "now flop it over on the other side, and repeat until the camp is so full of choking smoke and the smell of burning meat that you must carry the heated spider outdoors to get your breath. "tip the burnt and smoking steak on to a big plate, slash it deeply all over the surface with a sharp knife and throw on butter until the meat is afloat. then salt and pepper to taste, after which nobody needs any directions as to what to do next. "venison cooked in this way and eaten with strong coffee and hot cream of tartar biscuit forms the best meat that it is possible to serve to kings and queens or jacks. and i know exactly what i am talking about." the market men and hotel cooks of eastern maine make a sharp distinction between the flesh of the deer that is raised in maine and that which is captured by the hunters in the southern states, calling the home product venison and all other kinds deer meat, or if the animals are very small and without fat, they modify the term and scornfully call it deer veal. the newest bangor plan of cooking venison is to cut moderately thick slices from the round of a buck and grill the flesh over a white-hot fire of anthracite, letting the greedy flames lick and bathe the curling meat and crisp its edges until it is hot clear through and cooked on the outside, though still somewhat rare in the interior. the person who is said to have introduced this manner of cooking from canada is edward stetson, president of the first national bank of bangor, who spends much time every year in his camp back from north twin dam on the west branch of penobscot river. so particular is mr. stetson concerning how the venison of his shooting must be prepared for his guests in camp that before the beginning of open season every year he sends up the necessary anthracite by rail, his servants carrying it in baskets from the station far back into the wilderness, where it is used solely for broiling venison. the men of unclassified employment who pass from may to october in raising hay, oats and potatoes to sell to the near-by lumber camps and who swing axes in the deep woods from october to may declare that the best venison is from the carcass of a buck shot in november and frozen and hung up under cover until midwinter. baby ostriches. three cunning little gray-and-white ostriches were ushered into the world at the florida ostrich farm and zoo recently, a remarkably good result from a setting of fifteen eggs. everybody, from manager fraser down to the most subordinate attaché of the resort, was gloriously happy over the event. the life, habits, and characteristics of the ostriches are really interesting. starting with the mating of the grown birds, which are allowed to select their mates, the male bird prepares the nest, a hollow in the sand, generally in a secluded spot in his pen, about one and a half feet deep and twelve feet in circumference. the hen lays about twelve to eighteen eggs, one every other day. the eggs are from fifteen to eighteen inches in circumference, and, weigh about three to four and a half pounds each, the shell being from one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch thick, sufficiently strong to withstand a decided blow. after laying her nest of eggs the birds begin setting, the hen in the daytime and the male ostrich covering the eggs at nighttime. they remain on the nests constantly from forty-two to forty-five days, never leaving it, except for food twice a day. even then the male bird covers the nest frequently while his mate seeks her food. the chick when ready to hatch will usually break or pip the shell itself; but at times the hen ostrich will assist by breaking it with her breast bone, by pressing upon it, helping the chick out by lifting it out with her beak, and shaking the shell from its body. the first growth of ostrich chicks is remarkably fast, as from ten days of age up to six months old they grow at the rate of a foot a month. after six months they grow more slowly. at first both sexes are similar in color and appearance, and are almost undistinguishable until about fifteen or eighteen months old. that which has been a mixture of drab, white, and brown on the male, begins to darken, and finally at about four years old becomes a decided black. the feathers on the female remain drab during her entire life. baby ostriches do not eat for three days after hatching. the third day they begin to stand up and take notice like a child, and after being taught to eat by having bits of their food placed in their bills, they very quickly discover the use of their bills, and pick up their own food. the chicks must be carefully fed and have fine especially prepared food, including plenty of fine grit and fresh, clean water. their first crop of feathers matures at eight months. mink farm in oregon. tom staten has established a farm for the raising of mink at rattlesnake point, on the upper klamath lake. about a hundred of the animals are housed in cages or cabinets, and seem to do well and thrive in captivity, as they are all fat and sleek looking. the animals are so tame that they will take food from the hand, although one has to be careful in handling them, as the mink is treacherous and has very sharp teeth. as mink in this county increase about five fold mr. staten expects to have something over five hundred in his cages next year. the value of their fur alone will aggregate about $ , , but live female minks sell for a much higher figure than their hide alone is worth. latest issues motor stories the latest and best five-cent weekly. we won't say how interesting it is. see for yourself. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, castaway in the bahamas. tip top weekly the most popular publication for boys. the adventures of frank and dick merriwell can be had only in this weekly. =high art colored covers. thirty-two pages. price, cents.= --frank merriwell's great work; or, getting the right start. --dick merriwell's mind; or, the ideal of manhood. --dick merriwell's "dip;" or, the mysterious movements of a hat. --dick merriwell's rally; or, making a fighting finish. --dick merriwell's flier; or, the champions of the ice. --frank merriwell's bullets; or, a steady nerve and a sure hand. --frank merriwell cut off; or, the result of the great spring rise. --frank merriwell's ranch boss; or, big bruce and the blossoms. --dick merriwell's equal; or, the fellow with the flying feet. --dick merriwell's development; or, the all-around wonder. --dick merriwell's eye; or, the secret of good batting. --frank merriwell's zest; or, the spirit of the school. --frank merriwell's patience; or, the making of a pitcher. --frank merriwell's pupil; or, the boy with the wizard wing. --frank merriwell's fighters; or, the decisive battle with blackstone. --dick merriwell at the "meet"; or, honors worth winning. nick carter weekly the best detective stories on earth. nick carter's exploits are read the world over. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --the moving picture mystery; or, nick carter's blindest trail. --the tiger-tamer; or, nick carter's boldest strategy. --a strange bargain; or, nick carter's dead-shot circus case. --the haunted circus; or, nick carter lays a ghost. --the secret of a private room; or, nick carter makes an experiment. --a mental mystery; or, nick carter on a difficult trail. --the sealed envelope; or, nick carter's search for a lost fortune. --the message in blue; or, nick carter's clue to a vast conspiracy. --a dream of empire; or, nick carter and the queen of conspirators. --the detective's disappearance; or, nick carter is saved by adelina. --the midnight marauders; or, nick carter's telephone mystery. --the child of the jungle; or, nick carter's ingenious ruse. --nick carter's satanic enemy; or, the case of an easy mark. --three times stolen; or, nick carter's strange clue. --the great diamond syndicate; or, nick carter's cleverest foes. _for sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york =if you want any back numbers= of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. fill out the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. =postage stamps taken the same as money.= ________________________ _ _ _street & smith, - seventh avenue, new york city._ _dear sirs: enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_: tip top weekly, nos. ________________________________ nick carter weekly, " ________________________________ diamond dick weekly, " ________________________________ buffalo bill stories, " ________________________________ brave and bold weekly, " ________________________________ motor stories, " ________________________________ _name_ ________________ _street_ ________________ _city_ ________________ _state_ ________________ adventures of a boy genius motor stories the boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as motor stories. "motor matt" is not an impossible boy character. he is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. his sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal, lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural adventures that ever befell a boy. _here are the titles now ready_: --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. to be published on may th. --motor matt's queer find; or, the secret of the iron chest. to be published on may th. --motor matt's promise; or, the wreck of the "hawk." to be published on may st. --motor matt's submarine; or, the strange cruise of the "grampus." to be published on june th. --motor matt's quest; or, three chums in strange waters. price, five cents at all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of the price. street & smith, _publishers_, new york transcriber's notes: italics are represented with _underscores_, bold with =equal signs=. page , changed "you're" to "your" in "he's your double." page , added missing end quote to "and bring the receipt to me here, to-morrow." page , added missing comma before "you can gount on me." page , changed "everwhelming interest" to "overwhelming interest." page , expanded oe ligature to oe in "manoeuvring" for this text edition; the ligature is retained in the html version. page , corrected "reconnoit-tring" to "reconnoitring." added missing quote before "it might have been some superstitious...." page , changed "anway" to "anyway" ("what do you think of yourself, anyway?"). courtesy of the digital library@villanova university (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction no. april , five cents motor matt's air ship _or_ the rival inventors [illustration: _motor matt, as he drove the air ship steadily against the wind, kept close watch of the captured aeronauts._] _street & smith publishers new york_ motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction _issued weekly. by subscription $ . per year. entered according to act of congress in the year , in the office of the librarian of congress, washington, d. c., by_ street & smith, _ - seventh avenue, new york, n. y._ no. . new york, april , . price five cents. motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. by the author of "motor matt." contents chapter i. capturing an air-ship. chapter ii. a queer "find." chapter iii. the balloon house. chapter iv. the kettle continues to boil. chapter v. hoyne street. chapter vi. carl investigates. chapter vii. jerrold, brady's rival. chapter viii. jerrold's gratitude. chapter ix. aboard the hawk. chapter x. willoughby's swamp. chapter xi. a foe in the air. chapter xii. brady changes his plans. chapter xiii. into the swamp. chapter xiv. a desperate chance. chapter xv. a daring escape. chapter xvi. the end of the mid-air trail. the big cypress. characters that appear in this story. =matt king=, concerning whom there has always been a mystery--a lad of splendid athletic abilities, and never-failing nerve, who has won for himself, among the boys of the western town, the popular name of "mile-a-minute matt." =carl pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking german lad, who is led by a fortunate accident to hook up with motor matt in double harness. =hamilton jerrold=, an honest inventor who has devoted his life to aeronautics, and who has built a successful air-ship called the eagle. =hector brady=, a rival inventor who has stolen his ideas from hamilton jerrold. his air-ship is called the hawk and is used for criminal purposes. brady's attempt to secure motor matt's services as driver of the hawk brings about the undoing of the criminal gang. =whipple, needham, grove, harper and pete=, members of the brady's air-ship gang of thieves. =helen brady=, hector brady's daughter, who helps motor matt. chapter i. capturing an air-ship. "py shiminy grickets! vat do you t'ink oof dot! see dere vonce, matt. a palloon, or i vas a lopsder! und vat a funny palloon it iss." motor matt and his dutch chum, carl pretzel, were sitting by a quiet country roadside, in the shade of some trees. drawn up near them was a light touring-car. the boys were several miles out of the city of chicago, from which place they had started about the middle of the forenoon, and they had halted in that shady spot between hammond and hegewisch to eat the lunch they had brought with them. carl had just finished the last piece of fried chicken when, happening to look skyward, he saw something that brought him to his feet with a jump. as he called to his chum, he pointed with the "drum-stick," at which he had been nibbling. matt's surprise was nearly as great as carl's, and he likewise sprang up and gazed at the air-ship, which was coming toward them from the north and east, making smart headway against the wind. "great spark-plugs!" exclaimed matt. "that's the first air-ship i ever saw." "vat's der tifference bedween a palloon und a air-ship?" asked carl. "well, you can navigate an air-ship with the wind or against it, while a balloon is at the mercy of every current that blows. a round gas-bag and a basket is a balloon, carl, but when you add a gasolene-motor and a propeller you have an air-ship." "dot's blain enough. der air-ship iss sky-hootin' dis vay to peat four oof a kindt. say, it looks like a pig cigar. vat a funny pitzness! und you nefer seen vone pefore, matt?" "i never saw one that would travel successfully. this one, though, seems to be going in good shape." "you haf seen palloons meppy?" "more than i can count," said he. "i've been up in balloons a dozen times. when i was in the berkshire hills they used to have races, and start from pittsfield. that's where i began making ascensions." carl dropped his wondering eyes to matt for a moment. "you vas der plamedest feller!" he exclaimed. "you haf tone more t'ings as any feller i ever see, und you nefer say nodding ondil it shlips oudt, like vat it toes now." motor matt made no answer to this. just then his attention was completely absorbed by the air-craft. as near as he could judge, the cigar-shaped gas-bag was more than a hundred feet long. beneath the bag was suspended a light framework. midway of the framework was an open space, containing a chair in which sat the man who was handling the motor. out behind the driver the framework tapered to a point, and at the end of this rearmost point was the whirling propeller. the glittering blades caught the sun in a continuous sparkling reflection, which made the air-ship appear to be trailed by a glow of fire. forward of the cockpit, or open space, was the motor. a rail ran around the cockpit. there were two men in the car--the one in the driver's seat and another in front of him, leaning over the rail. this second man seemed to be looking at the two boys, and to be waving his hand and giving directions to the driver. along the side of the gas-bag matt was able to read the name "hawk," printed in large letters. the hawk was about a hundred feet above the surface of the earth. a long rope depended from the car, and twenty or thirty feet of it dragged along the ground as the car moved. "vat's der rope for, matt?" inquired carl. "if that was an ordinary balloon," replied matt, "we'd call the rope a guide-rope. usually the guide-rope helps to save gas and ballast. when you want a balloon to go up, you know, you throw out sand; when you want it to come down, you let out gas. that trailing rope acts as ballast. when the gas expands, and the ship wants to rise, part of the rope that trails is lifted from the ground and throws more weight on the car; and when the gas contracts, and the car shows a tendency to descend, more of the rope falls on the ground and takes just that much weight off the car." "dot's as clear as mud!" "i can't understand why they've got a drag on the air-ship," muttered matt. "i supposed the propeller and the steering-blades were enough to send such a craft wherever it was wanted to go." as the hawk came nearer, matt's trained eyes and ears convinced him that the driver of the air-ship was a poor motorist. evidently he did not understand the engine he was handling. the air-ship zigzagged erratically on its course, and the long bag ducked upward and downward in a most hair-raising manner. on top of that, matt could hear one of the cylinders misfiring. the hawk's drag-rope was trailing along the roadway. first it was on one side of the road, and then on the other, following the irregular swaying and plunging of the car. "come on, carl!" called matt, turning and running for the automobile. "if that rope strikes our car it may damage it. we've got to fend it off." "dose air-ship fellers vas mighdy careless!" answered carl, hurrying after his chum. "dot rope mighdt knock town fences, und preak vinders, und do plendy more tamages." "there isn't power enough at the other end of it to do much damage," matt answered, posting himself at the rear of the automobile and watching the advancing rope with sharp eyes. by that time the hawk was almost over the boys' heads. the rope, of course, was dragging far out behind, and the trailing part of it bid fair to pass the car well on the right. "hello, there!" shouted the man at the rail of the hawk, leaning far over and making a trumpet out of his hands. he seemed to be excited, for some cause or other. "hello yourseluf, vonce!" called back the dutch boy. "keep a leedle off mit your rope--ve don'd vand it to make some drouples for us." "the air-ship's out of control," the man shouted. "we can't stop the motor and the ship's running away! grab the rope, hitch it to your automobile and tow us back to south chicago. we'll give you a hundred dollars for your trouble. be quick!" "i like his nerf, i don't t'ink!" growled carl. "he vants to run off mit us und der pubble, und----" "we can tow the air-ship, all right," cried matt, "providing we can get the rope fast to the automobile. we'll have to take a half hitch with the trailing end of the rope around a tree, and bring the air-ship to a stop." matt started for the rope. as he bent down to lay hold of it, the car gave a lurch sideways and the rope was whisked out of his hands and was thrown directly against carl's feet. carl grabbed it. at the same moment the air-ship took an upward leap, on account of the weight which carl had taken off the car. this leap flung carl into the air. he turned a frog-like somersault, hands and feet sprawled out, and came down with a thump, flat on his back. "whoosh!" he yelled, a good deal more startled than hurt, sitting up on the grass and shaking his fist at the bobbing craft overhead, "you dit dot on burpose! vat's der madder mit you, anyvay? vat for----" carl forgot his fancied grievance watching motor matt. the latter, making another leap at the rope as it settled back again after overturning carl, succeeded in laying hold of it. he had the rope by the end, so that when he picked it up none of the weight was taken from the ship, and carl's disastrous exploit was not repeated. "wrap it around a tree!" yelled the man at the air-ship's rail; "take a half-hitch around a tree!" the man might just as well have saved his breath. that had been motor matt's plan, all along, and even as the aeronaut was shouting his instructions matt was jumping for the nearest tree. the young motorist had little time to make the rope fast. the whirling propeller was driving the hawk onward against the wind at a fair rate of speed. had there been no opposing wind, matt would not have had time enough for the work ahead of him. "come on, carl!" he shouted. the dutch boy stopped watching and made haste to lend a hand. matt was already at the trunk of the tree, but the rope had traveled onward so rapidly that he had less than a yard of it in his hands to work with. throwing himself on the opposite side of the tree, matt laid back on the end of the rope. at that moment carl reached his side, dropped near him and likewise took a grip on the free end of the drag. "it's der fairst time," panted carl, "dot i efer heluped make some captures mit an air-ship. shinks! look at dot, vonce!" the driving propeller had forced the hawk to the end of its leash. the boys, with only a half wrap of the rope around the trunk, felt the quick pull, but easily controlled it. the pull was steady, but, inch by inch, they worked more and more of the rope around the trunk until there was enough to make a knot. "dot's der dicket!" exulted carl, scrambling erect. "ve've got her tied like a pird mit vone foot. now how ve going to ged her hitched ondo der car?" "we'll have to find out what's the matter with the motor, up there," answered matt, "and see if the power can't be shut off." as he spoke, he got to his feet and walked down the road to a point directly under the air-ship. chapter ii. a queer "find." both passengers in the air-ship were now leaning over the rail of the suspended car. "hitch us on to your automobile," shouted the one who had been doing the driving, "and tow us back to south chicago." the offhand way in which the man spoke proved that he was lacking on the practicable side of his nature. "that's a whole lot easier said than done," matt called back. "it was only by a happenchance that we got your drag-rope tied to the tree. if you've got an anchor-rope up there, throw it down and we'll make it fast to the car before we cast off the other." "that's the only long rope we've got," answered the man. "well," went on matt, "you ought to be able to see what sort of a job we're up against. your motor is pulling hard on the rope, and the moment we take the rope from the tree it will be jerked out of our hands. don't you know how to run a gas-engine?" "i know how to start a gas-engine," was the amazing response, "but i don't know how to stop it." "py shiminy grickets!" whooped carl, "you vas a nice pair to shtart off mit a gasolene-air-ship. you vas in luck nod to make some landings on chupiter, mars or to hit a comic." matt likewise thought it was an odd situation, but believed it would be well to get the two helpless aeronauts down on terra firma before asking for an explanation of their predicament. "do either of you know what the gasolene-tank is?" he asked. the heads disappeared within the car for a moment, then one reappeared over the railing. "yes, we've found that, all right," said the man. "and the carburettor--do you know where to look for that?" "is that the thing that makes the spark?" carl let off a howl of derision. "ach, du lieber, vat a ignorance! der carpuretter makes der gas, dot makes der exblosions in der cylinter, dot moofs der biston dot makes der bropellor go 'roundt. i know dot meinseluf, efen dough i vasn't so pright like modor matt." "there's a pipe leading from the gasolene-tank to the carburettor," continued matt, "and there's a valve which should be worked by a lever. close that valve and you'll shut off the supply of gasolene. when you do that, the motor will stop, and we can work down here to better advantage." the head disappeared again and the car rocked and swayed as the two men scrambled around in it. their ignorance, however, increased rather than lessened the difficulty. the misfiring of the one cylinder ceased and the motor took up its humming rhythm at an even faster speed. the fresh impetus of the propeller put a harder pull on the rope, and the strain bore sudden and unexpected results. with a yell of dismay the driver of the machine leaned over the rail of the car. he had thrown off his hat and his coat was unbuttoned. "we're making it worse!" he cried. "i wish to thunder you could come up here and----" just then the drag-rope, which could not have been properly fastened to the car, let go and dropped earthward in sinuous coils. the man doubled farther over the rail in a futile and foolish effort to lay hold of it. something fell from the pocket of his coat, fluttered through the air and landed in the top of a tree. matt noted the flight of the fallen object only incidentally, for the major part of his attention was taken up with the actions of the car. the steering rudder had become elevated, and the air-ship started at a tremendous clip toward the clouds. the two aeronauts could be seen rushing around the car like mad. while the two boys watched, the rudder was brought down to a level; but something else had gone wrong, for the machine could not be maneuvered. swiftly the air-ship diminished to a mere speck in the southern sky, and then vanished altogether. carl turned a blank look at matt and gave a long whistle. "dot proofs, matt," said he, "dot id don'd vas goot pitzness to monkey mit t'ings you don'd know nodding aboudt. oof dose fellers run into a shooding shdar dere vill be some fine smash oops." "why they ever ventured up in the air-ship, knowing so little about how to manage it, is a mystery." matt gave his head an ominous shake. "vat vill pecome oof dem?" queried carl. "if they can get the steering rudder to working, they can drive the air-ship to the ground. anyhow, the supply of gasolene will have to give out, in time, and then they may be able to come down." "dere iss somet'ing crooked aboudt dose fellers. oddervise, dey vouldn't be vere dey are." "did you see something drop from the driver's pocket, carl?" "nix. iss dot vat habbened?" "yes. it landed in the top of that tree, over there." "meppy ve ged holt oof der t'ing und find oudt somet'ing aboudt who dose fellers vas, und for vy dey vent off for a fly mitoudt knowing how to manach der flyer?" matt proceeded to the foot of the tree in whose branches the fallen object had alighted. lifting his gaze upward, he peered sharply into the foliage. "i see it," he announced, pointing. "und me, too," said carl. "it vas vite, und round, like a punch oof bapers rolled oop. how ve ged him down, hey? meppy ve t'row some shticks ad him?" suiting his action to the word, carl picked up clubs and stones and hurled them upward in an endeavor to dislodge the object. finding that these efforts were unsuccessful, matt threw off his coat and hat and climbed the tree. the roll of papers was lodged far out in the fork of a branch. standing on the branch, he jumped up and down on it and jarred the roll loose. carl caught it deftly as it fell. "hoop-a-la!" he yelled; "here she vas, matt. come down a leedle vile ve look him ofer." in a few moments matt was again on the ground. the roll, which carl immediately handed to him, he found to contain a number of sheets wrapped compactly in a piece of white paper. "i guess we'll open it and not stand on any ceremony," said matt. "sure!" exclaimed carl. "for vy nod?" "it's not exactly the right thing to do. they're not our papers and we haven't any business tampering with documents that belong to some one else. under the circumstances, though, and considering that the whole affair of the air-ship is a strange one, and that we may be able to help the two men in some way through the information the roll may contain, we'll have a look at it." going back to the place where they had eaten their lunch, the boys sat down and matt opened the little bundle. a dozen blue prints of mechanical tracings were revealed. in the center of the roll was a sealed envelope, bearing no address or writing of any sort. "dere's nodding aboudt der plue prints to helup us know somet'ing," said carl. "oben der enfellup, matt." "no," returned matt, "we can't do that. that would be going a little too far." "vell, ve got to do somet'ing oof ve findt oudt who dose fellers vas." "we'll wait, and give them a chance to claim their property." "how dey vas going to glaim it, hey? dey didtn't dell us who dey vas, und ve ditn't dell dem our names." "we know the air-ship came from south chicago. i don't believe there are very many air-ships in that place, and if we inquire around a little we ought to be able to find out who owns the hawk." "righdt you vas! somevay, matt, you always know vat to do ven eferypody else iss guessing. shall ve ged indo der car und go pack to der pig city py vay oof sout' chicago?" "that's our cue. if we can discover who owns the hawk we'll leave these papers there for him." matt rolled up the envelope and the papers and stowed them safely away in his pocket. "i know dere vas some niggers in der vood-pile, all righdt," averred carl. "two fellers vouldn't go off mit an air-ship dey don'd know how to run oof eferyt'ing vas like it ought to be." "there may be a whole lot of sense in what you say, carl," replied matt, "and then, again, the explanation of the queer layout may be extremely simple. don't get to imagining things, old chap, but coil up that rope and throw it into the car. we'll carry it back to south chicago and leave it at the same place we leave this roll of blue prints." while carl was coiling up the rope, matt gave his attention to the automobile. when carl arrived and threw the rope into the tonneau, matt was busy with the crank. presently they were in the car and headed back along the return course. hardly had they got under good headway, however, when a flurry of dust showed in the road ahead of them. as the wind blew the dust aside, a horse and buggy with two men broke into view. in accordance with the rules of the road, matt slowed down to make sure the horse did not take fright at the automobile. the horse was going at a run, and the men seemed to be excited. the one who was driving drew rein as the rig came alongside the car. "say," shouted the men, "did you boys see an air-ship anywhere in this vicinity?" "yes," answered matt. "it was going south." "then we're on the right track?" "so far as we know; but the air-ship was unmanageable and----" the men in the buggy did not wait to hear any more. the driver began plying his whip and the horse again leaped onward. "who were those two men?" yelled matt, anxious for a little information. "thieves!" came the answer, as rig and passengers once more vanished in a cloud of dust. chapter iii. the balloon house. "yah!" shouted carl. "vat i dell you, matt? i knew dere vas somet'ing der madder! dem two fellers vas t'ieves, und dey haf shtole der air-ship. py shinks, dey haf got demselufs indo drouple, und it vas goot enough for dem. vat you going to do?" matt had begun turning the machine in the road. when he had pointed it the other way, he started off at a swift pace on the trail of the two men in the buggy. "we'll try and overhaul those two fellows," answered matt, "and tell them what we know. the information we've picked up may be valuable to them." "dey don't vas endidled to it," averred carl. "vy ditn't dey shtop und ask us somet'ings? anyvay, how can dey ketch a flying machine mit a horse und puggy? you mighdt as vell dry to ketch a sky rocket mit a papy carriage." "the hawk will have to come down," said matt, "and if those men are anywhere near it when it hits the earth they'll be able to recover the machine and catch the thieves." "oof der machine hits der eart' so hardt as vat i t'ink, it von't be vort' nodding, nor der t'ieves neider." "there's a chance that the rascals will come down safely. if those men in the buggy had had their wits about them, they'd have hitched their rig to the fence and have jumped into the automobile. we could have hustled them over the ground four times as fast as they were going." a few moments later the boys reached a place where the road branched. the horse and buggy were not in sight along either road. "vich vay now?" queried carl. "it's all guesswork," answered matt, "but it's always a pretty good plan to keep to the right," and, with that, he drove the car along the right-hand branch. after five minutes of fast running, they had not overtaken the rig and it was still not to be seen anywhere ahead. the boys knew they had been traveling three or four times as fast as the two men were going, and that, if they were on the right track, the men should have been overtaken long before. disappointedly, matt halted the car and turned it in the other direction. "no use, carl," said he. "those men must have taken the left-hand fork instead of the right. they're too far away, now, for us to think of finding them. we'll hike for south chicago." "dot's der pest t'ing dot ve can do," returned carl. "ve'll find der owner oof der hawk und gif him der trag-rope und der bapers." "we won't find him. he must have been one of those two men in the buggy. probably we can find where he lives, though, and turn the rope and the papers over to some one who will give them to him." "meppy ve pedder take der shtuff to der bolice, hey? oof der fellers vas t'ieves, dot enfellup mighdt gif der bolice a line on dem." "there's something in that, too," muttered matt. "we'll try to find the owner of the hawk, though, before we call on the police." an hour later, the boys came into south chicago along a turnpike that passed the rolling mills. a man on a motor-cycle was just coming out of a fenced enclosure near one of the mills, and matt halted him for the purpose of making a few inquiries. from his looks, the man was of some consequence in the steel rail plant, and probably was well-informed as to affairs in south chicago. "do you know of any one around here that has an air-ship?" asked matt. the question was something of a novelty, and the man laughed as he rested one foot on the ground and balanced his motor-cycle upright. "i suppose air-ships will be thicker'n hops, one of these days," said he, "but just now they're about as seldom as hen's teeth. i understand there are a couple of men here who are working at air-ships--one of them came to the mills to see if he couldn't get some aluminum castings. he's got a balloon house about a quarter of a mile down the road, on the left. drop in there and maybe you'll find the man--and the ship, too." matt thanked the man and followed him slowly as he sputtered off into town. the balloon house, which was plainly visible from the road, was a long, high shed, and occupied a solitary position in the midst of a marshy field. the doors in one end of the shed, arranged in a series and reaching from ground to roof peak, were open. leaving the automobile at the roadside, the boys climbed a fence and made their way across the flat ground to the big house. on reaching the opened doors, one glance showed them that there was no air-ship in the shed. on the earth floor, along one side of the great room, were two or three work benches and a litter of wood and metal scraps. there was also, in the farther end of the chamber, a number of small tanks, presumably used for the manufacture of hydrogen gas. as the boys stood in the doorway, two brawny men showed themselves from behind these tanks. they wore greasy overclothes and their sleeves were rolled up. "get out of here!" yelled one of the men. "we don't allow any reporters around this shebang." "we're not reporters," answered matt, standing his ground. "do you keep an air-ship here?" "well, that's what this big shed is for." the two men came closer to the boys, one of them filling and lighting a cob pipe as he approached. "is the name of it the 'hawk?'" went on matt. "right again," said the man who had been doing the talking. his eyes were like gimlets, and bored their way into matt through narrow slits. "who's the owner of the hawk?" asked matt. "i'm the owner, and my name's hector brady. if jerrold has sent you here----" "i don't know any one by the name of jerrold. who is he, and why should he send me here?" the sharp little eyes continued to study matt. "before i say anything more," answered brady, "you'd better tell me a little about yourself." "i don't know as that's necessary, or----" "you'd know how necessary it is if you were inventing machines and trying to keep your appliances a secret. i'm not the only man in south chicago that's perfecting an air-ship. a fellow named jerrold has cut into the same game, and he has some one nosing around here a good share of the time, trying to get wise to something. if jerrold has sent you here----" "he hasn't," broke in matt. "i don't know jerrold from adam." "what's your name?" "king, matt king." brady gave a jump. "you don't mean to say you're the young western phenomenon the lestrange people have brought to chicago to run in that five-day automobile race that's turned on at the coliseum to-morrow?" "i'm one of their racers," answered matt. "they have four more in the race besides me." "well, by thunder!" brady stood off and regarded matt as though he was a natural curiosity. "why, you're no more than a kid! they had your picture in the paper, after that kansas race, but you're a heap younger than i thought. i guess you've forgotten more about gasolene-motors than a whole lot of people ever knew." "oh, it isn't so bad as that. i came here to do you a good turn, mr. brady, and i can't see the sense of raking up my past history. your air-ship has been stolen, hasn't it?" "stolen?" brady gave another startled jump. "not that anybody knows of. why? what put that in your head?" matt was "stumped." he looked blankly at carl and found that carl had turned an equally blank look at him. "where is the hawk now?" queried matt. "she went out on a trial spin with three men in the car. expect her back any moment." there was a shifty look in brady's face, and he spoke in a fashion that aroused matt's suspicions. "then the hawk wasn't stolen and you didn't send two men with a horse and buggy to look for her?" queried matt. "we saw the air-ship, but there were only a couple of men in the car and the machine was out of control. we tried to stop the craft by means of the drag-rope, but the rope broke loose and the hawk got away. one of the men on board dropped a roll of papers out of his coat-pocket and we picked it up." brady looked at the other man. the glances they exchanged were significant, and both swore softly. "here's a purty kettle o' fish!" growled the fellow with the pipe. "what dy'ye s'pose has happened, brady?" brady muttered something unintelligible, and whirled to matt with a scowl. "that roll of papers belongs to me," said he. "just pass 'em over, king." "i don't know whether i ought to give them to you, mr. brady, or to the police," answered matt, making no move to take the roll from his pocket. "police!" exclaimed brady. "what the blazes are you talking about? the fellow on that car was working for me, and the papers belong to me." "then you ought to be able to identify the roll," proceeded matt, coolly. "what did it contain, mr. brady?" "just papers." "typewritten-papers?" "well, yes, some of them were typewritten." "how were they tied up? in a piece of yellow paper?" "that's it. hand 'em over. it's queer they got lost out of the car in that way, but mighty lucky you picked 'em up." "i guess you're thinking of the wrong roll," said matt, coolly. "the one you've described isn't the one we found." "whether the description is right or wrong, the papers are mine, and i'll have 'em!" brady, in sudden temper, hurled himself at matt. the other man, taking his cue from brady, jumped for carl and grabbed him by the arm. "hoop-e-la!" tuned up carl. "be jeerful, eferypody! here's somet-ing vat ve ditn't oxbect!" and, with that, the dutch boy began struggling and using his fists. chapter iv. the kettle continues to boil. both matt and carl were well skilled in the art of self-defense. matt, perhaps, was a shade more adept in the use of his fists. neither of the lads, however, had been looking for violence, and the sudden attack of brady and the other man had taken them by surprise. the two men had plenty of muscle, and brady was desperately determined to secure the roll of papers. the very fact that he was using force to accomplish his designs proved that he was not entitled to the papers. for that reason, matt was determined to keep them away from him at all costs. "hold the dutchman, pete!" puffed brady, hanging to the collar of matt's leather coat and trying to get one hand into the inside pocket. "quiet, dutchy," threatened pete, as he and carl swung back and forth across the big shed. "i'll strangle ye if ye ain't peaceable. ye ain't got no sense, roughin' things up like--wow!" at that instant, carl landed a telling blow on the point of pete's chin. a bushel of shooting-stars must have danced in front of pete's eyes, for the jolt hurled him backward and caused him to claw the air in an attempt to keep his balance. he was not more than an instant getting the whip-hand of himself, and when he came out of his brief daze he was as mad as a hornet. "i'll kill ye for that!" he yelled, and picked up a heavy hammer that lay on the floor. pete was between carl and the open end of the shed; he was likewise between carl and matt and brady. the struggle had carried pete and the dutch boy down toward the middle of the balloon house. matt, out of the tails of his eyes, saw the dangerous position in which pete's temper was placing carl. the young motorist had been successfully fending off the attempt of brady to get into his coat pocket; now, thinking carl might need him, he undertook more aggressive measures. an empty box, which had evidently been used as a seat, stood just within the big door. with a sudden lurch, matt heaved himself against brady and knocked him backward over the box. as brady felt himself falling, the instinct to save himself caused him to let go of matt. the instant the young motorist found himself with the free use of his fists, he let drive at brady and still further helped him over the box. with a roar of anger, brady doubled up on the floor. matt whirled and darted for pete, reaching that scoundrel just in time to catch the arm that was whirling the heavy hammer. the hammer was wrenched away, and matt cast it against the wall of the balloon house. "cut for it, carl!" cried matt. "run for the road!" "you bed my life!" wheezed carl. "dis blace don'd vas gedding fery comfordable." brady was picking himself up from the floor as the boys rushed past with pete in hot pursuit. "get those papers!" yelled brady. "i'll git that dutch kid if it costs me my life!" whooped pete. brady rushed after pete, and there was a chase across the marshy meadow toward the road. carl was chunky of build and not nearly so good in a sprint as was matt. matt was in the lead on the rush from the balloon house, but, anticipating that carl might have further trouble with pete, he slackened his pace. it was well that he did so. pete was steadily gaining on carl and would undoubtedly have overtaken him had matt not executed a quick move with an empty salt barrel that lay in the line of flight. at the right moment, matt rolled the salt barrel in front of the enraged pete. pete's shins slammed against it, then he dropped on it and plowed up the mucky soil with the top of his head. so far as the set-to was concerned, it was settled right there, brady being so far in the rear that the boys were able to clear the fence and get into the automobile before he could come anywhere near them. as a matter of fact, brady gave up the fight as soon as he had witnessed pete's mishap with the barrel. as the two chums glided away toward the more thickly settled part of south chicago, they could look back and see brady assisting the disgruntled pete to an erect position. the barrel had been smashed, and brady was scraping the mud off pete with one of the staves. "how you like dot, hey?" gloried carl, standing up in the automobile and shaking his fist. "you vill know pedder der next time dan to make some foolishness mit modor matt und his bard. yah, yah, yah!" carl wanted to be as tantalizing as he could, but the automobile was getting too far away. sinking down in the seat beside matt, the dutch boy chuckled blithely. "dis has peen a pooty fine leedle trip, matt," he observed, "und has peen full oop mit oxcidement oof a nofel kindt, yah, so helup me. dot's vat i like. i'll bed my life dose fellers t'ink dey vas fell on mit a brick house. vat's der madder mit prady, anyvays?" "there's something queer about that air-ship affair," answered matt, thoughtfully. "the two men who rode past us in that buggy said the pair in the car were thieves, but brady didn't know anything about the hawk's being stolen. brady said, too, that there ought to have been three men in the car instead of two. the one who was missing may have been the driver. that would account for the poor work the other two were making with the engine." "ve can make some guesses," said carl, shaking his head, "aber ve don'd know nodding. dot roll oof bapers don'd pelong to prady. vell, oof dot's der gase, whose bapers vas dey?" "that's a conundrum." "vill you dake dem py der bolice?" "i've been thinking of that, and i believe i'll talk with mr. harkrider before i do anything more. he'll tell us just what to do, and i'm sure his advice will be good. you see, carl, we're not entitled to the papers any more than brady is, when you come to figure the thing down to a fine point. if the fellow who lost them out of the car turned up and claimed them, we'd have to give them to him." mr. harkrider was superintendent for the lestrange manufacturing company, the eastern representatives of the jarrot automobile company of st. louis. following the borden cup race, in kansas, matt had entered the services of the jarrot people, and they had sent him to chicago to take part in the five-day race at the coliseum. while waiting for the race to start, matt and carl had had the use of any machine they wanted in the lestrange garage, so they had put in their time riding around the city and out into the suburbs. that is how they happened to be on the road beyond south chicago at the time the hawk was running away with the two aeronauts. unusual experiences always seemed to gravitate toward matt, and this air-ship affair was one of the most novel that had ever come his way. what it was leading up to, he did not know, but it was evident there was a whole lot more to the matter than appeared on the surface. after a quick and uneventful run into chicago, matt drove the automobile into the lestrange garage and asked for mr. harkrider. to his disappointment, mr. harkrider had left for the day and would not return to the garage until the following morning. "well," said matt, as he and carl left the garage and proceeded toward their boarding house, "i guess the delay won't make much difference. i'll be busy with the race to-morrow, but you can take the papers, carl, and do with them whatever mr. harkrider advises." it was nearly supper time, and after the boys had had a wash, and a good meal, they went up to their room. close to eight o'clock, just as they were getting ready for bed, a rap fell on the door. matt answered the summons and found a boy with a telegram. the young motorist had been receiving a great many telegrams, since his kansas victory, and supposed the message must be from some motor-car manufacturer who wanted to secure his services. but he was destined to a surprise. the telegram had been sent to the lestrange garage, and by the foreman there forwarded to the boarding place. "matt king, care lestrange company, chicago: "come immediately to twenty-one-naught-nine hoyne street, south chicago. important matter relative to runaway air-ship. i will pay your expenses. "hamilton jerrold." "more aboudt dot air-ship pitzness," muttered carl. "who vas dot jerrold feller?" "he must be the man that brady told us about," said matt. "jerrold seems to be a rival of brady's, in this air-ship matter, and the message looks like a good clue. it won't do any harm to follow it up, anyhow." "dere iss somet'ing about dot vat i don'd like," demurred carl. "i got some hunches dere iss underhandt vork afoot." "i know there's underhand work going on," said matt, "but we've been rung in on the deal and have got to see it through. i'm curious to learn more about the affair." "meppy dot same curiosidy vill make you some drouples," suggested carl. "you can't haf dot, ven der racing iss on do-morrow." "the jarrot people have several good men in the five-day race, so it won't make much difference if i'm not one of the drivers. anyhow, i don't intend to be all day in south chicago." "it don'd look righdt for you to go pack dere alone," grumbled carl. "i vouldn't be easy a minid." "i am not going alone," laughed matt. "you're going along, carl." the dutch boy brightened at once and had no more objections to offer. "ach, dot's tifferent! ve vill shdart ad vonce. how ve go? on a pubble?" "no, we'll take a railroad train. i don't want to go fooling with a car at this time of night." "is dere a train ve can ketch?" "lots of them. south chicago is a suburb, and we can leave here every half hour. we ought to be back by midnight." without debating the matter further, the boys started forthwith. chapter v. hoyne street. hoyne street was easily found. a number of blast furnaces stood so near the house the two chums were looking for that the flames from their tall chimneys lighted up the surroundings so brilliantly that they were able to read the number over the door. the house was a two-story frame structure. the gas and smoke from the neighboring iron mills had shriveled and scorched everything in that part of the town. even by night, and under the glow of the furnaces, hoyne street had a dismal and dreary appearance. no. was set well back from the sidewalk. two branching wings, in front, made the house look like a deserted manufacturing plant. this impression was heightened by several broken windows. there were no lights in the windows other than the reflected glare from the high chimneys. "whoosh!" muttered carl, as he and matt came close to the front of the house and read the number. "dot's der blace, matt, aber it don'd look pooty goot to me. der feller vat lifs dere don'd got enough money, i bed you, to pay for sending dot delegram. der hen oof drouple iss aboudt to hatch somet'ing." "it may be," answered matt, who likewise had a queer premonition of trouble, "but we've come this far and i'm going to see the thing through. if anything goes wrong in that house it will be on account of that roll of blue prints. i'll leave the roll with you, carl, and you can stay outside. i won't be in the house more than fifteen minutes at most." "vell, you look a leedle oudt, matt, dot's all. oof somet'ing goes wrong mit you, led off a yell und i vill come gallywhooping." "i don't think anything will go wrong with me if i haven't those papers in my pocket." carl shivered. "chee, but der leedle fires on der chimneys iss prighdt. somet'ing aboudt dis blace gifs me a creepiness oof der skin. be jeerful, be jeerful! don'd shday in dere longer as den minids, matt, oder i vas likely to t'row fits." "i'll come out as soon as i can, carl," answered matt. "don't fret. i'm able to take care of myself in a pinch." "oof you see der pinch fairst, yah, i bed you! aber oof der pinch come ven you don'd vas looking, den vat?" matt laughed as he turned away, climbed a short flight of steps and drummed on the front door. he had to rap three or four times before his summons was answered. a light showed itself through a fan-shaped transom over the door, and a hand could be heard fumbling with a rusty bolt. in a minute or so the door was drawn open and a girl stood revealed. she carried a lamp with a smoked chimney, and one of her slender hands protected the flame from the draft. she was eighteen or nineteen years old, and, in spite of her coarse calico gown, she was extremely pretty. her prettiness, however, was not what impressed matt. the first thing he noticed was that the hand shielding the lamp was trembling. lifting his eyes to the girl's face, he observed that she wore a frightened look. "does mr. jerrold live here?" matt asked. the girl stared at him; her lips moved, but no sound came through them. matt repeated the question. "y-y-yes," faltered the girl. "my name's king," answered matt. "mr. jerrold sent me a telegram and asked me to come here to-night." the girl leaned forward eagerly as though she would say something. before she could speak, if she had intended to, a sound as of some one moving in the darkness behind her, caused her to draw back. "please come in," she said breathlessly. matt entered the hall. the girl closed the door behind him and then, with the lamp shaking in her hand, led him into a room off the hall. the room was evidently a parlor, although its furniture was meager and shabby. "please sit down," said the girl, placing the lamp on a table. "mr. b--mr. jerrold will be here in a few moments. would you like to read while you're waiting?" matt started to decline, but the girl had already picked up a book from the table, opened it and was handing it to him. he looked at her in astonishment. from her frightened face his eyes fell to the book that was quivering in her hand. there was an appeal in her manner which caused him to take the book. "thank you," said he. the book was opened at the fly leaf. on the leaf was written the following: "you are trapped. i would have warned you, if i could, but he would have killed me. now you are in the house, you can't get away. do whatever you are told to do and all will be well. lay the book back on the table, and don't let any one know what you have read here." matt was astounded. trapped! and he had walked into the trap with his eyes wide open! who was the girl and why had she run the risk to warn him? and what good was her warning to do if he did not take advantage of it and make his escape? "now you are in the house, you can't get away." he read those words again, and after he had read them he looked about the room curiously. there were two windows in the room and they were screened with thick curtains. matt, however, could see no one. if the trap had been sprung where were the ones who had sprung it? he realized that if he made an attempt to get out of the house now, those who had entrapped him would immediately conclude that the girl had given him a warning. thus he would not only fail to get away, but would bring punishment upon the girl for her attempt to help him. "do whatever you are told to do and all will be well." he read that over again and made up his mind that he would follow the advice. he laid the book back on the table, and, just at that moment, the girl re-entered the room. "i have read that book," said he. "here's a newspaper," said she. as she held the paper in front of him she pointed to an article, evidently intending that he should read it. the girl was a mystery to matt. from her manner there was no doubt about her being anxious to do whatever she could to shield him. leaving the paper in his hands, she walked over to the table, opened the book and deftly extracted the fly leaf. then she vanished from the room once more. matt drew his chair closer to the table so that he could get the full benefit of the dim light. the first thing he noticed was that the paper was a week old. it was a chicago daily. the column to which the girl had called his attention was headed, "burglaries continue! astonishing series of robberies in south chicago are still kept up! thieves make off with loot and leave not a clue behind! police authorities baffled! latest victims hartz & greer, jewelers!" here followed an account dealing with a number of mysterious burglaries, but matt, because of the danger in which he found himself, did not give the article the attention he would otherwise have done. he did wonder, however, why it was that the girl had pointed out the article to him. while he was wondering, a step sounded in the hall and a form showed itself in the hall door. the man was brady! matt sprang up. brady came into the room with an easy air and gave vent to a short laugh. he was quite a different looking man when out of his greasy overclothes, but there was no doubting his identity. matt's fist had left a bruise on the side of brady's face, and the spot was covered with a square of court-plaster. "surprised?" queried brady, dropping into a chair. before seating himself he was careful to draw the chair in front of the hall door. "were you the one who sent me that telegram?" asked matt. "guilty!" was the chuckling response. "you were expecting to meet jerrold, eh? i was a little in doubt as to whether you'd bite at the bait, but took a chance. you're a mighty accommodating young fellow, king. why, you came all the way out here, at this time of night, just to give jerrold those papers! didn't it strike you as being a little bit queer that jerrold should have asked you to come and see him when it was his business to go and see you? and then, again, how did you think jerrold got hold of your name and address? oh, well, you've a lot to learn yet, my lad." "i'm learning you pretty fast, brady," said matt. "you have fooled me, but you've gained nothing by it." "i think i have," was the other's cool reply. "you'll not get that bundle of papers." "no? haven't you got them with you?" "i left them where they'd be safe." "then you suspected there was something a little off-color about that telegram?" "yes." "plucky boy! nevertheless, you dropped into my trap, and that's the main thing. those papers cost me a good deal of scheming, and if you were really thoughtful enough to leave them in a safe place, i'm mighty sorry." "you can search me," said matt, "if you're not willing to take my word." "i'll search you quick enough." "then hurry up; i want to get away from here." "those papers are not the whole of it," went on brady. "i want to make you a proposition, king. i need a motorist for the hawk, and i think you'd about fill the bill. how would five hundred a month strike you?" "five thousand a month wouldn't strike me. in the first place, mr. brady, i don't like your methods and wouldn't work for you at any price; and, in the next place, i am already in the employ of the lestrange people." "you'll work for me all right whether you like my methods or not." there was an ugly look in brady's eyes and an ugly note in his voice. "you're just the sort of youngster i need, and now that i've got a grip on you i don't intend to let you get away." "it takes two to make that sort of a bargain!" matt had edged around toward one of the windows with the intention of making a break through the door. brady got up. "what are you waiting for, pete?" he called. matt turned a quick gaze about him, wondering from which direction pete was to appear. then, quick as a lightning flash, the curtain behind him gave way and fell in smothering folds over his head and shoulders. two brawny arms encircled him like the jaws of a vise. he fought with all his strength, and tried to yell to carl. but one effort was as ineffectual as the other. pete and brady had him between them, and he was utterly powerless. chapter vi. carl investigates. carl hated a "waiting" game. if there was anything going on, he liked to be right in the midst of it. on top of all this, he was vaguely suspicious of everything connected with that telegram. when matt went up and knocked on the door of the house, carl was hoping the summons would not be answered; but when the door opened, and matt disappeared inside the house, carl's real worries began. pacing back and forth on the walk, the dutch boy impatiently counted the seconds and checked off the minutes. no sound came from the building, and, after the light had vanished from the hall, not a ray was to be seen at any of the windows. "i t'ink, py shiminy," muttered carl to himself, "dot der fifdeen minids vas oop. vell, i count off fife more schust for goot measure. after dot, oof matt don'd come, i vill make some infestigations." owing to the lateness of the hour, and the obscure section of the town through which that part of hoyne street ran, no one passed the front of the house. carl's solitary vigil was not relieved by the sight of any chance traveler. mentally he checked off another five minutes. during the counting he fancied he heard a noise in the house, but it was so muffled and indistinct he could not be sure. matt did not show himself, and carl started his investigations. his first move was to run up the steps and pound on the door. although he made enough noise to wake the entire neighborhood, he couldn't bring anybody to the entrance. he tried the knob, but found the door fastened. then he hurled his weight against the door in the hope of breaking it in. the door must have been in better repair than the rest of the house, for it withstood his attack with scarcely a shiver. carl's temper was always pretty close to the surface, and his failure to get into the house caused him to forget his forebodings on matt's account and to get good and mad on his own. "i vill find matt oof i haf to preak down a vinder!" fumed carl, jumping down from the steps and starting to run around the side of the house. "hello, there!" shouted a voice most unexpectedly from the sidewalk. "what're you up to, hey?" carl halted and looked around. in the glow of the furnace fires he saw a man standing in front of the house. "vat iss it your pitzness?" he snapped. "i'm going to ged indo dot blace oof i haf to preak holes in it!" "i'll make it my business, quick enough!" called the other. "come here, and be quick about it." there was authority in the voice, and the command was accompanied by a backward sweep of the hand under a long coat. when the hand reappeared, there was a glimmering object clutched in the fingers. the light also glimmered on two rows of buttons on the speaker's coat. "ach, du lieber!" muttered carl. "you vas an officer, hey?" "come here, quick!" ordered the man. "tell me where that balloon came from. it seemed to rise from around in this vicinity somewhere." by that time, carl had reached the walk. the officer pointed upward, and carl's eyes, following the finger, saw an air-ship clearly outlined against the glow of the blazing chimneys. the cigar-shaped gas-bag and the pendent car stood out plainly. the front end of the air-ship was pointed upward, and it was vanishing swiftly into the night. "himmelblitzen!" gasped carl. "dot vas der hawk! it must be der hawk!" "hawk, eh?" returned the officer. "what do you know about it? the thing seemed to rise up in the air from around here." "iss dot so?" cried carl, excitedly. "vell, i ditn't see him, und dot's righdt. i vas drying so hardt as anyt'ing to ged indo der house." "i heard you tryin' to break in the door. don't you know it's against the law to do that?" "i don'd care for der law! my bard vent indo dot house und left me to vait. ven i vait plendy long enough for him und he don'd come, den i make some infestigations. no vone answers my knock on der door, und for vy iss dot?" "you say a friend of yours is in the house?" "sure! don'd i vas delling you?" "when did he go in?" "haluf oof an hour ago--all oof dot." the officer began questioning carl and got from him pretty near the whole of the affair--matt's name and occupation, the experience with the air-ship in the early part of the afternoon, nearly everything concerning the roll of papers, the receipt of the telegram, and the night visit of the boys to south chicago. this policeman was an intelligent member of the force, and he at once concluded that here was a matter which called for official investigation. "we'll get into the house and find out about your friend," said he. "your yarn is a queer one, but has the true ring, and it's evident there's shady work of some kind going on." "shaty vork? vell, you bed you! vere iss matt? dot's vat i vand to know vorse as anyt'ing else. i ditn't vant him to go in dere, anyvay, aber ven he makes oop his mindt to do somet'ing, den it vas as goot as done und vat i say don'd cut some ice." "if he's in there we'll get him," said the officer, decidedly. as a preliminary to more drastic operations, he went up to the door and pounded on it with his night-stick. the summons, although several times repeated, was not answered. thereupon the policeman and carl, throwing their united weight upon the door, burst the bolt from its fastenings and tumbled into the hall. the darkness of the interior was relieved only by the glare of the furnaces coming in at the transom. silence reigned everywhere. "i don'd like der looks oof t'ings," muttered carl, forebodingly. "dere don'd vas anypody ad home now, aber ven matt come in dere vas plendy oof people here. vat toes it mean, officer?" "we'll try and find out what it means." there was an electric dark lantern at the policeman's belt. taking the lantern in his hand he switched on the light and sent a bright gleam into every nook and corner of the hall. no sign of matt, nor of any of the occupants of the house, was revealed. there were only two or three rooms furnished on the lower floor, and none at all on the floor above. every part of the house was searched, and the last place of all to pass under the policeman's and carl's scrutiny was the shallow basement. it was evident to both searchers that people had been in the house up to a very recent moment, for in one of the first-floor rooms there remained an odor of tobacco smoke, but there was no living person anywhere in evidence. "don'd dot peat ter tickens?" murmured carl. "matt come in der front door, und he ditn't come oudt oof it. oof he vas daken away it must haf peen py der pack oof der house. meppy ve pedder haf a look ad der pack yardt?" "wait a minute," answered the officer. bending down he picked some object off the floor and examined it under the rays of the lantern. an exclamation of surprise and wonder fell from his lips. "vat it iss?" queried carl. "here's the biggest kind of a find!" was the response. "thunder! this must be my lucky night." "how you figger dot?" "this is a canvas bag." "yah, i see dot, aber it ditn't pelong by matt und it don'd dell us nodding aboudt vere he vas." "it's marked 'hartz & greer, jewelers,'" went on the policeman, his voice shaking with excitement. "that's a firm doing business right here in south chicago, and their store was burglarized mysteriously a little more than a week ago. some fifteen thousand dollars' worth of jewelry and diamonds were taken, and this," the officer shook the canvas bag, "_this_ is the first clue any one has found to the robbers!" "shiminy grismus!" muttered carl. "dis must haf peen der blace vere der t'ieves hat deir hang-oudt. aber dot don'd got some interest for me. vat i vant to know iss, vere iss modor matt? dis pitzness iss gedding on my nerfs aboudt like dot odder time ven he tissabeared schust pefore der cup race. shtick der pag in your bocket, officer, und led's haf some looks at der pack yardt." the policeman, now wrapped heart and soul in the hunt, put the bag away in the breast of his coat. the door leading into the back yard, as they had already discovered, was unlocked. the rear premises were enclosed by a high board fence, and the beacons that capped the neighboring chimneys lighted the enclosure sufficiently so that the lantern was not needed. there was a very perceptible odor of gasolene in the back yard. the moment carl sniffed it, he gave vent to a stifled yell and grabbed the policeman's arm with both hands. "what's to pay now?" demanded the policeman. "der air-ship!" gasped carl. the officer threw a startled look at the sky. "no, no, it ain'd oop dere," went on carl. "it vas in dis pack yardt--yah, so helup me! der gasolene used in der modor make der shmell. don'd you ondershtand? dey filled der tank here, und shpilled some oof der gasolene! dose fellers haf run off from dis blace mit matt, und dey have dook him along. ach, himmelblitzen, vat a luck!" chapter vii. jerrold, brady's rival. "thunder!" cried the policeman, catching the dutch boy's drift, "you're right, as sure as my name is sam harris! your friend went off in that air-ship." "he ditn't vent," protested carl, in a temper, "he vas dook." "well, he was carried off in the thing, no matter whether he went of his own free will or was taken by force. if we each of us had a pair of wings we might follow the flyin' machine, but we ain't got 'em, so we'll have to do what we can on the ground." "dere iss a palloon house oudt on der roadt py der rolling mills," suggested carl. "meppy der hawk vas dere. dot's vere prady keeps him ven he ain'd sky-hootin' t'roo der clouds. meppy ve go und take a look at der palloon house, eh?" "i know the place, and it won't do any harm to go there and look--but the fellow who ran off with your friend would be foolish to drop down there." "vell, foolish or nod, ve look efery blace vat ve can." the balloon house was not a great way from that part of hoyne street, and harris and carl reached it after a cross-lots walk of five minutes. they found the great doors open, but there was no air-ship in the place and no one on watch around it. furthermore, an examination of the interior showed that an extensive clean-up had been made of the various tools which matt and carl had seen in the place during the afternoon. everything of value had been removed. carl explained all this for the officer's benefit. "it's a cinch the owner of the air-ship has changed his headquarters," commented harris. "brady, you say, the fellow's name is? well, he's an inventor. one of his inventions is a patent 'jimmy'--which, of course, he wouldn't dare to patent. we've been watching his air-ship operations, here in south chicago, but they seemed straight and legitimate enough." "do you know dot feller, hamildon jerrold?" asked carl. "sure, i know him. he's all right, jerrold is, although everybody looks on him as a harmless sort of crank." "he don'd lif in dot blace vere der chimney fires iss?" "no; he hangs out in a different part of town." "den, you see, it vas a put-oop chob all aroundt. it vas prady, i bed you, vat sendt dot delegram, got matt in a drap, und den flew off mit him in der hawk. meppy ve make a call on jerrold?" "i'll call up the department and report," said harris, "so they can send another man on my beat while i'm fooling around on this case." they hurried back into town and the officer unlocked one of the lamp-post boxes and reported to headquarters. "all right," said he as he rejoined carl. "now we'll put in the rest of the night, if we have to. if brady has had a hand in the robberies that have been going on here, this is liable to be good and profitable work for me." jerrold lived almost a mile from the place where harris had done his telephoning. he had a large, rambling old house set far back in a dense mass of trees and shrubbery. "he's a good deal of a hermit," explained harris, as he and carl proceeded along the walk to the front door. "a harmless old skate, but he's pretty broad between the eyes, at that." it was after midnight, and, as might be supposed, the house was dark. a knock on the door brought a night-capped head from an upper window. "who's down there?" demanded a voice. "is it you, payne?" "no, mr. jerrold," answered harris, "it's a police officer. i've come to see you on important business." "have you found the hawk?" cried jerrold; "did you get back the plans those rascals stole from me?" "come down and let us in," said the officer. "we want to talk with you." "wait a minute." the head was withdrawn and the window dropped. a little while later, the front door opened and jerrold showed himself, carrying a candle. carl recognized him as one of the two men who had been pursuing the hawk in the buggy. "don'd you know me, misder jerrold?" asked carl. the inventor stared at him and shook his head. thereupon carl explained where and when they had met. jerrold's brows wrinkled in a frown. leading his callers into a small sitting room he asked them to sit down. "what do you know about this fellow brady, jerrold?" asked harris, by way of getting at the business in hand. "i know he's a scoundrel!" declared jerrold with emphasis. "he's a good mechanic, though, and in spite of his shady record i took him on here to help me build my air-ship, the eagle. after he had been with me for a while, i found he was stealing my ideas and building an air-ship of his own. then i discharged him. since then he's been attending to his own operations and i have been attending to mine. there are several important points about my machine, though, which brady has been anxious to discover. he has tried to bribe payne, the man who works for me, to give up a set of my blue prints, and he has tried to get them in other underhand ways. at about eleven o'clock, yesterday, three of brady's men tried out-and-out robbery. that safe was forced"--jerrold pointed to a small steel safe in one corner of the room--"and the roll of blue prints taken out. payne and i were in the workshop at the time. we had just put the finishing touches to the eagle and were inflating the bag for a trial. i heard a suspicious sound from the house and ran into this room. one of the thieves had just cleared an open window, another was getting out and the third was making ready to go. i had a wrench in my hand and i hurled it at the man in the room. he dropped without a groan. payne came, just then, and we went after the other two. brady's air-ship was waiting for them in the rear of the house, and the two robbers got into it and were away before we could catch them. payne and i got a horse and buggy, as quick as we could, but by that time the air-ship was no more than a speck in the sky, off to the south. we followed, keeping the course the air-ship had taken. the men aboard didn't seem to know how to handle the craft very well, and i was hoping some accident would happen, that the craft would come down and that i would be able to get back my blue prints." jerrold halted for a little, his face flaming with anger and indignation. "i haven't my patents, yet," he went on, in a few moments, "and haven't even been able to establish a caveat, so, you see, if brady should get ahead of me at the patent office he would snatch a fortune out of my hands. for," and here the inventor threw back his head with laudable pride, "i claim to have invented an air-ship that can be used for commercial purposes--the first machine of the kind that will successfully navigate the air against the strongest wind that blows. but if that scoundrel brady takes from me the fruits of my toil, i shall be ruined!" jerrold's body slumped forward in his chair, and he crouched there in an attitude of extreme dejection. "where's the fellow you knocked down with the wrench?" asked harris, his professional mind dealing with the more practicable aspects of the case. "when payne and i got back to the room, after pursuing the other two rascals to the hawk," answered jerrold, "the man had vanished. i suppose he recovered from the effects of the blow and took himself off." "he vas der feller vat drove der modor in der hawk," explained carl, "und ven he vas pud down und oudt, der odder fellers made poor vork oof triving der machine. aber dot ain'd vat i got on my mindt, schust now." carl pulled the roll of blue prints from his pocket. "dere, misder jerrold," said he, "iss vat you lost. take it mit der gombliments oof modor matt--my bard who iss gone i don'd know vere. oof you hat shtopped a leedle in der puggy, und toldt us vat i haf heardt schust now, den, by shinks, you vould haf got der bapers pack a long dime ago." a cry of delight broke from jerrold's lips. for a moment he stared at the roll, then swooped down on it with both hands, caught it away from carl and began removing the wrapper with trembling fingers. "here they are, here they are," he crooned joyfully, pawing the blue prints over and counting them, one by one; "they're all here, and----" he stopped short and stared blankly at the envelope, which had fallen out of the blue-prints and dropped on the carpet. "what's that?" asked harris. "i don't know," replied jerrold; "it's nothing of mine and wasn't in the safe, to my recollection, at the time the blue prints were taken." "well, it may be yours, for all that. if it was in the roll, it stands to reason it must have been in the safe. better open it. probably you can tell from the contents whether it is yours or not." harris picked up the envelope and handed it to jerrold. the latter took it from him with a puzzled expression on his face. "i'm pretty sure this isn't mine," said he, turning the envelope over and over. "well, you've got to be absolutely sure," returned harris. jerrold, thus urged, tore open the envelope, drew out the sheet and cast his eyes over it. "no," he declared, "it doesn't belong to me. the thieves must have put it in with the blue prints." "let's have a look at it," said the officer. drawing closer to the candle, harris proceeded to read the letter. while he read, his face brightened and a look of surprise and exultation rose in his eyes. "another clue, and a hot one!" he cried. he whirled on carl. "with this as a guide," he went on, "it's dollars to doughnuts we can trace your friend and get him away from that scoundrel, brady!" "ach, vat a habbiness!" expanded carl. "readt it oudt to me, harris, und be kevick ad it." chapter viii. jerrold's gratitude. "the letter," explained harris, "was written by brady, and was evidently entrusted to the men in the hawk for delivery to some one else. it's full of pointers, and a slicker bit of evidence it would be hard to find. and to think how it dropped into the hands of motor matt! the whole affair sounds like a 'pipe.'" "tell me about that!" cried jerrold, his shock of joy having passed and left him leisure for other things. "who is this motor matt, and how did he happen to get hold of the blue prints?" "ve vill go ofer dot lader, misder jerrold," said carl, impatiently. "schust now, dough, i vant to hear vat der ledder say. readt him oudt, harris! i vas so uneasy ofer it i don'd vas aple to sit shdill." "it's addressed to a man called whipple," went on harris, "and here's the way it runs: "'grove, needham and harper, with one of my improved jimmies, are going to make another try for those blue prints of jerrold's. if they get them--and i think they can, for our plans are well laid--they'll carry the papers to willoughby's swamp in the hawk and leave them with you. we will quit our operations in south chicago, clean out the balloon house (i have already sold the building for old lumber) and make our future headquarters in the swamp. it will be safer there. after we improve the hawk according to jerrold's plans, we will have a ship in which we can go anywhere, and with which we can do anything. all we need is a competent motorist--harper's good enough for an amateur, but we need a professional. i'll try and bring one with me, when i come. meanwhile, until i show up at the swamp, i want you to take good care of the blue prints. "'h. b.'" a great light dawned on carl during the reading of the letter--a light so strong that it left him blinking. "py chimineddy," he gurgled, "i know now vy dot prady run off mit matt! he say in der ledder dot he vants some brofessional to run dot air-ship. vell, matt knows more as anypody aboudt modors, und so prady dook him off. vat a high-hantet pitzness! und prady has captured a hornet oof he dit pud know it! he vill t'ink he has a handtful ven he dries to make matt vork for him." "from this," proceeded harris, waving the letter, "it seems that brady had already laid his plans to quit south chicago. in the letter, over his own signature, he admits sending three of his men to steal the blue prints. by a chance, and owing to the course of events in keeping the driver of the air-ship from getting away with the other two thieves, this roll and the letter dropped into the hands of motor matt. undoubtedly, motor matt has been taken to willoughby's swamp." "und vere iss dot?" asked carl. "i know about the swamp," went on harris, "for i helped some chicago officers run down a couple of escaped prisoners there, once. it's a bad hole, but there is a sort of island in the middle of it that has been the resort of criminals for a good many years. to get through the water, and mud, and tangled bushes to the island is a hard job for any one who has to go on foot. still, it can be done. brady and his men, of course, can use the hawk, and all they have to do is to sail through the air and drop down where they want to go. the difficulties of the swamp won't bother them at all. the place is about four miles from lake station, indiana." "vell," said carl, eagerly, "led's go dere. der kevicker vat ve go, der kevicker vat ve can helup matt. he iss my bard, und he needs me now." the dutch boy got up and started for the door. bounding from his chair, jerrold overtook him and grabbed his arm. "wait!" he commanded, "i've only got a faint grasp of the situation, but from what i can figure out you're going to need me. first, though, i want to hear all about this motor matt. he has done a whole lot for hamilton jerrold, and jerrold is a man who always tries to pay his debts. tell me how the blue prints got into the hands of motor matt." "aber ve vas in a hurry!" cried carl. "villoughpy's svamp iss a goot vays off, und----" "you'll save time in the end by losing a little here and now," averred jerrold, drawing carl to a chair and pushing him down into it. "go on! give me the whole of it, between you, and be quick." there was a compelling note in the inventor's words and manner, that demanded attention. carl yielded and struck into an explanation of the events of the preceding afternoon. whenever his impatience led him to skip any of the details, harris, who recognized the advantage of letting jerrold know everything, picked up the ignored detail and made carl go over it. jerrold's interest and excitement increased as he listened. when carl described how he and matt had fought with brady and pete at the balloon house and kept them from getting the blue prints, jerrold clapped his hands and shouted "bravo!" and when carl told of the bogus telegram that had brought the boys to south chicago, jerrold's face clouded with indignation and anger. "motor matt," declared jerrold, when carl had finally finished, "has done a lot for me, and he's going to find that hamilton jerrold knows how to be grateful. i agree with harris that there is hardly a doubt but that brady has taken young king to willoughby's swamp. brady wants the young motorist for the hawk, and intends to have him, whether or no. according to harris, the swamp's a difficult place to get at for those not equipped with an air-ship. that's where i come in. this way, friends!" with that, the inventor caught up his candle and led the way through the house and out at a back door. by then it was nearly three o'clock, and the very darkest part of the night. a gust of wind blew out the candle, which had been about as effective as a glow-worm, and the three were left at the foot of the rear steps staring at a fluttering expanse of canvas. the canvas formed a sort of v-shaped tent, long and high and secured with many guy-ropes. because of the darkness it was difficult to get any kind of an idea as to the size of the tent, but that was a minor point. "i'll have to get a lantern," said jerrold. "wait a minute." "i've got a dark lantern, jerrold," interposed harris, "and i guess that will do." "fine!" exclaimed jerrold, as harris switched on the current and swung the beam of light around him. "this way," the inventor added, and ducked through the end of the tent. in the gloomy interior a weird sight was disclosed--something so new and novel as to send an uncanny sensation along the nerves of carl and harris. here was another cigar-shaped gas-bag, and another suspended car. the car itself was stationary, but the bag, because of the drafts that surged through the tent, was bobbing and swaying like some monster, anxious to be unleashed. the flickering gleam from the dark lantern could only disclose a part of the air-ship at a time. "ach," muttered carl, "dot makes my nerfs shake und shake like anyt'ing. sooch a horrible t'ing vat it iss!" "that's because you're not familiar with such a craft," said jerrold. "payne and i have worked over it for years, and only yesterday saw the completion of our labors. it was six o'clock last night before the bag was fully inflated. we had to use common illuminating-gas, too, and the not more buoyant hydrogen. i have called the air-ship the 'eagle,' and if you sweep that light along the side of the bag you will see the name." this was a bit of byplay that took time and was utterly needless, but a great pride throbbed in the inventor's words, and even the smallest detail of the air-ship was fraught with the utmost importance to him. "everything about the craft," jerrold went on, "is of the very best. the motor is the lightest, strongest and most powerful ever constructed. the car will carry half a dozen, easily. sand-bags are suspended from each end of the gas-bag. when i pull in the sand-bag at the front end, the equilibrium is displaced, the bag points upward, and the propeller forces the air-ship to rise. so, when i wish to descend, i pull in the sand-bag at the rear point of the bag. when both bags are hanging loose, the eagle swims in the air on an even keel. now, the steering rudder, which also helps in maneuvering the ship, is a little idea of my own and----" "ach, hang der shdeering rutter!" broke in carl, impatiently. "harris und i haf got to go afder matt und ve can't vait aroundt here any longer. ve haf got to go py dot svamp, und----" "exactly!" broke in the inventor. "the eagle, fully inflated and with a tank full of gasoline, is waiting for a trial spin in the morning. i have the honor to propose that we use the craft now, proceed to willoughby's swamp and rescue motor matt. that will save time, and a whole lot of hardships in forcing your way through mud and water and tangled brush in order to reach the island." harris had already gathered the inventor's idea, even before he began putting it into words; carl, however, had not anticipated the suggestion, and he was dazed by it. "you mean to dake us py der svamp in der eagle?" he asked, in some trepidation. "yes." "ach, himmel! i nefer rode mit a air-ship. vill i be seasick py it?" "i don't think so. you see, i have never navigated an air-ship myself, but i'll bank on the eagle doing its work. i can run the engine." "vat oof it shouldt durn oopside town mit us vile ve vas a mile in der air?" "i'll guarantee it won't do that." "vell, vedder or nod," said carl, "i am going afder my bard. oof der tangers vas greadt, i take dem; und oof dey vasn't so greadt, den i take dem, too. matt vouldt do more as dot for me, yah, i bed you!" harris was also afflicted with doubts. "the ground has always been good enough for me, jerrold," said he, "and whenever i get my feet off it and go up any distance i have a bad case of vertigo. if i should get dizzy and fall off the car----" "you won't," interrupted the inventor; "people never get dizzy in balloons." "you're sure it won't tip over and spill us out?" "positive." "you don't know much about it yourself, you know, having never been up in it." "that scoundrel, brady, has used the hawk with fair success, and the hawk is modeled on the same lines as the eagle, only the eagle has improvements which brady was not able to get hold of and put on his own machine. shall we go to the rescue of motor matt? come, my friends, time is flying." "und ve ought to be flying, too," said carl, now eager to make the ascension. "i'll take a chance," observed harris. "good!" applauded jerrold. the next moment he had vanished in the darkness and could be heard pulling at some ropes. in less than a minute the entire top of the tent fell away, revealing the stars. "get into the car," said jerrold, "there, just forward of the driver's seat." with the aid of his lantern harris picked out the place where he and carl were to stow themselves, and they climbed into the car as directed. immediately after that, jerrold got over the rail and took his seat at the levers. it was impossible to see just what he was doing, but the clank of a lever came from his vicinity and slowly the front of the gas-bag began to point upward. "now we're ready," called the inventor. the popping of a motor began and gradually gathered into a swift murmur. "and now we're off," added jerrold. "stay right where you are and don't change your positions unless i tell you." the whir of the propeller started, and the house and shrubbery began slipping away from under those in the car. "ach, du lieber!" gasped carl. "der eart' vas falling avay from us. i vill say my brayers forvarts, packvarts und sidevays, oof it vill helup any." "i've got a bad case of rattles, myself," admitted harris. "but it's for your pard, my boy." "you bed my life!" returned carl, "aber i never dit anyt'ing pefore for dot bard oof mine dot dook so mooch nerf as vat dis toes. i vill shud my eyes, und you dell me, blease, ven ve reach der svamp!" chapter ix. aboard the hawk. taken at a disadvantage and with two brawny ruffians ranged against him, motor matt was unable to make any defense. as he lay on the floor, head and shoulders still swathed in the window-curtain, one of his antagonists held him while the other bound his hands and feet with a rope. he was then lifted and carried for some distance. naturally he could have no idea where or in what direction he was being carried. a few steps were descended and he heard a door softly closed. the cool air of outdoors laved his hands--he was sensible of that, although the hot stuffiness of the curtain prevented the night air from reaching his face. he was lifted over something, he did not know what, and laid down in cramped quarters. a conversation was going on around him, but in tones so low he was not able to distinguish the words. he fancied that he heard the girl's voice, although his head was so muffled he could not be sure. presently the unmistakable explosions of a motor came to him. "brady is taking me away somewhere in an automobile," he thought, and wondered where carl was that he could not see the machine. a moment later he felt a gentle, swaying motion as though he was being gently swung in a hammock. several minutes passed, and then brady's voice spoke, in a tone so loud that matt was able to hear what he said. "take the curtain off his head, pete, and untie him. it's time he took hold here. keep your revolver handy for use in case he gets obstreperous. he's full of ginger and will have to be tamed." matt felt some one working at his cords. they were stripped away quickly, and the curtain whisked from his head. he jumped up, the floor under him swinging with the quick move and almost upsetting him. "careful, there!" warned brady. "where do you think you are, anyhow?" matt was dumfounded. overhead was the long gas-bag of the hawk. in front of him, at the mechanism of the machine, sat a dusky form which he recognized as belonging to brady. brady's hands were on the levers. with a shout of anger matt jumped toward brady, the car lurching and swaying with his frantic movements. "stand where ye are!" came the husky, threatening voice of pete, from behind. "do as i tell ye, king, or i'll shoot." matt turned around. standing with his back braced against an upright timber that held the car to the oval ring under the gas-bag was brady's burly assistant. he held a dark object in his hand and matt knew it must be a revolver. "where are you taking me?" demanded matt. "turn around this way," said brady. "now that you know what'll happen to you if you get too hostile, maybe we can have a bit of a talk together." "don't shoot!" implored a feminine voice; "i don't want to have any shooting, dad!" the voice came from a bundle on the floor, close to where pete was standing. by looking sharply, matt was able to see a white, ghost-like face hovering against the rail. the girl had been brought along with them! matt was glad, for her sake, that he had not got into a rough-and-tumble with brady. without seeming to pay the girl more than passing attention, the young motorist turned toward the man in the chair. "well?" said he, crisply. "what have you got to say about this, brady? i guess you could be arrested for what you've done, all right." brady laughed. "how's a policeman coming up here to get at me?" he asked. "an air-ship is a great thing for a fellow who wants to turn a few tricks in spite of the law." "that's your game, is it? well, what have you to gain by running off with me? i told you i didn't have that roll of papers." "i'm out the blue prints, but i'm in a good motorist. i'll not be able to improve the hawk according to jerrold's plans, but i guess i've got hold of a driver that's good enough to make up for most of the improvements." "if you think i'm going to drive this car for you," said matt, "you're away off in your calculations." "that's what you think now, but you'll change your tune before long," said brady, easily. "i know this air-ship pretty well, and i installed the motor. all it needed for that was a good machinist and a good inventor. i'm not a good driver, though, and i've picked you for the job. the offer i made back at the house goes. five hundred a month. pretty good pay, eh, for a boy of your age?" "i don't care how much you offer, brady. as i have already told you, no amount of money could hire me to work for you. you're a scoundrel, clear through. what you've done to-night proves it. "bear a little to the left, brady!" called pete, who was evidently on the lookout. "you're getting too far to the north." brady moved one of the levers, and the ease and certainty with which the air-ship swung to the new direction brought matt's admiration uppermost. never had he been able to resist the lure of untried machinery, and here was an experience so novel that it carried him out of his troubled environment, so to speak. for a moment, suspended in that starlit void and swimming noiselessly through the night, he yielded himself to the fascinations of the new experience. "how powerful a motor have you?" he asked. "ten horse-power," answered brady, "and it weighs forty pounds." "how do you steer the machine up and down, and right and left?" "that's where i've got the bulge on jerrold. one rudder with two cross-section planes does all of that. this lever here--i don't know whether you can see it or not from where you stand--gives the up and down 'dip' to the rudder that makes the machine rise or fall. by moving the lever right or left, the air-ship turns in the corresponding direction." "take me back," ordered matt, "and land me at the place where you took me from." "you've got a picture of me doing that!" scoffed brady. "now that i've caught you, i'm going to keep you, see? you're just the sort of a lad i need in my business. grove and needham, when they finally got back to south chicago with the air-ship, told me all about you. if i'd known what i do now at the time you called at the balloon house, i'd have taken a different tack." a muttered imprecation came from pete. he was thinking of his fall over the barrel. "those fellows got back without breaking their necks, did they?" queried matt. "just about. when they told me what had happened, i sent off that telegram." "we might just as well look this thing square in the face, brady," said matt. "you've acted the part of a scoundrel in your dealings with me, and you haven't gained anything by it. if you don't turn back and put me down in south chicago, i'll make more trouble for you than you can well take care of." "i'll take my chances on that, my bantam. i like your spirit, and we're going to get along fine. just cast in your lot with mine, and i'll make a rich man out of you. in the hawk we can travel all over this continent, from hudson bay to patagonia. where men never went before, we can go. no mountain range is so high that we can't cross it, and no desert is so barren that we can't wing our way comfortably over it." matt stared at the dark figure in the chair. if any honest man had talked to him in that way, the young motorist would have been tempted to become an aeronaut, for he could see plainly the possibilities of a serviceable air-ship; but as for brady, he was a criminal, and that cut him off from any consideration on matt's part. the young motorist sank down on his knees and looked over the side of the car. they were perhaps a thousand feet in the air. houses, villages, dark expanses of timber and lighter stretches of meadow swept past them, moving out from under the car like a dark panorama. driving an automobile at speed was like flying, but here was flying itself. the new sensation gripped matt and thrilled him in every nerve. "how are we heading, pete?" called brady. pete was leaning over the opposite side of the car, looking forward. "i'm jest tryin' to git my bearin's, brady," he answered. "it's so pesky dark it's hard to make out jest where we are." matt stole a look at pete's back. the hand gripping the revolver lay on the rail. by one quick move matt could have snatched the weapon. as the idea swept through his mind he cautiously changed his position. just then a soft hand rested on his and he saw the girl's face pressed close. "don't do anything desperate!" she whispered, imploringly. "do whatever dad says--it will be better for you. when we get to where we're going, i'll help you escape, and----" "i think, brady," called pete, "that ye're still too fur to the north. better shift a leetle more to the left. i won't be sartin, though, that i'm right." "i ought to be there on the lookout," answered brady. "come here, king, and take the engine." the girl's words had influenced matt powerfully. on top of that was the alluring prospect of handling a new machine. "i'll take the engine for a while, brady," said he, getting up, "but you're to remember i'll not hire out to you." "all i ask is for you to handle the motor," replied brady. "you'll come to your oats quick enough, i'll gamble on that. you watch king, pete," he added to the other man, "and make sure he sends the hawk where i tell him to. if he tries to send her anywhere else, you know what to do." "that's no josh," answered pete. brady left the chair and went forward. matt dropped into the vacant seat and began studying the various levers with his groping hands. chapter x. willoughby's swamp. pete kept his weapon prominently displayed, and through the gloom matt could see the ruffian's arm partly lifted as though ready on the instant to bring the firearm into use. this alert attitude on pete's part, however, was more for show than for anything else--at least, matt so regarded it. brady was not anxious to go to desperate extremes with matt, especially since he wanted him as driver for the air-ship. brady, taking up a position where he could peer ahead, was scanning the dim landscape sharply. "swing her to the left!" he called. matt instantly applied the steering lever. instead of swinging to the left, however, the hawk made a half-turn to the right. up came the revolver. with a sharp cry, the girl reached up and caught pete's arm. "to the _left_, i said!" roared brady. "you'll have to give me the chance to learn the machine," answered matt, coolly, as he continued working the lever and brought the hawk around to the proper course. "these levers are new to me. when we steer an auto we do it with a wheel." "i thought ye knowed all about motors," jeered pete. "i know something about motors," replied matt, "but not the first thing about air-ships." as near as matt could judge, they were proceeding at a speed of something like thirty miles an hour. he speeded up the engine a little and was surprised at the smoothness with which it worked. the propeller hummed in a low, husky drone that was quite different from the song of the cylinders. he moved the steering lever backward a couple of notches. immediately the rudder was tilted and the hawk began to climb upward. "stop that!" yelled brady. "we're high enough. what are you trying to do?" "learning the machine," answered matt, and threw the lever forward. the front end of the gas-bag tipped downward, and the air-ship slid toward the earth with a suddenness that almost threw brady over the rail. "that'll do you!" he whooped. "get her on a level again, and be quick about it. you can handle the machine, all right, and i don't want you to do anything but what you're told." "all right," said matt quietly. for five minutes longer they continued to swim onward through the air. a long string of lights shot across the gloomy landscape below them, and a whistle came upward from the earth with startling distinctness. "there goes a train, whistlin' fer lake station," remarked pete. "we'll be over the town in a minute," said brady, "and then it won't be long until we get to the swamp." "what swamp?" asked matt. "never ye mind," was pete's surly rejoinder. "ye're here to obey orders an' not ask any fool questions." "i don't think it very foolish for a fellow to ask where he's being taken." "mebby not, but ye ain't findin' anythin' out, see?" matt had been doing a good deal of guessing about carl. what would his chum do? what was he doing then? he felt pretty sure that carl would get into the house and go through it from cellar to roof. but matt knew that carl had a good sensible head in cases of emergency. now and again the dutch boy's temper was apt to make trouble with his reasoning, but in the long run carl could always be counted on to do the right thing. so matt was not worrying very much about his chum. carl would take good care of the blue prints and ultimately they would find their rightful owner. "ha!" exclaimed brady, suddenly, "there's the signal! i'll go back and take charge of the motor while we make the landing, pete, and you take the lookout." matt gave place to brady and then stood at the rail, watching developments curiously. below the air-ship was a great splotch of black shadow, stretching away on all sides as far as the eye could reach. evidently this was the swamp. the hawk was sailing across the swamp toward a big fire that glowed in the distance. with brady steering and pete directing, the hawk approached closer and closer to the fire. "drop 'er, brady!" pete presently called; "we're close on the island." the nose of the air-ship ducked downward and, for perhaps twenty seconds, she raced earthward; then brady diminished the speed of their descent by slow degrees. matt, braced on the sloping floor of the car, watched the fire apparently come up toward them. a little later he was able to make out three human figures against the firelit background below, and a bare little plateau took vague form under his eyes. he watched the landing keenly, and noted how brady suddenly shifted the steering rudder so as to bring the hawk on an even keel, the lower supports of the car just grazing the ground. the three figures by the fire ran close. "how's everything, brady?" cried a voice. "finer than silk," called back brady. "stand by to catch the ropes, you fellows." the murmur of the motor ceased, the revolving propeller came to a stop, and pete flung out two ropes, one on each side of the car. the ropes were caught by the men on the ground, a bight of each was thrown around a stout stake driven into the earth at an angle, and the air-ship was drawn down and safely moored. matt was now able to understand why brady had taken his place as driver for the landing. not only was the method of making a landing new to matt, but there was also danger, unless one was familiar with the place, of scraping the trees that covered the swamp and hemmed in the cleared space called the "island." matt started to spring over the rail of the car. "stop, king!" cried brady. "you don't want to make a bolt for the timber and get mired in the swamp, do you? just remember you're still under orders. take him to the roost, needham, you and whipple. better tie him up until he gets used to the place and to our society. he's a bit strange, here, and none too willing to stay." "did you bring the loot, brady?" called one of the men. "sure! this is moving-day with us and you didn't think i was going to leave all that stuff on hoyne street, did you? get out of the car, king," he went on, to matt. "whipple and needham will take care of you." two of the three men had stepped to the side of the car. in the light of the fire, which was blazing at a safe distance from the air-ship, matt discovered that needham and grove had been the two aeronauts who had had such hard luck with the hawk during the preceding day. needham, who, with whipple, was facing matt and waiting for him to get over the air-ship's rail, gave a husky laugh. "we got out of that scrape, all right," said he, "even if we did lose our drag-rope." "and you got me into another scrape," said matt. "you fellows will pay for this!" "chirp low, young feller," warned whipple, catching him by the arm as he gained the ground; "your cue is to make friends with us an' not bluster about what ye're goin' ter do. there's five husky men here, an' we're all surrounded by a swamp that would mire ye up ter the eyes if ye tried ter git through it. oh, i reckon ye won't git away ter make any of us pay fer anythin'! this way, an' step lively." with needham and whipple on each side of him and hanging to an arm, matt was led across the open space, past the fire, and to the door of a small, roughly built shanty. a little way off there was another building, fully as small but apparently somewhat better built. "this here's the roost," announced whipple, "an' it's where ye're ter pass the rest o' the night. come in, an' come peaceable." it was part of matt's plan, hastily formed on the air-ship just after the girl had spoken to him, to accept passively whatever came his way--at least for a time. the girl had said that she would help him escape, and there was that about her which had awakened his confidence. not only that, but there was also something in the girl's face that had aroused his sympathy. she had a history, he was sure, and one that was far from pleasant. there were five cots in the "roost," and matt was told to lie down on one of them. "harper used to sleep there," remarked needham, as matt stretched himself out on the hard bed, "and the deuce only knows where poor old harper is now. you're taking his place, king, and so it's only right you should have his cot." it was on matt's tongue to say that needham had another guess coming, but he held his peace. he would not show too much of the hostile side of his feelings until he had had a chance to talk with the girl. "what's the use of tying me," expostulated matt, as ropes were being put in place around his wrists and ankles, "if it's impossible for me to get away?" "orders," answered whipple, curtly. after matt was made secure, whipple and needham went out of the hut. the young motorist had had a trying day, and even his exciting situation was powerless to keep the sleep from his eyes. he dozed off, while his thoughts were trying to straighten out the queer tangle in which events had bound him. he roused up for a moment when pete, whipple, needham and grove came into the hut and dropped down on their cots, but almost immediately he went to sleep again. it seemed as though he had hardly closed his eyes the second time before he was awakened by a light hand pressed upon his forehead. the other cots in the room were empty, it was morning, and the girl was standing beside him. "i have brought your breakfast," said she, in a low voice. "we can talk a little, but will have to be quick. dad, or some of the men, may come in here at any second! there's a lot that you've got to know, and----" she was interrupted by the sharp explosion of a firearm outside. stifling a cry, she whirled from the cot and ran to the open door. chapter xi. a foe in the air. "what is it?" asked matt, struggling up on the cot. no revolver had caused the report he had heard. from the sound he knew that a rifle had been fired. a babel of excited voices now came to him from without, accompanied by sounds of running feet diminishing rapidly in the distance. then came another report, and another, both from a more distant point than the first. the girl stepped through the doorway and was looking upward. "take off these ropes!" called matt. "let me get out there and see what is going on!" the girl turned and reentered the hut. her face wore an expression of the utmost concern. "no," said she, "i can't release you just now. if dad was to come and find that i'd set you free, he would suspect me at once and that would spoil my plans." "but what was the cause of that shooting?" persisted matt. "there's another air-ship over the island----" "another air-ship?" echoed matt. "yes. it must be jerrold's, although how he ever found out where dad was is more than i know. dad and the rest were shooting at the air-ship with rifles." "i'll bet it's somebody who's come looking for me!" exclaimed matt. "if your father and his gang should kill anybody----" "they won't," interrupted the girl, confidently; "dad knows better than to do anything of that kind. they'll try to put a bullet or two into the gas-bag of the air-ship and frighten jerrold away." "go and take another look," said matt, anxiously. "see what they're doing." the girl glided to the doorway again. "the other air-ship is moving off," the girl reported, with a measure of relief in her voice, as she came back. "i think the bullets must have injured the propeller, or some of the machinery, for the air-ship is moving very slowly and seems to be in trouble." "did you see how many were aboard?" "there were three in the car--one of them was jerrold, and he was managing the motor." "the other two," asked matt, eagerly, "do you know who they were?" "one of them was in uniform, and looked like a policeman. the other was short and thick-set and looked like a german." "carl!" exclaimed matt, jubilantly. "good old carl! how did he ever find out where i was, i wonder?" "i'll bet dad is trying to guess the same thing," said the girl. "he'll be badly cut up over this. but it's no more than he ought to expect," she added. "whenever a man breaks the law he'll have to pay for it, sooner or later." "what has your father been doing?" asked matt. "i came to talk with you about that. while i'm giving you your breakfast, i'll tell you my plans. dad, and all the rest except whipple, are off in the swamp, somewhere, keeping track of jerrold's air-ship, and that will give us a chance." matt swung his bound feet over the edge of the cot, and while he sat there the girl drew a chair close and began giving him his breakfast. "dad has been doing a lot of criminal things," said the girl, "and all he built that air-ship for was to make it easy for him to rob people and get away without being found out. didn't you guess that when i showed you that article in the paper? i thought you might." "i've been mighty thick-headed," answered matt, between mouthfuls, "and i never thought the thing through that far. possibly it's because so much has been happening to me since i went into that place on hoyne street." "it's nearly broken my heart having dad act like he's been doing," said the girl, her lips quivering. "if mother had lived she'd have kept dad straight, but when she died dad just seemed to go to the dogs. he has tried to make the people in south chicago think he was just an honest inventor, but, even at that, he stole all his ideas from jerrold. that balloon house, that he built out of some of the proceeds of his first robbery, was put up for what they call a 'blind.' with a big house like that, out in plain sight, dad felt that everybody would think his work was open and aboveboard. when he committed any robberies, the hawk was taken from the shed in the dead of night, and harper would steer it for the place they were to rob. the blackest kind of a night was always selected, and only flat-topped buildings were robbed. you see, the air-ship would alight on the roof, and dad and the rest would break into the building from the top. when they left they always went in the same way they came, and the police were puzzled because they could not find any clues in the lower part of the buildings." "it was a slick scheme," commented matt. "that's the way hartz & greer's place was robbed," proceeded the girl. "dad and the rest got fifteen thousand dollars' worth of goods from hartz & greer, and for more than a week the stuff has been hidden in that house on hoyne street. but now dad has left south chicago for good and all. he's afraid the police are beginning to suspect him, and that jerrold might try to do something on account of those stolen blue prints." it was perfectly plain to matt that the girl's recital of these crimes, in which her father had played the leading part, was anything but easy for her. she was talking from a sense of duty, and matt honored and admired her for the stand she was taking. "it doesn't seem possible," said he, gently, "that brady is your father." "but he is," she answered brokenly, "and he has brought shame and disgrace on me. but what could i do? dad knows how i feel about his actions, and he has watched me and kept me away from other people ever since he began his stealing. when you came to the house, last night, it was the first chance i have had to tell what i know. i overheard dad and pete planning what they were going to do if you came, and--and i hoped you would come, although i knew you would never leave the house until you were taken away as dad's prisoner. i felt sure, though, that i could help you to escape, and i feel even more sure of that now than i did before." "what is your name?" asked matt, his eyes full on the girl's face. "helen," she answered. "what are your plans, helen?" he asked. "my plan," she went on, "is for you to get away from the swamp in the hawk, and to take the stuff stolen from hartz & greer with you. that will stop everything, for dad will be perfectly helpless without the air-ship. then, too, you can return the stolen diamonds and jewelry to hartz & greer, and that will go far toward righting one wrong. when you are back in south chicago, you can send the police here and--and they can capture dad and the rest." matt had finished eating and the girl had put aside the dishes. suddenly she broke down and hid her face in her apron. for a few moments she sobbed convulsively. small wonder her feelings overcame her! in carrying out her ideas of right and justice, she had planned to give her own father into the hands of the law. "you're a noble girl, helen!" declared matt. "but how am i to get away in the air-ship and to take the stolen property with me?" "you already know how to run the machine," said the girl, recovering herself a little and looking up, "and when the right time arrives i will come here and take off your ropes. as for the stolen property, i will see to it that that is put in the car before you start. there will be danger in what you do, but, from what i have heard, you know how to win out in spite of it." "i will run any risk to get away from here," returned matt, gravely, "but when i go you must go with me. this is no place for you--with such a thieving gang!" "i must stay here," the girl said resolutely. "even though i am sending my father to prison i want to be with him to the last. if something isn't done," she continued passionately, "he will go on and on, constantly from bad to worse, and perhaps some time"--her face blanched as she spoke--"he might receive worse than a prison sentence. it is the only way to save him." it was clear that helen brady had spent much time in thinking out and planning her present course, and how much mental anguish and bitterness of spirit her conclusion had cost her, only she could know. "i am ready to do whatever you want me to," said matt, "and if you think it best to stay here, all right. i still believe, though, you ought to leave this place with me." "no, no," she replied firmly. "i have thought it all out a dozen times, and i have made up my mind as to what it is right for me to do. you must get away from here in the air-ship. with the hawk taken away from him, dad will be helpless." "haven't you any friends or relatives to whom you could go?" asked matt. "i have relatives on my mother's side, but they won't have anything to do with dad or me--simply because dad is what he is. they have asked me to leave dad and come to them, but i know my place and what it is right for me to do." a brief silence fell between the two, during which matt turned the queer problem over in his mind. "when do you think your plan can be carried out?" he asked presently. "it has got to be soon, if at all," she answered. "i don't know what effect this appearance of jerrold's air-ship over the swamp will have on dad, but i hope it won't interfere with my plans. we'll have to wait a little while and see. whipple is watching the hawk now, and----" just at that moment a heavy step was heard outside. a man appeared in the doorway, stared in at matt and the girl for an instant, and then strode into the hut. the man was brady, and his face was black as a thundercloud. "what're you doing here so long?" he cried angrily to the girl. "clear out! i've got something i want to talk over with king." with a supplicating look at her father, the girl got up and passed out of the hut. chapter xii. brady changes his plans. "you've played the devil with me, and no mistake!" scowled brady, whirling on matt the moment the girl was gone. "i don't see how you make that out," said matt. "you're the one that's made all the trouble, brady." brady's little eyes glittered as they rested on matt. for a few moments he paced angrily back and forth across the hut. "how in thunder," he cried suddenly, "did jerrold ever manage to get a line on me? he was over the swamp, a short time ago, with his air-ship, and he'd have landed here if we hadn't driven him off. jerrold knows where i am, and he has the means of getting to the island. we've crippled his craft, though, and he's had to haul off for repairs. while he's gone, i've got to change my plans, somehow, and be ready for him when he comes back. that dutch kid who was with you at the balloon house yesterday was in the car of the air-ship, and there was also a policeman along. how did that come?" "you know as much about it as i do, brady," replied matt. "i disappeared from that hoyne street house, last night, and i suppose my chum has been getting clues about me and following them up. that's the kind of a lad he is." "where did he get any clues that would bring him out here?" "give it up." brady took a few more turns across the room, presently halting in front of matt. "you didn't bring that roll of blue prints to hoyne street, last night," said he. "where did you leave it?" "left it out in front of the house," grinned matt. brady started. "in front of the house?" he echoed. "yes." "cached?" "certainly." "under the sidewalk?" "no; in the pocket of my dutch pard." brady stared incredulously. then he swore. "that dutchman was out in front all the while you were in the house?" matt nodded. "he came with me from chicago. i got to thinking there might be a trap in the house, and that some one was there who wanted the blue prints, so i made up my mind that it would be a wise move to leave carl out in front, and to let him keep the roll." "that chum of yours must have seen the hawk when she climbed out of the back yard," growled brady, "but how in the fiend's name was he able to get jerrold and the eagle and follow us? it was dark, and we had a long start of them." "one guess is as good as another," said matt, calmly. "i told you you'd get yourself into trouble if you tried to make a prisoner of me. the best thing you can do now is to send me back to south chicago in the air-ship." "think i'm a fool?" snarled brady. "it may be that you're all that stands between me and my men and capture. i'll hang onto you, king, and i'll let that dutch pard of yours know that if jerrold don't keep away from this swamp with his air-ship you're going to connect with your finish. it's neck or nothing with me, now, and i'll go any length to keep myself out of the 'pen.' i've laid out a fine campaign for the hawk, and i don't intend to have all my plans nipped in the bud, right at the start-off." "i suppose," said matt, scathingly, "that your campaign is one of robbery, and that you're going to make a pirate ship out of the hawk?" "that's where you put your finger on the right button!" declared brady. "i'm going to be a freebooter, and take my toll wherever i can find it. it's easy to swoop down on a lot of spoil, pick it up and make off with it. and what can the law do?" he laughed mockingly. "policemen will have to have wings to get anywhere near me." "and that's what you wanted me for, is it?" cried matt, indignantly; "to drive the hawk around through the air and help out your villainous plans! i would let you kill me first." "rot! i'm going to stick to my original intentions, but there's got to be something of a change in my immediate plans. we've all got to pull out of here and to take what plunder we've got cached in the swamp. the hawk will have to make three or four trips, and they must be made before jerrold and his air-ship can interfere with us. if jerrold fixes up his air-ship and comes back, we'll just tell him what will happen to you if he lingers in the vicinity of the swamp. i'm banking on that to send him packing again, and to keep him out of sight until i can make a change of base. you'll go away on the hawk's first trip, and it will probably be only half an hour before you can start." brady started for the door, but halted before he reached it and faced around. "either one of two things happened to put that dutchman and jerrold on my track," said he. "either harper has been caught, and has told what he knows, or else a letter i gave needham to deliver to whipple, here in the swamp, has fallen into the hands of the police. it don't make much difference, though, how jerrold got next to our hang-out. the main thing is that he knows where we are, and that you will be put in a mighty tight corner if he keeps on trying to make trouble for me. that's about all, king. i want you to understand what you're up against and be ready for whatever happens. i'm not going to have my plans knocked galley-west just as i'm on the point of launching them." with another black scowl, expressive of his savage determination, hector brady strode out of the hut. matt was beginning to understand why helen preferred to see her father in prison rather than free to carry out his campaign of lawlessness. possessing a practical air-ship like the hawk, brady could commit untold depredations and snap his fingers in open defiance of the law. the young motorist shuddered to think of the scoundrel's comprehensive plans, and of the part he had intended to make his prisoner play in them. helen's reasoning was logical, and the expedient she had suggested was as simple as it was effective. by taking the hawk away from brady she would make it impossible for him to follow out his nefarious schemes. the beautiful simplicity of the countercheck aroused matt's admiration. but how was the countercheck to be brought about? the appearance of jerrold's air-ship over the swamp had made doubly difficult the work the girl was counting upon having done. not only that, but the coming of the eagle had increased matt's peril. there was no doubt in the young motorist's mind but that brady would go to any extreme in order to keep himself and his companions from being captured. all these different aspects of the situation floated through motor matt's mind swiftly. two or three minutes after brady had left the hut, and while matt was still considering the problem that confronted the girl, helen herself stole in through the door. her face was haggard, but her eyes were bright and full of resolution. "you shouldn't be here," protested matt. "your father suspected something when he found you with me a little while ago and ordered you away. what if he should come back and see you here again?" "i don't think he'll come back, but i've got to take the risk, even if he does." the girl spoke quickly and steadily and made her way swiftly to matt's side. "dad has changed his plans--i was listening to all he said, out there at the back of the hut. he's going to use the hawk to take us all away from the swamp, and _you're going to go on the hawk's first trip_! that means that we must do what we can, at once. if we fail now, everything is lost." she was breathlessly eager, but her calmness at such a moment surprised matt. lifting her hands she took a small poniard from the bosom of her dress, bent down and severed the cords that secured matt's hands. then, with one downward stroke of the keen blade, she freed his feet. "where are your father and the rest of the men?" asked matt. before she answered, helen glided to the door and took a cautious look outside. "some of the stolen goods have been hidden among the bushes of the swamp," said she, returning to matt. "you are to be sent away with the loot, on the first trip, and dad himself will have to take you. he, and everybody except whipple, have gone to the swamp. whipple has a rifle and is guarding the hawk. whatever we do, matt, we've got to do in a hurry. the bag of goods taken from hartz & greer is behind this hut," she pointed to an unglazed opening in the rear wall as she spoke. "while the rest are in the swamp, i will go to the hawk and talk with whipple, getting around on the other side of him so that his back will be in this direction. while i am holding his attention, you will creep up on him from behind and, between us, we will try and get the rifle. it's a desperate chance, but we will do the best we can." "you're a brave girl, helen!" declared matt. "i'm doing what i think is right, and that always helps a person's courage. i'm more worried about you than i am about myself. if anything should go wrong--if anything should happen to you because of the help you are giving me----" for the first time her voice faltered. matt reached out and caught her hand reassuringly. "don't fret about me," said he. "there won't be any trouble about my getting the best of whipple, with you to help. is the hawk all ready for a flight? i mean is there plenty of gasoline in the tank, and plenty of oil?" "yes, dad has seen to that. so far as the air-ship is concerned, it is ready to carry you quickly and safely out of the swamp. now i will steal out of the hut and talk with whipple." once more she started for the door. hardly had she reached it, however, when she drew back with a gasp of consternation. turning, she beckoned to matt. "too late!" she whispered, her voice sharp with anguish and disappointment. "oh, why have they come just at this time!" matt glided quickly to her side and peered out through the half-opened door. what he saw was well calculated to discourage him and the girl. chapter xiii. into the swamp. needham, pete, grove and brady had not been long carrying out their work of recovering the cached goods. they were returning from the edge of the bushy timber, ascending the slight elevation of the "island" on their way to the hawk, each bearing an armful of plunder. in his stealings, brady had not bothered with bulky articles but had confined himself to "lifting" smaller and richer loot. the stuff was all in small sacks. as the men walked past the "roost" on their course to the air-ship, matt and the girl withdrew from the door to avoid being seen. through a crack in the wall, however, they were able to keep close track of what went on. on reaching the hawk, the bundles were deposited on the ground. whipple, leaning on his rifle, stood watching while the bags were heaped up at the side of the air-ship. for a few moments the villainous crew had their heads together in close and earnest conversation. now and again their eyes were lifted aloft, evidently on the alert for some sign of the eagle. brady, it could be seen, did most of the talking. suddenly, after a sharp scrutiny overhead, brady whirled around and started for the hut. "he's coming after you!" half sobbed the girl. "what's the reason i can't escape through that window in the rear wall," asked matt, hurriedly, "and take refuge in the swamp?" the idea seemed to electrify the girl. "i hadn't thought of that," she whispered, catching his arm and starting for the window. "the back of the hut is close to the trees and bushes on this side of the island, and i know something about the reefs of dry ground running through the swamp in the vicinity of this place. come!" she added; "we must hurry." her despair had vanished in a flash, and her steadiness and resolution had all come back. she climbed through the window and, as matt followed, she was picking up a small bag that had stood close to the rear wall. without speaking, and once more clasping his arm, she hurried him into the tangled bushes that came up to within a few feet of the hut. there, screened by a dense thicket, they paused to note further developments. their position, of course, rendered it impossible for them to see the front of the hut, but they were so close they could hear brady's oath of astonishment and alarm when he discovered that matt was missing. the next moment brady could be seen rushing around the side of the hut and a little way in the direction of the group standing beside the hawk. "he's gone!" roared brady. "the cub's got loose and skipped!" the rest were roused into frantic activity. "i'll sw'ar he didn't git out while i was watchin' the hawk," cried whipple. "anyways, he can't be fur off." "hustle around!" fumed brady. "get into the swamp, every man-jack of you, and find that whelp wherever he is. i wouldn't have him get clear for a thousand, cold!" all the gang forthwith became exceedingly busy. they darted off in various directions, and brady himself, accompanied by grove, started for the side of the island from which matt and the girl were watching. "we'll have to get away from here!" breathed the girl, turning. "follow me, matt, and be careful where you step. if you're not careful, you may find yourself mired in the swamp." "trust me for that," answered matt. "i'll carry this," he added, taking the bag from the girl's hands. the swamp, into which they were now headed, presented a matted tangle of undergrowth growing among the trees. through the bushes could be seen a glimmer of stagnant water, and the whole place seemed as dank and loathsome as a tropical jungle. the girl picked her way carefully, parting the bushes ahead of her and stepping from hummock to hummock. finally they reached a little bare uplift of dry earth, and halted to listen. they could hear nothing of pursuit, and the girl drew a long breath of relief. "dad don't know that i've explored this swamp," said she. "i have lived on the island for nearly six months--dad used to keep me here while he was doing his thieving in south chicago, so i wouldn't be able to tell what i know and give him away, i guess." she sank down on the flat piece of turf for a few moments' rest. the ground, although dry, shivered under them as they moved, and seemed every moment as though about to give way beneath their weight and let them down into the morass. "this is a treacherous-looking place," remarked matt, peering off into the trees and bushes that hemmed them in on every side. "it's all of that," replied the girl. "it would be easy for a person to get lost." "not easy for me, as i know it too well." "if i can get away in the hawk," went on matt, after a brief silence, "this will make it necessary for you to go with me." "why?" she queried, lifting her wide, dark eyes to his. "can't you understand? your father and his men will discover that you are not on the island, and they will suspect that you helped me out of the hut. what will your father do when he finds that out?" a shiver swept through the girl's slight form. "i suppose he will half kill me," she answered. "but i shall stay with him. i am his daughter, and it's my duty to be with him to the end." "you mustn't be foolish," said matt, inclined to get out of patience. "you're carrying your idea of duty to your father altogether too far." "i've thought it all out," she answered firmly, "and my mind is made up. please don't try to argue with me. it may not be possible for you to get away in the air-ship now," she added, with a sigh of regret. "if you can't, i will try and get you through the swamp. i don't know anything about it, though, after we get a little away from the island." "then," proceeded matt, not giving up his argument that helen brady should go away with him, "your father will be madder than ever when he finds out you have taken the goods stolen from hartz & greer." "that's what i expect, but it's right that the stuff should be returned. a person ought to have principles, matt, and i don't think a person amounts to much if he or she can't stand a little suffering on account of their principles." "that's right, too," muttered matt. "there's fifteen thousand dollars' worth of diamonds and jewelry in that bag," helen went on, "and hartz & greer have offered a reward of twenty-five hundred to any one who will return the property." "that money will go to you," said matt, promptly. "it's right that it should. look at the risks you're taking to have it put into the hands of its rightful owners again! some time, helen, you will be rid of your father, and then the money will come handy." she was gazing at him steadily, and there was something of rebuke in her eyes. "you don't mean that, matt," said she, quietly. "why not?" he demanded. "would it be right for me to take a reward for returning property my own father had stolen?" matt was amazed by the simple directness of the girl's reasoning. and she was right, entirely right. nevertheless it took one of fine character to reason and to act as the girl was doing. "if you succeed in getting away with the bag," helen continued, "i want you to give it back to the rightful owners. tell them it comes from hector brady's daughter, and that she hopes they will not be too hard on her father." "you bet i'll tell them," said matt. "what's more, i'll get through this swamp on foot, if i have to, and i'll consider it a mighty fine thing to lug the bag along and turn it over to hartz & greer." "i felt sure you'd help me," murmured the girl. "there was something in your face that told me you could be depended on the moment i looked at you at the door of that hoyne street house." "then the impression was mutual," said matt. "if i hadn't read honesty in your face, along with a desire to help me, i'd have made a rush out of that room in the hoyne street place the moment i read your warning on the fly leaf of the book." "it was well you didn't do that. you'd have been caught. pete was behind the window curtain all the time. that was why i had to write what i wanted you to know, and call your attention to it indirectly. if you had----" the girl was interrupted by a distant rustle of bushes. stifling the words on her lips, she sprang erect. "dad's coming this way," she whispered. "i don't think he has the least idea where we've gone, but he seems to be blundering in the right direction. we'll have to hurry on." once more they resumed their flight, matt carrying the bag and carefully following in his companion's footsteps. the way became increasingly difficult, and the bushes even denser than they had been at the point where they had entered the swamp. then, too, the hummocks which offered them foothold became farther apart so that it was necessary to leap almost blindly through the brush in getting from one to another. occasionally they halted and listened, but were unable to hear any sound behind them to indicate that brady and grove were still on the right track. just as matt was congratulating himself that they had again eluded their pursuers, a cry from the girl, muffled but full of distress, reached him. between him and her a screen of bushes intervened, and the cry had come a moment after she had taken a headlong plunge through the leafy tangle. not knowing what could have happened, and fearing the worst, matt shifted the bag to his other arm, drew his leather cap well down over his forehead so that the visor would protect his eyes, and leaped boldly after the girl. by good luck, rather than by any calculation on his part, he landed on a shaking hummock, and found that helen had plunged into the watery morass. dropping the bag, he reached down, grasped her about the waist and dragged her from the clutching grip of the swamp. "we'll have to go back," were the girl's first words, as he held her on the narrow foothold. "why?" he asked. she waved her hand in the direction toward which they were going. an open space, clear of trees and bushes, lay before them--a veritable quagmire with not a place in all its extent where they could set their feet. they would have to go back! with brady and grove on one side of them, and this impassable bog on the other, it looked as though they had been caught between two fires. chapter xiv. a desperate chance. once more the girl was plunged into despair. "we'll have to give up," she whispered, tearfully. "we have tried hard, but luck is against us. for several minutes we have been traveling over ground i know nothing about. when i saw that open stretch of swamp, my heart failed me and i fell off the firm ground. you see what a horrible place this is, matt!" "isn't there any way to get around to the other side of the island?" he asked. "yes, we could have done that, but i was trying to take you as far as i could toward the other edge of the swamp." "we'll have to give that up, now, and work our way around the island." "in going back," faltered the girl, "we may meet dad and grove!" "we must take the chance," he answered; "there's nothing else for it." "and in going around the island," proceeded the girl, dejectedly, "we may meet some of the others who are looking for us." "that's another risk we will have to run. come on," he continued, picking up the bag. "i'll lead the way back." "you've got a way about you," said helen, "that gives a person courage." "a fellow would be a pretty poor stick," returned matt, "who couldn't keep his nerve with a girl like you to help him." helen's dress was torn by the bushes, and her hands and face were scratched and bleeding; but she seemed to mind her physical discomforts very little, so eager was she to have matt's escape prove successful. listening intently for any sounds made by brady and grove, matt and the girl started back over the course they had recently covered. they had not gone far when the sounds they feared came to them. as they stood together and listened, they could hear brady and grove talking back and forth. their voices, and the crashing of the bushes, were growing rapidly in volume, and proved that they were coming closer. the girl began to tremble. matt pressed her hand reassuringly. off to the right of the course they had been following his quick eye detected a foothold among the matted bushes. he pointed it out to his companion. "get there, quick!" he whispered. she leaped for the spot at once, and he was not slow in following her. then, crouching down, they peered through the thicket. brady came jumping into sight, clutching a revolver in his hand. "i'm positive i heard something ahead, grove!" he cried. "it must be king, then," answered grove, floundering along in the rear. "he's been makin' a better hike of it through this blasted swamp than i ever thought he could." "there's an open stretch farther along," went on brady, grimly. "that'll stop him, and we'll have him in a few minutes." brady leaped out of sight, and grove likewise jumped past and vanished. the girl had scarcely breathed while the two men were so close to them. "now we've got a chance," whispered matt. "while they're going on toward that open part of the swamp, we'll get back toward the island and double around it." "we won't have to go far, now," rejoined the girl, her hopes rising, "before we can turn to the right and start around the island." matt continued to lead the way back, making the best time he possibly could. when the girl called softly to him, he stopped. "here's where we turn," said she. "i'd better go ahead from now on." he waited for her to gain his side, then followed as she continued to make her way onward through the bewildering tangle. time and again matt, if alone, would have lost his bearings, but helen, being on familiar ground, was never for one moment at a loss. their one fear now was that they should encounter some of the others who were searching, but they heard nothing to cause them the slightest uneasiness. at last, after half an hour of tiring work, helen drew to a halt. "we're about opposite the place where the air-ship is moored," said she. "that's where we want to be," answered matt. "make for the edge of the island, helen, as close to the air-ship as you can get." once more the girl started off. the bushes thinned perceptibly as they came closer and closer to the solid ground. this rendered the going easier, and it also enabled matt and the girl to make less noise in getting through the undergrowth. in nearing the island they redoubled their caution, and when they finally reached a spot from which they could look out and take in the situation in the vicinity of the "roost" and the air-ship, they congratulated themselves on the care they had exercised. they were not more than a dozen feet from the place where the hawk was secured. two rifles were leaning against the car, and two of the men--grove and needham--were sitting on the ground, occasionally looking aloft. brady, whipple and pete were no where in sight. "we must have crippled that air-ship of jerrold's pretty badly," needham was saying. "if king hadn't made this delay for us, the hawk would have been well away on her first trip." "that kid is a slippery customer," growled grove. "the old man is riled for fair over the way he's cuttin' up." "what's the use o' botherin' with him? the thing to do is to cut out o' this an' leave king in the swamp." "i reckon brady'd do that, if it wasn't for the bag of loot king seems to have taken along with him." both men had thrown off their hats, and grove was nursing a number of scratches on his face and hands. "we had a rough time of it," said he, "an' the old man sent me back to find out if any of the rest had had any success. if king had been found, i was to fire a signal-shot with one of the rifles." "hang the luck, anyhow!" snorted needham. "it was the worst thing brady ever done when he tangled up with king. the lad has a will of his own, an' i knew well enough he'd never take hold an' help us out runnin' the motor." "king has got more backbone than any fellow of his age i ever saw, and that's a fact. the girl must have helped him. and that's another place where brady has been lame, all along. he ought to have sent the girl away, somewhere. she hasn't got any business hanging out with a gang like this." while matt had been watching and listening, he had been turning over several plans in his mind. here was a chance, albeit a desperate one, for getting hold of the air-ship. he turned to the girl. "helen," he whispered, "i'm going to see if i can't capture the hawk." "you can't," she returned, fearfully. "grove and needham are armed and--and they'll shoot." "they can't shoot if i get hold of those rifles first," went on matt, still speaking in guarded tones. "how will you do that?" "their backs are toward us. i'll creep as close to the hawk as i can, then, if they hear me, as they probably will, i'll make a rush for the guns." the girl was silent for a moment. "there's nothing else to be done," she whispered, at last. "count on me, matt, to do whatever i can to help." "you keep back, helen," he counseled. "if i succeed in getting the guns, i won't need your help; if i don't, your help would do little good. here i go." slowly and cautiously matt crept out of the bushes. the car of the air-ship was between him and the men, and this served to screen him, up to a certain point; but the two rifles were leaning against the opposite side of the car, and in order to lay hold of them he would either have to go around the long framework, or else cross the car. he made up his mind to take the latter course. without being discovered, he managed to reach the side of the car; then, just as he was rising to step over the rail, needham caught sight of him. with a wild yell needham gained his feet. the yell brought grove up like a shot. for an instant, the two rascals were paralyzed by the unexpected appearance of matt. their moment of inaction afforded the young motorist just the opportunity he needed. flinging himself into the car, and across it, he snatched the rifles away from the rail, just as the hands of grove and needham were outstretched to take them. one of the weapons he flung behind him. "nail him!" cried grove; "down him, before he gets a chance to shoot!" needham, no less than grove, realized the necessity of capturing matt. matt, however, had no intention of using the remaining rifle on either of the two men; neither did he have it in mind to let them get away, or rough-handle him. as the two rushed forward, matt flung the rifle to his shoulder, and his gray eye sparkled menacingly along the barrel. "keep off!" he warned, swaying the muzzle of the gun back and forth so as to keep both men under it; "keep away from me and stand right where you are! i mean business, right from the drop of the hat, and you fellows might as well understand it." chapter xv. a daring escape. the menace of the steady gray eye and the swaying gun muzzle were enough for grove and needham. "here's a go!" growled needham, casting a yearning look around him toward the timber. "i'm going to make a 'go' of it, all right," averred matt, grimly, "no two ways about that. what are you doing with your right hand, needham?" needham's hand had wandered toward his hip. matt was watching both scoundrels so sharply that not a move they made escaped him. needham brought his hand around in front of him. "what are you trying to do, king?" queried grove, evidently seeking to gain time and give brady, pete or whipple a chance to come on the scene. "i'm trying to get away from this place," replied matt, "and i've not much time to waste in talk. i guess you know that fully as well as i do." still keeping the rifle trained on the two men, he climbed out of the car to the ground. "now," he went on, "i'll tell you fellows what you're to do, and then we'll be able to work quicker. you will both get into the car, and get in together so that i can cover you more easily with this one gun. needham will then place his back against the upright timber that helps suspend the car from the hoop--and mind you take the timber farthest from the driver's seat. on the bottom of the car there's a coil of small rope. with that, grove will tie needham to the upright. is that clear?" "why, what the blazes----" began grove, but matt cut him short. "there's no time for talk, i tell you!" he called, sharply. "brady and the other two may show up here, and i'm going to have this work done before that happens." "but----" "get into the car!" matt's finger flexed ever so slightly upon the trigger of the gun. the watchful eyes of grove and needham detected the movement and both made haste to tumble into the car. "i'd give a farm to know what you've got up your sleeve," growled needham, as he backed slowly against the upright timber. "move more quickly," warned matt, "or you'll find what i've got in this gun. i used to be in arizona, and i know how they deal with matters of this sort down there. they're not in the habit of wasting so many words as i'm doing. pick up that rope, grove," he added, "and get busy with it. mind you tie hard knots! no fast-and-loose plays at this stage of the game." grove was a bit languid in his operations, and as he worked he gave more attention to the quarters from which brady, pete and whipple might be expected than he did to the tying of needham. "grove," called matt, sternly, "i'm not going to bother much more with you! move faster, and pass some of that rope around needham's arms. i don't want his hands left free. pull the coils tighter." after a fashion, grove got his comrade tied. "will that do you?" he demanded, gruffly, turning to glare at matt. "that will answer. now turn your back to needham's." "say, by thunder i'm not going to stand for----" "_turn your back!_" matt shoved the muzzle of the rifle toward grove's breast, and the man made haste to place himself against the upright piece of the car's framework. it was matt's intention, then, to drop the rifle and proceed with the tying of grove himself, but the girl suddenly appeared and climbed into the car. "i'll do the rest, matt," said she, picking up the loose end of the rope. matt had planned to have the girl remain in the thicket, taking no part in his operations; but she had different ideas. grove and needham both glared at the girl. "the old man will make you sorry for this!" fumed grove. "i expect he will," replied the girl. "he has made me sorry for a lot of things lately." around and around the bodies of the two men helen coiled the rope. then, when she had come to the end of it, she made it fast with a knot. pausing a moment after she had finished, she drew a revolver out of needham's hip-pocket and dropped it on the driver's seat. "you had better have that in your own hands, matt," said she, quietly. "it will be easier to handle than the rifle." "don't get out of the car, helen," called matt, as the girl was about to climb over the rail. "you can't stay here after this." "i can and i must." her resolve to remain with her father was unshaken; but there was a bright light in her eyes which matt had not seen there before. evidently the success that was attending matt's plans to get away with the air-ship had lifted a grievous load from her spirits. walking around the car, helen picked up the bag which they had taken with them into the swamp. "this must go with you, matt," she continued, pushing the bag under the driver's seat, "along with the rest of the stuff piled up on the ground there." while she was on that side of the car she cast off the mooring-rope and flung it into the air-ship. matt dropped the rifle and released the rope on the other side. the hawk was now in readiness to take to flight. with nothing to hold it, the gas-bag began to feel the effects of the wind that was blowing and to move about in answer to the faint gusts. but it rode on an even keel, for its buoyancy had to be accelerated by the propeller before it would rise, or could be maneuvered. the girl had started toward the bags, heaped up on the ground. before she could reach them, however, a loud yell from the opposite side of the island caused her to halt in consternation. "dad!" she cried, wildly; "he's coming!" "brady! this way, quick!" the clamoring whoops went up from needham and grove as they struggled fiercely to free themselves. matt, seeing that there was not an instant to be lost, leaped into the car and tilted the steering-rudder at an angle which would carry the air-ship upward. "come along!" he shouted to the girl as he started the engine. "get into the car, helen!" "hurry, hurry!" screamed the girl, running directly away from the car and in the direction of brady and pete, who were making for the hawk at a run. a pang of regret ran through matt at the thought of leaving helen brady behind to bear the brunt of her father's anger; but there was no time for argument. he started the propeller, and the hawk began to move up the airy incline toward the tops of the trees that walled in the edge of the "island." the struggles of matt's two prisoners became desperately frantic. so violently did they wrestle with their bonds that the car tipped and swayed dangerously. matt had no time to give to them, just then, being wholly wrapped up in the maneuvering of the hawk. he gave the rudder a further tilt, throwing the air-ship to an angle that caused grove's feet to slip from under him, so that only the support of the rope and the upright held him to his place. "shoot!" he bellowed. "why don't you blaze away at him, brady?" brady had evidently held his fire, hoping to get the air-ship back without injury; and, even now, as his rifle and pete's began to crack murderously, the target of their bullets was matt. two or three of the leaden spheres zipped past matt's head, missing him by the narrowest of margins. strangely enough, however, matt was more worried about the harm the bullets might do the gas-bag, or the machinery, than he was about any damage they might do him. faster and faster he speeded up the engine, and the hawk raced toward the clouds. she cleared the tops of the trees, gained the clear sky, and, at a height of five hundred feet, was brought to an even keel. then, and not till then, did matt venture a look below. he was just in time to catch one fleeting glimpse of those he had left behind on the "island." what he saw aroused his anger and indignation. helen, still true to her resolve to help matt, had seized hold of her father's rifle and was struggling to keep him from using it. the minute figures were strangely clear, and matt saw brady lift his fist and strike the girl down. then the tops of the trees interposed and cut off the unpleasant sight. matt faced about, a steely glint in his gray eyes. "here's a fine lay out!" grove was clamoring, far gone with chagrin and baffled rage. "one kid, single-handed, captures two of us and runs off with the air-ship, right under the noses of brady and the rest! oh, well, we're entitled to all we get out of this. we don't deserve anything better." "you'll get something more than you expect," said matt, picking up the revolver and pushing it into his pocket, "if you don't stop squirming around like that. it's hard to steer when you're rocking the car in such a fashion. you fellows are my prisoners, so make the best of it." "yes," growled grove, "and us two aeronauts will have a fine tale to tell when you take us where you're going to. you've stolen this car. that'll cook your goose for you." "brady," answered matt, "can have his air-ship back whenever he wants to show up and claim it." there followed a brief silence, during which matt noted that the wind was brisk, and from the north, and exulted over the speed the hawk developed in the teeth of it. needham was first to break the silence. "if i had my hat, and was able," said he, craning his head around to get a look at matt, "i'd take it off to you." the lad in the driver's seat made no response. he was hurrying toward south chicago. where was the eagle? the skies in every direction were clear and the other air-ship was nowhere to be seen. motor matt, as he drove the air-ship steadily against the wind, kept close watch of the captured aeronauts. chapter xvi. the end of the mid-air trail. the failure of carl, harris and jerrold to make a landing on the "island" has already been recorded. they had seen the hawk, moored at one edge of the cleared space, and they had seen brady and the others; but, of course, it had been impossible for them to see anything of matt. the young motorist, at that time, was bound hand and foot and lying on the cot in the hut. with bullets flying around them and threatening injury to the eagle, it was not policy to remain hovering over such a nest of desperate scoundrels very long. "we'll get out of here," cried harris, angrily, "and come back with men and guns enough to give those fellows a taste of their own medicine. don't let any harm come to the air-ship, jerrold. we're going to need her, later." just as harris finished speaking, a bullet slapped into the motor and the machinery at once began to go wrong. "too late," responded jerrold grimly; "they've already nipped us." "py chimineddy," roared carl, "i vish i hat somet'ing vat i could shoot mit ad dem fillains!" limping and staggering, jerrold managed to urge the eagle out of harm's way. "she won't drop on us, will she?" asked harris, looking anxiously downward at the tree-tops. "no," replied jerrold, "the gas-bag is uninjured, so we can't fall; and the motor is working, too, after a fashion, and that enables us to make a slow rate of speed. but there will have to be some repairs before we can do anything more with the air-ship." "where'll we go to make them? back to south chicago?" "lake station is nearer. we'll come down there and ascertain the extent of the damage. it may be that we shall have to go back to south chicago if the injury is at all serious." "all right," acquiesced harris. "i'll be able to do some telephoning and get a few more men out here from headquarters. i'll have them bring rifles, and then we'll give brady a set-to that he'll remember." "i ditn't see matt in der blace," mourned carl. "he may have been there," said harris. "there were two sheds, and they may be keeping your chum a prisoner in one of them." "vell, vile ve're avay fixing oop der eagle, meppy dose fellers pack dere vill fly off mit demselufs in der hawk. oof dey do dot, den ve vill have some drouple for our pains." "we shall have to keep watch of the sky in the direction of the swamp," said jerrold. "by doing that we can tell whether or not the hawk gets away." carl made that his work. "i don'd know how i can see mit der naked eye ven ve ged py lake sdation," he remarked. "we'll have to hunt up a spyglass, or a pair of binoculars," suggested harris. "vat oof der hawk moofs pefore we ged dem?" "then we'll be up against it, and no mistake." there was a lot of excitement in the little town of lake station when a real, sure enough air-ship descended close to the blacksmith shop. the whole population gathered and stared. while jerrold was busy tinkering with his crippled motor, carl succeeded in finding an old-fashioned spyglass and climbed with it to the top of the highest building in town. there he perched himself on the edge of the roof and watched continually in the direction of willoughby's swamp. meanwhile, harris had been talking with police headquarters in south chicago. as a result, three officers were detailed to catch the first train for lake station. the repairs to be made to the eagle were somewhat extensive, and taxed the capacity of the blacksmith shop. had jerrold been in his own workroom he could have fixed up the motor more easily and quickly, but to take the eagle back to south chicago would have resulted in a loss of time. hour after hour the inventor labored, helped by the blacksmith and eyed with wonder by the townspeople. the detail of officers arrived, and they could do nothing but wait until the eagle was ready to carry them to the "island" in the swamp. any attempt to reach the "island" on foot was hardly to be considered. while jerrold's labors were nearing completion, a yell from carl called the attention of harris. "what's the matter with you?" he shouted. carl was dancing around on the roof top, waving the spyglass frantically. "come oop!" he cried, wildly. "der hawk is gedding avay mit itseluf! ach, plazes, vat a luck!" harris made haste to reach the top of the building where carl had been patiently waiting and watching. "pud der spyglass to your eye, harris," said carl, "und look off to der nort'. ach, dose fellers haf made some ged-avays, und i bed you dey have dook matt along!" with the glass at his eye, harris swept the horizon in the direction indicated by carl. finally he found what he was looking for--an oblong blot gliding through the heavens and proceeding in a northerly direction. "that's the hawk, all right," said he, in a tone of intense disappointment, "but why is it heading in that direction?" "prady vouldn't dare go pack by sout' chicago," said carl. "i bed you somet'ing for nodding he has got anodder hang-oudt in dot tirections. ach, vat vill i do for dot bard oof mine?" gloomily the two descended from the roof, and carl returned the spyglass to its owner. half an hour later the eagle was ready for flight, and the officers and carl got aboard. it was decided to proceed to the swamp and look over the "island" and then, if nothing of importance developed, to return to south chicago. the eagle's motor, apparently, worked as well as ever, and the four miles separating willoughby's swamp from lake station were covered in record time. as they neared the "island" the officers made ready to use their guns. there was no hostile demonstration, however, and not a soul was anywhere in sight. the eagle descended, and the officers, accompanied by the anxious carl, proceeded to make a search. they found nothing but two meagerly furnished houses, apparently recently deserted. silence reigned everywhere, ominous of events that had happened. "vell," said carl, gloomily, "dis means dot i haf got to do some more looking for modor matt. der gang haf made off mit him some more, und i vas so tisappointed as i can't dell." for that matter, they were all disappointed--jerrold in particular. motor matt had served jerrold well, and the inventor had been anxious to make him some repayment in kind. but there was nothing left for the air-ship party to do but to point the eagle toward home. as the air-ship passed the rolling mills and came close to the balloon house where brady had formerly housed the hawk, it was observed by those in the car that the doors of the big building were closed, and that two officers had mounted guard in front of them. "that means something," muttered harris. "drop lower, jerrold, so i can talk with those two cops." jerrold descended until the top of the car was nearly on a level with the balloon house, and harris leaned over the guard rail. "hello!" he called. "what are you fellows doing there?" "watching the air-ship," was the astounding answer. "do you mean to say that brady's air-ship is in that balloon house?" "sure." "has brady been captured?" "why, no. you went after him, didn't you?" "we went after him, but he and his men fired on us and damaged our motor. we went to lake station to fix the machinery, and while we were there we caught sight of the hawk, through a spyglass, making north. as soon as we could, we started for the swamp, but there was no one there. naturally, we supposed that brady and his gang had made their escape, and it's mighty surprising to hear that the hawk is back in its old cage and didn't bring brady along." "the hawk brought motor matt----" carl gave a yell and nearly fell out of the car. "modor matt?" he shouted. "vas you shdringing me, oder iss it shdraight goots?" "i'm giving it to you straight," answered the officer on the ground. "motor matt got away from the swamp and brought two prisoners with him, in the hawk. they were two of the men who robbed jerrold of his plans." "zum lauderbach haben, mich shtets----" began carl, singing loudly and then interrupting himself to gloat. "dot's my bard vat dit dot! yah, so! leedle modor matt who iss alvays doing t'ings vat you don'd oxbect. he has shtarred himseluf some more, you bed you! vere iss modor matt now, officer?" carl called down. "he took a train into chicago--said he was behind his schedule for that five-day race. the two prisoners are at police headquarters." "well, by thunder!" muttered harris, mopping his face with a red handkerchief, "that motor matt must be a regular young phenomenon!" "i never heard of anything to beat him!" averred jerrold. "und you nefer vill!" declared carl. "he iss vone oof dose fellers vat can't be peat." "you might take us to police headquarters, jerrold," suggested harris. "und you mighdt shtop on der vay py der railroadt sdation," piped carl. "i vant to ged py chicago so kevick as der nation vill led me." * * * * * when carl next saw matt, the young motorist was spinning around the great oval in a jarrot machine, which he knew so well and had driven to victory in kansas. the five-day race was not for one driver alone, but several drivers were to be at the steering wheel of each car. matt had reached the coliseum just in time to take his place in the racing schedule. every time matt whirled around the oval, carl had something to say to him, but it was not until evening that the boys were able to get together for a talk. they decided between them that brady, and those whom matt had left on the "island," must have made their escape from the swamp by a secret route known only to themselves. where harper, the driver of the hawk was, was likewise a mystery to the police. matt had turned the bag of loot stolen from hartz & greer over to the police with instructions to say that it was recovered by miss brady, and that no reward would be accepted for its return. "how you tink dot air-ship pitzness is, anyvays, matt?" asked carl, when the boys had had their talk out and were ready to crawl into bed. "i _like_ it," answered matt, enthusiastically, "and i wish i could have more of it!" his wish was destined to fulfillment, for, as events proved, his thrilling work in south chicago and at willoughby's swamp was but the beginning of a series of air-ship experiences. matt may have congratulated himself with the thought that he was through with hector brady, but brady was by no means done with matt--as will be made clear in the story to follow. the end. the next number ( ) will contain motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon-house plot. an old friend--a trap--overboard--rescued--buying the hawk--matt scores against jameson--at the balloon house--the plot of the brady gang--carl is surprised--helen brady's clue--jerrold gives his aid--grand haven--the line on brady--the woods by the river--brady a prisoner--back in south chicago. motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction new york, april , . terms to motor stories mail subscribers. (_postage free._) single copies or back numbers, c. each. months c. months c. months $ . one year . copies one year . copy two years . =how to send money=--by post-office or express money-order, registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. at your own risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. =receipts=--receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of number on your label. if not correct you have not been properly credited, and should let us know at once. ormond g. smith, } george c. smith, } _proprietors_. street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york city. the big cypress. the rifle cracked and the piece of boiler plate, which had been erected as target against the bank fifty yards away, fell shattered like a pane of glass. "how's that, colonel fearon?" coolly inquired the young fellow, who had fired the shot, as he turned to the tall, sallow-faced man who stood beside him. a curious expression crossed the latter's face, but he answered quickly, "amazing, rutherford! simply astonishing. i could never have believed such a thing possible. a pom-pom shell could hardly have smashed the plate more effectually." the boy--he was hardly more--laughed. "i thought it would startle you, colonel. will you feel justified in sending me up to washington?" "i reckon that's the place for you to go to, rutherford. the war department'll need that new bullet of yours in their business. you mean to tell me you invented that bullet all by yourself?" "i did, colonel. you see, i was always fond of dabbling in chemistry and the idea for this came to me one day when i was at work in my father's store. i didn't worry about it much, until the poor old man went broke, and then it struck me there was money in it. it was the mayor of our town, orangeville, told me to come to you. he said that you could give me the proper introductions." "he was right," said colonel fearon. "i can fix you up with the proper people. let me have a shot." lionel rutherford handed the colonel a cartridge, which outwardly looked precisely similar to an ordinary rifle cartridge. he then walked across the lawn of fine bermuda grass, put a fresh piece of steel plate in position, and came back. the colonel fired, and, as before, the tough steel simply sprang to pieces and lay in scattered fragments on the grass. "i reckon there's more money in this than in keeping store," said the colonel thoughtfully. "rutherford, i'll be pleased if you'll stay here at my house for a day or two till i can write to the proper people." young rutherford thanked him warmly and the two walked back toward the long, low, wide verandaed house. late that night the colonel and his son, randal fearon, sat together in the well-appointed smoking room and talked earnestly in low tones. "there's thousands in it, father," said the younger man sharply. "thousands!" "i know that as well as yourself," returned the other irritably. "but the invention's not yours or mine." "what's rutherford?" sneered randal. "here he is, a fellow who's never known anything of life, who's lived all his days in a little one-horse backwoods town, and now he's going to roll in riches while we are on the edge of bankruptcy." he paused, and glanced at his father, who sat fidgeting uneasily. the colonel, fine-looking man that he was, was as weak-willed as his tall, thin, sharp-faced son was strong. "a real nice scandal there'll be when we go smash," went on randal fearon. "think of the headlines. 'fraudulent bankruptcy. prominent floridian lives beyond his means.' how the yellow press'll revel in it!" again the colonel moved uneasily. "i don't see how you're going to get the specifications from him, anyhow," he said at last. "you leave that to me," replied randal with sneering emphasis. "look you here, randal, i won't have any violence." for once colonel fearon spoke decidedly. "i guess you needn't worry your head about that," answered randal. "i've got the whole plan cut and dried. you've asked him to stay?" "yes," said the colonel. "he will stay." randal laughed as if pleased. "that's all right. to-morrow we'll settle it, pete dally and i." "how?" "i'll tell you in the morning. don't worry yourself. as you are so anxious to avoid it, i promise you there shall be no violence." randal chuckled in ugly fashion as he got up, flung the stump of his cigar into the fireplace, and, lighting a small hand lamp, left the room. * * * * * "how much farther have we got to go before we run into any of this game you talked about, mr. fearon?" asked rutherford as he stopped and wiped the perspiration from his streaming face. "i thought we'd have seen a buck before now," replied randal fearon. "we don't often have to come this far into the big cypress to find game, do we, pete?" "no, sah; we gen'rally finds it quite clos' to the aidge of de swamp," said pete, who was a burly, square-shouldered negro with a face as black as ebony. rutherford was rather puzzled. that morning randal fearon had suggested that it would be very good fun to go shooting in the big cypress, a huge tract of wild, swampy forest, the edge of which was about five miles from colonel fearon's place. "you might try the effect of some of your explosive bullets," randal had suggested; and rutherford had laughed and said that there wouldn't be much left of any game smaller than a buffalo or an elephant if struck by one of his projectiles. all the same, being a keen sportsman, he had willingly agreed to the shoot. what puzzled him was that they should have tramped for hours through this steaming bush, which reeked with signs of game, and yet not seen a single thing to shoot at. "don't you worry. we shall find deer soon," said randal when rutherford expressed his astonishment. "we're getting near a good place now. i reckon we'd better stop and eat our dinner first. pete, make a fire." pete dally dropped the big haversack he was carrying over his broad shoulders, and obeyed. in a very few minutes a fire was blazing, and the fragrant fumes of frying bacon and strong coffee filled the close, steamy air. lionel rutherford, tired by the long tramp and the hot-house atmosphere of the jungle, enjoyed the meal greatly. after they had finished they marched on again. they had left the pine trees behind, and were pushing along a narrow track through a forest of great ilex, bastard oak, and magnolia. the undergrowth was of saw palmetto, growing in huge, impenetrable clumps, among which the muddy track wound in and out. the scent of yellow jasmine was almost stifling, but the only life visible was an occasional cardinal bird with its vivid crimson plumage, or a stub-tailed water moccasin which raised its triangular, copper-hued head with an ugly hiss and dragged itself sluggishly out of sight among the tangled herbage. the path was so narrow that they were compelled to walk in single file. randal made pete lead the way. more than once the negro had tried to drop behind, but each time randal roughly ordered him to push ahead. the silence of the swamp grew as oppressive as the intense heat. it began to get upon young rutherford's nerves. "a tough place to get lost in," he said at last. randal turned quickly. there was a queer expression on his sharp face as he replied: "yes, pretty bad, i reckon." somehow, rutherford fancied there was something sinister in his tone. "i don't like the chap," he thought to himself. "i wish i hadn't come." then common sense got the better of his fears. "it's the place, not the people, that's worrying me. these big hamaks are worse than a desert. there you can see the sky; here it's like one great, green prison." "look out, sah. dah's a wild cat in dat tree," suddenly hissed pete dally, and slipped out of the path into the thicket. "quiet or youse done frighten him." rutherford, all excitement, slipped his rifle from his shoulder. but randal barred his way. he was standing still, peering up into the tree indicated. "where? i don't see it," he exclaimed harshly. "dere it am, sah. on dat big fork," declared pete, pointing. and then as randal stepped forward, the negro slipped back round a clump of palmetto, and rutherford felt a hand fall sharply on his arm, while these words were whispered in his ear: "dat man mean you no good, sah. watch me, an' doan' do what he say." he turned in amazement, but peter was already gone. he had glided back, and was standing at randal's elbow, pointing out the exact spot where he alleged he had seen the cat. but there was no cat there now, and rutherford wondered if there ever had been. randal cursed pete angrily, and once more they moved forward. rutherford, more worried than he cared to own even to himself, followed, as before, the last of the little procession. it was getting late and the bullfrogs had begun to bellow harshly in unseen pools in the forest. but there was no decrease in the sullen heat. not a breath stirred the moist, stagnant air, and the farther they went the thicker grew the tangled vegetation till there was no longer any sign of a path. in unbroken silence the three forced their way through primeval forest. presently trees broke away, and they stood upon the muddy marge of a reedy lagoon, across the stagnant waters of which the low sun cast a lurid light. "here we are," said randal fearon sharply. "this is where the deer come down to drink. you wait, rutherford, in the bushes here, and you'll soon get a shot. pete and i will take up our places on the far side. then whatever comes some of us will get a buck." "watch me, and don't do what he says." pete's words were ringing in rutherford's ears. he cast a glance at the negro. pete made a quick sign, which the english boy took to mean that he was to follow instead of remaining. next moment randal had plunged off through the palmetto with pete at his heels. "what's it all mean?" muttered rutherford angrily. "is fearon fooling me, or is it pete? of the two, i infinitely prefer the nigger. i'll do what he says." he left his shelter, and moved as quietly as possible on the track of the other two. sure enough, they did go round the pool! rutherford began to wonder if he was wrong; whether pete for some unknown reason was fooling him. the going was dreadful. the ground below the almost impenetrable palmetto was deep mud. swarms of mosquitoes rose and stung viciously. lionel was afraid that the crashing of the parted bushes would betray him. he knew he was falling a long way behind, and panic seized him that he might lose the others. though young rutherford had lived all his life in america, yet he had never been in a big swamp like this. the store had kept him busy. at last he reached the spot which randal had pointed out as his own shooting station. to his horror, there was no one there. randal and pete had both disappeared. he was alone in the tangled heart of this monstrous swamp, and knew that without help he could never hope to find his way out. after the first moment of panic lionel rutherford pulled himself together. he had plenty of pluck. he rapidly considered the situation. for some reason best known to himself randal fearon wished to abandon him, to lose him in the swamp. but he himself had no idea of dying of hunger, fever, or snakebite in this impenetrable wilderness. he had two courses open--go back and try to find his way out along the trail they had come by, or follow after randal and pete. there were no objections to the first. it was a very long way, and it was doubtful if he could find it even in broad daylight. as it was, it would be dark in an hour. besides, pete had certainly meant him to follow. randal must mean to spend the night in the swamp. that was clear. therefore he must have some camping place. "i'll follow," muttered the boy between set teeth, and started off. though the sun was not yet down, it was already dusk beneath the thick shade of the towering timber, and in the half light the trail was most difficult to follow. the others had long ago passed out of hearing. the night life of the swamp was waking. enormous owls hooted weirdly, then came the thundering bellow of a bull alligator, and presently above all these the ghastly, half-human shriek of a panther calling to its mate. stumbling and struggling, lionel hurried on. in a little he came to a thick belt of tall saw grass. the two pairs of footmarks entered it, but the trails beyond were so confused with the passage of deer and other animals that the boy recognized with a shock that he could not follow the human footsteps. very near despair, he turned back. no, he could not find randal's trail. he stopped. "i'm done!" he muttered hopelessly, and stood straining his ears for any sound of his former companions. just then, as he was almost giving up, he caught sight of a morsel of something white stuck on a broken stem beside the trail. it was a tiny piece of paper, and on it, marked with a muddy finger tip, an arrow pointing in a certain direction. "pete!" exclaimed lionel joyfully. a load rolled off his mind. marking the direction carefully, he pushed on fast. now he was on the lookout, he found other signs; a broken twig, a stick, laid in the path. darkness fell rapidly. there is little twilight in florida. "they can't go much farther," he said. he was right. in a very short time the dull glow of a fire showed where the others had camped. "what shall i do?" he asked himself. "go right up and tackle randal fearon? no; he'd have some excuse ready, and i'd only get pete into trouble. i must wait till randal goes to sleep." the mosquitoes were savage. young rutherford, tired and hungry, found it maddening to wait in the damp gloom, and watch randal gorge on the supper which pete cooked. nearly two hours passed before randal, having finished a cigar, rolled himself, head and all, in a blanket and lay down. a few minutes more, and a snore told rutherford it was safe to venture closer. pete heard him, and glided out. the black man chuckled silently when he saw the boy. "reckoned you'd be along, sah. you foun' de sign pete lef' for you. now de firs' thing is you eat. den we talk." he put corn, bread, and bacon into rutherford's hands, and the boy made a hearty meal. "now, sah," said pete. "you see what dat man want to do. he lose you in de swamp, den go home, say you fell in de water and was drowned. den he an' his dad, dey take dat blow-up bullet ob yours an' sell him." lionel rutherford was aghast. he had never dreamed of such wickedness. "but we beat dem," went on pete, with a chuckle. "i like you, an' i hate dat randal." "what can we do?" asked lionel eagerly. "why, we play de same trick on him he try play on you. we take all de stuff, go off, an' leab him. he no more find his way out of de big cypress dan you. only pete know de trails." "that won't do, pete," returned lionel sharply. "i won't be any party to murder." pete was amazed. he expostulated strongly. "no, i'll tell you what we will do, pete. we'll go off and hide, and let him think he's lost. we'll follow and watch, and when he's got the soul nearly scared out of him we'll find him again. see?" pete saw. he chuckled again in high good humor. "dat's a very fine game, sah. we play dat to-morrow morning. now i take de things away, an' when randal wake he find no breakfast, no pete, no nothing." * * * * * "he done lost hisself, sure pop!" declared pete. it was nine o'clock next morning, and lionel rutherford and the negro had been following randal for more than an hour. his language when he woke up and found pete gone had been something appalling. having found that this did no good, he had started off back along the track they had come by on the previous day, but in less than ten minutes he was off it; and the two, who followed at a discreet distance, had watched his growing fury and fright when he found himself quite lost in the pathless depths of the wilderness. "he can't go dat way much furder," observed pete. "he gettin' down in de deal bad swamp. he go in up to his fool neck if he don't be keerful." sure enough the quaking muck-land broke beneath the young scoundrel's weight, and in he went. with a yell of fright he caught at a branch, pulled himself out, and staggered back. "what's he going to do now?" whispered lionel. "reckon he going climb dat tree an' see whar he am." pete was right. randal began shinning up the stem of a tall, slender tree by the water's edge, the only one which seemed to give a possible view of any of the surrounding country. no doubt he thought he might spot the trail from the summit. rutherford, who had been staring hard at the tree, suddenly clutched pete's arm. "what's that thing up in the branches just above him?" he asked sharply. pete took a long stare. "by golly, sah, it am a snake! an' a mighty big one, sure!" rutherford started forward, slipping a cartridge into his rifle. "don't shoot, sah," whispered pete. "dat ain't no poison snake. it am only a old white oak snake." "looks like an ugly customer," muttered lionel. at this moment randal reached the first boughs and stood up. the movement alarmed the snake, which raised its ugly head and hissed sharply. randal heard the hiss, and, turning, saw the reptile. he gave a scream of terror, and almost lost his hold. then he backed rapidly on to a branch which actually overhung the creek. "time to end this now," said rutherford, raising his rifle. "i shall shoot the snake." pete seized his arm. "de snake won't hurt him, sah. but dey will." he pointed to the water. the big alligator had seen randal, and silently moved up till it was just beneath him. another of almost equal size had also risen to the surface. yellow eyes agleam, the hideous brutes were watching for this rash intruder upon their domain. at the very instant there was a snapping crackle. the bough on which randal cowered was breaking. and the wretched man, clinging vainly for a hold, had caught sight of the huge reptiles below. he screamed till the forest resounded with his agonizing cries. he snatched at the branches above, but could reach only twigs, which broke in his grasp. he was falling clean into the open jaws of the alligators. if rutherford's rifle had been loaded only with an ordinary cartridge nothing could have saved randal. it was just pure luck that he had flung one of his explosives into the breech. simultaneous with randal's fall the rifle spoke. the bullet caught the nearest alligator on the side of the head, and the air was full of mangled fragments of flesh and bone. into this horrible geyser randal dropped heavily and vanished. next moment he rose again, and struck out madly for the bank. "i can't shoot again," cried lionel. "i should kill him if i did." "dere ain't no need to," said the negro. "you done scared de stuffin' out ob dat oder gator." "thank goodness he's safe," exclaimed lionel as randal scrambled ashore and fell in a heap on the bank. "now we'd better get him home." pete laughed. "yes, sah. i reckon he done had enough ob de big cypress." when randal came round rutherford soon realized he had no more to fear. the fellow's nerve was broken. he shivered and trembled like a frightened child. they took him home, and then lionel went boldly to colonel fearon, and told him the whole story plump and plain. when he had finished the colonel sat speechless. his face was gray and pinched. lionel looked at him. "i shan't make any trouble for you," he said coolly. "all i want is those introductions. write them now, and i'll take them myself to washington." without a word the colonel obeyed. lionel rutherford is now a rich and rising man. pete is his faithful major-domo. whenever lionel gets a holiday the two go off down south for a week or two of shooting. but they never again penetrated the desolate depths of the great cypress. latest issues buffalo bill stories the most original stories of western adventure. the only weekly containing the adventures of the famous buffalo bill. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --buffalo bill and the rope wizard; or, a tie-up with the riata king. --buffalo bill's fiesta; or, at outs with the duke of cimarron. --buffalo bill among the cheyennes; or, the rescue of paquita. --buffalo bill besieged; or, texas kid's last trail. --buffalo bill and the red hand; or, the ranch of mystery. --buffalo bill's tree-trunk drift; or, the cold game "gent" from red tail. --buffalo bill and the spectre; or, a queer layout in spook cañon. --buffalo bill and the red feathers; or, the pard who went wrong. --buffalo bill's king stroke; or, old fire-top's finish. --buffalo bill, the desert cyclone; or, the wild pigs of the cumbres. --buffalo bill's cumbres scouts; or, the wild pigs corralled. brave and bold weekly all kinds of stories that boys like. the biggest and best nickel's worth ever offered. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --madcap max, the boy adventurer; or, lost in the land of the mahdi. by frank sheridan. --always to the front; or, for fun and fortune. by cornelius shea. --caught in a trap; or, the great diamond case. by harrie irving hancock. --for big money; or, beating his way to the pacific. by fred thorpe. --muscles of steel; or, the boy wonder. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith in zululand; or, how "checkers" held the fort. by lawrence white, jr --the boys' revolt; or, right against might. by harrie irving hancock. --the mystic isle; or, in peril of his life. by fred thorpe. --a million a minute; or, a brace of meteors. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith under african skies; or, four comrades in the danger zone. by lawrence white, jr. --two chums afloat; or, the cruise of the "arrow." by cornelius shea. motor stories the latest and best five-cent weekly. we won't say how interesting it is. see for yourself. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. _for sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york =if you want any back numbers= of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. fill out the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. =postage stamps taken the same as money.= ________________________ _ _ _street & smith, - seventh avenue, new york city._ _dear sirs: enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_: tip top weekly, nos. ________________________________ nick carter weekly, " ________________________________ diamond dick weekly, " ________________________________ buffalo bill stories, " ________________________________ brave and bold weekly, " ________________________________ motor stories, " ________________________________ _name_ ________________ _street_ ________________ _city_ ________________ _state_ ________________ adventures of a boy genius motor stories most five-cent weeklies are founded upon the adventures of boy wonders who perform all sorts of impossible feats and who never act or talk as a boy really does. this is displeasing to the intelligent boy of the present day, who is better educated, and who, consequently, demands more logical reading than the old-time boy did. the boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as motor stories. "motor matt" is not an impossible boy character. he is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. his sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural, adventures that ever befell a boy. buy the current number from your newsdealer. we feel sure that you will be just as enthusiastic about it as the fifty thousand other boys throughout the united states have become. here are the titles now ready: no. .--motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. no. .--motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. no. .--motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. no. .--motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." no. .--motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. no. .--motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. no. .--motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. to be published on may d no. .--motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. to be published on may th no. .--motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. =price, five cents= at all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of the price. _street & smith, publishers, new york_ transcriber's notes: italics are represented with _underscores_; bold with =equal signs=. retained inconsistent hyphenation ("reentered" vs. "re-entered"). page , changed "anyhere" to "anywhere" ("we can go anywhere"). page , removed unnecessary quote before "in the letter, over his own signature." changed "propellor" to "propeller" ("propeller forces the air-ship"). page , changed "yon" to "you" ("you can handle the machine"). page , changed "times" to "time" ("right time arrives"). page , changed "geen" to "been" ("chum has been getting"). page , changed "mat" to "matt" ("get a look at matt"). page , changed "nearer" to "neared" ("as they neared"). page , changed "bulding" to "building" ("big building were closed"). page , changed "crossel" to "crossed" ("curious expression crossed"). changed "outwarlly" to "outwardly" ("outwardly looked precisely"). changed "varandaed" to "verandaed." page , changed "thicked" to "thicker" ("thicker grew the"). page , changed "clutchel" to "clutched" ("clutched pete's arm"). [illustration: lawrence went through the secret manoeuvers but there was no response and he found his anxiety growing.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ aviator series volume dangerous deeds or the flight in the dirigible by captain frank cobb the saalfield publishing company chicago akron, ohio new york ------------------------------------------------------------------------ copyright, mcmxxvii, by the saalfield publishing company aviator series battling the clouds, or, for a comrade's honor an aviator's luck, or, the camp knox plot dangerous deeds, or, the flight in the dirigible made in u. s. a. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ dangerous deeds chapter i a heavy fog pressed down upon the city of washington. to the boy watching it from the vantage point of the window in the top floor of the apartment in which he stood, it spread as mysterious and as sodden as a flood, enveloping streets, parks, houses, indeed all but the tops of the highest structures, the domes and roofs of public buildings and spires of churches, and here and there a dark, drowned mass of foliage. the apartment stood on a height and as the boy looked he saw a glow in the east, followed quickly by thin banners of red and orange. then the sun rose and turned the domes and spires swimming on the sea of mist into fairy flotillas wrought of pearl and gold. just as a churned and angry tide swirls into some still cove and seems to melt and dissolve into transparency, the opaque-fog slowly vanished. buildings and statues seemed to lift themselves out of it and finally, broad and placid in the desertion of dawn, the streets themselves appeared, winding here and there in the wonderful curves designed by the master-mind which make washington one of the beauty spots of the world. because he had looked down on most of the cities of the world, because, young as he was, he had seen thrilling shy views of towers and spires and mosques and temples lifting under many skies, the boy stood looking at the beautiful capitol of his native land with a swelling heart. suddenly from somewhere, everywhere, nowhere came a faint, peculiar humming. louder and louder it grew. the boy flung open the window and, leaning far out, scanned the cloudless sky with practiced gaze. far away in the west appeared a thing of wings and sound flying far above those other birds, the troubled buzzards, that dipped and swayed and hung so easily in the invisible tides of the air. as the boy watched, another and still another airplane appeared, close in the wake of the first, until eleven of them, all light biplanes, dashed headlong across the sky. then, their pace slackening somewhat, they formed in twos and again strung out to compose the wide v of migrating geese. the eleventh plane detached itself from the others which now swung wide and swept around in a graceful circle, while the single one, an instruction plane, commanded the manoeuvers by means of wireless telegraphy. twice the ten planes circled. then the leader, turning sharply, led the others in the direction of mount vernon until they vanished. the single plane, lazy as the buzzards below, hung almost motionless, waiting, effortless and serene, until once more with a faint hum the planes returned, lined up and hung at attention for a moment, when the instruction plane turned and in a wild rush of speed led its charges away in the direction whence they had come. not until distance had stilled the final hum of the last motor did the boy realize that he was clinging precariously to the hard granite facing outside the window, while leaning far out, too far out for safety even for a young aviator who felt no dread of falling. "a great bunch of students," he reflected, withdrawing and turning to look at the room in which he stood. it was the usual "beautifully furnished bachelor apartment" of commerce. wall paper dark, in order not to show soil, odds and ends of well-worn, not to say shabby mission furniture, a table, chairs, a desk with a soiled blotter firmly skewered down on its flat top, a crex rug. beyond was a small bedroom, and out of that any sleuth of a de-tec-a-tive would have guessed there was a bathroom if he had taken time to listen to the mournful drip, drip of a leaky faucet. lawrence petit looked the bare, unpretentious, unhomelike room over with a smile. he had never been so "well fixed," as he said, but he did not approve. like everything else, the apartment was an incident, a stepping-stone to something better. he went to his suitcase and took out a pocket portfolio and with a look of distaste at the soiled blotter, sat down at the table, tried his fountain pen and commenced to write. and while he is busy, we will glance at the past of the young aviator. his own beginning he did not know. his first remembrance was of a sordid, poverty-stricken cabin where, with a group of other children, he played and quarrelled and starved, and where a slatternly woman gloomed or passed from one screaming rage into another until quieted by a black bottle brought her by an evil looking, leering man at whose approach all the children scattered and hid themselves. the children, when they spoke to the woman at all, called her moll. lawrence could not remember a time when the question of his parentage had occurred to him. at this period of his life he was little more than a healthy little animal, content to sleep and play and fight for the scanty food he was given, and, that failing, to steal from the more fortunate neighbors. in the woodshed, back of the shanty, a lean-to scarcely worse than the house itself, stood a broken-down bureau crammed with odds and ends of rags and clothing too unspeakable for use. in this one day, while moll was digging through its confusion, she chanced on a worn, black shopping bag. she tossed it to lawrence, known wholly at that time as snooks. "that's yourn," she said. "you keep a-hold of that and don't let those kids git it." then on second thought she snatched it away from the child and hung it on a rafter far out of his reach. for a little it tantalized him, then it was forgotten until a memorable morning when the welfare worker appeared with a couple of officers, a patrol wagon and an ambulance. into the ambulance moll was hurried, to the children's amazement. they had failed to distinguish the ravings of fever from the outcries attending the frequent visitation of the black bottle. the dark man had disappeared. as the welfare worker rounded the reluctant children into the patrol wagon, snooks ran back and with a long stick knocked down the handbag. "what's that?" asked the welfare lady. "it's mine," said snooks in his hoarse, unchildish voice. "moll she give it to me and said to keep it because it's mine." the welfare worker scented one of the strange clues that often lie hidden for so long before they appear to clear up a mystery, but the bag, a very shabby, cheap affair, held nothing but a small photograph wrapped up in a piece of newspaper, and on another piece that had evidently been about some small change as the shape of the money still marked the scrap, was the name lawrence, written over and over as though to try a pen point. snooks was put in a home and once more the bag passed out of his possession into the keeping of the authorities who had him in charge. a name was needed, and snooks was asked to find one for himself, a feat he was incapable of doing. so one of the teachers, remembering the scrap of paper, called him lawrence and added petit as the child was so very small. so snooks, dirty, unkempt and blankly ignorant, became lawrence petit, a ward of the city of louisville. bathed, clipped, and neatly clad, the boy changed almost at once. he seemed possessed by an overpowering ambition. he learned rapidly,--so rapidly that he forged ahead of all his classmates. lectures on health and strength that bored the other children held him spellbound. he became quick and wiry as a cat, with lean limbs and perfectly trained muscles. as time passed, he heard stories of homes and of mothers and fathers that filled him with sick longing, but finally he accepted his fate and as he grew older made up his mind that he must remain lawrence petit, with no people, no home, no age, no past; just a nameless waif in an orphanage. two great passions consumed the boy. he was bound to fly; he was bound to succeed in life. if any of us want a thing badly enough and long enough, we always find that we are given a chance to get it. there was a young teacher in the home who spent much time with lawrence and made it possible for him to read everything that was written about airplanes and balloons and all sorts of aircraft. when an aircraft factory was started in louisville to supply the growing demands for private machines, this teacher secured employment for lawrence, and soon he was dismissed from the home as perfectly able to care for himself. with him went the shabby bag; and now for the first time the boy took time to look at its contents. he had had no desire to do so before. he looked long at the scrap with the name lawrence scrawled over it, and the other scrap around the photograph he read carefully, but evidently it had been torn from the advertising page of a newspaper and had to do with "help wanted, female." the picture was that of a most beautiful young woman. perfect features and masses of glorious hair made the face seem almost unreal, but its chief charm was the look of happiness that filled it. "who can she be?" the boy lawrence asked himself. she did not seem over fifteen or sixteen years of age. lawrence put the bag and its contents back in his trunk but could not forget the lovely, laughing face. he buckled down to work with a new ambition. past he had none. he determined to make for himself a future that he could be proud of. and because he had no one, actually no one in the whole world to call his own, he adopted the picture for his "folks." he never named her sister or mother; he just worked for her and looked at her when the way seemed hard. as time passed he developed a perfectly amazing sense of balance and direction, coupled with more common sense than falls to the lot of most, and one day he left the factory and went out to the nearest aviation field as assistant mechanician. from this he rose by bounds until he was accounted the best airman on the field. after he found that most of his time was to be spent far above the earth, he commenced to worry about the picture. what if his things should be burned up? what if the picture should be stolen? so, cutting a piece of cardboard the exact size, he went down and bought a leather pocket case in which he placed the picture, and always after that he wore it buttoned securely in his pocket. he felt better then; his "folks" were with him. back of the picture he placed the two scraps of paper, and with this frail safeguard spread his wings and took flight courageously toward the goal he had set for himself. five years had passed since the signing of the armistice and many of the wounds of that unforgettable war had healed. many things had happened, both in america and abroad. aircraft had changed both in nature and construction. mufflers were in widespread use, indeed were required by law, and now the wing-filled sky did not rattle and reverberate with the roar of engines unless on special class or instruction work. traffic machines went with silent, steady directness along their uncharted courses, while dainty troops of pleasure craft flitted everywhere, their brightly painted wings and hulls glistening in the sun. to lawrence petit the upper air seemed his home. he remained on the earth only so long as it was positively necessary; and now, writing busily on his tablet, he felt that he was on the eve of an adventure which promised to carry him higher and farther than any which he had yet attempted. he referred to the letter before him. it was long and typewritten on handsome paper. hamilton ridgeway, the writer, was one of the greatest powers in the united states. it was in obedience to his summons that lawrence had come to washington and was now waiting impatiently for the hour of his interview with the great man. young as he was, lawrence had learned to respect that powerful personality who numbered the kings and princes of the earth as his friends, who handled millions as other men handle pennies, who always stood ready to finance any great national undertaking, yet who was so simple and kindly that he never failed to send back a cheery hello to the newsie who happened to know and speak his name. hamilton ridgeway had been told of the remarkable feats of the young aviator, and with his shrewd ability to pick men he was about to interview the boy to see of what material he was really made. it was an ordeal that would have made most boys so nervous that they would have appeared ill at ease, but lawrence, as he noted that it was almost time to start for his appointment, calmly put up his writing, brushed his hair, glanced at his wrist watch, and seeing that he still had five minutes to spare, sat down by the window and opened the pocket case. long and tenderly he gazed at the pictured face. "i will do the very best i know, just for you," he said, smiling back at it. "i don't suppose i will ever know who you are, but we belong to each other somehow, don't we? and i am going to make good just so i can always like to look at you. gee, you are sweet! you must be old enough to be my mother because you have looked just like you do now ever since i first saw you back there at moll's. too bad she died! i always thought she could have told me something about you, you pretty, but i reckon i will never get to know any more of you than i do now." he shook his head sadly. "you are so pretty," he murmured. "a fellow would do anything for a mother like you; live clean and keep straight, and work his head off besides, to make you proud of him. tell you what i will do, pretty. i am going to make believe that you are waiting for me somewhere, and i have got to make good before we meet. how's that? a bargain?" he smiled back at the smiling pictured eyes and, placing the case carefully in his pocket, put on his hat and overcoat and started off to meet mr. ridgeway. chapter ii a little later, sitting in the plain but convenient office opposite the great man he had come to see, lawrence was impressed by the power and force in the steady eyes that looked so straight into his own, and in the kind mouth and forceful broad brow saw a promise of clean dealing and deep wisdom. "i cannot get over my surprise at your youth," said mr. ridgeway. "it seems a foolish procedure to give such a great enterprise into the hands of a boy like you. are you sure," he added, laughing, "that you have not a father or brother to whom i should be talking?" "no, sir; i am the one you sent for," replied lawrence. "i have been fooling with airplanes and balloons ever since i graduated from kites." "how old are you?" asked mr. ridgeway. "i don't know, sir," said lawrence, a flush mounting to his brow. "i am a waif. i do not know my own name, or my age. i was taken from one of the worst parts of the city to the home where i was partly brought up. i have no hope of ever finding anyone belonging to me." "have you no clues?" asked mr. ridgeway. "i fear not, sir," he replied. "at least they are too slight to be considered. i speak of this because i think you ought to know that whatever becomes of me, there is no one to rejoice and no one to grieve." "i am sorry," said mr. ridgeway simply. "yet for my purpose, that simplifies everything. you will embark on a desperate enterprise if you attempt what i have in mind for you to do. and i cannot tell you, indeed i cannot guess the outcome. it depends largely on your own daring, caution and ability. your youth is your best safeguard because no one would ever believe you to be embarked on anything like this." "i am willing to take the risks," said lawrence simply. "then you may try it," decided the great man. "i believe there were two other men coming to see me this morning on this same errand. step into my private office until i see them. perhaps one or both will do to work in as mechanicians." still in the dark as to what mr. ridgeway wanted him to undertake, lawrence was about to go into the other room when a clerk rapped on the outer door and entered without waiting for a summons. his face was pale, and his eyes rolled wildly. "m-m-m-ister ridgeway, sir," he stuttered, "those two gentlemen who were waiting outside for you, they are both asleep." "both _what_?" asked mr. ridgeway sharply. "both asleep, and we can't wake either of them." "drugged!" exclaimed mr. ridgeway, glancing at lawrence. "come on, you may as well see this thing out before you decide to cast your fortune in such dangerous places." he rushed to the door, followed by lawrence and the agitated clerk. on a broad settee in the waiting-room two men were sprawled. mr. ridgeway took one keen glance at their pallid faces and half closed lids, between which their pupils, contracted to pin points, glared strangely. "drugged!" he said again. then stepping to the telephone, he called the office of the great building and asked sharply, "office, is the house doctor there? ask him to come to mr. ridgeway's office, nineteenth floor, immediately." he returned to the settee, where the men still sprawled. "lay them flat on the floor," he ordered. scarcely had this been done when the doctor, a small, keen young man, entered with a little bag in his hand. his sharp eyes swept the group and he nodded to mr. ridgeway as he hastened to the two men on the floor and dropped on one knee beside them. "drugged," he said, glancing up. "i thought so," said mr. ridgeway. "they couldn't get enough whiskey in as dry a land as this is now to affect them like this. besides, their pupils; do you see them?" "contracted to nothing," said doctor lansing. he prepared a hypodermic needle and made an injection in each left forearm. "if there is no response of the heart action after fifteen minutes," he said, "i will know that they are suffering from one of the three newly discovered anesthetics which are so deadly in the hands of a criminal." "don't you think we had better get them to the hospital at once?" asked mr. ridgeway. "not until the fifteen minutes pass," said the doctor. "if the needle takes effect, they will be all right in an hour or two; at least they could be taken home, but if it is the other, we will have a long tussle with them." "well, this settles one thing," said mr. ridgeway decidedly. "we have had every office building in this and every other large city supplied with house physicians for the last three years, but another law must be made requiring every building over a certain size to equip a hospital room for first-aid." "it would be a great thing," said doctor lansing, his keen eyes on his two patients, "both for the patients and the doctors. i have had to send many a sufferer home or to the hospital when some slight surgical or electrical care would have finished the matter within a short time, and with a great deal less suffering." he took out his stethoscope, listened to each heart, and rose. "well, mr. ridgeway, these men are suffering from administration, by themselves or others, of one of the new poisons. do you know who they are?" "yes," said mr. ridgeway. "i can tell you about them, but first get them to the hospital." he called for an ambulance, and as soon as he had seen the unconscious victims of an unknown villain's dastard hand carried away, he turned and beckoned lawrence to follow him into his private office. sinking down in his chair, he passed a hand through the thick masses of grey hair and sighed. "there you have it, lawrence," he said. "i don't believe i understand," replied lawrence. "sit down then," said mr. ridgeway, "and i will explain." "in the first place," he commenced, "young as you are, you must have felt the dangerous mood the whole world is in. of course the adjustment after a world war necessarily takes several generations. but to us who happen to be on hand during that adjustment comes the task of hurrying the thing along as much as we possibly can. for this comes the need for absolutely safe transportation of papers, messages and money. often, too, there is the need for the transportation of millions of dollars' worth of jewels--jewels enough to ransom whole principalities, let alone a king or two. "we have worked this thing out with the greatest difficulty, trying one method after another, sending our papers in disguised packages, with trusted messengers, and using the most intricate codes. but all the time there are leaks. for instance, a short time ago a message to the king of morania, sent under a triplicate code, that is, a code that must be translated three times, was intercepted and only the fact that it was a false message sent to try out a new system kept us from the brink of a fresh war. "these things are only known to the inner circles, you understand. it would not do to frighten and agitate the public with intimate affairs of state. but we absolutely _must_ find a means of transportation that is as free from danger, free from spies and thieves, as it is possible to invent. "as a last resort, we are going to make use of the dirigible. this of course is where you come in. "in my private business i have used planes, hydroplanes and one or two dirigibles and as they are well known to be used exclusively for passenger and freight service, they have never been interfered with in any way. i am not known to be working with the government, and my one hope was that we could take the new dirigible that has just been completed for me and make use of it for the transportation of these priceless documents that mean so much to the peace of the world. "what has happened this morning troubles me more than i can tell you. someone suspects us, or else those two men are the victims of a private enemy." the telephone bell jingled. mr. ridgeway lifted the receiver and adjusted the delicate needle point on the desk pad by means of which all telephone conversations were recorded, a new invention which lawrence had heard of but had not seen. mr. ridgeway listened with a frown darkening his brow. "i will be right out," he said finally, and replaced the receiver. "well, the new dirigible was wrecked in the night," he said. "that looks like business! come on; we will go out and look the ground over. that is, if you care to cast your lot with such a dangerous game." "of course," said lawrence simply. "i shall enjoy it." "good!" said mr. ridgeway. "we will draw up the necessary papers this afternoon. i want you on your past record as an airman, and your youth is a good safeguard to you. also you are not afraid. your duties will be whatever the moment calls for. you may have to drive the car, you may be simply a passenger, a messenger, or a boy idling around the hangars. i want you to be ears and eyes and hands and brain for me. rather a large order? well, you will be paid well for it." he paused and then named a sum that made lawrence catch his breath, so large was it. "all our transactions are confidential," he said. entering a small but perfect roadster, mr. ridgeway drove rapidly out of the city to the aviation field, where he found a group of excited men around the new dirigible. well guarded as the place evidently was, someone had entered in the night and completely destroyed the delicate machinery. the propellers too were unscrewed, and the blades hacked. lawrence was shocked, and the men around were furious. it rather reflected on their care when such an outrage could occur inside of an area where watchmen were supposed to patrol incessantly. mr. ridgeway, however, showed no signs of anger. he ordered an investigation and told the head mechanician to see what could be done with the wreck. then, pleasant as ever, he drove back to the city. "i am certainly glad that happened," he said as they left the field behind. "glad?" said lawrence in astonishment. "glad? why, it seems _terrible_ to me!" "not at all," said mr. ridgeway. "the point is this. now we know that we are suspected. we know that this spying is a serious matter. the knowledge arms us. as for the dirigible--" he paused, and to lawrence's amazement laughed a merry, whole-souled laugh as though the loss of a machine worth many thousands of dollars was a matter of no consequence at all. "being my right hand man, lawrence, i will tell you a secret," he said after a moment. "that dirigible was not as new as it looked. it was an assembled machine, made up of about a dozen old ones that had been picked up here and there. i took good care, however, that all the papers held long accounts of the wonderful new machine that was being built for hamilton ridgeway, and as i own a lot of the papers, i assure you the accounts were glowing. well, whoever tackled that bunch of junk in the night was unable to use more than a small glow from a pocket flash, so, as all the brass work was carefully polished and every part looked spick and span, there was no way for even a tried machinist to tell that the dirigible was not just what had been so widely advertised and photographed: hamilton ridgeway's new dirigible for passenger service and light commercial enterprises." he laughed again. then as though from force of habit he looked over his shoulder. "i declare, the only place i like to talk confidences is in a ten acre lot," he said, "but there is no place for anyone to hang on behind here." he leaned toward lawrence. "the new machine, safe and sound last night at least, is back on the sand hills in new jersey, south of barnegat. two fishing launches are there in the inlet, but under the tarpaulins are small but effective machine guns. the fishermen fooling around in them are _not_ as peaceful as they look. they are secret service men. in a hut back on the rise of ground to the west three other fishermen are smoking and lounging. they too have badges under their smocks. so we fooled 'em this time anyway," laughed the great man. lawrence was silent. he felt the thrill of the old knight when he went galloping forth in quest of a dragon. this monster, threatening his country, was as dangerous and mysterious a dragon as any of the two- or ten-headed monsters that sent the fighting men of a long past age scouring over the downs and moors of merry old england. being younger, he was not so much inclined to laugh as mr. ridgeway. he wondered where the leak was that made it so easy for the dragon to approach. parking the car, they went to luncheon and then returned to mr. ridgeway's office, where they found a thick-set man pacing the floor of the waiting-room and showing a good many signs of impatience. as they entered he walked quickly over to mr. ridgeway and said in a quick tone, "i tried to beat you in from the field, mr. ridgeway, but of course we busted a tire and had to stop, and then your man told me he thought you had gone to lunch, so i just stuck around." he looked curiously at lawrence, and mr. ridgeway said, "come into my office, o'brien. you may tell me anything you have to say before this young man. he is in my employ now." "sort of a young kid for our work, isn't he, mr. ridgeway?" asked o'brien, smiling a wide, mirthful irish smile at lawrence. "pretty young," admitted mr. ridgeway, "but i don't think it will hurt him." "it is something he is sure to get over, give him time," said the irishman whimsically. then as the heavy door closed, "well, mr. ridgeway, i am the bearer of news. the watchman that has the beat from two until four was sick last night and i took his place, swearing him to silence about the change. he went to bed in my room, and i went out on the beat. at about three i sneaked close to the hangar and thought i could hear something making a sort of scratchin' noise inside. i had a auger hole all fixed a good while ago, and i peeked." chapter iii "well, what did you see?" demanded mr. ridgeway as the man paused. but he did not answer. he had been leaning on the edge of the massive table that mr. ridgeway used as a desk, and his fingers were feeling under the edge of the mahogany top. suddenly he sank to his knees, and peered under the edge. then he beckoned mr. ridgeway and lawrence. totally at a loss to imagine what o'brien was doing, they too sank to their knees and looked under the table. after a glance mr. ridgeway sprang to his feet and stared at o'brien, who delivered a huge wink in the direction of the table. then he started in as though he had only stopped talking long enough to clear his throat. "well, i peeked," he said, "and there was a feller mauling that dirigible around and hacking at the propellers. i knew him at a glance; he was a dude i had discharged last week; wasn't no good so i let him go, an' he wanted to get even, so he done it by destroyin' that machine. of course i didn't see his face, but i know the looks of his back," added o'brien, again winking at the table. mr. ridgeway played up gallantly. "i am glad you, found out who it was, o'brien. will you swear out a warrant? i am sorry about the dirigible, but i can get along without it for awhile. i am going out to the golf club now. can i give either of you a lift?" it seemed to lawrence as though the two men were acting a part. he wondered if by any chance o'brien had discovered one of the wonderful listening machines under the edge of the table. if that was so, their enemy must be close to them. he kept still, and let the others talk. "no, sir; i am going right over to the police station and tell 'em what i know," said o'brien. "i will have to go down to the union station and see about having my trunk sent up," said lawrence. o'brien nodded, as though pleased with the boy's quickness of perception. the three walked out, mr. ridgeway slamming the door sharply after him. then instead of turning to the elevator, he started toward the back of the corridor, and reaching a small door inserted a key and opened it on a narrow, winding stairway walled into the building. it was nothing more than a perpendicular tunnel, with a narrow staircase winding through it. leading o'brien and lawrence into this dimly lighted burrow, mr. ridgeway, with a sharp glance down the corridor, closed the door, locked it, and motioned o'brien, who was ahead, to ascend the stairs. he went swiftly, the others close at his heels. up and up he went, in obedience to a whispered word from mr. ridgeway, until a ground glass skylight marked the end of the stairway. "open!" whispered mr. ridgeway, and with a heave of his broad shoulder o'brien pushed the skylight up and the three emerged on the pebbled roof of the building. replacing the skylight, o'brien looked at his superior for further orders. "well," said mr. ridgeway, "i told you this morning, lawrence, that i never liked to talk unless i was in the middle of a ten-acre lot. so they are listening, are they, o'brien? well, we are safe here, i should think. for this time, anyway. let us get away from these chimneys." they walked out into the center of the great space that indicated the size of the building, and o'brien, picking up a pebble and tossing it as he spoke, said: "well, sir, it looks as though there was more in the wind than we have been bargaining for. at all events, they have shown us their hand. it is not a coincidence that so many things have happened to hamper us, and the destruction in the shops and around the hangars that has appeared merely slovenly, sinful waste, has been the work of these same dirty miscreants. you are spotted, sir, sure as sure! known to be working with the government, and instrumental in passing messages and what not along to wherever they ought to go. what are you going to do about it? if you will excuse me for saying it, sir, i think you ought to duck." "duck? duck where?" asked mr. ridgeway. "anywhere you like, say south america, or alaska, or there's good shooting up at hudson bay or was when i was in the mounted police of canada." "why should i duck?" demanded mr. ridgeway. "why, sir, they have you spotted, and you are too valuable a man to this country to take any chances. suppose they send you west?" "kill me, you mean?" asked mr. ridgeway. "well, o'brien, thank you, but of course you know that i will stay and take my chance. if they have me spotted as you say, why, they will spend a good deal of time watching me, and that will leave the field clear for you and lawrence. i will have to depend on you for a good deal. for one thing, i think we had better stage a small scrap, when we go downstairs, and i will discharge lawrence, and will order you somewhere out of range. then we will not meet without the greatest precautions. where are you living, o'brien?" "i have a room and bath over in the southeast part of the city," answered o'brien. "and you, lawrence?" "up on the heights, sir. i like to be high." "i wish you were closer together," mused mr. ridgeway. "there are twin beds in my bedroom," said lawrence. "i wish you would come over there if you feel like it, mr. o'brien." "i accept without further parley," said o'brien. "have you a telephone?" "yes," said lawrence. "a regular swell, this lad," said o'brien, smiling. "well, give mr. ridgeway our address, and let's go down and get fired." they descended, reconnoitered the corridor carefully, and retraced their steps. mr. ridgeway entered his office alone and pressed the button on his desk. a boy appeared. "i am expecting the young fellow who was with me this morning," he said. "when he comes send him in." when lawrence entered, he said severely, "i have looked your credentials over, young man, and i find that in one or two regards they are not exactly what i desire. if there is anything i can do for you, i will be glad to do it, but i think our talk this morning will have to go for nothing!" he scuffled a few papers on his desk, and lawrence, in as disappointed a tone as he could muster, said, "i am very sorry, sir. if you do not care for my services, i think i had better go back to louisville. i have a standing offer of a job in the aircraft company's shops there." as he spoke he noiselessly stepped forward and handed mr. ridgeway a paper with his telephone number on it. "i insist on giving you a check for your railroad fare," said mr. ridgeway, and took up a pen. what he wrote however was not the few magic words on a blank check, but the words, "do not come here. go to your apartment and stay there until ten tonight. then both of you come to my address; skirt the wall until you find a gate. it will be unlocked. follow the path at the right until you come to a porch with a french window. this will be open. go into the room and wait there in the dark until i come." lawrence nodded and handed the note back. mr. ridgeway touched a match to it, at the same time lighting a cigar so that the smell of burned paper would not be evident. "thank you, sir," said lawrence as though he had received a check. "and good-bye." the door closed, and he was alone. he sat staring at the edge of the table that hid the wicked little device which had handed him over into the hands of his enemies. no wonder plans had gone wrong! and now when so much hinged on the attitude of the country to the new republic in europe, and when the question of a mammoth loan was a matter of the most importance. as he mused, o'brien jerked the door open and came in. although o'brien knew that the listener at the end of the tiny wire could not see him, he was by nature too much of an actor not to play the whole part. so he came in swaggering and approaching the table said truculently, "i come back to see you, sir, on something important." "speak up, my man," said mr. ridgeway. "i am rather busy, and hereafter you will send in your name." "i won't send nothing," said o'brien, "unless i get a raise. i work twice as hard and long as any man at the field, and there are twenty planes to look over and keep in order, to say nothing of that dirigible that i will have to nurse back to health. i want more money." "impossible!" exclaimed mr. ridgeway. "no such thing!" growled o'brien. "i know you! take me or leave me!" "it's the latter then, o'brien. i won't be bullied by you or any other man," said mr. ridgeway with a wink. "then that settles it," said o'brien. "belave me when i say i am glad to be through with the likes of you, and if you will pay me what you owe i will get me a job where i am appreciated." he pointed toward the door with his stubby thumb, and mr. ridgeway, taking the hint, said, "wait here and i will get your money," and left the room. as soon as the door closed o'brien proceeded to abuse mr. ridgeway with all the fluency and fervor of his irish tongue. clearly and distinctly he addressed the air with a shower of choice phrases. he abused, he threatened, he raved, never once forgetting to hold his voice clear and steady as though addressing a stupid central on a buzzing line. according to his remarks, mr. ridgeway had insulted him. and he would get even. over and over, he promised himself that he would get even. and then in the very middle of o'brien's finest flight of fancy, the door opened. like turning off a top, o'brien shut up, took what mr. ridgeway offered him and with a growl went out, slamming the door. "good riddance!" growled mr. ridgeway in his turn, then shaking his fist at the table, he too went out, springing the lock. the rest of the afternoon he spent at the chevy chase golf course but it is likely that a worse game was never played over that course. the honorable theodore miller, who had asked him to play, went through one fit of amazement and remorse into another. amazement that such tops and foozles could come from a sane man, and remorse that he was obliged to waste the afternoon with such a being. mr. ridgeway did not notice that he was playing badly, but thumped and whacked away at the ball with a frowning look that senator miller took for an earnest desire to mend his stroke, but which in fact indicated utter absent-mindedness. mr. ridgeway knew that if he was being watched, he must put up an appearance of unconcern, and so the golf club. but that night soon after dinner he spoke a few words over a private wire that led to the private room of a certain great person, and soon mr. ridgeway was with him in close consultation. he came away looking more anxious than ever. he had learned that an answer had been drawn up for the young republic which needed help, and that another country close on its borders was ready to declare war if there seemed to be anything in the way of affiliation with the united states. besides this, there reposed in the strongest of the strong boxes at the treasury the crown jewels of a monarch who had sent them across for safe keeping six years ago, and who now wanted them returned at once to figure at the introduction of the crown prince on his twenty-first birthday. the jewels and the state papers all must be delivered safely within two months. otherwise.... mr. ridgeway did not like to think of the otherwise. the jewels had no business in the country at all. they had been allowed to come over piecemeal, by the ill-advised judgment of one who should have known enough to keep clear of everything to do with little principalities with their many entanglements and jealousies. however, the deed was done. walking along pennsylvania avenue, mr. ridgeway called at the willard to see a man who was then in bolivia, and took a taxi to the army and navy club. then he went home, and to his own room, where he lighted all the lights and for a moment stood looking out the window before pulling down the blinds. then hastily he slipped off his shoes and felt his way down to the library, where he seated himself in his favorite chair beside the big table and, leaning back, gave himself up to his thoughts. he knew that it would be fifteen minutes or so before he could expect his visitors. suddenly a draft of air struck the back of his head. he knew that he had closed the door leading into the hall. he turned and half rose in his chair, but too late. something descended with a sickening thud and without a groan he rolled over on the floor, a dead weight. when later o'brien and lawrence entered by the window, as they had been told, they sat down on a couple of chairs that they were able to find in the darkness and proceeded to wait. but o'brien was like a hound. he _sensed_ disaster. leaning close to lawrence, he whispered, "there is something wrong here. i can smell it. i am going to light up." with the words, he pressed on his electric searchlight, and slowly turned the brilliant ray about the room. what he saw caused him to leap to the window, lower the blind, and then switch on the big ceiling light. half under the table lay a tumbled figure. all the drawers were dragged out and ransacked and scattered papers which had been hastily unfolded and read were scattered everywhere. "is he dead?" gasped lawrence. o'brien listened to mr. ridgeway's heart. "niver a bit! sure he's coming round pretty quick belike. what's in that vase of posies? wather? gimme!" he turned the big vase over on the unconscious man, and while nearly drowning him, it brought him to consciousness with a gasp. he looked up. "don't rise, sir!" begged o'brien. "lay still now and collect your thoughts. golly, that was a crack! i told you what would happen, didn't i then? you are needing a nurse, and a steel jacket and a tin lid like the good old times of the late war if so be you are going to get tapped like this." in a few minutes mr. ridgeway was able to sit up, and with a rueful look gazed around at the disordered room. with a little help he got into his chair, and sighed. o'brien, as though he had always been an inmate of the house, went through the dining-room, and beyond in a little breakfast room found a percolator all ready for breakfast. in a jiffy he had the coffee ready, and returned to mr. ridgeway with a steaming cup which he insisted on him drinking. the hot liquid seemed to revive mr. ridgeway, and presently he sat up, asking: "well, o'brien and lawrence, what part did you play in the late unpleasantness?" chapter iv o'brien burst out with an exclamation of anger, "by gosh, sir, this thing is going too far! i don't intend to stand by and see you murdered. you have had a close shave here tonight, and something has _got_ to be done. where is mrs. ridgeway?" "she is in england visiting some relatives," said mr. ridgeway with a triumphant laugh. "so you won't get any backing from her. i sent her over there three months ago." "well, _something_ has got to be done all right, all right," said the secret service man sullenly. mr. ridgeway pressed his aching head. "i think this will end it," he said. "they have found no papers, and they will let well enough alone. you know as well as i do, o'brien, that they will know that i will be on guard after this. and i _will_ be. i will set a lot of detectives around here, each with a badge as big as a dinner plate. and i will sit and do nothing, and you can do the work." "all right; that is more like what i want to hear," said o'brien, smiling at last. "you are doing enough, mr. ridgeway, when you finance the affair. you have had all those airplanes built, and those dirigibles, and if you sit tight and boss, that is all we will ask for. just you let me and lawrence push the rest of the work." "i will have to keep quiet for a day or two anyway," said mr. ridgeway. "i feel sort of old tonight. i wish i had a son or two to look out for me. but you are all right, o'brien. do whatever you like." "then to bed you go, first of all," said the practical irishman, "and whilst i get some plainclothes men here for a guard, you can sit with him, lawrence, and don't you let a soul in the room." "the servants are all in bed and there is no one else to come," said mr. ridgeway drowsily. with a good deal of help he managed to get to the little automatic elevator, and they put him to bed. while lawrence put cold compresses on the bruised head, o'brien telephoned for the police and placed a guard around the house. then he summoned mr. ridgeway's doctor, who examined the wound and assured them that there was no concussion. by the time all this was done, it was nearly three o'clock in the morning. "let's to bed," yawned o'brien. "it's coming home with you i am, larry. i expect you'll loan me the matter of some pajammies?" "sure!" said lawrence. "but i don't know how they will fit." "fit, fit!" said o'brien, hailing a passing taxi. "fit? sure, i could sleep this night in lead pajammies, any size whatever." true enough, o'brien rolled into bed and was asleep in a moment, but lawrence tossed restlessly a long time before he could quiet himself. he was worried about mr. ridgeway, and he wished o'brien would wake up and tell him just what he feared from the spies or conspirators, or whatever they were. and he wondered about mr. ridgeway, and was sorry that he had no sons, and wished, poor lawrence, that _he_ was mr. ridgeway's son. how proud he would be! but he knew that he would always be lawrence petit, the waif, with only a pictured face for a family. o'brien snored on gently and endlessly, and at last, lulled by the sound, lawrence went to sleep. when he awoke, o'brien was in the bathroom running a bath, and singing _sweet rosy o'more_ in a mellow baritone. he sounded like a man who has not a care in the world. lawrence jumped up. it was eight o'clock. they had overslept an hour. but when he asked o'brien how he had happened to sleep so late, that songful gentleman declared that there was nothing to do but enjoy themselves and he intended to go to a movie and sit through it twice, so he could think. "will you go along with me?" he asked. "i would rather fly," said lawrence. "i wish i could get hold of a plane. i would feel better if i could get off the earth for a while. i can never think so well as when i am up a few hundred feet." "go as high as you like," said o'brien. "here, i will give you a bit of a paper, and just you go out to the field and give it to the man in charge there, and all that you will have to do after that is to pick which plane you want. you can't use the dirigible because it is smashed up." "i would rather have a plane to-day," said lawrence. "i want to get used to the country around here. i shall drive the dirigible when it is in order, but i like to take my bearings first. it is funny, i have flown all over the united states and europe, but this is the first time i was ever in washington." "well, take one of the little sky-flivvers and have a good time, but be careful about landin'. a nose-dive or a tail-spin makes good readin' in the sunday papers, and you get a grand write-up all about the darin' young aviator so-and-so, but it's little interest _you_ feel in the article yourself." lawrence took a street car out as far as he could, and after a brisk walk reached the field. everything was going smoothly. he offered his paper to the man in charge, and that individual, after grumbling a little at letting a kid go up with a perfectly good machine, let lawrence look the twenty planes over and choose the one he fancied. lawrence refused a passenger, and with a good start soared off the field and rose until the city of washington lay far below him. he had not made a flight for a couple of weeks, and his heart thrilled. after a few wide circles that took in the shipping at the navy yard and all the outlying parts of the city, he flew over baltimore. the return he made low, and studied the woods and landing places, to make himself sure of his ground. as he neared washington again, he saw a plane approaching from the south. it came straight for him, and he had an idea that it was trying to communicate with him by means of the wireless. he glanced down and found that, contrary to usage, his own machine was not equipped. so he paid no attention to the stranger other than to swerve out of the way. but the plane turned and followed. lawrence, curious to know what it was up to, slowed down and allowed it to overtake him. his trained ear told him by the sound of the engine that his own plane was the faster and more powerful but he had no intention of racing as he thought the other pilot wanted to do. so he slowed down, and as the other machine came alongside he saw that they were flashing messages with a mirror, using the morse code, which had become one of the requirements in the public schools. "who are you?" demanded the stranger. "who are you?" over and over. lawrence had no mirror and for a moment was at a loss how to reply. there was something threatening about the manner of the other plane, and lawrence had no desire to get into a combat in the clouds over nothing. he had an idea, and as the other plane imperiously repeated the words he managed to take off the muffler, and in the roar of the engine he spelled out: "a tourist seeing the sights. who are you?" "where from?" demanded the mirror. "louisville. who are you?" repeated lawrence. the plane evidently had the answer they wanted and, sheering off, shot away without a reply. lawrence set his teeth. if they could be so discourteous he could follow at all events, and see where the curious plane hailed from. he wheeled his machine and, taking a higher level, sailed off in pursuit, keeping a good distance behind. an hour's flight brought them above a small open field and here the plane suddenly dipped, and going at a breakneck angle dropped to the ground. then as though by magic it disappeared. there was no hangar, yet the machine went under cover as though the earth had swallowed it. again and again lawrence circled the field, and it worried him to imagine the chuckles the other pilot was indulging in at his expense. try as he might, he could not locate any sign of life. it struck him as a rather queer thing. he turned his nose upward again, and located the field by some trees and other landmarks, then turned toward the home field. dropping easily down, he found o'brien surrounded by a group of men, all of whom seemed to be watching him with a good deal of interest. "hey, young felly," called o'brien, "do you always make so neat a landing as that last?" "i suppose so," answered lawrence. "what was there about that one?" "it was all right; that was it," said o'brien. "if that's the way you fly, you can have all me pretty toys at once, on a string." "one is enough," laughed lawrence. "don't you want to go up?" "i wouldn't mind a short flight, just to see how you manage it," said o'brien, gently relieving the man next him of his helmet and goggles. rising once more, lawrence waited until they had gained a good height, then as they sailed along in a steady current, he told o'brien of his encounter and the curious thing about the landing place of the strange car and its sudden disappearance. "let's go over there," said o'brien. "it's just the sort of thing i have to look after. what with the country full of reds, and all other colors of the rainbow, we want to keep as many of the wild lunatics under observation as possible." they soon reached the spot where lawrence had seen the plane land and, sure enough, there was not a sign of anything that could be taken for a hangar. "you sure this is the place?" asked o'brien. "sure!" replied lawrence. "what do you say to landing? i can make it easier than he did." "land away if ye like, and let's have a look," said o'brien, "but don't you smear me all over that nice green grass, i warn you." "i won't," promised lawrence, and dropped to earth as lightly as a bird. as the plane slid along the grass and came to a standstill, o'brien gave a smothered exclamation. "that's funny!" he said. "look!" stepping out of the machine, lawrence turned in the direction o'brien was looking. the hangar they were looking for was there, but covered with a thick-set camouflage of brush. the doors were open, as though no one would possibly find the place, and inside the hangar were three cars: one a dirigible, one the car lawrence had encountered, while the third was a long, rakish model mounting an aircraft gun. one quick look, and o'brien backed out, drawing lawrence with him. he motioned him into their own plane, gave it a push and hopped into his place as the speedy little flyer danced along for a moment, then rose into the air. as they fled, o'brien mopped his brow. "i didn't feel that place to be so healthy for us," he said. "and a gun looking so fit! who said the war was over these five years? now what in the world of wonders does all that mean? i dunno. do _you_?" lawrence shook his head. "don't go there again," warned o'brien. "whether i'm with you or no. do you mind? we have got to find out about it. did you notice anything funny about that dirigible? no? well, you don't know as well as i do, but that old tube is exactly like the one that got cut up last night. down to the last seam, and even a dent in the steerin' gear that i made meself trippin' against it with a hammer in me hand." "how do you suppose that happens?" asked lawrence, his eyes fixed in the distance. "that's what i dunno," said o'brien. "but the joke is that i don't think it happens at all. there is something funny about that. dang funny!" "where do you suppose the people were?" asked lawrence. "off amusin' themselves, or up to some mischief," answered o'brien. "they have such a good hidin' place that they don't bother to guard their cars at all, at all." they landed, o'brien still sputtering. but lawrence was silent. he quizzed o'brien about the locality and learned that it was not far from the railroad. then finding that o'brien had an engagement for the evening, he went quietly away. he first went to his rooms, took some money from the trunk, and put on a dark suit. then he hurried down town, and reaching the union station, boarded a train and was soon out of the city. he had dinner on the train, and at about nine o'clock reached the little station of linden, where he dropped off and not waiting for the train to pull out, slipped across the track and was swallowed up by the shadows. for all his athletics, lawrence hated walking, as most aviators do, and he groaned in spirit as he trudged over the country in what he hoped was the direction of the mysterious aviation field. it had not occurred to him to ask anyone how to reach it. instinctively he knew that the mysterious cars had not been heralded to the country at large. he lost time, and several times had to turn aside and almost retrace his steps, but at last he knew from the lay of the country that he was in the right neighborhood. the moon had risen and was full. it cast the densest shadows and lawrence slipped from one patch of blackness to another. he felt silly. he was not sure that this was not a wild goose chase. the cars might be the property of some eccentric man who wished to keep them in seclusion, and possibly he was trespassing on private ground. he plodded on, however, urged by an impulse he could not understand. at last he emerged suddenly on the very aviation field itself; and on the other side he saw the big bulk that was the hangar. once more plunging into the underbrush, he skirted the field and circled it until he found himself at the back of the hangar. there was a small door here, half open, and from within he heard voices. he could not hear what was being said, however, and he took the chance an older man would have thought plain suicide. entering the door, and fairly holding his breath, he stepped slowly and carefully along the side of the building, crept close to the little plane, and finally lay down and wriggled beneath it toward the dirigible. on the other side of the long body four men were sitting over a game of cards. not until lawrence felt the cool box of the plane above him did he think of danger. and then it came to him clear as the tolling of a bell ... discovery meant his death! chapter v it was a strange game the men were playing, something far less quiet and controlled than poker, or any of the other american games that lawrence was accustomed to see played by the men working round the planes. there was much slapping down of cards and a great deal of laughter from three of the players, while the fourth poured forth a steady stream of abuse and profanity. strangely enough, while lawrence was sure that they were foreigners, they all spoke english with no more accent than a slight twist of the syllables. the game went on, and lawrence gathered that one man was losing steadily. luck fluctuated between the others and they accepted gains or loss with careless unconcern. not so the fourth man. he lost money as painfully as a man loses his very blood. it put him in a sort of wild panic, yet he could not leave the game. he kept hoping for a turn in the bad luck which pursued him and played on, cursing his luck, the cards, the unsteady light, and his partners themselves. finally his evil temper commenced to grate on the mood of the other three. they too commenced to be faultfinding, until the dealer swept the cards together and announced that the game was over. the men did not trouble to rise; they merely kicked the table over, and leaned back in their chairs. "what of the night?" said one of them, peering out the crack of the big door. "clear as a bell," said another, "and the moon big as the dial of the clock at nuremberg. i say we take the two planes and go out." lawrence felt a small chill travel down his spine. he held his breath for the answer, while all his muscles tautened for a quick retreat. "not tonight," answered the oldest man. "the machines both need tuning up. i have worked on that dirigible so constantly that i have neglected all else. but there is no haste. no haste whatever, with their broken dirigible and what happened last night." he commenced to laugh, and in response the man who had lost at cards began to swear again. "yes; what happened last night?" he said. "a knock-out staged by a pair of fools!" "it was an accident," said another man sulkily. "fifteen minutes before i saw him at the army and navy club. then i opened the door, after seeing that every servant in the place was sleeping sweetly, and there he sat and he _saw_ me. there was nothing else to do. the chief had forbidden a fight. i gave him a good knock. wonder if i killed him!" "i don't think so," said the oldest man. "i stepped on his leg as i was going around the table, after we had looked over his papers, and there was a live feel to the flesh. you should have struck to kill. then there would have been a hue and cry and we could have worked so much better. he is the master mind." "we have nothing to do with him, of course, but it galls me to think any man can be so close. not a soul knows what he will do next, that ridgeway; no one knows where he will turn. i cannot understand why he was so careless with that dirigible, leaving it there in that hangar for all the world to see. and advertising it for traffic! now as soon as it is in shape again, i must deface our dirigible with just the same marks and mends. it must be so similar that not even the driver of the ridgeway machine, after we kidnap him, will feel the least hesitation about taking our dirigible where he has been ordered to go." "when will we see the chief?" asked the loser at cards. "i have been expecting him since yesterday," said the oldest man, "but he won't take the chance of coming out in daylight now." they sat smoking, and lawrence, whose chances seemed to be getting slimmer every moment, wondered how he could escape before the men made a move. he was not sure that his feet were not sticking out at the other side of the plane, and although the hangar was pitch dark except where the dim light above the group of men made it possible for them to see, lawrence did not like to feel that they might at any moment make a move toward the small door back of him, and trip over him. but there was not a chance of moving while they sat silently smoking. if they would _only_ commence to talk! as they sat engrossed in their pipes a current of air fanned lawrence and he knew that the big door of the hangar had silently swung open. he heard the four men spring to their feet as a soft voice said, "good evening!" "good evening, excellency," said the four, and the newcomer replied in an irritated tone: "not that! how many times have i told you not to call me excellency? there are no longer any excellencies. i am plain mr. smith. such a good, honest name and a good, honest man! you know i travel for a book concern, and all my anxiety is for the number of copies of their book i sell. do you understand?" "yes, your--mr. smith," said the men, and mr. smith sat down on the nearest chair. "shut that door," he ordered. "why do you infernal blockheads leave it open with all this light streaming out?" "it was closed until you came in, mr. smith," said the oldest man in an apologetic, submissive tone. "then all the more reason for shutting it!" said the newcomer. he felt in his pocket and drew out a silver cigarette case. one of the little tubes fell out as he fumbled for it, and selecting another, the man lighted it and commenced to smoke. his back was squarely toward lawrence, and even his figure was not discernible in the poor light. lawrence settled himself for whatever was to come. he knew somehow that a single move on his part would be detected by a pair of ears far keener than those others. in fact, there was something so sinister about the carriage and tone of the man who called himself mr. smith that lawrence was not at all sure that he would not turn at any moment and say, "come out of your hiding place, lawrence petit!" he felt himself grow cold all over. once a rattlesnake had crawled over his foot and he had stood like a statue waiting for the deadly thing to creep away without being stirred to anger, and the same feeling of oppression chilled him now. he knew instinctively that he was in the presence of the most deadly and merciless human being he had ever encountered. yet all he could pin his feeling to was the dim shadow of a form and the sound of a voice which was certainly soft and agreeable to the ear. the cigarette which had fallen out lay on the ground and added to the boy's danger. if smith or one of the others should stoop to pick it up, they might easily discover him. as the oldest man commenced to talk, lawrence made a cautious movement backward. that instant smith held up a hand and whispered, "silence!" lawrence stilled his very heart beats. for an interminable time there was not a sound, then smith lowered his hand and said, "go on! i was sure i heard something, but i must have been mistaken. if i lose my sense of hearing i will be out of luck." the men laughed in a guarded way. "if you lose nine-tenths of it and nine-tenths of your eyesight, you will be about like the rest of us," said the oldest man. "thanks!" said mr. smith dryly. "now for a report. did you discover anything at all at the ridgeways? i presume you went, as i ordered." "yes, we went all right," someone answered out of the gloom. "it came near being a good deal of a mess. we got in the house all right. i had been there for two days looking over the electric wiring for the city, and had seen to it that all the servants went to bed with just enough dope in their food to insure them a good night's sleep. then we went outside to look things over, and i went downtown and ran right into the gentleman. so i dogged him, and he went into the army and navy club, and i came back. i walked, and he must have taxied because when we opened the door from the hall, there he was sitting in the library in the dark. i can't imagine what he was doing that for. he was wide awake and when i opened the door he turned round. of course i had to hit him." "well, what next?" asked smith as the other paused. "it was a good one," said the man. "he fell like a sack of sand, and we switched on a light and went through everything in two minutes. there is not a thing there. not a thing, and no wall safe, and no secret drawers!" "well, that is odd," mused the newcomer. "you left him unconscious?" "yes, but he was alive," said the man. "i don't understand," said smith. "there was not a thing in the morning paper about this, and no mention of illness or anything else. i remember especially noticing that hamilton ridgeway would lay the cornerstone for a new orphanage or something of the sort this morning. i don't believe you hit him at all!" "he did!" said the third man. "it was such a crack that i was sure he had killed him." "well, it is strange," muttered the man called smith. "we must find out more about this. are you through with your electrical job?" "yes. i was careful to finish that up yesterday. that was why the butler asked me to supper in the servants' hall. i made a hit with all of them belowstairs." smith sat for a long while thinking. "all right," he said finally. "i will have a look at things. you had better go back to your old job at the ridgeway field. say you have been off because you were sick. and put down a note of every scratch and dent and seam on that dirigible of theirs so you can reproduce it. remember one thing. there are powerful forces back of us, but all they want is the papers that will sooner or later go across in that dirigible. "what _we_ want is money, and i tell you, men, if this thing goes through, it will bring us millions. just that: millions!" a sort of stifled groan of covetousness went up from the listeners. "if we succeed there will never be a time when we will any of us have to do another stroke of work. if we fail, it will mean death. fail? why, you won't _dare_ to fail! i will kill any man of you with my own hand if he shows the white feather." he laughed, and lawrence thought he heard the rattles of the coiled snake ready to spring. the men listened in silence. lawrence wondered if his face carried the same chill as his words and voice. after a pause, one of the men spoke. "i think we are all taking big chances," he said. "all i object to is working in the dark. here we are working and plotting, killing if necessary, all on the promise of immense rewards, yet you will not tell us where these rewards are hidden. it all rests on your word." "did i ever fail you?" asked smith violently, striking his hand on his knee. "what about the jewel robbery in paris? the diamonds in new york? did i even send them to amsterdam for recutting before showing them to you, and weighing them up? was there not a fair division when the job was done? you thankless dogs, you would be picking pockets if i had not taken charge of you!" "that is all right, chief," said the big man, "but it would give us a good deal more interest if we could know where all this money is being kept." smith laughed. "i suppose you want to know so if i should get a tap on the head myself some night you could go after it. isn't that about it?" "no," said the man, "but part of it is true. what if anything _should_ really happen to you? where would _we_ be?" "and suppose i should tell you on my word of honor that the riches are buried here, right here in this hangar, where would _i_ be?" somehow lawrence sensed a straining forward of the four listeners. "sit still, sit still!" said smith. "it is not here, so it won't pay you to dig a nice hole in search of it, and incidentally bury me after you have finished. no, the treasure--ah, _such_ treasure, glittering, golden, jewelled treasure such as you have never dreamed of, is not here. it is quite safe elsewhere. quite, quite safe!" again he laughed. "where is it?" asked the oldest man again. "we want to know!" "perhaps it is only fair," said smith, shrugging his shoulders. he took out another cigarette and lighted it leisurely. "perhaps it is only fair," he repeated. "besides, you might like to go and look at the beautiful strong old casket that holds the jewels and treasure. well, then if you must know," he blew a cloud of smoke tantalizingly toward them. "your treasure, and mine, is in the united states treasury." "you, you--" sputtered the oldest man. "don't tell me i _lie_," warned the smooth voice. "i do occasionally, but no man dares to _tell_ me that i do. and this is the truth. your treasure and mine is in the treasury building. until it is taken out, we must wait. even i cannot offer to break into that stronghold." "i don't understand," said the loser at cards. "of course you don't!" said smith. "you don't have to! only one head is needed on a body. _i_ am the head. do my bidding, you hands and feet, and all will be well. millions, remember; _millions_, and one-fourth to be divided amongst you. i am going," he said, abruptly dismissing the topic. "come!" he rose, and before lawrence could gather himself for the shock of discovery, the group, led by the rattlesnake, passed out the big door of the hangar, and lawrence heard the lock snap loudly. chapter vi lawrence could scarcely credit his good fortune. after a little he tried to change his position, and found that he was so cramped that he could scarcely move. carefully he took his pocket flash out of his pocket and, turning it around, acquainted himself with the position of the doors. he also saw the cigarette which the rattlesnake, as lawrence henceforth called "mr. smith," had dropped, and he crawled over and put it in his pocket. then with the utmost caution he made his way back to the small door which still swung open, and with a smile at the carelessness of the men, he made his way out. he had gone a hundred yards perhaps when a thought struck him, and he retraced his steps. once more entering the hangar, he approached the machine nearest him, paused beside it for five or ten minutes, passed on to the next where he stood for the same time, and then went to the big dirigible. with a chuckle he waved a hand at the silent aircraft, and for the last time passed through the door. this time he closed it, and finding a spring lock hooked carelessly through a strong staple, he adjusted it and clasped the lock. the hangar was securely fastened. lawrence judged, and correctly, that when the men returned in the morning each would think that one of the others had closed and locked the small door, and not caring to be caught in so flagrant a piece of carelessness, not one would confess that he had forgotten it. as for the boy, he sped rapidly back across the country he had traversed earlier in the evening and by great good fortune caught a train to washington about two minutes after reaching the little station. as no one had seen him arrive, his departure was not noteworthy. lawrence was tired out when the train reached washington, and he thought with dread of the long trolley ride to the heights, when he happened to remember that he was now able to afford any number of taxis. he stepped into one at the door of the station, and luxuriously giving his street and number, he leaned back and dozed all the way home. o'brien was there before him, a worried man. "now then," said he, "where have ye been the while?" he shoved a chair toward lawrence and offered him a ham sandwich from a paper bag. lawrence took it eagerly. "you look dead beat and starved and ginnerally tired out. what's the word?" "you are going to be mad," said lawrence, "because you told me not to do something and i did it." "then consider me frothin', and tell me what's what and get it over with. sure, these fits of temper are bad for me heart." "all right," said lawrence, and he proceeded to tell o'brien his evening's adventure. when he produced the cigarette o'brien took it with careful fingers. "whew!" he said as he examined the paper, smelled the tobacco, and tried to make out the interwoven letters of the intricate monogram. "it looks like r'yalty," he said finally. "those same cost, me boy, they cost! i only wish you had had a look at the gentleman. well, i should say you had a narrow escape. i don't like it all the same, although we know more than we did. mr. ridgeway is a bit close, too. we didn't know it was jools like that that we were handlin', did we?" "we haven't handled them yet," said lawrence. "but i reckon they are just where mr. smith said they are, and it looks as though we were going to have to cart them somewhere or other. i don't see why we take the dirigible," said lawrence, "when the planes are faster." "there is some good reason," said o'brien. "for instance, that dirigible will carry a crew large enough to give a pretty good fight if it was necessary. that's _one_ thing. another is that mr. ridgeway doesn't know that they know anything about the freight he is to carry. gee, there is a leak somewhere! that's one thing. now to bed with you, me wild adventurer, and get some sleep what's left of the night. we will have to see mr. ridgeway the morn, so he can talk to us. i called there tonight and found him much better. get you to bed, and don't talk. i want to think. somewhere or other i have seen a mate to this cigarette." he carefully wrapped it in a bit of paper and put it in his cigar case. "that's a good souvenir," he remarked, nodding his head. lawrence tumbled into bed. he was too tired to realize the narrow escape he had had, and wanted nothing more than a good sleep. he did not realize his fatigue either, and when he awoke in the morning he found that what he had thought was the dimness of early dawn was the darkness of closely drawn blinds. o'brien had tricked him. there was a note on the dresser, and lawrence read: "dear lawrence: "there's no place so safe for a lad of your tendencies as the same cot you are snoring on at this second. i leave you to your dreams and hope they are sweet. as for me, i am pulling down the blinds and disconnecting the telephone, and then i am makin' off: for i have a pretty idea all of my own. i will see you later. by the way, you took my gloves last night, and i can find but one. if you have lost that glove it costs you a pretty penny, gloves being in a high altitude since the late war. good-bye. go see what is happening to the dirigible, go see mr. ridgeway, go to a movie, go have a good time however you like but don't you _dare_ follow any clues today. against orders, and meet me here; here, mind you, at seven tonight. i may have news. "o'brien." after he had had a meal which was neither breakfast nor luncheon, but combined all the most agreeable features of both, commencing with grapefruit and cereal and ending with pie, lawrence went out to the aviation field, where he found the men busily working on the dirigible. a week at most would find it in working order again. o'brien was not there. after taking a little flight in his favorite plane, a flight which took him over the scene of last night's adventure, he came down, and returned to the apartment where he loafed and read until seven, when o'brien came in. "i flew over that field again this afternoon," said lawrence. "i did not see a soul." "that's all right," said his friend. "i have been there all day meself in a tree-top, with a pair of glasses strong enough to spot the queen of england powdering her nose from the base of the statue of liberty. there was not a sign of 'em and i have it all worked out. they know we can't use the dirigible, and of course by now they know the minute when it will be in shape again. so why work? why hang around that bleak spot? and mr. ridgeway being laid up, there's no use for mr. smith to sit with his ear glued to the listening post down there below ridgeway's office. no. it's all hands take a vacation, and i'm thinkin' i will do the same. i am going on a still hunt for our dear little book agent." "i forgot to tell you," said lawrence, "that before i left there last night, i fixed all three machines so they won't fly very soon. i learned a few twists back in the aircraft factory, and i can put a plane out of tune so no one will guess that it has been touched, but there is the mischief to pay. and i touched up the dirigible too. just a screw or two loose, and a couple of pinholes where they will do the most good." "you are like a woman's postscript," said o'brien. "all the meat of the letter in it." "i meant to tell you before," said lawrence. "well, if you are going after the smith man, what am _i_ to do?" "go see mr. ridgeway and tell him all this you have told me. take the cigarette; it's evidence." "suppose we go to the theatre tonight," suggested lawrence. "i have not seen a show in a month of sundays." "sunday is no day to go to shows on, anyhow," said o'brien with mock severity. "but this bein' a weekday it's not against me conscience to accompany you." they decided on the vaudeville, and securing good seats settled down to an evening's enjoyment. at the beginning of the second act two men came in and took the seats just behind them. as they fumbled for the hat-clips under the seats and leaned close to o'brien's broad shoulders, lawrence heard one say to the other, "did you bring the key to the hangar?" and the other answered swiftly, "no; mr. smith took it." lawrence felt his blood stop in its course. for a moment he could scarcely breathe. two of the mysterious men were behind them! he dared not say much to o'brien, but he whispered, as the orchestra blared out a jazz accompaniment to a dancer: "see who is behind you?" o'brien turned. to lawrence's utter amazement, he nodded gaily and said, "good evenin', brown! a good show, i'm thinkin'." "it seems to be, mr. o'brien," said the slow, deep voice lawrence so well remembered. the boy's head whirled. o'brien knew the man! between the acts, in the intermission, lawrence led the way out to the sidewalk. he was shaking. "those men!" he managed to stutter. "those men behind us! they were in that card game!" "crazy!" said o'brien calmly. "the big one works at the aviation field. he's a good worker, but mortal stupid." "oh, _believe_ me, o'brien!" begged lawrence. "i know them both. they were sitting so i could see their shapes, and just now i heard the big one ask the other if he had the key to the hangar, and he said, no, smith had it." "why, i _know_ the man," insisted o'brien again. "he don't know enough to be in a plot." "that's just what smith said," said lawrence. "he said they could be feet and hands, and he would be the head. that is why everything goes wrong with the dirigible. he is right there where he can do what he likes, and _you_ trust him." o'brien laughed and patted the boy on the shoulder. "this thing is getting on your nerves," he said soothingly. "however, come back and have another look at your two friends." "no," said lawrence. "you go back, and i will wait outside, and when they come out i shall follow them. they don't know that we came together. we didn't talk much and they will just think i met you in the theatre." "have it your own way," said o'brien. "i will say the remarks were suspicious enough, but i tell you, man, i know that fellow." "all right," said lawrence doggedly. "i mean to know him, too, before i get through with him. i have not seen him at the field since i came. where does he keep himself?" "dunno," said o'brien. "i will find out." he went back into the theatre and sat down. as soon as the curtain went down on the next act, he turned and spoke to the big man. "are you working at the field yet, brown?" "no, i quit a week ago," said brown, leaning forward. "i couldn't stand the foreman they have out there. a mean, suspicious lunkhead, always snooping around and giving orders." he laughed uneasily. "so i quit." "out of a job, are you?" said o'brien. "yes, i am," said brown. "well, i don't blame you much," said o'brien. "that foreman is a disagreeable cuss. if i can help you any way, let me know." "thanks," from brown. "i am thinking some of going away. if i stay here i will let you know." "do!" urged o'brien. "i wouldn't like to miss seein' you." the next act came on, and o'brien turned to the stage. he missed seeing the glance that passed from one man to the other, and chuckled as he thought of the fancy lawrence had had. when the show was over, the two men walked down toward the cafés, and o'brien was amused to see the slight figure of lawrence sliding along after them. his collar was turned up, and his soft hat had disappeared. in its place was a plaid cap. "detective stuff!" laughed o'brien. "the kid is having the time of his life. but it does seem queer. however, there's no distress about the affair so long as i can see. we wait our chance, and off we go with our precious bundles when they are not looking. it is too simple to be funny. they have overstepped with their slugging mr. ridgeway and cutting up our dirigible. they can't hurt us now. forewarned is forearmed." he strolled along until he came to the willard, where he went in and approaching the news stand commenced to look for a magazine that was adventurous enough to suit his fancy. as he stooped, the man beside him let a cigarette fall from his hand. someone had jostled him. it dropped directly under o'brien's eyes, and gleaming up at him he saw the intricate gold monogram of smith's cigarette. before he could straighten up and face the man, a foot was planted on the cigarette and he rose to see no one but an old gentleman beside him smoking a fat black havana. it was certainly not smith. besides, a voice loudly proclaimed the old gentleman as "hemmingway, old boy," and o'brien, furious with his luck, hung around the lobby for hours, hoping for another chance to see the expensive monogram and delicate cork tip. after awhile he gave up and went back to the apartment that he now shared with lawrence. the boy was there before him, walking the floor in a great state of excitement. "well, o'brien," he burst out, "i ran them down!" chapter vii in a wild rush of words lawrence told what he had discovered. o'brien listened closely and at the end of the account nodded his head. "you have 'em pickled this time, me jool," he said. "it is damnation enough if they so much as live in that place you're mentionin'. i know the local cutthroats and pipemen, while every son of ham that walks there has a razor ready for use, right in his closed fist. i'm that glad you came out with a whole skin. now don't talk; lave me think." he filled a pipe and slowly drawing on it, sat with his eyes fixed on a corner of the room, a look of abstraction on his usually jolly face. at last he spoke. "here's how i dope it. it's plain mr. ridgeway has picked you on your recommendations to drive that dirigible. all right. tomorrow you go to mr. ridgeway as his guest or long-lost nephew or what not. anyhow, you _stay right in his house_ as his guest. there's that much less chance of losin' you if they get on to who you are. and it's a slick crowd we are buttin' in on. when it comes time for you to start with your silly little papers and your shiny little jewelry wherever they belong, (and mr. ridgeway will have to tell that,) you can just start on, and o'brien will take the job makin' the other crowd miss their train, as you might say. what's the time o' night?" "twelve thirty," said lawrence. "pretty late," replied o'brien, "but let's have a try." he picked up the telephone and almost immediately had mr. ridgeway on the wire. after a moment's talk, he took his hat and told lawrence to follow him. in a taxi, they arrived at mr. ridgeway's house and found that gentleman reading in his room. o'brien outlined his plan. "that is a very good idea," said mr. ridgeway. "of course if this was merely an affair of those crown jewels, it would be easy to outwit our friends but those jewels mean little or nothing to the man who calls himself smith. what he wants are the papers. either he, or someone back of him, is staging a little revolution, i think, and the papers are their most important weapon. who is smith? can't you make a guess, o'brien?" o'brien shook his head. "i can't, sir," he said regretfully. "all i want is some good-luck fairy to point him out to me." "you will find him, never fear," said mr. ridgeway. "you have done too many clever jobs for me to feel worried about this one. well, lawrence, i will be glad to have you here with me. when will you come?" "he is here now," laughed o'brien. "i take no more chances. i'm like yourself, sir; i'm thinkin' that the matter of these papers is an affair of nations." mr. ridgeway looked grave. "i can only say that the safe transfer of those papers is all that can possibly keep this country out of another war as destructive and as deadly as the last. they have clever spies, and the only thing they have not surmised, guessed at, or proved about this journey is the identity of the pilot. as i said at the first, lawrence is protected by his youth." the great man sighed. "lawrence, i wish you were my son!" he said. "a nice kid," commended o'brien with a twinkle. "but hard to manage, sir, and tellin' too little." for four days lawrence was a guest in the big house, spending most of the time with his host and growing more and more devoted to the kindly, shrewd man. he often repeated his regret that there was no son to carry on his name, and one night in a confidential mood told lawrence that there had been two little boys. "but we lost them both when they were scarcely more than babies," he said brokenly. "i cannot talk about it." he stopped and lawrence, respecting his grief, turned away, not daring to offer the sympathy and affection he felt. the subject was never referred to again, but now lawrence knew the pathetic meaning of the two small, beautiful faces which had been rendered in glass and which formed the central medallion in a great stained glass window in the library. near it, on the wall, was a portrait of mrs. ridgeway, painted only the year before. it was a most gracious figure, with a sweet, beautiful, appealing face, full of sorrow bravely concealed. it held a strange fascination for lawrence, who found himself looking at it by the hour. mr. ridgeway never spoke of the picture, although lawrence knew that no two people ever loved each other better than the great man and his beautiful wife. that she had been sent away to avoid possible harm was clear to lawrence, and he felt that mr. ridgeway was very lonely. lawrence tried to show him all the little attentions that he could think of, and it pleased him to see how eagerly mr. ridgeway accepted them. only once in awhile a sigh told the boy that the big heart still mourned for the two little fellows who had met an untimely death so long ago. but no further word was spoken on the subject. the fifth day of lawrence's visit fell on tuesday. he took his bath and hurriedly dressing, went down the broad stairs three steps at a time. for the cleverest sky pilot in the world was hungry just as though he had been an ordinary boy with no thought above the saturday football game or a coming exam. he fell upon the delicious breakfast with an amount of energy that made mr. ridgeway smile with pleasure. "i want you to eat a good big breakfast, old man," he said. "i want you to take me for a spin in the air after while." "that's good," said lawrence. "if i don't fly more than i am doing now, i will have to give up my license and take a job as instructor somewhere. i am getting all out of practice." "you can have some practice today," said mr. ridgeway. he went from the breakfast table to the telephone, and immediately they hurried out to the aviation field in mr. ridgeway's runabout. there the first person who met them was o'brien, all in leather, with his goggles in his hand. "your things are in the locker room," he said to lawrence. "get into them quickly. mr. ridgeway is plannin' quite a little trip for you." ten minutes later, they embarked in one of the larger planes, and went sailing off, o'brien at the wheel, cutting a straight course toward the east. in a wild rush of speed, reeling league after league of sky behind them, they reached the atlantic coast and, swerving, made for the desolate reaches of barnegat. lawrence, to whom this was new territory, watched everything with the greatest interest. the tide was out, and just below the inlet a half-mile stretch of beach, hard and firm, afforded a wonderful landing. o'brien dropped brilliantly, and leaving the plane, they walked back until they came to the hangar where the new dirigible was housed. lawrence gave a quick sigh of delight when he saw the balloon. he had never seen anything so clean-lined and so sporty looking as the new model. for it was absolutely the latest thing in construction, and lawrence longed to get his hand on the steering gear. "what do you think of that?" asked o'brien as mr. ridgeway went outside with one of the men, who seemed to be in charge. "i never saw anything so fine!" declared lawrence. "i never saw anything just like it. even the new models in the pictures in the trade journals are not as good in outline, and do not look as light in construction." "they are not," said o'brien. "this is the first time i have seen this but i know it was designed for mr. ridgeway." "what is its fuel?" asked lawrence. "hyolax," said o'brien. "in a year no gasoline will be used except for old type autos and farm trucks. i tell you hyolax is some bird when it comes to power!" "i wonder if i will have any trouble managing it," said lawrence dubiously. "i ought to try it out, seems to me." "that is what we came for," said o'brien. "i have an idea you are going across very soon. and mr. ridgeway wanted to let you have one chance anyhow to get used to this type of dirigible. as far as hyolax goes, it works exactly like gasoline except that it is about twenty times more concentrated and its driving power is much greater. you will be crazy over it." a few minutes later the big dirigible, manoeuvered into the open, rose lazily from the sand and in obedience to a command from mr. ridgeway, they turned out to sea. for the next two hours, high above the tossing waves, lawrence manoeuvered the balloon, learning its tricks as a good horseman learns the whims of a favorite steed. lawrence was crazy over it, as o'brien had said, and the two older men, mr. ridgeway and o'brien, as well as the two mechanicians who accompanied them, were astounded by the delicate perceptions and skillful handling that the boy pilot gave the balloon. when at last they had, as o'brien expressed it, "put the tube to bed" and had once more mounted in the invisible roads of the air, lawrence was at the wheel of the plane, and bad work he made of it for the first ten minutes. it was like driving a flivver after a twelve-cylinder touring car. the plane wobbled and shifted until he hit his stroke again. reaching the home field, lawrence silently hopped out of the plane and followed mr. ridgeway and o'brien into the auto. he was very still all the way home. the day was gone, and dinner was served soon after their return. then mr. ridgeway sat frowning, and presently leaned forward to say: "i will have to have a talk with you both, and on my life i don't know where we will be safe. i am afraid everywhere." "right you are!" said o'brien. "but i have just the place. a brother of mine has a drug store over on h street. there is a basement where he keeps his surplus stock. the stairs is at the right of the store as you go in, away back behind the screen where they dodge to make you up tonic pills out of newspaper and sugar. "i will go ahead, and tip me brother off, and then you come along wan at a time, and when you go in hold on to the left lapel of your coats so he'll know you and go right back to the stairs and down 'em. i will have chairs ready." the plan worked, and mr. ridgeway and lawrence wandered through the small drug store and down the concealed stairs, to find o'brien ready with three soap boxes for seats. four walls, covered with rows of bottles of all sizes under the sun, comprised the furnishings. as o'brien said, there was not room enough anywhere for a kitten to hide. there was a door at the top of the stairs, and this o'brien closed and locked. another door at the bottom he also closed, then turned expectantly to mr. ridgeway. that gentleman smiled. "now then," he said, "it is time for me to show you all the cards. you know, o'brien, who this smith is?" "the most dangerous scoundrel in europe, and the slickest knave that ever planned the downfall of his own country to satisfy his own miserable ambition. that much and more i know, but try as i may i can't get my eyes on him, nor yet my hands." "he is slick all right," agreed mr. ridgeway. "but thanks to this extra dirigible and the place at barnegat, we will elude him. that is all i want now. after we are off, o'brien, start something that will bring that gang inside the law, and arrest the whole bunch on suspicion or what not. anything to keep them from doing any mischief." "but mr. ridgeway, sir, it is now, _now_ while you are here that they are dangerous." mr. ridgeway shook his head. "unfortunately not." he took a paper out of his pocket and handed it over to o'brien. lawrence looked over his shoulder and slowly spelled out the words of a curiously printed anonymous letter. it was written on heavy wrapping paper, and read: "this is not a threat. it is simply to tell you what will happen. if the crown jewels that are lying in the treasury building and the papers intended for a certain republic are taken out of this country, that day, mind you, the president of the united states will forfeit his life and so will you. you will remember this, because it is the truth. make no mistakes." o'brien whistled. "so _that's_ your little scheme, is it?" he pondered. "of course it will be easy to take care of the president," he said. "and you will be safe up in the air, but no one knows what else they will do. i think it's up to o'brien to get after them. well, thanks to this lad, i know where to find most of the gang. when do you start?" "i want to go tomorrow," said mr. ridgeway. "you see we have really two journeys to make; two errands to accomplish, and the sooner we do accomplish them, the better it will be. i will go from here to the white house and have my papers put in order, and have the custodian of the jewels ready with them tomorrow morning." "do you specially mind when you start?" asked o'brien. "i wish you could set the time for evening. i want a whole day to get hold of my little family party. even if i start tonight, it may take me that long." "not at all; not at all!" said mr. ridgeway. "it makes no difference, only you can see by this letter that those miscreants must be locked up." "i will attend to that if i have to have a fight with them myself," said o'brien. "then let us be going," said mr. ridgeway. "lawrence, do you want to come down as far as pennsylvania avenue and keep the car there for me?" "yes, indeed," said lawrence. when mr. ridgeway left the car a safe distance up the broad glittering avenue, lawrence settled back and proceeded to enjoy himself. one of the most beautiful thoroughfares in the world stretched before him, and along it went representatives of every country and clime. he was intent on the pageant when a whining voice at his elbow recalled him to the present. a beggar, ragged, blear eyed, and out of place in the dazzling cleanness of the avenue, had shuffled up to the curb and was begging. as lawrence looked at the man, some strange picture in his brain, long forgotten and hideous, suddenly sprang into view. where had he ever seen the face before him? where had he heard that peculiar, deep, grating voice? as he stared, the man looked him straight in the face for a minute and lawrence saw a deep, three-cornered scar on the man's chin. on the spur of the moment he leaned down, and said: "moll certainly soaked you a good one, didn't she?" at the same time pointing to the scar. the man leaped back with an oath. "who are you?" he demanded, and then, "moll's dead," he added. "i know," said lawrence. "who are you?" repeated the man. "snooks," said lawrence. "dressed like that, sittin' in an auto?" cried the beggar. "you must 'a' found your folks!" "no; i am driving for the man who owns this car," said lawrence, his sense of caution keeping back the facts of the case. "i never found my folks." "you want to advertise," said the man. "tell you all i know about 'em for a dollar. thanks! see that there moll, she read about gettin' ransoms for folks and she hired out for nursemaid. i never knew who to. she didn't trust me, an' me married to her lawful! but one day 'bout sundown she sneaked in with two kids dressed dandy. and i ast her what was it she had, and she said, 'oh, about two hundred thousand dollars.' i didn't like it, an' i said so, so she got mad and walked off with the two little beggars down toward the river. "she told me afterwards. she took off the little fellers' shoes and stockin's. it was ragin' hot, mid-summer; and she laid them on the bank with her own hat and their little bunnits, and then she let 'em paddle. they just could walk. how she told it, she just turned round, and there was one of 'em out in the current a-sinkin', and the other rollin' down the bank. she grabbed him, but the other had went; and she was so scared she comes runnin' home and there we was with another kid, which was you. moll didn't go away nor nothin', but we kep' close about it, because it might 'a' meant the chair. they found the bunnits, and nex' day or so they got the other kid's body. and the papers said moll and the two kids was all drownded. but you wasn't drownded. and moll used to say that woman in the pitcher moll had in her bag would've gave a million dollars to get a track of you, but we didn't darst do a thing. besides," said the man, "there's a plenty of kids!" "can't you remember the name of the people?" asked lawrence anxiously. with a look of sly cunning, the man shook his head. "no, i don't remember. they don't want you by now, and you are all right. let sleepin' dogs lay is my motter. i ain't goin' to put my head in no noose to oblige anybody. what they ever done for me, i say?" "i won't tell on you," begged lawrence. the man looked around, then as he saw a procession of some sort moving gaily up the avenue, he said, "no, you don't get no chance. you are doin' well. let sleepin' dogs lay," and dodged quickly across the line of the procession and was lost to sight, just a miserable human fragment on the tide of humanity. lawrence, his brain whirling, pressed a hand over the pocket containing the photograph. "oh, pretty, pretty!" he said in a whisper. "are you my mother, dear?" chapter viii an hour passed, during which a whirling horde of hopes, ambitions and anticipations, not unmixed with fears, passed through lawrence's mind. there was so much to hope for; so little to build on. it had been a long while since the day when moll went down to the river with the two little children, the hapless babies whose tender little feet had been so rudely torn from the pleasant paths that fate had set for them. lawrence thought sadly of the little brother who had gone down in the sly and ruthless current of the ohio river. at first he could scarcely wait to share his news with mr. ridgeway; then the habits of a lifetime of self-dependence commenced to assert themselves. mr. ridgeway was involved in an adventure that might turn out to have a serious, indeed possibly a fatal outcome. lawrence smiled. the knowledge that had come to him in such a strange and unexpected way seemed of more importance than all the crown jewels in the world. jewels!... why, he had a chance at last for a name, for a home, for people of his own! the thought made him dizzier than any flight through the uncharted upper reaches of endless ether. yet after all, the affair did not touch his new employer and friend, and lawrence doubted the wisdom of bothering him about it. it would be better, he finally decided, to wait until the job was over, and then hurry back to louisville. it would be easy enough to find out from the records or old files of the papers when two little children and their nurse had been drowned. that was all that he needed to know. it made him wild to think that he had lived so many years, poor, cast-off, lonely, in the same city with his own people. that they might have left louisville did not occur to lawrence. he imagined them still there, still sadly and tenderly grieving for the lost babies. yes, he would wait! he would see the thing through himself. then he would return to mr. ridgeway and tell him the glad news. perhaps his mother and father would accompany him. but like a cloud came the thought, suppose in all the passing years death had overtaken father or mother, perhaps both? lawrence could scarcely endure the thought, and put it from him with a determined effort to let nothing mar his happiness. but all the more he decided he would keep it all locked in his own breast until the present task was well accomplished. he felt tenderly of the flat square in his pocket, the outline of the case holding the photograph. a warmth seemed to spread from it. no, she at least--mother, sister, some one, the owner of that loving and beautiful face--was waiting for him. on earth, living, he felt that some day he should greet her. he patted the case. "oh, who are you, dear?" he whispered. mr. ridgeway came rushing up and jumped into the machine. "it is all set now!" he exclaimed. "everything ready! everything arranged! i have just sent one of the white house messengers with instructions to o'brien. the man will return to my private secretary with o'brien's personal receipt. i have also sent a telegram to the man in charge at barnegat. i want you to drop me at the house and take the car up to your apartment. have you a suitcase? pack in it just what you will need while we are in the dirigible. when we get across, we will buy everything we need in the way of clothes. as soon as you get your things packed, come back and join me. we will spend the night quietly at home, and about four o'clock tomorrow morning we will go to the field, stuff the suitcases in one of the airplanes, and sail down to barnegat. at dawn, o'brien is to make a fuss around the field, and will start off with the dirigible that is there. if any chasing is to be done, those scoundrels will chase _him_. he is to have a good crew with him and is to follow our general direction but keep out of sight of us. we can pick him up by wireless any time. i don't believe there is a flaw in the whole thing!" lawrence agreed to this, and dropping mr. ridgeway went on to his apartment, where it took him about five minutes to pack. he was back at the house in no time, and soon in bed. little did either of them dream of the adventures befalling o'brien. o'brien, having read the letter of instructions from mr. ridgeway, buttoned the letter in an inside pocket. he then changed his coat and putting on a cap, took a car and went within walking distance of the disreputable flat building which housed the gang. o'brien was going to pin all his hopes on what he would find in their rooms. he had changed his coat and had slung a small packet over his shoulder. o'brien was now a plumber! he entered the flat whistling, walked up an interminable number of stairs to the top floor, where lawrence had tracked the two men. here the whistling which had grown very low ceased entirely as o'brien, putting an ear to the door, listened for sounds from within. hearing nothing, he resumed the whistle and rapped gaily on the panel. there was no response and o'brien repeated the knock. it was not late, but he feared that one or more of the gang might have taken that night of all nights to get some sleep. the silence continuing, o'brien cast a keen glance around the small and sordid hallway. once more o'brien turned his attention to the door. he slipped a skeleton key from his pocket and noiselessly tried it. the door opened under his touch. o'brien's manner changed. he was no longer the merry-eyed plumber, whistling as he came in a hurry call to tighten a leaky gas jet that threatened to snuff out some worthy without whom the country could doubtless stagger along. he became keen eyed and cat like. slipping in, he closed and locked the door. the room in which he stood had a ceiling cut into many angles and irregularities, and the front part of it was the inside of a tower or turret which formed the top ornamentation of the building. this part of the room alone had a flat ceiling, and in the center of it was something that looked like a small trap door. that too looked unused. in the back part of the room was a door leading into a back room. out of this still another door opened into a dark passageway, and there was a steep flight of stairs. at the sight of the stairs o'brien nodded. he meant to use those himself if he happened to be surprised while on his tour of inspection. he commenced to be sorry that he had not brought another detective with him. but hurrying back to the front room he commenced a careful search for the papers he was hoping to discover. there were but few places to put anything, and o'brien's hopes went steadily down as he looked. all over the wall loose plaster hung or crumbled off as he brushed against it. he finished with the front room and went carefully over the back room, where two cots and a deal table comprised the furnishings. on the floor beside one of the cots stood a bottle almost full, and an empty glass. o'brien picked up the bottle and smelled of it. "the proper stuff for a nightcap," he said to himself and taking a small bottle out of his pocket, shook the contents into the larger bottle. "a druggist for a brother is a handy thing," he chuckled as he returned to the front room. he stood irresolute for a moment, then looked up at the small square trap above him. a rickety table stood near one of the windows, and setting it under the trap he leaped lightly to its soiled top. the ceiling was very high, but he managed to reach up and shove the trap aside, and catching the ledge swung himself up. o'brien was no fairy, and it was a tight squeeze, but he wriggled through with no greater damage than a torn coat and a barked knuckle. using his flashlight, he saw that he was in a small circular space about twelve feet across. the top was cone shape, and there was no floor. dust lay inches deep on the rafters where he sat uncomfortably. then he saw something that caused his heart to leap delightedly. directly beside him, tied with a cord and covered with broken seals, lay a packet of papers. o'brien knew that his hunt had not been in vain. buttoning the papers carefully inside his coat, he put a leg down through the trap when a sound below caused him to drag it quickly back and clap the trap over in its place. a key grated in the lock. someone was coming. "an all night job for me!" sighed o'brien, then remembered with a gleam of hope the powder he had added to the contents of the bottle. changing his position, he stretched himself along a rafter, nearly losing his balance as he did so. but he managed to save himself from bursting through the plaster, although he heard it crack beneath the foot that had pressed on it for a moment. "who left the gas on?" said someone with an oath. o'brien recognized the gruff voice of brown. "search me!" someone else answered, and another hastened to clear himself of the charge. "it must have been john," said brown. "where is he? i thought he was right on our heels. he is no good at all. wish someone would croak him!" he slammed the door, and came over to the table under the trap. a moment later one of the other men came into o'brien's narrow range of vision, carrying the bottle and glass. he set it on the table, and looked at brown. "leave it there for awhile. there is none too much in it. if smith comes he will want most of it." o'brien's heart leaped. so they were expecting smith! this was almost too good to be true. he grinned. he prayed that smith _would_ want most of it. the fourth man came, but no one thought to ask him about the gas. chairs creaked and the cheap cots groaned and squeaked as the men flung themselves down to rest. at the table, brown, who was the only one within o'brien's line of vision, took out a pencil and commenced to jot down something on a piece of paper. no one said anything. o'brien sensed discord in the air, and a tense nervousness. it was clear from the very atmosphere that the four cutthroats hated each other cordially. almost an hour passed. someone snored. then a gentle tap sounded on the door, the sleeper awoke with a snort, someone opened the door, and there was a low murmur of greetings. the mysterious mr. smith came over to the table and took brown's chair. as he looked down o'brien nearly groaned. a broad brimmed fedora was drawn down over the man's face, and o'brien was unable to see a feature of the arch-plotter. but at least he could hear him talk. it was evident that smith was in a bad humor. "well, what have you to tell me?" he demanded in the silky, smooth tones that had irritated lawrence. "nothing," said brown. "won't you have a drink?" "not yet, thank you," answered smith politely. "afterwards, perhaps. where do you get this?" "downstairs," said brown, who seemed to be the spokesman. "well, _i_ have news and plenty of it," said smith. "not much longer will we have to eat our hearts out here. in an hour, two hours, i shall give you the best of news. yes, indeed!" he nodded. "but first there is something for you to do, you over there, and you, brown. i will sit here, perhaps comforting myself with this friendly bottle, while you take a taxi and bring o'brien here." "bring o'brien?" cried brown. the fedora nodded. "just that!" "why, he won't come! where is he?" asked brown. "either at the ridgeway place or his own apartment. oh, i have it all clear now, and o'brien is in the thick of it. he is what you call the solution. he knows all. he is going to be made to tell. won't come? of _course_ he will come! that is what you are for, brown. a messenger from the white house gave him a letter tonight. go and bring him here." "he won't come easy," growled brown. smith was angry. he brought his fist down on the table with a bang. "bring him if you have to carry him!" he said in a low, hissing tone. and o'brien, listening, knew why lawrence had called him the rattlesnake. then with a muttered curse smith swept off his broad hat, and flinging it across the room, leaned back in his chair. looking down full in the upturned face, o'brien involuntarily gave a violent start. instantly there was a crackle and a piece of plaster half the size of the turret came down with a crash. it missed hitting smith by a hair and surrounded him with a cloud of dust, but he did not start. instead, with the quickness of light, he flashed an automatic from his pocket, and covered the leg he saw lying along the beam above him. then getting the direction of a man's body as the dust cleared, he aimed full at o'brien's body and drawled, "come down!" "sure!" said o'brien obligingly. "the jig bein' up, i will that!" he pushed the useless trap aside and swung down to the table, someone snatching off the bottle and glass as he did so. they did not even make a move to seize him. the odds were too great in their favor. he jumped off the table and stood looking at the group of astonished villains, then his eyes turned back to smith and sneered. "i will say i never suspected _you_!" he said. "of all the double-faced, low, lyin', sneakin' scoundrels, you are the worst!" "don't make your end harder than it needs to be," warned the man smith. "keep a civil tongue in your head and hand over your revolver. search him, but don't kill him," he added, as o'brien struck out fiercely at the first man who moved toward him. someone in the rear flung a rope over his head and instantly his ankles were bound and a gag inserted between his lips. o'brien realized that a struggle was worse than useless. he saw them take away the papers he had found up in the ceiling, and a moment later from the inner pocket came the precious letter from mr. ridgeway. o'brien bitterly reflected that he should have destroyed it. smith read his thought and laughed. "never, never carry important documents around with you," he said as he opened it and read the clear, concise instructions. nodding, he placed it in his pocket. "well, brown, it wasn't so hard to get him here, was it? is he securely tied?" he glanced at his watch. "it is all clear now," he said. "their dirigible is at barnegat inlet. it is not the one you have been looking after at all, brown. they start tomorrow night with the papers and jewels, and o'brien here is supposed to follow in the other dirigible. this he will use as a decoy, if we follow him. (it is too bad, o'brien; too bad to spoil your fun!) then if he succeeds in shaking us, he will follow them and pick them up soon as possible. so he will be able to see the finish; be in at the death, as they say. you will be _that_ all right, o'brien!" he laughed a chill laugh: the rattles again, and pulled out a cigarette which he lighted. o'brien, watching, all at once recognized the brand and the monogram. but it was _not_ an s. "i am going now, to see that everything is ready for our flight. we will follow the dirigible straight out to sea, and----" "he hears, excellency," said brown. the word excellency went unrebuked. "yes, he hears now, but it does not matter," said smith. he went on talking. "we will follow the dirigible straight out to sea, and when we get close enough to the other side, just there where the white cliffs show up, we will begin shooting. there will be a fishing boat below filled with our men. we will get the telling shots before they doubt that o'brien follows. that will be about all, except the division of the treasure." "what are we going to do with o'brien?" asked brown. "oh, _him_," said smith as though he had forgotten. "oh, yes, to be sure." he opened the cigarette case, and from a slot in one side took out a hypodermic needle which he filled from a tiny vial. "shooting is too noisy," he said as he bent over his infernal little contraption. "and knifing is very untidy. even here in this hole it won't do. brown, you will come with me. go at once to the hangar and see that the dirigible is in order, then keep out of sight. we have plenty of time. you three others, listen to me. all your safety and the jewels themselves hinge on your obedience." he laid the hypodermic needle on the table, padding it round with his own handkerchief. "now listen. you will be interested too, o'brien. i want plenty of time for an alibi, but not too much time. i want to start at dawn instead of tomorrow night, as dear mr. o'brien planned. it is now twelve o'clock. how the hours do fly when we are in pleasant company! at exactly three one of you will administer this little dose in the left forearm. very soon the patient will show every sign of extreme intoxication, and you will then take off his bonds, hurry him downstairs and out into the street. go around the block and into the alley. by that time you can ease him gently to the ground and leave him. empty that bottle and put it in his pocket." "he will yell," said one of the men. "not a sound!" the fiend said smoothly. "the first action of this admirable dose is complete paralysis of the vocal chords and the tongue. really, o'brien, it might be worse. it would be if i did not feel that caution is most necessary. there is no pain until the last. only about half an hour, o'brien. sorry to cut you off, man, but you should not have chosen such a profession." he turned to brown. "come on!" he said, then as an afterthought to the three assassins, "don't drink any of that stuff. you want all the wits you have. good-bye, o'brien!" chapter ix as smith and brown closed the door gently behind them, the four men listened to the receding footsteps, then the three turned with one impulse and stared at the man lying bound and gagged on the cot. although they studied him curiously, they found not a sign of flinching or of fear in the bright, steady eyes that looked at them over the bandage. instead, he wriggled his shoulders in a derisive way. "i must say," said the man who had lost at cards, "this job is not at all to my taste. i have killed before, but to bump a man off in cold blood and sit around waiting for it to come three o'clock to do it, i don't relish!" "no other way out," said the short man. "smith fixed that when he told him everything he knew. now we can't let him go and save our own skins. he is too wise. i don't care, anyhow. let him pass along! what's it to us?" he stared insolently at o'brien, and the eyes smiled at him. the third man, who had not spoken, shivered a little. "let's have a drink," he suggested, going over to the table. the fallen plaster puffed up under his feet as he went. "you know mr. smith forbade it," said one of the others. "i don't care!" said the first speaker. "how is he to know whether we have a drink or not? he was afraid of us getting full." he held up the bottle. "there is only enough for three good drinks in there, and i am cold." again he looked at o'brien and shivered. it was evident that the job of killing did not appeal to his taste. o'brien held his eyes with a wild, revengeful look. then again he moved his shoulders. "what's the matter with him?" demanded the man. "do you want to talk?" "don't ungag him," said the one they called john hastily. "one yip, and somebody would be up here." "that's not what he wants," said the other, watching o'brien. "the rope hurts him." "what if it does?" demanded john. "it won't hurt him any after three o'clock. leave him alone!" "i am going to loosen that rope," said the other. "if _i_ was going to die at three i would just as soon take a little comfort while i waited." "well, don't take the gag out," counseled john. "here, i will fix him." he loosened the cord that held o'brien's hands tightly bound behind his back, bent them in front of him and fastened them in such a way that they were free unless he tried to reach his face. he could not quite touch the gag. "come on, let's have a drink," said the man who had advised it before. "you heard!" warned john. "i don't care _what_ i heard!" said the man, almost whining. "i want a drink and i am going to _have_ a drink! didn't smith tell us to put the empty bottle in his pocket?" he uncorked the bottle and gave it a little shake. the fumes were strong. o'brien, hoping, praying, watching, could see that the men, used to stiffening their grit with liquor, smelled the fiery stuff and weakened. hoping, praying, watching, yet seemingly with nothing in his eyes but apprehension, o'brien watched the three draw up to the table and commence to smoke. in the center between them the bottle sat, its cork out and the empty glass beside it. "well, if you are going to disobey orders," said john suddenly, "it is as well that we should be on the same boat. are there any more glasses?" "on the shelf there," replied another man, pointing. he grinned happily. "smith is a fool. a glass apiece couldn't hurt a flea. not a flea! and i am cold. i say we give him a little too." he nodded toward o'brien. o'brien turned chilly himself. with his life hanging on the merest thread, he did not want to get a dose of drugged whiskey! but he nodded his head violently, and looked as wistful as he could. "there is not enough for four," said john coldly. "perhaps where he is going there will be a drink ready for him." he set the grimy glasses in a row and with great care poured out a portion for each. the division filled the glasses pretty well, and o'brien wondered if there would be _four_ dead men before the night ended. one of the men looked at his watch. "two o'clock," he said. "what's the use of waiting? let's give him the shot and take him down. i want to go to bed." "_bed?_ what are you talking about?" demanded the other. "you have got to catch that four o'clock train for the dirigible." "we have an alarm clock. we can get a little snooze. that is why i want to get this job done." "that is why smith told you to wait 'til three," said john. "come, take your drink and have a smoke, and then it will soon be time to put our guest on his homeward way." he laughed evilly and lifted his glass. o'brien noted with delight that his was the largest share. drops of perspiration stood like beads on o'brien's forehead as he lay there bound and gagged, waiting to see if the powder in the whiskey was going to work. what if it should taste and rouse suspicion in the breasts of the three villains? but the three drank down their several potions without a blink. they did not follow it with water, but let the fiery liquid run down their leathern throats as though it was milk. then filling their pipes, they settled back in their chairs to await the hour set for o'brien's death. for fifteen minutes they talked and laughed and quarrelled about the exact time of administering the poison. but john stood firm. smith had said three o'clock, and not one moment earlier would he hear to. he yawned as he spoke, and yawns from the others answered him. suddenly he looked up with a queer look of surprise on his face. "i feel funny," he said. "funny!" the others sat staring at him. john tipped forward in his chair. the others, still staring, slid backward and at once, it seemed, three heavy bodies swayed in their seats and slid to the floor. for a few moments the air seemed full of the sound of breathing rough and irregular; then slowly the breathing grew slower, deeper and more regular. it sounded like three great animals breathing together. they lay almost as they had fallen. painfully o'brien raised himself to his elbow. he sat up. he could do no more as his feet were bound together. after a moment's thought, he lay back across the cot and commenced to slide toward the front edge. when his body was well off the edge he stiffened his neck and, carefully sliding along, went to the floor without a thump. sitting there, he wondered what he would do next. if there was one thing he wanted, it was to avoid making a noise that might alarm the people who were cheerfully quarreling in the flat below. not yet was his own head out of the noose, and he wanted to get help so that he could have the three unconscious men arrested. but there he was, still bound and, worse still, gagged! at any moment smith might return to see that his orders were being carried out. o'brien knew smith too well to hope that he would leave anything as important as his, o'brien's, execution to an underling. haste was of the greatest importance. o'brien knew that his life would not be worth a penny if smith should drop in on the group now assembled on the floor. but o'brien's arms were bound at the elbows and the gag covered all of his face except the twinkling eyes. suddenly he had a thought. beside john on the floor lay a box of safety matches where they had dropped when the owner fell from his chair. reaching them with a series of wriggles, he succeeded in getting a match in his hand and striking it on the box. as the match flared up, he bent far back and held the flame close to the rope that bound his ankles and legs. twisting his head painfully around, he saw that the scheme was working. the little flame for a moment bit into the strands of the rope. another and another o'brien lighted and carefully guided to the rope. once in awhile the match went out, and as o'brien saw the supply giving out, his anxiety became more intense. time was flying. it was almost three o'clock. there were still three matches. in the silence the breathing of the three men sounded loud and ominous. two matches burned out. for the twentieth time o'brien strained at his bonds. he lighted the last match, held it close to the rope until it burned his fingers. then he strained on the rope. alas, it did not give! he jerked and twisted, and it seemed as though he could feel the fibres giving, yet they held. as he paused to rest, he saw a single match still clasped in john's fingers. rolling over and over, with the empty box in his hand, he secured the match, lighted it, and held it carefully to the rope. it singed his ankle and burned his finger. then once more he strained mightily. once, and twice; at the third struggle the rope parted so suddenly that it unwrapped and spun out straight before him. his feet were free! the loosening of the ropes around his ankles loosened one end of the rope that bound his elbows. a series of twists and wriggles and he slipped out of the coils and stood a free man once more. tearing the gag from his mouth, he swallowed, and rubbed his bruised lips. he was free! free! and ten minutes before he had been as good as a dead man, his sentence pronounced, his doom lying on the table. hastily pocketing the hypodermic needle he picked up his hat and hurried out of the back door, locking it as he went. carefully and noiselessly he slipped down the black, narrow stairs, feeling his way and not daring to use his flashlight. every few steps he would stop and listen. he was shaken by the narrow escape he had just had, in spite of his coolness and courage. it was not pleasant to lie bound and gagged with what seemed to be certain death staring him brutally in the face. o'brien was braver than most, but it had shaken him. as he collected himself, he was filled with a cold, still rage: rage against the men lying senseless above him, rage against the arch-plotter who called himself smith. and o'brien, thinking of the man and of the position he had seen him occupying for the past months, grew colder and more furious still. reaching the street, he hurried over to the nearest call box and sent in a demand for a patrol wagon and a half dozen officers. there was a station near, and almost immediately the wagon came tearing up. o'brien was ready for them. three senseless forms were hurriedly bundled into the wagon, a couple of officers were left to watch the entrance of the building, and o'brien, taking a last look at the room to see that it was in the order that it would naturally be left in if the men had accomplished their purpose with him, hurried off. it was four o'clock. o'brien commenced to realize that he was very tired. but his papers had been stolen, and the two most dangerous members of the gang were still at large. a hasty telephone to the house of mr. ridgeway was answered by one of the servants, who said that mr. ridgeway and his guest were not at home. the man could not or would not say more. o'brien called the aviation field and learned from the night watchman that one of the planes was gone. that was all he wanted to know. hurriedly he secured a taxi and broke the speed laws in a mad dash for the field. arousing a couple of the best men, he opened the hangar where the dirigible, once more fit for any flight, swung lazily. the men manoeuvered it into the open, o'brien selected the two whom he wanted, and almost before they realized what they were doing, the big car rose into the inky blackness of the morning sky. o'brien, at the wheel, steered a straight course for the hiding place of the dirigible smith intended to use. there was a glow in the sky as they approached, and as they paused over the field, they looked down on a burning mass of tumbled timbers that had been the hangar. o'brien would have liked to know whether the dirigible had sailed up in the sky or gone up in smoke. he sped on, however, reaching barnegat as the first streaks of day showed in the east. there the hangar doors swung open; the dirigible had gone. o'brien straightened up and gave a quick glance over his big car. he knew that it was in the pink of condition, and his heart was glad, for he knew that the chase was on; a chase possibly to the death. somewhere ahead of him, out over the waste of waters that tossed and tumbled far below, the dirigible carrying mr. ridgeway, lawrence, the state papers and the crown jewels, sailed swiftly. and behind it, instead of the guardian dirigible from their own field and driven by o'brien, another machine followed--a machine its very twin in looks and speed, but bearing a cutthroat crew. o'brien pressed a lever, shoving it far to the front, and the big machine answered with a burst of speed. his men, moving carefully about, were looking over every nut and screw and brake, and finding all in perfect condition. o'brien wondered how much of a start the other cars had. he did not think that he was far behind, so he settled to a good rate, and kept it, as mile after mile was left behind. as the sun came up o'brien was more and more conscious of an intense fatigue. finally deciding that he would be needed most at the close of the race, he called one of his men, and directing him to keep up the speed and the direction indicated, he went back, and lying down on the floor of the tiny cabin went instantly to sleep. his jaw was sore, and every muscle ached. in his sleep he twitched and tossed and muttered so that one of the men covered him with his own sheepskin coat, and at last he quieted down until the lines in his face smoothed out and he relaxed. "it would be worth listening to, to hear what o'brien has been doing these last few hours," said one of the airmen as they watched their chief. "some scrap, i'll bet!" said the other. "see his face? no bruises like a blow, but those two red welts stretching out from each corner of his mouth. i never saw that but once before, and that was on a man who had been gagged all night." "they don't look pretty, do they? i'll bet he has been in some close corner. i'll bet he has been gagged." "well, billy, i bet so too, so there are no takers," said the other airman. "well," said billy, "if i had your pull with o'brien, hank, i would sort of bring the conversation around to scraps and gags and things of that sort when he wakes up, and see what he says." "you don't know o'brien very well, do you, billy?" asked hank. "well, _i_ do, and i can tell you that the first question some gazaboo puts about o'brien's own private affairs, there will be another gagging episode and o'brien won't be the one to worry about who is going to come and untie him. not much!" "oh, i wasn't goin' to _ast_ him anything," said billy hastily. chapter x while o'brien slept and the two airmen speculated about him, far, far ahead two dirigibles flew straight into the rising sun. the first one might have outdistanced the second with the utmost ease. indeed sometimes it was hard for her young pilot to temper his speed to the pace he knew the second balloon could make. the dirigible from barnegat inlet proved to be a wonder. it was a swallow, an arrow, a flash of light, a dream. all these terms and many more passed in turn through the mind of lawrence as he held the wheel and felt the big cylinder respond to the slightest turn. the lighter-than-air machines, while seemingly bulky, have a strange feeling of buoyancy that the planes do not possess. lawrence seemed to partake of this lightness. he was happy beyond words. all was well. in his breast lay his new and wonderful secret. all the anxieties concerning the errand that had sent them overseas were past, with the treasure and the papers safely hidden. just in sight was another dirigible coming on at top speed. lawrence kept it in sight, but was too anxious to proceed to allow the convoy to approach nearer. there was nothing that they wanted to say to o'brien, nothing that he could want of them. in case of accident--well, there were the waterproof suits that were guaranteed to uphold the wearer safely, warm and dry, for forty-eight hours. suits capable of offering a cup of hot chocolate and a biscuit to the fortunate possessor! lawrence almost wished that he could try his out! as for o'brien, he had a wireless which he could use if necessary. in the meantime everything moved smoothly and pleasantly. lawrence, his hand on the pulse of the machine he was guiding, marvelled at the propelling power of the new fuel, hyolax, and rejoiced to think that he had been honored by the position he was occupying. his thoughts turned to mr. ridgeway with gratitude. he hoped his own father would be as pleasant and as good to him. as for mr. ridgeway, for the first time in a good many days he was at ease. it is true that he had been worried at the failure of o'brien to turn up at barnegat but he had appeared so soon after their own start, hustling along dim and mysterious in the early dawn, that mr. ridgeway's last fears were silenced and he felt that the journey could assume the aspect of a pleasure trip, a vacation from care. he settled himself in an easy corner and sat looking out through the clouds that were rising about them from the sea. they were shot with rainbow tints as the rising sun pierced them. mr. ridgeway wished that his wife might see them. he would have much to tell her when he saw her in the old english house where she was staying, utterly unconscious of the fact that her staid husband was literally flying to meet her! not a foreboding crossed his mind. the papers, carefully protected by wrappings of oiled silk, as well as the crown jewels, lay in a cleverly constructed cylinder under his feet. this cylinder was an invention of his own. the size, weight, and shape were exactly identical with the cylinders that held the hyolax. there were ten of these cylinders lying side by side under a close grating that served as floor in that end of the cabin. their polished steel sides gleamed prettily through the slats. they were made especially to fit the under curve of the boat-shaped cabin, and were ample to carry enough hyolax for three oversea trips, but mr. ridgeway wanted no question of insufficient gas to worry him. but the end can held the treasure. with his own hands, under the eye of the keeper at the treasury, he had wrapped the priceless crown jewels in cotton, and had stored them in the big steel shell. their individual boxes, cases, and caskets made of finest leather and carved oak and gold, were returned to the treasury. some other time they could be returned to their anxious royal owner. now the only thing that mattered was the jewels themselves. mr. ridgeway smiled as he thought of the splendid glittering things. never before in the world's history had they been handled by any hands other than those of noblemen and women. and here they were, their only guardian a man of the people, yet safe on their way home to their royal resting place. so mr. ridgeway rested, his eyes on the east and his thoughts far ahead. occasionally talking to lawrence, reading or planning, he spent the daylight hours. behind came what seemed o'brien's car, never gaining, but following steadily. staring steadily at the dirigible ahead, like a snake that fixes its baleful eyes on its prey to hypnotize and devour, smith bent forward, tense and untiring. he had not slept for forty-eight hours, yet his pale eyes were clear and keen, his face, a little pale, was unlined by anxiety. why should he be anxious? all was going well. he knew the very spot off the coast where the white cliffs rose so bleakly, the very place where even now the schooner would be waiting. all he needed was a little patience, just a little. then he would send out the signal for help ... and he knew mr. ridgeway. he would stop to help o'brien, no matter how anxious to make speed on the last lap of the journey across the ocean. there was but one thing, such a _little_ thing, seemingly so unimportant. and this one thing, passing in a whispered conversation between o'brien and lawrence, he did not know. but lawrence remembered and put his knowledge to the test, and the result worried him. again and again he made the manoeuver, so far to the right, back as far to the left, and a spurt ahead, but there was no sign of acknowledgment from the plane following. o'brien could not have forgotten. o'brien never forgot _any_thing. lawrence tried the manoeuver until he was afraid to repeat it, and like a star shell exploding in his brain came the thought, "_that is not o'brien's car!_" he took the glasses and studied the car. he could see by its quick tremor that the engines were being pressed to their utmost in order to keep up with their speedy leader, but otherwise there was nothing to make him think that o'brien was not at the wheel. yet he could not cast out the strange thought, "o'brien is not there!" if not, who was in the car? who was rushing it directly in their aerial wake? he hated to answer that question. surely if it was not o'brien, there was reason for caution. and the only caution that now occurred to lawrence was to keep ahead. also he decided not to say anything about his suspicions to mr. ridgeway until something really serious occurred. and lawrence hoped with all his might and main that his suspicions were all wrong. that seemed more than likely. lawrence knew that his nerves were tuned up to the snapping point. he was suspicious of everything. glancing over his shoulder, he could see mr. ridgeway taking it easy. with an effort of will, lawrence laughed his fears away. yet every little while he looked back at the tiny object following them, and twice lawrence slowed down his powerful engine until the car was in plain sight. the second time he fancied that the other dirigible also slackened speed as though the pilot preferred not to lessen the distance between them. patiently lawrence went through the secret manoeuvers but there was no response. either the car was not o'brien's, or else o'brien was never at the wheel. in either case, lawrence found his anxiety growing. there was no anxiety in the second dirigible. smith was only conscious of a sense of annoyance to think that he was obliged to use the counterpart of o'brien's dirigible instead of his own racing airplane. he felt almost unable to brook the delay of the few hours that must pass before they saw the white cliffs of england. yet he knew that even if he had had the plane it would have been most unwise to attack in mid-ocean, where mr. ridgeway would be forced to sink the papers and gems if the battle reached that end. he had not known mr. ridgeway so long without having to learn that in a question of honor he would sacrifice his life rather than fail in his trust. over and over again he mentally tested out every small detail of his plot. over and over he tried out his plans. there was but one flaw. not one of the three men whom they had expected had appeared to take passage in the dirigible. smith and brown were alone. where had john and the others been sidetracked? not for a second did he doubt that they had obeyed him to the letter concerning o'brien. he chuckled as he thought of o'brien. he was certainly a good man to have out of the way. there was something indeed snaky in the way smith, holding the wheel with sure and practiced hands, allowed himself to dwell on o'brien. how nearly the irishman had come to tricking them all! if the plaster had held ... but it had fallen, and so had o'brien! all was well. somewhere back in washington, in a dark alley, a crumpled, dishevelled figure had already met the eyes of the first passerby. smith chuckled again as he saw it with his mind's eye, and seemed to hear the stranger muttering "drunk!" as he approached the tumbled figure that had been o'brien. then he lazily imagined the change in the man's expression as he stooped curiously over the fallen man and saw in the bruised and soiled face not the sodden look of liquor, but that ominous, austere mask that death and death alone draws over the human countenance. running, stumbling, the passerby would dash for the nearest street, colliding perhaps with a policeman, yawning away the last of his night beat. then the quick return, the tap-tap-tap on the ringing pavement, and soon the rattle and clang of the city ambulance. but not before a crowd had gathered, one of the crowds that gather at any hour from everywhere and nowhere; curious, cold, morbid. and then the hasty shuffle through the fallen man's pockets, and the awestruck whisper between the policemen, "it's--it's o'brien! o'brien, the detective!" then how their manner would change! no common drunk this, lying crumpled in the filthy gutter. o'brien was one of themselves. if it could happen to o'brien, it might happen to one of them. hastily, yet with utmost care, they would hunt for clues, for cuts, for bruises on the dead man, to find nothing, to come up against a blank wall. doctor, lawyer, merchant, or thief, no one could find a mark on o'brien that meant murder. and smith knew they would look for murder. a blank wall! to save their own skins, smith knew that john and the others would leave the hypodermic in an unrecognizable state far away from the scene of the crime. yes, he could trust the three cutthroats he had left behind. smith did not depreciate himself. he knew that he ruled his underlings by fear, a cold loathing that they could not understand or overcome. smith never made the mistake of underpaying his servants, so common to many criminals. no; if possible he always gave them rather more than the shares they expected. so there was in everything he plotted the thrill of big rewards, of big profits. and they always knew that slip one word of rebellion, and for them, no matter where in the whole round world they might hide, sooner or later a shot out of the dark, a drop of poison in their cup would be the finish of the tale! smith kept a clean slate. these thoughts were pleasant ones for smith as he steered his ship through the gentle currents of the upper air. he was glad that o'brien was dead; he was glad that his eye was on the treasure boat ahead; he was not even sorry that the three men had missed their appointment with him. he knew that in an encounter such as lay ahead he and brown would be perfectly capable of sending the dirigible ahead plunging down into the sea. and they would go down easily and quickly because of the fishing schooners that they would take for friends, and so let themselves down to the surface of the sea as soon as they could. smith really was enjoying a very cheerful journey. he kept the wheel until he was tired, then put brown in the pilot's seat, and throwing himself down on a pile of rugs, lay looking up at the sky. evening gathered around them like a cloak, and the stars, large and intimate, commenced to sparkle. he took the wheel long enough for brown to set the lights properly. there were rules of the road even for these wayfarers in the sky--really traffic rules that must be observed. then he once more resigned the wheel to his henchman and went to look at the guns. there were four of them, the latest model, rapid fire, small bore, any one of them throwing a bullet that would pierce a dirigible at the maximum distance of any shooting machine made. they cost a small fortune and had been secured by the syndicate of scoundrels who at that very moment were waiting so anxiously for the papers under mr. ridgeway's feet. smith had personally seen to the mounting of them. solid as the very wood and steel they were screwed to and blocked by, they pushed their wicked thin little noses up as though trying to look through the tarpaulins that covered them. when the dirigible had been anchored in the hangar outside of washington, these guns had been concealed by seats that ran around the swinging cabin. these smith had tossed aside, and they had afterwards been destroyed in the fire that had burned down the hangar. that this fire had occurred and that his own cigarette had started it, smith did not know. once in a while something happened that smith did _not_ know, although he would not have admitted it. having looked the guns over, smith went back to his rugs and, lying down, stared at the sky until sleep overcame him. he could afford to sleep. all was going well. at the wheel, like a big gray wolf, brown sat staring toward his prey through the deepening dusk. he could feel the soft cool shape of countless jewels dripping through his fingers. what did _he_ care if they were stained with blood? brown also wondered a little about john and his friends. he could have told smith that he was not altogether sure of the three precious scoundrels. he did not feel that they were quite as afraid of smith at long range as they were when his pale, baleful eye was fixed on them. brown could have told smith that and more, but one was not invited to exchange confidences with smith. that was his mistake. brown did not doubt the death of o'brien unless something had come up to put the three in danger. he knew that they were first, last and always intent on saving their own necks. brown mistrusted them as much as they mistrusted brown. and that was wholly. yet it was funny they had not showed up when they knew that the jewels were to be secured on that very trip. they would have enjoyed the fight, would have enjoyed the first glance of all the flashing, glowing things in the cabin of the schooner. what indeed would _they_ have cared that the gems were stained with blood? chapter xi in the third dirigible, as the night dropped down the dead awoke! o'brien stirred, rubbing his bruised face and working his stiff jaws. other than the small discomfort of feeling that his countenance had been stepped on, he felt once more like himself, ready for anything. "the top av the night to ye," said o'brien briskly, sitting up. "also mizpah, selah, judah and the rest of them intertainin' east-side sayin's. i never did know was they a t'reat or a promise. back when i was ridin' in the mounted police of upper canada, there was a felly always said ... but that's neither here nor there." he checked himself. o'brien never told stories of the north and its frozen trails although his friends spent hours trying to trick him into some of the hair-raising yarns that they knew he could tell if he only would. but no use. o'brien was silent as the grave. _more_ silent, some of the fellows grumbled. you could dig into a grave. nothing could pry into or dynamite o'brien. "have a good sleep?" asked hank, looking wistfully at o'brien's welted face. "so-so," said o'brien. "i dreamed. and it's no time at all for dreamin'. what's gone on since i slept?" "nothing," bill assured him. "she is sailing as smoothly as a swallow, and the lights ahead are steady." "oh, ye have 'em sighted, have ye? did ye try creepin' up since night fell?" "yes," said bill. "but we are making our best speed, and the balloon ahead is doing its best too. we can tell that through the glass by the way she shivers." "any sign of any other balloon?" asked o'brien, rising and stretching himself. "not a sign!" said hank. "well, what shootin' irons have ye?" demanded o'brien next. he glanced at the two revolvers held out to him. "two dear little pill-boxes, those! carry wan foot. see these?" he opened a case and disclosed four of the new model revolvers that had just been perfected. the design was unique. instead of the steel cartridge clip holding six cartridges as in the old style revolver, the new invention consisted of a light case at the base of the hand grip. this held a coil of cartridges fastened by aluminum clips to a light webbing. this had necessitated the rehanging and rebalancing of the whole revolver, but the perfected weapon proved to be a great improvement on the old gun, and almost "fired itself," o'brien explained. the small, round clip holder at the end of the grip was not at all in the way and was so light that it was not cumbersome. counting the six cartridges that were strung in the grip and the ones lying in the coil, the revolvers held eighteen shots. also a new explosive called "marsden," after its inventor, added a terrific force to the projectile. the barrels, longer than the squat model that had been so long in use, were octagonal. o'brien viewed them with pride. "see me babies?" he purred. "the pretty pets! so neat and dainty and willin'! willin' is no name! i'm not sure you couldn't nick that big sassy star over yonder, so be ye aimed straight. and i'm goin' to trust you with one each. don't be afraid you can't shoot straight after usin' the old model, because ye can. these are hung exactly like the ould guns on that account. the man who invented 'em had a grain of sense. he saw no reason why everybody in the world should have to learn his shootin' all over again, so he balanced this new barrel and modelled the clutch so they would hang the same. all the difference is it's simply a new gun from stem to stern, and marsden is a great felly himself. they do tell of him that when he was tryin' out his new explosive that he planted enough to go on a tin cent piece down a well, and sat a fuse, and now 'tis a bottomless pool with thousands payin' a nickel to just peek over the edge. it is sure wonderful. and no noise! it is going to make scraps like the one i think is ahead both noiseless and orderly." "well, i should say these are beauties," exclaimed hank, bending over the case with respectful tenderness. "beauties; no less!" "you have said the word, me boy," rejoined the detective. "help yerselves to anny you like, they bein' as like as four peas, and pass one on to ollie at the wheel, and tell the lad be careful of it. here's the fourth and lasht for me; and i trust it means the same as a slice of bread." "slice of bread! how's that?" asked hank. "did ye never hear now the great impartance of takin' the lasht slice uf bread on the plate? no? dear, dear, how neglected ye've been! ye've only to take the lasht slice of bread and ye are sure of a handsome wife. it's a thrue sayin' at that, because i could have had a handsome wife--yes, and a dozen of 'em--if only they would have consinted to marry me. it niver, _niver_ fails! i'm a strong belaver in signs. i have missed havin' many and many a million dollars just by neglectin' to say, 'money-money-money-wisht-i-had-a-million-dollars' when i saw a fallin' star. else i'd be rich now!" o'brien sighed and regarded the young men with eyes that twinkled. "just where are we?" he asked after a slight pause. the men told him. "good!" exclaimed o'brien. "dawn or thereabout will see us off the white cliffs of england; and i've not seen ireland for a dozen years. 'twill be a small hop across the continent of europe after we see the cliffs, and then we are due a vacation, i'm thinkin'." all at once o'brien's face changed. "boys, ye see the welts here and here?" he pointed to his face. bill and hank felt a pleasurable shiver travel up and down their spines. "yes," they said together. "good!" said o'brien. "they belong in another story quite. what i am tellin' you is this. i picked you back there because i think you are two bould lads wit' no fear in ye, havin' seen you do stunts of all sorts aloft and below; so if you think i have let you in for danger, take it that it was meant as a true tribute to your manhood." hank and bill did not venture a reply. he was likely to stop right there. but he did not. he pointed out into the darkness of the east. "ahead," he said crisply, "sails the lowest, meanest, cruelest, sneakin' scoundrel that goes unhung! and he is stalkin' the finest, grandest, truest gentleman that ever served his country and his god wit' a whole heart. and here are we. and mr. hamilton ridgeway,--for the first gentleman is him--thinks that it's meself trudgin' along behind. and the saints alone know what the demon in the middle machine thinks of us. does the wireless work?" "perfectly!" answered hank. o'brien frowned. "see that it is tuned up ready for instant use," he ordered. "i don't like to use it unless i am invited, but i've a hunch the man just ahead may want to ask me a question or two. if he calls, don't say a wurrud 'til i can get to the receiver. and keep your guns limber and your hearts willin', because it's the man ahead put me in a most embarrassin' position wit' a gag in me teeth and me arms and legs bound and a dose of poison yearnin' at me on the table. and that no later than lasht night. and bein' where he is, i know he means death and destruction to the finest man and the most promisin' boy in this wurruld. and he's after some written words meant for a dinky little locality across europe which is sittin' up nights waitin' for 'em; likewise there's a quane next door like, who can't go to her son's comin'-out party without her crown jewels, the same which mr. ridgeway is takin' her, her husband havin' placed 'em in our treasury durin' the war and it takin' him five years to get things cleaned up enough to get 'em home again. "and that man ahead has his plans all laid. bein' he thought i was well out of the way, he was careless with his instructions. he has laid the plan for his attack off the cliffs ahead, and i am afraid to have a fuss so far out as this because we are too far out of the track of steamers, should wan of us go down. likewise, mr. ridgeway undoubtedly thinks i am ahead there. i wonder if we could reach him by wireless?" "wouldn't that give the alarm to the man ahead?" asked hank anxiously. "it might," said o'brien. "i don't see what to do but keep watchin' and wait for day. i know mr. ridgeway has a balloon that can make double the speed of either of these boats, and sure he don't want to speak to me. so why should he bother to get in range with that felly? of course he has guns, but how big i dunno. all we can do is watch." hank and bill sat silent, thinking rapidly. they were having thrills enough now. as o'brien went forward to speak to ollie, hank dug a sharp elbow into his mate. "gosh, doesn't some people have all the luck?" he wailed. "gagged and bound and 'most poisoned! all in one night! just like a movie!" bill stared at him disgustedly. "yes, you nut," he retorted, "and suppose he hadn't uv escaped? how would you like _that_?" "but he did," said hank. "some people have _all_ the luck! cousin of mine was in the war, and he got gassed and shell shocked and had five shrapnel wounds, and one of 'em took the top of his head off, so he wears a silver plate and the gassin' took off all his hair so he wears a wig and his face is all smooth and shiny, and he has gold wire on his jaw where a piece of shrapnel broke it." "hully gee!" cried bill. "you don't call that _luck_, do you?" "of course!" maintained hank stoutly. "when anybody asts him, _he_ always has something to talk about." "well, i'll say i will talk about the weather," said bill. "i don't want any conversation whatsoever that has to be made out of pieces of me. i don't mind doing any job like the one we are on, and i was sore because i was too young to get into the war. i wouldn't have been afraid of anything, and you know it, but there's no use inviting trouble by wanting to make conversation out of it. i guess not!" after a little o'brien returned. "it looks like a fog was coming," he remarked. "i wish this english coast would clean up its fogs." "we can get above it, can't we?" asked bill. "not an english fog," said o'brien. "the only place above an english fog is heaven and the only place below it is deeper than i think of travelin'. i do hope we won't have anything like that to bother us." the night dragged along, and the men anxiously watched the banks of vapor rolling around them. o'brien insisted on ollie and hank and bill taking a good nap while he, o'brien, sat motionless at the wheel. he was leaving his next move to fate. just how he should act his part he did not know. as he had told hank and bill, he was sure that the speed of the car leading was the greatest protection that they could have or would need. and he remembered happily that he and lawrence had settled on a signal which he was sure lawrence had since tried out. if lawrence only suspected that he was not in the car following, there would be no danger at all for mr. ridgeway. o'brien was glad the night was passing. but the passing of the night brought only a shivery gray light as they rolled through billows of heavy fog. o'brien, at the wheel, set the delicate tentaclever, the wonderful little instrument by which they were able to find the whereabouts of any other aircraft within a hundred miles. it at once caught the direction of the balloon ahead, and reported on its dial that there was no balloon following. so they had not passed one of the other balloons in the fog. they were within two hours' flight of the coast of england. a half hour passed and there occurred one of the strange freaks of a dense fog. it suddenly lifted, and ahead they saw the dirigible they were following and ahead of that, far, far away, the airship containing the treasure. a moment later the wireless commenced to hum and click. hank and bill and o'brien reached it together. o'brien adjusted the receiver. the message ticked faintly. "something wrong with their machine or ours," said o'brien anxiously. finally he got the words. "who are you?" o'brien sat staring. then "john" he answered. for a second it occurred to him to send out a call for help but he knew that smith would only too gladly see his co-partners drop into the ocean and drown. so o'brien sent the single name, and waited. there was no response. "why?" called o'brien. still there was no reply. then, "something wrong with your wireless, john," came to him. "can't make out anything you send. take this if you can. cliffs about two hours ahead. i am going to--" there was a buzzing and a flutter and dead silence. o'brien listened and called in vain. something had gone wrong with the wireless. once more baffled, o'brien sent out call after call. there was no response. once more smith had escaped for o'brien could not help thinking that the words he had been about to send would have made everything clear. as o'brien threw down the receiver with an exclamation of bitter disappointment the fog again drifted about them like a pall, and o'brien, silent and bitter, took the wheel, and with his eyes on the indicator kept the balloon headed toward its invisible foe ahead. they were nearing the cliffs. chapter xii "there are the cliffs!" said mr. ridgeway, pointing through the fog as it broke for a moment. "sail high, lawrence, as you approach the coast. as soon as you are over the cliffs, set your course to the southeast and keep straight on. we will reach our destination this afternoon, and tomorrow we will go on to our second stop, to return the papers." he gave a sigh. "well, we have escaped the thieves this time, lawrence, and i _do_ feel relieved! i am growing a little too old for this sort of thing. if i had been engaged in escaping bandits all my life, i suppose i would have an appetite for it. it must be the way some people like big doses of pepper in their food. but i am a peaceful man, and i would rather do 'most anything than go scooting around the world with a pack of hyenas on my trail. perhaps if i had sons, a son like you, lawrence, things would be different. both mrs. ridgeway and myself would feel that there was more to live for. but the death of our sons sort of took the zest of living away from us. i have had to live for my wife and she for me. we never mention our loss. you must be careful of that, lawrence. she cannot bear it even now. you noticed her picture in the library, did you not? it is a good one, but i carry a better one with me." he undid his heavy leather coat and fumbled in an inside pocket just as the indicator announced that the wireless was working. mr. ridgeway buttoned his coat again, and turned to the wireless table. "o'brien is calling," he said. lawrence put a hand on his arm. "mr. ridgeway, be sure that it _is_ o'brien, and not someone else," he begged. "i don't feel good about that ship behind there. i suppose it is, o'brien, but there is something that keeps telling me to be careful." mr. ridgeway smiled. "i wish i had known before that you were anxious, my dear boy," he said. "the simplest way to settle that is to ask a question or two. we might have called yesterday and saved you the anxiety." he took up the instrument and adjusted it. in a moment the message from the other ship commenced to flow smoothly in. o'brien greeted his chief and asked for a little help. before they passed over the cliffs, would mr. ridgeway please slow down and allow him to come up? he could not make the speed that the barnegat airship could make. indeed he was straining his engine to keep in sight. mr. ridgeway agreed to do as o'brien asked. he hoped there was nothing wrong with o'brien's engine. nothing serious, came the reply. "is anyone following?" asked mr. ridgeway. "yes," answered the wireless. "we are followed by another dirigible. i suppose smith is driving it, but they are far behind and cannot catch up before you cross england. they think they are following you. i will lead them toward the north as soon as we are well over the land." "that is satisfactory," answered mr. ridgeway. "ask him why he didn't answer my signal," prompted lawrence. "why didn't you answer the signal lawrence sent out yesterday?" asked mr. ridgeway. "too busy," came the answer. "this engine was off all day, and we were working on it all the time." "see?" said mr. ridgeway. "that is all right. the signal was nothing important, was it?" "i suppose not," said lawrence. "but can't you ask him something or other that only o'brien would know?" mr. ridgeway laughed. "you _are_ a suspicious kid all right, aren't you? well, here is something no one but o'brien and myself and one other person, a very distinguished person indeed, could possibly know. i will ask him about the letter from the white house." he turned to the instrument. "o'brien," he asked, "lawrence wants something as evidence that you are really there. he seems to doubt his senses. just tell me if there was anything peculiar about the paper i wrote my instructions on." "lawrence won't have any doubts about _anything_ when i see him," flashed back. "yes, i remember the paper. it was the private stationery of the president and instead of signing your name, it was signed with your private seal, the carved seal you always carry on a chain under your waist-coat." "o.k." answered mr. ridgeway. "i think that is clear enough. we will slow down immediately. keep to the right. we cannot see you in this fog. it is getting thicker as we go in. i can't afford any accident now." "all right!" came the answer. mr. ridgeway turned to lawrence. "i think that ought to satisfy you, my boy. o'brien received my message written in the president's private study on his private paper and sealed with this seal. it never leaves me and cannot be duplicated. there are secret lines in the carving, as delicate as the lines on a bank note. oh, it is o'brien all right! and he says that smith is behind, but evidently following him. just as we planned every bit of it." lawrence gave a sigh of relief. "i am certainly glad," he said. "i don't know what made me so suspicious." "well, i hope you are satisfied now," replied mr. ridgeway, laughing. "i am," said lawrence slowly; "but i know i am _not_." mr. ridgeway slapped him on the back. "what a boy!" he exclaimed. "within an hour at most o'brien will be laughing at you, and i will, too. i wish this fog would lift. it is dangerous for two balloons the size of these to approach when they cannot see to manoeuver. however, we are all right. unless it is absolutely necessary to borrow something for his engine, o'brien will not try to board us. we can swing him almost anything he wants." "i can hear him coming now. there _is_ something wrong! the engine on that ship never made a noise like that." lawrence listened, and wondered dully if it was o'brien's car, but he did not care to be laughed at, so kept silence, only asking, "shall i take the wheel?" "perhaps you had better," said mr. ridgeway, "and when the cars come together allow for the wind. it is blowing from the north, and i told o'brien to keep to the right as he came up. coming on the left, we might be blown together and entangled. so allow for that and keep pretty well away until we know what he wants." lawrence went to the wheel and settled himself for a pretty piece of airmanship. he too could hear the pulsation of the engine behind them. it sounded choked and muffled in the fog, which was now so thick that objects five feet away looked hazy. more and more distinct came the sound behind, and suddenly like a phantom the dirigible appeared. mr. ridgeway gave a shout of surprise and anger as the balloon, instead of following his directions, slid close to them on the left. the cars bumped violently, and two muffled figures rapidly lashed them together fore and aft they had had the ropes ready and it took but a moment to secure them. then, almost before mr. ridgeway realized his predicament, he and the two men who comprised the crew found themselves looking into the muzzles of the revolvers held by their strange visitors. "hands up!" said a smooth voice which lawrence recognized as that of their arch enemy. "no fooling! we intended to shoot you all, but if you give up the jewels and papers, mr. ridgeway, you may save your life and that of the boy over there. keep that wheel steady," he ordered, "or i shoot!" he turned to mr. ridgeway. "if the papers and jewels are in my hands in two minutes, you are safe. otherwise down into the sea you will go. however, perhaps it will be as well to wait until i hear my men coming up. there is a dirigible behind, with the rest of my men. the dirigible is the one o'brien was going to take. o'brien is dead, by the way." under the air mask smith grinned. "who are you anyway?" demanded mr. ridgeway. the man laid one of his revolvers down and tore off his mask. mr. ridgeway looked at the smooth, smiling face and staggered backward. "my private secretary!" he gasped. "nicely done, wasn't it, mr. ridgeway? i don't at all blame you for trusting me. i brought such wonderful recommendations!" the fiend chuckled. "indeed, kings themselves have trusted me before this. however much as i might desire to talk over old times with you, i will ask you to tell me where the jewels are." then before mr. ridgeway could answer, his face lighted. "ah, an inspiration" he said. "no need at all for unwilling disclosures. we will just change ships. why did i not think of that before? brown, just escort those mechanics over the side into our car, then tie them for the present and fix the guns. we won't want to trouble our friends with the care of the little beauties. you know what to do, brown." he listened. "no sound yet," he said, and as the men went over the side, he turned to look at them. silently in that moment when smith's eyes were following the movements of brown and his two prisoners, lawrence stole a hand along the side of the ship and grasped a fine cord that hung within his reach. he gave a quick pull and heard aloft in the fog a little sound which he instantly disguised by a flood of hyolax in the carbureter. the engine sputtered furiously but smith only glanced at him idly, thinking that fright had deprived him of his common sense. mr. ridgeway had followed lawrence's quick action, however, and he hung back as mr. smith with a wave of his revolver indicated that he too was to follow over the side into the other ship. "look here, van arsdale," he said quietly, "i don't see why we can't talk this thing over. you have the upper hand certainly. name your price, and let us keep the jewels. name your price, and although it is a crime to do it, i will give you a certified check for your money. you know i always have certified checks with me." van arsdale pondered. "i don't know but there is a good deal to that, mr. ridgeway. i know just how you feel. you want it said that you were a trustworthy custodian. and as far as i go, i would rather handle cash than bother trying to have a bushel of old diamonds and rubies recut and marketed. as for the papers, they must have a price of their own because in giving them up, i relinquish my hopes of greatness for awhile and will have to think up some other scheme to attain my ends. so, mr. ridgeway, what do you offer?" "a million," said mr. ridgeway. "pounds or dollars?" asked van arsdale. "dollars," replied mr. ridgeway. "not enough!" said van arsdale. "dear mr. ridgeway, we have discussed the value of the jewels so often, you and i, when i was your trusted secretary. a million won't do at all. come, bid up! what am i offered?" "two millions for the jewels and papers," said mr. ridgeway. "i can't go higher." "three or nothing," said van arsdale sullenly. "i will take three, and i want it before those fellows come up. they expect the jewels, and they would murder anybody for cash." "all right," said mr. ridgeway. lawrence saw that he was deadly pale and his hand shook. "this cleans me out, van arsdale." he took a check book and fountain pen from his pocket and commenced to write. van arsdale stepped up to him and looked over his shoulder. instantly lawrence jerked the cord again, and silently in the wet fog a sort of claw with a razor edge on it fell in his lap. he shoved it hastily out of sight just as van arsdale looked up and asked: "what makes this boat list so?" "because you are tied up to us," answered mr. ridgeway quickly. "there is your check, van arsdale, and i hope i can get even with you some day!" "i wish you all the success in the world!" laughed the plotter. "i do advise you as a friend to keep out of my path." he called sharply and brown, who had secured the two men, stepped over the side and approached his master. "tie the wheel, and toss that boy over!" he ordered. "into the sea, excellency?" asked brown. "no, idiot; into the other ship! no, take this man first!" "what do you mean?" demanded mr. ridgeway. "you have your money. put up those guns and get out! a bargain is a bargain, and i suppose there is honor even among thieves." "among _some_ thieves, no doubt," said van arsdale, smiling his snaky smile. "also there is another motto. _business is business._ it was a good touch to get the three million as well as the jewels and papers, was it not? yes, it has been quite an education to be with you, mr. ridgeway. in my place, you would at once retire and allow me to proceed on my way. but you see there are some brave fellows following who look to me for their daily bread, their all. they will not like it when they find you have not gone down to feed the fishes, but never mind. you know how tender-hearted i am." "even about o'brien. i don't mind telling you that i had three ways of detaining him, and i chose the least painful one. come, mr. ridgeway, over the side at once. that boy over there can follow you. he is no good. this ship is listing more all the time. come, come! i want to true up the engine." he took a step toward mr. ridgeway, his two revolvers still levelled. like a flash, mr. ridgeway hurled the wireless table full at his captor. instantly both revolvers went off wild, and brown, seizing a heavy hyolax case, brought it down on mr. ridgeway's head. if it had struck him squarely, it would have killed him, but lawrence, springing forward, had been just in time to seize brown's arm and the blow glanced. even then mr. ridgeway dropped without a sound and lay as though dead. brown had seized lawrence, and as he held him in a rough grip the sound of an approaching dirigible was heard through the fog. "lemme drop them overboard, excellency, and cut loose and go!" "no! i do owe something for the three millions, brown," said van arsdale. "think what a nice division that is going to make! by rights it is all mine, but i am not small; i will divide. here come our men. hoist ridgeway over the side into the other boat. don't try any funny work! if he goes into the sea, so do you. he shall have his life in exchange for the money. you cub, you get over there! if my men come up, i will have hard work saving your precious young neck!" he lifted lawrence and tossed him over with little ceremony, as brown tumbled the unconscious figure of mr. ridgeway into the other ship. "now get out!" said van arsdale to lawrence. "if you can steer get out as fast as you can! the dirigible behind is armored and armed like a battleship. and they won't waste sympathy on _you_!" he cut the ropes between the two ships and turned toward the wheel, shoving his revolvers into his pockets. lawrence watched him as the two ships sheered off, then as he heard the exhaust of the approaching ship bearing its load of cutthroats lawrence realized that their chances of life were dwindling. nothing mattered except to let van arsdale know that they were not afraid even at the moment of death. he leaned over the edge, and as the car sheered off a little, he yelled derisively like a street urchin, "say, mister, your bag is leaking and pointed upward!" van arsdale looked. slowly, very slowly, the big bag was collapsing. chapter xiii with an execration van arsdale fired. but in the second that it took to aim at the grinning lad, lawrence had disappeared. lying flat on the floor, he wriggled over toward the wheel which he found lashed in position. the ship, drifting about, commenced to wobble. second by second lawrence waited for the shots that would put the bag above him in a worse condition than the one he had just fixed. he could not doubt that they were doomed. he knew very well that even when offering them a chance for life van arsdale had fully intended to let them get away and then shoot up the ship and drown them all. but now he could see through the open slat left for sweeping off the deck that van arsdale was trying to keep the dirigible up until reinforcements should come. and in a minute or two lawrence knew by the sound of the engine they would hail them. many thoughts passed through his mind as he lay there waiting to hear the first shot clip through the billowing silk above him. his first thought was a heart-breaking one. he would never know his own people, never feel the touch of his mother's soft and loving cheek against his own! bitterly he regretted that he had not told mr. ridgeway the whole thing. he could not make himself believe that mr. ridgeway too was doomed. he wanted mr. ridgeway or someone to take a message to the dear ones he so longed for. he wanted them to know that the son so long lost loved them and had built his young life out of the best he had, for their sakes. mr. ridgeway lay motionless, and the roar of the approaching engine sounded loud in lawrence's ears. in a moment he heard it close in on the other side of their dirigible and shouts sounded. unable to withstand his curiosity, lawrence popped his head above the bulwark and witnessed a most amazing thing. as the newcomer broke through the fog and swung to the left, a burly figure hanging over the bulwark swept the tableau through his goggles. it was astonishing enough. on the right was the big dirigible with the punctured gas bag struggling with all the might of its powerful engine to keep in the air. brown had already mounted the network and was trying to stop the leak. at the wheel stood smith, a smile frozen on his face as he swept his eyes over the newcomers. even with all their coats and wrappings, he knew that john and the others were not there. the newcomer saw the figure of mr. ridgeway lying in the bottom of the ship nearest; he saw the boy wigwag frantically from the bottom; he saw the two bound and gagged mechanicians. he uttered an imprecation, and leaping lightly into the middle ship called to his men as he did so. then hauling out his revolver, he made another leap which landed him in front of van arsdale. as he landed, he tore off his mask and goggles and stripped off the heavy leather coat. "ye lyin', stealin', murderin' villain!" he shouted. "i won't defile me new pistol on ye! fight! fight, can ye? fer i'm goin' to slay ye wit' me own hands!" as he made a lunge for van arsdale, the man attempted to shoot, but the weapon was dashed from his hand. this much lawrence saw, then he found there was something else for him to do besides watch the maddened o'brien rushing his snaky adversary, as the balloon almost imperceptibly settled into the fog. the machine he was in was reeling around as the wheel turned and the rudder swung to and fro. lawrence trued it and lashed the wheel. then he shouted an order to hank and bill who were on the point of following their leader with their new guns in hand. hank sprang for the wheel with an order to ollie. quickly the dirigible rounded the bow of the middle ship, and dipping a little, lashed fast to the sinking balloon and held it steady. hank drew a bead on brown, still clinging to the ropes on the side of the gas bag, and ordered him down. in the meantime, lawrence was ripping the gags out of the mouths of the two men but he could not free them as the anklets and handcuffs were locked on, and he did not know where to look for the key. he tried only for a moment, for mr. ridgeway claimed his attention. dashing some water over his set and pallid face, he was relieved to see the eyelids quiver, and a broken sigh well up from the sunken chest. his friend and benefactor would live! panting cries and gurgles sounded from the collapsed dirigible, and lawrence looked over upon a terrific encounter. both van arsdale and o'brien were large men, o'brien stocky and full muscled, van arsdale built pantherlike and slim. van arsdale fought with the surprise that one so low as a mere detective should raise a hand against him and with a furious resolve to punish, mangle and kill his opponent. but something deadlier, colder and deeper stirred in o'brien's blood. he remembered his own death sentence on the lips of this man now delivered into his hands. he could hear the smooth voice say, "it will not be painful, only for half an hour, o'brien!" o'brien wondered as he lunged out at his enemy, delivering slashing blows, he wondered how many men and boys and indeed women had gone down to death by his hand or by his orders. hank, clinging to the ropes and trying to watch brown as he came slowly down, saw the conflict out of the corner of his eye, and muttered, "some folks has all the luck! i bet one of 'em get killed!" as o'brien delivered a terrific blow and van arsdale reeled back against the rail, o'brien looked him in the eye. "come on, you snake!" he gritted. "no quarter! i'll make you pay for what you did to me. you lily-fingered murderer, you! see if you can fight a white man's way!" van arsdale sprang forward, murder in his eye. o'brien read it there and laughed a laugh that was like the flick of a whip across the face of the man before him. it was not o'brien's first fist-fight. many and many the time he had encountered men his equal in size and strength on the mat, but in the long nights in the frozen north o'brien had met men of many kinds and races, and his joyful laugh and ready wit and square open nature had made him many friends. from one and another he had learned tricks worth remembering: the feint, the unexpected stoop, the rush and instant withdrawal. and as the struggle went on up there far above the sea, jewels worth a king's ransom under their scuffling feet, the fog close about them, the punctured bag doubling and flopping overhead, and here and there the small steel muzzles that yearned to speak their short, sudden summons of death, as they fought on and on it became apparent that at last o'brien had met his match. he could despise van arsdale, could hate him, but o'brien had to acknowledge that the man could fight. o'brien was rushing. all his fighting was offensive. van arsdale, on the defensive, parried and sidestepped o'brien's bull-like rushes. o'brien couldn't rid himself of the idea that van arsdale was fighting for time. it puzzled the detective, but with the one idea of administering a drubbing that would forever mark his cold and handsome adversary o'brien fought on while the fog slowly cleared and the dirigible hung low between the supporting ships. the little wind that had been blowing from the north grew suddenly stronger, and as a curtain rolls up and is forgotten, so the thick fog disappeared and left the strange group swinging over the sea that washed the white cliffs of england. they shone in the morning sunlight, and on the gray sea beneath a schooner rocked lazily. van arsdale, buffeted against the rail by one of o'brien's sledge-hammer blows, saw the schooner and his heart leaped. he knew that the two ships supporting the dirigible in which they were fighting were slowly seeking a lower level. it was not a killing height from the sea if he could manage to hit the water right. o'brien, hammering one blow after another, was punishing him badly, but he was also returning enough blows to keep o'brien from landing a knockout. once in awhile o'brien would land a slashing blow on his face. he felt the bridge of his nose crack under a terrific slam, and a moment later it crashed in. one eye was closing. again, in a moment when both rested for breath, van arsdale measured the distance to the sea. he knew the schooner would pick him up, and safe in his pocket rested the check for three million dollars. he was growing tired. o'brien rushed him again and with the quickness of light van arsdale slipped his left hand in his breast. there was a narrow silvery flash as the hand lifted and came down straight for o'brien's heart. van arsdale knew where to strike and knew he could not miss as he leaned lightly forward. he had meant this ending but somehow could not bring it about sooner. the knife descended in a true path, but something happened. eyes as quick as van arsdale's own watched under o'brien's set brows, and with a leap he writhed aside. the razor-edged blade slid through the slack of his coat, and instantly o'brien had clasped his man in the indian wrestler's grip. there was a moment of mighty effort, when the trained muscles gathered and tightened to their task. then all at once the watcher there heard a strange crackling snap, as van arsdale was lifted high over o'brien's head and went whirling down, and down, and down, a limp and grotesque figure that met the tumbled sea and disappeared beneath the waves forever. there was a long silence while o'brien leaned panting against the rail and the others strained their fascinated eyes to see if van arsdale's body would appear. but there was no break on the surface of the sea. only hank found his voice. for want of a better listener he addressed brown. prodding him recklessly with the muzzle of his new automatic, he demanded, "didn't i say so? sure i did!" but brown made no reply. a man who can feel the exact shape of a gun muzzle against his third rib never feels in the mood for bandying words. he stood quite still. brown knew that for him the end had come. he lowered his wolfish head and cringed. even when they put him in irons he did not speak. o'brien was the first to collect himself. he opened his coat, and parting the slashed cloth traced the course of a clean-cut scratch that commenced at the left breast and curved downward for twelve inches. he turned and showed it to hank and bill. a trickle of blood marked its course. "gee!" said bill. "that's going to leave a scar," said hank hopefully. "naw, it won't!" bill retorted. "it will if he rubs salt in it," said hank. "well, what in time would he do that for?" the much-tried bill wanted to know. "why, salt is an epidemic," said hank. "best thing in the world!" "whadder you mean: _epidemic_?" demanded bill. "he means antiseptic, i suppose," smiled o'brien, almost too tired and blown to talk. "yes, antiseptic, or epidemic, all the same thing," bill replied. "stuff to rub, on a sore spot, and she gets well. if you don't, piff! you get blood poison and swell up, and swell up till you die." he grew silent, seeming to gloat over the picture of swelling up and swelling up. then "turrible!" he said. "well, i won't swell up unless we have let mr. ridgeway die while we were settling things with smith. get over there, you two, and lay him down on the rugs." the two young men leaped back and, followed rather stiffly by o'brien, found mr. ridgeway lying with open eyes, while lawrence laid cloths soaked in cold water on his head. he looked very ill, and o'brien was frightened when he saw his condition. lifting him gently, he examined the bruise made by the blow, then went to attend a little to his own hurt. "about a millionth of a inch more and he would uv croaked him," hank assured bill in an undertone as they brought cushions and tucked them around the injured man. bill merely glared. "i never saw anybody like you in this world!" he said finally. "all right," said hank. "say it all you please, but i don't see as anybody has thought of what _i_ am a-goin' to do _next_, and it's what he needs worst of all." he vaulted over into the ship they had come in, and disappeared into the tiny cabin. in a few minutes he appeared with a covered basket. this in hand, he went back to mr. ridgeway and knelt beside him. uncovering the basket, he took out a pot of tea, boiling hot, and a couple of slices of toast. mr. ridgeway tasted it languidly, then drank with relish as the hot liquid warmed his chilled frame. "i never tasted anything quite so good," he said as he finished his second cup. "you had better pass some of that to o'brien, young man. i never did know before how good tea could be." hank returned to the cabin with his basket and a jeer for bill. o'brien, scorning the "epidemic," had bound up the scratch and now commenced to manoeuver the three planes in toward the cliffs. the punctured bag hung heavy between the others, but he thought he could manage to clear the rocks and drop the useless dirigible on the plain beyond. mr. ridgeway insisted on going on with the papers and jewels, and suggested to o'brien that he should give him hank and bill, while he could stay to see to the dirigible and have brown placed in prison. also the two men who were still wearing their iron bracelets and anklets were clamoring loudly for release. brown, the prisoner, kept an unbroken silence. after trying in vain to make mr. ridgeway wait over or let o'brien go in his place, everything was settled in the way stated and the slow aerial procession made its way to the top of the cliffs or over them, and carefully led the broken dirigible, with o'brien, brown, the two manacled mechanicians and ollie in the other balloon. as bill skillfully propelled their machine up into the higher currents, lawrence looked at the cylinder which had been lifted into their machine, and marveled that it could make so much trouble. however, once more they were safe, he was lying beside mr. ridgeway, and a wave of love seemed to flood him. lawrence wondered if he could ever care so much for his own father back there in the states. it was a clear and sunny day; not a cloud in the sky; not a cross current to bother them. almost mid-day indeed, yet lawrence, dead tired, dropped asleep. chapter xiv lawrence slept for hours. when at last he awoke he saw that they were circling above a large city bright with flags and bunting. "getting dolled up for the prince's coming-out party," hank said as he leaned far over and levelled the glasses on the brilliant broad streets below. throngs of people passed to and fro, and one and all stared upward at the dirigible as it came slowly downward. not until they had located a beautiful villa nestling among the trees of a vast park on the outskirts of the city did mr. ridgeway give the order to descend. a mile from the villa there was a large aviation field and there they landed. a delegation approached composed entirely of admirals, or so it seemed to hank and bill and lawrence, so loaded with gold braid were they and so overtopped with plumes. mr. ridgeway showed no nervousness at all and entered a big automobile, while hank and bill lifted in the big hyolax case and sat themselves down on either side of it as a sort of guard. they were still in their aviation clothes, which mr. ridgeway said would be considered a uniform. as they started off, another company of admirals deployed around a corner, overtook them on the run, and trotted along on all sides of the car, which was forced to proceed at a crawl. sitting on the back seat with lawrence, mr. ridgeway looked stern enough to quell any number of admirals. the bandage under his hat was commented on frequently in a tongue the boys had never before heard. it was a short ride to the gates of the great park, and there another automobile was waiting, with another guard. these seemed to be the "pick of the whole b'ilin'," as hank said, for the admirals were in pale blue uniforms and were a head taller than the others. here mr. ridgeway, after seeing that the cylinder was placed on the seat in front of him, took out his automatic and rested it across his knees. the boys were to wait for him at the gates. a number of the pale-blue soldiers mounted the running boards and hung on behind; the others closed in on either side and the car moved slowly out of sight, while the guardian closed the center leaves of the gates, leaving only a smaller gate open at either side. hank leaned back and sighed. "well, _don't_ that beat you?" he said. "wish we could go up and see what the queen looks like. i bet she is nifty lookin'. nuthin' to do but load on the jewelry, and try on crowns. "we have had some awful democratic, commonplace kings and queens back in washington last few years, but i bet that's all put on. they want to put it over on us; make a hit with the unions and all that when they come visitin'; but i bet when they are home it's different. now that prince the party is for: it's his coming-of-age party, mr. ridgeway said." "yes, but even that is different," said bill. "mr. ridgeway told me the heir to the throne here in this country is of age when he is fifteen. that's so if anything should happen to the king, the boy could go right to kinging it without any lawyers having to be hired to make out papers." "fifteen, eh?" mused hank. "i'd like to see him now. i seen a picture in the corcoran art gallery. it was named _the young prince_. he was all of that, i will say; with a long blanket like around him, and ribbons on his golf pants and a hat all feathers." "oh, you make me tired!" said bill. "i seen that pitcher myself. that guy was born way back--back before the cuban war." a violent discussion seemed started, but a diversion was made by the sudden appearance of a bareheaded lad on a shabby bicycle. he came tearing through the small gate, saw the automobile drawn up at the side of the road in the shade, checked his pace, and with a shake of the head as though asking for silence, he dismounted, threw his wheel into the tall grass, and running around the car, lay down along the running board. so rapidly had he acted that no one had had time to speak, and immediately another bicyclist trundled through the gate. this time it was a ruddy-faced, middle-aged man with a couple of books strapped over his shoulder, a butterfly net across his chest, and a tin box rattling on his hip. he rode like a man in a hurry, gave one uninterested glance at the occupants of the auto, and rattled on, gazing earnestly down the dusty road. the boy at once sat up. "thanks!" he said in a pleasant voice, and with very little accent. "that was a close shave. if i had had to catch another butterfly today i should have exploded. he will ride ten miles or so looking for me!" he chuckled wickedly. "what do _you_ have to learn about butterflies for? you are no girl!" said hank scornfully. "that's what _i_ say," said the boy, smiling cheerfully at lawrence. "they don't stick you with that sort of stuff in england. my people sent me over there to school for awhile, and it was great. are you english?" he asked lawrence. "american," answered lawrence. "better yet!" said the boy. "not that england isn't all right, but they say america is so big and so roomy and a fellow can do as he pleases." "not much he can't," said hank bitterly. "i never seen anything like it. it's 'don't step on the grass,' and 'don't pick the flowers,' and 'don't tease the animals,' and 'don't chip a piece of this here house for a sooveneer.' don't, don't, don't every way a feller turns!" the boy looked surprised. "why should anyone _want_ to tease the animals or chip pieces off the houses?" he asked. "they don't," replied hank. "at least they don't 'til some smart aleck sticks up a sign and puts it into their heads. and then of course they gotter." "oh, well," said the boy, "there are lots of other things you can do that you can't do here." "not much, i bet," said hank, but bill interrupted. "don't be forever kickin' on your home town," he said. "it does rub me the wrong way. you are a regular bullsheevikky." "they ain't any more of them," said hank triumphantly. "what is your name?" asked the boy of lawrence. "lawrence petit," said lawrence. "what is yours?" "modo," said the boy. "sounds like a girl," said hank, "but i will say you don't look the part. i should say you look like a real honest-to-goodness feller." "i am glad of that," said the boy simply. "names don't mean much." "not sometimes," replied hank. "i bet the young prince in there don't answer to anything simple as that modo. i bet he has a name long as your arm, even just with his own folks." "he means the one that's going to have the party," explained bill. "oh, the crown prince!" said the boy, rumpling up his black hair. "he has a lot of names. seven, i think." "whee!" said hank. "think of that! every time his mother calls him, calling like john-henry-george-washington-christopher-columbus-james." the boy laughed until he cried. "i don't believe they use them all at once," he said. then he turned to lawrence. "if you are an american, you know all about football, don't you?" he said. "the boys here don't know how to play it, and i am crazy to start a team. the english game is not like the american at all, they say." lawrence hopped out of the car, eager to talk on his favorite subject, for next to flying he loved football. together the boys wandered down the slope, and sitting at the foot of a tree with their knees drawn up, they chewed grass roots while they discussed the great american game. after awhile they returned to the car and sat on the running-board while lawrence wrote his address for modo, who was going to write to him for some books on the subject. hank and bill, smoking lazily in the car, leaned over with words of advice. they had been sitting there only a few minutes when another bicyclist rolled through the small gate. this time the rider was in the uniform of a house servant, impressive with silk stockings and much gold lace. he spied modo, and with an abrupt motion stopped his wheel and dismounted with a low bow. "your highness, her majesty desires your attendance," he remarked to the boy impressively, bowed again and, backing off a pace, mounted his wheel and went back through the gate. "mother is all fussed up about this party," said modo smiling. "and i suppose she wants to drill me in something. it is an awful nuisance." he looked at hank and laughed. "i hope you don't mind," he said. "and they _don't_ call me all seven names every time!" he waved a merry good-bye to the petrified airmen, shook hands with lawrence, and promising to write soon, ran off, trundling his wheel. "somebody pinch me!" begged hank, after a long pause. "_your highness_ and me joshing him about his name, and all that!" "a real boy!" ejaculated bill. "yes, sir! nuthin' but a _real boy_! kind you see anywhere. and the crown prince! 'mother is all fussed up' says he. well, i am in mother's class on that! say, he's dropped his pencil! i'm goin' to keep it. gosh, this will make talk back home. 'one morning in morania,' says i, 'me and modo was talkin'.' 'modo who?' says somebody, and i says, 'why, you nut, don't you study hist'ry? i mean his highness the crown prince modo of morania!' and then i'll flash this pencil with a crown printed on the side of it. wow!" "well, thank goodness we come!" said bill. "now you have something to gas about besides accidents and murders." "you bet!" said hank, and fell silent. a moment later modo came hurrying through the gate on his wheel. he dismounted, and flashing his bright and friendly smile mounted the running-board of the car. "they are going to make a big fuss over my birthday," he said, "and some medals have been struck off to commemorate it. i thought you might each like one since you won't be here to the party. i am to give them out and pin them on myself." he fastened glittering medals on lawrence, bill and hank as he spoke. "there!" he said. "don't forget me! good-bye! it was great fun to be just a boy. good-bye, lawrence! don't you forget to write and send me all the football news!" he mounted his wheel and disappeared for the last time. "and they says," murmured hank, "they says 'whatcher got on?' and i says, 'where?' and they says, 'why, that breas'pin!' and i says, 'oh, a little decoration the crown prince of morania gimme.' big stuff, eh?" he prodded bill gaily. "these are beauties all the same," said lawrence, "and here comes mr. ridgeway." talking in "close formation," as you might say, they displayed their medals and recounted their incident. mr. ridgeway also had a medal, and another decoration as well: a broad purple ribbon with a gold greek cross blazing with jewels. it was to signify that he had been made a member of the order of the crown. "for bringing back the jewels," he explained, laughing. "when do we start home, mr. ridgeway?" asked hank. "do you men want to look around the city for an hour or so?" "i don't," said hank. "i seen it from above, and there's no use wasting time." "all right then; we will go back to the dirigible and start for our little baby republic. i should have made that my first errand, but this saves a few hundred miles, and i want to get to england as soon as i can." as they rolled along toward the aviation field, mr. ridgeway outlined their plans. he was anxious for a rest. after visiting the president of the new republic, he wanted hank and bill to drop lawrence and himself down at the country house where mrs. ridgeway was staying. there they would stop until the dirigible was in order. then one of them could report and mr. ridgeway would motor over to the plane and look it over. they could then divide, and take the ships back to the united states. "you may like to stay and return with mrs. ridgeway and myself," he said, turning to lawrence. the boy shook his head. "i must go back, sir. i have something very important to do." "you won't think so after you get acquainted with mrs. ridgeway," said mr. ridgeway. "everyone is crazy over her, and she likes boys." "i would like to stay," said lawrence, "but it seems as if the business just couldn't wait a day." "well, we will talk it over later," said mr. ridgeway. "perhaps i can help you. at all events, i will take you with me until the dirigible is mended. it will not be a long job. i hope o'brien is feeling well. he must have been stiff and sore after that bout. we will have a lot to tell mrs. ridgeway." they got the dirigible up safely and sailed off in the direction of the young republic, bill declaring that hobnobbing with royalty had utterly ruined hank as a machinist. four hours later they had reached their destination and were once more waiting for mr. ridgeway to get through the complicated ceremonies of meeting the heads of the new nation. messengers raced here and there, telephones buzzed, lights flashed up in the state hall, and finally while lawrence and the others dozed in the lobby of the nearest hotel, the president and cabinet indicated their readiness to receive the messenger from the big republic across the sea. an hour later, when mr. ridgeway saw that the meeting was to be a long one, apparently to impress him, he telephoned to the patient waiters to have supper. they obeyed with great cheer and then settled themselves for another long wait. when mr. ridgeway finally appeared it was so late and his bruised head was throbbing so that lawrence suggested spending the night there. hank and bill went back to the dirigible, and mr. ridgeway secured a large room with twin beds for himself and lawrence. it was a comfortable novelty to find themselves between clean sheets again, and they were almost too comfortable to go to sleep immediately. so they talked awhile, of the fight, and van arsdale, and the jewels, and the journey, and its pleasant ending, and a hundred times lawrence started to tell mr. ridgeway about himself and stopped. more and more the feeling had come that perhaps there was nothing in it after all, and in that case he decided that no one should ever guess what high hopes had filled him, or what black disappointment had followed. chapter xv noon the next day found them over england, searching out one of the aviation fields that had been arranged at frequent intervals since the end of the great war. airships of all sorts were so commonly used that this was a necessity. all country clubs had them, as well as extra hangars for visitors. at most fields there were instructors, most of them american, just as golf instructors are almost always scotch. and the finest fields had wide exercise fields where beginners and children could potter around in safety. at one side of the aviation fields ran a low line of sheds for motors where men driving out from the city could lock and leave the cars they had come in while they were aloft in the airplanes or dirigibles, though dirigibles were but little used, on account of their size and expense. even the small racing dirigibles like mr. ridgeway's pair, and the one van arsdale had owned, were not common. it was like approaching in a state chariot, lawrence found, and he commenced to understand that the use of the big balloon had been partly to impress the moranians and the republic. at least twenty slim, graceful planes were flying here and there as they commenced to descend to the field, and quite a flock of them, bright and saucy, flitted round them as they went down. in the distance, they could see brightly clad little figures trotting around the golf course, and nearer, on the tennis courts, groups of what looked like dancing dolls hopped and pranced over the smooth surfaces. "makes me homesick to see all those planes," said bill. "awful poor pilots, most of 'em!" hank replied, watching a monoplane go jerking around just above the ground. "look at that! oh, lordy! well, he did miss the club house, didn't he? but i bet the mortar is peeling out from them stones from fright. must be a kid at the wheel. no, by gummy, see the old duck steerin'?" and as the plane careened near them, hank leaned out and flung hot words of scorn and advice after the uncertain holder of the wheel. "poor old dear!" said hank. "don't you suppose he ain't got no folks? he ought to have some grandchildren or somebody that loves him, that ought to keep him with his feet on the ground where he belongs. there he goes again! see the leaves he clipped out of that oak tree. well, i can't look! i just can't watch and see him destroyed." "he's going down," said bill, looking after the careening plane. "he does lay a queer course." "queer course!" exclaimed bill. "if it was so you could run a trail behind him, it would look like a ball of rickrack braid after a kitten had played with it." after the dirigible had been secured, the party started over to the club house where mr. ridgeway hoped to get a motor. bill and hank sauntered along in the rear. "there's that precious old methuselah that was reelin' around in the plane," said hank suddenly. "i got a mind to go tell him what i think." "don't butt in!" advised bill. "remember what you just went through back there in morania. that old bird may be the emperor of switzerland for all _you_ know!" hank seized a passing caddie. "hey, kid!" he ordered, "who is that old chunk of trouble amblin' along there in the giddy plaids?" the caddie looked. "over there?" he asked. "with the eyeglass?" "the same!" said hank. "now whose grandpappy is he?" "that's his grace the duke of mountjoy and pewanit," said the boy glibly, "and he is waving to the prime minister." "thanks!" said hank. he passed on, and after a moment lifted up his voice in a sort of chant. "and the folks will say, 'what did you do with yourself when you wasn't flyin'?' and i will say, 'oh, we found a pretty decent club. old dook mountjoy-and-thinggummy belongs. used to meet him there with the prime minister.'" bill glared. "honest; i tell you one thing right now. you can commence to talk straight united states _now_ or we go back in separate dirigibles." "aw, i'm just practicin'," hank replied. "not on _me_," said bill. "hurry up now, can't you see mr. ridgeway beckonin' or can't you see anybody any more but dooks?" "i can see enough to guess it's dinner time," hank returned cheerfully, and they hurried up to find that that was the very item mr. ridgeway wanted to discuss with them. mr. ridgeway seemed to be at home wherever his airship happened to light, and signing the visitors' book, he took his party into the dining-room, where, in a secluded corner, they disposed of a fine luncheon and watched the people come and go. mr. ridgeway found a friend who was going right down into the country where mrs. ridgeway was staying and he offered to take him and lawrence down with him. so here they parted, and for a long, long time lawrence was to see no more of the two clever, honest fellows who had gone through such dangerous deeds with them. lawrence watched them go off together toward the aviation field where the dirigible was waiting. "a good pair," said mr. ridgeway. "honest, faithful, and the best airmen that one could ask. almost as good as you, lawrence boy. and now we will wait for our friend to take us to gray towers where we will find mrs. ridgeway. we will surprise her. she does not expect us so soon." the road to gray towers took them through the loveliest part of lovely england. to lawrence, it seemed a wonderful experience to bowl along between trim hedges and high walls, then through wonderful forest preserves and clean toy villages. their host, mr. alden, lived on the estate next to gray towers, and gladly took them to the door of the old castle, although mr. ridgeway assured him that they could easily walk the short cut of two miles from the great gates to the door. lawrence would have been glad of the walk when he got glimpses of the deer between the trees, and when dozens of rabbits flashed across the road before them. lawrence looked so pleased and happy that mr. ridgeway put his arm about his shoulders, and asked, "now aren't you glad you came?" "are we going to stay here in these woods?" asked lawrence. "right here!" mr. ridgeway assured him. "the place belongs to my sister's husband. she married an englishman, lord gray of gray towers and there," he added, "are the towers themselves." a sort of awkwardness filled lawrence. "i don't belong among such people," he muttered, but mr. ridgeway either did not hear or did not wish to reply. they drew up at the broad steps, where carved lions stood on great square blocks of stone. the friend, eager to get home, drove on as a lady came out of the door and ran down the steps to meet them. she wore a kilted walking skirt and sweater, and the sun glinted on her fair hair in which the white showed plainly. "hello, sis!" called mr. ridgeway, hurrying to greet her. "how are you all, and where is that wife of mine?" "it is a wonder you wouldn't give us more warning of your arrival," said the lady. "that wife of yours has been in london for several days, and she can't possibly return before tomorrow morning. your wire did not come in time. i have telephoned her, however, and she will call you later." she turned inquiringly to lawrence, and mr. ridgeway introduced him. "i am glad you came," said lady gray cordially. "i have two boys about your age. you will be great friends, especially as they are both anxious to fly." she studied him thoughtfully. "whom does he remind you of, hamilton?" "no one that i can think of," said mr. ridgeway. the lady sighed. "come in!" she said. the two boys were nice chaps and asked a million questions which lawrence was well able to answer. when he told them that he was going back to the united states probably the next day, they refused to consider it at all. but now that all the danger was over, and the thrills of the journey, lawrence felt himself once more drowned in loneliness. all the cheery affection and the atmosphere of home oppressed him to the very soul. even if his own people were poor, no matter how humble they were, lawrence wanted them with a longing that was almost agony. he _had_ to go back! he _had_ to know! so he stood firm, although mr. ridgeway assured the boys that he was going to have a good talk with lawrence when they went to bed, and he was willing to bet that he could coax him to stay. "go to bed early then!" cried the boys. it was early when they said good-night, and went up the wide stairs. mr. ridgeway was still suffering with his head and needed rest. as they prepared for the night, he said: "well, lawrence, how do you like them all?" "they are fine!" said lawrence heartily. "i think lady gray is beautiful." "not as beautiful as mrs. ridgeway," replied that lady's husband. "you don't get her look in a picture. her beauty is her changing expression and her color. the painting at home is magnificent, but it does not give you the right idea of her. when she is happy she looks like a girl. i have an awful crush on her, lawrence." he laughed, and fumbled in his pocket. "this is the picture i like best," he said, taking out a pocket case. "it was taken years ago for my birthday, and she has never had another that pleased me so well. it is just like her." he pulled the reading lamp over and laid the open case down on the table under the strong light. lawrence looked. for a moment he saw the picture clearly, and then as he stared, it swam off in a sort of mist. he kept his eyes on it and it came back, and gazed gently, radiantly up at him. but he could not speak. he felt his knees giving, his heart hammering. it couldn't be true! something was wrong! with fingers that fumbled and shook, he felt for his own case, found it, dropped it, recovered it, and at last managed to open it and place it beside the other. then he groaned. "eh?" said mr. ridgeway, coming back from the dresser. "lovely, isn't it?" he looked past lawrence's bowed head at the two pictures, and with a great cry, seized them. "lawrence...boy...merciful heavens...where did you get this...explain!" came bursting from his lips. lawrence gently took his picture, felt under the photograph, and offered the two pieces of paper--the scrap written over with his name and the torn bit of newspaper. "i was stolen," he said, his lips almost too dry and trembling for speech. "my brother was drowned. i did not know until just before we set out. i have always had these. a woman said to keep them. she said they would lead me to my people." so far mr. ridgeway had listened. then with a great and terrible cry, the cry of a strong man who has been too brave to voice his agony and has borne it for years, he took lawrence to his heart. the tears of men and the embraces of men should be sacred, and it was with a feeling that his soul had been washed clean of everything but thankfulness and love that lawrence found himself sitting beside his father later when they were composed enough to talk. mr. ridgeway's arm about his son's shoulder still trembled, and their hands were still clasped as though they were afraid of losing each other. again and again they told each other of the past, again and again mr. ridgeway wondered if his wife would ever be able to stand the shock of joy. it was late when they heard the light footfall of lady gray as she passed down the corridor to her room. "let us tell her," said mr. ridgeway. "she will know what to do." he went to the door, and asked her to call her husband and come in. their joy was as great as it could be when they really accepted the wonderful fact. it seemed as though no one _could_ go to sleep. finally toward morning they settled down, but mr. ridgeway could not close his eyes, and lawrence, although he obediently shut his, lay awake listening to his father's uneasy breathing as he stared through the dawn at the beloved son that had been given back to him. lady gray had warned them all not to tell the boys, as they might let the news slip before her sister was prepared for it. so breakfast was made possible by their appeals to lawrence to stay on and help them build a plane. as the time for mrs. ridgeway's return approached, lawrence grew almost unbearably nervous. what if she should not like him? he brushed and rebrushed his hair. he had asked mr. ridgeway to tell her all before they met. lawrence wanted his first sight of that pictured face to be the face of his mother, not a stranger who would give him a friendly hand to shake. so he ran, actually _ran_ for refuge to his room when he heard the motor come up the winding drive. gay voices and greetings floated up to his open window, but he could not look out. downstairs his father would now be taking his wife into the dim library. he would draw her over to the divan and seat her in the circle of his arm. just as they had planned, he would tell her carefully and tenderly that her son, her own son was found at last, that not both little fellows had been doomed to the flood. "but what if she doesn't like me? what if she doesn't _want_ me?" lawrence asked himself over and over. time dragged on; it seemed the day had gone past, yet his watch had counted off but half an hour. he could not stand it! he took out the case and, laying the picture on the table, gazed down into its tender eyes. then, unable to bear it, he sank to his knees and put his face against the picture. "mother, what if you do not love me?" he asked, his heart starving. as if in answer, the door opened. springing to his feet, lawrence wheeled. she stood in the doorway, the picture itself, his pretty; his mother! their eyes met and held. she did not speak. she gave a little crooning cry. her arms were wide and waiting. and lawrence went home. the end file was produced from images generously made available by the internet archive.) the great airship blackie & son limited old bailey, london stanhope street, glasgow blackie & son (india) limited warwick house, fort street, bombay blackie & son (canada) limited bay street, toronto [illustration: "airship in sight, sir!" _page_ _frontispiece_] the great airship a tale of adventure by lt.-col. f. s. brereton author of "a boy of the dominion" "the hero of panama" "on the field of waterloo" "john bargreave's gold" &c. _illustrated by c. m. padday_ blackie & son limited london and glasgow * * * * * by lt.-col. f. s. brereton on the field of waterloo. the great airship. with the allies to the rhine. under french's command. colin the scout. with allenby in palestine. a hero of panama. foes of the red cockade. under the chinese dragon. a sturdy young canadian. how canada was won. john bargreave's gold. with shield and assegai. with rifle and bayonet. in the king's service. the dragon of pekin. one of the fighting scouts. a knight of st. john. roger the bold. the rough riders of the pampas. indian and scout. the great aeroplane. tom stapleton. a boy of the dominion. _printed in great britain by blackie & son, limited, glasgow_ contents chap. page i. the fame of the zeppelin ii. andrew provost's resolution iii. dicky hamshaw, midshipman iv. the great airship v. a tour of inspection vi. carl reitberg, sportsman vii. en route for adrianople viii. the besieged city ix. dick hamshaw saves the situation x. a thrilling rescue xi. some facts and figures xii. carl aboard the biplane xiii. to the north-west frontier xiv. a brush with pathans xv. the great attempt xvi. record high flying xvii. a desperate situation xviii. off to new guinea xix. saved from the natives xx. adolf fruhmann's venture illustrations facing page "airship in sight, sir!" frontispiece arrived with a bump facing commander jackson the collapse of carl reitberg the quartet set out for the airship the great airship chapter i the fame of the zeppelin there are exceptions, we suppose, to almost every rule, and this particular friday towards the end of june was such an exception. it was fine. not a cloud flecked the sun-lit sky. a glorious blue expanse hung over a sea almost as blue, but criss-crossed in all directions by the curling white tops of tiny wavelets, all that remained to remind one of the atrocious weather which had prevailed. for the north sea, europe, great britain, everywhere in fact, had been treated to a succession of violent gales, to a continuous deluge of rain, to bitter hail, and squalls of snow in some parts. and here and now, off the mouth of the river elbe the sun shone, the sky was a delight, a balmy breeze fanned the cheeks of the passengers crowding the decks of the hamburg-amerika liner. "what a change! i began to wonder whether there was such a season as summer. have a cigar?" mr. andrew provost drew from an inner pocket of his jacket a silver-mounted case, pulled the lid off and offered one of the contents to his nephew. "not that one, joe," he said, as the young man beside him placed his long fingers on one of the weeds. "it's dutch. not that they're not good smokes; i like 'em sometimes. but give me a havana, and offer one to your friends. there! that one! you'll like it." "thanks! i know 'em, uncle. you always give me your best." there was a smile on the handsome face of the young man as he obeyed the directions of his uncle andrew. it was obvious indeed from their smiles, the manner in which they paced the deck arm in arm, and from the intimacy of their conversation, that the two were on the best of terms. and why not? they were related, as we have stated. then they had for long been separated. mr. andrew provost had not always been the comfortable-looking individual he now appeared. for prosperous and comfortable he looked without a doubt. florid and sunburned, with white hair and moustache which made his complexion seem to be even more ruddy, he was tall, and slight, and gracefully if not robustly built. there was something of a military air about him, and we whisper the truth when we say that he was often enough taken for an old soldier, much to his own secret gratification. dark grey eyes looked out genially from a smiling face upon the world and his fellows. his forehead was hardly seamed. care, in fact, seemed to have failed in its effort to reach him, or, more likely perhaps, his genial, plucky nature had caused it to fall easily from his shoulders. for the rest he was exceedingly well groomed, and looked what he was, a prosperous, healthy gentleman. "but it wasn't always like that, joe," he told his companion, as they paced the deck, basking in the sun. "your uncle andrew wasn't always the stylish dog he looks now. not by a long way. i've been on my beam ends." "ah! exactly." "know what that means?" "to a certain extent. when you came home last christmas i was down in the dumps. absolutely on my beam ends." andrew provost turned to look with some astonishment at his nephew. he inspected him critically from the top of his glossy homburg hat to the well-polished brown shoes which he wore. and the face finally drew all his attention. "impossible!" he declared politely. "joe on his beam ends! joe in the dumps--never!" "true as possible, sir--i was desperate," repeated joe, his face grave for that moment. "well, well, perhaps so. i'm forgetting. i was young like you when i was down. young fellows make light of such matters. it's as well, perhaps, or the world wouldn't go along half so easily. but i'd never have thought it, joe. you never said a word to me; you look so jolly." no one would have denied the fact. joe gresson looked what he was, a handsome, jovial fellow of twenty-seven. fair and tall, and broader than his uncle, he had deep-set eyes which gave to his smiling face an air of cleverness. and the young fellow was undoubtedly clever. an engineer by profession, he had graduated at cambridge, had passed through the shops, the drawing office, and other departments of one of the biggest engineering concerns in england, and had finally struck out a line for himself. he had been experimenting for the past four years. "what's the good of being miserable because things don't go right, uncle?" he said with a smile. "i've told you how i took up engineering. well, i thought i had a good idea. i left the shops at barrow and worked on my own. thanks to the few thousands i possessed i was able to carry out some important experiments." "ah, my boy! well, you succeeded?" "yes and no; i went so far with the work that i was sure that success was possible. then there was an accident. the whole affair was wrecked, and i woke up to find myself without funds and in a terrible condition of despair." "on your beam ends, in fact--well, like me," said mr. andrew. "i'll tell you about myself; then you'll give your yarn. i'll have to hear what this work was. but my tale don't take long. let's step up and down again and i'll give it to you. let's see--yes, i was a fiery, unmanageable young idiot." "never!" interjected joe. "like many other young fellows," proceeded andrew, as if he had not been interrupted. "i bluntly refused the post which my father offered me, and cut away from home. i went to canada, worked my way out aboard the steamer, a cockleshell in those days, and half starved for the next few months, for it was in the winter and there was no work to be had. but i learned something. in the six months which followed my landing i acted as a cook's boy, a porter, a fireman, and a clerk in a grocery store. that's where i had my eyes opened. the country was opening up. i had saved a few dollars. i set up a store of my own in one of the nearest settlements, a mere hut knocked together with the help of a hammer and some nails. but it paid. i saved all along. i built a real brick house, and the sales went up like wildfire. then i chose a manager and opened up a second store away in the nearest settlement. it went on after that almost by itself. i got to own a hundred stores. i bought property right and left. then i sold out. now i'm merely an idler, come home to take a long look round. on my beam ends one day, you see; up and prosperous in the years that followed. now, my boy, let's hear your yarn. hallo, what's the excitement? people are crushing over to the far side of the ship." the two had been so engaged in conversation that they had not noticed the exodus of the other passengers, and now awoke to find themselves the only tenants of that side of the deck. arm in arm still they hurried round the long deck cabin to join their fellow passengers. they found them massed together on the starboard side, crushing towards the rails, and for the most part with their eyes cast aloft. "wonderful! marvellous! extraordinary!" were some of the remarks they overheard, emanating from the english people present. from the many foreigners there came guttural cries of delight and shouts almost of triumph. "what is it? what's the fuss?" asked mr. andrew eagerly, craning his head and looking aloft. "i can see nothing to cause such excitement." "nothing, mein herr! is that nothing--no?" asked a stumpy little passenger against whom andrew was leaning, twisting his portly frame round with an effort. he shot a short, plump arm above his head, and held a stumpy finger aloft. "nothing?" he asked indignantly. "you call that nothing at all, mein herr? it is marvellous! it is magnificent!" "but--but, what is? i--i--er--beg your pardon," said andrew politely, "but really i can't----" "look, uncle," cried joe sharply, pointing upwards himself. "it's a little hard to see perhaps. that's what they aim at, of course. but there's an airship there--a zeppelin." "ah!" gasped andrew, while the stumpy little foreigner, who had now contrived to twist himself entirely round, stared angrily at him. then a broad, beaming smile of pride seamed his face, a fat, good-natured face to be sure, while the light of recognition danced in his eyes. "ah! mr. andrew provost," he exclaimed in thick but urbane tones. "we have met again. this is fortunate. but you see now; you see the german triumph. you see the zeppelin with which they have conquered the air. ah, it is magnificent!" andrew had scarcely time to shake his hand and recognize this plump little person. he was vastly impressed at the sight some four thousand feet above him, and away to the left. he could have shouted with delight himself. the object, in fact, claimed his whole attention. "a zeppelin!" he cried. "a real zeppelin! one of germany's air dreadnoughts--magnificent!" it was magnificent. seldom yet have englishmen had the opportunity of seeing one of those leviathans of the air. at a period when balloons have become common objects in the sky, when the whole world almost has become accustomed to aeroplanes scooping through the air, the people of most countries are still strangers to the sight of a mighty airship swimming in space. and there was one, a long, sinuous hull of neutral colour, so that even in broad daylight it was not too easily visible, floating horizontally in the sky, like some gigantic cigar, while fore and aft, immediately beneath the hull, were two boat-shaped objects, a little darker than the mass above supporting them. there was the dull hum of machinery too. "moving along slowly," gasped andrew, still wonderstruck at such a sight. "what's she doing?" "finishing a continuous run of twenty-four hours and more," declared the little stranger, whom we will now introduce as mr. carl reitberg. "just showing us how fresh she is, and how easy the task has been," he cried in tones of the utmost pride. "see! she has more to show us. she has taken in fuel from the steamer yonder, and could sail again for another twenty-four hours. but she wishes to experiment with her bombs. look, mein herr! there is a float down below her. she will pulverize it. she will smash it. she will drop a bomb plumb into it, and, piff! it is gone. that, mein herr, is the work of the latest zeppelin." perhaps a thousand passengers crowded the rails and watched the monster of the air, and it was as mr. reitberg had so proudly announced. the zeppelin was manoeuvring away from the hamburg-amerika liner. ahead of her, some five miles to the east, was a dot upon the ocean. andrew swung his glasses to his eyes and fixed them upon that object. "a float of some sort--yes," he said. "she is motoring towards it. then she will stop above it." "no--not at all," declared mr. reitberg. "she will continue at her fastest pace. yet she will strike it. watch. see--ah! did i not say so? it is marvellous! there!" was it imagination? andrew fancied he saw a small, dark object fall from one of the boat-shaped cars beneath the long zeppelin. in a twinkling he swung his glasses down upon the float half-immersed in the sea below. then a loud detonation reached his ears, while the float disappeared miraculously, the sea being churned up and splashed all about it. nor was that all. there came from the ship above a succession of sharp reports, while bullets of large size struck the sea immediately over the spot where the float had been. then another object dropped from the airship. it burst into flames within two hundred feet of leaving the hand which had projected it, and almost at once sent out a vast, spreading mass of dense smoke, that spread and spread and spread till the sky was obscured, till the airship was utterly hidden. mr. carl reitberg chuckled aloud, and danced with delight. "magnificent! cunning! the latest thing!" he declared. "you see the reason, mr. provost? no; then i will tell you. the ship, the air dreadnought, you understand, discovers an enemy's ship, or shall we say the enemy's war harbour, or arsenal, or magazine, or what you will? she sails above it. she drops a bomb. then, piff! the thing is done. the ship is destroyed; the harbour is wrecked; the magazine explodes. men rush to and fro in panic--those who are left. for some are poisoned. yes, some die not from the effects of the explosion, but because the airship has dropped also chemical bombs which burst and spread poisonous fumes everywhere. but men are left, we will allow. there are gunners there. they rush to the aerial guns. they load them; they attempt to take aim. but--where is the ship? gone? no--but where? the sky is all smoke. there is no sign of her. she is invisible. _nicht wahr?_ it is too late; all the damage is done. the zeppelin escapes to wreck more ships, more harbours, more magazines." he puffed out his stout little chest, gazed aloft at the dense and spreading cloud of smoke, and waved his hands excitedly. "it is magnificent!" he repeated for perhaps the tenth time. "it is a triumph! none can approach it. many have watched and scorned the idea. count zeppelin has persevered. germany has backed his efforts, and now, _voila_!--there is the result. triumph! the conquest of the air. mastery of the upper element; with none to gainsay us." "but--but there are limits to the power of these ships," suggested andrew, his words almost faltering. "there are limits to their range of travel." mr. carl reitberg put one fat finger artfully to the side of his nose. it was perhaps a little peculiarity he had picked up in england, for we hasten to explain that he was cosmopolitan. carl reitberg had spent many of his fifty-three years in south africa. there he had enjoyed the protection of the union jack. he had a house in london now, and one also at brighton. it may be said that he had made his fortune, thanks to his own astuteness and the opportunities given him by our british colonies. but he was not english. he was not entirely german. he belonged to the world. one day he was resident in berlin, a second found him in london or in brighton, while as likely as not the following weeks saw him parading the champs Ã�lysées in paris, the boulevards of buenos ayres, the streets of mexico, or broadway, new york. in fact, and in short, he was cosmopolitan. "limits, mein herr!" he cried, still in those tones of pride, still dancing on his toes. "none! that ship can sail continuously over a thousand miles. her wireless telegraph will reach within a hundred miles of that distance. she can manoeuvre easily over a ship at sea and take in further supplies. she is, in short, a cruiser. do you wish to sail in luxury to st. petersburg? hire, then, a zeppelin. do you desire to escape _mal de mer_? call for one of these huge airships and sail for london. do you fancy the conquest of some island kingdom? mr. provost, you are rich; buy one of the air dreadnoughts and blow your enemies sky high." andrew took his eyes from the spreading cloud of smoke overhead and glanced at the excited orbs of the little fellow. then he looked at his nephew. and we tell but the truth when we say that his own eyes were troubled. "it is magnificent, but it is terrible," he said slowly. "terrible for those who have no aerial dreadnoughts. yes, terrible. their danger is greater than i could ever have imagined. and you say that these zeppelins stand alone. there are no others?" "none. but wait. yes, there are others, also german. there are the parseval, the semi-rigid ships of the air," said mr. reitberg with a truculent smile. "there are also the gross ships; but the zeppelins are infinitely superior. elsewhere there are none. france, what are her ships? russia, poof! we will not waste breath in discussing them. england--mein herr, she has the alpha, the beta, and the gamma, mere toy airships. they do not count." there was a wide smile on his face now. andrew winced at his words; there were even beads of perspiration on his forehead, while lines had knit themselves across his brow. "you say that england has no such ships. then she can build them, must build them," he said. "must--yes! but can she? impossible!" mr. carl reitberg looked his pity. "impossible!" he repeated, while andrew wiped his perspiring brow. "i think not--hardly impossible, mein herr," came in quiet tones from joe, a silent witness of all that had been passing. "eh! not impossible? you think that a bigger gamma would suffice? you think that england could build such a ship as this zeppelin without experiment, without numerous failures--all, we will say, within a year?" "i am sure." "sure! you joke. the thing cannot be done; i know england. men are clever there, but they have not studied these airships: they are ignorant." "not quite--i disagree. in six months, in three, perhaps, such a ship as sails above us could be erected; but better, with more power, a wider range, and a greater capacity for destruction." mr. carl reitberg gasped; he pulled an elegant silk handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his forehead. he was beginning to get annoyed with the calm, not to say idiotic, assurance of this young man. he looked joe gresson superciliously up and down, and then smiled urbanely. "you are young," he said. "when you arrive at my age you will see your error. i, who know, say that such a thing is impossible." "and i, herr reitberg, while thanking you, say that it can be done. it has been done, on a smaller scale. to-morrow, or let us say within three months, england could possess an aerial dreadnought superior to any zeppelin. i am positive." the smile left mr. reitberg's face. he looked at joe as if he thought him mad. as for andrew, at first he had watched his nephew with every sign of surprise, if not of disapproval. but now he smacked him on the back encouragingly. "bravo, joe!" he cried. "stick to your guns. you say england could build such a ship. well, she's tried?" "yes; the admiralty tried through their contractors, and failed." "ah, failed, yes!" lisped mr. reitberg. "so did zeppelin. but he carried on his experiments; he succeeded. your people did no more." "others took on the work." joe returned the looks of his two companions firmly. "and succeeded," he added. "who? you?" demanded andrew eagerly. "yes; i did." "then i'd back you to do as you say. you declare that you could erect such a ship as we have just lost sight of, but better, with greater powers of movement, with greater range?" "certainly." "then why has mein herr not done so?" asked mr. reitberg, with a lift of his eyebrows and outspread hands. he was the essence, in fact, of polite incredulity. "i did on a small scale; then funds failed." "ah, yes! they always do, fortunately, mein herr. then your experiments are ended. this ship is but a creation of your brain. it must remain so; for funds are done with." there was sarcasm in the voice. andrew provost resented the tone. he had never liked mr. reitberg overmuch, though they had met in more than one country and had dined together frequently. besides, it roused his gorge to feel that here was an example of british ineptitude. he knew his nephew well enough by now, knew him to be a young man worth trusting. if he said he could do this thing, then he could. "by jingo, i'll give him the opportunity!" he cried. "joe, how much'd it cost?" "one hundred thousand pounds, perhaps. not more; very likely a great deal less." "and within three months? well, let us say, within six months?" asked mr. reitberg incredulously. "impossible! the money would be wasted. a ship be built in that time, by men inexperienced in such work, a ship, moreover, of almost unlimited range! you are dreaming, sir!" joe gresson might have been excused if he had lost his temper. instead, he smiled at the little foreigner. "i am all seriousness," he said. "if i had the means i would erect this ship, and prove her capacity to you. she would sail where you wished; no part of the earth would be too far for her." "and i back him up in what he says. what this young fellow cares to declare as in his power i feel is not impossible. now, mr. reitberg," cried andrew with no little warmth, "i'll stand by him." mr. reitberg did nothing in a hurry. it was his very slowness which had sometimes proved his success. but this discussion irritated him. he liked to feel that the zeppelin was beyond all attempts at imitation. he considered that joe was mad, or suffering from too great a shock of confidence. in any case, it seemed to him that what he described as possible was hopelessly out of the question. he tucked his short neck deep into his collar, screwed his head on one side, and then began to smile urbanely. "well, well," he said at last. "one hundred thousand pounds. what is it to me, or to you, mr. provost? build this airship. prove her to be better than a zeppelin. sail her round the world and then return to england. if you do all this, say within nine months of this date, then i return the cost of the venture. is that a bargain?" "done!" shouted andrew. "i'll back the boy. i'll find the money for him. if we succeed within nine months, then the loss is yours. the ship remains ours, while you pay for it. let us step into the cabin. we'll draft out a form of agreement. when that's signed we'll set to in earnest." it took but a half-hour to complete this necessary preliminary, so that when they returned on deck again the huge cloud of smoke had disappeared, while the zeppelin was again in sight, a mere speck in the distance. "like that, but better, faster, stronger, with greater range," said andrew, pointing up at her. "quite so--the impossible!" smiled mr. reitberg. "do not blame me if you fail, mr. provost. i hate taking other people's money, or running anyone into large expense. good luck to you!" they shook hands on leaving the steamer at southampton and parted. joe and his uncle took train for london, and that same evening found them seated before the window of their private room at the hotel quietly discussing the exciting future before them. chapter ii andrew provost's resolution andrew provost was not the man to shirk his liabilities, or to shrink from an undertaking however difficult it might appear, and however impetuous he may have been in his decision. "no, siree," he exclaimed, sipping his after-dinner coffee, and then pulling at a big cigar. "no, my boy, i ain't the one to back out, you bet. that fellow reitberg got my monkey up with his sneers and his crows about those german zeppelins. boy and man i've lived under the union jack, and what folks can do elsewhere, why, they can do 'em as well where i've lived. fire in at that agreement, joe." for the moment he had allowed a decided yankee drawl to betray the country from which he had so recently come, for in canada they speak much as they do in america, though the drawl and the accent are not so accentuated. it showed that andrew was stirred. in moments of excitement he always developed a drawl; but if excited, he was also practical. "read that document, joe?" he asked again. "mind you, i admit that there are many of my old friends who would call me a fool over this business." "impossible, uncle!" his nephew interrupted. "fiddlesticks, my boy! no offence, mind; but look at this matter squarely. how do we stand? it's like this. we're aboard a hamburg-amerika liner. we see a zeppelin, and get a fine display, all free and for nothing. we run up against a fat little fellow named reitberg, who's neither german nor english, nor anything in particular. anyway, he's made his money like me under the union jack. well, now, he crows about that ship, says there's not another nation could build one. gets riled too, when you say that england could, that you yourself could. shows plainly, though with some amount of politeness, that he don't believe you, and then gets to crowing again. isn't that enough to put up a britisher's back? eh?" "well, it wasn't very pleasant certainly, rather riling. made one wince." "wince! squirm! look here, joe, i never liked being beaten. if i did i'd never have got to the position i have. i'd have been still running that small store away outside toronto, with its tin roof and its walls tintacked together. it's because i didn't like being beaten that i'm not there. and i don't like to think that britishers are beaten. when you said that you could build an airship better than a zeppelin i believed you." "awfully kind of you, too, uncle," joe declared, gratitude lending unusual warmth to his tones. "it _was_ mighty kind," came the half-smiling answer. "then and there i let myself into an expenditure of a hundred thousand pounds, and all because i couldn't stand that fellow reitberg's crowing, and, from a mighty long experience, had confidence in my own countrymen. you'd said that you could do it--that was enough for me. but it's very small reason for such an expenditure when you come to look plainly at it. no offence, joe, mind that. you're my nephew; i've heard big things about you, and if you've said you can succeed, why you shall. your uncle andrew'll help you." they shook hands on it, exchanging a firm grip. but it must be allowed that andrew was really only putting the true facts before his nephew. after all, what hard-headed business man--and andrew was that if anything--would promise such a huge sum simply because a nephew had declared that he could build a ship of similar class to a zeppelin, that is, one lighter than air, but more powerful, more perfect, in every way more desirable? why, the fat, comfortable-looking mr. reitberg was even then detailing the incident to a few of his cronies who were seated in the smoking-room of his luxurious town house. there were five of them present, none of whom would again see a fiftieth birthday, comfortable-looking gentlemen, robustly built, running to fat if we were asked for a concise description. they discussed the matter in english, though all betrayed some accent. in fact, they had without exception been foreigners, only three at least were naturalized englishmen. "it made me laugh afterwards," declared mr. reitberg, sitting up, and withdrawing his cigar from between a pair of short, stumpy, fat fingers. "you've met andrew provost?" they had: all nodded. "from canada--stores," said mr. julius veldtheim laconically. "rich man--very." "said to be one of the wealthiest," added mr. herman schloss, puffing a cloud of smoke in the direction of the table bearing decanters and glasses. "has a reputation for sagacity. buys heavily from us," ventured a third, whose name is of no consequence. "and yet laid himself open to an expenditure of a hundred thousand pounds--one hundred thousand pounds, gentlemen, on the word of a young nephew who, whatever his merits, won't languish for want of self-confidence." "ah! how? why? he had a reason. provost always has a reason. he's sharp." the questioner looked languidly across at mr. reitberg, and smiled as that complacent gentleman smiled. he chuckled even. "i'll tell you," he said, turning to them all. "there was a zeppelin overheard as we crossed from hamburg. well, its manoeuvring was wonderful. provost was amazed. he began to think that he would feel queer in this country if one were to sail overhead. you see, this one dropped bombs, so we were able to watch the actual thing that will occur in war. it frightened provost. he wondered why they hadn't any here. i told him." "ah! why?" "because they can't build 'em. no one can." "you are sure?" asked mr. veldtheim. "positive; i said so plainly. provost got quite hot at the news. but his nephew declared he could build one, that he had done so. well, you know, i could see what it was. i smiled; the young fellow's confidence was really too pronounced. but provost was too riled to notice. 'he says he can build one. then he can and will,' he sings out. 'i'll pay.'" "ah! one hundred thousand pounds," lisped mr. veldtheim. "yes, one hundred thousand pounds. 'you'll lose it all,' i told him, or rather, i intimated that as politely as was possible. 'you'll never succeed. i'm so positive, that if you do, and build a ship which can sail round the world, all within nine months of this, why, i'll pay the bill.'" "bravo!" cried mr. veldtheim. "your money's safe. zeppelins aren't built in nine months, even by those who know all about 'em." that seemed to be the general opinion of the company present. in fact, one and all looking at the matter from their own point of view considered that andrew provost had been guilty of a species of madness. "better by far hand his nephew a handsome cheque and have done with the matter," observed mr. veldtheim. "it'd be easier and cheaper." but, as we have intimated already, andrew provost was made of stubborn material. also, he had seen sufficient of joe during their travels on the continent since his coming from canada to assure him that he was not overstocked with confidence. or rather, to assure him that he was a clever, painstaking fellow, who seldom declared his powers, but who, when induced to do so, never overshot the mark. consequently, when he said that mr. reitberg was misinformed, andrew provost believed him. but a statement was one thing; hard facts another. "just get to and read that agreement between reitberg and myself," he said again. "then tell me all about this ship of yours. recollect, i've never seen it, nor heard of it either." "pardon, you've heard of it," said joe shortly. "eh, heard of it? come!" "a year ago. there was a scare in england," joe reminded him. "there was even an airship scare in germany. the papers were full of reports. brilliant lights had been seen in the sky. the noise of aerial motors was heard. it was feared in england that a foreign spy was manoeuvring over our magazines and arsenals." andrew looked sharply at his nephew over the rim of his cup. "airship scare? yes, i remember; the papers in canada were full of it--well?" "that was my ship. people said that a mistake had been made; that folks had imagined the ship. they said the same in germany. but it wasn't imagination: it was a real ship, the one i had built." "and--and what became of it?" gasped andrew--for this was news--"why didn't you sell it to the war office authorities?" joe smiled. "war office authorities! know 'em?" he asked. "never met them--why?" "they're too slow for words," declared joe, laughing. "i'll tell you about them. i went there, to the war office. i got lost in the place, it's so vast and has such huge lengths of corridor. and i'm inclined to believe that the folks who work there get lost. anyway, they couldn't for an hour or more direct me to the department likely to have some knowledge of airships. but i reached it at last and told my tale." "ah! you got home. then, what happened! they sent right off to investigate." "the official who interviewed me, and who had, i imagine, as much knowledge of airships as i have of turnips, informed me that he was vastly interested and would put the matter before the authorities and communicate with me. i left my address; i waited; i got tired of waiting." "what! how many days?" "six weeks. i wrote reminding them of my visit." "gosh! six weeks! then, what happened?" "they sent a formal acknowledgment--the matter was having their consideration." andrew provost leaped from his chair and stood facing joe, biting his cigar fiercely. "you mean to tell me that that's the treatment you received? that i might expect the same to-morrow if i went to the war office with a brilliant invention?" he demanded hotly. "do you mean to say that i'd as likely as not be interviewed by a fellow who knew next to nothing about the matter, and that weeks would elapse before i heard from 'em again, and then only after sending 'em a reminder?" joe laughed. "that was my experience," he said. "i dare say others meet with the same. tantalizing, eh, uncle?" "tantalizing be hanged! if that's the sort of thing that happens, then the sooner the crowd inside that office is hauled out and booted the better. guess live men are wanted--folks who can earn their pay--not dolls and dullards. but let's leave 'em. tell me about the ship--go on." "she was wrecked; a violent gale sprang up." "ah! usual thing. that's the weak part about those zeppelins," said andrew. "they're unmanageable in a wind. a half-dozen and more of them have been wrecked; so you suffered in the same way." "no! the gale wrecked my hangar; it was flimsily put together. that was the fault of having small funds. as to zeppelins, i know that they have that particular weakness. wait till you see my designs. i'm not afraid of a gale, and can manoeuvre into my hangar when gusts are blowing at fifty miles an hour. fact, uncle! you'll see when we've finished." andrew provost strode backwards and forwards before the wide-open window of the hotel. he was thinking deeply, and more than once he cast a shrewd, sharp glance at his nephew. this long-headed man was a little uneasy. and who can blame him? for, in the first place, solely on the strength of joe's assertion, and because mr. reitberg had riled him, he had taken up a challenge. and now he heard his nephew declare that a fifty-mile gale was of no consequence, though to a zeppelin airship it would prove easily disastrous. was joe romancing? or was he so carried away by this work of his that his imagination made successes where they did not exist? "no; certainly not. he looks and is clever. if he says gusts don't matter, they don't," thought andrew, after another sharp look at his nephew. "what appears difficult to believe may very well be simple when one has seen his designs. here, joe," he cried. "we get drifting on; do read that document, then show me your plans. i'll pay a cheque for ten thousand pounds into your account to-morrow, and then you'll be able to go ahead. now, the document." joe picked it up from the table on which it was resting. unfolding the sheet, he disclosed at the top the arms of the hamburg-amerika steamship company, and in the right-hand corner the name of the ship they had so recently left. the date was scrawled in a firm hand beneath it, and then there appeared the following words: "i, andrew provost, of park st., toronto, canada, and of fenchurch st., london, england, guarantee to build with the help of my nephew, joseph gresson, and others whom i may appoint, an airship similar to the well-known zeppelin; that is to say, when inflated with gas the said ship shall be lighter than air. it shall be capable of lifting not less than thirty tons, of progressing against a wind at more than sixty miles an hour, and of traversing the world in any direction, keeping in the air for that purpose as long as shall be necessary, though she may be allowed to descend to the land for necessary supplies, renewals, and repairs. should i succeed with the help abovementioned in building a ship capable of all this, and of circling the world, and should that voyage be completed within nine months of this date, then carl eugene reitberg, of park lane, london, england, guarantees to pay the full cost of the building of the said ship, and of her voyage, but not exceeding in all one hundred thousand pounds. it is further agreed that a special form of passport shall be obtained from the foreign office, and that the same having been initialled by the various authorities of the countries over which the ship may pass in her voyage shall be held to be proof of her voyage." "clear as crystal. and you can do it?" asked andrew. "certainly." "then let's have the designs. how does your ship beat the zeppelin? what's she made of? tell me everything; remember i'm ignorant. i just know that an aeroplane is a heavier-than-air machine, and a zepplin's a lighter-than-air; that is, once she's inflated with gas. fire away. i'm dying to get in at the actual building." joe was a practical young fellow, and was not to be hastened. he unlocked a leather bag lying near his feet and abstracted a sheet of glistening paper. spreading it out on the table, he showed his uncle a big detail drawing of the machine he proposed to construct. "it's not easy to follow the outline here," he said. "wait till the ship's finished. but you can see this much. she's long and pointed at either end, and looks like a flattened cigar. that's how she differs from the zeppelins. she's built very flat, and extends on either side till the top and bottom half come together in what may be called a lateral keel." "why? where's the reason?" "to protect her against gusts of wind and gales. a zeppelin can't escape. every breath plays on her big lateral bulk. in my ship the wind strikes a thin keel on whichever side it comes, is divided there, and passes over and under the ship, sliding as it were upwards and downwards away from the gradually-sloping surfaces which lead from those keels. in fact, the ship is almost as flat as a tortoise, and as wide comparatively, though she's very much longer." "and--and this flattening of the ship makes her laugh at gales?" asked andrew, staring at the plans before him. "certainly--her shape, and other fittings. now, let's return to the zeppelin. it's a huge framework of aluminium, built very light and covered with a material of neutral tint." "which holds the necessary gas." "no, uncle. which merely covers the aluminium skeleton. inside the frame there are twenty or more balloonettes, inflated with gas. thus if one bursts, or two, or more even, the ship still floats." "canny that! smart!" declared andrew. "well, yours? it's a similar framework, i suppose? the same balloonettes? where does the difference come?" joe bent again to his bag and produced a parcel, which he rapidly opened. he drew from the interior a sheet of shining material, which might have been glass but for the fact that it was folded half a dozen times. placing it on the table, this sheet opened to its full capacity as soon as the weight of his fingers was removed. "flexible and elastic, you see, uncle," said joe. "and yet not extensible. see--it does not stretch. transparent, of course--one of its least advantages--but yet one of great value in the construction of an airship." "what! you don't mean to tell me you build the ship of that? how? what part does it form? i--look here, joe, you're romancing." joe smiled; his deep-sunk eyes took on the clever expression, to which his uncle had become familiar. he placed two long objects on the table, and stood leaning the tips of his strong fingers upon them. he might have been a lecturer, and his uncle a student about to absorb his wisdom. as for the objects he had placed on the table, one was a long piece of the same transparent material, an eighth of an inch thick, perhaps, two inches wide before it was bent, and now bent all the way down its length into a right angle. in fact, composed of iron it would be known simply as "angle iron". the other object was a tube, perhaps half an inch in diameter, two feet in length, and of thinner material. both were transparent, and exceedingly light in weight, as andrew assured himself instantly. "go on," he said huskily. "what is the stuff? not talc--that i can tell easily. not celluloid either--you'd never be such a fool as to build a ship of such a highly inflammable material. that stuff's lighter, also. what is it?" but joe was not yet to be persuaded into an answer. he spread the thin transparent sheet out, caught the four corners, and taking a jug of water, poured some of the contents into the centre of the sheet. not a drop penetrated it. joe demonstrated the fact quietly and without show of haste. then he stepped to the window and cast the water out. a moment later he was striking a match. "stop! stop! how do i know that it isn't like celluloid?" cried andrew in some alarm. "supposing it fires. supposing there's an explosion." joe smiled. "it won't," he said curtly. "look there." the flame was licking round one of the corners of this thin sheet of material. it blackened the surface above, while that below, immersed in the flame, gradually changed colour. it became a dull red, then got redder and redder till it was glowing. slowly it changed its form, the corner curled up into a globule. the latter separated itself from the sheet and tumbled on to the glass-topped table, where it broke into a number of smaller drops. "glass! no--too light by far. not celluloid. not talc. then what is it?" demanded andrew impatiently, taking the various articles and examining them. "why, this angle piece is strong--as strong as aluminium!" he cried. "stronger--stronger and tougher," asserted joe. "you can bend it; it's flexible. you can bend it double, and still it comes back to its original formation. aluminium would crack at once; even steel would. now, try the tube. see, it kinks when you bend it, though it requires some strength to do that. now, set it on its end on the floor; we'll put a book on the top end. sit on the book, uncle." andrew did so--gingerly it must be confessed--for this transparent tube with its small diameter and its walls less than an eighth of an inch in thickness looked as if it would at once succumb to his avoirdupois. but it did not. he sat boldly upon the book now. he balanced himself upon the frail support and jerked his feet from the ground. "jingo!" he cried. "what in thunder is the stuff? it's strong, strong as possible. surprisingly powerful stuff. it bends if you use sufficient force, yet doesn't break. it's tough; you've shown me that, for a knife edge bites into it with difficulty. then it softens and melts at a fairly high temperature, proving that it can be easily treated and moulded. well?" "i call it celludine," said joe, not without some trace of pride in his tuneful voice. "i dropped upon the stuff quite by accident, for at the 'varsity' i was fond of working in a laboratory. asbestos enters into its composition, that i can tell you. it is easily manufactured, the materials of which it is composed are inexpensive. it can be rolled into plates and bars and drawn into tubes. better than all, perhaps, when bars and tubes and angle pieces are being built into a framework rivet holes can be punched with the simplest pneumatic tool, while the joins and the rivets can be instantly and securely welded together with an electric heating iron. thus every joint becomes a solid piece." andrew wiped his forehead--this was something--he even chuckled. "reitberg'd have fits," he laughed. "he'd be beginning to get anxious about that money if he heard what you were saying. but get along. this stuffs fine. i can see that, and i'm quite a child in such matters." "then it is hardly necessary for me to explain that i build my framework of this celludine. that frame is wonderfully strong, stronger a great deal than if composed of aluminium, and constructed far more rapidly and at less cost. it has another advantage zeppelins have broken up before now, simply because certain portions of their frames have fractured under great strain. with this material the flexibility is such that the frame gives before a strain, grudgingly it is true, but gives without receiving damage, and instantly returns to its former shape once the strain is removed. now let us proceed. i cover the frame with the same material. it is waterproof and gas-proof. note that, uncle. i fashion partitions of the same material. thus my balloonettes are formed. there is no need for the twenty and more balloonettes. all that weight is removed. there are merely the partitions and the outer covering, and since celludine is the lightest material of any that i have yet discovered, you can follow that here i have a material with which i can make a ship at once lighter than a zeppelin, though of equal size, while it is stronger and more flexible. add the important fact that the whole thing is transparent." "eh? why? where does the advantage come?" it was natural, perhaps, that andrew should not follow his reasoning so quickly. "imagine the ship to be inflated and in the air," said joe. "well, gas is transparent. so's the framework of the ship. she is invisible almost, except for engines and gear of a similar description." this time his uncle mopped his forehead busily. he was glad that he had taken up that challenge. he was beginning to hope that some day it might be his turn to gloat over mr. reitberg. he could even conjure up the huge airship which joe gresson would build. facts were in his case far easier of digestion than any amount of theorizing, and here his nephew was providing him with facts. as a practical man andrew could decide that this celludine was essentially suitable for the building of a vessel to sail the air. now he could realize better than ever that success was possible. but a few hours ago he had been content to take joe's mere word for it. his own common sense now supported that belief. he drew in a series of deep breaths, while he handled the samples before him. unconsciously it seemed his hand sought his handkerchief and he mopped his fevered brow. then he drew a cheque book from an inner pocket, seated himself at a desk, and took up a pen. "pay joseph gresson ten thousand pounds," he wrote, and attached his signature. "there," he said, with a beaming smile, smacking his nephew heartily on the back, "get to at the work, joe. call for more when you want it. don't stint yourself; spend freely if necessary, for there's no time to waste. we've got to be up and doing. i'll teach mr. reitberg to have a better respect for britishers. what others can do, we can. gosh! we'll have that ship sailing before he's finished chuckling at our helplessness." we leave him then for the moment, filled to the brim with enthusiasm, while we step aside to introduce a person of no little importance, namely, mr. midshipman hamshaw, r.n., dick hamshaw, lately out of dartmouth naval college, and already known by officers and men as simple and plain dicky. chapter iii dicky hamshaw, midshipman "of all the little bantams 'e's it," quoth able seaman hawkins of h.m.s. _inflexible_ in a deep, hoarse whisper, leaning over the tiller of the steam pinnace he was steering to place his thick lips close to the huge ear of his comrade. "that 'ere shaver's just it all the time and no mistake about it." a long tongue of flame shooting out through the stumpy funnel of the vessel at that precise moment lit up the afterpart, disclosing the fact that seaman hawkins's face was divided by an expansive grin, while able seaman hurst's rugged and none-too-handsome features seemed to be made up mostly of two rows of irregular teeth. the short stem of an extremely black pipe was gripped between those same teeth, while smoke was issuing from the nostrils. but a second later the pipe was dragged from its position and found its way with extreme rapidity into a pocket. "stop that talking, men! one can't hear. silence aft!" the command came in quick, decisive tones, and yet in a voice that betrayed the youth of the officer. for dicky hamshaw was young, painfully young, we must admit. when he stepped the decks of his majesty's battleships no one deplored that fact more than mr. midshipman hamshaw. it was a defect which time would undoubtedly eradicate, but for the moment it was annoying, to say the least of it. for ever on the faces of the tars beneath his immediate command there lurked a queer demureness, an indefinite something which he could never actually fathom, but which told him as plainly as words that he was almost an object of amusement. not of ridicule, let us explain. no other officer's orders were obeyed more smartly than those of mr. midshipman hamshaw, while your british tar is far too jealous of his good name to ridicule an officer, even if such a thing were not decidedly contrary to discipline. no; dicky hamshaw was very young, and looked younger than his seventeen and a half years. not a hair yet adorned his upper lip, and there was not even a suspicious down budding from the square chin of which he boasted. he was merely disgustingly young in appearance, tall and slim and active, and full of a dash and jollity which had long since captivated the tars. "just it--nothing more," repeated hawkins in a hoarse whisper to hurst. "a bantam that's full of fight, and don't you make no mistake about it." precisely what "it" meant on this occasion the burly hawkins did not stoop to explain, and apparently hurst needed no enlightenment. he nodded, expanded his capacious jaws again, and then slowly introduced the stem of his clay between his strong teeth. "stop that smoking aft! there's someone smoking." once more the order rang out crisp and clear, and in those very juvenile tones. let us say at once that it was dick's boyish voice, perhaps more than his youthful appearance, which excited the smiles of his men. but in any case the crisp tones meant business. hurst slid his pipe back into its receptacle with alacrity and grimaced through the gloom at his comrade. "and 'e's got a nose," he ventured to hawkins when a few moments had elapsed. "here are we away aft, and you'd have said as all the smoke was blowed clear away behind us. but dicky's got a nose for it. blest if he couldn't tell you what 'bacca it was. not ship's i can tell you, mate, but a bit of cake bought ashore at a place i knows of. what's he up to?" "keep her away a point to starboard," suddenly came from the midshipman. "that'll do. hold her so and keep her steady on that course. i fancy we must be somewhere near the spot anyone hear anything?" "nothing, sir?" came from hurst, while hawkins opened his thick lips to cry "aye! aye! sir," in recognition of the order given him. "steady it is, sir. fancied i heard a cry away over here a minute or more ago, but i ain't sure. there's no sayin'." "then keep your ears open, men, and--hawkins." "aye, aye, sir." "as we're away from the ship and it's dark i've no particular objection to hurst's smoking. all you men can smoke; but please don't forget to listen carefully." had it not been dark expansive grins could have been seen on the faces of the half-dozen tars manning this steam pinnace. for here was a privilege granted without the asking, and one, too, which every one of the men could fully appreciate. it was just one of those thoughtful actions for which dicky had become almost famous since he became a full-fledged midshipman, and which added so much to his popularity. as for hurst, the mention of his own name caused him to bring one broad palm with a resounding smack against his thigh. hawkins could hear him gurgling, and then listened to his low-toned whisper. "did you hear that? spotted who was smoking. spotted it was me," he said hoarsely, his tones betraying delight if anything. "if that don't beat me handsome! here's he away for'ard a-listening for shouts and cries, while the pinnace steams against the wind. he spots as someone's smoking. and he says as sure as he can make it that it's me. that's smart, mate, ain't it?" "it's jest common sense, that's all," came the rejoinder. "dicky ain't asleep, not by a long way. he knows his men better perhaps than a sight of the orfficers. and he knows you, bill, and the smell of that 'ere pipe. that's where his smartness comes in. he puts things together quick, same as he'll clear up this here little business that's brought us away from the ship at a time when we ought to be turnin' down and alookin' forward to our suppers. did you hear what it is exactly? they was mighty quick in pipin' us away. it's something particular." "someone lost away out beyond the needles, that's all i heard," came hurst's answer. "anyways, there ain't much chance of our being able to help. it's blowing hardish out here, and if a boat has foundered and left her crew in the water, why, they'll stay there i'm afeard. it don't take long to drown a man, even with the little sea there's running." a sudden order had in fact disturbed the peace of shipboard life late that evening. mr. midshipman hamshaw, in all the glory of his mess kit, was on the point of making his way to the gunroom, there to sit down to an appetizing dinner, when he received an unexpected order. "mr. hamshaw! mr. hamshaw!" he heard someone calling. "pass the word to mr. hamshaw, please. ask him to step up on deck at once, bringing oilskins with him." dicky's servant conveyed the tidings to him. dicky himself tore off his mess jacket with no very pleasant expression, dived into a workaday costume, and grumbling at the ill fortune which had befallen him stumbled up on deck. "yes, sir," he cried, halting before the officer of the watch and displaying that smartness for which he was notorious. "here, sir." "ah, mr. hamshaw, there's a marconi in to say that someone's been lost just outside the needles. i can't get further information, and don't know what sort of a craft it is that has foundered, nor how many were aboard. but it's urgent. tumble into the pinnace and get out as fast as you can steam. don't return till you have thoroughly searched the water out there." "yes, sir." dicky's youthful heart leaped with delight. true, he longed for that dinner which he was leaving. but this order entailed an independent command, and dicky loved that more than anything. "yes, sir!" he repeated. "and keep a lookout for another pinnace. the admiral's sending one from another ship. there, off you go. i'll send down to the mess steward to tell him to keep things going hot for you. smartly does it." smartly was always the way aboard that ship, and particularly when dicky hamshaw was the officer. he tumbled down into the pinnace with the rapidity almost of lightning. an active monkey would have been hard put to to beat him. "push off there for'ard!" he shouted. "now, ahead. give her steam, perkins!" the low-built pinnace went away from the ship's side into the night like a sleuthhound, and but for the light she carried at her bow was quickly invisible. they steamed out to the needles at their fastest pace, and then began slowly and thoroughly to circle the water outside, searching every yard of it as far as they were capable. and had they heard a cry? "sartin," declared hawkins, when dicky appealed to him after the space of a few minutes, and when the red glow from half a dozen pipes told that the men were taking advantage of the privilege of smoking. "i heard one a moment ago, faint-like, sir. someone almost drowned already." "then give 'em a call. perhaps that'll rouse an answer," said dicky anxiously. "now, all together!" a deep gruff call was sent up by the crew of the pinnace, dicky's shrill treble merging with the bass of the men. then all listened, while perkins shut off steam and silenced his throbbing engines. ah! a faint cry reached their ears. "starboard, sir, starboard," called hawkins. "i'm certain." "sure," grunted hurst, snatching his pipe from between his teeth. "there again, sir--listen." there could be no doubt that mr. midshipman hamshaw and his men had heard a call for help, and the sound, faint though it was, set them in a fever. at a command from the officer, perkins sent steam whizzing and hissing into his cylinders. flames roared up the stumpy funnel of the pinnace, while the propeller thrashed the water into white foam at the stern, foam that could easily be seen in spite of the surrounding darkness. "keep her away a couple of points then," shouted dicky, leaning with both hands on the gunwale of the craft and staring into the darkness. "keep a bright lookout forward there, and give me a shout if you see anything. one thing's in our favour. there isn't another craft about here, so we can plug along at our fastest." perkins had no hesitation in giving all the available steam to his engines. by then, the pinnace having been the better part of an hour on her journey, there was a fine head of steam, the gauge showing a pressure which promised something approaching full power. it was not to be wondered at, therefore, that the whole pinnace vibrated. the engine roared. the propeller behind even threw white foam into the after portion of the vessel. and so, for perhaps five minutes, they continued plunging into darkness, each man of the crew straining his eyes to detect something. "stop her! let's listen again. wait though--give another shout," directed dicky, and at the command once more a hoarse growl was sent across the heaving water. "nothing, sir--not a sound," cried hawkins, when they had listened a full two minutes. "whoever it was who answered us before is drowned." "no--i heard something. silence!" called dicky. "there! hear it, any of you men?" "yes, sir. there it is again," cried hurst, now filled with eagerness. "listen, sir--there again! well, i'm blistered!" it was one of the seaman's choicest expressions, reserved for moments of unusual excitement. he let his still-smouldering pipe drop into a pocket and scratched his head with one rugged forefinger. and no wonder that he was puzzled. a moment before he and hawkins, and dicky hamshaw and the remaining members of his crew would one and all have declared that they heard a shout come from a point almost directly ahead. they felt sure of the fact, could have made an oath upon it. and now it came from aloft, from the sky in fact. "i'm blistered!" repeated hurst, stupefied at such a strange occurrence. "must be a sort of echo, sir." "hardly likely. why, there it comes again, and from the sea this time without doubt. dead ahead, too. put her at it, perkins." once more the process of giving steam to the engine was repeated, and presently the pinnace was tearing along through the water. then of a sudden her onward progress was arrested. she struck some object heavily, canted to one side till the water poured in over the gunwale, and righted all in a moment. there was a tearing, grating noise for'ard, followed almost instantly by the hiss of water meeting something intensely hot, and by dense clouds of vapour. "holed, sir!" shouted perkins. "there's water pouring in and flooding the furnace. i'm up to my knees in it already." "stand by there! get hold of that light, seaton, and let's see what's the damage. stand by there, men. this looks like a bad business." dicky did not plunge into hysterics. on the contrary he was as cool as one could possibly have wished. that the matter was serious he guessed at once, though his inexperience left him doubting what had actually happened. however, the rapidly rising water within the pinnace, the fact that he already stood knee deep himself, went a long way to convince him that his little command had met with an unfortunate accident. but he was hardly prepared for the amazing swiftness of its termination. hardly had one of his men seized the light for'ard and held it aloft when, as if that was the prearranged signal, the pinnace filled, waves washed in over the gunwale while clouds of steam were shot from the furnace. then, with a heave and a wriggle and an almost audible sob the pinnace shot away from beneath the feet of the crew who had manned her. perhaps one half-minute later dicky's head appeared from beneath the water which had submerged him. he opened his mouth and shouted: "stand by there, men! there's wreckage here. hold on to it." "aye, aye, sir," came from hawkins, his deep tones easily recognizable. "now, lads, answer to your names as i call 'em. hurst." "here, sir." "perkins." "here, sir." the answer was given with a gulp. perkins was endeavouring to eject the volume of water which he had so recently swallowed. "seaton, carew, tomkins." "here, sir! here, sir! here, sir!" came with varying degrees of quickness, and for the most part in distinctly gasping fashion. "all present and aboard, sir," cried hawkins, using that formula by force of habit. "all clinging tight, sir." "but to what? and there's that shout again. this is getting beyond me," declared the youthful dicky, not in despondent tones it must be declared, for never was there a lighter-hearted nor more courageous individual. but in a manner which showed that the speaker was sorely puzzled. no wonder, too, for that elusive call sounded now as if it came from the sky again. it made the bulky hurst actually tremble. he was shivering already, for the water was cold, and this sudden immersion was no joke under the circumstances. but now that call, three times repeated, sent a cold shiver down his back, as if someone had suddenly added a huge block of ice to the water. "i'm jiggered," he stuttered, his strong teeth chattering. "from away up aloft. why, there's a man here, sir, tied up to this here wreckage." it was too dark to see more than an inch in front of one's nose, but hurst could feel, and rapidly ran his fingers over the form of a man supported on the wreckage to which he and his companions were clinging. was that wreckage the remains of a boat? undoubtedly no. then what was it? both hawkins and hurst endeavoured to elucidate what had become a mystery. they ran their hands far and wide over spars and timber. they stretched as far as they were able, while dicky hamshaw did likewise, puzzled beyond expression by the strangeness of his immediate surroundings. and then that far-away cry again fell on his ear. "silence, men," he commanded, in his most peremptory manner. "now, give 'em a call--all together!" the bellow which the half-submerged members of the crew sent out must have penetrated some considerable distance. they waited for an answering cry, and then were more completely bewildered. for of a sudden the darkness overhead was split in twain by a beam of brilliant light, which shot from a point far above them, a point so brilliant that they dared not gaze at it. a moment before they were struggling in the water surrounded by the densest darkness. now, they and a huge circle about them were brilliantly illuminated, showing seven forlorn figures bobbing in the ocean about a mass of wreckage of curious formation secured to which was the body of a man more forlorn than themselves. dicky hamshaw wondered whether he were dreaming. he stretched out a hand and pulled at the sleeve of that unconscious figure. and then he gazed aloft, wondering from whence that light came, who could have cast it upon them, and what manner of ship it was that floated there, invisible and stationary yet a ship for all that; for a man or men were aboard it. cries had come from that direction, while their own shouts had been followed by the sudden jet of light which now played about them. was he dreaming indeed? or could that actually be the figure of a man descending through the very centre of the beam towards them, descending at a speed which made him giddy, treading steps which there was no seeing? "jingo!" he gasped. "this is getting too hot for anything. why--why, the man's on a rope. now, what in the dickens supports him?" what indeed? not one of the men clinging to that strange wreckage in the water illuminated so wonderfully could guess to what class of vessel that rope could be attached. for nothing was visible aloft save that one penetrating eye, that brilliant orb which shot down upon them its dazzling beams. hurst shivered yet again. even mr. midshipman hamshaw was decidedly disconcerted and nonplussed by the uncanniness of the situation. for that man, dangling from a rope, turning like a spider hanging by a single thread, and swaying from side to side as the wind caught him, appeared to be supported by nothing in particular. and yet he was descending towards them at an amazing rate, and that too with no effort on his own part. someone above must be paying out the rope to which he was attached. but who? where was the spot from which he had started? what sort of vessel hovered aloft? "i'm hanged," ventured dicky. "it's just the queerest thing as ever i seed, sir," admitted hawkins. "but there's one thing i'm sure of. this here wreckage is what's left of a waterplane. see there--one of the floats is on the top of the water. there's generally two, so one can guess that the other's foundered, and if it wasn't for this here one the whole affair would have sunk. it's lucky for us and lucky for the man here. french, sir." "yes," agreed the young officer. "looks it. hallo!" his last exclamation had been drawn from him by the sudden discovery that the man at the end of that strange rope was now within a matter of ten feet of him, swaying just overhead. in fact, in those few seconds during which dicky had turned to inspect the wreckage to which he was clinging, the newcomer, descending as it were from the sky, had dropped to within speaking distance. who was he? of what nationality? "ahoy!" shouted dicky, nothing daunted. "where do you come from?" a face looked down upon him, a face cast into shadow by that brilliant beam from above, and yet distinguishable to some extent by reason of the reflection from the water. it was a bearded face, that of a man in his early prime, strong, reliant, and dauntless, and bearing an expression familiar to the young officer. did he know this man? impossible. "who's that?" came in stentorian tones. "mr. midshipman hamshaw, sir," bellowed hawkins, taking upon himself to answer; "he and the crew of the steam pinnace away from the solent. we've struck against the wreck of a waterplane, and the pinnace has foundered." "all present, i hope?" "aye, aye, sir!" shouted dicky, for without a doubt the man above was a naval officer. he had the cut of a nautical man from head to foot, while whoever saw a man hang so comfortably in midair at the end of but a single rope but a sailor? "and you can stick tight for a while?" "certainly," answered dicky. "then hang on; i'll be down again in a minute." the man waved his hand. there came a cry from far up aloft, and then the dangling figure was whisked upward at express speed, for all the world as if he were seated in an elevator going aloft in a new york skyscraper. "i'm jiggered!" gasped hurst, silenced up till now by the novelty of the situation. "why, look what's coming." down through the very centre of the beam, appearing once more to have actually no point of support, there dropped a wide platform, over one edge of which a man's head protruded. at lightning speed it fell towards the wreckage, halting abruptly within two feet of the water as the man signalled. then it dropped a few inches lower, while a hand was stretched out to hawkins. "come aboard," that same cheerful, brisk voice commanded. "where's the officer?" "here, sir," shouted dicky. "how many men are you responsible for?" "six, sir; and this fellow lashed to the wreckage." "good! then we'll soon finish this business. now, on you come." very rapidly was the crew of the pinnace transferred to this strange platform, and following them the unconscious figure of the man they had come out to rescue. "hold tight!" came the order. "tight it is, sir," responded hawkins. "then hoist." the stranger signalled. dicky felt the platform move upward. then it shot towards the sky, while of a sudden the beam died out, leaving them all in darkness. it sent a chill down his back. even the jovial and careless midshipman was impressed by the uncouthness of this adventure. where was this stranger bearing them? what was to be the end of this amazing rescue? chapter iv the great airship "hold tight all! don't move or you will make the platform sway, and then it will be a job to keep your footing. ah--up we go!" the cheery individual, who had dropped so suddenly as if from the sky, bringing help to dicky and his crew, called out loudly, once he had contrived with their help to cut asunder the lashings that bound the unconscious figure of the man they had come to rescue, and had lifted him aboard the platform which had borne him from aloft. he signalled at once, and then, as we have recorded, the platform shot upward at tremendous speed, while the brilliant light shedding its beams upon them went out of a sudden. "i'd as soon be aloft in a gale on a dirty dark night, so i would," the bulky hurst began to grumble, while he clutched at the smooth floor of the platform, and finding no hold there, sought for the edge and gripped it. for all had sunk upon their knees, standing being almost out of the question, and in any case hardly a position to attract any of the company. "there ain't no sayin' where this here platform ends and where it begins, and if you was to fall where'd you go to!" "where? davy jones's locker!" laughed hawkins, though his hoarse tones told how the situation impressed him. "right slick down to davy jones. just you quit grumblin', my lad, and get a hold on with your eyebrows." "silence, men!" came sharply from dicky. the precarious position in which he found himself, his unusual surroundings, and the uncertainty of the future making him quite irritable. "now, sir, will you kindly explain where you are taking us. and first, let me thank you for turning up just in the nick of time." "not at all! not at all! delighted to be able to lend a helping hand to some of my own service." "navy, sir?" asked dicky, though he felt sure of that fact from the very first. "what else, my lad? commander jackson, at present engaged in experimental work." "aeronautics?" ventured dicky. "perhaps; you'll see. hold tight! now that the light has been switched off it makes this platform none too safe. that is, for anyone not a sailor. ah! they're slowing down the motor. we'll be aboard in a jiffy." their upward flight had indeed taken but a matter of a minute, and already they were hundreds of feet above the sea. not that they could tell that for certain. but every one of the rescued crew had the uncomfortable feeling that they were poised high in the air, with but this flimsy platform between them and destruction. however, a few seconds later they became aware of a dull, droning noise, hitherto inaudible, while the speed of their strange lift had slowed considerably. "keep your hands off the edge of the platform!" shouted their rescuer. "ah! here we are! come aboard, mr. provost." the change from darkness to brilliant light was positively stupefying, even more than it had been in the reverse direction. for now, as dicky and his crew crouched on the platform, fearful of moving to right or left lest they should lose their footing, there was a gentle bump, a flooring above their heads lifted, and in an instant they found themselves in a wide gallery blazing with light and occupied by three individuals. another second and the platform came to a rest on a level with the flooring of this gallery, while a well-groomed, white-headed man stepped forward to greet them. "welcome!" he cried. "well done, commander jackson! i was in a fever till i saw you had them all on board. gentlemen, allow me to welcome you on your arrival." it was andrew provost, well set up, thin and spare, and exceedingly well dressed. more than that it was andrew provost with a new light in his eye. he was almost truculent, and none who took the trouble to look at him could doubt the fact that if ever there were a successful and a contented man it was andrew provost. "permit me," he said, "to introduce my nephew, mr. joseph gresson, the inventor and builder of this wonderful ship. step in, gentlemen, and let us provide you with dry clothing and refreshment." "and allow me to introduce mr. midshipman hamshaw," cried commander jackson, beaming upon the party. "now, mr. provost, i think we had better do something for this poor fellow who was lashed to the waterplane. let alec take care of our guests for the moment." "alec! alec! of course; where is the fellow? ah! there you are! come here, sir," cried andrew, in mock tones of severity, beckoning to a youth who till now had stood in the background. "this is mr. midshipman hamshaw, in command of the rescued party. take him along to your cabin and provide him with clothes. hand the six men over to sergeant evans, and ask him to see at once to their wants. there! i leave it to you. we'll see what can be done for this poor fellow." with his head still in a curious whirl, and his eyes turning from one strange object to another dicky obediently followed the young fellow who had just been introduced as alec, while hawkins and the remainder of the crew stepped along the curiously smooth, elastic floor of the gallery after them. they reached a door, opened it and passed through, finding themselves in a second wide gallery. but this was different from the other; for it had doors on either side, while a railed-in square of flooring near the centre showed a hatchway, leading by a shallow flight of steps to a deck below, from which came the low hum of a motor. "sergeant evans!" shouted alec, and repeated the call. "here, sir!" one of the many doors opened, and a tall, soldierly man appeared dressed in the smart livery of a mess waiter. "got something hot, sir," he said brusquely. "i guessed food would be wanted, and so i set the cook to work to prepare it. but they're wet, sir." he nodded to the young naval officer and his men, and looked at them with interest. "drenched," said alec. "pass the men along to peters. tell him to ferret out clothing for 'em, and give 'em a meal. i'll take the officer to my cabin, and we'll be in the saloon in five minutes." the sergeant went off at once along the gallery, motioning to hawkins and his comrades to follow; while alec dived in through an adjacent door and ushered dicky into as nice a cabin as he had ever seen. indeed, it contrasted more than favourably with his own quarters aboard the vessel from which he had so recently parted. it was flooded with light from a couple of electric burners, and heated by a stove fitted in the far corner which was also operated by electricity. there were pictures on the walls, secured in a manner which he had never observed before, while the walls themselves were of a milky-white colour. "sit down over here," cried alec, doing the honours with obvious pride. "you see, this cabin communicates with the next, and there's a common bathroom. that'll be the place in which to pull off your wet togs. hop into a hot bath as soon as you've got 'em off. by then i'll have a complete rig-out for you. we're about the same height and size, eh?" he had been looking his guest up and down sharply, admiring his uniform, in spite of its drenched condition. and short though his scrutiny had been alec had come to the conclusion that mr. midshipman hamshaw was a right good fellow. as for dicky himself, the novelty of his surroundings and the strange adventure through which he had passed had altogether kept his attention from his new comrade. he had merely noticed that alec was a straight, active-looking fellow, with a pleasant smile and a jolly manner about him. now, as he thanked him for his kind attention he gave the young man a quick, frank glance, which missed very little. "i say, thanks awfully," he began. "what's--what's your other name?" "jardine--alec jardine. but alec's good enough. yours is hamshaw, isn't it, dicky?" "yes, dicky," grinned the midshipman. "it's stuck to me ever since i was at osborne. i hate it, i can tell you. makes one think one is a girl. it's an awful nuisance looking so frightfully young, ain't it?" they could condole with one another there, for alec jardine suffered from the same infliction. to be precise, he was within two months of the midshipman's age, no longer a boy, and not yet a man. and as is often enough the case with youth, he resented the position, found his age embarrassing, and his obvious juvenility a nuisance to say the least of it. but he did not allow it to damp his good spirits. "we'll get over it, that's one good thing," he laughed. "i say, this is simply a ripping ship. you'll have an eye opener. but pull those togs off; i was thinking that mine would about fit you." "to a t. tell me about the ship--an airship i suppose? something like a zeppelin?" "a zeppelin! why, that type of ship can't hold a candle to this one!" declared alec loftily. "i've seen 'em. they're fine to look at, fast, and have big lifting capacity. but see how they behave. let it blow just a little hard, and they're done for, that is if they happen to be outside their sheds and run out of petrol. it's only a week or more ago since one of them lost her way in a fog, ran out of spirit, and was forced to descend. she dropped into the hands of the french, my boy, and they soon had every one of her cherished secrets laid bare. don't you make any mistake. this ship's not a zeppelin. she's in a different street; she's just splendid." the unstinted praise of a vessel with which he was as yet unacquainted whetted dicky's appetite for a complete inspection. but not yet. he was wet and cold, and decidedly hungry. the news that sergeant evans had imparted had made his mouth water. dicky reminded himself that there was a hot meal in prospect, and so that it might not be delayed he dragged off his wet clothes, and immersed himself in a bath of steaming hot water that alec had made ready for him. in about ten minutes he announced that he was fully dressed. "and as hungry as a hunter," he told his new friend. "you wait and try the same experience. i was almost in our gunroom. in any case i could tell you what we were to have for dinner, because in a ship you can't keep all galley smells away from your messroom. then they passed the word for mr. hamshaw. of course i had to go, leaving the other fellows to sit down to a meal which i really wanted. an hour's steaming made me ravenous, and then came our ducking. i say, lead the way there's a good fellow. but i'd like to see my men before i take a bite myself. eh?" "quite right. look to your command first, then to number one. follow down the passage." dressed in alec's clothing, and looking spruce and smart, dicky followed his friend down the gallery, through the door by which hawkins and his comrades had departed, and so into the quarters of the crew of this strange vessel. nor did there seem to be need for anxiety for the welfare of the gallant fellows who had accompanied him upon the steam pinnace. already they were changed and dressed in clothing hurriedly dragged from lockers. surrounded by swinging bunks on either side, with one huge electric lamp shedding its light upon them, they were seated about a long table with half a dozen strangers amongst them. "all aboard and comfortable, sir," grinned hawkins, standing as his officer appeared. "we've fallen amongst friends, and liberal ones too, sir." "and have got a meal here what ain't supplied every day of the week by the admiralty, sir," gurgled hurst. "not by a long way." dicky grinned his delight; and then, suddenly recollecting that it was not exactly the thing for an officer to listen to what might be construed as abuse of the admiralty, he turned on his heel and motioned to alec to lead the way. "and you mean to tell me that we're high up in the air, floating in space!" he cried. "one moment. here we are--three thousand two hundred feet up," said alec, stopping just outside the door of the men's quarters to inspect a barometer affixed to the wall. "that high enough?" dicky was at once conscious of a creepy feeling down his back. "what!" he gasped. "three thousand feet?" "every inch of it. as safe as if you were on land; safer, perhaps, because you never know what's going to pass overhead nowadays, do you? what with airships and aeroplanes, the land's beginning to be a dangerous place to inhabit. come along. you wait till it's daylight and you can see below. you'll get used to the height in a jiffy, and you'll agree that flying's magnificent. here we are. sergeant evans!" he dived in through a doorway, ushering his friend into a large saloon, in the centre of which stood a table laid ready for dinner. and here again we record but the bare fact when we say that mr. midshipman hamshaw positively gasped. he was dumbfounded at the luxury he found here, at the brilliant lights, at the huge table groaning with silver and glassware, at the laden sideboard, and at the richness of the decorations. whoever heard of such things aboard a ship sailing in the air? "wonderful!" he cried. "why, i imagined there would be nothing but machinery--huge, oily engines thumping and thudding away at one's side, with just an odd corner for the captain and crew to rest in. this is magnificent; there's nothing better in all london." it was at least flattering to andrew provost's taste, since he had been the designer of all this magnificence. but who could expect dicky hamshaw to take notice of rich carpets, of glittering silver, of famous pictures clinging to silk-brocaded walls, when there was food before him? he was ravenous. had alec had any doubts about the matter before, this smart and jolly young sailor soon set them at rest. he tackled that meal with the same dash and energy with which he had undertaken the task that had sent him post haste away in the steam pinnace. it was, perhaps, half an hour later when, having eaten to his own and alec's content, he leaned back in his chair, accepted with a wonderful assumption of coolness the cigarette which sergeant evans offered him, and setting a flaming match to the weed, tossed his head back and sent a cloud of smoke upward. a moment later he had leaped to his feet with an exclamation of amazement. he might have suddenly come upon a pin-point by the cry he gave. but undoubtedly something of real importance had created this excitement. he stood with his head tossed back, his eyes fixed upward, and his lips parted. "what's that?" he asked. "it startled me. i--i've never seen anything like it. one appears to be looking through an enormous window into space. what's the meaning of it?" his excitement caused alec to smile, though he, too, looked his admiration as he gazed upward. "wait a moment," he said. "i'll switch off the light here and then the effect will be greater. now, how's that?" well might dicky give vent to exclamations of surprise and even of admiration, for, as he said, he had never seen anything nearly like this before. up till now he had been far too busy with his meal to take note of anything but his immediate surroundings. but now, when he quite by chance cast his eyes upward, it was to become aware of the fact that this saloon apparently boasted of no ceiling. if it had one, then it was transparent; while, more wonderful than all, the supporting gas bag of this airship, which he imagined must be above, had all the appearance of being non-existent. far overhead there burned one single electric lamp, casting its rays far and wide, illuminating the interior of the saloon brightly. but it appeared to hang to nothing, to be supported by no beam or rod, while the saloon itself in which he stood was, so far as he could see, attached to nothing. it was merely floating in the air, riding in space in the most uncanny and inexplicable fashion. "jingo!" he cried, feeling that strange, creepy sensation down his back again. "we're--we're safe, i hope?" "as a house," laughed alec. "but it does give one the creeps, don't it? the first night we were aboard and i looked upward it gave me quite a turn, even though i knew all the ins and outs of this wonderful vessel. looks as if we were hanging here from nothing, eh?" dicky admitted the fact, with something approaching a gasp. "and yet you're as sure as sure can be that such a thing is out of the question, absolutely impossible?" "well, yes," admitted the young officer, not too enthusiastically, for that uncanny feeling that he was high in the air, and might easily find himself falling with terrible rapidity, assailed him. and who can blame the midshipman? who that has found himself suddenly at the edge of a tall cliff and looked over has not been assailed by a sensation of uneasiness, by the natural desire to reach firmer and more secure ground, to retire from a spot which might easily be filled with perils? then think of dicky hamshaw high above the sea, aboard a ship the size and shape and contour of which were unknown to him, standing in a gilded saloon to all appearances open to the sky, with no ropes, no beams--nothing, in fact, to show him how it was supported. no wonder he shivered. even alec forebore to smile. the situation was unpleasant and uncanny to say the least of it. "place your two hands together and look between them," said alec, suiting the action to the word. "don't stare at the light up there, for it's so bright that it half blinds you. look well to one side. now. eh?" he expected an answer, but dicky failed to give it. gasps of astonishment escaped his wide-parted lips, gasps denoting pleasure and admiration. for up above, now that he had shielded his eyes from the glare and looked away from the light, he could dimly make out huge girders stretching from left to right, criss-crossing and interlacing with one another. here and there they ended apparently in nothing. elsewhere they could be traced to their junction with other girders. and on beyond them, far overhead, he could even see stars, blurred a trifle by the material through which he observed them. "well, of all the wonderful things of which i have ever heard, this beats all!" he gasped at last. "what's the thing made of? there are girders above there heavy enough to carry a 'dreadnought'. there's a huge framework that looks as if it were constructed of solid bars of steel; and yet, to look at them in a half light, which just throws out their outline, one realizes that they are made of something else, something transparent--yes, that's the term--for when one stares direct at the light, knowing full well that there are more girders in that direction, none of them can be detected. george, this beats everything! what's the meaning of it all?" "the meaning of it all! why, that joe gresson is about the smartest fellow you ever heard of, that he's had the courage to employ a substance for the framework, and almost every part of this ship, which the average engineer would treat with scorn. in short, he's the discoverer of a substance which he calls celludine, which isn't celluloid, nor common glass, nor talc, and yet which is wonderfully like all three substances. you'll hear more about it, my boy. you'll get the same idea of joe that i and all the others have. look here! just rap your knuckles against the wall of the saloon." dicky did as he was bidden, though he was still so astonished at the news given him that he did not even trouble to ask the reason. "well, how does it feel? of course, there's a silk covering. under that is the celludine. there's the same stuff here under the carpet." "hard, and yet it gives," said dicky. "appears to be very thin, and yet, i imagine, is very strong." "that's celludine," cried alec triumphantly. "every wall, every door and frame is composed of it. only here, where there are cabins--and one doesn't want to be stared at all day long--it's coloured a milky white, and so isn't transparent. but the ceiling is, that's why you can look aloft and see the stars floating overhead. but come along. we'll take a breather. i'll lead you to a spot that'll raise your hair, but will give you a better idea of this airship than you can possibly have imagined." they left the saloon at once, and passing along the gallery paused to look into a room on the far side. there they found commander jackson, andrew, and joe comfortably seated, smoking and chatting quietly. "ah, comfortably dressed and fed, my lad?" sang out the commander. "yes, thank you, sir," smiled dicky. "and, i say, sir, what a ship we've got to!" "you'll say so to-morrow, when you've looked over her," came the answer. "where are you two youngsters off to?" "aloft," sang out alec. "i'm going to give him a scare, and get him used to the situation. but how's the foreigner, please?" "conscious and tucked up in a warm bed," answered andrew. "there, cut along, you two. but no mischief, mind. i don't care if i'm responsible for alec, but i'll not be having the admiralty pouring all their indignation upon my unprotected head because of the loss of a midshipman." that set dicky flushing, while the commander laughed loudly. "there, off you get," he cried. "trust a midshipman to look out for himself." they closed the door, hastened along the gallery, and passing through a second door found themselves in the gallery upon which dicky had first set foot. alec led him to the precise spot where the lift had finally halted, and pointed to an opening overhead. "it's the main hoist," he explained. "if we want to pick something up from down below we lower that platform, just as we did to fetch your party. if we desire to get aloft to the top of the ship we step aboard the platform, now provided with rails; just so, dicky, my boy, see that all's secure and safe, and then touch a button. whiz! up we go!" it was a case of whiz with a vengeance. dick had obediently followed his guide on to this lift, and now he felt his knees bend beneath him, while the smooth, elastic floor on which he stood shot upward at terrific speed, flashing through an oblong opening in the framework overhead, a framework quite transparent for the most part, with that arc light flashing down upon them without the smallest hindrance. "saves climbing, don't it?" shouted alec, for the noise of a motor drowned the ordinary voice. "but if the thing refuses to work you can mount to the top of the ship by a stairway erected round the lift. ah! here we are. hang on to your hat; it's blowing." dick felt a fresh gale of wind fanning his cheek, which alone told him that he was now in the open. he followed his friend across a flat, smooth deck and found himself clutching to a railing. and now for the first time he began to gather some information as to the contour and size of this amazing vessel. he might have been upon the upper deck of a second _lusitania_, only this deck shelved off gradually on either side till it was lost in the darkness. that arc lamp, however, helped him wonderfully, and pacing beside alec he began soon to wonder at the length of the ship as well as at her breadth. she was immense. it was hard indeed to believe that she was actually floating in space. and yet that must be so, for alec bade him look downward. "see for yourself," he said. "we're right forward, close to her nose, and there are no cabins beneath us. you can see clear through the ship down to the ocean. see the beacon lights along the shore, the lights of the vessels, and the blaze away there in the distance. that's where your ship is lying." even at night-time the sight was an amazing one, and left dick stupefied. but what would it be in the morning, when there was no darkness to hinder his sight, and when he would be able to gaze directly downward from that terrific height? "let's go down," he said after a while. "i feel positively silly out here. i suppose it's because i'm not used to such a sight. how did you feel when you first attempted it?" alec laughed outright. "feel? awful!" he cried. "everyone does at first, and wonders whether they're funking. wait for the day. you'll get to love the view, particularly when you've learned how safe this vessel is. come along; to-morrow there'll be a heap to show you." they turned back toward the lift again and paused there for a moment. for beyond doubt there was at every turn something to attract the attention. a minute before it had been the lights about the needles, the lamps on the shipping, the blaze from the solent, where the warships were lying at anchor. now it was the interior of the ship, seen through her transparent upper casing. yes, there was the saloon, with sergeant evans and a helper clearing the table. nearer at hand were andrew provost, joe gresson, and commander jackson, still smoking and chatting as they lolled in their chairs. while away aft, in the men's quarters, the figures of hawkins and hurst and his shipmates were distinctly visible. they were smoking heavily, and between the clouds of smoke hawkins's arm could be seen moving with some animation. "he's just it," he was reiterating, "that there midshipmite is as artiful as a bag o' monkeys, and if he was to be left aboard this ship, why, there'd be mischief brewing, particularly with the young gent that's joined him." and how dick hamshaw wished that he might remain. the first glimpse of this amazing vessel made him long for the day to come, so that he might investigate every corner. then, he supposed, he'd have to depart. he and his men would take their places on that platform again and be lowered to terra firma. but the most unlikely things happen. he found that to be the case when he and alec again joined their elders. "read that," said commander jackson, tossing a sheet of paper towards him. "we sent a wireless to your ship, and told 'em of your rescue. it seems they'd just heard of this airship through the admiralty, and had orders to detail a party for her working. we've saved 'em the trouble. read it." dick did, with flushing cheeks and beating heart. "glad hear safety midshipman hamshaw and crew of pinnace," he read. "have received orders from admiralty to detail an officer and party for work aboard the airship. keep mr. hamshaw and party if considered suitable." "hooray!" shouted dick, filled with delight. "one moment," interrupted the commander with a quizzing grin. "if considered suitable, i think. well, now, one has to consider." "don't scare the young fellow," cried andrew jovially. "there, dick, we'll take you. just go along and tell your men, and then turn in. you've had enough adventure and excitement for the evening." when, ten minutes later, dick laid his head upon a soft pillow and pulled the clothes about him he could not believe that he was really aboard a flying vessel, could not credit the fact that he and his men were resting three thousand feet above the ocean. chapter v a tour of inspection "hallo there! turn out! it's a grand morning and there are things worth seeing." it was the cheery alec who aroused dick hamshaw on the day after his rescue outside the needles and his introduction to the airship. dick wakened with a start, rolled over comfortably, and blinked at his new friend. "eh! my watch. not it," he grumbled sleepily. "i was off late last night and have had the dickens of a nightmare since. fancied i was aloft in a big airship. leave a fellow alone to sleep, do." alec shook him, laughing loudly. "so you call our airship a nightmare!" he cried. "that's a nice thing to do when the admiralty have offered you and your men as part of our crew and mr. provost has accepted you. i'll tell the commander. you'd better be getting back to your ship, for there are dozens of fellows who'd be only too glad to come aboard here." that brought the great dicky to his senses. he sat up on an elbow, still blinking at alec with half-open eyes. then those sharp orbs of his opened widely, the light of full understanding returned to them, and in an instant he was out of bed. "my word, but i've been dreaming the whole affair over again, and couldn't think it could be true. and it's real? eh? actually a fact that i'm on board an airship high in the air. how high did you say?" alec made no answer. he stepped across the carpeted floor of this roomy cabin, with its milk-white walls and furniture, and its pictures secured to those same walls by tiny cleats of transparent material, and turning back some hangings exposed a window three times the size of an ordinary porthole, and provided with a pane of what one would have imagined was glass. but it bent with the force of the wind. half open, the frame projected into the room at an angle to dick, and glancing at it he caught a reflection of the sun, now bright, and a second later blurred as the pane bent and the surface was altered. the simple fact brought him bounding after alec. he ran his fingers over both sides of the pane, bent the material backward and forward, and then tapped it with his knuckles. that done he suddenly gazed upward, only to find himself disappointed. "you don't expect to have transparent roofs to your cabins too, do you?" laughed alec. "a fellow couldn't undress without half the crew seeing him. no, the ceilings of the dressing-rooms, cabins, and so forth are made opaque. but this window gives you a good idea of the stuff of which the ship's made. now, take a squint below." dick did as he was bidden, and instantly clutched tight to the frame of the window. for down below, down a terrible distance, was a smooth, oily surface which he guessed was the ocean. and on it were a number of minute dots at irregular intervals, while away to the right was a blurred patch of white, which might be land or anything else. the sight made him absolutely giddy. a glance away to his right showed him the under-surface of this enormous ship, transparent, it is true, but of a bluish-grey colour owing to the shadows cast upon it. it was immense. it stretched away from him in an easily-curving line till it was lost in the distance. and beneath it there was nothing, nothing but thin elusive air, and far, far below that muddy ocean. "jingo!" he gasped. alec grinned. "makes a chap feel queer at first," he said. "but, as i've told you before, it's as safe as houses. here, tumble into a tub. it'll buck you up, and when you've been on top with me and had a general look round you'll feel as right as a trivet. shave?" "eh?" asked dick. "do you shave?" "er, no--that is to say, not always." "lucky beggar! i have to. a beast of a job, and takes half the morning. you pop into the tub. we've a bath between us, and i dare say by the time you've finished i shall have managed to get rid of this growth. awful bore i find it." dicky couldn't help but grin. he stepped across to alec, forgetful now of the strange sight he had witnessed outside, placed himself directly in front of him, and closely scrutinized his features, maintaining a gravity there was no fathoming. "poor beggar!" he said at last. "awful hard lines, ain't it? you'll find it difficult to get down to breakfast." to be perfectly truthful, there was not so much as a single hair on alec's chin or lip, any more than there was on mr. midshipman hamshaw's. and the gravity of his guest, his candour, and those twinkling eyes quite made up to alec for any soreness he may have felt at this somewhat personal declaration. he flushed a rosy red, and then burst into loud laughter. "oh well, perhaps i imagined it a bit," he said. "if i stick to the razor things'll come along in time. there, into the tub. i'll be along in a jiffy." ten minutes later, in fact, they were dressed and ready to leave the cabin, dick having found his own clothes dried, brushed, and neatly folded beside his bed. "i say," he began, "how do you come to be aboard? tell me." "cousin of joe's: going to be an engineer one of these days. accepted his invitation in a jiffy. come on. breakfast'll be ready in half an hour, so we've time to make a round of the ship. now, up we go to the top deck of all; it'll give you a good impression of the vessel." [illustration: arrived with a bump facing commander jackson _page _] they stepped into that strange lift again and were whisked on high. a minute later they were in the open, with a brisk breeze blowing about them and the genial rays of the sun pouring down upon them. gazing in every direction dick found himself stepping upon a flat deck of transparent material, immediately beneath which he could easily see the beams that supported it. down lower still, beneath a deep space, which common sense told him must be filled with gas, were more beams, curving neatly to complete the shape of this ship, and beneath them again, stretching on either side of a central gallery a number of cabins, some with transparent roofs, others with opaque material let into the ceilings. and yet deeper, forming the lowest portion of the ship, was one long compartment, through the roof of which he could see engines, with a couple of men attending to them. "let's get along aft, then we'll make forward," said alec, showing the various parts of the ship with pride. "i'll tell you something about her. she's longer than the latest zeppelin, and equally deep from top to bottom. you can see that her shape is flattened from above downward, which makes her very much wider than a zeppelin. care to come out to one of the side keels?" dick hesitated. then catching sight of a rail passing from this main deck down the easily-sloping side of the vessel he nodded. after all, he wasn't going to be beaten by alec. "right," he said. "get ahead." they clambered over the main rail to find themselves on a narrow way provided with very shallow steps. this brought them after a minute right out to the farthest lateral edge of the ship, to that lateral keel, in fact, which joe gresson had made such a point of. and there the rail ended abruptly. alec leaned over it and invited dick to join him. "ripping, eh?" he asked. "getting your balance at last, i expect. don't seem so dreadful now, does it?" it did not by a great deal. the midshipman was bound to confess that he was becoming accustomed to his surroundings. more than that, the huge bulk of this floating monster, the fact that she never even trembled, while the weight of himself and his comrade now brought right out to the farthest edge caused no sign of heeling, impressed him vastly with the stability of the vessel. he was beginning to catch some of alec's enthusiasm. he was longing to peep into every corner, to get to understand every detail. and we must remember that mr. midshipman hamshaw was not unacquainted with things mechanical. what naval officer can be in these days, indeed, when the old wooden walls have long since departed, and when your modern ship is composed of steel, while almost every movement aboard her, however trivial, is, where possible, carried out by some cleverly-contrived mechanical means? no, dick had a fondness for mechanics. and here, aboard the airship, he guessed that his fondness was to be gratified to the utmost. "let's get back to the deck again," he said at last, when they had gazed below at the muddy ocean. "i'm dying to see more. now, what are these rails for? it beats me your having a deck on top of the ship. but i suppose it's necessary. why rails on the deck? that's what i can't fathom." but he saw the reason a little later, for alec took him to a sunken deck house, which, seeing that its roof was dead level with the deck, might be expected to offer no resistance whatever to the air. opening a trap, he ushered his new friend in, though the contents were plainly to be seen without that manoeuvre. and there, anchored to the floor, was a pair of spreading planes, as transparent as glass, strong and flexible, attached at their centre to a boat constructed of the same material. "an aeroplane!" he gasped. "here, on an airship? why?" "for scouting. to act as a messenger. to take passengers to and fro when it's necessary." alec spoke loftily, watching dick's amazement with secret delight. "that's why there are rails on the deck outside," he explained. "she starts from 'em." "but--but how does she return?" asked dick, somewhat bewildered, for whoever heard of an aeroplane flying towards an airship and settling upon it? but alec dismissed the question with a shrug of his shoulders, and a wave of his hands. "ain't there enough deck to please you?" he asked. "do you want to provide a drill ground? you just operate a motor; this sunken hangar rises with the aeroplane, and there you are, ain't you?" dick felt the truth of the words. the huge monster on which he had found refuge presented a deck wide enough and long enough to provide safe landing for any aviator. as for this plane upon which he looked, it was obviously meant to float in the water, in fact, it was a waterplane, though the long, centrally-placed boat, to which the planes were immediately attached, was provided with wheels also, to enable it to roll upon the rails, and also to land either on this deck or on terra firma. it was, without shadow of doubt, the last word in the science and manufacture of a heavier-than-air machine. "ripping!" exclaimed dick. "you've been in her?" he asked admiringly, with just a suspicion of jealousy in his voice. "once: i'm going again. you'll come too." "from here? at this height?" the possibilities of a swoop away from the broad deck of the airship, till a little while ago seeming to be so insecure, and now, compared with the machine he was inspecting, so broad and strong and trustworthy, was almost appalling. dick wondered whether he could really screw his courage up to board this aeroplane, to sit in that flimsy boat and wait for the machine to move along the rails, to gather speed, and then to hurl herself over the side of the vessel. it made that old, creepy sensation return. dick was one of those fellows gifted with an acute imagination, and consequently suffered on occasions. here, then, was an occasion, and he was bold and open enough to admit the fact that he hardly viewed the prospect with enthusiasm. "but you will soon," alec told him. "it's simply a case of getting used to the sensation, and then you long to go out. but let's leave the deck. you can see that we carry guns. they're provided by the admiralty. yes, my boy, by the admiralty. you see, both the war office and the admiralty have been stirred up by mr. provost. they had to move. they had to inspect this ship when she was completed. and inspection was enough for the two authorities. they began to stir, to get a move on with a vengeance, and, as a result, we've men aboard sent by the two services, guns up here, and on the deck below, a wireless apparatus, and an officer from either service, commander jackson for one, while the soldier is to come to us almost immediately. of course, i ain't forgetting mr. midshipman hamshaw." he grinned a wicked grin at dick and went racing away from him. as for the young sailor, he gave chase on the instant, so that presently the ship rang with their merry cries. and indeed, they made a race of it, for alec made for the gangway built around the lift, racing down the steep stairs as fast as active legs could carry him. dick, however, proved his salt and his training. finding a smooth, central girder of that strange and transparent material, he wrapped his legs round it, and went shooting like a descending rocket to the deck below where he arrived with a resounding bump, to find himself directly facing commander jackson. "'mornin', sir!" he gasped, drawing himself up and touching the peak of his hat. "fine weather, sir." "for monkey tricks, yes," laughed the commander. "well, lad, how do you like the vessel? seen the aeroplane? eh? like a trip aboard her? i'm the coxswain." "rather, sir," gasped dick. "this is the finest thing i've had to do since i joined the navy." "indeed! you've been an officer a long while i take it," smiled his senior. "quite one of the older ones, dick, eh? come; i'll stop quizzing. let's get along to the engines; joe gresson has gone there. there's no keeping him away from them. come; you'll see the height of simplicity combined with the uttermost efficiency that has yet been attained." dick did indeed inspect a machine which, with its components, gave extraordinary power to the ship. to put the description with the utmost plainness, he found when he descended to the engine-room three sets of engines, of moderate size, and of the internal-combustion variety. there was nothing remarkable, perhaps, about the engines themselves, except that they were a modification of the diesel. "you see, a diesel uses extremely high compression," joe gresson explained, leaning one hand affectionately on an engine which happened not to be working. "that can be managed easily ashore, and in the air also. but compressors are required in addition to the engine, for the explosive charge, consisting of the crudest oil, must be injected into the cylinders by pneumatic power at a critical moment, and that power must be at higher pressure than the contents of the cylinder. to me the most important question was the one of fuel. i barred petrol." "why?" dick ventured to ask. "it's used on other airships." "and other ships suffer from explosions and from fire. petrol is too inflammable, particularly upon a ship which is lifted by a huge volume of gas. so i chose crude paraffin oil, the sort of oil that you can obtain in any part of europe, almost in any part of the world. to discover a carburettor which would vaporize this crude oil was difficult. but a friend came to my help, and here you see the result. our engines run steadily and strongly." he pointed to the other two, which, as he said, were turning over noiselessly and with a rhythm that told its tale plainly. even dick had sufficient experience of this class of engine to know that the running was excellent. but beyond that he was somewhat fogged. for besides some machinery housed in at the end of each motor, and a certain number of switches and levers common to any engine-room, there was nothing to indicate in what manner the power of the engines was conveyed, nor in what direction. where was the propeller? how did these motors operate it? by electricity? perhaps, for he could see a large dynamo revolving at the far end of the cabin. but he was by no means certain. he asked the question instantly, causing joe to raise his head, open a port at the far end of the cabin, and invite him to look through it. "we're a little aft of amidships here," he explained, "and form the lowest attachment to the vessel. we're dead in the central line, and the weight of these motors and of other accessories housed in what compares with the keel of an ordinary ship, keeps her perfectly steady. now, look yonder. that is the tail end of the ship. you can see the propeller, and as it is revolving and you cannot, therefore, distinguish its outline i had better tell you something about it. to begin, it's both propeller and rudder. see, i wish to turn the vessel. i press this lever to the right and at once the propeller swings in the same way, driving the tail of the ship to the left. see, i reverse the motion. or, perhaps, i wish to descend or rise--hold tight, please, gentlemen, while i give our friend here a little demonstration! but first, let me say that the propeller itself is forty feet in diameter, presents half a dozen blades, the pitch of which can be instantly altered, while the blades are encircled by a tube some twenty feet in depth from back to front. thus the air drawn into this revolving tube cannot escape to either side, and the blades lose no efficiency, while one can readily understand that when the ship is travelling quickly, particularly against a head wind, the alteration in the pitch of the blades makes for greater speed and more effectual use of the power. now, hold tight, please. we'll show our friend of what we are capable." at a touch upon a lever the propeller that dick was watching, and which was rotating very slowly, suddenly gathered speed, till it was but a mere haze in the distance. he felt the whole ship move forward, while a touch on another lever bent the propeller downward, and to his consternation the deck he stood on canted badly, the vessel headed downward and went hurtling towards that muddy ocean which he could see below him. the sensation was in fact paralysing. it was worse, perhaps, when it was reversed, and the nose of the ship shot upward, setting the deck at such an angle that dick had to cling hard to the railings fending the motors. but a moment later, at a touch from the inventor, she came to an even keel, the propeller ceased to rotate, while the vessel came to a halt. "now, see how we rise at will," said joe, watching dick's face with delight, for it pleased the young inventor to notice the open admiration with which the youthful sailor regarded everything. "now, i pull this handle. we fall. i reverse the movement. we shoot upward, but always keeping the horizontal position." it was really remarkable, for the mere touch of the inventor sent the ship up and down, for all the world as if she were suspended in space, and his fingers controlled the switch of some hoisting machinery. "how's it done?" asked dick eagerly. "how does the power get to that propeller, for instance? your motors are here. there are no chains, no shafts, nothing save these cased-in things at the end of each motor, which might be pumps for all i know." "and happen to be exactly what you have mentioned. they are pumps, of the rotary variety, and the material they deal with is that same common, crude paraffin on which our motors run. see those pipes. they are of the best, cold-drawn steel. they convey the oil from our pumps to the various propellers, to the lift and to any part where we have need for power. no corner is too sharp for them. they run anywhere, and, as you can imagine, convey the power of these engines with a certainty there is no gainsaying. of course, at the far end we have other rotary motors. the oil pumped at this point, and under high pressure, is unable to escape from the steel pipes. at will we pass it into our distant motors, allowing some to escape back in this direction through a bypass. if the bypass is pulled wide open, the motors beyond do not turn; for the oil fails to reach them. if it is closed, there is no escape for the oil. it reaches the motors at its highest pressure, and operates them at full power, as powerfully, in fact, as if this engine down here driving the pumps was away up there close to the propeller with the shaft directly coupled to it. in short, and as an interesting fact, our propellers and other gear are operated by hydraulic power, applied after the latest principle." "which is a lesson that will keep you for a while," smiled the commander. "ah, there's our host, and i hear the breakfast gong sounding. come, dick, my lad, you could eat, you think? the great height at which we fly does not rob you of your appetite?" not by a long way. the young fellow was beginning to revel in his strange surroundings, and to quite like this residence at a height. more than all, he was vastly interested in the intricacies of the vessel. and we record only the fact when we say that he and alec spent the whole of the morning in a close and thorough investigation, an investigation which disclosed, among other matters, the interesting fact that centrally-placed propellers, operating in tubes built transversely at either end of the ship, controlled her sideways movements, making entrance to a hangar easy, while she could be caused to descend or rise by others, located fore and aft likewise, with their tubes built in the vertical direction. as for the huge framework that held the gas, it was divided into twenty compartments, to each of which pipes of that strange transparent material led. these latter ended in one large branch which was attached to a machine at one end of the engine-room. joe explained its action with a gusto that showed it to be one of his pet items, one on which he prided himself not a little. "what's the good of a ship which has to constantly return to land for gas supplies?" he said. "we take ours with us. not compressed and in steel cylinders. anyone can do that. but in the form of fuel. we carry a matter of seven tons, and can get a further supply in any part of the world. a gas producer of my own designing deals with the stuff, and at desire we can supply gas to replace leakages. not that we experience those. otherwise it would not be safe to smoke. but each one of our compartments aboard the ship contains a proportion of air. when we want to go higher, or lift a bigger weight, we simply set the producer going, and by means of one of our motors pump gas to the top of the compartments. simple, isn't it? but it makes us wonderfully independent. that's why we've undertaken to make a trip round the world." "round the world? when?" "now--to-morrow, that is to say." "and--and i go with you?" gasped dick. "of course; you've been detailed by the admiralty." the shout which the midshipman gave might have been heard at the far end of the vessel. the prospect filled him with delight, so that he was simply boiling over with enthusiasm and anticipation. nor did his excitement evaporate as the day advanced. for the ship manoeuvred over the ocean, and was put through her paces. towards evening, however, her nose was turned to the north-east, and as night fell she hovered over england. slowly she descended, obscured in darkness, till her pilot was able to pick up his bearings. a distant light of curious colour caught his eye and he sent the ship towards it. then, when directly overhead that same brilliant light suddenly shot from the ship and flooded the buildings beneath. dick found himself looking down upon a huge shed, placed in a wide-open place, and--could he believe his eyes?--the shed was moving, revolving, actually turning. it made him giddy. or was it this wonderful ship which was turning? "it's the revolving hangar, of course," alec told him, with a laugh. "you see, if the wind's blowing, we head up to it. the hangar opens away from the point from which the gale comes. we manoeuvre opposite it, and enter easily. you watch. no one is wanted to hang on to ropes. our pilot can manage the ship in any direction. see, we've dropped opposite the shed; but we're not quite head on. we're getting near it, however, for those propellers located in the cross tubes are being set to work. ah! that's better. see, we're creeping in. now our huge lateral keels run into wide slots built into the sides of the hangar. they engage and run in farther. right! we're home. welcome to our kennel." and what of the trip promised by joe gresson, and of the adventures it might and certainly should bring in its train? "jingo!" cried dick, as he hastened to the post office to send a telegram requesting that his full kit might be sent to him. "jingo, if we don't have a cruise worth talking about, well--well, my name ain't dicky." chapter vi carl reitberg, sportsman it may be imagined that the manufacture of an airship such as dick hamshaw had been introduced to, the child of joe gresson's clever brain, was not the work of a day. four months had slipped by since that eventful day on which the young inventor and his uncle, andrew provost, had witnessed the flight of the zeppelin outside hamburg, and had accepted carl reitberg's somewhat arrogant challenge. nor did the trial flights of this wonderful vessel escape public notice, though, it is true, her hull was practically invisible. but the rescue of a naval party sent to help a foundered aviator was bound to be reported, so that on the very morning after andrew and his friends reached their hangar, the journals were filled with this new mystery, while columns, indeed, were devoted to this new airship. "sensational rescue at sea by the crew of a strange airship," dick read. "mr. midshipman hamshaw and a party of six men aboard a steam pinnace were left struggling in the water owing to their craft colliding with a half-submerged waterplane. who is the owner of the airship? to what nationality does she belong? another air peril. ship reported to be practically transparent and, therefore, almost invisible." there was quite a furore about the affair, and no wonder, since england was still a laggard, and still employed her officers, capable and dashing enough themselves, in playing with toy airships--to wit, the alpha, the beta, and the gamma. other nations were pushing ahead. to us had belonged the mastery of the sea for years, the heavier element hemming our tight little island around. now the lighter element was in danger of conquest by some other nation, by a nation which at any moment might prove to be an enemy, and which, within a few hours might have her air fleet hovering over our ports, our arsenals, our war harbours, even over london itself. was this, then, a newcomer to add to our perils? "i shall make it clear at once," said mr. provost, with that decision one expected of him. "i shall send a statement to the papers. you ain't afraid of the thing being copied, eh, joe?" joe smiled at that. he was a young man of singularly few words; one read his answers often enough by his features. he shook his head vigorously now, and laughed outright. "afraid! no. why should i be, uncle? they can copy the design any time. but they can't manufacture celludine. that is my secret, yours if anything happens to me, the british nation's whenever we care to give it to them. send along your statement. it will calm many who feel that another danger threatens." and so the evening journals one and all contained a crisp statement from andrew, a statement vouched for by one of the ministers of the realm. thenceforward, as may be imagined, the curiosity of the nation was acutely stirred. men walked along staring into the sky, as if expecting to see the airship. there were more taxi-cab accidents from this one cause in london that week than had happened in a similar period before. and far and wide people who were utter strangers to one another congratulated those they met at the news which had been published. "splendid! magnificent! we'll be able to sleep peacefully in our beds now," observed mr. tobias jones aloud to his fellow passengers as he travelled to the city. he omitted to mention that he never by any chance slept badly. his fatness, his red cheeks and blushing health proclaimed that well enough. but he was a patriot and the statement he had ventured upon, and which he repeated a dozen times that day under different circumstances, went only to prove his love for his country. meanwhile one may wonder how it was that joe gresson had been able to construct his ship in such a short space of time. "of course, the thing would have been impossible had i not had a great deal of the work already in hand," he told his uncle. "you see, a zeppelin can be constructed in three months, though the first models took a year perhaps. but you must remember that i had a complete rolling mill installed here at my works, which was able to turn out the girders and sheets we wanted as fast as we could put them together. then again, the bending and fitting of celludine is a different thing entirely from that of steel or aluminium. moderate heat will easily make the stoutest girder we have used bendable, while the sheets require only the gentlest pressure. then riveting is far easier. the electric iron has saved us numbers of hours. as for the engines, i had them by me, having taken them from my other model. so, after all, there's nothing very wonderful about the business." but if joe gresson modestly thought there was nothing to comment upon and no reason for congratulations to be showered upon him, there were others who thought quite the opposite. andrew was hugely delighted. the authorities at the war office and the admiralty, sceptical as ever, took the thing up with a decision and an energy entirely foreign to them. and mr. carl reitberg narrowly escaped a serious illness. "what! constructed their airship already! rescued people at sea! transparent! able to hoist men into the air as if they were flies. this--this is incredible." he didn't say it all quite like that, for he was troubled with a distinct accent, one, too, which had stuck to him all his business life in spite of the fact that he had spent so many years beneath the protection of the union jack. he blustered, fumed, and raged, and finally went to bed. the following day he carefully investigated his financial position. "it will ruin me, this challenge," he declared in despair. "one hundred thousand pounds! it is a gigantic sum. i was an idiot ever to listen to andrew provost and his fool of a nephew. but--_himmel!_ we shall see what we shall see. the ship is built, that is true enough. but can she circle the globe, and if she be able to do that, can she complete the journey in four months and a couple of weeks, all that remain now of the agreed-upon nine months? ah! there is many a slip. she is fast, this ship. eyewitnesses of her flight tell me that. she takes no notice of the wind. but zeppelins have met with accidents: she may too!" his fat little face was deeply puckered and seamed for the next half-hour. in fact, mr. carl reitberg was considering matters very deeply and seriously. then he took a sudden resolution. he donned a magnificent fur-lined coat, jammed a glossy hat upon his head, then, with a fat cigar protruding from his mouth, and wearing the ideal appearance of a very rich and prosperous financier, he stepped into his motor car and drove off to the place where the great airship had been constructed. sergeant evans himself conveyed his somewhat large and obtrusive card to andrew provost. "a gentleman to see you, sir," he said in his well-trained voice. "h-m!" andrew could tell almost without lifting his eyes to the sergeant's face what his private opinion was of mr. reitberg; for the card bore that gentleman's name. not that sergeant evans was apt to forget his position. he was too good and too old a servant for that. but he happened to have served in many parts, and, strangely enough, mr. reitberg was known to him. "ever seen the gentleman before?" asked andrew curiously. "south africa, sir." "ah!" "him and a crew of the same sort as himself, begging pardon, sir." "humph! i've thought as much myself," andrew muttered, though exactly what his thoughts were he did not divulge. still, from the curious manner in which sergeant evans spoke, from a queer inflection of his voice, andrew gathered that he had not only met this carl reitberg before, but had little good to report concerning him. "long ago?" he asked laconically. "twelve years come christmas, sir; during the boer war." "ah! and my acquaintance has lasted for ten years perhaps. he was rich when i met him, and very pleasant. was he, er--the same, sergeant evans? please speak out; don't hesitate to tell me what you know. you must understand that mr. carl reitberg is the challenger who declared that the building of this ship was impossible, and that we could not construct and sail her round the world in nine months. well, we've done the first part. we've got only to circle the world." "and you'll have to watch him all the while, sir," whispered the sergeant. "he's got to pay if he loses, sir?" "one hundred thousand pounds." the sergeant let go a little whistle. "beg pardon, sir," he said, "but when i knew this carl reitberg, same gentleman as is waiting outside, he was a slippery fellow. he was trading near johannesburg, and he was in with foreigners, spies anxious to see the british troops beaten. i know that, for i was one of the police corps, and we'd our eyes on him. show him up, sir?" "certainly." it followed that the magnificent, if small and podgy frame of mr. carl reitberg was introduced to the airship, and that within five minutes, puffing heavily with the astounding wonders he saw, that same gentleman was seated in the saloon, staring upward through the transparent ceiling with positive amazement written on his face. an hour later he was back in the heart of london, when, dismissing his motor, he walked some distance up the street, hailed a taxi, and drove rapidly away in an easterly direction. half an hour later, perhaps, he was closeted in a back room of a grimy house adjacent to whitechapel, with an individual who looked the very opposite of himself. he was untidy, down at heels, even ragged, while his face with its half-sunken cheeks showed obvious traces of excitement. it was equally obvious also that carl reitberg and this individual were not entire strangers. to be precise, they had at one time been bosom companions, at the very time, in fact, when sergeant evans had had knowledge of them. then they had parted, and the queer tricks dame fortune plays with various individuals had resulted in carl reitberg gathering wealth about him, while adolf fruhmann had become almost a pauper. and it had chanced that the wealthy and lucky man had caught sight of his old-time friend but a week before as he drove in his lordly motor down whitechapel. he had seen adolf fruhmann hovering at one of the many corners; and though he passed him then without so much as a nod--indeed, shrinking back out of sight--he now remembered the chance vision he had caught of the down-at-heels man, and with the view of obtaining help from him sought him out. "but i must go carefully," he told himself, as he drove in his taxi. "i'll leave the cab very soon, and then walk along the pavement. it shall be adolf who shall recognize me, not i him. then it shall be he who shall ask for help; i will give it." the crafty little fellow followed out this plan to its successful conclusion. looking the plutocrat admirably, he stepped briskly down the pavement of whitechapel, and when he saw his man in the distance, gave vent to a grunt of pleasure. and yet he contrived matters so that it was adolf who, looking up as the fur-coated man passed, recognized an old partner. "hallo!" he called, while a sulky cloud gathered upon his sickly face. "carl reitberg of all people!" now at any other time mr. carl reitberg would, as we have hinted, not have been anxious to renew an acquaintance with such a man. his wealth had brought with it position. carl reitberg chose to forget his earlier days, and the people with whom he had consorted. but now he had an object in view, and halting at once he allowed first a look of amazement to spread over his fat and jowly face; and then a welcoming smile set his lips apart, while he stretched out a hand to grip adolf's. "you!" he cried. "who could have thought it? and here of all places. why, we parted in south africa." "johnny'sberg--yes; because the police----" "h-hush! that's done with; i've forgotten," said carl hastily. "but--but you're down on your luck. i haven't forgotten that we were friends then, at any rate. this place is too public for a meeting. take me somewhere where we can be quiet." and thus it happened that they were closeted in that back room in the grimy house adjacent to whitechapel. "and so you're down, penniless," said carl, eyeing his one-time friend narrowly. "absolutely; hopelessly." the opulent individual who had sought this interview so craftily lifted ten fat fingers to show his concern. then he dipped with difficulty into a waistcoat pocket, pulled out a crinkling note of the value of five pounds, and handed it across the dirty table. "that'll tide you over for a little," he said. "after that----" "ah! that's where the pinch comes. what am i to do?" "you want work?" asked carl. "well, yes. not hard labour, mind you. the class of thing we did out in south africa wouldn't come amiss." whatever that task may have been one was not to hear it, for carl held up a fat hand instantly. "s-s-sh!" he said, somewhat angrily. "least said soonest mended. we forget south africa. but--yes, i might find a task for you, a congenial task. you've heard of this new airship?" adolf fruhmann looked puzzled. after all, when a man has fallen upon evil days and finds it hard to discover from where his next meal is to come, he is not apt to betray much interest in passing events, nor has he, often enough, spare halfpence with which to purchase journals. but it happened that adolf had seen an account in a paper, and since the story had now leaked out, and it was known how mr. carl reitberg had issued a challenge to andrew provost and his nephew joseph gresson, he recollected that he had even noted the name of his one-time friend and associate in connection with this wonderful airship. "yes," he ejaculated. "one hundred thousand pounds, eh, carl? a lot to lose if they win, and it looks as if they might do so." a crafty look came across his face. he leaned farther across the table and whispered something. "why don't you?" he asked. "what! impossible! i couldn't. it would be scandalous," came the instant answer, though carl reitberg's tones rather belied his words. "you don't mean to suggest that i should take steps to--to destroy the ship?" he endeavoured to cast a tone of indignation into his speech now; but it seemed that adolf knew his man well. he scoffed at that tone. "why not?" he asked quickly. "if they win, you pay one hundred thousand pounds. eh? one hundred thousand sovereigns." "true--but----" "there is no but. they must not succeed. there are others who would willingly pay for the secrets of this airship, and who long to hear that she has been wrecked. give me the job. keep in the background yourself. go down to the ship and wish them the best of success. place yourself in a good light before them and the world. let them believe you to be what is known to these fools as a sportsman. yes, that is the word. a sportsman, almost anxious to see yourself lose, and ready at any moment to pay that hundred thousand pounds. then leave the rest to me." carl reitberg sank back upon the hard-wood chair he occupied and pondered deeply. even adolf fruhmann with all his knowledge of carl's cunning--and in former days the two associates had carried out many a rascally piece of business together, demanding no little acumen and cunning--even he failed to see to the depths of carl reitberg. for the plutocrat had skilfully planned this meeting with one object in view, and had so arranged matters that this proposal, which he listened to with pretended indignation, and which had been hatched in his own brain, came actually from adolf fruhmann. to appear too ready to fall in with it would be to weaken his own position. therefore he sat bunched up on his chair, one fat hand over his eyes, but those same orbs closely scrutinizing his companion's crafty features from between his own fat fingers. he remained in that position for a full five minutes, while adolf fidgeted and fretted. for the man was eager to undertake this work, a task after his own rascally heart. he had not been engaged in south africa, in delving for british secrets and in selling them to the enemy without something resulting. a born schemer, those experiences had whetted his appetite for more conspiracy. besides, it was a game which promised wealth, while it had an element of danger that appealed to the rascal, for, to give him his due, he was a man of courage, a man who faced odds willingly, and who found in difficulties and danger the stimulus that whetted his efforts and gave a zest to an undertaking. "well," he demanded impatiently, "you know me by now. have i failed before? there was that affair at nicholson's cloof. did i fail there? then why now? as for you, who is to learn that you are mixed up in the affair? go down to these people. pass yourself off as a sportsman, and--leave the rest to me." carl stirred. he took the fat hand from his face and looked at his companion. "how much?" he asked curtly. "what will you do this for?" the remainder of their conversation was carried on in low tones and with the greatest earnestness. these two rascals, for both were that, bargained eagerly, and it was quite an hour later before they parted. then mr. carl reitberg passed out of the house, roughly pushed aside a poor woman who begged alms of him, hailed a taxi, and drove away to his gorgeous mansion. he left adolf fruhmann richer than he had been for many a day, with the promise of abundance in the future and sufficient money with which to carry on the plot so craftily hatched in that back room in the grimy house off whitechapel. the following day found the magnate down at joe gresson's wonderful hangar again. he was geniality itself. he had come to wish the crew and the ship a safe voyage and a rapid one, and to hope that nothing might happen to arrest their progress or to damage the airship. "to my old friend, mr. andrew provost," he said, "and to his wonderful nephew, mr. joseph gresson. may they return triumphant!" lifting the glass of wine he had been sipping and standing up he solemnly drank the health of the party. then, with a cordial grip of the hand all round, he left the ship under the pilotage of sergeant evans. his tongue was in his cheek as he stepped on to the gangway which led to the floor of the hangar. he turned to wave his adieus to the people above, distinguishable through the framework of the vessel. and then he regarded the sergeant with a puzzled expression. "strange," he said. "i seem to know your face, to have met you before." "the other day, sir," came the respectful and guarded answer; "i took your card up to mr. andrew." "yes, that must be the explanation," carl told himself, and departed satisfied. he was more than satisfied, in fact, and hugged himself in the depths of his motor car. for the interview had gone off wonderfully. a reporter who, thanks to his own skilful arrangement, had been present, proceeded at once to write up a glowing account of the meeting, and that evening the world learned that mr. carl reitberg had been aboard the airship, where he had generously wished all the utmost success, had drank to their health, and had shown in every way that he was a sportsman. more than that, he had intimated his intention of at once depositing one hundred thousand pounds at his bankers', so that, in the likely event, as he hoped, of the successful termination of the venture, mr. andrew provost might claim it instantly. what could be fairer or more magnanimous? what could be better calculated to throw dust in the eyes of the public, and, more important than all, in the eyes of the crew of the airship? carl reitberg not only hugged himself as he sank back amid the luxurious cushions of his landaulette. he chuckled loudly. he rubbed his fat hands unctuously together and positively grinned. yes, he had been wonderfully canny and successful. it remained now for the crafty adolf fruhmann to carry on the conspiracy and see it to a successful ending. "bah! thought he'd seen me before. didn't let on that it was out in south africa," sergeant evans was murmuring as he entered the vessel again. "now if i know mr. reitberg he ain't up to any good. he's a foxy fellow at any time, the chap who sits at home and does the gentleman, while those friends of his carry out the scheme that he's after. well, i for one will keep an eye open." the three days which passed after mr. midshipman hamshaw added his important presence to the airship were decidedly busy ones. he himself had his kit to obtain and friends to say farewell to. and then there was the victualling of the ship, a matter of great importance. all day and night carts arrived at the hangar, and the crew of the ship, composed almost entirely of soldiers and sailors, were engaged in piling cases upon the lift and hoisting them into the interior of the vessel. sufficient tinned goods were taken to last the party for five months. there was fuel to be considered, and one had to remember that a journey of the description contemplated demanded various weights of clothing, weapons, ammunition, in fact a hundred and one items. but at length, thanks to joe gresson's foresight and andrew provost's energy, they were gathered and stored in the huge storage rooms of the vessel. the hangar swung round easily with her head away from the wind, while the motors began to rumble. stationed with joe in the engine-room alec and dick watched the young inventor gently handle a lever, and looking backward saw the gigantic propeller reverse. the ship moved. those wide lateral keels running upon rollers inserted in the wide slots on either side, which were part and parcel of the hangar, began to slide gently away from their holding. the ship backed slowly and surely out of her hangar till she was entirely clear. a bell sounded in the engine-room, while a voice was heard through the loud-speaking telephone. it was from hurst, now trained to new duties, and at that moment stationed on the upper deck, right on the prow of the vessel. "all clear, sir," he called. "she backed forty feet from the hangar. all clear." another bell sounded. "all clear aft," came from hawkins, stationed near the propeller. "then we ascend. what's the time?" asked joe. "eight thirty, sir," answered dick promptly. "eight thirty p.m." "precisely; and the day is wednesday?" "yes, sir." "then in one hundred and twenty-four days, less three hours and thirty minutes from this moment, we are due to return. if we are here then, and our foreign office passport has been properly initialled, then we shall have won the challenge. we can let her go. stand by there! i'm going to take her up quickly. then london shall have a glimpse of their ship, and afterwards----" "yes, afterwards?" asked commander jackson, who had now joined them. joe shrugged his shoulders. "who can say? i myself have confidence in the vessel. but accidents may happen. we might be delayed by the smallest and most unexpected circumstance. we can but make the attempt." "and win or lose i shall be satisfied," chimed in andrew. "let her go." the motors roared. those elevator fans within the ship whirled at a giddy rate, and at once the gigantic framework shot upward till she was two thousand feet above the hangar. then joe touched another lever. the propeller in rear began to sing its own strange note. the ship moved forward and that adventurous voyage had begun. "starting's easier than returning," mr. carl reitberg told himself with a chuckle when he read of the departure of the ship on the following morning and of her appearance over london. "let 'em wait a bit. adolf fruhmann has yet a word or so to say in the matter." chapter vii en route for adrianople "and now, gentlemen, to discuss our route," said mr. andrew provost once london was left behind, with its gaping and wildly-cheering crowds, amid which carl reitberg had a place, and the rascally adolf fruhmann also. "we are hovering at this moment over the straits of dover, and since, if our tour of the world is to be complete, we must waste no time, it will be as well if we map out a course without further delay." in his practical manner he had provided himself with a huge globe, which now stood in the centre of the saloon table, with those who were to tour the world on the giant airship seated about it. "gentlemen," he went on, "the earth--or, rather, i should have said, the air--the air is before you and around you. choose your path. to me and to my nephew the course we take is immaterial, with just this one reservation. we wish to take a path which will give us facilities for picking up both water and fuel. now!" looking round the brightly-illuminated saloon he invited first the commander, then alec, and then dick to give an opinion. but all in turn shook their heads. "no, no," said the former eagerly. "to me it matters not a jot which course we take. choose yourself. or, if you merely ask for a suggestion, let us take the all-red route. let us fly so as to pass over and call in upon as many british possessions as possible. there! that is a pleasant scheme. why not?" "why not, indeed? excellent!" cried andrew. "now, let us trace the route. but wait; there is one other to be consulted. i refer to major harvey, who came aboard just before we started. perhaps he has some special wishes; let us consult him." sergeant evans was at once sent to summon the latest guest aboard, and within a few minutes there entered the saloon a tall, well-set-up man of perhaps forty years of age, well groomed, spruce, and of active appearance, with features which might be described as prepossessing, while there was a firmness about the chin and a steadiness of the eyes which showed that the newcomer was possessed of courage. in short and in fact he was the beau ideal of a soldier, while his manner was easy and distinctly friendly. nodding to all, for he had been introduced some three hours before, he sat himself down and looked across at andrew. "you sent for me," he said crisply, in a matter-of-fact way, even more businesslike than that of his host. "what is the question? can i be of service?" "certainly, major. there is a globe; you know already that we have been, as it were, challenged to tour the world, to make a complete circle of the globe. well, then, choose a route for us. commander jackson suggests an all-red route, which shall take us over british possessions. if that meets with your approval, well and good. if not, then where shall we go--what course shall we steer?" for answer the major slowly rose from his seat, and, crossing to the table, carefully and critically examined the globe. then he drew a packet of papers from his pocket, and, selecting one, handed it to andrew. "for me all courses are the same," he said with a smile; "but since i take it that from here to the centre of europe is but a step for this magnificent vessel, i should be glad of the opportunity of visiting one part comparatively but a stone's throw from here. i speak of the balkans. please read that letter." andrew slowly opened the envelope, drew out the contents, and then donned his glasses. adjusting them at the correct angle upon his nose, he held the letter up and read aloud. "adrianople, thursday evening, january, ." "adrianople!" cried the commander. "that's the city now besieged for so long by the bulgarian armies." "quite so; closely besieged," admitted the major. "very closely." "ahem!" andrew cleared his throat. "you wish me to read it aloud?" he asked, waving the letter at the major. "certainly." "then here it is. 'dear harvey, i write to inform you that i am held here in adrianople, and should the siege continue much longer, the value of the information i have gained will be lost. but i cannot dispatch it in this letter. this must pass the scrutiny of both friends and enemies. therefore it but announces my presence here, where i live as best i can. please explain my continued absence to our mutual friends. yours, charlie.'" andrew took his glasses from his nose slowly, glanced sideways at the letter, and then direct at the major. there was a puzzled look upon his face, a polite enquiry as much as to say, "well, my dear sir, i don't understand. what has your friend charlie to do with us? he's in adrianople; so are scores of others. there's a british consul there, no doubt. why should we go to this besieged city?" commander jackson coughed; similar thoughts were passing through his quick brain also, though he gave his soldier friend credit for astuteness and common sense. "must be something behind this letter," he said aloud. "certainly; charlie knew that many eyes would see it before i received his hurried lines," said the major. "but let me explain what it is that i gather by the reading of that letter. first, that charlie is hemmed in in this besieged city. next, that he has information which he cannot send through the post, or by means of a runner escaping from or permitted to leave the city. in fact and in short he has information of value, value to our mutual friends, who, i may further explain, happen to be the government." "ah, i suspected something of the sort! what next?" asked andrew. "i will be frank," came the answer. "for the past three years charlie and i have been engaged in some extremely delicate and important investigations in and around the balkans. pardon me if i am not more explicit on this matter. i left for london some two months ago, having lost all trace of charlie. now i know him to have obtained the information which we sought, information which, owing to the sudden onset of war and the siege of adrianople, he is unable to impart. well, mr. provost, that information is wanted by the government at once. delay is positively dangerous. i ask you in the name of this country to risk a visit to adrianople and there attempt to pick up my friend and fellow investigator." there was silence for perhaps two minutes, while the various people present in the saloon glanced at one another curiously, to see if possible what their fellows thought. then andrew spoke briskly and with marked decision. "there will be guns about adrianople?" he asked; "guns capable of sending shells high into the air? mortars, in fact?" "precisely; there will be siege batteries. the bulgars are wonderfully equipped. the turks also, hemmed in in adrianople, have some marvellous pieces." "any one of which, by exploding a shell within distance of us, could wreck the ship?" the major nodded. "true enough," he said coldly. "the risk would be great. if you are seen, a thousand rifles will be pointed at you. a hundred guns will be manoeuvred so as to aim into the sky. the risk will be very great; i do not deny it." "and the service will be equally great. you tell us that this matter is of urgent importance for england?" andrew asked his question sharply, as if he were cross-examining the major. "you tell us that england has great need of this service? i ask for no details. anyone can see that we are discussing a delicate matter. i merely ask again as to its importance." "and i reply that the service is of the greatest. more than that, i will explain that the war office had appointed another officer to this ship, and only changed their selection at the last moment. i was given precise instructions to bring this request before you at the earliest instant. you ask me how great is the importance of this matter, and i reply without hesitation that, even if this wonderful ship and her crew were destroyed in the successful effort to gain this information, then great, overwhelming as the loss would undoubtedly be, it would be but a small price to pay for the news which charlie has gathered. as for charlie, that is but a _nom de plume_. the writer happens to be an officer high up in the british army." the major slowly surveyed his comrades, while he spoke deliberately. then he drew a cigarette from his case, placed it between his lips and set a flaring match to it, with a nonchalance one had perforce to admire. for obviously enough andrew's decision was of the utmost moment to him. equally clearly it was borne upon the minds of those who listened that this mission, the barest details of which could be discussed, was of unusual importance. if andrew and his nephew refused to jeopardize the safety of the airship by taking her into such a danger zone, then one could guess that particulars of the utmost moment would be lost entirely, or, what amounted to the same, their delivery would be so delayed that they would be useless. "well?" asked the major, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "your answer. i ask no favour. i have pointed out the risk." "and i thank you heartily," cried andrew. "gentlemen, we will take the all-red route for this world tour, looking in at as many dependencies of the british crown as possible. and we will willingly take the risk of a visit to adrianople. if there are any here who have no desire for this adventure, then we will set them down wherever they wish. now, let us be moving." it may be readily imagined that not one of those present in the brightly-lighted saloon had any qualms as to this projected visit, for to all of them was promised a novel situation. the major and the commander might hope, indeed, to witness a modern siege in actual operation, while no doubt the successful manoeuvring of this fine vessel would be of sufficient interest to joe and andrew. for dick and alec there was, of course, a decided attraction in the suggestion. "who knows, there might be a rumpus of some sort," declared the former. "we might get to see a bit of the fighting. how'd you like that?" "how'd you?" alec grinned back at him. "you're the one to answer, for you're a man of war. you're in the navy." "i'll tell you. if there's just the merest chance of getting down into the city i mean to take it," said dick. "then there's no knowing what may happen. how is the major going to find this fellow charlie? that's what beats me, for adrianople is a big city. and how is he to bring him or his news aboard without descending? i tell you this ship'll have to be steered right over the armies. she'll have to drop to easy distance of the city, and then--supposing a shell did happen to come our way--well----" "you'd find yourself in the city precious quick, and so have your dearest wish fulfilled in a minute," laughed alec. "we'd blow up, eh! there'd be a fine old crash on the roofs of adrianople." joking apart, the danger was not likely to be small and the risk run by the crew of the airship was perhaps greater than had been anticipated. but andrew and his nephew made light of any trouble, and indeed undertook this work with a keenness that did them credit. it followed, therefore, that within a dozen hours the airship floated high up above the besieged city. it was night-time, clouds floated thickly in the sky, while not a light showed aboard the vessel. down below a few flickering lamps could be seen in the direction of the city, though the greater part was plunged in darkness. but away to the north and south, and on either hand, there were rows and rows of tiny blazing circles, the camp fires of the investors. "holding every outlet," said the major. "not a man can enter or leave the city. if they could, charlie would have bade farewell to it long ago. but entrance from the air is another question altogether." "and you propose to descend to the city?" asked andrew. "with your help, certainly. there is a huge mosque in the heart of adrianople, and that is the place i shall aim for. there, or in the immediate neighbourhood, i shall find charlie." "and--and supposing anything should happen to prevent your returning, supposing you were apprehended by the turks," suggested andrew. "then the airship goes on her way again. it will be a misfortune, of course, but that is all. you have risked all to bring me here, and i shall not grumble if i am discovered." in the darkness of the engine-room it was impossible to observe the major's face, but at that moment it was stern and peculiarly determined. for without a shadow of doubt the descent into the city would be exceedingly dangerous. if he were seen by one of the besieged as likely as not he would be shot down on the instant. if not that, then he would be apprehended as a spy, perhaps; and short shrift was given, he knew well enough, to men of that description. but there was not so much as a tremor about him as, an hour later, he stepped upon the platform from which the lift ran, sat himself in the sling by which commander jackson had descended to the water on the occasion of dick's misadventure, and whispered to his friends to let him go. "adieu!" he called gently. "watch for a flare amongst the buildings to-morrow night. if you do not see one, then return again the following night. if still there is no sign, sail on and leave me. adieu!" the motor above hummed a low-pitched song, the sling at the end of the rope bearing this gallant officer upon it dropped from the platform and went shooting down under the airship. "good luck!" whispered andrew. "ah! there goes a very gallant fellow. now, gently with that tackle. the barometer places us five hundred feet above the city. we shall have to lower very carefully when we have let out four hundred feet of the line." in the inky darkness of the night the ship had slowly descended till she was suspended at the height mentioned above this besieged city. and now those aboard her slowly paid the rope out over the motor, letting it go foot by foot once they guessed that the burden they were lowering was nearing the ground. perhaps ten minutes had passed before they found that the line hung slack. a pull upon it disclosed the fact that the major must have left it. "haul in!" commanded andrew. "now, we will rise again, and sail right away from the city. let us hope that our plucky friend will be successful." the following morning found the ship hovering at a great height over a deserted stretch of country, where she lay inert in the air, as if resting after her long trip from england. but that night the motors hummed again, and presently she was back over adrianople. "now, all hands set to work to watch for a flare," andrew commanded. "we'll divide the city into various portions, and so make sure by giving a different part to each one of us that the major's signal cannot go undetected." but though the eyes turned upon the dark surroundings of the beleaguered city never left their object, there was no flare to attract their attention, and presently the first signs of dawn warned andrew and his comrades that the time had come to depart. a loud detonation in the far distance, and a streaming flame of fire, hastened their decision, and they rose at once and headed away from the city followed by the noise of artillery in action. in fact, a fierce attack had begun upon adrianople, and though the huge airship put many miles between her and the contending armies, the dull muffled roar of guns still reached them on occasion. but towards evening the battle slackened, and that night, when once more over the city, there was not a sound to disturb the silence; not a note came to the ears of the listeners above to tell them of the armies beneath them. "fine and clear, but dark enough for our purpose," said joe, straining his head over the rail of the observation platform of the vessel. "let us hope that we shall see the signal this evening, for i confess that i shall be glad to get away from those guns. did you see the shells bursting as we left in the morning?" "guess i did," came andrew's emphatic answer. "and a nice little mess they'd make of this ship if one hit us." "or came within a hundred yards of hitting us," said joe decidedly. "if a shell were to burst within easy distance, the chances are that the concussion would break the framework and cause the gas to explode. so let's hope we shan't be long in such an unpleasant neighbourhood." but the night passed again without so much as a flicker from the city. major harvey made no sign of his presence. was he captured, or shot? or had he merely failed to discover charlie? "captured or shot," said andrew promptly, when they began to discuss the matter. "if he had merely failed to discover his friend he would have sent us a signal, and on returning to us would have made other plans to recover this information. there is no signal. that means that the major cannot make it. in fact, he is dead, or he is a prisoner." "while we are left helpless above the city," joe added. "what's to be done? we'd never think of leaving the place till we are quite sure what has happened." "never," declared andrew with energy. "besides, there's another important matter to consider and to keep us here. the major distinctly told us that charlie possessed information of vital importance to the british government. then we have two reasons for remaining, one being the safety of our friend the major, and the other being the need to discover charlie. that seems to me to present unheard-of difficulties. for charlie is merely a name. we haven't even a description of this officer incarcerated in adrianople. come, commander, help us. this is a real difficulty." it was more than that. it was a dilemma, for how could andrew and joe and his friends help the major, seeing that they were high in the air? and how could they discover a man in the city of adrianople of whose appearance they had no knowledge? "might be tall or short, broad or thin, dark or fair," said dick. "it's a conundrum." "unless," began alec. "unless what?" dick snapped. "well, unless we were to investigate personally. for instance, this charlie's an englishman, eh?" "certainly!" cried andrew. "then there aren't enough of our countrymen in the city to make it difficult to pick out our man. he's a soldier, that we know. it isn't so hard as a rule to tell when one looks at one of that profession. as for the major, if he's alive, why, seeking might find him." "but--but you forget. we're up here, a thousand feet in the air," cried andrew testily. "quite so, sir," came the respectful answer. "but the major descended. we could do the same." "bravo! it's the only course open," cried the commander. "mr. provost, our duty is clearly before us. we must follow the major, seek him out, and discover his friend charlie. come, i volunteer. it would never do for you or your nephew to make the attempt, for you have this tour to make, and you must be successful. for me it is different. i am in the service of my country; this is a question of duty." "hear, hear, sir!" chimed in dick. "i'd like to come in support. may i?" "while i suggested the movement and claim a place also," said alec, with an eagerness foreign to him. "why not, mr. provost?" why not? what one man could do, others could also. besides, how could the crew of this vessel honourably retreat from this beleaguered city and leave a comrade in the lurch, to say nothing of losing something of a secret nature which they had been assured was of vital importance to their country? no--they must stay. they must go to the major since he could not return to them. "i agree," said andrew, after some few moments' consideration. "you three shall be lowered, and to-morrow night we will return and look for your signal. but let me beg of you all to use the utmost discretion. one misfortune is enough without inviting others." it was perhaps an hour later when three figures muffled in short, thick coats stepped upon the lift platform. "goodbye!" whispered andrew and joe. "a safe return!" "_au revoir!_" sang out dick, in the seventh heaven of happiness. "now, hold on, alec! we don't want you to get tumbling over and so announcing our coming." hearty hand-grips were exchanged, and then the motor hummed its tune. the commander and dick and alec sank out of sight and were at once swallowed up in the darkness. chapter viii the besieged city "steady! now, lower very slowly, for we are close to the houses." commander jackson pressed the button of the electric indicator aboard the platform on which he and dick hamshaw and alec jardine were being lowered into the besieged city of adrianople, and applied his lips to the loud-speaking telephone. he barely whispered into the receiver, but dick and alec knew well that his voice would be heard easily enough aloft. "stop! move away to the right; we are directly above a very large building." the platform of the lift jerked slightly as the motor above was arrested, and for the space of a minute perhaps, it and its human freight rose and fell as the long steel wire stretched and then contracted. dick craned his head over the edge, for he was kneeling, just as he had been on that earlier occasion when the commander came down to his rescue. below, barely visible in the all-pervading gloom, he made out the dim, hazy details of a building, which stretched on either hand for some considerable distance. then he turned on his elbow and stared upward, to find that nothing was visible. there was not even the barest outline of the great airship which he knew well enough was directly overhead, not a light, not a single sound, not even the gentle tune of that humming motor. but down below there were sounds. hark! what was that? "men marching through the streets," whispered the commander. "we shall have to be cautious, for it would never do to drop into the hands of the turks. they would not understand our coming. we should be spies, as a matter of course. hold on up there," his companions heard him whisper into the receiver of the telephone. "hoist a little higher. now, move ahead." somewhere in the distance a clock struck musically, the sound easily reaching the ears of the adventurous three descending to the city. one, two, three. "two hours more and we shall have the dawn," whispered the commander. "listen! troops are on the move. there must be thousands marching beneath us. no doubt reinforcements are being taken to some part where a new and fierce attack is anticipated. ah!" dick flushed as red as a beetroot in the darkness, and was thankful for the cloak it lent him. for who could help starting violently under the circumstances? a loud report had suddenly rung out away on their left, a detonation which set the air above the city reverberating. there was a flash in the distance, a streak of flame cutting into the darkness, and then, heard perhaps half a minute later, a hideous shriek, getting louder and more insistent. "a messenger from the besiegers," said the commander hoarsely. "ah! it plumped into the house away over there to the right. lucky we weren't directly over it." it was fortunate for all three without a doubt, for that messenger from the lines of the bulgarians or from those of the servians, who were now aiding their comrades in this siege, was certainly not of the peaceful variety. that shriek, in fact, was followed by a clatter, by the crash of a hard, heavy body striking against masonry. then there was a thunderous roar, a huge spot of flame and smoke and debris, and finally darkness and silence, silence made more intense by the occasional low moaning of some poor injured person. a second later another gun spoke from the distance, while the streak of flame from the muzzle was followed by a third detonation from a different direction, and later by half a dozen more. suspended in midair dick and his friends listened to the roar of the shells, to the clatter of tumbling masonry, and to the explosions that followed with feelings which can hardly be described as precisely comfortable. "george! a near shave," whispered dick. "hear it, sir?" "hear it? rather!" came gruffly from the commander. "that shell went over our heads, and i reckon there cannot have been more than a dozen feet between it and us. nasty, eh! if one were to hit the wire rope." "ugh! what's he want to talk like that for?" alec grumbled beneath his breath. he peered over the edge of the platform and shivered. not that he had not plenty of courage and spirit. but somehow the dangers of a bombardment seemed greater when suspended between earth and sky than when one has one's feet firmly planted upon mother earth. it seemed, too, that the jovial commander felt the same also. "it'd be nasty to get that rope cut, eh?" he asked again. "we'd fall heavily. let's move on. do either of you lads hear any more troops moving?" a few minutes before there had been the muffled sound of a multitude of rough boots treading upon uneven cobbles. sometimes one heard the clink of a sabre against the stones, or of one man's rifle against that of a comrade. and now and then voices had reached the three suspended overhead--sharp voices, as if officers were there issuing commands. "hear 'em?" asked the commander. "moved on, sir, i think," responded dick. "now's the time for us to do the same." "listen! they've gone away to our left. you can hear their steps still," said alec. "ah! that ends all sounds from them. i suppose this is a general bombardment, sir?" "sounds like it," admitted the commander. "guns are directing shells upon the city now from every side. it's time, as you say, dick, to get a move on. ah! the ship has carried us away from that building. what's below us?" they craned their necks over the edge of the platform and peered down into the darkness. "a garden, sir," suggested dick. "clear ground in any case," came from alec. "then lower away," the commander whispered into the receiver. "steady! ah, she's bumped! hop out, you fellows. all clear? then hoist above there. we're safely in the city." did they hear a gentle hum from high up overhead? dick fancied he could for one brief instant as the lift shot upward. but it may have been merely imagination. in any case there came quickly enough other sounds to drown any there may have been from the airship; for a monstrous gun spoke in the distance. the air above this devoted city shook and vibrated, while the steel monster launched into space howled and shrieked as it rushed to its destination. "down behind this wall," called the commander, who had stood up to stare in the direction from which the shot had come. "down, quick! that shell's coming straight for us." throwing themselves down upon the ground behind a low wall beside which the lift had dropped them, they waited breathlessly for the landing of that messenger. it shrieked a warning at them. it announced its coming in a manner there was no mistaking. then suddenly it burst upon them. the shriek grew positively deafening, rising to such a blood-curdling pitch that it would have shaken the pluck even of a veteran. but it was muffled all in a second. there was a ponderous thud within a dozen yards of the adventurous trio, an uncanny silence, and then a detonation that threw them against the wall, and sent earth and stones and debris in every direction. and what a sight the wide-spreading flames of that explosion presented! dick saw buildings all about him, buildings over which stones and clods of earth were hurtling. to his left, within two hundred yards perhaps, was an enormous erection, the actual size of which he could not hope to estimate. but the momentary flash of the explosion showed him towers and minarets, proof positive that here was a mosque, the mosque, no doubt, for which major harvey had aimed when descending into the city. that fleeting flash gave him in addition just one glimpse of a huge shape floating almost directly overhead, no doubt the gigantic outline of the airship. "lor! supposing she felt the shock?" he groaned. "supposing the airship has sustained some damage." "not she! as right as a trivet," came in somewhat shaking tones from close beside him, for unconsciously the young midshipman had spoken aloud. "but, jingo, what an explosion! i've been hanging on to my hair ever since. hope we don't get another of those gentlemen within such close distance." the hope was hardly expressed when a second shell announced its coming, and caused them once more to shelter close to the wall which had already given them protection. as for the giant airship, when dick gazed aloft as this other messenger exploded, there was no longer a sign of her. no doubt andrew and his nephew had set the elevators going, and were now high overhead, out of reach of danger. "and so we've only ourselves to think about," said dick. "what next, then? what are the orders, sir? i caught a sight of the great mosque for which major harvey said he would make. it's close to us. i suppose that's where we shall begin our search?" strangely enough there came no answer. dick caught his breath, alec gasped aloud. the midshipman could hear his breath coming fast and deep within two feet perhaps of where he was sitting. "wait," he whispered. "he was just to my right. i'll crawl that way and see where he has got to." getting to his knees, for till now he had been prone beside the friendly wall which had sheltered them from stones and splinters sent hurtling through the air by the shells which had fallen so close to them, dick made his way along the edge of the wall in search of the commander. and presently his fingers lit upon his figure. the officer was huddled up against the brickwork; and though dick pulled his sleeve violently there came no response, not even when he kneeled above him, felt for his head, and spoke sharply into his ear. "come along and join me," he called gently to alec. "the commander's hit; yes, hit in the head. i'm sure of that, for i can feel that his hair is wet; and listen to his breathing." neither of those two young fellows had had up till then much acquaintance with wounds and injuries. but dick had once seen a man lying severely stunned, and now he recognized one at least of the symptoms. for the unfortunate commander was breathing stertorously--positively snoring--while he took not the smallest notice when his junior tugged at his clothing. "bend over him and strike a light," whispered dick when alec had joined him. "we'll have to chance being seen. got any matches?" evidently alec was well provided, for in a moment there came the tell-tale scrape of a lucifer being rubbed against the box. then a tiny flame blazed out, a flame which alec shielded with his hand, while he directed a portion of it on to the unconscious commander. "yes; hit in the head. see, here's a big scalp wound," whispered dick, making a rapid examination, and discovering blood welling from a nasty wound just above the commander's forehead. "i'm not much used to this sort of thing, alec, but i imagine that he's not very badly hurt. he's stunned, of course, and the thing is to know how to deal with him. first thing, anyway, is to tie a handkerchief round the wound. get another match ready. strike when i tell you to. now. i've got his head lifted on to my knee and my handkerchief unfolded. strike now." with the help of that feeble glimmer, lasting perhaps for half a minute, they bound up the commander's wound, and then, finding a raised piece of ground close to the wall, gently lowered his head upon it. "better than nothing. it'll act like a cushion," said dick. "now?" "ah--a dickens of a business! there's the commander down and wounded, major harvey lost, perhaps dead for all we know, or only a prisoner; and this charlie, whom we've never seen, and hardly heard of, somewhere in this awful city. what's to be done?" "that's what i asked you," came quickly from dick. "let's see, we could make a flare with your box of matches i suppose, and so call the attention of mr. andrew. pish! that's funking. never! besides, the airship's gone by now. didn't it strike three as we were descending?" "three, yes; what's the time now?" "at a guess four o'clock. might be less; feels as though it were a heap more." that, in fact, was the position. so much had happened since they set foot in this besieged city of adrianople, that hours might have passed, and dick really felt as if they had. and yet he knew well enough that that was not possible. but the mention of the hour made him recollect matters of greater moment. "george!" he cried, "it will be light soon, and we shall be seen unless we manage to discover a hiding-place of sorts. lor! this is the maddest kind of expedition i have ever been on, for here we are wanting a place in which to hide, and yet our job is to discover two individuals whom we can't possibly recognize unless we see 'em in broad daylight." "while the airship has hooked it, eh?" "certain. it's getting a trifle lighter already, and she might be seen, which would be dangerous. well now, it seems to me that we must do something pretty soon or we shall find ourselves in chokey. look here, alec, are you game to stand by the commander while i go on a tour of inspection? the flash sent out by those two shells when they exploded gave me a rough idea of our surroundings. in any case i spotted a huge mosque away to our left, so i shall make over in that direction. i'll follow this wall, and when it comes to an end i'll take good care to get hold of something which will tell me i am on the right road when returning. ah! listen to that! rifle fire, eh? getting lighter outside the city and the pickets are having shots at one another. or it is a real attack opening. yes, there go the guns again." this time the roar which came to their ears was, perhaps, not so loud, and it seemed probable that it emanated from the guns of the defenders. but whoever was responsible for the firing, the enemy ringing in the city lost no time in replying. for these were the days of strenuous fighting about the beleaguered city. the allies, consisting of the bulgarians, the servians, the montenegrins, and the greeks, had swept the turks in all directions before them, till the former were within striking distance of constantinople itself, while such important cities as salonica had been captured. but adrianople still held out beneath the command of shukri pasha, while scutari also resisted the montenegrins. it may be imagined therefore, that the presence of a strong force of turks in adrianople made it essential that the allies should detach an even stronger force to watch and hem in their enemy. for weeks the armies had, in fact, watched one another, passage out of the beleaguered city being impossible, while actual fighting was intermittent and confined to mere skirmishing. but now pour-parlers between the allies and the enemy had broken down. terms for peace had been rejected by the ottomans, and as a consequence the war had been resumed after an armistice of some weeks' duration. to force the turks to accede to the terms demanded by the allies, adrianople must be taken, even at a great cost, and it happened that the arrival of andrew provost and his friends had coincided with this period. indeed, a furious bombardment of the city was to begin forthwith, shells were to pour into the streets and about the houses, while the encircling forts were to be rushed one by one, at huge cost to the allies and the turks, and the siege pressed daily closer. here, then, was an explanation of this beginning cannonade. "get down close to the wall," dick called to his chum, as those answering guns opened and that same tell-tale shriek sounded in the distance. "here come the shells. hope they won't fall closer than formerly, for what has happened to the commander may very well happen to us. look out! get down close. wish to goodness there was a trench here in which we could shelter." in spite of the fact that a huge shell had just whizzed overhead, dick went scuttling along beside the wall on hands and knees in search of some shelter. and hardly three minutes had passed before he was back again close to alec. "there's a bit of a ditch close to the wall farther along there," he said hastily. "let's carry the commander there. wait, though, till that beggar has passed us." that beggar happened to be a shell whose advance they could hear, and every instant they expected it to pitch in the ground somewhere beyond them. but this time it failed to carry to such a distance, and landing with a thud some few yards behind the wall beside which they lay, it exploded with violence, almost smothering them with dirt and debris and tipping stones from the wall upon them. at once dick and alec took the commander by his legs and arms and carried his unconscious figure away from this danger zone till they reached the ditch of which the former had spoken. "better be in the open for a while than in one of the houses," said dick, panting after such exertion, and bending over his officer. "i dare say we could manage to discover a house that's deserted, for there are sure to be numbers left untenanted at such a time. but the danger would be greater there. if a shell happened to strike the place, and one were not killed by it, one would stand the chance of being buried alive in the ruins. now, you're game to stick here and wait for a while?" of course alec was game. he was getting quite accustomed to those falling shells now, for more guns were speaking in the distance, and shots were raining into the city. all he feared really was discovery, and when he came to think of it the risk at present was not so very great. indeed, while there was darkness no one was likely to stumble upon them, and less so just then when the enemy were battering the place, and people had their attention fully engaged in looking after their own security. it was when daylight came that the real danger would arise, so that it was urgent that one of them should at once seek out a place which would provide a haven. "you hop off and leave the commander to me, dick," he said. "i ain't afraid. if any of these turkish beggars interfere with me, i'll--well, i'll shoot 'em." he felt for and handled the revolver with which andrew had been careful to arm his young friends, and then slipped it back into his pocket. "right-o!" he said. "off you go. but don't get lost and fail to find us again. remember, too, that it's getting lighter; we ought to be hidden somewhere within an hour, eh?" "and shall be," answered the midshipman optimistically. "keep your hair on if people come near you, and lie low. this place seems to be out of the way, so i don't anticipate you'll have any trouble. so long! i'm going." he rose swiftly to his feet and went off along the wall, the fingers of one hand trailing along the stones of which it was composed. perhaps he went a hundred paces, more than that even, before the wall ended abruptly, the termination being jagged and broken. a few feet beyond was what appeared in the dim light to be a ruined house, while a few paces more brought him to a cobbled street, into which a shell fell as he entered. stepping back into the shelter of a doorway, against which he happened to have arrived, dick waited for the following explosion. then he crossed the street, stepped on the narrow footway beyond and bumped heavily into an individual at that moment emerging from an opening in the house opposite. at once an angry shout burst from this stranger, while dick distinctly heard the clatter of the end of a sword against the rough cobbles of the pathway. a moment later there was a glimmer of light, a hand shot out of the darkness and seized him by the collar, while the dark lantern, with its slide now drawn fully open, was turned upon him. "ah! who goes racing about the streets thus at night when every soldier should be in the trenches, and every dog of a civilian in his house?" the light was flashed full into his face. from the darkness behind the lamp a pair of fierce turkish eyes glared at dick hamshaw, and in an instant the individual who had spoken shouted loudly. "what! a european!" he cried. "in uniform too! how now? a spy!" it may be imagined that poor dick was dumbfounded. not that he was ignorant of what had been said or shouted by this stranger, for dick was quite a travelled individual and something of a linguist. but then he was the son of a sailor, and his father had for some considerable while been attached to the british embassy at constantinople. it happened, then, that dick spent some five years in that cosmopolitan city, where he was surrounded by ottomans, and forced to speak the language to some extent at least, simply because his father's servants were turkish. there need be no surprise, therefore, that he at once took in the gist of what was shouted, while he blinked at the lantern held so close to his face. then the hand gripping his collar seemed to stir him to action, that and the fact that it suddenly left his clothing, while there came a curious rasping sound telling him that this man had drawn his sword. things were looking decidedly unpleasant he decided. but what was he to do? bolt! no, certainly not, for as the man swung to draw his weapon the lamp was turned partly upon his own person, and in a flash dick saw that a revolver hung in his open holster. more than that, he saw that this was an officer. the very next second, before the sabre had quite left its scabbard, he had lunged forward desperately with one fist, into which he put all the force of which he was capable. "spy!" the officer was in the midst of the shout when the blow struck him on the forehead, for in the darkness dick missed his aim and went a trifle high. but a lusty fist, wielded though it was by a youth not yet fully grown, and coming against the turk's forehead so unexpectedly, had a startling effect upon that individual. his sword left his hand and went to the ground with a clatter, the man himself following swiftly and landed upon the cobbles with a thump. as for dick, he turned to bolt for his life, guessing that other undesirable and inquisitive persons might be near at hand and have heard that shout. but he need have had little fear. if anyone had heard and were inclined to venture near, their inclination was subdued at once by the landing of a shell some thirty yards down this narrow street. dick heard it crash against the cobbles and instantly threw himself flat, being only just in time to escape the succeeding explosion. a hot blast of flame and gas swept over his recumbent figure. for one brief second the street and the mean houses on either side were brilliantly illuminated, and then there was darkness and silence again, save for dimly-heard shrieks of terror from the distance and the moaning of a man nearer at hand. dick scrambled to his feet, turned to go, and then swung his head round to look at the spot he had so recently vacated. there was a glimmer on the cobbles, and the faint outline of a lamp turned on its side. "why not?" he asked himself. "a lamp would be useful later on perhaps. that officer fellow is moaning. wonder whether that's due to my blow or to the shell which just now exploded?" as a matter of fact, his sudden blow had considerably startled the turk, and had made him lose his balance with a vengeance. then he had sat up giddily, only to be struck by a stone hurled in that direction by the explosion. dick went hastily across to him, picked up the lamp, and closely inspected his late enemy. "captain of an infantry battalion," he told himself. "no, not a captain; merely a subaltern. not so very old either. no hair on his face at any rate. let's see how he's dressed. greatcoat, belts and sabre, and revolver pouch. nothing on his head at the moment but--ah, there's the fez! why, it just fits me. now i wonder if----" it was hardly the place to stop and wonder, for without doubt a general bombardment had begun, and stray messages from the allies were falling about him. dick took the lamp and went to the opening from which this officer had come. he pushed the door before him and found it opened easily. he knocked loudly, then entered without hesitation, and threw his light into the downstairs rooms. they were empty, as was also the upper part of the house. "just the sort of little crib we want," he told himself. "sorry, of course, for the officer, but he shouldn't have been so inquisitive. anyway, i'll have to borrow some of his belongings. but first i'll fetch alec and the commander." perhaps ten minutes later commander jackson was resting on a settee or divan in the house which dick had selected, while dick and alec rapidly removed the turk's greatcoat and fez as well as his weapons. then they picked him up, and staggered away with his unconscious figure till they had gained a street some distance from the spot where he had accosted our hero. "that'll do. he'll be picked up by his friends some time, and won't soon find his way back to the house. jingo, ain't things humming!" it was strange, as the morning light slowly stole upon the besieged city of adrianople and penetrated the windows of that house borrowed by dick and alec, to see those two young hopefuls resting contentedly on the divan running the length of an upstairs room, eagerly discussing the food they had brought with them, as well as this curious situation. as to the commander, he was no longer snoring so stertorously. he was conscious, and was gazing fixedly at his comrades. "what next?" he was asking quite jovially in spite of his headache. "that's it, sir," grinned dick. "what next? that wants a heap of guessing." chapter ix dick hamshaw saves the situation there was pandemonium in the city of adrianople as daylight stole coldly across the roofs of the houses and penetrated to mean streets and alleys, to the interior of houses large and small, and to the cloistered halls of the many mosques. wailing could be heard on every side, the frightened cries of women, the piteous, hungry sobs of infants and children. for provisions had been short for a long time, while but seven ounces of bread formed the daily ration of each soldier, and civilians must fight for what they could see and live as best they could. shells rained into the place fitfully, ebbing and flowing as does the sea. they came in shoals like mackerel, then intermittently, crashing their way through roofs, thudding into the streets and open spaces, and bursting to right and left. and then, of a sudden, they would cease to fall. comparative silence would reign in the city; while outside, in the neighbourhood of the forts, could be heard the rattle of musketry, incessant, rising and falling, overwhelmed every few seconds by some violent detonation as a cannon was discharged, and running in waves from one end of the defences to the other. "hard at it," said the commander, listening to a great outburst. "you may depend upon it that the allies have decided to take the place whatever it may cost them. and if all the turkish troops are like the poor objects one sees from this window, why, this business won't be long before it's ended. meanwhile, if one may enquire, what are our prospects?" he turned with smiling face to dick and alec, though the hands supporting his head on either side, and the anxious, drawn look about his eyes, told that he was suffering. indeed he had a dreadful headache that morning, while the wound he had been unlucky enough to receive was extremely painful. "if one may enquire?" he said again, with polite and jovial satire. "i am as a child in your hands, and, 'pon my word, you've done uncommonly well. what happened after i was knocked over? tell me, do. i am still left gaping at the fact that a moment ago, as it seems to me, i was crouching beside a wall waiting for a shell to wreak its vengeance upon this unfortunate city. the very next, i appear to be in clover, reclining on a most comfortable divan, and--er--er--watching you two munching your rations. now." they told him all that had happened with a gusto there was no denying. "and so you see, sir, here we are," added dick, his mouth occupied with a hunch of bread and cheese which the thoughtful sergeant evans had provided. "precisely! here we are. afterwards, what? that's where i'm vastly interested. we appear to have got into a charming little pickle. how do we emerge from it?" neither dick nor alec could give him the smallest indication, for they themselves were nonplussed by the curious situation into which they had tumbled. not that they had not given vast thought to the matter; for even then dick had risen from the divan and was staring through the window, the noise of people moving down the cobbled street having attracted him. he swung round after a while, reseated himself, and took an enormous bite from the hunch of bread he was holding. the commander watched him as he ate it, watched him critically and with some amusement. "come," he said after a while. "what's the manoeuvre?" alec shook his head violently; dick stood up, still munching, and once more stared through the window. he did not mean to be disrespectful to his senior, but, to be precise, his thoughts were so fully occupied at that particular moment that he hardly heard the sentence. presently he turned again. "i'm going out, sir," he said. "out! impossible! you'd be spotted," cried the officer, his joviality gone instantly. "hardly, sir. you see, or perhaps i should say, you will see the reason. i can speak these fellows' lingo quite a little." "turkish?" "yes, sir. father was quartered at constantinople, at the british embassy. i was there a good five years, and so learnt to know all about 'em. if i was disguised i could pass easily, and so i'm going in the gear of that officer." "but--but why?" demanded the commander. "first, to find a more suitable crib for us, sir. that officer fellow may recover consciousness just as quickly as you have done, and then he may very well return to these quarters. that'd be bad for us. next, there's major harvey and his friend to be thought of. we couldn't very well return aboard the airship without them." "certainly not. if they're to be found, then we find them," came from the officer. "but--look here, dick, this idea means danger, don't it?" "risk, perhaps, sir. nothing more." "supposing you were spotted?" the commander sat up quickly and looked anxiously at the midshipman. "then it would be unlucky for me, sir," came dick's steady answer. "of course, you and alec would work hard to get back to the ship. but i haven't been spotted yet, and don't mean to be. someone's got to go out, and i'm that someone, for i can understand these people. now, alec, give me a help with this gear. say, how do i look? fairly smart, eh? that fez always makes a fellow look fetching." dick made certainly quite a smart officer once he was dressed in the greatcoat, belts, and pouches of his late assailant, while the fez gave him quite an oriental appearance. indeed, the commander was delighted. "i don't half like letting you go, dick," he said. "i'm the one who should be taking this sort of risk. but there--i couldn't stand steadily, and am therefore useless. lad, shake hands. i'm glad you belong to us, and i must say that you two youngsters have done handsomely." dick coloured redly. alec shuffled his feet and felt positively uncomfortable. and then the former gripped each of his companions in turn by the hand, saluted his officer, and turning, went out of the room. they heard the front door bang. they heard his steps on the cobbles, and looking out, alec saw his chum strolling nonchalantly down the street. then he turned into another, and in an instant was lost to view. "gone! out of sight," he said, turning and speaking almost dismally to the commander. "and good luck go with him! a plucky lad, a very plucky fellow!" cried the officer. "but don't let's fret about him, for a midshipman's a midshipman all over the world and a wonder at getting into and out of scrapes. now, let's see if we can get a fire going, for it's cold in this room and i'm positively shivering." it may be wondered meanwhile what had happened to the gallant major who had left the airship just two nights previous to dick and his fellows. if they had but known the truth he had set foot in this beleaguered city within some fifty yards of the spot where they had landed. and then all his efforts had been concentrated on the task of finding that elusive individual known as charlie. he groped his way around buildings and along streets; and for hours haunted the precincts of that huge mosque which the elusive charlie had denoted as his probable location. the dawn was breaking indeed before he thought of his own personal safety and the need for some hiding-place. for the major cut a conspicuous figure wherever he happened to be. he looked, in fact, precisely what he was, a soldier and a gentleman. nor must the reader imagine for one moment that he and "charlie", the high-placed officer of whom he had spoken, were merely spies engaged on some dangerous espionage. there is spying and spying. there is the patriot who for the sake of his country, not for mere filthy lucre or out of burning curiosity, will investigate matters of moment, such as guns and forts and equipment used by possible enemies of his country. and there are others who from the same patriotic motives will endeavour to fathom some new negotiations between powers other than his own, some diplomatic move, some international conspiracy hatched in the secret recesses of foreign offices, perhaps never set down on paper, never signed and sealed, merely a secret compact, but still something of vital importance for his own people. we do not profess to guess what precisely was the business upon which the major and his friend had been engaged. it was secret, it was of vital importance, and it was of the utmost delicacy. let us, then, leave it there, merely remembering that the elusive charlie had intimated to the major that he had succeeded in his mission, while the authorities at home had thought so much of the matter and desired that information so greatly that they posted the major to the great airship when on her world-wide tour, and urged andrew and joe gresson to hazard a visit to adrianople, even at the risk of wrecking a machine than which nothing would appear to be more valuable to great britain. it was with an inner knowledge of this delicate affair that the major strove to discover his friend, and for the moment we will leave him hastening through the streets of the city, gazing into the faces of passers-by as the dawn drew near, and risking discovery. in fact, he merely forestalled dick, for the young midshipman was now engaged in a similar task with similar risks, seeking eagerly for those for whom he and his friends had descended from the airship. "and it's like looking for the usual needle in the usual bundle of hay," he grumbled, as he dived into another street and strode down it. "a mighty small needle, by jingo! and an awfully big bundle of hay. but there's always the mosque. that must be the big one, and i don't go a step farther from it. my first job is to investigate every corner. so round we go. we'll do the outside first, and then dive in." people hurried past him, civilians with wan, lean forms and faces. half-starved soldiers dressed in rags, unshaven for weeks past, dragged their weary limbs past him. an officer, a dapper enough fellow at one time no doubt, stepped into the street before him, turned a hurried gaze upon him, and then retreated with haste. "funny, that. spotted me, eh?" dick asked himself. "then why did he bolt as if he were afraid of me?" it was a problem to which he gave his mind for some few minutes. he was still worrying it out when almost a similar thing took place. two soldiers, under-officers without a doubt, tattered and dishevelled, emerged from a doorway and halted immediately outside to peer up and down the street. on seeing dick's jaunty figure they bolted, positively bolted. "this beats me hollow," that young gentleman grumbled. "what's the matter with me, or--er--with those jolly beggars? surely it can't be that they're--jingo! it looks it. what did that officer say?" his mind went back to the encounter he had some little time before and to the manner in which his assailant had accosted him. he recollected that adrianople was then being fiercely assaulted. if he had been inclined to forget that fact there was the firing to tell him, that and the roar of shells raining round the city. yes, he could hear the battle ebbing and flowing in the distance about the outlying forts which protected all approaches to adrianople. "got it!" he cried. "what have the papers said? let's see. little enough, for correspondents have been barred and news sent by some of them at least has been secondhand information written up in a house perhaps a hundred miles from the fighting. but there's been awful disorganization amongst the turkish battalions. men have been anywhere at times except where they were wanted. officers have lost their commands, while, what with hardship, fear of wounds or worse, and starvation, soldiers have strayed from their ranks or actually deserted. jingo! that's it. the fellows who have been scared of me are shirkers. lor! there seem to be a good many of 'em. that don't say much for the chances of the defenders." in any case the discovery he had made was of little moment and gave him no help in his search. but it did put a little more dash and swagger into our hero. "if they don't see anything wrong about me and get scared so easily, why, others'll be the same," dick told himself with a grin. "i'll cut a dash next time i meet a soldier. a bit of bounce'll help to deceive 'em." he carried the plan out in a manner which would have made alec scream with laughing, for dick was really too bold for anything. meeting a squad of men some few minutes later escorting an ammunition cart along one of the streets he clanked his sword loudly, squared his shoulders, and took their salute without a falter. "my word! that's better," he grinned. "i'll be ordering 'em about before i've done with this business. hallo! a guard-house, eh? yes, sentry posted outside. jingo, call him a sentry! of course, i know the poor beggar's been more than half starved for weeks past. but, what a figure!" the wretchedly ragged fellow outside this guard house did indeed cut anything but a soldierly figure. he lolled against the post, his face drawn and thin and vacant, and innocent of soap and water for days past. and when, seeing an officer draw near, he shouldered his rifle, it was in an uncouth and distinctly unmilitary manner. "like to see one of our tars give a salute like that," said dick bridling. "if the turks are all like him, which i doubt, it ain't surprising that those jolly bulgarians and their allies have made such a running. but let's get on. that's completed the round of the mosque. now we enter and see what's doing." unabashed by the presence of a sentry at the door of the mosque, dick marched boldly up to him and once more acknowledged a salute. then he donned a pair of shoes lying in the doorway and entered without hesitation. "it is empty," said the man over his shoulder. "i have orders to keep all people from entering, all save those who command." dick nodded curtly. he wondered whether he ought to make some reply; but fearing that the man would suspect him at once he went on without halting. "though i've got to chance it some time," he said. "i've got to ask questions so as to get information. lor! why didn't i think of it before? i'll be a foreign officer serving with the turks. it's said that there are something approaching a hundred german officers here in adrianople. right! i ain't over particular which sort of a country it is i come from. but i'm foreign. that's why i can't talk the lingo perfectly. now we take a look round and then come back to gather information." his tour of the mosque proved it to be much the same as others, except that this was huge and more brilliantly decorated than those dick was accustomed to. it was deserted, without a doubt, not even a mullah being present. "they are gone in fear lest shells should strike the building," explained the sentry at the door when dick questioned him. "pardon, your papers, please." "papers? eh?" gasped dick. "all foreign officers carry papers to prove their identity. i took you for one of our own nationality at first, but now that you speak, though better than the majority, i see that you are foreign. your papers, please." it was an awkward moment, and perhaps few others would have escaped from it as did the light-hearted dick. he gazed at the man in amazement. he stamped his feet with seeming rage and fumed and growled loudly. "what! you ask for papers while shells fall into the city and there is fighting! you expect me to take such things into the trenches, then? what next! i keep such things in my quarters where you can see them if you come with me." "ah! pardon, i did not think," the sentry answered abjectly. "of course, it is not the time to make such a demand." "as if one could enter or leave the city!" growled dick, pretending to be only half appeased. "but there! let it pass. tell me for what reason is there a guard-house yonder?" "to house the patrols who police the streets. in times of peace the place is unoccupied." "and now?" asked dick curiously. "there are a few men there. i myself shall be relieved by one of them." "and prisoners?" the sentry looked astonished. "prisoners?" he asked, looking suspiciously at dick. "yes, prisoners," declared that young fellow without a falter. the high hand he had played already had served his purpose wonderfully. then why not continue? "did i not say prisoners plainly?" he asked curtly, at which the man nodded abjectly. "then why this surprise?" "but--but pardon, sir, you asked as if it were not merely curiosity. it seemed as if you might be interested in some other way," said the sentry, emboldened for the moment and again surveying dick in a manner which, if it did not show suspicion, at least told of his dislike of all foreigners. as for the midshipman, his interest was stimulated by the curious stubbornness of the man. dick recollected that he was in search of major harvey, and that the latter had disappeared, had failed to signal to the airship, and was lost for the moment. supposing there were prisoners yonder? supposing this fellow and his mates placed in the guard-house to police the neighbourhood of the mosque had seized upon the major and were holding him a prisoner? was it likely that they had reported their action? hardly at such a time when the allies were pressing an attack, and if they had sent in a report a day before, no doubt in the hurry and bustle of hastening troops to meet that expected assault the matter had been forgotten. however, this was all guesswork. dick had yet no certain information that prisoners were located in the guard-house, though he had his suspicions. "and i'm pretty sure that this fellow is trying to throw dust in my eyes," he told himself. "it ain't difficult either to see why he's so stubborn and sly. i'm a foreign officer attached to the turkish army. half a mo'; i ain't. but that's what he takes me to be. well, then, supposing he and his fellows had bagged the major, they'd expect me to kick up a shindy and----" in one instant he saw it all, and his suspicions were heightened. "you have prisoners in the guard-house," he said severely. "foreign prisoners. i will see them. stay here, man; have a care what you do and say. tell me, you reported the taking of these men?" the sentry stood to attention, looking shamefaced and frightened. "we could not," he excused himself. "no officer has visited us for two days now. there is heavy fighting." "ah!" dick regarded him severely. "you dared to neglect to report," he cried angrily. "you took these men prisoner, careless whether they were friends of your army or not. there will be more said upon this matter, for learn this, idiot that you are. these men are wanted by his highness shukri pasha himself. yes, by the general in command of the defenders." dick positively blushed at his own assurance and cheek, while the unhappy sentry actually trembled. for this foreign officer was without doubt very angry and filled with indignation. "i--we," he began in an effort to excuse himself. "march down to the guard-house with me," commanded dick. "you shall be relieved instantly, and shall yourself conduct me to these prisoners. a more disgraceful and high-handed proceeding i never experienced, and his highness shall hear of it. to think that he is waiting for these men, these foreigners, while you, you fools, sitting here near the guard-house, hold them as prisoners." dick ought to have been an actor, for he stamped and raved at the unfortunate fellow, and altogether impressed him so much with the heinousness of the act he had committed that the sentry was ready to sink into the ground or do anything to repair his blunder. he was a very humble individual as he shambled down to the guard-house in front of dick and surlily bade his comrade make for the mosque and there relieve him. "now, take me to these men," commanded dick. "there are two?" "no--three, sir," came the answer. "three!" dick's hopes fell of a sudden. this statement that there were three prisoners took the wind entirely out of his sails and robbed him for the moment of his high-handed assurance. "three!" he muttered. "i've been groping in the dark all this while, guessing wildly. but i've also been putting two and two together, and seeing that the major was to make for the surroundings of the great mosque and expected to meet his friend there, why, when i gathered that this fellow and his comrades had made prisoners of foreigners i made sure there must be two. if it had been one that might still have been the major taken prisoner before he had met this charlie. but three! that's a stunner!" for a little while he stood watching the shambling figure of the man going to take post at the door of the mosque. and then, roused by the detonation of a shell in an adjacent place, he turned sharply upon the fellow who stood before him. "three prisoners whom you have dared to hold without reporting!" he cried. "lead on, man; this is monstrous. take me to them." thoroughly scared now by the anger of the foreign officer, whom he imagined to be doing service with the turkish army, and conscious that by making captures and failing to report he had been guilty of a serious offence, the man upon whom dick, with his unblushing cheek and wonderful assurance and resource, had so completely turned the tables proceeded to obey his orders with a meekness which was apparent. in fact, he was obviously anxious to appease the anger of this officer, and so escape punishment for his remissness. "follow, sir," he said. "there are three prisoners as i have told you, and it may be that when you see how ready i am to act on your orders, you will forget the fact that i failed to send a report, remembering too, that the times are very unsettled." they were that without a doubt, for all this while the distant rattle of musketry could be heard, rolling round the defences, now breaking out here with a severity which showed that an attack was probably being forced home, perhaps even at the point of the bayonet, and then dying down quite suddenly only to break out with virulence in another direction. and every now and again, sometimes very frequently, at others after quite a lull, heavy guns would open, shells would scream through the air, and rarely now one of the monsters would drop into the streets of the city or plunge amongst the houses, when the succeeding explosion would be followed by heartrending shrieks, by piercing cries, by the anguished calls of the helpless and defenceless. yes, the times were unsettled enough; dick had his own troubles and could therefore sympathize. he bade the man hasten, and followed into the guard-house. "and there was good reason for making these men prisoners," said the turk, pushing his fez to the back of his head and turning to our hero, still with the hope that he might excuse his own breach of the standing orders of the army. "i will tell you. one, a big man----" "yes, a big man," said dick eagerly. "the major without a doubt," he told himself. "a big man, and fat, very." "ah! fat! then that cannot be the major. get along with it," cried dick peevishly, his hopes wrecked in a moment. "fat and big," went on the man. "we saw him in converse with some of the stragglers who had left the lines of trenches. he was inciting them to stay away." "or to return to their duty, which?" asked dick curtly. "the former, we thought," came the answer. "we arrested him. he was angry and shouted and threatened; but since he could speak only a few words of our language we could not understand the cause of his anger. then there were two others, foreigners." "ah! describe them," dick almost shouted. it was hard indeed at this moment to restrain his eagerness. "one, tall, and spare, and like a soldier." "the major," dick told himself. "hooray! things are going to come right." "and the other older, getting grey, also tall, and spare, and soldierly." "lead me to them at once," demanded dick. "they are the men whom his highness desires to interview. come, lead quickly; there will be trouble about this matter." that set the sentry shivering with apprehension, and made him still more eager to appease the officer who had accosted him. leading the way towards the back of the guard-house, he took down a bunch of keys strung to a hook on the wall and with their help opened a cell. dick looked in. an ill-kempt, unwieldy man dressed in the uniform of an officer was seated on a stone bench and scowled as the two appeared. and then, recognizing dick as an officer he burst into a torrent of abuse, expressed in a language of which the midshipman was ignorant. "not my bird at any rate," he told himself. "my! listen to the fellow. i'm sorry for him, awfully. but i can't get mixing myself up in his affairs. now, let us see the others," he demanded of the turk. a minute later they were peering into an adjacent cell, in which dick instantly recognized the major. as for the latter, though he looked at our hero very hard and with suspicion, there was no recognition until dick spoke. "major," he said. "please be careful as i am disguised as a turkish officer. i have come to demand your release." "demand my release! turkish officer! why, it's--it's mr. midshipman hamshaw." "present, sir," grinned that young gentleman, saluting. "you see," he said, swinging round upon the soldier. "he recognizes me, and so does the other officer. ah! there will be bad trouble over this, when shukri pasha gets to hear of it. yes, trouble which----" a groan escaped the wretched sentry. ever since he had exchanged words with dick, he had been conjuring up all sorts of pains and penalties as a consequence of his rashness. his knees positively knocked together as he besought this officer to spare him and forget the matter. "release them at once," cried dick peremptorily. "now, listen. if his highness asks no questions, well and good. perhaps we shall not be too late for this discussion even now, that is if you hasten. as to the third officer, hold him till you receive a written order, or till an hour has passed. now, stand aside. major, please follow." "but--but you don't mean to tell me that you have obtained our release?" cried that astonished officer. "how? and where are we to go?" "please follow as if you had every right to be at liberty," answered dick. "i'll tell you later how i've worked it. but come at once, for there is no saying when other soldiers may turn up, with perhaps an officer." he stalked before them out of the guard-house and led the way into the streets of adrianople, streets for the most part still untenanted. for civilians lay at home shivering beneath the cruel bombardment, and fearful of those dreadful shells. they were coming again into the city, and more than once dick and the two who followed had to dodge behind some building to escape the bursting of a bomb. "and now, perhaps, you'll tell us where we are going," said the major, when they had gained a smaller street. "to the airship? impossible. she would never dare to come here in daylight. then where?" "to join commander jackson and alec," answered dick. "we entered the city last night in search of you both. but--hush! lookout! let's hurry. if that isn't the very fellow i most wanted to avoid." a figure had dived into the street immediately behind them, a figure strangely familiar. dick eyed him suspiciously, and then recognized him with a start. for this man's head was swathed in bandages which left his face fully exposed, and that face was young, and smooth, and hairless. in fact, it was the very officer against whom he had collided on the previous night. "had he been back to his house and there discovered alec and the commander? or was he now on his way?" dick asked himself those urgent questions, and then, spurred on by fear and dreadful foreboding hastened along the street, the major and his friend close beside him, and the inquisitive officer in rear. soon they turned into the street in which that house they sought was located, and for a moment the follower was out of sight. "run!" cried dick, and took to his heels. "now, into this house. alec!" he called. "here," came back a jovial call. "and the commander, both of us getting a bit anxious about you." "shut the door and bolt it," commanded dick, careless of the presence of his seniors. "now, peep through the windows. the owner of this house was following us a moment ago. if he tries to enter, keep perfectly quiet. i'm going to see how we can manage to get out of what may prove to be a trap." if they had any doubts of that follower, these were cleared on the instant. there came the sound of steps on the cobbles, and then a heavy blow upon the door. "open--open in the name of the sultan!" not one of those within answered. they stood back from the window waiting and watching. "open!" they heard the command repeated, and then there followed a shrill whistle. "look, men are running across from a house almost opposite," whispered major harvey, peering through the window. "this begins to look ugly, and i'm not so sure that we should not be better off in our prison. listen to them, and see that fellow carrying a huge hammer." there came a crashing blow upon the door an instant later, a blow that almost shattered the lock. it was clear that within a few minutes the irate individual outside and his helpers would force an entrance. the major turned in bewilderment to the commander, for he could not quite understand this new situation. then dick burst in upon them. "come along," he said. "let's sling it. there's a way out at the back, and i know a place that'll shelter us. quick! those chaps will be in in a moment." they did not wait to argue or discuss the matter with him but followed at once. stealthily departing by a door in rear of the building they dived into a narrow alley, and from that place heard a crash as the door of the house was beaten in. then they turned and fled through the streets of adrianople with a dozen turks hotfoot after them. chapter x a thrilling rescue perhaps no quainter or more exciting situation could be imagined than that which found dick hamshaw and his little party scuttling down the dark streets of adrianople. for there he was, leading surely a strange following. "enough to make the people open their eyes and rub 'em hard," he told himself with a grin, for dicky was not the one to be scared easily or disheartened. "here we are, led by a turkish officer, that's me; followed by a british naval officer, in uniform too, that's the commander, and jolly groggy he seems to be after that wound of his. then there's alec--well, nothing out of the ordinary--while behind come the major, almost a stranger, though we know all about him, and then 'charlie', dear old charlie." "where away? where are you leading to?" suddenly came from the major. "we've gained on those beggars. hadn't we better stop a moment and discuss matters?" discuss matters when they were almost blown, and when the turks were rushing pell-mell after them! "good idea," cried dick cheerily. "in here! come along. now, bang the door. jingo! hope there ain't other people to kick up a rumpus." really his cheek and coolness were amazing, for hardly had the major finished calling when dick halted at a doorway leading into a small dwelling, threw it open, and beckoned them to enter. then he banged the door to, and leaving his friends went off on a tour of inspection. "all bright-o!" he whispered, reappearing. "place empty. no one here for a long while and not a scrap of food. i squinted into what must be their larder." "h--hush! there they are. foiled for the moment," whispered the major, peering through a narrow window. "wait! they've halted and are looking about them. one of the men is pointing up the street, and let's hope they'll make off in that direction. good! there they go as if the old gentleman himself were behind them. now; what's the meaning of all this bother, and how comes it that you are masquerading in turkish uniform? dick, my boy, you've a heap to answer for. seriously, though, i'm eternally obliged to you for liberating us from that prison. that reminds me. i haven't so far had an opportunity of making formal presentations. commander jackson, let me introduce colonel steven, intelligence department, war office, the 'charlie' we've come after. colonel, my excellent friends and comrades mr. midshipman hamshaw and alec jardine. now you all know one another." cordial hand-grips were exchanged all round, and here again one may say that seldom before was there such a curious meeting. as for "charlie", the gallant colonel steven, dick and his friends liked his looks immensely. he smiled at them all, not in the least ruffled by what had been passing. "'pon my word, gentlemen," he said, "but it needs an active man to keep touch with your movements. first i come most miraculously in contact with my friend, the major, who descends actually and really from the sky. then, when i am reclining comfortably in a prison where the circumstances of the bombardment, the breakdown of all discipline, and the natural hate of an ottoman made it likely enough that i and the major might have our throats slit, there appears upon the scene a turkish officer, who is not a turkish officer, but a midshipman from our own fleet, and who likewise has descended from the sky. lastly, i am taken to a place of refuge which is no place of refuge, and from which i am bundled before even i have time to be formally acquainted with other gentlemen, birds of the same feather as my friend the major. really, this is almost enough for one long day." cool! of course he was cool. his pleasant satire showed that, while his easy smile, his jaunty manner, the knowledge that he had been engaged on an important and doubtless dangerous enterprise made dick and his friends take to the colonel promptly. and naturally enough, though the midshipman was not easily abashed, he now waited for his seniors to give a lead. not that the commander was capable of doing so. "i've a head that feels as big as a football and heavier than lead," he told them, sitting down of a sudden and looking faint. "carry on without me; i'll be better in a twinkling." "then we turn to dick. the navy commands here," smiled colonel steven, while the major nodded. "have the goodness, mr. dick, to issue your orders. really, though, lad, you have the situation at your finger tips. do we stay here, or do we issue out again and seek some other residence?" dick removed his fez and scratched his head. it was not, perhaps, a very refined operation, but it seemed to help. "you see," he began, "i'm thinking about the airship and how we are to rejoin her. supposing we hide here and send up a flare to-night. well, these johnnies may catch sight of the flame and rush us before we can board the lift. awkward that, very." "then let us suppose that we change our quarters. are we better off?" asked the colonel. "perhaps. if we can find a crib, sir, that's easier to hold, more ungetatable as one might say." "for instance," interjected the major. "you've some such crib in your mind's eye, dick." "well, there's the mosque. it's empty, save for a sentry at the door. there are four towers at least there, and i climbed up one of 'em this very morning. now, a stairway could be held. there are no doors and windows in all sorts of directions. besides, we'd be above the beggars who wanted to get us, and that'd be an advantage. we could hold out perhaps till the airship arrived to take us." it was a likely enough suggestion, and the two soldiers thought well of it. but the colonel soon put his finger on what appeared to be a weak spot. "we're up in this tower, let's imagine," he said. "then the ship comes. we're bottled in perhaps. how do we emerge? how reach the line which this ship throws out to us?" "wait. you haven't seen the airship yet," cried alec. "wait, sir, and you'll have an eye-opener. she can pick us up easily wherever we are, even on the top of a chimney, for her lift can be manoeuvred with an ease and certainty that will astonish you. oh yes, it don't matter where we happen to get to, mr. andrew and joe can reach us." there was pride in his voice. his words conveyed the impression that if anything in this world were a success it was the curious lift attached to the great airship, although, as a matter of course, that huge vessel was of even greater excellence. but it can be imagined that to one who had never seen the ship floating in the air, who had never even set foot upon her galleries, nor climbed to the height of her upper deck, it was hard to believe that what alec described so glowingly could in fact be possible. not that the gallant colonel was a sceptic, or in the habit of decrying new inventions, or disbelieving in the possibility of things that he had never seen. on the contrary, he was very much awake and alive to the astonishing progress to be observed on every side, particularly progress appertaining to mechanics. for has not the latter end of the nineteenth century, and the beginning of the present seen an amazing advancement on every hand, an advancement beside which the progress of the so-called victorian era pales almost to insignificance? think of the conquest which the internal-explosion motor has accomplished, of the rapid road and sea locomotion it has made possible, of the trackless pathways of the air which it has thrown open to human beings. for the beginning and the end of man's first successful journeys at speed through the air, upon machines heavier than the atmosphere which supports them, is attributable almost solely to the petrol motor, that internal-explosion engine which less than twenty years ago was but the crudest of inventions. colonel steven had kept in close touch with the whole movement, and had, during the hours he lay in prison with the major, listened to his description of the wonderful airship which joe gresson and his uncle had constructed. he was burning to board the vessel, to ferret out its secrets, to understand its construction; and he may be forgiven if he failed to comprehend quite how the ship could manage to remove himself and his friends even from the tower of a mosque, should the party happen to find themselves in such a position. however, the discussion as to their movements was cut short at the moment. cries were heard from the street, and the major soon made an important announcement. "that fellow again!" he cried, in low tones. "he and his followers had run out of sight, and i was in hopes that we had thrown them off the scent. but they are coming back, yes, and numbers have joined them. all the ragtag and bobtail of this terrible city have joined in the search." dick dived towards the window there to join him, and stood peering out into the street. it was true enough that the man who led these searchers was returning, and true too that others had joined his following. indeed, some fifty ragged fellows were trailing after that young turkish officer, whose head was swathed in bandages, and amongst them, immediately in rear of the officer, was no less a person than the sentry whom dick had accosted at the door of the mosque, and whom he had duped so cleverly. "jingo!" he cried, turning with a somewhat scared expression upon the company. "they've got to the bottom of the whole business. the chap in advance is the beggar i collided with last night, and i suppose he's anxious to get back these clothes i was compelled to borrow. then there's the man who was at the guard-house, and who helped to put the major and the colonel in prison. jingo! they're entering the houses on either side and searching them." there was a blank look upon the faces of the forlorn little party. not that they were frightened, or were likely to submit themselves as prisoners without a struggle. but the outlook was black without a doubt. this mob of turkish soldiers, dressed in their ragged khaki uniforms, unkempt, undisciplined, capable of any violence now that the only authority over them was represented by a single youthful officer, were searching every corner, and when they came to the house in which dick and his friends had sheltered they would find the party, would drag them out and then, perhaps, shoot them. "nasty place," admitted the colonel. "regular troops might be trusted to make prisoners of us, to treat us decently, and wait for their officers to investigate the matter. now----" he shrugged his shoulders. "well," he said, "we might find ourselves placed against a wall and shot down deliberately. adrianople is in a condition of disorder, which one may imagine will get worse rather than better. who is to prevent violence just now, when every soldier who can be controlled is in the firing line? that officer? no." "not he!" dick cried. "he was furious last night. he'll be more angry this morning. besides, all these fellows are wasters, men who ought to be in the forts but who have slunk to the rear. i ain't going to wait to be torn to pieces, or shot out of hand. they've rifles with them, sir." "while we have revolvers," said the major coolly. "now, dick, you're leader still. what happens? do we wait for these gentlemen, or--what?" "we pick the commander up, carry him out at the back of the house, and slink off to the great mosque," came the instant answer. "it's not more than three hundred yards from us, and if we can only get within easy distance we can keep this mob off with our weapons. shall i lead the way out of the back door, sir?" "at once," came promptly from the colonel. "see, i am a strong man, and as hard as nails. i will shoulder the commander. come, jackson," he said, turning to the naval officer who had meanwhile struggled to get to his feet, and had sunk back almost fainting. "now, up you go. that's the way. cling with your arms round my neck. i've a good grip of your legs, and can manage to use my revolver. ready, dick." "then off we go," cried the major. "first dick, then the colonel, then alec. i bring up the rear, and alec can help me if there's any bother. come, don't let us delay any longer; those ruffians are already getting far too close for our safety." silently opening the rickety back door of the house that had sheltered them, dick peered out and issued into the open. "come," he called gently. "there's a garden here, and a door at the end. it ought to take us into another street and so away from those beggars. listen to 'em. they're kicking up more row than those fellows away in the trenches." to speak the truth, this mob of unattached individuals in search of our friends were by now infuriated at their want of success, for it began to look as if they had been completely hoodwinked. some fifty of them were dashing into and out of the houses, breaking doors open with the stocks of their rifles without the smallest ceremony, and venting upon cupboards and beds and woodwork, where they imagined someone might be hiding, all the ferocity they might have been expected to display had they been directly engaged with the bulgarians. many had their bayonets fixed, and drove them deep into recesses, into dark corners, and through the very heart of the gigantic mattresses on some of the beds. they bellowed at one another. some even slipped cartridges into the breeches of their rifles and fired into the cellars and through the windows of the houses. altogether there was pandemonium in that part of the city, pandemonium made worse by the rattle of musketry in the distance, by those bursting shells which still clattered amidst houses and streets, and by the shrill cries of terror, by the sobs and execrations of the civil population now subjected to this added trouble. "ah! see! we have found their last lair. look!" the sentry whom dick had accosted at the mosque came rushing from the door of the tenement which our hero had but just vacated and waved an object aloft. it was a cap, the same which the colonel had been wearing, and which the effort to lift the commander to his back had dislodged from his head. in an instant the turk had pounced upon it, and there he was now in the street, calling the officer and his ragged following towards him, gesticulating and shouting. "see! i remember this cap. it was upon the head of one of our prisoners, one of the foreign spies sent in here by the bulgarians." "and the men themselves. you saw them also?" asked the officer, snatching the cap from him. "the house is empty. they are gone. that cap proves that they were there lately." "fool! did you not look for them? did you not attempt to discover whence they had gone?" was shouted at him, while the furious officer looked as if he were capable of shooting him down in his anger. "into the house," he bellowed. "empty! nothing here to keep us. then out at the back. look. the ground is soft after the melting of the snow. here are fresh footmarks. follow! follow!" led by the officer the mob went tearing down the tiny garden of the humble tenement, and burst their way through the gate at the bottom. indeed, in their eagerness and fury at having been so duped, and in their knowledge that order was done with in adrianople for the moment, they tore the gate from its hinges, trampled upon a couple of harmless civilians walking in the road to which the gate gave entrance, and then seized and beat them unmercifully. "release their throats so that they may speak!" commanded the brutal young officer who led this riotous following. "now, we seek some foreigners who but lately escaped along this road. you saw them? what! you shake your heads. shoot them!" it was a sample of the justice and treatment which dick and his friends might encounter if they fell into the hands of these rascals. at such a time it seemed that friend and foe were alike to these men, skulkers for the most part. furious at the thought that the two unfortunate people they had come upon could not help them they hurried them to the house opposite, and perhaps would even have gone to the length of shooting them had not one of the poor wretches shouted at the top of his voice: "we can help you," he called. "give us but the opportunity, and i swear by the koran that we can speak. but you have beaten the breath from our bodies." "then release them. speak!" commanded the officer. "we seek some foreigners." "five men passed us but a few minutes ago, one of whom was injured and was borne by a comrade. they were hurrying towards the great mosque, and a turkish officer led them." "the same--the ones we seek! they went this way?" demanded the officer. hardly had the route been indicated when the whole mob was in motion again, racing off along the street in pursuit of our hero. nor was it long before these wretches came in sight of the forlorn little party. a shriek of glee escaped them immediately. men levelled their rifles as they ran and pulled their triggers, careless where the bullets went, while the ruffianly officer drew his revolver and sent shot after shot at dick and his fellows. "keep straight on, dick," the major sang out. "those fellows couldn't hit a haystack at the pace they're going, so we've only fluke shots to chance. that's the mosque, ain't it?" "yes, sir," dick called out over his shoulder. "two minutes'll do it. then we cross the floor of the hall, reach the foot of one of the towers, and then, by jingo, the business begins with a vengeance." "then on we go. when we reach the tower, let alec help the colonel carry our wounded friend to safety. you and i, dick, 'll do our best to teach these rascals a lesson. ah! that's a sentry." well, it was a sentry at the moment the major was speaking, for a ragged turk emerged from the entrance to the mosque and stared in amazement at the scene before him. it filled him with perplexity to observe a turkish officer racing in his direction, followed by a strange quartet, one of whom was carried on the shoulders of a comrade, while in rear, and getting rapidly closer came a mob of his own fellows, led again by an officer whose head was swathed in soiled bandages. however, he was as sharp as others of his country and smelling a rat immediately swung his rifle up to his shoulder and covered the dashing dick. but his finger never quite reached the sights. indeed, as we have intimated, he was a sentry at the moment the major called to our hero. the next he was merely a bundled-up and extremely astonished human object. for dick planted a seaman's blow on the end of his prominent nose, a blow that brought a thousand stars to the eyes of this sluggish turk, and toppled him backward in masterly fashion. "one for his boko!" shouted the incorrigible dick. "number two does for his rifle. ah! the pouch of cartridges might be useful. here we are. i've got 'em both. now, we make for the tower--quite close and handy." it was a little more than ten yards across the floor of the hall, and long before the followers had reached the door of the mosque the colonel had entered the narrow door that led to the steep steps ascending to the summit of the tower. alec followed instantly, and together the two bore the now almost unconscious commander upward. dick slung his borrowed rifle over his shoulder, strapped the cartridge belt about him and leaned against the wall mopping his forehead. as for the major, he blew his nose loudly, brushed some dust from his boots with an impatient movement, and then turned smiling towards his companion. "congratulations once more," he said in the complimentary tones he would have used in a drawing-room. "and next, please?" dick flushed a rosy red, and then spoke out promptly. "still to lead, sir?" he asked. "of course, lad! why not? haven't you done well for us? besides, this is entirely a naval expedition, while for the moment i am merely a civilian." "then, now that we've given alec and the colonel a little start we had better retire up the steps. those fellows could rush us here. but higher up it wouldn't be so easy. that right, sir?" "certainly; up we go--ah! the steps curl round and round a central pillar. that's really excellent. you go ahead, dick; i'll follow. the higher we can get the better, i think, for then we string these men out so that the front of the line is a good distance from those who follow. listen!" they stood still for one brief moment, and listened to the mob of turks enter the mosque. scurrying steps could be heard on the hard pavement, while for the most part the men themselves were silent. a minute later, however, while dick and his friend were still ascending, a shout came rolling up the narrow, curling stairway. "this way, comrades," they heard. "this way! the sentry at the door tells us that they rushed across to this tower and entered. now, friends, we have them safely. let us consider our movements." there came the confused sound of men discussing some matter volubly. occasionally one of the turks would raise his voice above the others, then there was silence. "wait! don't move for a moment," said the major. "now, what's happening?" he placed his ear to the central column which bore this curling flight of steps and stood motionless for some few seconds. "coming up to us as quietly as they can," he said softly. "the time for giving them that lesson or for going under is coming. do we stay here, or climb higher?" "higher, sir, i think. it's too dark to see easily here, but there's a window up above us. if we get a little higher than that, we shall be in the dusk and see these beggars nicely. i'll call to them when they come in sight and warn 'em." it was not a time for words nor for a discussion, and promptly the two climbed higher, halting when they were some six feet above a small, unglazed opening, which admitted light and air to the stairs. here they were joined a moment later by the colonel. "came back to join in this little picnic," he whispered. "we left the commander on a wide balcony up there, from which one gets a really magnificent view of this awful city, and even of the lines of the besiegers and the turkish forts and trenches surrounding the place. the minaret runs up a great deal higher, and there is a stairway. but the balcony is good enough for us, and if we are driven there we can hold the entrance to it. well, now, how does the matter go?" he was as cheery and as cool as if he were at home in his own rooms in london. that is, he was calm and by no means ruffled at the thought of the danger with which the little party was confronted. but as to being actually cool, one could hardly expect that after his recent exertions. the perspiration was streaming from his forehead, though he mopped his brow time and again, and still panted heavily. "hard work clambering two hundred steps with a heavy man on your back," he laughed. "and these naval johnnies are heavy, i can tell you. well? how do we stand?" the major lifted a warning finger to his lips. "gently does it, steven," he said. "they're coming. dick here will call to them and give the rascals a warning when the first gets in sight. but i don't fancy that'll stop 'em. let's be ready for a turn up." "s-sh! there's the leader." the colonel hardly whispered the words. he was pointing down the curling stairway, and there, some ten feet below the open window, coming into the flood of light which poured in through that aperture, was a crafty, crawling figure, a man clambering up the stairs on hands and knees, a young man gripping a revolver in one of his hands and causing the barrel of the weapon to clink on the stones each time he put that particular hand down. "now," whispered the major. "halt!" called dick, sternly, in the turkish tongue. "you who follow us, halt now, or take the consequences, and listen well to these words. we are not spies. we are englishmen, friends of the turkish nation." for some few seconds there was silence, a deathly silence, broken, however, by the deep breathing of the colonel, and by the deeper gasps for breath of many of the mob clambering upward. then came the clink of that revolver barrel, a hoarse oath from the turkish officer bearing it, for the young officer with whom dick had collided still led this band of ragamuffins, and later a swelling shout of rage from the stairway, pouring from the throats of furious men perched at various elevations. an instant later the officer stood upright, his weapon flashed, while a bullet struck the curving wall just beside the colonel, and went ricochetting off it till it thudded and stopped against one of the steps. "good! that at any rate tells us what to expect," said the major grimly. "stand back, colonel, and you too, dick. no use all three of us chancing a bullet. it's lucky, too, that this stairway curves always to the right, for that lets one shoot without peering round. a right-handed man coming up will be bothered. yes, i thought so." peering round the curving central pillar which bore the steps he caught sight of the officer's head, for he and dick and the colonel had started backwards after that first shot. the man's body then came into full view, and lastly his right arm, with his weapon pointed upward. instantly the major's weapon cracked, while the turk dropped his revolver with a howl. "very nice shooting," reflected the colonel. "back of the hand, i think, major. it'll make him more cautious." or more furious. the latter seemed to be the case, for that howl of pain was followed by a bellow and by a hoarse roar of anger and excitement from below. a hundred feet then shuffled on the various steps, while the officer, his eyes blazing with anger, launched himself upward. but the revolver was no longer in his wounded hand, a fact which the major noticed with wonderful sharpness. indeed, his own movements showed within the minute that he was fully awake, and ready for an emergency. they saw him step hastily downward and throw his shoulders backward. and then out shot one of his fists, repeating the blow which dick had delivered to this pugnacious individual on the previous night. and now, as before, it was equally effective, for the officer shot backward as if struck by a hammer, and, cannoning into the man behind, upset him also. in fact, half a dozen of the mob were thrown down by the major's sudden action, their cries and shouts deafening dick and the others. the noise which followed was positively terrifying, for fifty furious turks shouted and screamed their loudest, while not a few let off their weapons careless of the consequences. as for the head of this attacking force, relieved now of its leading spirit--for the officer lay stunned upon the stairway, and would have rolled downward but for the press about him--it showed wonderful dash and determination. fanaticism and hate had stirred these men to fury, and without a pause they rushed up the stairs, some with bayonets thrusting forwards, others heralding their approach with rifle bullets. it was clear, in fact, that they would quickly smash their way through all obstacles, and though the major and dick and the colonel in turn brought down a man with their weapons, thus delaying the others, and for some few minutes faced the attackers, discretion bade them retire towards the gallery. "there's a door there that we can shut and bolt and bar outside," cried the colonel. "it'll be the last stage in this business, but safer and better than stairs fighting. now, up you go." "after you, sir," said dick, touching his cap in nautical fashion. "eh? after me, why?" began the colonel. then he laughed and smacked the midshipman gaily on the shoulder. "sinking ship, eh?" he grinned. "never! but the skipper leaves last, that's it, my lad. like your grit immensely, that i do. well, major, do you or do i lead the retreat?" a sharp crack came from that officer's weapon. he jerked his head quickly, leaned forward, and again pulled his trigger. "you," he said at length. "i'm busy; in a moment i'll follow. dick, look out for these beggars, and run up immediately after me." "right, sir! certainly, sir!" came from the youthful dicky. "then off we go." the colonel left his friends guarding the stairs and ran up three at a time. then the major followed, while dick waited coolly to convey to a charging turkish fanatic the fact that there was danger above, and then went scampering after the others. "here he is. in you come, my boy. now, bang the door; that's got it!" the colonel threw the massive door at the top of the steps against its supporting frame and leaned against it, while the major slipped the bolts into position. then, gasping after their exertions, they turned to observe alec and the commander. imagine their amazement at seeing the former stripped to his vest, and frantically waving his shirt over the stone balustrade of the gallery. his face was purple with excitement, his eyes were blazing, while he shouted as if he had suddenly gone crazy. and then, while the two more sedate officers watched him in amazement. dick began of a sudden to copy his antics. he danced across the gallery; he shouted and waved his hands and threw his cap upward. "mad! gone suddenly crazy! what on earth has happened to them?" demanded the major anxiously. then dick swung round upon him and the colonel, subdued his own excitement with a violent effort, and, drawing himself upright, saluted briskly. "airship in sight, sir," he said. "alec reports that he's called 'em up with his signals, and--and they'll be here in a jiffy." chapter xi some facts and figures how strange to be upon the transparent galleries of the great airship again, to tread those flimsy-looking but undoubtedly stout floors, and to look upward at the giant framework, all transparent, faintly outlined for the most part, appearing to be filled with emptiness, and yet enclosing the life of this enormous vessel! yes, it was strange indeed! the relief was so great that it positively set the gallant major dancing, while the colonel, though he had stepped from the lift fifteen minutes earlier, still mopped his brow and blew heavily, as if recovering from some extraordinary sensation. "'pon my word," he spluttered time and again. "'pon my word, that experience was really terrifying. i felt positively scared, frightened, almost paralysed by the enormity of the danger." once more he mopped his forehead, while the genial andrew regarded him with friendly interest. "quite so, quite so, colonel," he ventured. "narrow shave; very. i'd have been scared, too, dreadfully, i do assure you. how many of the rascals were there?" "rascals! what! you don't think?" began the gallant officer, still mopping his forehead, and regarding andrew with every sign of indignation. and then he smiled, the first time since he had set foot on the airship. "really, mr. provost, i think? yes, mr. provost, you do not think that i was referring to those rascals from whom we so recently escaped? i, er--don't you know--i am not in the habit of being scared when in the execution of my duty, and escape from those turkish ruffians was distinctly a duty. i was referring to the manner in which i was plucked from the terrace of that minaret and whisked upward. 'pon my word, my scalp feels sore after such an experience. forgive me if i say it, but wonderful though that experience was, it was also terrifying." it well might be, and indeed dick and those fine tars, hawkins and hurst, and the others had felt the same sort of terror. for think of the nerve-racking journey which the colonel had taken. alec's frantic waving, and mr. midshipman hamshaw's equally mad behaviour had heralded the advent of joe gresson's marvellous airship. as that forlorn little party stood upon the gallery of the minaret attached to that great mosque in adrianople, with those fanatical turks howling within but a few feet of them, and kept at bay merely by the thickness of a door, a huge, transparent shape had dropped towards them. at one moment, when alec first sighted it, it presented but a speck in the sky. and then it had positively fallen towards the minaret till one could see the figures on her main gallery. instantly that familiar lift had swung downward, turning and twisting giddily upon its single strand of steel wire, till the dangling platform was actually resting on the gallery which supported dick and his friends. "all aboard!" that worthy called out cheerfully. "first lift the commander in. now, colonel." "get on that frail craft! be whisked aloft!" who can wonder if the gallant colonel did demur for the moment? for a fresh breeze caught that thin steel rope and swayed it from side to side, causing it to drag and pluck at the platform. "after you. now, i'm ready." it was characteristic of the colonel that he hesitated no longer. but still one cannot blame him if he clutched one of the four steel ropes which ran from the corners of this flimsy, transparent platform to the ring above, to which the single cable was attached, and clenched his teeth tightly. indeed, we will think none the worse of this gallant man for the fact that he actually blanched as the lift started upward, dick having spoken into the telephone. as for that incorrigible young fellow, he was now not entirely a novice in matters appertaining to the airship, and, satisfied of the security of the strange lift upon which he stood, he leaned over the edge as the motor above whisked them upward and waved his cap at the turks from whom they had so fortunately escaped. indeed, hardly had the lift started upward when the door at the top of that long, curling stairway was broken open, and a crew of furious ruffians launched themselves on to the gallery. "_au revoir!_" called dick. "sorry not to be able to stop to entertain you. call on us aloft; do, there's good fellows!" a bullet whizzing past his head put a summary end to his taunts, while the buzzing motor whisked the rescued party out of sight of the maddened and astounded turks within a minute. and here they were on board, safe and secure. "and as hungry as hunters," cried alec. at that very moment a gong sounded, while sergeant evans put in an appearance. "luncheon ready, gentlemen," he said with the utmost suavity, as if there had been no such thing as an exciting rescue, and as if he had had nothing else to think about. "commander jackson's compliments, and he feels wonderfully better." "then we will go to the saloon," said andrew. "joe seems as clever with a patient as with airships. come, colonel, we can leave the commander to my nephew while we eat. welcome aboard the airship!" "and now tell us how it happened that you turned up at such a fortunate and exciting moment," asked the major, when lunch was finished and the friends were seated smoking about the table. "remember, you were to return during the night. adrianople is hardly a safe place for an airship at this moment. think of the result of a shell bursting close to this vessel." "precisely! think also of the members of our party stranded in the city," smiled andrew. "joe and i discussed the matter." "and decided that we would risk everything," said that latter. "after all, it gave one the opportunity of conducting a valuable test. this ship is supposed to be transparent." "extraordinary!" declared the colonel. "why, 'pon my word! but really, one can see right through her. there's a man patrolling the deck high overhead, a sailor by the look of him. surely he's yards above us--almost, it seems, suspended on air. and yet one sees that there are beams and girders all about us. you mean to tell me, sir," and he addressed his question to joe in particular, "you mean to say that those girders are of solid, strong material, and enclose a space filled with hydrogen? in fact, a space which supports this huge vessel?" "yes and no. for the most part, certainly yes," declared the young inventor, blushing with pride. "but the gas happens to be merely coal gas. you see, i chose it with an object. on a long trip such as this, that is to say a voyage which is to circle the globe, one must expect to lose gas from the compartments which go to fill the bulk of this huge vessel. in the case of zeppelins and allied vessels the loss is appreciable. here, thanks to celludine, which happens not to be porous, the loss is, in fact, negligible. still, accident may give rise to leakage. it may become necessary to refill the whole vessel." "then you descend?" asked the colonel, obviously interested in this explanation. "we should already have been forced to descend," joe corrected him. "precisely; and call at some gasworks?" the colonel interjected. "no; we carry a gas producer. we have coal in abundance; the rest is easy." it might or might not be. to the colonel it was wonderful; in fact, so interesting that, what with the excellent meal of which he had partaken and this discussion, he quite forgot that experience when being swung upward to safety. indeed, he must needs go off at once with joe on a tour of investigation, while andrew chatted with the major. "and so you determined to risk it," said the latter. "certainly! you couldn't expect us to leave the greater part of our number in the heart of that city!" andrew sauntered across to one of the wide-open windows of the saloon and pointed downward. yes, there was adrianople, a mere blotch beneath them, its outline dim and blurred, its streets and houses merged into one another; its trenches, its forts, its struggling defenders utterly obliterated. a black line, with dark clumps here and there, showed merely the presence of the attackers, while tiny and ridiculously dim points of fire betrayed the guns which even then were speaking. "listen! yes," reflected andrew, "we heard the guns from a distance, and, risking all, made our way back towards the city. and there we lay, almost at this elevation, while the sun slowly rose and flooded the place. then we gradually dropped nearer and nearer to the houses." "and no one saw you?" asked the major. "none, i believe. all were too engaged with the fighting. it was alec, i suppose, who first caught sight of us, and hawkins who saw his signal. after that, you know what happened. and now, major, what becomes of 'charlie'? you have been lucky enough to discover him, and one presumes that he has come aboard with his secret. bear in mind that i hold this vessel at your disposal. if necessary we will return to england. or we can set the colonel down wherever he may think most convenient. but if time is of importance, and his destination is england, then i suggest that we make use of the aeroplane which we carry. come and inspect it." they tossed their cigar stumps out of the window, took one more look downward at the forlorn city, and then ascended to the wide deck carried on the top of the airship. overhead, as they trudged along it, fluttered the long aerials suspended to the thin masts erected for wireless telegraphic purposes, while far down below, almost in the centre of the main gangway, a man could be seen bending over transmitter and receiver. "you see, we are well equipped," said andrew. "of course, if it so happened that the colonel could send his information by wireless, then it would be a great pleasure to have him with us. in any case, let us inspect joe's aeroplane. here it is; now, take close stock of it." that was a privilege which dick also enjoyed, for his inspection so soon after his first arrival on board had been hurried. now he approached the machine in question burning with curiosity. for dick was one of the adventurous fellows who are so frequently to be found in the two services. "flying or submarine work's in my line," he had told his fellow middies. "but flying in particular." and here was something upon which, for all he knew, he might learn his first lessons. in the sunk hangar located on the wide upper deck of the airship lay a machine which might well have attracted the attention of some of our expert flyers. for joe gresson was no ordinary inventor. as we have endeavoured to convey to the reader, the silent joe was indeed a genius, a young man thoroughly well trained in the principles of engineering, and gifted with a brain of unusual capacity. hence his great airship. hence also this adjunct to it. dick and his friends looked upon a machine differing only in form and size and engine from those common at the moment. the principle was precisely the same, and yet the perfection of engineering and design incorporated in the machine in question made of it an article of astonishing efficiency. "same as many others at first sight, but different," observed the major, while dick had his head thrust almost into the very heart of the machinery. "why, there's the colonel. well, steven, what do you think of the vessel which brought us out to adrianople just in time to snatch you from that extremely uncomfortable city?" there was a glow on the bronzed, if somewhat pinched, face of the one addressed; for, as we have said, colonel steven was an enthusiast where modern advancement was in question, while the science and art of the flyer was as attractive to him as to any. "think, my dear major!" he observed. "what can one think? one is absolutely and positively astounded. i can now scarcely believe that i am really on the top of an enormous airship, bigger even than a zeppelin, and suspended some hundreds of feet in the air." "pardon--thousands, colonel," said joe's quiet voice. "here is the exact reading--ten thousand two hundred and eighty-five feet." he stepped across to one of the posts that supported the rail running round the deck and consulted an instrument affixed to it. "ten thousand feet! but----" gasped the colonel, "you'll explode." "bust, in other words," dick whispered to alec. "call a spade a spade, my boy. that's the worst of getting senior in any service, for you have to choose and pick your words, which is a bit of a nuisance. 'bust' here is the correct and proper description." "a zeppelin would," added the colonel, failing to hear dick's grinning aside. "pardon once more: a zeppelin would be incapable of ascending much above six thousand feet. at least, that is their record so far, and it is for that reason that, though a menace to all nations who have none, supposing germany were to declare war, and such nations were within the six hundred miles radius, the zeppelin is still not entirely mistress of the air. there is always the speedy, powerful aeroplane, capable with ease of ascending infinitely higher, far out of range of her deck guns, for zeppelins carry weapons above just as you see here, and from that point dropping bombs upon her." "ugh! disagreeable sort of game that," laughed the major, shrugging his shoulders and staring upward. "nasty thing to receive a bomb when slung even six thousand feet in the air. you'd come an awful crasher." "as to exploding," continued joe serenely, "of course one no longer experiences at these high altitudes the normal fourteen pounds per square inch one is accustomed to on terra firma. the atmosphere is rarer, it weighs considerably less, and exerts decidedly less pressure. hence, as you rightly assume, the envelope of a zeppelin tends to tear. but, my dear sir, permit me to hand you a sample of sheet celludine. see, it is transparent, flexible, and extremely light. please tear it, using as much force as you wish, and thereby prove that it is neither tough nor unstretchable." the inventor held out a single sheet of his wonderful yet simple material, while dick craned his neck forward to get a closer view. as for alec and andrew, they were already versed in the characteristics of the stuff, but none the less interested. at once the major complied with joe's wishes. "light, transparent, flexible," he said. "yes, admitted. you agree, colonel. now tough and non-extensible; that is, won't stretch." "like rubber," interjected dick. "quite so. hang on--no, you're too light yet. who ever heard of a midshipman having weight? the colonel will suit my purpose. now, steven, pull with all your might." as was only to be expected the experiment proved the value of celludine conclusively. "i've been through the same sort of game," laughed andrew. "i've tugged and pulled and stamped on the stuff till i was hot. then, gentlemen, i put my money into this ship. i had had a practical demonstration." "but we were talking of exploding," said joe. "of course, each one of the gas compartments has a safety valve, so that if at any time the pressure from without should lessen to a dangerous degree, then the valves open and gas escapes. but you were looking at the aeroplane. i propose to make use of it presently; for our friend, the french airman whom dick was sent to rescue, is now recovered and wishes to be landed." a close inspection of the heavier-than-air machine designed by joe gresson proved of absorbing interest, for here again celludine entered into the greater part of its construction. possessed of two planes, these were supported by girders passing to right and left, and braced together in a manner which made them peculiarly rigid, while the lower and upper planes were supported on the girders holding those positions respectively, some three feet only separating them. immediately beneath, forming, in fact, the foundation for the girders, was a long, boat-shaped body, with sharpened prow, no visible keel, and a flat bottom tapering from stem to stern. the latter extended a considerable distance, and supported at its end two small elevating planes and a big vertical rudder. finally, two struts on either side had spring wheels attached to them, while the steel stampings, to which they were bolted themselves, had a form of spring attachment which one could realize would provide against severe shocks when landing. "then she can come down on water or on land?" asked the colonel, adjusting an eyeglass which he had just produced. "most interesting. and how, pray, does she return to her parent ship, this gigantic air vessel?" "how? by merely circling above and dropping on this deck. i will show you," said joe, his face flushed with pride. "but first allow me to describe the method by which the pilot controls the machine, and how lateral and fore-and-aft stability are assured. see, there are the same movements as on other machines for controlling height, for turning, or 'banking', to use the technical expression. one merely sits in the cab placed towards the stem of the boat body where the levers are located. come, colonel, and you too, major, and dick. try a spin. i can assure you that there is no risk in the matter." "but--but set off when ten thousand feet from the land, when one can distinguish no single object," cried the former, aghast at such a suggestion. "yes, i'll come," he said a moment later, deliberately screwing his monocle a little tighter into position and looking at the inventor. "you tell me there is no great risk, and hearing that, i accept the invitation. after all, you must not blame me if i show some little trepidation. my dear sir, i am not a bird, and this is the first occasion on which i have ever ascended from native earth." as for the major, he too nodded his willingness, though he also felt not a little trepidation. as for dick, one may say that the happy-go-lucky fellow hardly ever counted risks, such is the record of midshipmen. but even so, a glance through the transparent material beneath him towards the brown blur far, far below caused him an undoubted tremor. but he had grit. he had proved it, and now leaped into the boat without further hesitation. the colonel and his brother officer were already there, while joe stepped in behind them. "take your seats, gentlemen," he said, with a smile which went far to reassure them. "now, we are ready, save for the fact that our engine is not yet running, while the doors of this sunken hangar are not open. but i pull this cord hanging overhead. see! an electric motor raises the whole shed and opens it. then we press this little pedal--more electricity, my friends--a six-volt battery feeds a small motor aboard here and turns the engine round. now air is forced through my paraffin carburettor and the vapour resulting is fed to that gasometer in the bows of the boat. yes, it's a gasometer, just as you see on land, though much smaller. thence the gas passes to the engine, where it receives more air and--ah! she's off. listen to her humming, and for one moment notice the position of the engine. it is centrally placed, immediately beneath the planes, and is suspended from a single point. thus it is free to swing both backward and forward and from side to side. there lies the secret of automatic stability. say we are coasting along and a gust cants us to the right. the heavy engine still keeps in the same vertical position, while this whole machine turns as it were on that single point. you can readily follow that certain levers attached to engine and machine will be altered in position, and as a direct result the wing tips are warped in a prearranged manner, the back planes rotate upward or downward, or the rudder itself is operated. that is for coasting, for use when on a long, straight flight, when one wishes to take note of one's surroundings, to eat, or even to sleep." "sleep!" gasped the major. "why not?" came joe's cool answer. "but up in the air, thousands of feet up!" "as well there as within a hundred feet. the action i have been describing is automatic. there is no question of human error in its behaviour. so long as the planes have room for manoeuvring, and the engine does not stop, there is no need to interfere in the slightest. set your course, lock your tiller, and go to sleep. but you shall see; for the moment i will trust to my own skill in manoeuvring. in fact, by pulling this small lever i secure the engine. in effect it is now suspended not only from a single point, but fixed rigidly to the framework of the whole machine. then if i wish to bank, no automatic action can disturb my calculations. we are ready, i think. look! flexible tubes above the engine carry the water from the force pumps to the motors on the hubs of the two propellers. there you see precisely the same hydraulic system of conveying power as is used elsewhere in this airship. no need, therefore, to have a dozen men holding the machine down, for the propellers are motionless, the bypass being full open. but i close it now--watch them twirl. i shut it almost completely----" "hi! hold on!" shouted dick at that instant, while the colonel gripped the sides of the cab and actually dropped his monocle. "we're off!" bellowed the major, jamming his hat down on his head and clenching his teeth tightly. "away she goes!" called joe, his face set, his eyes glued on the deck before him. those two propellers hissed and roared as they rotated, the biplane resting so tranquilly a moment earlier beneath the transparent roof of her shed leaped into the open, her wheels already engaged with the rails placed there to guide them. in a moment or two she was speeding along them at forty miles an hour, so fast, indeed, that dick could feel her lifting already. he sat down hard, bit his lip, and tried to look as if the trip before him was of little moment. but the gallant dick's heart was fluttering in the most uncomfortable manner. indeed, we must report the fact that mr. midshipman hamshaw was almost reduced to the condition of abject funk. for the machine lifted of a sudden. the deck of the airship, that deck which only a few hours before had seemed to the midshipman so insecure, so frail, so wanting in stability, and now--so curious is the change of opinion brought by altered circumstances--which offered such a firm standing, that deck flashed from beneath the biplane. one second there was the familiar, transparent mass of the airship beneath them; the next they were perhaps a hundred feet from her, out in the open, suspended on thin air, supported by the atmosphere upon a machine which relied on no gas to sustain it, but merely upon the upward push of the ether into which she had rushed. no wonder that the usually dashing dick clutched firmly to the side of the cab and uttered a breathless "jingo!" chapter xii carl aboard the biplane there is a very old and no doubt true saying that everything comes to those who wait, and mr. carl reitberg may be said to have been one of these fortunate individuals. for all that he desired seemed to be about to be consummated. "at last! a brilliant inspiration, really," he was telling himself almost at the identical moment when joe gresson set out from the great airship with the major, the colonel, and dick, and swooped into space upon his wonderful biplane. "a really brilliant inspiration. here have i been thinking and bothering and cudgelling my brains for a means to--to--er--well, to put a stop to what might well be an astounding triumph for that andrew provost and his conceited nephew, when a sudden thought strikes me, all difficulties are cleared away, and the future becomes rosy." the stout, roundabout figure of this little man who spoke english with an accent, who loved the freedom, the customs, and the institutions of great britain, and who had waxed rich and prosperous because of the protection and many opportunities which the country or her possessions had given him, rolled round in the deep armchair in which he was seated, while his hand groped for a cut-glass tumbler standing on an adjacent table. the deep-set, cunning eyes saw none of the surrounding magnificence which the walls of his smoking-room displayed; for mr. carl reitberg was deeply immersed, lost in thought, carried away by the brilliance of his inspiration. "yes," he reflected again, "a brilliant inspiration. here was i in london--or rather, to put it correctly, here am i in london--hearing on every side tales of the airship, of her strength, of her swiftness, of her original design, capacity, and extraordinary power; and yet there is no way of moving, no means of arresting the world tour of the air vessel, no method of--er--er causing an unfortunate accident then, when all seems to have gone badly for me, when, owing to my own stupid impulse, my desire to be applauded as a sportsman, the bank holds one hundred thousand pounds which i have deposited, without power of withdrawal, against the day when the ship returns, then, i say, difficulties suddenly fly. it is strange how a man's brain at last hits upon a solution." in his delight he had begun to speak aloud, addressing his words to the four walls of the room, to the costly pictures attached to them, to the velvet curtains, the cigar cabinets, the table loaded with bric-à-brac, and to curios and valuables in general. in any case he had not included the only other occupant of the room, had never once turned his eyes in his direction, had seemed to have forgotten him utterly. but the man there, lounging placidly in a deep and luxurious armchair, smiling sardonically, and nursing a damaged arm which he wore in a sling, was listening intently. once he scowled and growled something beneath his breath. and now that carl reitberg seemed to have finished he stole a look at him, and leaned over and coolly helped himself to a cigar which, by the breadth of the gilded band about it, might have cost a small fortune. "a brilliant inspiration, eh?" he asked languidly, settling himself back in his chair when he had set his cigar going. "what?" the words brought his host back to mother earth with a start. to speak the truth there was no love lost between carl reitberg and adolf fruhmann, for that rascal was the other inmate of this room. the pompous little owner of this magnificent establishment would have ignored his one-time accomplice had he not need of him. now he put up with his presence as best he could. not that adolf fruhmann was of much value at the moment; for an accident in the streets had left him with a broken arm, much to carl's annoyance. "that's what i was telling you," he answered savagely. "here are you fool enough to get an arm broken, thereby rendering yourself helpless when it was a matter of arrangement between us that you were to act----" "one moment; not so fast," came from the other. "you speak as if i'd asked that taxi driver to run me down, as if i enjoyed the suffering that's followed. besides, if i'm helpless for the moment, and you've been fool enough to plant a hundred thousand pounds into a bank in such a way that you can't finger it till this challenge is settled, why, it's for you to move, you to risk your own skin, i'm thinking." certainly there was no love lost between them, and if carl imagined that adolf would cringe and whine when in his presence, the events of the past few days had entirely undeceived him. for adolf had become a leech, a detestable fellow who clung to the man who desired to employ him. from that squalid tenement dwelling down by whitechapel, he had removed himself to carl reitberg's luxurious mansion, and protest on that indignant gentleman's part had no effect. "we've just got to sink or swim together," observed adolf, with a scornful smile when his would-be benefactor flared out at him and bade him depart. "we're old chums, don't forget that, old partners, and--and there's a few who would like very much--very much indeed--to meet us." it was a significant statement, and adolf took no trouble to rob his words of the sinister threat which underlay them. from the meek, half-starved, down-at-heels ruffian, he had of a sudden, once he had been discovered by carl, become a sleek, sardonic individual, sleeker perhaps for the fact that the best of london tailoring had turned him out in the latest of fashions. indeed, in the well-dressed, or rather, somewhat over-dressed individual lolling in the deep armchair in carl's room, it was hard to recognize the unkempt, unwashed rascal of but a few days earlier. and his benefactor was helpless. as carl lay back watching his accomplice through half-closed lids, he was bound to admit that here was one item in which his scheme of attacking andrew provost had miscarried. adolf fruhmann had got disgracefully out of hand, and was almost unmanageable. he had picked him out of the gutter merely for a purpose, and knowing that for gold this rascal would do almost anything. and now he was actually afraid of the man, dared not order him away, was fearful that a word from him might jeopardize his, carl reitberg's own position. "well, i suppose i shall have to put up with the nuisance," he reflected, as he scowled at his companion. "after all, it will not be for long, and later, when i have made use of him, why there are ways of ridding oneself of a nuisance. now," he said aloud, "you were asking about this brilliant inspiration." "i am incredulous. carl reitberg with an inspiration worth hearing of!" the man was positively offensive, and caused the fat and pompous carl to squirm, while the ferrety little eyes, sunk behind their lashes, positively glared at the rascal who had spoken. "well, let us hear it," said adolf flippantly, flicking his cigar ash with one finger, and inspecting the glowing end with every sign of approval. "carl reitberg has an inspiration; his friends long to hear all about it." "it is about the airship," began carl, ignoring the man's words, though his cheeks were purple. "it always is," came the retort. "you dream of the thing; you think of it by day and night. that hundred thousand pounds weighs as heavily as a ton of lead." "and rightly so," carl answered sharply. "i was deluded, i say. i had no idea that this joe gresson could succeed in his undertaking, i----" "exactly," came the dry answer. "if you had been fully awake you'd never have issued that challenge. you were too cocksure, carl. you put down that money feeling that it was safe. now you're doubtful. so am i. you'll lose it if all that the papers report is correct. just fancy! the ship sails across to adrianople quicker than an aeroplane could take you. she hovers over the city. she rises and falls and disappears at will. then she heads back for england, while her wireless tells _the daily flier_ all the news. if that hundred thousand pounds were mine--and some of it will be according to our agreement--why, i'd begin to get fidgety. i'd begin to dream and seek for inspirations. well, what's yours?" "i use the wireless also. i call up the ship. i follow the idea of behaving as a sportsman." "ah!" adolf smiled satirically. "that cost a heap!" he said. "well?" "i ask to be taken aboard for this world trip. can they refuse me?" it was his companion's turn to show some irritation. if carl reitberg had the intention of accompanying the great airship on her voyage, then it could be with one object, for there were no secrets between these two rascals. he desired to gain access to the ship with the sole idea of wrecking or damaging it. very good, that! crafty! quite commendable. "but there's myself to be considered. if he succeeds, what do i get? where is the reward promised?" the ruffian eyed carl with undisguised contempt, and yet half fearfully. "clever idea, very," he said aloud. "you go aboard for the trip. there is, perhaps, an accident. unfortunate, of course, but--er--necessary. you are as sorry as the others. you express a thousand regrets--but all the while you are laughing in your sleeve. you are really thinking of something far harder to give than regrets; you are thinking of your one hundred thousand pounds, eh, my friend? that is, i think, the beginning and end of the inspiration." it was so obvious that adolf admired the craftiness of the scheme that carl almost forgave him. but the next few seconds undeceived him, and reminded the magnate of the fact that he had others to consider. "of course," said adolf slowly, "our bargain holds good. if--if there is an unfortunate accident, and the voyage of the airship is arrested, you return and pay me the sum promised." "but----" cried carl indignantly, his fat cheeks swelling. "there are no buts in the matter. i am paid, or i blab. i have a long memory, and there are other things i can mention. no, friend carl, we swim or sink together, as i have said. you leave england. good! i look after your house, your servants, and your interests during your absence. supposing you fail--supposing this--er--accident doesn't happen, then you fall back on your dear friend. i seek for an inspiration. i attempt another accident. in either case, if you are successful, or if the honour falls to me, our bargain holds, i am paid what was promised." it was a sordid business; but no doubt there are other rascals of the same kidney haggling over even less unsavoury schemes in the great city of london. but this was evident, carl was in a corner, hoist as it were by the very rascal he had hoped to use merely as a tool, and then to throw away when no longer useful. it was a bitter blow, but to be endured, and he must not allow it to prevent his following the line of action he had suddenly decided on. he gulped down the contents of his tumbler, scowled at his companion, and then stretched out for the telephone receiver. a moment later he was dictating a telegram to be dispatched by wireless to the great airship. "mr. carl reitberg presents his warmest congratulations to mr. andrew provost and his clever nephew, and asks to be allowed to accompany the party aboard the airship during some part of their world trip. wire place at which ship could call." down in the depths of the airship, in the marconi operator's cabin, the operator was busily employed some few minutes later, while the aerials above flashed in the sun and clicked in their own extraordinary fashion. then a paper was thrust into andrew's hand as he paced the deck arm in arm with the commander. "umph!" he said, handing it to the naval officer. "rather spoil the fun of the party. i ain't too fond of mr. carl reitberg." "but it's sporting of him, eh?" reflected the officer, now rapidly recovering. "sporting? er--yes--that's what he aims at particularly. sad if he were to spoil also the ship's chances." "but surely that's impossible--one man spoil the chances of the ship's success!" "well, perhaps i'm unduly suspicious. carton, wire back that we shall be pleased to receive him, and that joe gresson will call for him in london. then call up joe. he's well within range of the ship's wireless, and repeat the message." and thus it followed that while joe, with the major and colonel and the derelict frenchman on board, were coasting towards england, having once demonstrated to our friends the security of the biplane, the aerials aboard that wonderful machine clicked, while the receiver told out its message. an hour later, perhaps, while carl reitberg was snoring in his luxurious chair, the telephone summoned him from slumber. "be ready to start to-morrow morning early. joe gresson will call for you. warm welcome awaits you aboard the great airship." carl simpered. his pig-like eyes lit up wonderfully, and for one brief moment he wore the appearance he had borne when joe first met him aboard the hamburg-amerika liner. he was positively genial, and any old lady of a credulous disposition happening to observe him at that moment would have set him down definitely as a most engaging, kind-hearted, and simple gentleman. and so he could have been, had he not at heart been a scheming rascal. for carl reitberg was that. if he had been a patriot, if he had belonged to some other country than england, and for her sake had decided to destroy the airship with her crew, we would have recorded the fact plainly. but carl had no country, not even that of england, which had fostered him, protected him, even innocently aided him in some of his rascally schemes. his scheme was merely for personal objects, to save his pocket, to win a challenge, to defeat andrew provost and joe gresson, and all the while appear in the public eye as a sportsman, something understood by the people and sure to make him wonderfully popular. the hours that followed were busy ones indeed for carl, and adolf fruhmann aided him wonderfully in spite of a damaged arm. they retreated to a garret in a street off soho, where they remained till day was almost dawning. nor did they present themselves at the place as carl reitberg and adolf fruhmann respectively. no; they went disguised, using false names also. what passed in that garret we need not enquire into; but this is certain: when the two rogues finally left and drove away in a taxi, there was a suspicious square box beside them. "gently, gently! you carry it," suggested carl, as they stepped out of the cab and walked away. "very well; i'm not afraid if you are. the things are safe till you begin to tamper with them. then----" adolf raised his eyes expressively and sniggered. "then there's an end to you and--and the airship," he giggled. "h-hush, man! are you a fool? here! step into this cab. we can drive straight home now, i think." they had dived into a side street for a moment, where they had rapidly removed the beards which had disguised them. now they hailed a taxi, entered, and boldly told the man to drive to carl's address. the following morning found the chief of these two rascals dressed for an outing. an immaculate knickerbocker suit clad his rotund proportions, while the monocle he--like the gallant colonel--affected transformed him into an object such as one sees at st. moritz, one of the band of heroes who go to look on at somewhat hazardous winter sports and continue always to look on only. buzz! the telephone called him. they were speaking from his office in the city, to which all telegrams were sent. "what's that?" demanded carl incredulously, when he had listened to the message. "eh! i am to drive out to hendon, where mr. gresson will pick me up? where's the airship?" "somewhere above italy," came the answer. "mr. gresson arrived yesterday evening in an aeroplane." "an aeroplane! but--but--surely he doesn't expect me to--to travel in such a thing with him!" cried carl tremulously, much to adolfs amusement and ill-concealed contempt. "why not?" he asked. "you've asked to go on a flying trip. where's the difference between a ship and plane? pooh! you're a sportsman, aren't you? then you've got to show spirit." but that was just precisely the virtue of which carl was most deficient. he could ape the sportsman, providing no physical display of courage were wanted. he could even venture a trip in the airship, knowing now from excited reports from all quarters that she was the last word in such matters; and when the time came, and the moment were opportune, he told himself he had the nerve to place that curious box he had just procured in the most advantageous position, set its contents going, and then decamp. oh, yes, he would decamp, quickly too, to be sure! why not? that would merely be discretion. "supposing there was an accident?" he suddenly blurted out, his face fallen, his features as long as a fiddle. "supposing the box were overturned! besides, i've never been in an aeroplane. hundreds of men have lost their lives when flying." "a noble end for a sportsman, truly," grinned adolf. "let me go, then? a broken arm will not prevent my acting." "no; i'll take train to turin. i could be there as soon as this aeroplane," he said, almost tearfully. "are you there? why don't you stay at the telephone? is mr. joe gresson at the office?" it was that young inventor himself who answered. "good morning!" he said curtly enough. "glad you are coming. we leave in two hours' time." "but--but i am detained," cried carl desperately. "i cannot leave then. i will catch the midday continental express and go to turin. i shall be there to-morrow evening." "while we shall be beyond that city this afternoon," came the curt answer. "we must not delay longer, for though i calculate that the airship could circle the twenty-five thousand and odd miles which a trip round the world comprises in some seventeen to twenty days, yet there may be breakdowns----" "ah, yes, certainly! i hope not," said carl swiftly. "that's nice of you. but there may be, while we may desire to deviate a little. indeed our trip will not take us along a straight line. we propose to take an oblique course, and therefore must make the most of every day that remains to us. therefore we leave hendon almost immediately." "and pass turin before the evening!" cried carl aghast. such rapid travel spelled catastrophy to him. "i--i--do you expect an accident?" "an accident?" "yes; to your machine. aeroplanes are notoriously dangerous. i--i--really think that i'll not----" "sorry, mr. reitberg," came joe's curt answer. "but we must push ahead. if you wish to join us at all you must come now, and on the biplane." the pompous city magnate put the telephone down with something approaching a groan. indeed, his features were positively haggard, his fat cheeks hung flaccid, his mouth drooped, his eyes were bloodshot. he might, indeed, have been a condemned criminal. and then adolf's sneering laughter stung him to some show of courage, or perhaps it was desperation. "it is the only, the last chance," he said. "i'll go. i'll risk travel in this abominable machine. herman!" he tugged at the bell and shouted for his butler. "call the car round," he ordered magnificently. "put my baggage on board, and--er--please be careful of this box. it's very valuable." "in fact, there is glass inside, old curios," added adolf, guffawing as the man shut the door behind him. "curios for dear andrew provost. a present from london city to the great airship! a token of love and esteem from carl reitberg." the ruffian was a humorous fellow at times, and his cynical mind often perceived a vein of fun where others saw nothing. his confederate's nervousness, the dilemma into which he had managed to introduce himself in his efforts to get aboard the airship provided adolf with a vast amount of amusement, and he was sniggering still when his friend marched ponderously out of the establishment. "_bon voyage!_" called adolf after him, as he stood on the steps of the gorgeous mansion, his undamaged arm tucked beneath his coat tails, a cigar of carl's most expensive brand between his teeth, and a smile wrinkling his somewhat sardonic features. "_bon voyage!_ have no fears. i'll look after things in your absence." but oh that voyage! oh the terror before starting! carl reitberg, sportsman, cut but a sorry figure as he shook joe's honest hand and clambered into the cab of the biplane. "but--but you'll never venture to rise above the ground in this?" he cried aghast. "it's not even made of steel or wood. it's transparent stuff, and looks frightfully fragile." "try it," grinned dick, who was one of the party. "ask alec to jump on the wings, or--oh, i know, mr. reitberg, try a ride on one yourself! it'd be a ripping sensation to lie out there on one of the planes while she was soaring." "brat! conceited young midshipman! wants kicking!" carl thought angrily. "but if they've come all the way from the neighbourhood of adrianople, why, i suppose the machine is strong enough. horrible it seems to me! but i must screw up my courage. ah! he's started his engine. why couldn't he wait a little longer till i'd settled down. stay still there, young man. we're moving, and if you get too much to one side the thing will capsize once we're off the ground." alec regarded the trembling magnate with a pitying smile, though quite politely. "oh, that's with ordinary aeroplanes, sir," he said loftily. "you can't upset this. you ask joe. we'll try, just to impress you." "try to upset the machine when in the air! madness!" carl positively scowled at alec, and then at dick, catching him grinning. then his attention was called elsewhere. joe shut down his bypass valve abruptly. the propellers roared. the biplane shot forward and mounted into the air as if eager for a struggle. they were up a hundred yards before their passenger had had time to fasten his grip quite to his own liking on the edge of the cab. then joe banked her. "put me down!" roared carl, scared out of his senses, for the machine had tilted, and from his own position he could look direct to the ground beneath. he felt the machine slipping bodily sideways. "got in an air hole," observed joe calmly. "skidding a trifle. but she can't go far. the cross sections between the planes hold her up nicely. up we go again, turning all the time. hold on for a moment." it was truly a terrifying experience for carl, and he never quite became accustomed to this new form of locomotion. even when joe, having elevated the machine to the height of ten thousand feet, set the automatic gear in motion, and, lighting a cigarette in the shelter of the cab, went to chat with the major, the magnate felt far from happy. "but--but," he quavered, "leave the steering gear! who, then, controls this machine? what is to prevent us being dashed to pieces?" "atoms, rather," suggested dick, always ready with something likely to improve the occasion. "eh?" asked carl. "you said pieces," grinned the midshipman. "we're ten thousand feet up. we wouldn't make jelly even if we fell. we'd be smashed to atoms." "horrible! loathsome young fool!" thought carl, groaning at the mere mention of such an ending. "anything will be more pleasant than this. when will this awful trip be over?" flying steadily at over one hundred miles an hour it can be reckoned that the biplane soon swallowed up distance. in fact, late that afternoon she was over italy, while an hour afterwards she swooped out over the adriatic sea, where she sighted the airship. not that the latter was easily visible. but a practised eye could make her out. "see--the airship," said the major, pointing towards her for carl's benefit. "ah! yes. then we sink to the water?" "no--we swoop towards her and land on her deck." "in midair! is it--is it really safe?" asked this nervous passenger. "as houses," interjected dick. "hold on, sir! don't speak to joe, or he might make an error and drop us over the edge." it was a huge, if unkind, joke to watch the twitching face of the magnate, and, as is often enough the way of youth, dick and alec enjoyed carl's discomfiture immensely. but they were near the ship now. joe sent his biplane higher, till she was two thousand feet above the air vessel. then he banked, banked till the machine looked as if she would turn turtle. but there was a master man at the controls, and at once the biplane dived downward, curling spirally, with her engine stopped, till she looked as if she would drop through the heart of the ship below her. then the engine hummed, the propellers revolved, the biplane righted, dived swiftly, rose a yard or two, and then dropped without a quiver on the broad back waiting to receive her. "welcome!" said mr. andrew provost, accosting the party, and helping carl reitberg to alight. "welcome to the ship which by your own challenge you yourself helped to erect." he led him to the lift, escorted him down to the gallery below, and showed him his cabin. in fact, andrew did all that a host who is a gentleman could do for a guest. he didn't like mr. reitberg; he made no pretence of doing so. he was polite as a matter of course, and because it was good manners. but whatever he thought of this stout little magnate, indeed, whether he suspected the true depths of his sporting instincts, andrew never imagined that he had just welcomed a crafty ruffian, a schemer, a mean-hearted man who, now that he was safely aboard, would leave no stone unturned till he had wrecked the vessel. as for carl, he sat himself down by that precious box of his and mopped his forehead. "i've put up with a heap," he said. "now my time's coming." chapter xiii to the north-west frontier it would be difficult to find anywhere an individual who settles down to new surroundings, to luxury, or to privation so quickly, so easily, and with so little discussion as does your british tommy or jack tar. given a piece of good cake tobacco, a jack knife, and a pipe, he will, so long as he has a few boon companions, soon have the air humming with his yarns or his songs. in fact, both of these estimable beings are right good fellows. let us descend, therefore, to the men's quarters aboard the great airship. lined with sleeping bunks on either side, with huge windows which made it possible to provide the best of ventilation, furnished with electric radiators for use in cold latitudes, or when flying at a great altitude, the part assigned to the men was a paradise compared with the quarters they might have expected. and on the evening after the return of joe and his party with the stout and nervous magnate, hurst and hawkins and their cronies were gathered together, smoking like chimneys and chattering like a cageful of monkeys. as might well be expected also, their superiors in the saloon came in for some discussion. "i was a talkin' of 'im," reiterated hawkins, licking his lips, for he had removed his pipe for that particular reason; "of mr. alec jardine; and i says as 'e's the boy fer a sailor. 'e's like dicky, so 'e is, and dicky's the properest sailor as ever i set eyes on." "to which i agrees," exclaimed private larkin, jim larkin as he was known, no less a person than major harvey's soldier servant. "'e's a sailor, 'e is. and p'raps 'ed make a soldier too, fer all i knows. but this here alec, why, he's got the cut of a soldier, 'e 'as. don't you deny it." he was almost ferocious as he addressed himself to hawkins, and we must admit that one unaccustomed to those in the men's quarters might have even been alarmed. for private larkin was not blessed with the most attractive of countenances. to begin with, his head was remarkably big, too big for his body, and most of the head seemed to be composed of a pair of fat, bulging cheeks, above which were a couple of equally bulging eyes which had a most disagreeable habit of fixing upon people, staring them out of countenance, and then of squinting. they were at it now. hawkins blew fiercely into his pipe. "stow that 'ere squintin', shipmate," he growled. "a man ain't never sure what you're lookin' at. fust it's 'is face. then it's 'is boots, then it's--it's what not. now, you nor i ain't likely to agree on that 'ere youngster. you says he'd make a soldier. i says as 'es fair cut out fer a sailor. let's leave it at that in case we gets to quarrelling. let's jaw about this here fat little feller, him as the papers called a sportsman." "sportsman!" chimed in hurst in his most scornful tones. "i like that. sportsmen don't funk when it's a question of flying." "then you ain't one," came hawkins's laughing answer. "nor you nor me was so precious merry when we were hoisted aboard this here ship; and i stakes my davy neither of us are so eager to go aboard that aeroplane. it ain't every sportsman that has the nerve to fly, so jest you mark it. and every sportsman ain't like this here mr. reitberg, him as has an accent jammed up with his words every time he opens his mouth." "but 'sportsman''s what the papers called him," said larkin, scenting here another theme for fierce argument for this merry soldier loved to bandy words, to discuss matters threadbare, while the very meeting with a member of the allied service was sufficient to make him disputatious. if hawkins said that the visitor who had recently arrived on board was a sportsman, larkin declared with decision that he was no such thing. his little red, pointed moustache seemed to erect itself towards his eyes, while the latter turned upon hawkins and hurst in succession, and then upon the other tars a stare which was positively threatening. "sportsman! ho, yes! that's what they called 'im. and what does sergeant evans say? what's 'e say, i ask?" there was no response, for the simple reason that none knew. the worthy sergeant was, indeed, given to keeping his own counsels. none the less larkin professed to be aware of his opinions. "of course, none of you knows," he told them triumphantly. "you wouldn't, for the sergeant's always kind of suspicious of seafaring folks. not that i agrees with him there," he added, by way of apology, while hawkins and hurst bridled and drew heavily on their pipes. "but it's his way. he keeps quiet when the navy's round about. still i know, and i'll tell you. 'e says 'watch 'im'. that's what sergeant evans says." "ah! watch 'im?" repeated hurst thoughtfully. "and why?" "'cos 'e's a sportsman. 'cos it's this here mr. reitberg that challenged mr. provost to build the airship and sail her round the world; and--what's a sight more than all--'cos he's been and gone and put one hundred thousand pounds--one hundred thousand golden, shining sovereigns--under lock and key, and given the key into someone else's keeping against the day when the ship's cruised round the world and safely returned to england. it was that that caused the papers to describe this here mr. reitberg as a sportsman. and it's that very thing that's going to prove as he ain't nothing of the sort. 'im a sportsman!--with an accent you could cut with a knife, clipping the king's english! 'watch 'im,' says sergeant evans, and that's what i'm doing." thereat jim larkin stared pugnaciously at his companions, each in turn coming in for a broadside from those prominent, squinting eyes of his, while every feature of his face seemed to be working so as to let the company in general know that jim had a grievance. then his pipe went to his mouth, a pair of thick lips opened, tilting his fierce red moustache, while the stem was thrust between an uneven row of exceedingly black teeth. it was only when he had contrived to make the pipe draw, and had puffed out a billow of smoke, that jim's features relaxed. he actually smiled at hawkins. "and don't you go and get nervous like," he told the tar, in a protecting tone of voice, "'cos there's me aboard, and the sergeant, to say nothing of that there alec jardine, what's fit ter be a soldier. mind, i ain't sayin' as 'e ain't cut out fer a sailor too. but if a youngster's that, it don't always say as he'd do for a soldier. no. don't you think it, and as regards that sportsman, don't you and your mate get nervous. as i've said jest now, there's----" "stow it," growled hurst, roused to anger by such patronage. "why, if i couldn't with this one hand manage that mr. reitberg, why----" he stopped abruptly, his vocabulary being insufficient to express his meaning, while hawkins, pierson, peters, and the others nodded their approval. nor did they resent less than he the uppishness of private larkin. there were covert threats to "show him what". big, brawny hands doubled up into formidable fists, while the eyes of the tars sought those of the soldier, returning his previous broadsides in a manner there was no denying. then a broad smile disarmed them. it was only jim's fun. the crafty fellow had been merely joking. "lor!" he grinned. "it do make a chap smile to pull the legs of you sailors, and it's a treat to meet some of ye and get chatting. but you jest remember what i've said. there's a sportsman aboard. you watch 'im." as far as they were able the crew of the airship did indeed keep a very watchful eye upon the portly frame of mr. carl reitberg. he never left his cabin to pace the deck but some bare-footed sailor followed, or met him by accident as it were, or made pretence to be on watch, and paced the deck within easy distance. down below, too, there was the sergeant. as we have narrated, he claimed an old acquaintance with the magnate, though he was careful to keep that fact to himself, merely repeating his warning to his employers. he even went so far as to inspect carl reitberg's baggage, a task of no great difficulty since he acted as valet as well as mess sergeant. "any particular wishes, sir?" he asked politely, soon after carl's arrival on board. "if you will kindly hand me your keys i will unpack and stow your things in the wardrobe." the lordly magnate handed them over instantly, with a curt nod of approval. he was even pleased to hand the sergeant a golden coin on his return to the cabin. for his trunk was unpacked and removed to the baggage apartment, while his clothes were laid out in the drawers of the wardrobe. "keys, sir," said the sergeant, handing them to him. "what about this box, sir," and he pointed to the one which had accompanied carl, and of which he had been so careful. "shall i take it to the baggage room?" "certainly not! er--no, thank you," exclaimed the magnate promptly, and with some acerbity. "er--leave it there. it's full of--er--valuables, things i wish to show to mr. provost. i had it sealed, and would have brought the things in a safe but for the fact that it would have been so heavy, too heavy for this vessel." "she'll carry tons and tons, sir," came the respectful answer. "a dozen safes wouldn't make any difference. so i'm to leave the box, sir?" "decidedly! ah! i see that the seals are unbroken. that's satisfactory." it may have been satisfactory to mr. reitberg, but it was anything but that to sergeant evans. "don't i know his foxy ways, too," he told himself, when ensconced in the privacy of his pantry diligently cleaning silver. "i haven't served with the military police in south africa without learning something, and there's things i remember. for instance, this carl reitberg was someone else out there, and not half so fine and mighty. i.d.b. they called him, which means illicit diamond buyer. and there were other things he was suspected to be, things that people forget when they see him dressed so fine and know that he's as wealthy as they make 'em. i know--foxy! that's him--i'm watching!" so here was another following the very same plan adopted by the men forward, while, had he but known it, even the redoubtable dick with his chum alec had embarked on the same service. "of course, andrew and the others don't believe he's here for anything but a tour," said the former very abruptly, within two days of carl's arrival. "perhaps he is, perhaps he isn't. i'm not going to trust to luck, eh, alec?" "certainly not; he's a fishy beggar. we'll take it in turns to dog him." it followed, therefore, that mr. carl reitberg was a very astonished individual. he had already noticed the close proximity of sailors whenever he trudged the upper deck, a promenade of which he soon became exceedingly fond, for a magnificent view of the country over which the ship was steering could always be obtained. but that proximity he put down to the fact that the men had their orders, and that this being a ship it was only proper that watches should be kept. "makes one feel secure and safe when high up," he told himself. "'pon my word this flying through space is magnificent. i never dreamed i could do more than endure it. as for the aeroplane it is an abominable invention. never again do i set foot in the machine. ah, mr. dick, i think! midshipman, i hear. always up to mischief." it was part of the magnate's scheme to make himself agreeable to all and sundry, and now, as mr. midshipman dick joined him, he greeted that promising young officer with effusion. "sea dog, eh?" he quizzed. "budding nelson." "budding nelson be blowed!" was dick's disrespectful answer, only it was _sotto voce_. "sea dog! listen to the fellow. makes a chap feel ill. morning, mr. reitberg!" he said aloud. "having a constitutional?" "regular custom," the fat little gentleman told him. "travelled a lot, don't you know, and have learned how to keep healthy. come, tell me all about the vessel." yes, it tickled the vanity of the magnate immensely to find himself so popular. the guineas which he had distributed amongst the crew caused him to be saluted constantly, a fact on which he preened himself. and now even the youngsters had taken a fancy to him. if dick were not at his elbow, alec was there, listening respectfully to his words, pointing out details, laughing uproariously at his stories. but carl reitberg did not know that one and all were watching. he never suspected _that_, never suspected that there were those on board by whom he himself was suspected. "fine," he told himself in the privacy of his cabin. "fine--couldn't be better. i'm getting bosom pal all round. wait till i open that box and show the contents to 'em." he went across to it and inspected the seals. yes, they were intact, a huge blob of wax at both ends indented deeply with the vulgar seal which hung upon his own massive frame, from a chain capable almost of holding the airship. meanwhile the great airship ploughed her easy path through the limitless leagues of the atmosphere, hardly even trembling as her powerful screw pushed her forward, never wavering in her course, save when the master hand of her inventor or the hand of the watchful steersman willed that she should swerve to one side or the other. there were times, too, when dick or alec would take post in the engine-room, and there stand at the levers which controlled the movements of this giant vessel. never once did the gallant midshipman lose his admiration for this work of art, this massive ship, so huge, so stable, and so strong, and yet so extremely frail in appearance. never did he cease to wonder at that magnificent vista of almost transparent girders and beams and rods ranging overhead, whenever he cared to crane his neck and stare upward. nor yet had he ceased to grin and find abundant amusement in the figures of his fellow passengers. "it's like a peepshow all the time," he told alec one day with an expansive grin. "one looks upward, as if through a window, and there are the people we know, walking overhead, strutting backwards and forwards for all the world as if they were flies. and one gets to know 'em by the size of their boots, and--er--by other signs. for instance----" "there's mr. andrew," said alec. "sure enough--number one size boots, dapper, very." "military walk, smart and alert. white moustache to be seen also, but coloured yellow by the celludine through which one sees him. then there's the major." "all there; walks quickly backwards and forwards. you can tell he's a soldier." "then there's hawkins and hurst and the rest of the men rolling as is the custom with tars. say, dicky, why do sailors roll? is it side only?" that brought a flush of wrath to the cheeks of the indignant dicky. "side!" he gasped. "side! you ever saw a sailor suffering from swelled head? look here, my son, i'll punch yours if you ain't more careful." but it was all fun. they grimaced at one another and then grinned widely as another figure appeared in the peculiar perspective of men tramping overhead. it was the magnate, the high and mighty mr. reitberg, the sportsman who pronounced his words with a very peculiar accent, and who was fond of describing himself as english to the backbone. "tell him a mile off," sniffed dick. "big, flat feet, rest all corporation. can't get a glimpse of his ugly phiz for the size of his tummy." what a joy it was to these two bosom friends to send the ship bounding forward! to stir up the motor gently purring beside them, to rouse it as it were to a gentle fury, for that was one of the points of joe's handiwork and genius. this paraffin-fired motor of his ran as smoothly as any turbine. you might accelerate it as much as you could, and still it purred, though at its highest speeds the purr had become angry and assertive. yes, it was a joy to shut close, to bang and bar as it were, the throttle and set the hydraulic pumps into full action. and how the ship responded. she leaped forward, and there had been times when the speedometer mounted in the engine-room told that the vessel was thrusting herself through the air at the incredible speed of two hundred miles an hour. impossible! we hear some sceptical reader exclaim. why? but five years ago aeroplanes were spoken of derisively, while their speed seldom exceeded forty miles an hour. to-day they can shoot through the air at a hundred, and the day is fast approaching, thanks to joe gresson and others of his kidney, when that speed will be as nothing. why, then, should this great airship not be able to attain to even double the greatest known speed of an aeroplane? why, indeed? her design was all in her favour. there was hardly a projection about her to cause wind friction and delay her passage, while the smooth celludine with which she was coated slid through the atmosphere with an ease that had never been approached before. add to these points, which all make for speed, engines of the highest efficiency, a transmission of the latest design and purely hydraulic. as carried out on the airship this means of conveying power from the engines to the propeller guaranteed but the merest fractional loss. in fact, what loss there was was negligible. and the propeller itself was one for which aviators would willingly have given a small fortune. but enough of such explanations. we live in a world of marvellous and incredible invention. the armchair sceptic and unbeliever of to-day has his views and scepticism shattered almost before he was finished speaking. the marvels of the zeppelin, acknowledged to be the last word in airship construction, were now overshadowed and belittled by the wonders of joe gresson's invention. the world was raving about the ship. scientists and inventors in every country were longing to be made familiar with its intricacies. steering over the placid surface of the mediterranean joe gresson and his friends hovered over the port of alexandria, and thence sailed for cairo. shrill cries greeted her from the sandy desert about the ancient pyramids, while a motley crowd waved to her from their summits. but there was no time to halt. with one long look at the placid, cruel, yet gentle face of the sphinx the ship's head was swung towards the east. an hour later a long ribbon of blue, shimmering in the sun, and hedged on either side by an unbroken expanse of yellow, told of the great suez canal. "we'll follow it through its length," said joe, now at the helm. "see! we are seven thousand feet up, and one can perceive a huge portion of the canal, severed here and there by the bitter lakes through which it runs. ah! there's a ship. let's drop down close to her." the vessel plunged. one who was ignorant of her powers would have imagined that she was about to crash to the ground. but she was merely descending at her fastest pace, and plunging brought her within hailing distance of the ship then passing through the canal, even before mr. reitberg had quite recovered his nerve or his equilibrium. "_himmel!_" he shrieked, as the vessel headed downward and shot toward the sand. "hold her! she is falling! we shall all be killed." he formed the mad resolution of rushing to the engine-room, and stepped in that direction. but, as we have said, the inclination of the decks considerably upset his equilibrium. the magnate indeed took a header, slithered along the smooth platform beneath the gas chambers, and landed up against one of the partitions with a bang which shook his eyeglass from its holding. by then the vessel was within a hundred feet of the canal, sailing along directly over it, and just ahead of the ship ploughing her way through the water. what cheers there were! how the passengers on that eastward-bound vessel crowded the decks and shouted! and then the liner hoisted her union jack, and dipped it formally. at once the watchful hawkins responded from the deck above, while again cheers came to the ears of dick and his friends. "and just contrast the two ships," said alec, when they had progressed in this fashion for perhaps an hour. "look! you can see the airship's reflection in the water, and, my! ain't she a whopper!" yes, she was huge, vast, incredibly enormous. and yet how smoothly she sailed along, and with what little effort! it was a fascinating picture to behold. dick found himself following the giant outline, picking out the various points till then invisible from the deck above, or from the platforms below. for instance, four huge attachments puzzled him immensely, for they hung from the framework and seemed without purpose. "all the same they're meant for business," joe told him, with that quiet, half-cynical smile for which he was notorious. "oh yes, dicky, we don't have useless attachments on this ship, unless--ahem! it's amongst the crew. i ain't, of course, referring to midshipmen." but he was. he was teasing the gallant mr. midshipman hamshaw, and had he been alec there would have been a rumpus. "seriously, though," he went on when he had had his laugh, "they're for landing. you see, it don't do to bump a ship of this description. we want to reach terra firma gently. now, if you were to jump from a height you'd land on your toes if possible, come down on to your heels, and then bend your knees, all by stages as it were, quickly enough you understand, but offering such graduated resistance that there would be no shock at all. that's what happens with those attachments. each one is thirty feet in length, and hinged inside the frame of the airship at its upper and forward end. now, watch us. we'll bump to the ground. how's that?" it really was remarkable, and so thought the people on board the liner. for joe's practised hand arrested the engines. the ship came to a standstill. then she fell as if she were a dead weight, was arrested within twenty feet of the ground merely by touching a single lever, and then descended sharply. but there was no shock. those four antennæ hinged upward beneath the weight, gradually met it, and then held her firmly suspended. even the glassware on the saloon table was not shaken. "and now for a trip on terra firma if only to stretch our legs," cried joe. "we'll take it by turns, half at a time." it was singular how everyone fell in with the views of the young inventor; and, in fact, it was to be observed aboard the airship that though there was no recognized captain, no officers, and no regular crew, yet the work aboard progressed with a smoothness which was remarkable. there were rules, naturally enough, and all aboard had been assigned duties. but the simplicity of the whole contrivance, and above all, the efficiency of the engines, called for the smallest attention. "merely see that the lubricators are working, and that the fuel feed is right, and things go along merrily," said andrew, who was becoming quite an engineer. this opportunity of a trip ashore was seized upon by all in turn, and long walks over the sandhills were indulged in. then the airship picked up passengers and crew once more, and rising from the sand steered a course east and north, swooping over the deserts of arabia. all the following night she sped on without a halt, and when the lively dick again trod the deck he looked down upon the arabian sea. but it was merely a corner of that vast ocean, for within a few hours the vessel was sweeping over persia. "a sparsely inhabited country, and therefore one where we may venture to halt for a while without fear of interruption," said joe. "our water supply is running short, and if we are to continue our regular baths every morning we must fill our tanks again." whoever heard of an airship carrying baths and water tanks of big capacity? but this one did, and bore the weight as if it were nothing. and the completeness of her equipment was again demonstrated, for, having sighted a huge lake in the heart of persia, and made sure that there was not a town or a village in sight, joe dropped the ship directly on the water, setting her elevators to work so gently that they held the giant framework but six feet above the surface. "now we drop our pumps, set the motors going, and in a jiffy fill the tanks," he said. "watch the whole performance." but there was little to see, though dick and alec, ever the most curious of those aboard, strained their necks to watch all that was passing. two snake-like, flexible metal pipes were passed from the engine-room through apertures specially constructed for the purpose. then the motor hummed a little louder, while one of the pump attachments was set going; the gurgle of water splashing into the tanks was the only indication that the operation was being performed with success. an hour, indeed, sufficed to replenish their supplies, when the ship shot upward once more till some six thousand feet of pure, sun-lit air lay beneath her. "and now for the north-west frontier of india, where our soldiers are ever on the watch," said joe. "come, major, you feel no nervousness? you have no fears, i hope, lest our gas should run short and land us in the arms of some of those gentry who look upon an englishman as a dog, to be slaughtered on any and every occasion?" "you may take me where you will, in chains if you wish," was the smiling response. "after the things that i have seen i have the utmost confidence in both the leader of this expedition and on the ship his hands have constructed. there! i cannot say more." it may be stated that only one person aboard the airship had a doubt as to her capacity and his own security, and, as may be guessed, that individual was carl reitberg. but then he was always nervous for his own skin. "the north-west!" he gasped, when joe told him of their immediate destination. "but--but that's where there are always little wars and skirmishes." "precisely," observed the major, with cutting abruptness. "our best soldiers are bred there. i've had a dose of the north-west myself. keeps you alive, sir. and if you aren't lively, why----" "ahem!" lisped dick. "you're dead, dead as a herring." "and you go there?" stuttered the magnate, his face paling, his fat cheeks trembling. "certainly!" declared joe. "but supposing something happened, supposing----" "it won't, i hope," came the answer. "but it might," chimed in dick, grinning. "then there'd be a ruction. say, mr. andrew, ain't they fond of torturing folks first?" it was too bad to tease the wretched and craven mr. reitberg. but there was no suppressing dicky or his boon companion alec. while in their secret heart of hearts the major and perhaps joe and mr. andrew were not altogether sorry. nor did they say much to comfort the unhappy magnate. indeed, that stout and crafty gentleman was thrown into a violent flutter two days later. for the wireless apparatus aboard suddenly picked up a message. "someone calling, sir," reported the operator. "calling with an apparatus of low power. i can't quite tap the message, though it has been getting stronger." "then we're moving towards it; we'll send her ahead. wonder what it is?" said joe. "there are few wireless instruments in this part of the world, and those there are belong to the british forces. report again when you can read the message." at once the ship was sent ahead at her fastest pace, while the wireless operator returned to his instruments. nor was it long when he appeared with a report. "a force of gurkha soldiers held up in the hills, sir," he told joe. "calling for help, but not yet in touch with the instruments of their main party. urgently require relief. ammunition almost run out. i told them to expect us." "certainly!" cried joe. "we'll do our utmost to relieve them. major, kindly see that arms are served to the men. sergeant evans has the keys of the magazines." "but--you will never venture to attack whoever is hemming in these british soldiers," cried mr. reitberg, aghast. "then you'd let 'em be shot down, eh?" asked andrew angrily. "er--well, how can we help it? it is their own business. why should we rush into danger?" the magnate was positively shaking. he could scarcely stand, so violently were his knees knocking. as for joe, he turned on his heel and went straightway to the engine-room, while the major hurried off to issue weapons to the men. andrew regarded his guest grimly, and with difficulty smothered his rising anger. "sir," he said with dignity, "those men are british soldiers. this ship is british also. if there is a call for help we take it, whatever the risk. remember that you yourself owe to our country a debt which a service such as this is will only partially help you to repay. there, sir, if you are nervous retire to your cabin." but mr. reitberg's anxiety would not allow him to do that. he paced the broad deck of the ship a prey to terrible forebodings. then, driven from the open by the fierce rush of air there, he slid off to his cabin. "shall i, now?" he asked himself, as he handled that box with its seals still adhering. "shall i set the clockwork going and so put a stop to the course these fools are taking? ah! no! that would not do here. but later. yes, later i will punish them for incurring this danger." love for his own security forbade his taking the rash step he had for the moment contemplated, for the consequences, he reflected, would be disastrous to himself as well as to his fellows. but later; yes, he would open that box; that is, if he were still living. for the ship was plunging furiously onward, and every few minutes the wireless operator telephoned his news of an impending british disaster. there were a thousand dusky natives hemming in but fifty gurkha soldiers and one british officer. their ammunition was almost spent. the enemy were within charging distance of them. "tell 'em we're coming fast," was joe's curt answer. "and, major, just make all ready for action." chapter xiv a brush with pathans "there! at last! listen!" the major held up a hand for silence while he hung out of the window of the gallery running beneath the huge framework of the airship. "look! you can see the flashes from the guns of the pathans," he called. "a circle of them, getting very close too. what's the latest message?" "officer hit, sir," reported the wireless operator. "several men hurt since we were first called up. ammunition gone completely. they expect to be rushed at any instant, and in any case once night has completely fallen." "in fact a dangerous if not desperate situation," said andrew, his voice anxious. "now, what do we do? i am prepared to make any sacrifice that may be necessary. but wait; could we not direct our searchlights on the enemy and so scare them away? they are sure to be ignorant savages, and a beam from above might very well throw them into a panic." but major harvey shook his head decidedly, though one could not see the movement, for all lights aboard the ship had been switched off. outside there was darkness, getting more intense every minute, while, as the major had informed them, one could detect flashes spurting from a hundred points in a circle, while the rattle of musketry came faintly to the ear. the position of the dusky enemy was, in fact, clearly outlined by those flashes, and looking downward dick could imagine the position of the gallant little band of gurkhas stationed somewhere in the centre awaiting the rush of the enemy. "with bayonets ready fixed," he told himself. "but it'd be short work in the darkness. those pathans would creep in--are creeping in even now--and outnumber our fellows by twenty to one. yes, this is a tough little business." it was obvious that the major viewed it in a similar light, while he was emphatic in his reply to andrew. "might scare 'em a trifle at first with your lights," he told him shortly. "but, bless you, these pathans aren't so uneducated as you imagine. they've lived so long within call of the british that they keep in touch with big movements. the many friends they send down into the plains to loot rifles return with tales of what they've seen, with news of what they've heard in the bazaars and hovels they've frequented. so they've seen motor cars for a certainty, and possibly a solitary aeroplane. in any case they know the sahib can rise into the air and stay there. that's why their astonishment won't easily be turned to alarm. but if there were daylight the size of this ship alone might send 'em skeedadling. no, mr. andrew, we've got to do something active." "at your service. in what way, major? mention it and you will have our support." "then ammunition's wanted; so's an officer." "and you suggest----?" "with your approval i propose to descend to our troops, taking ammunition with me. you have service rifles aboard and have an abundant store of cartridges. then lower a few cases as rapidly as you are able." andrew was not the one at such a time to stand chattering, while had he been one of undecided mind joe would have given an order promptly. fortunately both uncle and nephew were alike in that respect, and at once assented to the major's proposal. a low call, indeed, brought hawkins and hurst and a few of the others hurrying forward, with sergeant evans and private larkin in close attendance. "i've roused half a dozen cases of ammunition already, sir," reported the sergeant. "they're being carried at this moment toward the lift." "good!" cried the major. "then there need be no delay. now, mr. andrew, if your nephew will kindly locate our friends below, so that i may be dropped directly toward them, we will soon bring a change to this situation. and once i have landed, a searchlight turned upon the enemy will be of great advantage. i need not ask you to be cautious not to turn the beams on the little party i hope to have the honour of commanding within a few minutes." brisk and abrupt as became a soldier about to undertake a hazardous expedition, the major at once stepped toward the lift. joe himself made for the engine room, and within a minute a dazzling beam was flooding the landscape below, not the ordinary beam that one would have expected, but a cunning circle of rays controlled by a lamp of joe's own invention. in fact he had merely taken the precaution to place a black disk in the centre of the enormous reflector of the lamp, so that the central beams were almost entirely occluded. staring down from the airship, her crew and passengers found that they were above a mountainous district. huge rocks and pinnacles cropped up from a plateau which was barren and strewn with boulders, while the general trend of the ground was steeply downward, from the point immediately beneath the vessel. it was there, gathered in a circle surrounded by rocks, that the feeble central rays, the few which had managed to escape the obliterating disk, fell upon some sprawling figures. "the gurkhas," cried dick. "look at 'em waving. and see the enemy!" the latter were easily visible, and it made dick catch his breath when he observed that some were within two hundred yards perhaps of that little central group. creeping forms were half hidden behind rocks. others were worming a way across open ground, while, as the beams played upon them, not a few of the dusky enemy stood upright and waved their arms and shouted. indeed, some turned tail and ran. then loud commands recalled them, while one figure erected itself, a figure swathed in flowing garments, arms were tossed overhead, and those in the airship could hear a stentorian voice haranguing the men. "listen!" cried the major. "ah! 'my brethren,' he calls to them, 'my brethren, be not fearful of the white light which shines from the sky. it is not magic. it is merely the lamp from the balloon of the infidel. what harm may a lamp do then to the faithful? how can it come between us and these gurkha dogs whom we have been seeking this many a day? then cease to take note of it. fear not, but push forward, for their ammunition is exhausted. now, i myself will lead the rush.' "what's our height?" asked the major abruptly. "a thousand feet," suggested dick. "no, six hundred," joe corrected him from the entrance to the engine-room. "then lower me to our fellows, then ascend out of range of shot. many of those pathans are armed with modern rifles and could riddle the ship. now, sir, i am ready." "so am i," cried dick, taking his place on the platform of the lift, where the ammunition cases had already been placed. "and i also," chimed in alec, joining him. "but----" began andrew. "let 'em come," said the major. "it'll be a fine experience for them. but you know the risks, lads." dick grinned. he had a way of doing that when excited. alec merely slung his rifle across his shoulders and gripped the supporting cable. "lower away then," cried andrew. "now!" the motor hummed that cheerful refrain to which all had now become accustomed. the platform sank from the gallery gently at first, and then fell rapidly. and as it went, the rays of the lamp were shut off completely. but a few moments later, when the telephone bell sounded and the major's voice was heard, the beams again swamped the underlying landscape, showing the lift but a few feet above the group of gurkhas. "lower," they heard from the major. "grounded, and as gently as possible," said joe. "ah! they've taken the cases off. now, up she comes. send the ship upward; and, hawkins." "sir," that worthy responded, saluting in nautical fashion. "put the men at the windows of the gallery and let 'em fire down upon the enemy. sergeant evans, you'll see that there's ammunition." there was at once brisk movement aboard the ship, while down below the patter of rifle shots had already come from the central group of soldiers. indeed, those ammunition cases were already opened, and within a minute of the major's arrival the gurkhas had all received a supply of cartridges. "i'll post myself in the centre," the major told dick and alec swiftly. "you, dick, take command of the men on the upper face. that's the point from which the rush is likely to come, for that's where their chief is stationed. alec, take the lower slope, and look out for crawling rascals. ah! they've opened from the ship, and some of the pathans are replying." bullets indeed were hissing upward, and twice joe flinched as a missile hit the celludine sides of his pet airship. "it'll--it'll bring us down, won't it?" gasped andrew, though he showed no signs of terror. "not it," came the reassuring answer. "we shall lose a little gas perhaps, for those bullets make but the smallest opening. it would require a shell to do great damage. even then, don't forget that there are quite a number of compartments. wish to goodness i had brought bombs aboard the ship. a few dropped on the heads of the enemy would send 'em scuttling." the need for such inventions was beneath the ship without a doubt, for the circling beam of light showed that the marconi operator had made no error when he reported that there were a thousand pathans hemming in the gurkha soldiers. indeed, every little rock seemed to shelter a recumbent figure, while rifles could be seen protruding from a hundred crevices. moreover, the arrival of the ship had stirred the enemy to greater exertions, while the fact that ammunition had now reached the defenders of the central position roused them to fury. the loud crackle of musketry from the ship also helped not a little to force the pathans to complete their task at once or slink away into the darkness. "massing up above me, sir," dick reported coolly, when the major crept across to the post he had taken some few minutes later. "i've seen that chief of theirs twice and tried to pot him. but he's artful. he and his men are closer. they'd have been here by now but for the light which shows their positions. the gurkhas ain't wasting many shots either." in the half-light playing over the defenders it was possible to see the short, sturdy forms of the native soldiers, those hillmen who have fought so often side by side with their white comrades. they lay in a circle, each man behind cover, with magazines crammed in preparation for the moment when the enemy would charge. slowly and deliberately they were shooting cartridges from their pouches into the breeches of their weapons, and every half-second there was a sharp report, and often enough an answering shriek from the enemy. ah! suddenly that tall figure clad in flowing raiment stood erect, while the chief waved a rifle over his head. instantly a dozen weapons held by the gurkhas covered him, and dick himself swung his own rifle to his shoulder. but the figure dropped out of sight promptly, only to appear a minute later some fifteen feet to the right. it was a broad-bladed tulwar which the beams from above them showed him to be waving. a loud shout escaped him, and instantly, as if it were a signal, as undoubtedly it was, the pathans became silent. not one drew trigger. then the clear, ringing voice of the chief was heard once more. "telling 'em to make ready," said the major crisply. "listen! this is what he says. i know their lingo and so can translate. 'brethren, the hour has come to end this little matter. if we delay, then the infidel will prove too strong for us. drop, then, your rifles and firearms. take to your knives, and when i shout once more rush in upon the accursed infidel.'" "got him!" declared dick a second later. "hate shooting a fellow in the open, but then, it's he or us. eh, sir?" "quite right! a good shot and a plucky one," cried the major. "you risked getting a bullet from the enemy. that shot of yours will quieten them for a few moments. but it won't stop the rush. every man in a tribe such as this is capable of leading his fellows. yes; watch closely, and you, men," he went on, turning to the gurkhas, and speaking in their own language, "obey the officer here. the enemy will rush at any moment. as they come, pour volleys into them, then stand shoulder to shoulder and give them the bayonet." a hoarse cheer came from the sturdy gurkhas, a cheer answered by hawkins and hurst and his fellows overhead. "there's me and larkin and few more of the boys as would give summat to be down there a waitin' for them 'eathen," said the former, growling the words into joe's ear. "me and some of my mates 'd give a heap to be alongside of them 'ere gurkha fellers, a standin' with bayonets fixed. lor, sir, see them pathan villains! if they ain't all crawling and crawling towards one corner." from the gallery of the airship it was possible to see everything, and with a twinge of apprehension joe discerned perhaps five hundred figures now. they were leaving hollows and cover from all directions, and were creeping and worming their way towards one quarter, the point from which their chief had called to them. "very serious," he told himself. "they're massing for a charge. i'll drop the ship closer and chance more of their bullets, though for the last few minutes they have left us alone. ah! sergeant evans, what do you advise?" "send the ship a trifle closer, sir," came the prompt answer. "get directly over those varmint. then--then leave 'em to me. i've prepared something for 'em, something that'll blow a few of 'em back into their own passes." "a bomb?" asked joe, dumbfounded, for as he had said, he had brought nothing of the sort aboard with him. indeed, firearms and weapons of offence generally were not of great interest to him. his was the subtle mind which gripped larger affairs, affairs such as this airship, and her simple yet extremely efficient equipment. but if he were ignorant of weapons, cartridges, and bombs, sergeant evans had at least some acquaintance with such matters. "thought we'd likely enough want something of the sort, sir," he said. "so i've got 'em ready. move the ship directly over 'em, sir. quick, too, or they'll be starting to rush, and then nothing will hold them. there! see them gurkhas! the major's drawing them all close together, so it's clear that he's seen what's passing." the unusual opportunities that the light playing upon the surroundings of the gurkhas gave offered opportunities to the gallant major which otherwise would have been missing. indeed, the paucity of numbers of the little british force was in a measure compensated for by the darkness which hung over them, and by the brilliant light surrounding their enemy. had there been no cover there, save in the centre, no doubt that spreading light would have enabled the major quickly to send the pathans scuttling. but the ground was strewn with rocks, rocks which offered first-class cover, and even gave protection against bullets fired from the airship. not that hawkins and his comrades missed their chances. many a crawling enemy did they locate, and many a pathan did they cause to bite the dust. but they could not stop that concentrating movement no more than could the gurkhas; and presently, peeping from behind the rock which sheltered him, dick made out a mass of human beings to his front, every rock and crevice seeming to hold a figure. suddenly a man stood to his full height, careless of the weapons wielded by the gurkhas. two arms waved frantically above his head, while there was the gleam of steel flashing in the rays of the electric light pouring down upon them. "the hour is here; allah bids us advance. to those who fall, there is happiness and glory in the long future. charge!" he was a brave man, and at any other time dick would willingly have seen him spared. but he was a leader, and, as such, of danger to this little party. it was, therefore, with a sigh of relief that he saw the man's figure suddenly straighten. the chief leaned backward, his arms widespread, his tulwar dangling from one wrist then, with a shriek, he leaped forward, crumpled up in midair, and fell heavily upon a boulder. "but another will take his place," whispered the major. "dick, this is even hotter than i had anticipated. i was rash to let you and alec come. for me, it is merely a matter of duty, for an officer was wanted badly. for you, it is a different matter, and if anything happens----" "it'll be duty for me too, sir," answered the midshipman coolly. "i'm an officer too, sir, don't forget that. besides, we ain't dead yet. a long way from it." that was mr. dicky hamshaw all over. his cheerful optimism was catching. it was just the thing for which his tars adored him. "if that ain't mr. dicky there a-standin' out in the open!" shouted hurst at that very moment, catching sight of the familiar figure of the young sailor as the lamp above swayed and swept a few scattered beams over the gurkhas. "he's a-shakin' 'is fist at the 'eathen, and he's a-standin' in the open. get under cover there, sir," he bawled loudly through the window of the gallery, while hawkins and the others stared anxiously down at their middy. "and there's mister alec, 'im as is too good for a sailor," chimed in private larkin, though the effort at humour at that moment cost him something. "blest if he ain't a-standing alongside of that 'ere dicky, a-talkin' to him as cool as a gineral." "stop talking, men, please," came from joe, in anxious tones. "now is the time to pepper the enemy, for i fear that they are about to charge. yes. look! another rascal has risen to lead them." the crackle of musketry from the grouped figures of the gurkhas told plainly enough that the time for trial was upon them, while if joe and the crew of the airship had a doubt, the lamp soon convinced them. that slow, careful movement of concentration was now completed. perhaps five hundred of the enemy were gathered in one quarter, and but two hundred yards separated them from the major and his command. and a third leader had suddenly put in an appearance. the gurkhas could not see him, though joe and andrew could. for he was behind an enormous piece of rock, where he was busily haranguing his fellows. "and a-callin' of 'em to 'ack mr. dicky hamshaw to pieces," growled hawkins, adjusting his sights on the figure. "this 'ere's for an 'eathen--a black-'earted 'eathen!" his weapon snapped, there was a loud thud as the bullet struck the rock behind which the chief was standing, and then a shout from mr. andrew. "they're off! they're charging!" he cried. "make way! now, drop her a trifle, sir," called sergeant evans, who had posted himself at one of the windows. "that will do. stop her. now watch." he tossed something from the airship and craned his head as far as was possible. as for hawkins and the rest of the crew, they fired madly down upon the enemy. for those five hundred figures, partly hidden some few seconds earlier, were now in the open. they were rushing together across the two hundred yards of barren ground which alone separated them from the forlorn gurkhas. in half-dozens, in clusters of ten and more, in ones and twos and threes, with streaming banners, with waving arms and whirling knives and tulwars, they were descending upon dick and his gallant comrades as a whirlwind, a human avalanche which would overwhelm them. it made andrew positively ill with fear of the consequences. he shut his eyes tightly and gripped the frame of the window. as for joe, he darted towards the engine-room, with the mad, half-formed idea of sending the ship plunging downward, charging that charging host, in fact. even hawkins forgot to use his weapon any longer. sergeant evans alone retained perfect coolness. "another second," he shouted to them, "one little second, and then----" the answer came before he had finished speaking. the head of that charging column was suddenly enveloped in a blinding flash, a flash the brilliance of which dimmed the rays from the ship's lamp. those whirling pathans melted, as it were, were swept aside, were blown out of sight by a terrific explosion. even those in the airship above felt a portion of the concussion, while the vast ship itself trembled and swayed ominously. "what is that? we are hit with a shell! we are falling!" the stout figure of carl reitberg appeared at his cabin door, clutching at it convulsively. but not one took the smallest notice of him, save andrew, who turned and bade him curtly to be silent. "a few feet ahead, sir," called sergeant evans. "now, that'll stop 'em." once more he leaned from the window of the gallery and tossed something into space. and again there were some seconds' anxious waiting. then there came a mighty explosion, more forcible than the first--a concussion and blast of flame and gas which shot the ship upward. down below it brought havoc to the pathans, for it fell almost in the centre of that still-charging host, sweeping perhaps a hundred out of existence. howls resounded on every side, while the rays streaming down upon this battlefield showed dusky figures scuttling away in all directions. and then came cheers, hoarse cheers of relief from the gurkhas, while hawkins and his comrades made the night hideous with their shouting. indeed, for perhaps five minutes the noise continued, while occasionally a shot rang out as a gurkha sighted some crawling figure. then joe manoeuvred the ship over the spot which the major had been holding, and let her settle gently. "now for food for the men and more ammunition, beside help for the wounded," he said. "let's bustle." the following morning found their work completed; while, as the ship rose once more, she sighted a relieving column within a mile of the little force to whose aid they had come on the previous evening. it was clear, in fact, that there was no longer need for delay, and therefore the airship was headed eastward. nor had joe gresson been idle in the meanwhile. he had repaired the few holes in the envelope of the vessel, and had set his gas producer in action, thereby replenishing losses. and now he steered for the heart of india, for delhi, in fact, where he proposed to restock his larders. two days later found the party hovering over that ancient and historic city, while that same evening the huge airship lay resting tranquilly outside the fortifications, within sight of the famous ridge of delhi, a vast multitude gazing on her. doors in that long gallery were thrown open, officers and high officials, both british and native, thronged the ship, while even ladies partook of andrew's hospitality. indeed there was a merry party in the saloon, while dicky hamshaw was conducting an admiring party over the vessel. only one individual was missing. it was mr. carl reitberg, at that moment skulking in his cabin. "at last," he was chuckling, as he rubbed his hands together, and gently prised open that curious box of his. "at last the time has come to teach these people a lesson. a little caution, a little watching, and then the ship flies in pieces. of course, it'll be sad for the men. i've no grudge against 'em. but then, how can i help killing a few? the destruction of the ship is all-important. yes, a little cunning and i shall lay the bombs, set the clockwork in motion, and go. who is to say that it was not due to a dreadful accident?" the man's face was positively hideous in its cunning. those aboard the airship were indeed face to face with a crisis. chapter xv the great attempt a motley crowd thronged the narrow streets of the old city of delhi, that city to which for so many years the eyes of the natives of india had ever been turned, the same quaint, battlemented stronghold which had seen those mutineers arrive flushed with the success of their first massacres of sahibs and mem-sahibs and children, had witnessed the struggle of sepoys to overthrow the british raj. a noisy crowd of gesticulating people, as dusky almost as ebony, some resplendent in many-coloured robes and turbans, others, the coolies, clad in but the lightest raiment, bargained at the numerous booths, or sat on their haunches in the sun, basking in the heat, smoking their hubble-bubbles. now and again a sowar passed, mounted on his wiry animal, as fine a soldier as this jewel in england's glorious crown could well produce. then came a gurkha maybe, though very few were to be found in the neighbourhood of delhi; a tall sikh followed, his dark eyes glowing beneath his huge and picturesque turban. in short, a motley crowd, a crowd of surpassing interest, wended its way hither and thither, some about their ordinary business, some on shopping bent, others merely idling, trusting to meet chance acquaintances when they could forgather in some quiet corner and chatter about the huge airship. "ripping!" declared alec, when he and dick had looked on at the throng for perhaps an hour, and had strolled through a number of streets. "it's quite the most interesting thing i have ever seen. look! there are english people mixed up with the natives." there was every nationality one could imagine almost. slim, sly men from the hills, in the neighbourhood of the north-west, a couple of afghan merchants but recently arrived by way of the khyber pass, a parsee banker, a native clerk, a postman of dusky colour. then a group of chattering women, a bevy of girls from the nearest school, clad in garments very similar to those worn by their european sisters. and later a gorgeously-caparisoned elephant, with some native prince in the howdah. a band sounded in the distance, and presently a british regiment swung by, the natives on either side salaaming to the colours, which dick saluted in naval style. nor were our two young friends the least interesting of the people bustling about the streets of delhi. a couple of clean, jolly, well-set-up young englishmen they looked, their white drill suits and topees suiting them admirably. but there were others of interest also. three sailors swung by, barging through the crowd with that curious roll so common to men of the sea. need we say that they were hawkins, hurst, and pierson, with the cantankerous and unlovely private larkin in close attendance? and didn't they take good care to salute our two young friends! "it's him!" growled hawkins fiercely in private larkin's ear when he caught sight of dick and alec. "now then, all together, and mind there ain't no skulking." "'oo's a skulking, i'd like to know?" came in grumbling tones from the soldier even in the midst of a fierce salute. "one would think as you naval chaps was the only ones as could do a job of this sort nice and handy! 'sides, i'm salutin' mr. alec, 'im as is fit ter be a soldier, and will be. i ain't no doubt as he'll pass the navy. it ain't in his line, yer see. too much red tape and pipeclay for 'is liking." it was another effort on the part of this pleasant individual to get up a fierce argument, and had the men been gathered in their quarters aboard the airship no doubt hawkins would have obliged him. but there was too much to be seen on every hand, and therefore, with a growling "come along, you," he led the way past our heroes and down the bazaar. "hallo! mr. carl reitberg of all people! thought he was abed, quite done up after that little affair of ours on the north-west frontier," exclaimed dick, some few minutes later. "the high and mighty carl reitberg seated in a gharri careering about the streets of delhi. look at him shouting because the crowd don't move aside soon enough for his majesty. and where is he going?" "which reminds me that we haven't kept up that watch since we came to delhi," said alec. "think he's up to any games?" how could one answer that question? no doubt the magnate had his own business to transact, and indeed, halted at a bank and entered. when he emerged dick saw that he was tucking a well-filled purse into his pocket. he struggled into his cab, mopped his forehead with a handkerchief of brilliant hue, and then gave directions to the driver. "vote we follow," cried dick. "i don't like our guest's face, to be quite frank with you. what's he drawing money for? where's he going?" "might just as well expect other folks to be asking the same question about us. but we'll follow. here, out of the way, you son of a gun. hi! gharri!" alec displaced the dusky individual who barred his path, and waved frantically to a cabman. a minute later the two were seated in the gharri, which at once set out in pursuit of the one that carl reitberg had taken. "booking office of the railway," said dick, ten minutes later, seeing carl descend and enter an office so labelled. "had enough of the airship it seems, and will make the trip to the coast by train. but that's queer, ain't it?" "what's queer? why? how?" asked alec in a breath. "don't be a donkey! carl reitberg's queer." "ill? he don't look it. seems to be he's very much alive-o!" dick turned an indignant, not to say angry glance upon his companion. "you are thick!" he said bluntly. "i wasn't referring to the health of our estimable friend. i was referring to his actions. they're queer, ain't they?" "no--why? why shouldn't he return by train and steamer if he wishes to do so?" "because at breakfast this morning he told us all how he was enjoying the trip. pretended even to have been charmed with our little brush with those pathans. said nothing would induce him to part with the airship till she had landed him in england." "my! yes. greasy beggar," reflected alec. "what's it mean? playing double. but perhaps he ain't booking. look here, i'll hop in and listen to what's passing." mr. carl reitberg was without a doubt booking a seat for bombay. alec squeezed himself through the throng of europeans in the booking office, and managed to reach a spot just behind the magnate. there he heard him enquiring for the next ship sailing from bombay, and watched as he booked a cabin. "you're right; it's mighty queer," he told dick on returning. "what does it mean?" "everything, perhaps; perhaps nothing. he's foxy, and means to clear out, that's plain. but it don't say that he means us or the ship a mischief. not that i'd trust him. sergeant evans is full of dark hints, and could tell us a yarn, i'm sure, if we encouraged him. i'm going to set a watch on mr. reitberg." "those beggarly brats," reflected the magnate, ten minutes later, when he emerged from the office and saw a gharri passing with our two young friends aboard. "sight-seeing, i suppose. well, they've not seen me buying my ticket. no one has. i've thrown dust in their eyes nicely. now i can return to the ship, wait my chance, and then----" it made him chuckle. he sat back in the gharri smiling and perspiring, mopping his forehead from time to time. and it was with a wonderfully elastic step that he strode from the gharri to the airship, roughly pushing aside the throng of natives and entered the gallery. "it'll be a big affair," he told himself with a grim smile. "of course, as i've said before, i'm sorry about the crew. but that's their lookout. a hundred or more of these natives blown to pieces will make not the smallest difference. dinner-time to-night'll suit admirably. then we're all aboard. the men'll be in their quarters, with perhaps one patrolling on the deck above, and two outside, to keep the curious natives at a distance. i'll be late for dinner; yes, that's the card to play. i send my compliments to mr. andrew, and beg to be excused as the heat has upset me. excellent! a splendid excuse. then, when all's quiet, i set the bombs in position, creep out of the ship, and while delhi is lamenting the terrible catastrophe, and thousands are chattering, i simply board the train and take the road for england." he sat down in his cabin to mop his forehead again, and then took off his coat and waistcoat. "come in," he cried testily, to a knock at the door. it was sergeant evans, respectful and polite as ever. "dinner half an hour later this evening, sir," he said. "i'll put your things out now, so as not to disturb you later." "terribly hot," gasped carl. "hardly feel as if i could eat anything. shouldn't wonder if i didn't turn up for dinner, sergeant." like the well-trained, polite fellow he was the sergeant expressed no surprise. he merely touched the button which controlled the electric fan and set it going. "hot in here, sir," he said. "that'll make things cooler. hope you'll feel better presently. half-past six now, sir. perhaps a little sleep would put you right, and make you ready for dinner." "perhaps," agreed carl laconically, mopping his forehead again. "i'll try. but don't disturb me. if i don't turn up after the gong has gone, leave me to myself. i'll be sleeping." the face of the sergeant was inscrutable as he left the cabin. if it said anything at all, it expressed commiseration for this somewhat stout and unwieldy sportsman, and the hope that he would soon feel more himself. but if his features meant that, his immediately following actions contrasted curiously with them. for the worthy sergeant passed into his own quarters, and from thence into his pantry. and by a curious freak of fortune that pantry happened to be immediately next to the cabin occupied by the worthy carl reitberg. "don't i know him? oh no! certainly not!" observed the sergeant beneath his breath. "mr. carl reitberg, yes, that's his name now; i.d.b. back in south africa in the old days. he's feeling queer, and he don't expect he'll come along to dinner. well, we'll hope he will. but we'll see what's happening in the meanwhile." so straightway he crept to the wall of the pantry, and slid aside a tiny panel, some two inches long, and of half that height. it was quite a simple contrivance, and had merely required a sharp knife and a slip of sheet celludine. a hot iron had cemented the runners of this slide to the wall, while anyone entering either the pantry or the adjacent cabin would have found it difficult to detect this opening. an inch-square aperture gave a wide view of the quarters allotted to the magnate, and of that individual himself. "felt ill, did he? poor chap!" observed the sergeant. "thought he'd follow my advice and have a sleep. looks like trying, don't he?" the fat form of the magnate was engaged at that precise moment in anything but an attempt to fall asleep. he was leaning over that precious box which he had brought aboard with him, and which he would have others believe contained valuables of great interest. the seals were broken already, and half a dozen of the screws with which the lid was secured were already drawn. the magnate was puffing heavily in his efforts to loosen one which was strangely tight and refractory. at length, however, after a fierce struggle, he succeeded, and some ten minutes later had the box open. "and here's where the fun begins," said the watching sergeant. "i'm as keen as possible to see what he's got in that box, and what he'll do with 'em. ah! two nicely rolled parcels, mr. carl, fresh and clean from the hands that wrapped 'em in old england. valuables, to be sure! priceless; deserved a safe if only this ship would have carried one." there was a grim smile on his lips as he closely watched the movements of the scoundrel bending over the box. for here indeed was a conspirator. if there had been any doubt, the man's own movements would have betrayed his uneasiness, his guilty thoughts, for carl was decidedly uneasy. never a man of courage, rather the reverse, as he had abundantly proved, the doing of this miserable and wicked deed he contemplated shook him severely. though he imagined he had braced up his shaky nerves for the adventure, and though he encouraged himself by the thought that there was no personal danger in the matter, no fear of discovery, and no difficulty in getting clear away, yet he was frightened, frightened of his own image. it caused the sergeant to smile, indeed, when carl, suddenly catching sight of his own reflection in the mirror opposite him, blanched and gripped the table. "gave me quite a turn," he gasped, his strong accent more noticeable than ever. "_himmel!_ but this deed requires more force than i had imagined. but there is no danger. can be none while i have my ticket for the train and boat in my pocket. as for the bombs, they cannot explode till the clockwork is wound. then i merely set the hands to the hour at which i desire the explosion, and--leave." "very simple," smiled the sergeant. "and i wonder where he'll put his bombs and how this ship's going to suffer. of all the rascals i ever set eyes on, it's him. sportsman! tish!" he had seen enough, and went off to the saloon to lay his table and make ready for dinner. there was a thoughtful look upon his face, an expectant smile which boded little goodwill for mr. reitberg. as for dick and alec, they were nonplussed by the disappearance of the one they had determined to watch. he had gone to ground in his cabin and was resting there. "having a sleep, sir," the sergeant told them naïvely. "finds it precious hot. don't fancy he'll turn up for dinner." "then i'm going straight to joe and mr. andrew," dick whispered to alec. "we've found out that this sportsman's going to hook it. then what's he up to?" "something, perhaps; nothing, perhaps. let's hang on a bit and watch when the others are at dinner. carl can't slip out of his cabin by the window, now can he?" dick admitted the fact briskly. "then he has to come by way of the gallery. good! we watch at either end. we nab him if he tries hanky-panky." "and if he don't. supposing he just clears off for the station?" the question was somewhat of a facer, for how could dick and alec then interfere? carl had as much right to leave the ship as they had. then, supposing he went by the ordinary route, through the gallery and so into the open, who could arrest him? it would be an outrage, a breach of good manners; worse, in fact. "oh, let's leave that question to later," said dick airily. "he ain't going by the window, that's certain. then we watch at each end of the gallery, and if he gets up to monkey tricks, why, we bowl him over." little did the magnate imagine that three at least of his fellow passengers were waiting for his appearance. not that the worthy sergeant showed much concern. now and again, on his numerous visits to the pantry, he slid that panel aside and squinted into the cabin. but he went on with his duties, prepared the table, set the chairs, and finally rang the gong briskly. as he did so the clock in the saloon chimed eight. it was precisely half an hour after mr. andrew's usual hour for dinner, and with soldier-like exactness the sergeant announced the meal at the very moment for which it had been ordered. he escorted joe and his uncle, the commander and the major, to their places, announced that mr. reitberg wished to be excused, and murmured in joe's ear the fact that dick and alec had returned to the ship and had then departed again. "then we won't wait," said andrew brusquely. "let us go on with the meal." "certainly, sir," replied the sergeant. at once he served the soup, with the help of an assistant. then he took his stand behind andrew, waiting and watching the diners as becomes a well-trained attendant. but had he forgotten the rascal in that adjacent cabin? had he allowed the matter to escape his mind? it would seem so, indeed, though there was no excuse, for but a matter of ten minutes earlier he had watched the crafty carl set the hands of his two clocks to eight-fifteen and wind the springs. why, he must be mad, crazy, for at that very moment carl reitberg was preparing to emerge from his cabin. but sergeant evans went on with his waiting methodically. he removed the empty soup plates and the tureen, and having placed clean, hot plates before the diners handed the fish to each in turn. there was no hurry about his movements, no sign of anxiety about his face. he did not even bother to observe the clock. instead, he offered sherry to each of the gentlemen present, put the decanter back upon the sideboard, and motioned to his assistant to hasten to the kitchen for the next course. it was ten minutes after the hour. in five minutes those bombs with which the dastardly carl hoped to wreck the vessel would explode. in five short minutes----hark! what was that? joe turned slowly in his chair. andrew glanced across at the major. "dick and alec larking again," observed the commander dryly. "a little more shipboard discipline is what our mr. dicky hamshaw requires. what a noise the brats are making." there was indeed quite an uproar in the gallery outside. the voices of hawkins, hurst, and larkin were heard in succession. and then the door of the saloon was burst unceremoniously open, figures appeared outside, and a moment later carl reitberg was thrust into the chamber, hawkins and larkin gripping his shoulders, while dick and alec followed immediately behind them. "caught him in the act, sir!" shouted dick, excitedly, addressing andrew. "watched him place two bombs in position along the gallery. here they are. at least we guess they're bombs, though they're wrapped in paper." that saloon had never before witnessed such a curious gathering, nor such excitement if one describes the matter fully. not that joe and his fellow diners betrayed great concern. their stern faces merely showed disgust, loathing for this carl reitberg, while the well-trained sergeant looked on with polite indifference, showing just a trace of annoyance, as if he objected to the dinner being so unceremoniously disturbed. but there coolness ceased altogether. dick and alec were dishevelled, red-hot with excitement, trembling with the importance of their discovery. hawkins's broad face showed a righteous anger which was on the point of boiling over, while private larkin's fierce face gave one the idea that he was within an ace of exploding. in the centre, pinioned by the arms, pale and wabbling, was the magnate, speechless with fright, his pig-like eyes rolling with terror. [illustration: the collapse of carl reitberg _page _] it was one of those unexpected situations when one would have felt surprise if the dinner were not abandoned, the crew of the ship aroused, and a huge commotion set going. but andrew provost had already given abundant proof of his coolness. joe, too, was not so easily frightened, while a calm demeanour on the part of the commander and the major was to be expected. but no one would quite have anticipated the line of action which andrew adopted. "and so you have discovered this mr. reitberg, our guest aboard, in the midst of an attempt to wreck the vessel!" he said softly. "well, well, you may be mistaken." "impossible, sir," cried alec. "we watched him first. he's a ruffian." "but--but still there may be some little error," andrew asserted. "we will give our guest the benefit of the doubt for the moment and investigate the matter. place a chair there for him, sergeant." "but--but these beastly things are set to go off in four minutes," shouted dick suddenly. "look, sir. i've stripped the paper from the bombs. there's a clock attached to the outside of each. it's ticking, and the hands are set at eight-fifteen. they'll explode then and blow the place to pieces." "four minutes, you said. i make it but three," joe exclaimed of a sudden, taking the bombs. "that's too bad. dick, you must give it up as hopeless. you couldn't possibly get these bombs away to a safe distance in that short space of time. eh, major?" "hopeless. let 'em cut and run, dick and alec and the others. i'm too old to make the attempt. put the bombs on the table." was everyone mad? had these diners gone completely crazy? dick looked round in bewilderment, and went scarlet with anger. for the major was actually sipping his sherry, while joe was thrusting a morsel of fish into his mouth. as for the sergeant, he placed a chair for the magnate between joe and andrew, plumped that perspiring and shaking individual into it, and having taken the two bombs from dick put them on the table within a foot of carl reitberg. we make no excuse for hawkins and his friend. they turned at andrew's nod and bolted. "not for me, thanks," said dick desperately. "sherry, please, sergeant." "ditto," gasped alec, seating himself. "in fact, we swim or sink together. or shall we say, we stand shoulder to shoulder awaiting the last great flight of this giant vessel?" there was a quizzing tone in the major's voice, and he was actually winking. winking! and so was the sergeant. "sherry, sir. yes, sir," he observed, in his ordinary, matter-of-fact tones, placing a glass before our two young heroes. "and don't you expect nothing," he whispered. "them things is o.k. you'll yet eat a dinner." meanwhile things were hardly going comfortably for mr. reitberg. the rascal sat far back in his chair, tilting it backward, his two hands gripping the table, and his bulging eyes fixed on the hands of the two clocks attached to his infernal machines. he was livid with fear. a cold, clammy perspiration covered his forehead. his fat cheeks shook and wobbled in an ugly manner, and what little hair he had positively bristled. his breath came in choking grunts, wheezing from his lungs, while his lips were dry and parted. "one minute more; only one minute," he gasped at last, staring at the clock faces. "only one minute." "pardon--rather more. perhaps two or three seconds," observed the major icily. "then, mr. reitberg----" "take me away. let me leave the place. throw those bombs out of the window--i say, throw them away. they'll explode; they'll kill me. they'll tear me to pieces." the wretch foamed at the mouth, his attention concentrated all the while on those two clock faces. his eyes were bloodshot now, his nails digging like talons into the table. "then they are really bombs? you actually meant to wreck the vessel?" asked andrew. but the rascal cowering in a frenzy of terror at the table hardly seemed to hear his words, much less to heed them. he was bending lower now, ducking his head, and yet looking upward from beneath his brows at the hands on those two dials. they were near the quarter. in ten seconds they would reach the point at which he had set the trigger. and then---- "take me away!" he screamed, foaming at the mouth, and looking hideous in his terror. "kill me now. shoot me. don't let me be blown to pieces by these bombs. ah! i will kill myself." he made a desperate effort to seize a knife from the table, and no doubt would have done himself some severe injury. but the commander seized his arm. "no," he said sternly. "this is your trial, a trial of your own making. learn now what it is to set bombs to slaughter other people. endure to the full the torment that others were to suffer." the strain was too great for the magnate. a gurgling cry escaped him, and a moment later he was stretched full length on the carpet. "call in the others," commanded joe curtly. "let us go on with our dinner. and by the way, sergeant, tell mr. dick and his friend that there's no danger." "no danger!" shouted the midshipman. "none! why, i've been hanging on to my chair hard expecting to be blown to pieces." "like mr. reitberg, only different," smiled andrew. "lads, you've shown splendid pluck. now, let's eat. as for the bombs, they happen to be empty." chapter xvi record high flying it required quite an amount of explanation and apology to mollify the hot-headed and indignant dicky hamshaw and his friend alec when they learned how all their energy, all their suspense and anxiety for the great airship and the safety of their friends had been unnecessary and thrown away. "and--and you mean to tell us that the bombs are empty?" demanded the former, with some curtness, as soon as the fainting form of the rascal, carl reitberg, had been borne to his cabin. "i--this is no laughing matter." "precisely," answered the major, with a little smile. "and, dick, i'm not surprised at your anger. you see, we knew that those bombs had been rendered harmless." "then, sir, why not tell alec and myself?" the midshipman was almost boiling. but still, he had never been anything else but a good officer, and discipline was discipline. "beg pardon, sir," he said. "but it makes a chap rather ratty. here have i been hanging on to this chair, trying to keep cool and look it, when every instant i expected to be blown to atoms. i thought you must all be mad to go on so coolly with your dinners." "while i'm in a horrible perspiration," confessed alec, mopping his brow. then he seemed to see some fun in the matter, and grinned at his comrade. "all the same it was a good lesson for mr. reitberg," he cried. "odious toad that he is. he didn't know that the bombs were empty, now, did he? he didn't look like it. that's why he funked. that's why he went under." mr. andrew rose from his chair, and took each of the lads in turn by the hand. "we owe you many apologies," he said earnestly. "i can't forgive myself for what has happened. but there are excuses. i did not know, joe was kept in ignorance, even the major and the commander knew nothing of this matter till the very beginning of dinner. then sergeant evans told us. we owe our safety to him, to his watchfulness--though i know you also have watched--to his cleverness, and to the experience he had in south africa. there! i am sorry. but it was fine to see the manner in which you two behaved." "magnificent!" declared the major. "i shall report it," cried the commander, gripping dick's hand. "a fine example of the spirit which all naval men should show. alec, shake hands." "now, tell us the whole tale, sergeant evans," demanded joe, while dick and alec, now completely mollified, took their places at the table. indeed, dinner proceeded much as usual, but for the fact that the sergeant, while attending upon the diners, told them his tale crisply and shortly. "i knew him, this mr. carl reitberg," he began in the politest tones. in fact, you would not have imagined that he had any other but the highest opinion of the individual to whom he referred. certainly his tones showed no trace of satire, of disgust, or even of anger. "his name was different out in the transvaal," he proceeded. "he was a suspected person, and as such came under the notice of the police, that is, the civil police. he was supposed to be an i.d.b., otherwise an illicit diamond buyer. but he was more. we military police suspected him of dealings with the boers. we watched him, and he escaped, and left the country. it was natural, then, that i should suspect him when i found him here under another name. i watched him, gentlemen, watched him through a peephole cut in the wall of his cabin, which is next the pantry. he had a box with him, a suspicious box, filled with valuables as he said. i investigated the contents of that box." "but, pardon for the interruption, sergeant. that box was sealed," remarked mr. andrew, with a lift of his white eyebrows. "yes, sir--sealed. red sealing wax, impressed with a seal hanging to the man's watch chain. i borrowed that seal one day. i opened the box, investigated the contents, removed the explosives, leaving everything else as it was, sealed the box again and returned it to its old position. no one was the wiser. even mr. reitberg was unsuspicious when he opened the box this evening. he imagined he still had dangerous bombs, whereas i knew that they had already served their purpose." "served their purpose? how?" demanded joe quickly. "you remember the pathans, sir? well, mr. reitberg's bombs stopped their rush, and came in very handy." the tale proved, if it had proved nothing else, that in sergeant evans the airship possessed a trusty and astute man. but it also proved to the hilt the rascality of carl reitberg. "of course," said mr. andrew, when the warm thanks of the gathering had been given to the sergeant, "of course, we take no action. the ruffian is not worth powder and shot; his meanness will bring about its own punishment. when he recovers we will let him go, thankful that we are well quit of him." it followed that late that night, he having then recovered consciousness, a gharri conveyed the disconsolate carl to the railway station, where he took train for bombay. but it must not be imagined that the man took with him any feelings of gratitude to those who had so handsomely dealt with him. no. they had made a fool of him. he realized now that the bombs before which he had been forced to sit, and which he had expected to shatter him to fragments in a few seconds, he realized that they had been rendered harmless. all his fears and terrors, all his squirming, the terrible exhibition he had made of himself were to no purpose. he had been fooled. the very people he had imagined to be so stupidly wanting in astuteness, who had failed to suspect him, had defeated his dastardly attempt with surprising ease. it made the magnate boil with rage and mortification. he fanned his heated brow as the train sped onward, set his crooked teeth and swore beneath his breath. "ah!" he grunted. "made a fool of me. know now that i am not the sportsman they imagined. fancy themselves safe, and are sure of winning that wager. we'll see. there is still time. there is still adolf fruhmann." yes, there was still that unmitigated rascal, ready to attempt anything if sufficiently well paid. he was the man to come now to carl's rescue. he was the one who must now attempt the wrecking of the airship. but how? "i'll wire to him to meet me at suez," carl decided before he reached bombay. "he'll be able to propose a scheme. yes, there's time still. if i have failed, adolf will manage to succeed. we'll show the folks aboard the airship who's best man in this matter." burning with anger at his defeat, and his vindictiveness increased almost in proportion to the distance he was steadily placing between himself and the great airship, carl reitberg boarded the steamer at bombay in no enviable frame of mind. indeed, what with the heat and his own stoutness he narrowly escaped an attack of apoplexy, and lay for some days in his cabin, his head swathed in bandages wrung out of iced water, a huge wind shute pouring the little fresh air there was into the compartment, while an electric fan shot eddies at his perspiring person. indeed, to the average individual it was an uncomfortable season during which to visit the neighbourhood of bombay. to carl reitberg, the pompous, fat, and rascally magnate swelling with indignation, hate, and all uncharitableness, it was a positive nightmare. in this uncomfortable condition, then, we can leave him to his own devices, with the knowledge that, though he had failed once in his dastardly effort to wreck joe gresson's invention, he had by no means given up all hope of achieving success. for joe and his friends, we can say that they gave scarcely another thought to their late guest, who had abused their kindness so disgracefully. "it's a black page in the history of our trip," said andrew, the morning following. "we will turn it over and seal it down. ugly things are better as a rule when shut out of view. and now, mr. skipper?" "now, joe?" cried the commander. "we await orders. do we remain here cooking in the neighbourhood of delhi? or do we seek a more balmy clime, where a man may sleep peacefully in his cabin, and must not necessarily spend the baking night restlessly pacing the open deck above dressed only in his pyjamas?" "yes--what next?" demanded dick, his mouth still busy with the breakfast he was devouring. but what recked dicky of heat? mr. midshipman hamshaw carried an appetite wherever he went, and his breakfast this morning showed that heat hardly affected him. he was not even limp, whereas the major, hardened soldier that he was, and accustomed to india, was as flabby as a wet rag. "which comes of modern invention," he laughed. "send me to india in the cold weather, and leave me in the plains when the heat comes. i'll not turn a hair, for i've had time to become acclimatized. but set out from london as we have done on this new-fangled machine--apologies, joe and mr. andrew--set out, i say, on this airship and plunge me suddenly from the heights, where one needs a fur coat, to the plains about delhi in the hot weather, and i admit i become a limp, nerveless individual." "while i for another shall be glad to move on," joe admitted. "well, now; we take in stores here--they are coming aboard already--then, following the plan agreed upon, we sail along over the all-red route. naturally, this trip is not a true tour of the world, for then we should take a straight line, the shortest route possible. we are purposely lengthening our journey, and should we successfully complete it, we shall have flown many more miles than the twenty-five odd thousand which circumvent the globe. so our course lies east, parallel almost to the himalaya mountains." "ah! a test of elevation, perhaps," suggested the commander. "you could cross the himalayas." "why not?" "at their highest point?" "i have reason to believe so," said joe, with the quiet assurance of the inventor who has the utmost faith in the powers of the machine he has constructed. "why not?" "because--well, because mount everest happens to be the highest peak," replied the commander dryly. "let's see; what is its exact altitude? here, dick, one of you youngsters, let us have the figure." "sorry, sir; can't. forgotten--so long since i left school," answered the imperturbable dick. "ask alec, he's the latest kid to leave." he accompanied his remarks with a grin in his friend's direction, which became the broader as alec shook his fist at him. "well, alec? dick's a dunce; he's like most middies," said the commander. and for a wonder alec was able to supply the information. "twenty-nine thousand and two feet high, sir," he told them. "highest mountain in the world. cold as christmas up at the top. haven't been there myself, you know, but i'm guessing." "in fact, rather more uncomfortable there than down here," laughed the major. "well, joe, it's a stumper?" "i cannot say. to cross above the highest peak we must ascend some five miles. that is a tremendous height; it will need special preparation." but one could see that joe was bitten with the idea of accomplishing that which no other person or machine had ever achieved before. he went to the engine-room forthwith, and for the next two hours closely inspected the gasometer and carburettor which supplied his engines. then he took the temperature of the crude paraffin which, unlike other internal-combustion motors, not only formed the explosive charge, and conveyed power through those long, sinuous, cold-drawn steel pipes to the distant hydraulic motors, but also surrounded the cylinders, acting as an effective cooling agent. if one had watched him one would have seen the thoughtful joe working out some pleasant little calculations, calculations which would have given dicky hamshaw quite a headache. but the result seemed to satisfy him, for he once more inspected his engines, made a small adjustment, and then went off to the saloon. "gentlemen," he said solemnly, "we have loaded our stores. if all are ready we will make for mount everest and there test the powers of this vessel." it was one of the many advantages of being aboard an airship. there was no packing to be done, no cabs to call, no trains to be entered. joe had merely to return to the engine-room and start his motors, so that within ten minutes the ship was off, followed by the cheers and shrill native cries of thousands. for a while she hovered over the city of delhi, mounting and mounting steadily, till she was but a speck in the sky, a speck almost invisible because of the material of which she was constructed. it was an object lesson to many thousands also. for where in all india, in all the world, was there a gun capable of reaching her, of destroying the airship, of preventing her crew, had they so wished, from dropping bombs upon the citizens of delhi? "in war, an invincible arm," declared the major with conviction. "a terrible arm, indeed, for here is a ship as secure, as handy, as manageable as any steamer. let us hope that the report we shall take to war office and admiralty will not fall upon deaf ears. or rather, let us pray that the authorities will test the truth of our statements by sending men aboard who are really qualified to form an opinion. not amateurs, more or less filled with a sense of their own importance, and forgetful of that of others." to those stepping the upper deck of the airship the view beneath was one of the greatest magnificence, for the brilliance of the sun brought objects beneath into unusual prominence. then, too, owing to the elevation at which the vessel now floated, the heat of the day was no longer felt. "just like an english summer," andrew murmured. "and the height, joe?" "seven thousand feet or thereabouts; not a quarter the height to which we shall have to climb before crossing mount everest. for the moment i am satisfied. now we will descend a little, for it will be cold when we begin to travel through the air. to-morrow, at about this hour, we shall have failed miserably or have added another honour to those already won by this ship. don't think me boastful. i speak of things as they are, precisely as you have found them. i ask for nothing better than honest tests. here is one. i shall strive to win in this encounter." "but one moment," said the major. "excuse my ignorance. mount everest is twenty-nine thousand and two feet in height. let us say that we must ascend to the enormous height of thirty thousand feet. will that, then, prove a record? is there a person who has before this date attained to such an altitude?" "certainly," came the prompt answer. "in the past many balloons have climbed to great heights, and i can instance a few such attempts. coxwell is said to have reached the enormous altitude of seven miles in the year . he lost the use of his hands, but contrived to open the valve with the aid of his teeth. his companion, mr. james glaisher, was then insensible. then dr. berson and dr. suring ascended from berlin in to the height of thirty-four thousand feet, contriving to maintain their senses by inhaling oxygen. and lastly, there is the recorded ascent of the _albatross_, which, in , set out from turin, and reached the stupendous height of thirty-eight thousand seven hundred and fifteen feet. "and what is the record of dirigibles?" asked the commander eagerly. "we must recollect that they are a different sort of craft, and do not ascend by heaving ballast overboard--that is, as a general rule. this ship, we know, is influenced by her vertical screws." "and will contrive to climb with them almost unaided," answered joe. "but it may be that we shall attempt a record, in which case there is ample ballast to be thrown overboard. as to the height to which dirigibles have climbed, of that i am uncertain. but it is said that six thousand feet is the record for a zeppelin, and we will allow that the zeppelin is the last word in dirigibles." "_was_," andrew corrected him quickly. "was, joe. the coming of this vessel annihilates the zeppelin." there was an air of suppressed excitement about the crew on the following afternoon, for the news of their coming attempt had leaked out. moreover, the airship had driven her way steadily onward during the night, and all through the morning she had been steering a course parallel to the gaunt himalayas, within easy distance of the snow glistening on the numerous peaks of this giant range, and within sight already of mount everest. the lofty peak raised its white head some fifty miles to their left, its snow slopes shimmering in the sun's rays. its broad base also could be detected, merging imperceptibly with the mass of the range. but the centre portion was invisible, clad in a garment of white cloud, which seemed to warn all and sundry to leave that peak alone, and make no rash attempt upon it. but joe gresson was totally unaffected. he turned the ship's head directly for the mountain and waited at the tiller till those fifty miles were accomplished, till the airship was within a short mile of the mountain, looking a mere dot when compared with the mighty mass of rock thrusting upward. "at this moment we begin our attempt," he told his friends. "kindly observe our height. we are resting precisely seven thousand feet above sea-level. now, i will start the elevating motors. when we are twenty-nine thousand feet up we will steer for the top of the peak. after that, if all are agreeable, we will ascend once more. i have a mind to accomplish a world's record. but we must take precautions. let us don all the clothing we can find, and shut all windows and openings. sergeant evans has already taken out of store our cylinders of oxygen. you will find a mouthpiece attached to each one, and my advice is that you don them when we have reached a height of twenty thousand feet." for a while there were bustling feet to be heard along the galleries of the airship. men hastened to and fro carrying oxygen cylinders, while others made a round of the vessel to close all apertures. then joe set the aerial screws in motion, and, watching closely, dick was able to detect the fact that the ship was rising swiftly. indeed, before many minutes had passed they had plunged into the cold, white cloud surrounding the central part of the mountain. he strode off to the engine-room, to find joe watching the barometer. "nineteen thousand feet," he read off. "ah, we are mounting quickly! twenty thousand feet. now we throw our cooling fan out of gear, and make ready to cover over a portion of our radiator. in that way we shall be able to keep up the temperature of our motor and of its fuel supply. now for the oxygen." they were still mounting, mounting quickly too. dick felt a queer sensation overcoming him. he was gasping, endeavouring to imbibe more air, eager for a greater supply of oxygen. "put on your mouthpiece and turn on the tap of the cylinder," joe ordered. "you're grunting, positively grunting. and look at yourself in that mirror." there was a tiny square which the engineer had secured to the side of the engine-room, and looking in it, dick was positively startled to discover that his usually vivid and fresh complexion had gone. he was a pale, dirty-blue colour. "ugh! hideous!" he grinned. "now, let's try oxygen." it had an almost immediate effect, as was to be expected, for within ten minutes he had regained his normal colour. meanwhile, the cold had become extreme. even there, in the heated engine-room, one felt it, while joe anxiously placed his hand on the cylinder tops. "throwing the cooling fan out of gear will do it," he said, in tones of satisfaction. "i've still something in hand. covering the radiator and so protecting it from cold will do the trick nicely." "twenty-seven thousand feet. twenty-eight," he read out. "are all feeling strong and well?" they were gathered about the engine-room, some crowding in that chamber itself, some at the top of the ladder leading from it, grouped in the gallery of the airship. and a queer collection they were, muffled to the eyes, more than one already shivering with cold, for it must be recollected that this feat of clambering upward demanded no personal efforts from crew or passengers. had they been on the snow-clad slopes of mount everest, amidst its glaciers and its crevasses, the path upward would have been one continual struggle, a struggle made all the more difficult by the increasing thinness of the air. indeed this thinness of the air is one of the chief difficulties to be encountered by those who would ascend to huge heights above sea-level. mountain sickness, the giddiness and nausea which attack people at great elevations, must also be overcome, though here, aboard the giant airship, not one of the members aboard felt so much as lightness of the head. it was the cold which troubled them. why, private larkin's nose was positively blue! it peeped out from above a huge muffler which he had wound round his neck. "i never!" hurst remarked, grinning at him, and then taking another breath of oxygen. "you ain't handsome, not 'arf." "'ere," grunted larkin, "none of yer lip! i'm 'avin'----" but at that moment the need for more oxygen assailed him, and he buried his mouth in the apparatus affixed to each cylinder. indeed, but for those cylinders this ascent would have been practically impossible. as it was, the ship climbed steadily, remorselessly upward. they were above the thick bank of wet cloud now. of a sudden the cold became intense, while dick found himself shielding his eyes from the glare. for the sun's rays were reflected from the virgin snow slopes with a brilliance he had never before experienced. "twenty-nine thousand feet. the summit of mount everest," called joe, fingering the tops of his cylinders and the cooling surface of his radiator somewhat anxiously. "we will attempt a landing, and then we will ascend once more." the big engine purred a little louder. had an expert been there he would not have been able to detect a single alarming sound from the mechanism of the airship. for there was, in fact, little to go wrong. "freezing up does not trouble me," joe had explained as they were ascending, "for my radiator is cooled by paraffin, and you may expose that liquid to extremes of cold with little effect. even if there were danger of its freezing, the explosions of the engine cause heat, which is absorbed by the paraffin, and i have taken steps, by throwing out of gear the cooling fan, to retain that heat. as for the rest, the same fluid passing through those lines of steel tubes to the motors overhead is constantly in action. the pressure applied to it tends to add to its temperature, so that there again we can defy the cold." the hum of the propeller told that the ship was in motion, for hitherto she had merely been ascending. now the elevator screws were hardly rotating, while dick and his friends could tell that they were advancing by the fact that the slopes of the mountain grew steadily nearer and nearer. the ship circled about the highest peak. she seemed to be looking for a landing-place. she even rested for a moment directly above the topmost pinnacle. and then joe dropped her gently upon a smooth, level slope just beneath the summit. "all explorers plant flags to show what they have done," he cried, laughing at those gathered about him. "we will do the same. come, half a dozen of us will be sufficient." they tore the door of the gallery open, for it was frozen fast, and struggled into the open, joe and the commander, with the major, and dick, and alec, in close attendance. bearing their oxygen cylinders strapped to their shoulders they trudged across the hard frozen snow, and within a few minutes had gained the summit. there they secured the staff of their union jack, pegged and roped it down, and promptly retraced their steps. "and now for a record," cried joe. "i advise all of you to don gloves if you have them and to keep moving about. i mean to rush the rest of the distance." he covered more than half of his radiator, set the elevating motors buzzing, and then glanced anxiously at his barometer. they were rising, but very slowly. it seemed to take an endless age to get away from the peak they had just visited. the tiny union jack, looking forlorn amid the snow slopes, appeared as if it would keep them company for ever. "turn that lever there," joe commanded, pointing to one close to dick's hand, for the midshipman was again in the engine-room. "if the outlet of my tank is frozen we shall have to halt for a while and apply heat. ah, that's fortunate! listen." above the gentle hum of the engine dick could hear a gurgling, splashing sound, and looking downward discovered that a spray of water was falling from the airship, a spray which was caught by the breeze, whirled to one side, and transformed instantly into thin flakes of ice which went swimming through space to find a resting-place on the slopes of the mountain. "throwing out ballast," joe explained. "now we're moving." the ship was clambering upward at a rapid pace, thanks to the weight rapidly streaming from her tanks. joe watched his barometer now with smiling eyes. "thirty thousand feet," he stated solemnly. "thirty-five thousand feet, gentlemen. almost a world's record. but five more feet and i shall be satisfied." had it not been for the mouthpieces which all were now compelled to keep constantly in use the crew would have cheered him. as it was they tramped the gallery, swinging their arms, beating their fingers, and muffling their faces in the first article of clothing upon which they could come. the cold was too intense for words, in spite of the heating arrangements aboard the ship. indeed, but for active movement many of the crew would not have been able to bear it. and steadily, relentlessly, the ship ascended, while dick, at joe's bidding, emptied first one and then the remaining tanks aboard the vessel. it was with a shout of triumph that joe announced that they had ascended to forty thousand feet. "kindly observe the barometer," he called. "kindly bear evidence to the fact that we have gained this record." then began the descent. joe arrested the elevating motors, and at once the ship began to fall. not rapidly, as one might have expected, but slowly, imperceptibly, so smoothly that but for the barometer none would have known that she was moving. and now, as they reached the level of thirty thousand feet, and that tiny union jack came into view once more, but a stone's throw to their right, the mercury ceased to move. in spite of accelerating his motors joe could no longer force the ship to descend. "dropped all the weight out of her," he said cheerfully. "must now let gas escape. that's merely a question of operating the escape valves. see, they're all linked up to this lever." he leaned over the engine, gripped a long handle and pulled upon it. it refused to move. it was firmly jammed, or rather, the linked mechanism beyond it was firmly frozen. "annoying," he exclaimed, though dick could have sworn that an anxious expression crossed his face. "try again." he made several more attempts, but without success. dick helped him without avail. even the lusty hawkins and hurst together could produce no effect, while the screws now thrashing the thin air in an endeavour to force the ship downward made not the smallest difference to the height of the mercury. and meanwhile the cold was even more intense. in spite of the oxygen cylinders men were gasping. indeed, all of a sudden, when at the summit of their success the crew of the airship found themselves face to face with disaster. they had climbed to this great height. they could not descend. death from cold and exhaustion threatened them. yes, death. for already larkin lay inert in the gallery, blue from intense cold, his mouthpiece strapped to his face. mr. andrew clutched at the doorpost, looking as if on the verge of unconsciousness, while both the major and the commander had the appearance of men more than half frozen. it looked indeed as if here, at this enormous altitude, within stone's throw of the summit of mount everest, the voyage of the huge airship would be ended, and with it the lives of all aboard. chapter xvii a desperate situation a terrible five minutes followed the discovery that joe gresson had made, a period short enough as a general rule, but seeming almost unending under the tragic circumstances. for the great airship lay helpless in the air, turning slowly as if on a pivot, and dangling a thousand feet above that tiny union jack which marked the summit of mount everest. then a breeze caught her and wafted her to one side, so that dick, looking desperately from the window of the engine-room, could gaze down into india. but a swirling current from the opposite direction gripped her a moment later, swayed the ship which was rocking like a vessel at sea, drove her round and launched her northward, till the opposite slopes of the himalayas came into view. "tibet--the road to lhasa, the forbidden city," dick told himself. "and that shining streak away over there must be the brahmaputra. what's to be done? this is a nasty sort of hole in which to find ourselves. and i don't like the look of some of our friends. larkin is as blue as blue, while mr. andrew don't appear much better. where's alec?" that young gentleman was stretched full length at the foot of the ladder leading from the engine-room, and at once dick stepped toward him and secured the mouthpiece of his oxygen apparatus to his face. "can't do more," he thought. "wish i could. george! joe don't seem too bright. he's as green as grass, and, 'pon my word, he's falling." he was just in time to catch the leader of this attempt upon a world's record and snatch him from the engines. catching him in his arms he sat him down with his back against the wall of the engine-room. then, quite by the merest chance, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in that same square piece of looking-glass. "my hat! dusky as a nigger! but never felt better in my life. oxygen seems to agree with me, but not with my lovely complexion. now, what the blazes is a fellow to do? this is a corker." it was worse than that, for not only was the ship in danger of destruction, but without a doubt were her position at that altitude maintained, every soul aboard would be asphyxiated or frozen to death. dick cast his eye at the barometer. "twenty-nine thousand feet. dead level with the summit of the mountain," he reflected. "and ain't she rolling, just?" that, too, was an obvious fact; for, relieved of the weight of the water which had filled her tanks, and which, like the engines, were disposed at the very lowest point possible, the ship now appeared to be a trifle top-heavy. in any case, she careened badly, swaying from side to side, till her decks presented steep slopes down which the figures of helpless members of her crew slithered. yes, it was an ugly and distressing sight, for that loss of weight, and the fact that her elevating screws would not grip the air, had made the ship unstable in a fore-and-aft direction. to dick's horror she began a new series of movements. the gust outside freshened of a sudden, just as gales do spring up at the height at which they floated, and at once the giant machine was swung round as if she were a top. then she rolled heavily, till it was only by clutching at the rails about the motors that he escaped being thrown into them. later she suddenly careened in the opposite direction, and hoisting her stern on high, projected her crew down the whole length of the gallery so that they were brought up against a distant bulkhead. nor was that the last of her disconcerting gyrations. the breeze freshened again, till within a minute a whirlwind was singing and screaming outside. it caught the framework of the ship as if she were a leaf, and now that she was lying out of the horizontal, and joe's curious design was therefore almost inoperable, it swung her to one side and sent her heading madly for the snow and rock-strewn summit of the mountain. dick held his small remaining breath as the vessel bore down upon that rocky peak, and shivered as she missed it by a narrow margin. "a miss is as good as a mile, sir," someone shouted in his ear, as if the person were a mile away. but dick was deaf. his ears were singing and roaring, and when he let go his hold of the engine rails he was dreadfully giddy. but, in spite of his deafness, he was able to note two other things. the engine had stopped completely, no doubt because of the position of the ship, the fuel supply having been entirely cut off. then hawkins was beside him, not the hawkins of old, with a clean-shaven face tanned to mahogany by exposure, but a sailor whose skin was of leaden hue, whose eyes were sunken and had lost their sparkle, whose shoulders stooped as if he found it hard to keep upright in other respects it was the old hawkins. "orders, sir!" he bawled, whipping his mouthpiece aside for the moment. "this here's a fine old mess!" "must get those gas valves open and the engines started again. here," dick gasped in answer. "make this cylinder fast to my shoulders. it's too loose for my liking. there's a bit of rope yonder. that'll do it. quick!" he had no breath for more; but hawkins seemed to see his meaning in an instant, and soon had the cylinder of oxygen more secure on dick's back. then, with a dexterity which even this critical situation could not mar, he secured his own cylinder in similar manner. dick gripped a hammer. hawkins took a huge spanner. "now," said our hero. "we must get to the upper deck. then start in the centre, each going in opposite directions. force open every other valve. even if you have to smash them to pieces you must contrive to open them. come--no time to be lost." his orders were given in short gasping spurts. but hawkins understood and nodded. then they clambered over the bodies of their comrades, won their way up the engine ladder, and raced as fast as they could along the gallery. not that the pace was great, for each step seemed to be an effort. they gained the liftway, and stared upward. "no motor working. must climb," dick managed to gasp. "up we go." he felt as if his heart would burst long before he gained the upper deck. that organ was indeed thudding heavily against his ribs, while the veins in his forehead, on his hands and face, were distended and purple. but there was pluck and determination to drive mr. dicky hamshaw onward, while hawkins was not the man to be beaten by an officer or to leave one in the lurch. and so, after a struggle which cost them dear, they won their way to the summit of that tiresome and never-ending ladder. a minute later, almost too fatigued to deliver a blow, they attacked the valves affixed to each of the many gas chambers, beginning with those at the centre. "frozen hard as rocks. deck covered with frost and ice. the weight'll be an advantage. but how are we to get these valves open?" it was difficult enough under that white covering to detect their presence, though, fortunately for all, both dick and hawkins had more than once examined the valves. now they set to work with hammer and spanner, breaking away the coating of ice, and smashing the firm joint which the intense cold had formed round each seating. it was with a shrill, half-stifled cry of delight that dick contrived to free the first of the valves. "wide open. can smell the gas coming out," he told himself. "that'll fix her. a few more will do the trick. wish to goodness she'd remain level." something shot past him at terrible speed, and brought up hard against the rail at the edge of the deck. it was hawkins, pitched from his feet by a sudden lurch of the vessel, and saved from a dreadful dive into space by the rail against which he had cannoned. a second later his unconscious figure came hurtling back, and but for the grip dick managed to fasten on him he would have shot over the side of the vessel in the opposite direction. "must go on alone, that's all," dick told himself stubbornly. "big job, but got to be done. i'll place hawkins in the entrance to the liftway." he dragged the unconscious figure after him, helped not a little by a sudden tilting of the vessel. then, stowing him in a corner from which he hoped he would not be dislodged, he raced along the deck again, himself took a header as the deck sloped steeply, caught a stanchion to which one of the wireless supports was attached, and a moment later was beating frantically at a second valve. in ten busy minutes, in fact, he contrived to release no fewer than five, and had the satisfaction of smelling the gas which at once poured out of them. more than that, a glance at the summit of the mountain showed him that the ship had fallen already. she was resting just a trifle above that wet, cold blanket which enveloped the central part. "and a chap feels less blown than before," thought dick. "that's satisfactory. now for the engines. must get 'em going and way on the ship, for this gale is playing the dickens with her." it was a way of expressing his meaning, and indeed, even now that he had accomplished his purpose so bravely, his work was likely enough to be defeated by outside influences. for the whirlwind had not abated, and three times while dick worked had the ship been swept past the slopes of mount everest, at such speed that, had she struck, she would have crumpled up like a concertina. now she was caught again, spun round like a top, sent twirling from the mountain, only to be driven back again till her bows actually collided with one of the slopes. but it was only a glancing blow, and the snow happened to be both soft and deep. shivering, therefore, at the shock, she shook herself free, and shot off into the open. as for dick, he raced to the deck below, his respiration already decidedly easier. stepping over the still unconscious figures of his comrades, he gained the engine-room and tackled the task of starting the engines. "must get way on her somehow," he told himself. "let's see--engines stopped probably because of her pitching. you couldn't expect fuel to reach the carburettor when she was standing on her head. wait a bit, i'll cure all that if once i can get those elevating screws going. how's that? joe always turns that tap to make sure his fuel's flowing. there's paraffin there right enough. now, will she start?" he switched on the current from the starting batteries, setting the electric starting motor in action, and then moved the clutch lever, which threw this motor into engagement with the flywheel of the engine. nothing resulted. not a cylinder fired. there was not so much as the suspicion of an explosion. one might have expected dicky hamshaw to be flabbergasted and beaten by such a happening, and as a matter of fact he leaned against the engine rail and gazed hopelessly at the apparatus before him. then he had a brilliant inspiration. they didn't often come his way, we confess. he was far too harum-scarum for flights of fancy or for patient investigation. but in his heart of hearts dicky was quite the mechanic. as we have intimated, he hoped one of these days to be selected for submarine service, or for the naval flying school. therefore it happened that facts and peculiarities about the mechanism of this huge airship had not escaped his notice. indeed, they had attracted his attention and positively fascinated him. it happened, consequently, that he was well acquainted with the carburation. "got it!" he cried. "it ain't a case of a simple carburettor. in this case the fuel enters the carburettor, and to start the engines if cold, or when they've been rested for long, one has to fill the gasometer with gas. that's the ticket! i've seen joe and the engineer making preparations. we just operate this geared fan, and force air through the carburettor. there it goes, and the gasometer's rising. i'll give it a little more and then try her. afterwards the running engine automatically pumps air. now. how's that for done it?" he switched the current in again, and moved over the clutch lever of the starter. the engine spun round immediately, spluttered in one or more cylinders, backfired once, thereby throwing the starter out of action; and then, when dick again pushed his lever over relentlessly, the engine fired, and went off at a speed that made the whole engine-room tremble. dick shouted. or rather, he tried to shout, the mouthpiece and his own want of breath preventing much noise coming from him. his eyes sparkled. he actually danced, and then became very solemn. for after all the fate of his comrades and of this fine vessel still rested entirely in his two hands. yes, entirely, for a glance along the gallery told him that not one of his friends was yet conscious. "set her going then. wait--what's the elevation? jingo--we've come down to twenty-two thousand feet. that's something; wish we weren't in this cloud though. it makes a fellow wonder which way he ought to steer. ah, there go the elevator fans!" he could hear them whirring, and looked up at the barometer. the ship was rising, and with a gesture of disgust he realized that he had set the elevators working in the wrong direction. instantly he reversed them, and presently had the satisfaction of seeing that the vessel was descending. then he started up the ship's propeller, and soon had her moving, but very cautiously; for the damp, white cloud hid everything. indeed, he was within an ace of wrecking the vessel, and, but for a quick twist of his wrist and a sudden acceleration of his motor, he would have driven the airship against a rocky headland standing out from the mountain. "a miss is as good as a mile," he grinned. "oh, shan't i be jolly glad to get away from this mount everest? not much!--not 'alf, as hawkins would say. anyway, that peep gave me the right direction. now, i'll take her along at speed, and get clear out into the open." "eighteen thousand feet--what's happened?" the question came in weak tones from joe gresson. dick nodded cheerfully at him. he had discarded his oxygen mouthpiece, though the cylinder was still slung to his back. "you sit still," he shouted. "we're falling, and mighty quick now, i fancy. stay there till you're feeling yourself, and then come and advise me. we're over on the tibet side of the himalayas, and i'm looking out for a landing." one by one, as the ship descended, the unconscious crew regained their senses, and for the most part looked about them in the most bewildered manner. for they were piled indiscriminately about the gallery, crew and passengers mixed together inextricably. nor had they entirely escaped damage, as might well be expected. some were severely bruised by the manner in which the sloping deck had caused them to slide, while larkin was quite angry. he was fully conscious, and had just dragged himself from beneath the somewhat ponderous frame of the grinning hurst. his nose was bleeding, as was the case with many of them; but that was not the cause of his agitation. one eye was closed, and the cheek beneath beautifully swollen. "of all the mean tricks," he was growling, "of all the mean, dirty games to play on a fellow when he's fallen, this is it. what do yer mean, young feller?" but hurst still grinned placidly at him. he was, to speak the truth, barely more than semi-conscious. a delicious feeling of fatigue assailed him, and had he had his own way he would have lain there in the passage and fallen into a sound slumber. that is, as soon as he had finished with private larkin. he was sleepily admiring that hero at this precise moment. he didn't exactly know how it was that he and the noble larkin had become so mixed up together. perhaps they had been for a spree ashore, and here was the consequence. but this his addled senses could take in, and it afforded him huge amusement--private larkin's none too handsome face was swollen to the proportions of a pumpkin, and the distension beneath that eye was as green as possible. there remained but one orb then, a staring orb, which had fastened itself indignantly, even threateningly, upon the sailor, moreover hurst could tell that it was the one that habitually squinted. what wonder that he could not take the angry larkin seriously? "if you don't look handsome, not 'arf," he interjected. "jest you get movin' on yer two flat feet and take a squint at yer phiz in that there mirror. you'll see a sight there that'll scare yer. no, no! i ain't asking you to look away in the corner. the mirror's there, above yer ugly head, and lor, you just take care that you don't go right off and crack it." the situation was becoming a little strained before the major pulled himself together, helped the commander to his feet, and separated the two who had been speaking. then they went to mr. andrew, whom they found soundly asleep, breathing as gently as any child, and undoubtedly unharmed by his late experience. joe, too, was on his feet now, while hawkins had put in an appearance. "i'm owin' one more to mr. dicky," he told his chums, as they clustered in the gallery and eagerly discussed this late happening. "i just did the most almighty skid you could dream of. i can remember the ship rolling and sending me quick right across to the railing. then i slid back again, and i can feel now the grip that mr. dicky got of my collar. after that there was darkness, till of a sudden my eyes opened. bless you, lads, that there mr. midshipman hamshaw has saved the whole sitivation; by hisself he's done it. and if it hadn't ha' been for him, and his pluck, and what not, there wouldn't be a airship now, no, nor any of us covies. larkin, you ain't called for to speak. i know what you was thinkin' of saying. that mr. alec'd have been as good. i agrees, so the wind's taken completely out of your sails, and there ain't no call for an argument. but though he'd have had the pluck, he didn't have the senses. it takes a hard chap to stand what we've been through. understand me, lad; it takes a sailor--now, just you stop jawin'." it was merely a passing pleasantry between the two services, and the pugnacious larkin perforce closed his lips and sulked for a moment. but it was only for a moment; for within a little while the crew were gathered in their own quarters partaking of their evening meal, and so preparing themselves for the hard work now expected of them. in the saloon mr. andrew and his friends gathered about the table, while sergeant evans waited upon them as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and as if it were a mere uninteresting item in the day's performance that he himself, but two hours earlier, had been stretched senseless in his own pantry, his face a dusky blue, his nose and ears bleeding, and his pulse beating at a pace which would have alarmed the most hopeful of practitioners. but if he said nothing, andrew and joe and their guests were full of praise of dicky hamshaw. "'pon my word, i'm proud of him as a brother officer," cried the commander cordially. "tell us all about it, dick." the bashful midshipman recounted what had happened, and how he had overcome the many difficulties which had, one after another, faced him. "it looked like being all up at one time, sir," he said. "the ship was turning on her nose, making it difficult to get about and reach the valves. i'm afraid we've done a heap of damage. you see, one hadn't time to waste, nor breathe either. and so i laid in at the heads of the valves with my hammer, careless, so long as i could get them to open." "and rightly so," said joe warmly. "as to damage, it will be trifling, and of no consequence; for we carry aboard spare valves and seatings, and they can be fitted in a few hours. that reminds me to speak of our movements. we are now on the tibetan side of the himalayas, resting a couple of hundred yards above the ground, and in a totally uninhabited part. it will be necessary to refit, to take in water, and to set our gas-producer plant going. now, why not a trip to lhasa in the meanwhile? a trip to the forbidden city, there to call upon the chinese governor? it would be interesting and instructive both to the llama priests and to ourselves, and it will be something to have accomplished." such a journey was a mere nothing to the aeroplane carried upon the broad deck of the airship, and as joe required only a few of his staff to effect repairs and restock the tanks, quite a large party left the ship on the following morning. nor is there much of startling moment to record as to their doings. for the city of lhasa to-day is inhabited by beings holding different views from those living there but a few years ago. then the place was sacred, travellers were forbidden to enter, while the very effort of reaching the city was more than enough to dissuade the average person from making the attempt. those upland plains about the city are, in fact, a wilderness of inhospitality in winter weather, while the milder months are all too short for an expedition which entails going afoot, and demands strenuous exertions from the very beginning. but a welcome now awaits the stranger. the llamas seek for outside guidance, and are no longer content with an existence unbroken by the smallest distraction. the european who cares to undertake that journey may expect some kindness, while tibet to-day has sent her sons to europe, there to gather something of western learning and customs. it followed, therefore, that dick and alec had a merry and entertaining visit to record, and enjoyed the aeroplane trip immensely. then they rejoined the airship, now complete and ready, and that same evening the vessel once more crossed the himalayas and steered a course for burma. "where we take in oil for our engines," said joe. "later, we will follow the red route down the length of burma till we reach the malay peninsula. afterwards there is borneo to be visited, and then new guinea and australasia." the delights of such a course need no elaborate description, and without a doubt they were put in the shade by constant admiration for the ship's behaviour. for it was not always fair weather, and that gale of wind about the summit of the mountain they had so recently left was as nothing to a storm experienced off sumatra. then, indeed, the true working of joe gresson's design was experienced and appreciated. "i could not have believed it," the commander shouted in the major's ear as they stood on the upper deck clutching the railings. "a zeppelin now in a gale such as this is would be torn to pieces." "smashed; her sides driven in without a doubt. then she could never face a storm of this fierceness. she would be driven miles out of her course, if she were not wrecked instantly." "while we merely head up to the gale and lay to, hardly even rolling." thanks to the water ballast which she had again taken aboard, the airship was wonderfully steady, while her capacity to withstand a gale was proved to the utmost. even when turned broadside on to the wind the ship maintained her position, the sweeping aerial currents being cut asunder by those lateral keels, and passing harmlessly above and beneath her. but then she was possessed of those cross air-shafts in which powerful screws worked, a feature absent entirely from the zeppelin. it was a week later when the passengers on the deck above sighted the huge island of new guinea, that inhospitable region, a great part of which is still unknown to white men, where jungles and swamps are inhabited by the fiercest of cannibals. and here it was that dick and his friends came in for another adventure. chapter xviii off to new guinea a purple sea from which the sun's rays flashed upward with all the iridescent colours of the rainbow; a gorgeous blue sky without a single fleecy cloud; and a medley of brilliant islets marked the course of the great airship as she stemmed her way towards the wild, uncivilized island of new guinea. stepping the broad, long deck above, and enjoying to the full a climate as balmy as that of old england in the heyday of summer, one could peep down upon golden dots rising here and there in the distance, dots which grew from a purple haze and became more yellow, till at length the deep green of luxuriant vegetation began to merge with the yellow, till single objects became distinguishable, and until one could trace long lengths of smooth sand upon which white breakers roared, wide-sweeping coral boundaries of silent lagoons that appeared by their wealth of colour to be of vast depth, and groves of waving palms that invited those aboard the ship to halt, to descend and rest awhile amidst surroundings the peace and beauty of which none had ever seen an equal. but sometimes the picture was spoiled, for dark objects dotted the sands. men raced out from amidst the trees, and puny bows sent equally puny arrows soaring upward in a feeble attempt to reach the leviathan overhead. "plucky of 'em," remarked the major. "no doubt those islanders take us for some supernatural object, and are really shaking in their shoes." "shoes!" interjected the commander, with lifting eyebrows, lowering the glasses which he had held for some while glued to his eyes. "i don't see anything to convince me that the people we have seen make use of such civilized attachments. indeed, their clothing is chiefly remarkable by its absence. my dear major, we are passing above islets seldom visited by white men, some hardly visited even by wandering chinese or dyaks. those are nature's children we see below, many of them without a doubt wild heathen cannibals." "ugh! supposing we were to fall," laughed dick. "then we should be promptly enshrined as gods," grinned the major. "i don't say, dicky, my lad, that we should be allowed to keep this mortal state. the chances are that we should be killed out of hand and skilfully stuffed. pleasant ending, eh? first the worthy mr. carl reitberg, sportsman and magnate, does his best to blow us to pieces; then joe makes a vain attempt to asphyxiate us all, or to plunge us for ever in an atmosphere likely to act upon us as would a refrigerator. finally, there come these natives and a stuffing process." "for them, sir, yes," laughed dick. "if they're cannibals, and we're good eating, then there would be stuffing for them with a vengeance." sometimes fleets of canoes emerged from groves of palms or were launched from placid lagoons, while their crews paddled madly in the vain attempt to keep pace with the airship. and so as to encourage them, and because there was no danger of colliding with high ground, joe set the ship at a lower altitude, till she was but a hundred feet above the water. but such close acquaintance with this strange monster was too much for the nerves of the natives. it had been very well for them to discharge arrows at her when a thousand feet up. but now, when her vast proportions were more apparent, they took fright, and without a single exception bolted for cover, many of the passengers in the dug-outs diving overboard and swimming beneath water. "not that it'd help 'em much," the major remarked. "with a rifle one could pick every one of them off as he came to the surface to breathe. look! did ever you see such clear water?" it was positively fascinating to gaze downward and watch fish darting here and there, to follow the agonized movements of the natives who had taken to the water. for at that elevation the bed of the ocean was laid out like a map, a beautiful golden map, crossed by dull-red bands of coral often enough, marked by upheavals of rock in some places, and once, close to a rocky headland, showing on the sand at its foot the outline of a lost vessel. "what a ship for treasure hunting!" cried the commander. "no need to sound and dredge and send divers down in order to discover a wreck. there it would lie, beneath one's eyes, and one could set to work immediately. joe, tell us like a good fellow, how far can a man see into other waters?" "a hundred feet, sometimes more. in the yellow sea not nearly as much. but let us take the english channel. i have carried out experiments there, and have detected the presence of a wreck in quite deep water. as to a submarine, from a ship such as this is one could drop a heavy mine over a submerged vessel without difficulty and without much danger to oneself." "so that the use of submarines will become limited once such ships as this are built in numbers," ventured the major. "exactly--or, rather, the risks to the crews of submarines will become even greater." "which leads one to ask where all this modern invention will end? as applied to engines of destruction, it has provided means whereby men may be massacred by the hundred; for modern guns and modern shell are capable of terrible destruction at distances never dreamed of but fifty years ago. ships may be caused to founder not only by the direct gunfire of an opponent, or by torpedoes launched at her, but by the aid of submarines, the presence of which may not have been suspected. add the modern rifle, with its high-muzzle velocity and consequent flat trajectory, and its vastly increased range, whereby troops may be slain at a distance of two miles from the firing point. then, with wireless apparatus to enable one general to co-ordinate his movements with another, aeroplanes to spy out the land and report the presence of unsuspected troops, and lastly, airships such as this one, capable of almost anything--why, sir, where are we coming to?" "were i to say to a stage where nations agreed to limit armaments, to clear up their disputes by means of arbitration, and merely to keep sufficient fighting forces to collectively police the world, i should be considered a madman," said joe deliberately. "but that era is coming. not perhaps in our time, major; but come it must, and not precisely for the reason that modern invention has made war more terrible than ever. no, sir. it is because ships such as this one, ships which plough the sea also, and better means of intercommunication amongst the nations, are making friends of the working people. wars are made too often in the cabinets and foreign offices of the nations. then men are dragged from their homes to fight men with whom they would otherwise willingly have been friendly. they are sacrificed for an idea perhaps, for a petty dispute which the people will in future leave with every confidence to such tribunals as i have mentioned. then, sir, there will be no war, save against savages who stand in the way of civilization." such a time may come--who knows? and it would be well for the peoples of the world undoubtedly. it is said that without war, without the strenuous effort to keep in ready condition, a nation suffers in morale, deteriorates, in fact. and one cannot but admit the value of the ordered life, the discipline, and the method young men encounter when enlisted in either army or navy. still efficiency for war is not the only means of taxing the efforts of a nation. peace demands its strenuous times, and commerce, the arts and professions, a thousand ways of living call for vigour, for brain and muscle, for all that is good in men, and thus keep up the morale of a nation. however, joe and his friends were not the ones to embark upon such a discussion when sailing above such a delightfully purple sea as that lying beneath them. they hung over the rail of the vessel, eyeing each tiny islet as they slipped past it, and finally gave a shout of delight as new guinea hove into sight in the distance. "we'll mount a little so as to obtain a finer view," said joe. "then we can select a landing-place. it's already evening, so that i fancy it will be dark before we arrive over the island." the tropical night found the ship floating directly over the island, across a great breadth of which she had rushed during the latter part of the evening. then, having crossed a range of mountains, some of the peaks of which were of great height, joe switched on one of his huge lanterns. instantly the land beneath was illuminated, and as the vessel descended it was seen that she was directly above a huge plateau, which ran upward to the south, there to join with the foot-hills of the range they had just crossed, while in the opposite direction it fell away of a sudden, descending abruptly into a wide valley in which ran a roaring torrent. for the rest there was jungle everywhere, impenetrable jungle, save in a few places, one of which seemed exactly to meet the needs of the voyagers. at ten o'clock precisely the great airship grounded, settled upon her powerful spring arms, and then became stationary. "and here we shall be able to overlook the engines," declared joe as they chatted after supper. "not that the motors want any particular attention. still, a rest will do them no harm, while every engineer loves to make sure that everything is running as it should do. therefore, to-morrow, gentlemen, the island is at your service, while i shall be seeing to the matters i have mentioned." to say that the island of new guinea was at the service of his passengers was to put the matter amusingly. for new guinea happens to be an enormous place, and without an airship the crossing of it is almost an impossibility. still, the neighbouring jungle and that broiling torrent down below offered many attractions, so that, when the morning dawned, it found dick and alec already dressed for an expedition and armed with shot guns, while the major, the commander, and andrew stepped from their cabins dressed in rough shooting clothes, the latter with a rod in his hand, while the others bore sporting rifles. larkin shuffled close behind the major, bearing a basket of provisions, while hawkins and hurst had donned their service gaiters, and each with a haversack over his shoulder intimated that he proposed to keep watch and ward over dick and alec. then all trudged from the gallery into the open, sought for a path through the jungle, and finding none, proceeded to force their way through the matted trees and trailing creepers as best they could. "we've agreed to make for the edge of the plateau," said the commander. "then mr. andrew can make his way down to the river, while we can follow or stay above--whichever appeals most to us. how nice it is to feel solid earth once more beneath one's feet." "and smell the vegetation," chimed in the major. "not that jungles are always very savoury. down below there, in the rainy season, i expect there's a miasma, and a european would quickly suffer from fever. now, here we are at the edge. _au revoir_, mr. andrew!" they watched the white-haired but active colonial descend the steep slope of the ridge, and saw him halt at the side of the tumbling stream to adjust his rod and prepare his line. then the shooting party divided, alec and dick with the faithful hurst and hawkins striking off in one direction, while the major and commander, with the scowling larkin, departed in another. and very soon rifle shots awoke the echoes, while our two young friends managed to bag half a dozen birds not at all unlike pheasants. [illustration: the quartet set out for the airship _page _] "do for the pot, and will come as a welcome change after frozen stuff," laughed dick. "wonder whether there are any alligators down in the river. if so i'd like to take a shot at 'em. only we'd have to return for our rifles." a close observation of the river revealed what all felt sure were the snouts of the beasts dick had mentioned, while a number of log-like forms stretched on a mud bank were proclaimed by alec to be undoubtedly the animal he was in search of. "then back we go to the ship," said dick with his usual impetuosity, leading the return journey instantly. "suppose there ain't no difficulty about finding her? eh? it'd be mighty awkward if we lost our bearings, and you've to remember that she ain't like an ordinary ship. you can see right through her, and that don't help much when trying to locate a thing like that in these jungles." as a matter of fact the task of returning proved extremely difficult, for whereas the path they had at first followed led them through a number of more or less open spaces, they now found that they had plunged into the densest of jungle. it called at once for the use of their knives, and even with their help progress was slow to the point of exasperation. some minutes later they broke their way into a little clearing, across the roof of which trailed innumerable creepers, decked with wonderful blossoms, while the trees were filled with screeching parakeets, and, in the shaded parts, by myriad droning insects. then there was a curious crisp, almost musical sound, a twang in fact, followed by the dull thud of a light object striking the trunk of a tree. dick looked up. an arrow was quivering just above his head, and as he looked a second sped by him. "my hat!" he shouted, thoroughly astonished. "see that! arrows!" "niggers, sir!" cried hawkins. "i catched a sight of one just through the trees. best look for cover." the words had hardly left his lips when alec staggered backward and gripped the air helplessly. dick seized him promptly and dragged him down behind a tree. "just keep your weather eye open there, hawkins and hurst," he sang out cheerily, "while i lay-to here and repair damages. mr. alec's hit. ah! it's not much. he's conscious and says it's nothing. now, old boy, let's see what has happened. ah! gone clean through the fleshy part of the arm and still transfixing the limb. right! break it off short and pull the piece out. now, let's have a look at the head." he held the end of the broken arrow up and inspected it carefully. it was armed with a piece of pointed metal of a yellowish-green colour. "copper," dick announced. "a little corroded, but i'll swear it ain't poisoned. anyway, to make sure, i'll suck the wound. that'll make a fellow feel easier." without hesitation he slit the sleeve right up above the elbow, using the sharp edge of the arrowhead for the purpose, and exposed the wounds and sucked them both in succession. "talk about cannibals," he grinned. "my--alec, you taste too salt for anything! feel better? oh! feel absolutely fit! then let's see what's happening?" half a dozen arrows had meanwhile crossed the clearing, though but for the single native whom hawkins declared he had seen, not another had put in an appearance, nor had there been so much as a sound from them. merely the musical twanging of bows as the arrows were released. "put a charge into 'em, sir!" cried hurst. "them small shot'll soon clear 'em away. you'll hear the varmints holler." it seemed to be a reasonable course to take, and at once dick lifted his gun and sent the contents of two cartridges swishing amongst the trees. not a cry followed, but the curious twang of bows was not again heard, while no more arrows flew across the clearing. "then we'll push on toward the ship. now, alec, feel fit for it?" "perfectly--never more so. i admit that at first the shock of the wound and the pain rather made me feel funny. but i'm right now. go ahead. sorry to have been such a bother." in single file now, dick leading, able seaman hawkins immediately behind, and hurst in rear, armed with his clasp knife, the quartet struck out for the airship. once dick imagined that he caught a fleeting glimpse of a native to his right. then he thought he must have been mistaken. a minute later the wireless mast at the top of the airship met his view, with its tiny fluttering union jack attached to it. "hooray!" he shouted. "there at last. i'm beginning to wonder what has happened to the other three who set out with us." he turned to speak to his comrades, took another step forward, and then disappeared into an enormous pit dug for that purpose. there he was received by a dozen or more active natives, and before mr. dicky hamshaw could quite recover his senses, he was flat on his face on the sticky clay, his arms drawn up behind him, while the dozen natives already mentioned were busily engaged in winding green creepers about his ankles and knees and wrists and elbows. not a sound escaped them. not a blow was delivered, though dick struggled fiercely. as to his companions he had no knowledge of them. they gave no shout, as one might have expected had they been attacked; there was not so much as a call to show that they had missed their leader. only the birds still chattered above, while one could dimly hear the roar of the stream tumbling down the valley. perhaps it was three minutes later when dick, trussed like a fowl, was caught in the arms of a number of stalwart natives and pitched upward, so that he landed in the jungle. then his weight was shouldered, and thereafter he only knew that he was being carried through the jungle, that often enough his body was bruised against overhanging branches, and that the most noticeable thing about his captors was their surprisingly strong odour. for the rest, they were tall, muscular men, exceedingly well made, and boasting of an abundance of hair, a regular mop, in fact, which covered their heads. "real beauties," thought dick, still rather breathless after such a surprise, but not in the least downhearted. "handsome chaps, without a doubt, but, my word, they do just smell a trifle. seems to me that they must anoint their bodies with something composed of dead fish and glue. ugh! 'pon my word, it makes me feel quite giddy." he tried wagging his head and calling to his captors. but not one took the smallest notice of him. then dicky made a second attempt, shouting loudly. at once a huge native who was leading this silent party turned, scowled at the midshipman, and prodded him with the blunt end of a spear. "and looks as if he'd use the business end next time," thought dick, eyeing the ruffian. "this is a turn up. and i wonder what's happened to alec and the others?" but he was destined to be kept waiting, for those silent natives still forged their way through the jungle, and when they had been moving for some time and had unceremoniously pitched dick to the ground as if he were a bundle, it was only for a momentary rest. another batch of men who till then had been hidden in the jungle picked him up upon their shoulders, and the same solitary dispiriting march was continued. at length, however, it came to an end. the jungle became thinner, and the trees more scattered. then they suddenly emerged into the open and entered a village built by the bank of a river. natives swarmed from the low-built huts, women, men, and children, and danced about the captive. their chatter and their cries came as a positive relief to our hero after the deathly silence of the others. he was carried across to one of the huts, the door was opened, and a moment later dick was sent rolling. "and jolly nearly broke my arm in the fall," he growled, beginning to get angry. "a nice way in which to treat a captive, to treat a fellow they may be thinking of devouring." that was dicky hamshaw all over. he couldn't help a joke, even at his own expense, and there he was actually smiling in the darkness of this native cabin. but comfort is a great thing, even in the midst of adversity, and at once he rolled over and managed to prop himself upright against one of the plaited walls. "wish they hadn't been so free with these creepers," he grumbled. "a chap can't move, while my hands and feet feel absolutely numb. now, how does a fellow tackle an ugly job such as this is? of course, if there was another here, alec, for instance, or that beggar hawkins, we'd try our hands at gnawing. no, not hands; teeth, of course. but i ain't an acrobat, and can't twist my head round to get at this binding." he could hardly move, in fact, and as the minutes passed the numbness of the hands and feet became more apparent. it was clear that if he were to make no effort now he would not have the strength to do so if he delayed much longer. and for that reason, and because the midshipman was a good plucked 'un, as hawkins had often and often asserted, he managed to get to his knees, though they were lashed together, and slowly jerked himself across the floor of the hut. the movement brought him to the opposite wall, close to the part where the door was situated, and there he discovered a crevice through which he could look. "the village street, and niggers hopping about everywhere. still excited at their capture," thought dick. "hallo! a procession. more parcels being carried. why, if that isn't mr. andrew!" it was that gentleman without a shadow of doubt, with the commander and the major following. he recognized larkin with the greatest ease, for that individual's face was gnarled and twisted, and his squinting eyes threatened all and sundry. hawkins and hurst followed, borne on the shoulders of eight natives, while alec's trussed figure brought up the rear. "all prisoners! what a turn-up for the airship and for joe!" thought dick. "there go some of 'em into a hut. yes, mr. andrew and hawkins and hurst into one. now, larkin and the two officers into another. jove! they're carting alec in my direction. better get back where i was thrown." that was easily done by the simple process of rolling, so that when the door of the hut was thrown open his captors discovered dick lying on his face, as straight as a plank, seemingly unconscious. there was a thud as alec's frame landed, the door went to with a creaking bang, and again there was silence. dick rolled across to his friend at once, struggled to his knees, and then manoeuvred so as to be able to bend over him. "you lie still," he whispered. "i'm going to try my grinders on those lashings of yours. my! ain't this a turn-up?" he did not wait for an answer, but sprawled as best he could across alec's body. then wriggling to the best of his ability, he managed to get his mouth down to the creeper lashing which secured alec's wrists and elbows. nor was the task he had set himself so very difficult, for those creepers were fresh and green, and only a bare half-inch in diameter. the teeth, too, which played upon them were strong and healthy, with splendid cutting edges. so that within ten minutes the hands were free, while a second effort cut through the lashings holding the elbows. "buck up and get feeling into your hands," gasped dick. "i know how they are, as numb as possible. but be quick with it! then dive into my pocket. i put that arrowhead there, and know those ruffians haven't moved it. there! rub your hands together. feeling better, eh?" alec beat his hands together, and rubbed them vigorously. but in spite of that fully five minutes passed before he could use them. then he dived into dick's pocket, fished out the arrowhead, and soon had the lashings which bound the midshipman lying loose beside him. to cut his still remaining bonds was an easy matter, so that very soon both were free. "and now comes the easiest part of the business," whispered dick, his old assurance undiminished. "alec, we've got to get a move-on this instant. see those two huts opposite? well, our friends are lying there, and we're going to 'em. now, come along, and look lively. if you meet a nigger give him what for instantly." it was a simple matter to force a hole through the wattle walls of the hut, so that within a very few minutes the two had emerged from it on the side facing the river. bending on all-fours, they crept away till they had passed three other huts, and had reached one of larger dimensions. "kind of courtroom, i expect," whispered the midshipman. "anyway, it seems empty, for i've squinted in. it's the kind of crib to suit very well, and happens to be exactly opposite the huts in which they've put our comrades. now, in we go. who says we're grumbling?" he was a splendid fellow to follow, and heartened alec wonderfully. indeed, the latter was almost enjoying the adventure. but care was needed, and dash into the bargain, while the hardest task of all remained before them. "easy enough to crawl about behind the village, and to hide up in this courthouse," said dick, scratching his head. "but there's the main street to be crossed before we can join the others, and that street happens to be swarming with smelly natives." no doubt it was no ordinary difficulty. but then mr. midshipman hamshaw was not altogether an ordinary individual. "hang the danger and the bother of it!" he exclaimed testily. "there are the huts with our friends in 'em. well, i ain't going to be kept here by a parcel of niggers." chapter xix saved from the natives "they're getting ready for the entertainment. my word!" whispered alec in his chum's ear, when the two had been secreted for some little while in the huge hut to which they had managed to gain admission. "preparing for the ceremony, and a fine hullabaloo they're making about it." "and propose to conduct matters with full rites and customs and ceremony. in fact, a full-dress parade," said dick, smiling, though there was an anxious look about his eyes. "full dress, alec, not that there's much dress about these niggers. that's where the difficulty comes in." "what difficulty? how? don't follow." "well, if they were decent, civilized sort of savages they'd wear cloaks, wouldn't they? they'd cover themselves with something better than the plaited girdles they have about them. that's where we'd come in. we'd borrow a couple of their wretched blankets, smuggle ourselves across the way, and then--well, there you are." "wish we were. but crossing the street here is no easy matter. what are these wretches doing?" "what i've said. holding a full-dress parade. making ready for a ceremonial. preparing for dinner." there was still an excited grin on the midshipman's lips. but he was by no means happy. who could have been under the circumstances? for there he and alec were, free for the moment to be sure, but separated from their friends, while the latter were bound hand and foot and imprisoned in the huts opposite. as to the natives by whom they had been captured, they were an ill-smelling, murderous-looking lot. tall, and extremely athletic, their bodies covered with knotted muscles, they were now parading the street, coming past the courthouse in a body, led by three dreadful individuals who wore ugly masks, and to whose persons hung a hundred different items. to a clattering dirge played by some twenty musicians, a dirge that boasted of no traceable tune, the three natives in front were dancing wildly, extravagantly throwing their limbs about, twisting and writhing and foaming at the mouth. "hideous brutes. men of mystery, i suppose," whispered dick. "medicine men, sorcerers, or whatever they call 'em. look at the chaps behind with clubs in their hands, and the rest with bows and arrows and spears. this is a precious pickle!" it was worse. it was a desperate situation in which to find themselves, and the trouble was that dick and alec, though burning to do something active, could see their way to do nothing. "couldn't reach the ship. impossible," muttered the latter. "first thing, we don't know where she is. i couldn't find my way to her for a fortune. then i'd be so long over the job that i'd arrive too late. eh, dick?" "got to work this little business out ourselves," came the answer. "you're right about the ship. those beggars carried us a long way, for they walked very quickly. besides, there ain't time, as you say. we've got to get a move-on ourselves, for, if i'm not mistaken, that band ain't working for nothing. look at the village folks following. they turned out in force to see the fun." and fun it must have been to those untutored savages, though to the prisoners it was an agony. for those three horrible medicine men halted opposite the hut in which dick's friends had been incarcerated and began another dance, if possible more frenzied than the last. the band, too, made the most of the occasion, each instrumentalist beating his parchment-covered gourd, or his wooden native piano, as if he wished to outdo his comrades. then stakes were brought, fresh cut from the jungle, their ends pointed, and to the sound of the instruments, to the wild yells of the natives and the dancing of those three wretches, they were driven into the ground, three in front of each hut, and two before that so recently occupied by dick and alec. then firewood was brought by the women and children and laid close to them. the two young fellows looked on at these preparations with sinking hearts, their spirits oozing in spite of their courage. for the reason for such gruesome preparations was obvious. dick knew, alec knew also, and explorers have declared it to be a fact beyond contradiction, that the natives of new guinea are addicted to cannibilism. horrible as the thought may be, yet there is proof positive to support this affirmation. and here were alec and his friends faced with this desperate situation. no wonder that the young fellow had gone white to his lips, and that dick's fists were clenched and his brows knitted. "i'm not going to stay and look on any longer," he said all of a sudden. "i'm going higher up the street, where i shall make a dart across and so try to reach the other side. coming? or staying? you haven't any need to take risks." alec blazed out instantly. he found the excuse for temper a positive relief, and though he answered little above a whisper his words were bitter ones and angry. "taking risks! who's a right to take 'em more than i have? who are you to talk about risks to me--to ask if i'm coming or funking?" "didn't say funking," snarled the middy. "no. but you meant it. it was as good as saying it. i'm jiggered if i'll stand----" "sorry," said dick lamely. "chap doesn't always think when he's speaking. i knew you were game. only it's a desperate sort of thing to try, and i suggested the business." "that's why i'll come, willingly," was the handsome answer. "there, shake hands on it, and let's move. but we want a weapon of some sort. let's hunt round here." the result of this effort was the discovery of a bundle of arrows, half a dozen formidable clubs, the blade of a spear, and an old cutlass. "showing they have had something to do with outside people," said dick. "it's rusty, but it'll do. now, i'll take a couple of the clubs, and you bring as many as you can carry. we want 'em for the others. now, out we go. if we're going to cross, it'll have to be pretty soon or never." never, one would have said, seeing that the narrow street was packed with individuals, with women coming and going, and with shrieking children. but the two young fellows were determined, and at once forced their way through the same opening by which they had entered. they were now on the river face of the village, directly behind the largest hut of all, with other dwellings extending to right and left of them. a few paces away there was a thin fringe of jungle, and then a broad river. dick looked at it swiftly. "ground falls towards it," he whispered. "the trees, too, would help to hide us. let's creep down to the water." they were there in a few seconds, and found themselves treading a muddy bank, upon which lay a dozen or more dug-outs. dick did not hesitate for a moment. he placed his clubs and the cutlass in one of the boats, the nearest to the water, signalled to alec to do likewise, and then began to lift her. alec helped him instantly, and together they carried it down the bank and floated it in the river. "step in," said alec. "right! got a paddle?" "yes--up stream; i saw something." what it was that he had seen alec did not venture to tell his comrade; together they struck their paddles into the water, and sent the boat running upstream. "keep her close in," whispered dick. "what's this you noticed?" "water away to our left, at the top end of the village. i caught the reflection through the trees. it may be only a pond of sorts, or it may communicate with the river. if it does, they're diddled." "jingo, the very thing! if only we're so lucky. no--yes. i do believe there is a stream. steady does it. now, round with her head. hooroo! we're in good luck now, and we'll be able to stir up those niggers. yah! listen to the brutes howling." fierce cries came from the village at this moment, and made them think that their own escape had been discovered. but it was not that which had aroused the natives. it was the production of one of their captives. one of the huts was opened, one of the lashed bundles lifted and dragged out, and then the door was shut firmly. it was larkin who was brought into the light of day and sat upright. the lashings about his knees and feet were cut at once, while a couple of the warriors began to knead his limbs with the hard palms of their hands. no doubt they were merely restoring the circulation, and larkin himself was by no means misled by their action. "hof all the smellin', ugly, dirty critters!" he exploded. "and what's this they're up to? has if i didn't know as well as possible. jest give me a chance one of these fine moments, and if i get at one of them three fuzzy-wuzzy dervishes, why, i'll make 'em fuzzy." they dragged him to his feet at last, only to find that he could not yet support his weight. then the massagers made a second attempt, while a few amiable individuals, seeing the helpless larkin once more lifted, held the points of their spears beneath him, a gentle hint that he was to remain standing. a little later they bound him to one of the stumps driven into the ground, and commenced an impressive dance about him. meanwhile dick and alec had not been idle. a few strokes of their paddles had taken them from the main channel of the river, and soon they guessed, though they could not be sure of the fact, that this stream enclosed the village, and discharged itself into the river again somewhere lower. "of course, i remember now. the fellows who were carrying me waded through water," said dick. "that proves it. let's get ahead, for that'll take us directly behind the spot we're aiming for. then we'll creep through the jungle." digging their paddles in till the blades were submerged, they sent the light craft swishing onward, and very soon were sure that they had reached the correct position. then they leaped ashore, drew the boat up on the bank, and shouldered their weapons. "come on!" said alec. "if we can break into the huts we'll put a different sort of complexion on this business. but wait, there are two of 'em." "you take one, i take the other. then we join hands. better still, if they don't spot us, slip back into the jungle. jingo! listen to their howling. hope the business hasn't begun already." it looked very much as if it had, for as they emerged from the thickness of the jungle and approached the village they could see an enormous crowd assembled--that is, enormous for such a village. perhaps there were three hundred people there, blackening the street, dancing madly. and a glimpse between the huts showed one solitary figure lashed upright to a post. it made dick's heart leap and alec's blood boil. they sped onward at once, keeping under cover, but careless of brambles and creepers, tearing their way through the underwood till they were breathless with their exertions. but haste was not likely to be all in their favour, and, recognizing this, they were soon creeping on all-fours, worming their way through reeds and long grass to which the jungle had now given place. at length, when their pent-up feelings were almost too much for them, they reached the back of the huts, which fortunately were close together, and promptly proceeded to operate on them. indeed, one lusty slash from dick's sabre made a cut to be proud of. a second sliced an opening within a foot of the first, while a little quick handling converted the slits into a wide opening. he was in within a second, slashing at the creepers binding three figures which lay helpless upon the mud floor. nor was there need to caution the friends whose limbs he had so unexpectedly set free. "guessed it must be you, sir," whispered hawkins, sitting up and flapping his helpless hands to and fro. indeed it was pitiable to see the powerful man reduced for the time being to the weakness of a child. dick seized mr. andrew and rubbed his limbs with energy, while hurst began to kick his heels against the floor and wave his hands after the manner set by hawkins. "now," whispered the latter hoarsely, when at length the feeling had returned to his limbs, standing in the semi-darkness of the hut opening and closing his huge hands, and fashioning formidable fists of them. "now, mr. dicky--beg pardon--now, sir, let a man get at them 'ere 'eathen. let 'im 'ave a say in this here matter. swelp me, but i'm game to take on the whole pack of black-'earted 'eathen." if he were, there was likely to be every opportunity, for outside the roar and shrieks of the natives were appalling in their intensity. dick stepped to the front face of the hut and peered through one of the many crevices, for in new guinea draughts of cold air are rather to be desired than otherwise, the heat often enough being extreme. through that peephole he saw something that almost turned him livid, rooted him to the spot, and for a moment held him helpless. for directly beneath his ken was the figure of the unfortunate larkin, strung up to one of those stumps driven into the ground, surrounded by a gesticulating and evil-smelling mob, and with those three foul, over-dressed sorcerers close to him. they were dancing now with a different movement. they were sidling from one point to another, as far as the pressing throng would allow, twisting this way and that with sinuous, snake-like movements, but never once taking their eyes from their victim. and each one of these brutes was armed--the tallest and most hideous with an enormous club; a second, a fat ruffian of particularly evil type of countenance, with a curving knife; while the third waved a flaming torch. as for larkin, he at least showed his mettle, and reflected credit upon the service to which he belonged. for he did not wince, not even when each of those sorcerers in turn sidled in his direction and brandished his weapons at him, while the third made pretence to set on fire the wood littering the ground at his feet. larkin addressed them in a manner common to the barrack-room. there was the strong flavour of the canteen about his speech; while his two eyes, no doubt each addressing itself to some different point, fixed upon the rascals dancing there, scowled at them, threatened them, but never flinched. "they're--they're going to sacrifice him, larkin," dick managed to blurt out at last. "the black-'earted 'eathen," came in a growl from hawkins, now at his side, while hurst joined them, muttering deeply beneath his breath. "what'll you do, sir?" "wait for mr. alec and the officers, then rush 'em. get hold of those clubs." but a second later there came a disturbing noise from the adjacent hut, just at the precise moment when that hideous tall sorcerer danced his way back to larkin, and, swinging his club overhead, brought it down with a thud on the top of the pillar to which the unhappy fellow was lashed. even then the brave soldier did not flinch. they heard him growl loudly and angrily as the club thudded on the top of the stump. "that's one fer you," they heard, "one fer you, yer ugly son of a gun. but jest you wait till i get a whack in. then i'll make yer feel sorry you was born, i will." there came a shout from that adjacent hut. the door flew open, and in a twinkling a forlorn little band dashed forward, alec at their head, the major and the commander following. hawkins and hurst and dick acted on that signal. they flung themselves upon the frail walls and door of that hut, bursting it open as if it were constructed of paper. then, followed by mr. andrew, they launched themselves at the natives, dick wielding his rusty sabre, hawkins with an enormous club, whilst hurst and andrew were similarly armed. "the black-'earted 'eathen!" shouted hawkins, springing to the front, for he was a huge fellow, and extraordinarily active. "that's fer you, you smelly sea serpent!" it was the big sorcerer, he with the club, who had made such fine practice round larkin's head, and looked as if he would at any moment crack his skull. but he was too late now. hawkins was not the kind of man to deal a blow that asked for repetition, not at least when in anger. and he was furious. his club beat down that of the native, broke it, in fact, and then descended with a crash full on his woolly pate. the dull crushing sound that followed, and the manner in which this man of medicine fell in his tracks, told a tale there was no mistaking. meanwhile dick had run through a second sorcerer, while the gallant alec had dived for the waist of the third, he with the torch, had handled him as he would a man breaking from scrum and likely to get clear away if not securely collared. yes, alec seized this wretch, and, exerting an abnormal strength, lifted him, swung him in the air, and then tossed him to the ground. by then the major had cut larkin free, and the latter individual burst upon the enemy like a torrent. seething with indignation, he selected the fellow whom alec had tackled, and who had now risen to his feet. larkin launched himself at him, seized him by neck and shoulder, and shook him as if he were a rat. then he pushed him away a foot or two, drew himself backward in time to escape a lunge and a blow from a knife which the rascal had suddenly produced, and then struck out with tremendous force, sending his fist against the point of the sorcerer's chin. "and he won't get askin' fer more, i don't think," declared the furious soldier, looking about him with those pugnacious, wandering eyes. "no, i don't think; and so here's something for some of the other fellers." there might have been no such thing as weapons, and certainly the angry and gallant fellow had no fear of them. unarmed himself, save with the weapons with which nature had provided him, he again flung himself at the enemy like a rocket, and was seen striking out to right and left, sending the natives flying. hurst was there too, hurst bursting with righteous indignation, and hawkins, a force in himself. while the two officers and their junior, the gallant midshipman, were already in line with them, andrew and alec forming two of the force also. "rush 'em," shouted the commander. "now, at 'em, hammer and tongs, but don't go too far. hooray! they're bolting." the mass of natives had, indeed, of a sudden taken to their heels, and no doubt the dash and daring of dick and his comrades had scared them wonderfully. but there was something else to account for this sudden _volte-face_, and a sharp report and a loud detonation from the far end of the village told its tale instantly. it was the airship. there she was swooping down upon the place, one of her deck guns in operation. pop! pop! pop! the quickfirer sent shot after shot amidst the fleeing natives, while someone located on the very nose of the ship, on the tiny, narrow gangway which led to that exposed position, waved frantically to our friends. it was joe without a doubt. joe in the seventh heaven of delight at the sight of his comrades. "stay where you are," he bawled through his megaphone. "we're landing. those niggers have gone scuttling over the river." the ship was down in their midst in the space of a few seconds, and for a while there was violent shaking of hands amongst the friends. "thought i should never see you again," declared joe, mopping a very fevered forehead. "missed you after a few hours had passed and rose at once to inspect surroundings. couldn't find a trace of you, and so began to swoop backward and forward. by chance i saw this village, and with a pair of glasses made out the situation. no, no, larkin, not a punitive expedition this time. we've better things to do, and, after all, these natives only acted according to their own lights." the pugnacious larkin was positively boiling, and strutted about the little group, his two fists doubled, his arms waving, his head a little forward, and his eyes turned towards the flying natives. "just one little turn at 'em, sir," he asked. "just one little one, if only to get a bit of me own back." "not a step," replied joe firmly. "come, gentlemen, aboard, and let us be moving." it was obviously the best course to pursue, as there was nothing to be gained by attacking the natives. but as a warning to them to leave europeans alone in the future the village was fired and the numerous dug-outs lying upon the bank of the river broken to pieces. one, however, was taken aboard the airship as a trophy, as well as sundry clubs, knives, and utensils, while dick carried away that useful cutlass. "just to show mr. reitberg, the sportsman, that we've been here," he told his chum. "but even when he sees the canoe he won't believe. however, there are other ways of making him do so." as a matter of fact joe and andrew had been extremely careful throughout this momentous trip to leave records of their arrival in various parts, and that document which they had obtained from the foreign office had been _viséed_ by a variety of officials in a variety of countries. thankful to have escaped from the plight in which they had found themselves, dick and his friends now embarked, and the great airship promptly swooped upward. "from new guinea to australia is but a step," said joe with a smile. "we will spend a little time in calling on our friends at the antipodes and then speed onward, for time is drawing in. we must now pursue a straighter course." ambling across australia, where her presence caused a huge commotion, and where both passengers and crew came in for a large share of the proverbially warm-hearted hospitality of the colonials, the ship called in at the north and south isles of new zealand, and then, speeding up her engines, steered for the south. it was with sad and yet proud hearts that a week later those aboard manoeuvred the huge vessel directly over the frozen south pole, and there gazed down upon the relics left by amundsen and captain scott, records of the daring and persistent bravery of men whose names will go down upon the roll of fame for future generations to observe. "we will land and ourselves walk across the southern pole," said andrew. "then we will visit that tragic spot where captain scott and his comrades, caught by that fatal blizzard, and delayed by a sick comrade, lay down in their tent and died, died the death of heroes." one does not need to recount how they descended, nor how they found that cairn of snow heaped upon the bodies of the fallen. here crew and passengers left the ship and stood silently about the cairn reading the inscription left upon the rough cross erected above it. "this cross and cairn erected over the remains of captain r. f. scott, c.v.o., r.n., dr. e. a. wilson, and lieutenant h. r. bowers, r.i.m., as a slight token to perpetuate their gallant and successful attempt to reach the goal. this they did on the th january, , after the norwegians had already done so on the th december, ." "and we must not forget their sick comrades who perished on the same journey," said andrew solemnly. "they were captain l. e. g. oates and petty officer e. evans, r.n. truly has it been said of these heroes that hereabouts died some very gallant gentlemen." from those cold and forbidding antarctic regions the airship rushed towards sunnier climes, and was very soon over cape horn. thence she traced the whole length of south america, passing over the pacific coast of that enormous continent. she threaded her way above the isthmus of panama, where the spaniards of old extracted wealth from the incas and from the natives of mexico, and where drake and men of his adventurous stamp won riches from the spaniard. thence the vessel paid a visit to the states of north america, her coming being heralded by the discharge of fireworks in thousands and by signal rockets. indeed, a warm welcome was given to passengers and crew, and invitations to stay longer. but time was pressing. canada, too, was calling, so that that long frontier between north america and canada was crossed, a frontier, be it noted, devoid of forts and guns, across which canadians and americans fraternize. "and now we turn our faces homewards. this is the last lap," said joe, when a round of festivities had been enjoyed in various canadian cities. "we have proved this ship to be capable of a world-circling trip. she has safely ridden through tempests which would have destroyed a zeppelin. let us now return to london, there to show the people of england that we are still in existence, and there to hand over this ship to the authorities." it was with light hearts that they sent the vessel eastward. hovering for a while over the historical city of quebec, where french and english had once contested matters, and where their sons now live in amity together, joe sent the aerial monster scudding over the length of the mighty river st. laurence. then they sailed above the vast gulf of that name, and swept seaward between newfoundland and cape breton island. it was in that neighbourhood that the lookout man sighted a tiny speck upon the ocean. "boat adrift, sir, i think," he reported. "i can see a man waving something." joe fastened his glasses upon the spot, a movement which the commander copied. "man adrift on a piece of wreckage," sang out the latter. "waving his shirt as a signal. lucky for him that we were crossing." they steered above the castaway and sent dick down upon the lift, with alec and hurst to help him. then they hoisted them again and brought aboard a man seemingly in the last stages of exhaustion. he was almost speechless with thirst and black with exposure. a beard of ten days' growth was on his face, while his hair was long and matted. "fisherman," he gasped. "driven off the land. been drifting to and fro for days, and without food and drink for many. water! water!" aboard the airship this unlucky wight received the kindest attention, and indeed was soon snugly curled up in a bunk in the men's quarters. no one suspected he was other than he pretended to be, an unfortunate fisherman from the shores of nova scotia. no one aboard recognized the man as adolf fruhmann. but it was he, carl reitberg's rascally lieutenant, and once more crew and passengers and airship were in imminent danger. chapter xx adolf fruhmann's venture never perhaps was there a more exaggerated example of base ingratitude, of trickery, of cunning, and of calculated rascality than that instanced by the presence of the ruffian, adolf fruhmann, aboard the great airship. snug in his bunk, feigning exhaustion and illness after exposure and privation, the wretch successfully evaded the ken of joe and his friends while sending messages of the profoundest gratitude to them. "all so much dust," he sniggered beneath the bed-clothes, for only the top of his head was showing. "just a little more dust in their eyes to blind 'em. it just makes me roar when i think how the scheme acted, and carl saying all the while that it wouldn't. well, he pays, pays all the more handsomely." he went off into a paroxysm of silent laughter, which shook the bunk and brought the tender-hearted hawkins to his side within a moment. "eh, mate?" he asked gently enough, for your sailor or your soldier attendant is the very best of fellows, as gentle as any woman, and often almost as clever where nursing is necessary. "eh, mate? got the shivers? fever? well, i've had it, and it ain't too agreeable. but mr. andrew'll put you right. he's the doctor aboard this ship, and a good 'un. i'll send along for him." "please," gurgled the wretch in the bunk, still keeping his head hidden. "please, i'm as cold as an icicle at times, and then boiling hot. i'm dying." "not you, mate," came from the encouraging hawkins, who hastened away at once so that he might save this derelict fisherman some suffering. and mr. andrew was equally solicitous. "come, let us have a look at you, my friend," he begged, arriving in the men's quarters. "show your face and so let me judge what is the matter." the crafty fruhmann complied in a measure. he roused himself on to one elbow, and then fell backward as if the effort had weakened him. then he pushed the clothes back from his face with one hand, keeping the other firmly across his eyes. "can't see," he mumbled. "almost blind after those days and nights in the open. don't dare to open my eyes." andrew left him with a draught, and a caution to hawkins to see that the wide windows of the men's quarters were curtained. "shade the electric light when it gets dark," he said. "no doubt he is suffering with his eyes. i've known the same with men lost in the backwoods of canada in the winter. there, my friend, a few days will put you right. you'll be fit to travel back once we get to england." "but not aboard this ship, no," smiled the artful fruhmann, burying his head again once andrew was gone, just as if he were a frightened ostrich. "not aboard this flying vessel, mister. 'cos she won't be flying then if adolf fruhmann has anything to do with the matter. and to think i'm here, and so easily, when carl was in a funk all the while that i'd miss 'em!" that set him off into another smothered giggle, which again shook the bunk and called hawkins over to him. indeed, that big-hearted fellow was decidedly ill at ease, till the arrival of andrew's promised draught and its administration to the patient produced an apparently instantaneous effect. "take the shivers out of yer," said hawkins. "make yer easy and send yer to sleep. sing out when you're wanting anything. there's soup here that'll make you fit for anything, and lemonade and what not." fruhmann thanked him with his tongue in his cheek, disappeared again beneath the blankets, and gave himself up to scheming and considering matters. indeed he was a cunning, clever fellow, and by adopting the excuse of sickness was entirely freed of suspicion. more than that, there was no danger of recognition, and the hints and information which the rascally carl reitberg had been able to give him had showed this wretch that there was little need for caution. "that beard and the dirt and so on fooled 'em finely," he told himself. "not that there's a one to be feared save sergeant evans, the man who worked with the police in south africa. but he's a saloon man, and didn't catch sight of me. if he had he'd have been bothered finely. but if i was to use soap and water and a comb, not to mention a razor, well, the tale'd be different. and so here i am aboard, a sick and exhausted fisherman, cared for and molly-coddled by that thundering lout hawkins, left pretty much to myself because i'm supposed to be extra sleepy. ho! ho! this'll make carl laugh fit to hurt himself. it's a tale that'll help to make him pay up extra handsome." it was, in fact, just the sort of story to go down with the rascally magnate. all the sporting instincts and ideas as to love of fair play which he may have possessed in his youthful days were gone entirely. and even had he still retained a few shreds and remnants of honest feeling for others at this period he threw them overboard when dealing with joe gresson, andrew provost, and the crew and passengers of the great airship. "we're bound to beat them," he had told fruhmann, when the latter had hurried away from england to meet him at suez. "we're bound to follow the ship and break her somewhere. there's money in it." "i hope so. that's why i'm here. that's why i'm ready to take risks," his rascally hireling told him. "and we've got to find a way to get about the business. now, i've failed with the bombs." "and got scared mighty badly," grinned the other. "well, it's my turn. you leave this to me. how will i do it? you listen. see here. the papers wherever the ship goes are crammed with columns full of her history, her wonderful powers, her beauty of outline and construction; not to mention photos. and there's something far more important." "eh, yes? what?" "there's always a list of places she's intending to visit. for instance, here's the latest telegram from india. let's read it." fruhmann lolled back in his cane-work seat on the veranda of the hotel and unfolded a paper. "listen," he said, taking his cigar from his lips and admiring the cloud of smoke he sent upward. "here it is. the cable companies are making a fortune over this airship." "as i hope to do," sniggered the magnate. "as you will do if you trust things to me. now listen. 'departure of the great airship. huge excitement in india. mr. joseph gresson confident of successful ending to his trip. proposes now to steer for borneo and new guinea; afterwards for australia and new zealand. will cross the south pole direct for cape horn, and may be expected in north america. will visit canada finally and make a triumphal return by way of quebec and the gulf of st. laurence. those who wish to see the last of her must hasten to newfoundland or the island of cape breton.'" fruhmann took to his cigar again, looking sharply at his master. carl meditated deeply. he was not brilliant at any time, and was now dull to the point of exasperation. "yes," he drawled sluggishly. "but--er--i don't quite see where this helps us. you can't, for instance, hope to come up with the ship at the south pole." "stop fooling!" growled his amiable lieutenant. "who is talking of the south pole? you want me to get aboard. well, canada's as good as australia, and it's possible. i couldn't reach the first before the ship had passed. but i can reach canada. there's a steamer leaving the canal this very evening. she's a pleasure cruiser direct from new york, and she steams straight home from the mediterranean. now, i board her. never mind if they won't take passengers. i'll smuggle myself aboard and your money'll do the rest. from new york the train takes me quick to nova scotia, and from there to cape breton island it's a mere step." "ah!" the fat magnate began to follow. "but----" he gasped, turning in his chair. "then?" "easy. i steal a boat and put out to sea just before the ship leaves quebec. i've built a sort of raft already. i sink the boat and take to the raft, while i've been growing a beard from this very instant. i signal the ship----" "stop!" cried carl. "it may be night-time when she comes over." "but i have a lamp. fortunate, ain't it? it's all i've saved from my boat. a mere lamp! no food. no drink. just that lucky lamp, and i signal. i'm taken aboard. i'm ill, desperately bad. i lie up in a bunk, and----" the fat magnate laughed till he coughed, and then became positively purple. "you--you're a boy, adolf," he wheezed. "it's a fine scheme. but--but supposing it fails. supposing the ship changes her course? then it's too late. you're leaving the attempt to the very last instant." "and all the better. it won't fail. besides, at the end the folks aboard won't be suspicious. they've been looking out for you since you planted those bombs aboard. they've had a wary eye open for sportsmen. but i'm merely a poor, exhausted fisherman. i don't count. i'm too ill to be interviewed, and i----" "how'll you do it?" asked carl eagerly. "ah, that's telling!" it was a matter on which fruhmann had been absolutely silent. but he had his plans. indeed, his scheme had been completed long ago in every detail, and as he lay in that bunk, sniggering violently at times, he was a proud and happy scoundrel. for his plans had carried so far wonderfully. he was in the camp of the enemy, but as a friend. he was a pampered, unfortunate fisherman, at whose presence no one could feel suspicion. in fact, he was on the verge of a triumph. nor was he the one to hurry. "let 'em settle down to the feeling that i'm aboard," he told himself. "to-morrow night'll do. i ain't going to spoil things by hurrying." and so till the following night he lay inert in his bunk, still a prey to those extraordinary attacks which alarmed the honest hawkins. it was after midnight when he crept from the men's quarters, leaving them all slumbering, and made his crafty way along the gallery. nor, strangely enough, did he need a guide. "got carl to draw a sketch of the ship, and studied it," he smiled. "that's the way to do this sort of business. ah! that's the engine-room. i have to go for'ard to find the ladder. wonder who's on duty?" he could hear the soft purr of those motors so beloved of joe gresson. he halted just above the place and stared in through the transparent floor of the gallery. one light was burning, a shaded light, and close to it sat the man in charge of the engines. he was asleep. fruhmann almost whistled. "got him!" he hissed. "easy as smoking. slip down there, keeping the motors between me and him. there's enough noise to keep him from hearing. then--then i do it." a pair of socks were his only foot covering, and made not a sound as he placed a foot on the first rung of the ladder. if anyone could ever creep like a cat it was this scoundrel. he seemed to slide down the ladder while never once did he take his eyes from the form of the sleeper. then he went on hands and knees and crawled down one side of the range of motors. "better than bombs, far," he was saying. "must work things so as to make the ship helpless. just now her automatic gear's steering her upon the course they've set. but there won't be any automatic movement when i've finished. and the best of my scheme is that it don't endanger life, that is, my life. it's blowing tidyish now, and of course the ship'll feel it. she'll get sent this way and that, and be wellnigh wrecked. but she's got wireless, and we're over the track of ships. that's handy." how the cunning rascal had schemed it all out. whatever he proposed to do now he reckoned would render the great ship helpless, and would wreck her. but not on the instant. no. he was not attempting desperate methods such as carl had chosen. the ship would be helpless, and become a wreck in time, but her wireless would enable some steamer to be called before the last fatal moment. "it's grand and so easy," fruhmann gurgled. "now, we remember the description. there's a large valve on the left of the engines. that empties the water tanks. but we're on the other side, and the valve just here sets free the paraffin. it drains their tanks, runs away with the fuel supply of the engines, empties the radiators, and taps every drain from the hydraulic distributors. in fact, just this little, gentle turn makes her as helpless as a child, robs her motors of power and lets the breeze play goodness knows what with her. how very simple!" the villain, smiling at his own cleverness, steadily turned the lever controlling that valve and heard on the instant the gurgle of fluid running swiftly through the open orifice. then he crept to the ladder, clambered it cautiously, and faced for the men's quarters. it was at that precise moment that a hand was laid heavily on his shoulder. "you're a slinkin', mean-faced, scheming hound," came in gruff tones from no less a person than hawkins. "i was took in with yer tales at first, i own i was, took in nicely. but i'm all alive-o now, and don't you forget it. here's just a sample of what'll happen." he gave the man a terrific buffet, a buffet which sent him giddily against the wall of the gallery, while it awakened the sleeping mechanic. "you just look lively and turn down that paraffin valve," sang out hawkins, "and next time you wants to sleep call in a mate ter relieve you. now, you, i'm a goin'----" precisely what the angry hawkins proposed to do there is no saying. but adolf fruhmann had no intention of giving him the opportunity. to give this rascal his due, he had courage, a greater store than possessed by carl reitberg. and now that he was taken in the midst of his attempt, and saw prison before him, he formed the desperate resolve of fleeing. "get to the liftway and keep 'em off," he told himself swiftly. "yes, there's an aeroplane up there. you press a lever and the machine rises to the deck. a button sets the engine going. you can't upset. it's safe, safer than staying here. i'm off to try it." he broke away from the sailor and went racing along the gallery. a moment later he was at the liftway, where, guided by his memory of what carl had told him, he stepped upon a platform and touched a button. but that action was disastrous. a piercing shriek instantly awoke the sleepers aboard the airship. for adolf fruhmann, adventurer and scoundrel, had for all his cleverness made one vital error. he had stepped upon the wrong platform. that button which he had pushed released the well through which that twirling lift was wont to descend beneath the vessel. it opened with a sudden clatter, and in one second the ruffian who had hoped to wreck joe gresson's fine vessel was precipitated into space. nor could he be discovered when the searchlights were turned upon the surface of the atlantic. "then forward!" cried joe, "and let us be thankful for such a deliverance." "forward!" repeated andrew. "surely no further dangers can threaten this vessel." "none," declared the major. "you may say that we're almost in home waters already. let's ask the engineer to put on speed. it would be nice to lunch to-morrow over old england." but it was early morning two days later when dick sighted the white cliffs of dover, for a strong head-wind had made rapid travel difficult and undesirable. "port in sight, sir," he said, saluting the commander. "then we'll send 'em a marconi." "to whom?" asked joe, smiling now, for was not this a triumph? "er--well, why not to mr. carl reitberg?" gurgled dick. "compliments, you know; happy greetings. just arrived to claim that money, and sorry about that fellow you sent to see us off the st. laurence." "send this," said andrew, laughing at the midshipman. "great airship in sight of england. making for london where all may see her. owners present hundred thousand pounds deposited by carl reitberg to hospitals." "and the ship?" demanded the major. "to king and country," said andrew promptly. my airships [illustration: alberto santos-dumont] my airships the story of my life by alberto santos-dumont illustrated london grant richards the riverside press limited, edinburgh contents page introductory fable chapter i. the coffee plantation ii. paris--professional balloonists--automobiles iii. my first balloon ascent iv. my "brazil"--smallest of spherical balloons v. the real and the imaginary dangers of ballooning vi. i yield to the steerable balloon idea vii. my first air-ship cruises ( ) viii. how it feels to navigate the air ix. explosive engines and inflammable gases x. i go in for air-ship building xi. the exposition summer xii. the deutsch prize and its problems xiii. a fall before a rise xiv. the building of my "no. " xv. winning the deutsch prize xvi. a glance backward and forward xvii. monaco and the maritime guide rope xviii. flights in mediterranean winds xix. speed xx. an accident and its lessons xxi. the first of the world's air-ship stations xxii. my "no. ," the little runabout xxiii. the air-ship in war xxiv. paris as a centre of air-ship experiments concluding fable list of illustrations page alberto santos-dumont _frontispiece_ santos-dumont coffee plantation--railway santos-dumont coffee plantation--the works henriques santos-dumont the "brazil"--smallest of spherical balloons motor of "no. " the "santos-dumont no. "--first start "no. "--free diagonal movement up "no. "--free diagonal movement down "the housetops look so dangerous" over the bois de boulogne. "an ocean of greenery soft and safe" the question of physical danger "no. " catches fire over the ile de puteaux accident to "no. ," may , (first phase) accident to "no. ," may , (second phase) accident to "no. ," may , (third phase) accident to "no. ," may , (finale) start of "no. ," november , "no. " motor of "no. " visit of professor langley "no. "--flight before professor langley "santos-dumont no. " "no. " leaving aëro club grounds, july , "no. " returning from the eiffel tower "no. "--accident in the park of m. edmond de rothschild an accident phase of an accident "no. "--first trip an accident to "no. " scientific commission of aëro club at the winning of the deutsch prize "no. " making for eiffel tower--altitude feet round eiffel tower rounding eiffel tower returning to aëro club grounds above aqueduct medal awarded by the brazilian government "no. "--showing captain leaving basket for motor in the bay of monaco from the balloon house of la condamine at monaco, february , wind a. wind b "santos-dumont no. " "my present aids understand my present airships"--motor of "no. " "santos-dumont no. "--showing how aëro club grounds were cut up first of the world's airship stations (neuilly st james) "no. " "no. "--without passenger keel "santos-dumont no. " "no. "--showing relative size "no. "--jumping my wall "no. "--guide-roping on a level with the housetops "no. "--m. santos-dumont lands at his own door "no. " over bois de boulogne "no. " at military review, july , "no. " seen from captive balloon, june , my airships introductory fable the reasoning of children two young brazilian boys strolled in the shade, conversing. they were simple youths of the interior, knowing only the plenty of the primitive plantation where, undisturbed by labour-saving devices, nature yielded man her fruits at the price of the sweat of his brow. they were ignorant of machines to the extent that they had never seen a waggon or a wheelbarrow. horses and oxen bore the burdens of plantation life on their backs, and placid indian labourers wielded the spade and the hoe. yet they were thoughtful boys. at this moment they discussed things beyond all that they had seen or heard. "why not devise a better means of transport than the backs of horses and of oxen?" luis argued. "last summer i hitched horses to a barn door, loaded it with sacks of maize, and hauled in one load what ten horses could not have brought on their backs. true, it required seven horses to drag it, while five men had to sit around its edges and hold the load from falling off." "what would you have?" answered pedro. "nature demands compensations. you cannot get something from nothing or more from less!" "if we could put rollers under the drag, less pulling power would be needed." "bah! the force saved would be used up in the labour of shifting the rollers." "the rollers might be attached to the drag at fixed points by means of holes running through their centres," mused luis. "or why should not circular blocks of wood be fixed at the four corners of the drag?... look, pedro, yonder along the road. what is coming? the very thing i imagined, only better! one horse is pulling it at a good trot!" the first waggon to appear in that region of the interior stopped, and its driver spoke with the boys. "these round things?" he answered to their questions; "they are called wheels." pedro accepted his explanation of the principle slowly. "there must be some hidden defect in the device," he insisted. "look around us. nowhere does nature employ the device you call the wheel. observe the mechanism of the human body; observe the horse's frame; observe...." "observe that horse and man and waggon with its wheels are speeding from us," replied luis, laughing. "cannot you yield to accomplished facts? you tire me with your appeals to nature. has man ever accomplished anything worth having except by combating nature? we do violence to her when we chop down a tree! i would go further than this invention of the waggon. conceive a more powerful motive force than that horse...." "attach two horses to the waggon." "i mean a machine," said luis. "a mechanical horse with powerful iron legs!" suggested pedro. "no; i would have a motor waggon. if i could find an artificial force i would cause it to act on a point in the circumference of each wheel. then the waggon could carry its own puller!" "you might as well attempt to lift yourself from the ground by pulling at your boot straps!" laughed pedro. "listen, luis. man is subject to certain natural laws. the horse, it is true, carries more than his own weight, but by a device of natures own--his legs. had you the artificial force you dream of you would have to apply it naturally. i have it! it would have to be applied to poles to push your waggon from behind!" "i hold to applying the force to the wheels," insisted luis. "by the nature of things you would lose power," said pedro. "a wheel is harder to force on from a point inside its circumference than when the motive power is applied to that circumference directly, as by pushing or pulling the waggon." "to relieve friction i would run my power waggon on smooth iron rails, then the loss in power would be gained in speed." "smooth iron rails!" laughed pedro. "why, the wheels would slip on them. you would have to put notches all round their circumference and corresponding notches in the rails. and what would there be to prevent the power waggon slipping off the rails even then?" the boys had been walking briskly. now a shrieking noise startled them. before them stretched in long lines a railway in course of construction, and from among the hills came toward them, at what seemed immense speed, a construction train. "it is an avalanche!" cried pedro. "it is the very thing that i was dreaming of!" said luis. the train stopped. a gang of labourers emerged from it and began working on the road-bed, while the locomotive engineer answered the boys' questions and explained the mechanism of his engine. the boys discussed this later wonder as they wended their way homeward. "could it be adapted to the river men might become lords of the water as of the land," said luis. "it would be only necessary to devise wheels capable of taking hold of the water. fix them to a great frame like that waggon body and the steam-engine could propel it along the surface of the river!" "now you talk folly," exclaimed pedro. "does a fish float on the surface? in the water we must travel as the fish does--in it, not over it! your waggon body, being filled with light air, would upset at your first movement. and your wheels--do you imagine they would take hold of so liquid a thing as water?" "what would you suggest?" "i would suggest that your water waggon be jointed in half-a-dozen places, so that it could be made to squirm through the water like a fish. listen! a fish navigates the water. you desire to navigate the water. then study the fish! there are fish that use propeller fins and flippers too. so you might devise broad boards to strike the water, as our hands and feet strike it in swimming. but do not talk about waggon wheels in the water!" they were now beside the broad river. the first steamer to navigate it was seen approaching from the distance. the boys could not yet well distinguish it. "it is evidently a whale," said pedro. "what navigates the water? fish. what is the fish that sometimes is seen swimming with its body half way above the surface? the whale. see, it is spouting water!" "that is not water, but steam or smoke," said luis. "then it is a dead whale, and the steam is the vapour of putrefaction. that is why it stays so high in the water--a dead whale rises high on its back!" "no," said luis; "it is really a steam water waggon." "with smoke coming from fire in it, as from the locomotive?" "yes." "but the fire would burn it up...." "the body is doubtless iron, like the locomotive." "iron would sink. throw your hatchet in the river and see." the steam-boat came to shore, close to the boys. running to it, to their joy, they perceived on its deck an old friend of their family, a neighbouring planter. "come, boys!" he said, "and i will show you round this steam-boat." after a long inspection of the machinery the two boys sat with their old friend on the foredeck in the shade of an awning. "pedro," said luis, "will not men some day invent a ship to sail in the sky?" the common-sense old planter glanced with apprehension at the youth's face, flushed with ardour. "have you been much in the sun, luis?" he asked. "oh, he is always talking in that flighty way," pedro reassured him. "he takes pleasure in it." "no, my boy," said the planter; "man will never navigate a ship in the sky." "but on st john's eve, when we all make bonfires, we also send up little tissue-paper spheres with hot air in them," insisted luis. "if we could construct a very great one, big enough to lift a man, a light car, and a motor, might not the whole system be propelled through the air, as a steam-boat is propelled through the water?" "boys, never talk foolishness!" exclaimed the old friend of the family hurriedly as the captain of the boat approached. it was too late. the captain had heard the boy's observation; instead of calling it folly he excused him. "the great balloon which you imagine has existed since ," he said; "but, though capable of carrying a man or several men, it cannot be controlled--it is at the mercy of the slightest breeze. as long ago as a french engineer named giffard made a brilliant failure with what he called a 'dirigible balloon,' furnished with the motor and propeller luis has dreamed of. all he did was to demonstrate the impossibility of directing a balloon through the air." "the only way would be to build a flying machine on the model of the bird," spoke up pedro with authority. "pedro is a very sensible boy," observed the old planter. "it is a pity luis is not more like him and less visionary. tell me, pedro, how did you come to decide in favour of the bird as against the balloon?" "easily," replied pedro glibly. "it is the most ordinary-common sense. does man fly? no. does the bird fly? yes. then if man would fly let him imitate the bird. nature has made the bird, and nature never goes wrong. had the bird been furnished with a great air bag i might have suggested a balloon." "exactly!" exclaimed both captain and planter. but luis, sitting in his corner, muttered, unconvinced as galileo: "it will move!" chapter i the coffee plantation from the way in which the partisans of nature have fallen on me i might well be the uninformed and visionary luis of the fable, for has it not been taken for granted that i began my experiments ignorant alike of mechanics and ballooning? and before my experiments succeeded, were they not all called impossible? does not the final condemnation of the common-sense pedro continue to weigh on me? after steering my ship through the sky at will i am still told that flying creatures are heavier than the air. a little more and i should be made responsible for the tragic accidents of others who had not my experience of mechanics and aeronautics. on the whole, therefore, i think it is best to begin at the coffee plantation where i was born in the year . [illustration: plantation railway santos-dumont coffee plantation in brazil] inhabitants of europe comically figure those brazilian plantations to themselves as primitive stations of the boundless pampas, as innocent of the cart and the wheelbarrow as of the electric light and the telephone. there are such stations far in the interior. i have been through them on hunting trips, but they are not the coffee plantations of sao-paulo. i can hardly imagine a more stimulating environment for a boy dreaming over mechanical inventions. at the age of seven i was permitted to drive our "locomobiles" of the epoch--steam traction-engines of the fields with great broad wheels. at the age of twelve i had conquered my place in the cabs of the baldwin locomotive engines hauling train-loads of green coffee over the sixty miles of our plantation railway. when my father and brothers would take pleasure in making horseback trips far and near, to see if the trees were clean, if the crops were coming up, if the rains had done damage, i preferred to slip down to the works and play with the coffee-engines. i think it is not generally understood how scientifically a brazilian coffee plantation may be operated. from the moment when a railway train has brought the green berries to the works to the moment when the finished and assorted product is loaded on the transatlantic ships, no human hand touches the coffee. you know that the berries of black coffee are red when they are green. though it may complicate the statement, they look like cherries. car loads of them are unloaded at the central works and thrown into great tanks, where the water is continually renewed and agitated. mud that has clung to the berries from the rains, and little stones which have got mixed up with them in the loading of the cars, go to the bottom, while the berries and the little sticks and bits of leaves float on the surface and are carried from the tank by means of an inclined trough, whose bottom is pierced with innumerable little holes. through these holes falls some of the water with the berries, while the little sticks and pieces of leaves float on. [illustration: the works] [illustration: "locomobile" the santos-dumont coffee plantation in brazil] the fallen coffee berries are now clean. they are still red, about the size and look of cherries. the red exterior is a hard pod or _polpa_. inside of each pod are two beans, each of which is covered with a skin of its own. the water which has fallen with the berries carries them on to the machine called the _despolpador_, which breaks the outside pod and frees the beans. long tubes, called "dryers," now receive the beans, still wet, and with their skins still on them. in these dryers the beans are continually agitated in hot air. coffee is very delicate. it must be handled delicately. therefore the dried beans are lifted by the cups of an endless-chain elevator to a height, whence they slide down an inclined trough to another building because of the danger of fire. this is the coffee machine house. the first machine is a ventilator, in which sieves, shaken back and forth, are so combined that only the coffee beans can pass through them. no coffee is lost in them and no dirt is kept by them, for one little stone or stick that may still have been carried with the beans would be enough to break the next machine. another endless-chain elevator carries the beans to a height, whence they fall through an inclined trough into this _descascador_ or "skinner." it is a highly delicate machine; if the spaces between are a trifle too big the coffee passes without being skinned, while if they are too small they break the beans. another elevator carries the skinned beans with their skins to another ventilator, in which the skins are blown away. still another elevator takes the now clean beans up and throws them into the "separator," a great copper tube two yards in diameter and about seven yards long, resting at a slight incline. through the separator tube the coffee slides. as it is pierced at first with little holes the smaller beans fall through them. farther along it is pierced with larger holes, and through these the medium-sized beans fall, and still farther along are still larger holes, for the large round beans called "moka." the machine is a separator because it separates the beans into their conventional grades by size. each grade falls into its hopper, beneath which are stationed weighing scales and men with coffee sacks. as the sacks fill up to the required weight they are replaced by empty ones, and the tied and labelled sacks are shipped to europe. as a boy i played with this machinery and the driving engines that furnished its motive force, and before long familiarity had taught me how to repair any part of it. as i have said, it is delicate machinery. in particular, the moving sieves would be continually getting out of order. while they were not heavy, they moved back and forth horizontally at great speed and took an enormous amount of motive power. the belts were always being changed, and i remember the fruitless efforts of all of us to remedy the mechanical defects of the device. now is it not curious that those troublesome shifting sieves were the only machines at the coffee works that were not rotary? they were not rotary, and they were bad. i think this put me as a boy against all _agitating_ devices in mechanics and in favour of the more easily-handled and more serviceable rotary movement. it may be that half-a-century from now man will assume mastery of the air by means of flying machines heavier than the medium in which they move. i look forward to the time with hope, and at the present moment i have gone further to meet it than any other, because my own air-ships (which have been so reproached on this head) are slightly heavier than the air. but i am prejudiced enough to think that when the time comes the conquering device will not be flapping wings or any substitute of an agitating nature. i cannot say at what age i made my first kites, but i remember how my comrades used to tease me at our game of "pigeon flies!" all the children gather round a table, and the leader calls out: "pigeon flies!" "hen flies!" "crow flies!" "bee flies!" and so on, and at each call we were supposed to raise our fingers. sometimes, however, he would call out "dog flies!" "fox flies!" or some other like impossibility, to catch us. if anyone raised a finger he was made to pay a forfeit. now my playmates never failed to wink and smile mockingly at me when one of them called "man flies!" for at the word i would always lift my finger very high, as a sign of absolute conviction, and i refused with energy to pay the forfeit. among the thousands of letters which i received after winning the deutsch prize there was one that gave me particular pleasure. i quote from it as a matter of curiosity: "... do you remember the time, my dear alberto, when we played together 'pigeon flies!'? it came back to me suddenly the day when the news of your success reached rio. "'man flies!' old fellow! you were right to raise your finger, and you have just proved it by flying round the eiffel tower. "you were right not to pay the forfeit; it is m. deutsch who has paid it in your stead. bravo! you well deserve the , franc prize. "they play the old game now more than ever at home, but the name has been changed and the rules modified--since october , . they call it now 'man flies!' and he who does not raise his finger at the word pays his forfeit.-- your friend, pedro." this letter brings back to me the happiest days of my life, when i exercised myself in making light aeroplanes with bits of straw, moved by screw propellers driven by springs of twisted rubber, or ephemeral silk-paper balloons. each year, on june th, over the st john bonfires, which are customary in brazil from long tradition, i inflated whole fleets of these little montgolfiers, and watched in ecstasy their ascension to the skies. in those days, i confess, my favourite author was jules verne. the wholesome imagination of this truly great writer, working magically with the immutable laws of matter, fascinated me from childhood. in its daring conceptions i saw, never doubting, the mechanics and the science of the coming ages, when man should by his unaided genius rise to the height of a demigod. with captain nemo and his shipwrecked guests i explored the depths of the sea in that first of all submarines, the _nautilus_. with phineas fogg i went round the world in eighty days. in "screw island" and "the steam house" my boyish faith leaped out to welcome the ultimate triumphs of an automobilism that in those days had not as yet a name. with hector servadoc i navigated the air. i saw my first balloon in , when i was about fifteen years old. there was a fair or celebration of some sort at the town of sao-paulo, and a professional made the ascent, letting himself down afterwards in a parachute. by this time i was perfectly familiar with the history of montgolfier and the balloon craze, which, following on his courageous and brilliant experiments, so significantly marked the last years of the eighteenth, and the first years of the nineteenth, centuries. in my heart i had an admiring worship for the four men of genius--montgolfier, and the physicist, charles, and pilâtre de rozier, and the engineer, henry giffard--who have attached their names for ever to great steps forward in aerial navigation. i, too, desired to go ballooning. in the long, sun-bathed brazilian afternoons, when the hum of insects, punctuated by the far-off cry of some bird, lulled me, i would lie in the shade of the verandah and gaze into the fair sky of brazil, where the birds fly so high and soar with such ease on their great outstretched wings, where the clouds mount so gaily in the pure light of day, and you have only to raise your eyes to fall in love with space and freedom. so, musing on the exploration of the vast aerial ocean, i, too, devised air-ships and flying machines in my imagination. these imaginations i kept to myself. in those days, in brazil, to talk of inventing a flying machine or dirigible balloon would have been to mark oneself off as unbalanced and visionary. spherical balloonists were looked on as daring professionals, not differing greatly from acrobats; and for the son of a planter to dream of emulating them would have been almost a social sin. chapter ii paris--professional balloonists--automobiles in it was decided that our family should make a trip to paris, and i rejoiced doubly at the prospect. all good americans are said to go to paris when they die. but to me, with the bias of my reading, france--the land of my father's ancestors and of his own education as an engineer at the École centrale--represented everything that is powerful and progressive. in france the first hydrogen balloon had been let loose and the first air-ship had been made to navigate the air with its steam-engine, screw propeller, and rudder. naturally i figured to myself that the problem had made marked progress since henry giffard in , with a courage equal to his science, gave his masterly demonstration of the problem of directing balloons. i said to myself: "i am going to paris to see the new things--steerable balloons and automobiles!" [illustration: henriques santos-dumont father of a. santos-dumont and founder of the coffee plantations in brazil] on one of my first free afternoons, therefore, i slipped away from the family on a tour of exploration. to my immense astonishment i learned that there were no steerable balloons--that there were only spherical balloons, like that of charles in ! in fact, no one had continued the trials of an elongated balloon driven by a thermic motor begun by henry giffard. the trials of such balloons with an electric motor, undertaken by the tissandier brothers in , had been repeated by two constructors in the following year, but had been finally given up in . for years no "cigar-shaped" balloon had been seen in the air. this threw me back on spherical ballooning. consulting the paris city directory i had noted the address of a professional aeronaut. to him i explained my desires. "you want to make an ascent?" he asked gravely. "hum! hum! are you sure you have the courage? a balloon ascent is no small thing, and you seem too young." i assured him both of my purpose and my courage. little by little he yielded to my arguments. finally he consented to take me "for a short ascent." it must be on a calm, sunny afternoon, and not last more than two hours. "my honorarium will be francs," he added, "and you must sign me a contract to hold yourself responsible for all damages we may do to your own life and limbs and to mine, to the property of third parties, and to the balloon and its accessories. furthermore, you agree to pay out railway fares and transportation for the balloon and its basket back to paris from the point at which we come to the ground." i asked time for reflection. to a youth eighteen years of age francs was a large sum. how could i justify the spending of it to my parents? then i reflected: "if i risk francs for an afternoon's pleasure i shall find it either good or bad. if it is bad the money will be lost. if it is good i shall want to repeat it and i shall not have the means." this decided me. regretfully i gave up ballooning and took refuge in automobiling. automobiles were still rare in paris in , and i had to go to the works at valentigny to buy my first machine, a peugeot three-and-a-half horse-power roadster. it was a curiosity. in those days there were no automobile licenses, no "chauffeurs'" examinations. we drove our new inventions through the streets of the capital at our own risks and perils. such was the curiosity they aroused that i was not allowed to stop in public places like the place de l'opéra for fear of attracting multitudes and obstructing traffic. immediately i became an enthusiastic automobilist. i took pleasure in understanding the parts and their proper interworking; i learned to care for my machine and to repair it; and when, at the end of some seven months, our whole family returned to brazil i took the peugeot roadster with me. returning to paris in , with the balloon idea still obsessing me, i looked up a number of other professional aeronauts. like the first, all wanted extravagant sums to take me up with them on the most trivial kind of ascent. all took the same attitude. they made a danger and a difficulty of ballooning, enlarging on its risks to life and property. even in presence of the great prices they proposed to charge me they did not encourage me to close with them. obviously they were determined to keep ballooning to themselves as a professional mystery. therefore i bought a new automobile. i should add that this condition of things has changed wonderfully since the foundation of the paris aéro club. automobile tricycles were just then coming to the fore. i chose one, and rejoiced in its freedom from breakdowns. in my new enthusiasm for the type, i was the first to introduce motor-tricycle races in paris. renting the bicycle track of the parc des princes for an afternoon i organised the race and offered the prizes. "common-sense" people declared that the event would end disastrously; they proved to their own satisfaction that the tricycles, going round the short curves of a bicycle track, would overturn and wreck themselves. if they did not do this the inclination would certainly cause the carburator to stop or not to work so well, and the stoppage of the carburator round the sharp curve would upset the tricycles. the directors of the vélodrome, while accepting my money, refused to let me have the track for a sunday afternoon, fearing a fiasco! they were disappointed when the race proved to be a great success. returning again to brazil i regretted bitterly that i had not persevered in my attempt to make a balloon ascent. at that distance, far from ballooning possibilities, even the high prices demanded by the aeronauts seemed to me of secondary importance. finally, one day in , in a rio book-shop, when making my purchases of reading matter for a new voyage to paris, i came on a volume of mm. lachambre and machuron, "andrée--au pôle nord en ballon." the reading of this book during the long sea voyage proved a revelation to me, and i finished by studying it like a text-book. its description of materials and prices opened my eyes. at last i saw clearly. andrée's immense balloon--a reproduction of whose photograph on the book cover showed how those who gave it the final varnishing climbed up its sides and over its summit like a mountain--cost only , francs to fully construct and equip! i determined that on arriving in paris i would cease consulting professional aeronauts and would make the acquaintance of constructors. i was particularly anxious to meet m. lachambre, the builder of the andrée balloon, and m. machuron, who was his associate and the writer of the book. in these men i will say frankly that i found all i had hoped for. when i asked m. lachambre how much it would cost me to take a short trip in one of his balloons his reply so astonished me that i asked him to repeat it. "for a long trip of three or four hours," he said, "it will cost you francs, all expenses and return of balloon by rail included." "and the damages?" i asked. "we shall not do any damage!" he replied, laughing. i closed with him on the spot, and m. machuron agreed to take me up the next day. chapter iii my first balloon ascent i have kept the clearest remembrance of the delightful sensations i experienced in this my first trial in the air. i arrived early at the parc d'aerostation of vaugirard so as to lose nothing of the preparations. the balloon, of a capacity of cubic metres, was lying a flat mass on the grass. at a signal from m. lachambre the workmen turned on the gas, and soon the formless thing rounded up into a great sphere and rose into the air. at a.m. all was ready. the basket rocked prettily beneath the balloon, which a mild, fresh breeze was caressing. impatient to be off, i stood in my corner of the narrow wicker basket with a bag of ballast in my hand. in the other corner m. machuron gave the word: "let go all!" suddenly the wind ceased. the air seemed motionless around us. we were off, going at the speed of the air current in which we now lived and moved. indeed, for us, there was no more wind; and this is the first great fact of all spherical ballooning. infinitely gentle is this unfelt movement forward and upward. the illusion is complete: it seems not to be the balloon that moves but the earth that sinks down and away. at the bottom of the abyss, which already opened yards below us, the earth, instead of appearing round like a ball, shows concave like a bowl by a peculiar phenomenon of refraction whose effect is to lift up constantly to the aeronaut's eyes the circle of the horizon. villages and woods, meadows and chateaux, pass across the moving scene, out of which the whistling of locomotives throws sharp notes. these faint, piercing sounds, together with the yelping and barking of dogs, are the only noises that reach one through the depths of the upper air. the human voice cannot mount up into these boundless solitudes. human beings look like ants along the white lines that are highways, and the rows of houses look like children's playthings. while my gaze was still held fascinated on the scene a cloud passed before the sun. its shadow cooled the gas in the balloon, which wrinkled and began descending, gently at first, and then with accelerated speed, against which we strove by throwing out ballast. this is the second great fact of spherical ballooning--we are masters of our altitude by the possession of a few pounds of sand! regaining our equilibrium above a plateau of clouds at about yards we enjoyed a wonderful sight. the sun cast the shadow of the balloon on this screen of dazzling whiteness, while our own profiles, magnified to giant size, appeared in the centre of a triple rainbow! as we could no longer see the earth all sensation of movement ceased. we might be going at storm speed and not know it. we could not even know the direction we were taking save by descending below the clouds to regain our bearings. a joyous peal of bells mounted up to us. it was the noonday angelus ringing from some village belfry. i had brought up with us a substantial lunch of hard-boiled eggs, cold roast beef and chicken, cheese, ice-cream, fruits and cakes, champagne, coffee, and chartreuse. nothing is more delicious than lunching like this above the clouds in a spherical balloon. no dining-room can be so marvellous in its decoration. the sun sets the clouds in ebullition, making them throw up rainbow jets of frozen vapour like great sheaves of fireworks all around the table. lovely white spangles of the most delicate ice formation scatter here and there by magic; while flakes of snow form, moment by moment, out of nothingness, beneath our very eyes, and in our very drinking-glasses. i was finishing my little glass of liqueur when the curtain suddenly fell on this wonderful stage setting of sunlight, cloud billows, and azure. the barometer rose rapidly millimetres, showing a sudden rupture of equilibrium and a swift descent. probably the balloon had become loaded down with several pounds of snow, and it was falling into a cloud. we passed into the half darkness of the fog. we could still see our basket, our instruments, and the parts of the rigging nearest us, but the netting that held us to the balloon was visible only to a certain height, and the balloon itself had completely disappeared. so we had for a moment the strange and delightful sensation of hanging in the void without support, of having lost our last ounce of weight in a limbo of nothingness, sombre and portentous. after a few minutes of fall, slackened by throwing out more ballast, we found ourselves under the clouds at a distance of about yards from the ground. a village fled away from us below. we took our bearings with the compass, and compared our route map with the immense natural map that unfolded below. soon we could identify roads, railways, villages, and forests, all hastening toward us from the horizon with the swiftness of the wind itself. the storm which had sent us downward marked a change of weather. now little gusts began to push the balloon from right to left, up and down. from time to time the guide rope--a great rope dangling yards below our basket--would touch earth, and soon the basket, too, began to graze the tops of trees. what is called "guide-roping" thus began for me under conditions peculiarly instructive. we had a sack of ballast at hand, and when some special obstacle rose in our path, like a tree or a house, we threw out a few handfuls of sand to leap up and pass over it. more than yards of the guide rope dragged behind us on the ground; and this was more than enough to keep our equilibrium under the altitude of yards, above which we decided not to rise for the rest of the trip. this first ascent allowed me to appreciate fully the utility of this simple part of the spherical balloon's rigging, without which its landing would usually present grave difficulties. when, for one reason or another--humidity gathering on the surface of the balloon, a downward stroke of wind, accidental loss of gas, or, more frequently, the passing of a cloud before the face of the sun--the balloon came back to earth with disquieting speed, the guide rope would come to rest in part on the ground, and so, unballasting the whole system by so much of its weight, stopped, or at least eased, the fall. under contrary conditions any too rapid upward tendency of the balloon was counterbalanced by the lifting of the guide rope off the ground, so that a little more of its weight became added to the weight of the floating system of the moment before. like all human devices, however, the guide rope, along with its advantages, has its inconveniences. its rubbing along the uneven surfaces of the ground--over fields and meadows, hills and valleys, roads and houses, hedges and telegraph wires--gives violent shocks to the balloon. or it may happen that the guide rope, rapidly unravelling the snarl in which it has twisted itself, catches hold of some asperity of the surface or winds itself around the trunk or branches of a tree. such an incident was alone lacking to complete my instruction. as we passed a little group of trees a shock stronger than any hitherto felt threw us backward in the basket. the balloon had stopped short, and was swaying in the wind gusts at the end of its guide rope, which had curled itself around the head of an oak. for a quarter of an hour it kept us shaking like a salad-basket, and it was only by throwing out a quantity of ballast that we finally got ourselves loose. the lightened balloon made a tremendous leap upward and pierced the clouds like a cannon-ball. indeed, it threatened to reach dangerous heights, considering the little ballast we had remaining in store for use in descending. it was time to have recourse to effective means, to open the manoeuvre valve and let out a portion of our gas. it was the work of a moment. the balloon began descending to earth again, and soon the guide rope again rested on the ground. there was nothing to do but to bring the trip to an end, because only a few handfuls of sand remained to us. he who wishes to navigate an air-ship should first practise a good many landings in a spherical balloon--that is, if he wishes to land without breaking balloon, keel, motor, rudder, propeller, water-ballast cylinders, and fuel holders. the wind being rather strong, it was necessary to seek shelter for this last manoeuvre. at the end of the plain a corner of the forest of fontainebleau was hurrying toward us. in a few moments we had turned the extremity of the wood, sacrificing our last handful of ballast. the trees now protected us from the violence of the wind, and we cast anchor, at the same time opening wide the emergency valve for the wholesale escape of the gas. the twofold manoeuvre landed us without the least dragging. we set foot on solid ground, and stood there watching the balloon die. stretched out in the field, it was losing the remains of its gas in convulsive agitations, like a great bird that dies in beating its wings. after taking a dozen instantaneous photographs of the dying balloon we folded it and packed it in the basket with its netting folded alongside. the little chosen corner in which we had landed formed part of the grounds of the chateau de la ferrière, belonging to m. alphonse de rothschild. labourers from a neighbouring field were sent for a conveyance to the village of la ferrière itself, and half-an-hour later a brake came. putting everything into it we set off to the railway station, which was some kilometres ( - / miles) distant. there we had some work to lift the basket with its contents to the ground, as it weighed kilogrammes ( pounds). at . we were back at paris, after a journey of kilometres (more than miles), and nearly two hours passed in the air. chapter iv my "brazil"--smallest of spherical balloons i liked ballooning so much that, coming back from my first trip with m. machuron, i told him that i wanted a balloon built for myself. he liked the idea. he thought that i wanted an ordinary-sized spherical balloon, between and cubic metres in volume. no one would think of making one smaller. it is only a short time ago, but it is curious how constructors still clung to heavy materials. the smallest balloon basket had to weigh kilogrammes ( lbs.). nothing was light--neither envelope, rigging, nor accessories. i gave m. machuron my ideas. he cried out against it when i told him i wanted a balloon of the lightest and toughest japanese silk, cubic metres (about cubic feet) in volume. at the works both he and m. lachambre tried to prove to me that the thing was impossible. [illustration: "the brazil" smallest of spherical balloons] how often have things been proved to me impossible! now i am used to it i expect it. but in those days it troubled me. still i persevered. they showed me that for a balloon to have "stability" it must have a certain weight. again, a balloon of cubic metres, they said, would be affected by the movements of the aeronaut in his basket much more than a large balloon of regulation size. [illustration: fig. .] [illustration: fig. .] with a large balloon the centre of gravity in the weight of the aeronaut is as in fig. , _a_. when the aeronaut moves, say, to the right in his basket, fig. , _b_, the centre of gravity of the whole system is not shifted appreciably. in a very small balloon the centre of gravity, fig. , _a_, is undisturbed only so long as the aeronaut sits straight in the centre of his basket. when he moves to the right the centre of gravity, fig. , _b_, is shifted beyond the vertical line of the balloon's circumference, causing the balloon to swing in the same direction. therefore, they said, your necessary movements in the basket will cause your little balloon to roll and swing continually. "we shall make the suspension tackle longer in proportion," i replied. it was done, and the "brazil" proved remarkably stable. when i brought my light japanese silk to m. lachambre he looked at it and said: "it will be too weak." but when we came to try it with the dynamometer it surprised us. tested thus, chinese silk stands over kilogrammes (or lbs.) strain to the linear metre ( · feet). the thin japanese silk stood a strain of kilogrammes ( lbs.)--that is, it proved to be thirty times stronger than necessary according to the theory of strains. this is astonishing when you consider that it weighs only grammes (a little more than one ounce) per square metre. to show how experts may be mistaken in their merely off-hand judgments i have been building my air-ship balloons of this same material; yet the inside pressure they have to stand is enormous, while all spherical balloons have a great hole in the bottom to relieve it. as the proportions finally adopted for the "brazil" were cubic metres ( cubic feet), corresponding to about square metres ( square yards) of silk surface, the whole envelope weighed scarcely - / kilogrammes (less than lbs.). but the weight of the varnish, three coats, brought it up to kilogrammes (about lbs.). the net, which often weighs into the hundreds of lbs., weighed grammes, or nearly lbs. the basket, which usually weighs kilogrammes ( lbs.) at a minimum, weighed kilogrammes ( lbs.); the basket which i now have with my little "no. " weighs less than kilogrammes ( lbs.). my guide rope, small, but very long-- yards--weighed at most kilogrammes ( - / lbs.); its length gave the "brazil" a good spring. instead of an anchor i put in a little grappling-iron of kilogrammes ( - / lbs.). making everything light in this way i found that, in spite of the smallness of the balloon, it would have ascensional force to take up my own weight of kilogrammes ( lbs.) and kilogrammes ( lbs.) of ballast. as a fact, i took up that amount on my first trip. on another occasion, when a french cabinet minister was present, anxious to see the smallest spherical balloon ever made, i had practically no ballast at all, only or kilogrammes ( or lbs.). nevertheless, causing the balloon to be weighed, i went up, and made a good ascent. the "brazil" was very handy in the air--easy to control. it was easy to pack also on descending, and the story that i carried it in a valise is true. before starting out in my little "brazil" i made from twenty-five to thirty ascents in ordinary spherical balloons, quite alone, as my own captain and sole passenger. m. lachambre had many public ascents, and allowed me to do some of them for him. thus i made ascents in many parts of france and belgium. as i got the pleasure and the experience, and as i saved him the labour and paid all my own expenses and damages, it was a mutually advantageous arrangement. i do not believe that, without such previous study and experience with a spherical balloon, a man can be capable of succeeding with an elongated dirigible balloon, whose handling is so much more delicate. before attempting to direct an air-ship it is necessary to have learned in an ordinary balloon the conditions of the atmospheric medium, to have become acquainted with the caprices of the wind, and to have gone thoroughly into the difficulties of the ballast problem from the triple point of view of starting, of equilibrium in the air, and of landing at the end of the trip. to have been oneself the captain of an ordinary balloon at the very least a dozen times seems to me an indispensable preliminary to acquiring an exact notion of the requisites for constructing and handling an elongated balloon furnished with its motor and propeller. naturally, i am filled with amazement when i see inventors, who have never set a foot in the basket, drawing up on paper--and even executing in whole or in part--fantastic air-ships, whose balloons are to have a capacity of thousands of cubic metres, loaded down with enormous motors which they do not succeed in raising from the ground, and furnished with machinery so complicated that nothing works! such inventors are afraid of nothing, because they have no idea of the difficulties of the problem. had they previously journeyed through the air at the wind's will, and amid all the disturbing influences of atmospheric phenomena, they would understand that a dirigible balloon, to be practical, requires first of all to have the utmost extreme of simplicity in all its mechanism. some of the unhappy constructors who have paid with their lives the forfeit of their rashness had never made a single responsible ascent as captain of a spherical balloon! and the majority of their emulators, now so devotedly labouring, are in the same inexperienced condition. this is my explanation of their lack of success. they are in the condition in which the first-comer would find himself were he to agree to build and steer a transatlantic liner without having ever quitted land or set foot in a boat! chapter v the real and the imaginary dangers of ballooning one of the most astonishing adventures i had during this period of spherical ballooning took place directly over paris. i had started from vaugirard with four invited guests in a large balloon constructed for me after i had tired of making solitary trips in the little "brazil." from the start there seemed to be very little wind. i rose slowly, seeking an air current. at metres ( / of a mile high) i found nothing. at metres (one mile) we still remained almost stationary. throwing out more ballast we rose to metres ( - / mile), when a vagrant breeze started to take us over the centre of paris. when we had arrived at a point over the louvre ... it left us! we descended ... and found nothing! then happened the ludicrous thing. in a blue sky without a cloud, bathed in sunlight, and with the faint yelps of all the dogs of paris mounting to our ears, we lay becalmed! up we went again, hunting an air current. down we went again, hunting an air current. up and down, up and down! hour after hour passed, and we remained always hanging, always over paris! at first we laughed. then we grew tired. then almost alarmed. at one time i had even the idea of landing in paris itself, near the gare de lyon, where i perceived an open space. yet the attempt would have been dangerous, because my four companions could not be depended on for coolness in an emergency. they had not the ballooning habit. worst of all, we were now losing gas. drifting slowly eastward hour after hour one by one the sacks of ballast had been emptied. by the time that we had reached the vincennes wood we had begun to throw out miscellaneous objects--ballast-sacks, the luncheon-baskets, two light camp-stools, two kodaks, and a case of photographic plates! all during this latter period we were quite low--not over yards above the tree-tops. now, as we sank lower, we had a real fright. would not the guide rope at least curl itself around some tree and hold us there for hours? so we struggled to maintain our altitude above the tree-tops, until all at once a queer little wind gust took us over the vincennes racecourse. "now is our time!" i exclaimed to my companions. "hold fast!" with this i pulled on the valve rope, and we came down with celerity but scarcely any shock. personally, i have felt not only fear but also pain and real despair in a spherical balloon. it has not been often, because no sport is more regularly safe and mild and pleasurable. such real dangers as it has are confined usually to the landing, and the balloonist of experience knows how to meet them; while from its imaginary dangers in the air one is regularly very safe. therefore the particular adventure, full of pain and fear, that i recall to mind was all the more remarkable in that it occurred in high altitude. it happened at nice in , when i went up from the place masséna in a good-sized spherical balloon, alone, and intending to drift a few hours only amid the enchanting scenery of the mountains and the sea. the weather was fine, but the barometer soon fell, indicating storm. for a time the wind took me in the direction of cimiez, but as i rose it threatened to carry me out to sea. i threw out ballast, abandoned the current, and mounted to the height of about a mile. shortly after this i let the balloon go down again, hoping to find a safe air current, but when within yards of the ground, near the var, i noticed that i had ceased descending. as i had determined to land soon in any case i pulled on the valve rope and let out more gas. and here the terrible experience began. i could not go down. i glanced at the barometer, and found, indeed, that i was going up. yet i ought to be descending, and i felt--by the wind and everything--that i must be descending. had i not let out gas? to my great uneasiness i discovered only too soon what was wrong. in spite of my continuous apparent descent i was, nevertheless, being lifted by an enormous column of air rushing upward. while i fell in it i rose rapidly higher with it. i opened the valve again; it was useless. the barometer showed that i had reached a still greater altitude, and i could now take account of the fact by the way in which the land was disappearing under me. i now closed the valve to save my gas. there was nothing but to wait and see what would happen. the upward-rushing column of air continued to take me to a height of metres (almost miles). i could do nothing but watch the barometer. then, after what seemed a long time, it showed that i had begun descending. when i began to see land i threw out ballast, not to strike the earth too quickly. now i could perceive the storm beating the trees and shrubbery. up in the storm itself i had felt nothing. now, too, as i continued falling lower, i could see how swiftly i was being carried laterally. by the time i perceived the coming danger i was in it. carried along at a terrific rate, knocking against the tops of trees, and continually threatened with a painful death, i threw out my anchor. it caught in trees and shrubs and broke away. had it been heavy timber all would have been over with me. as it chanced, i was dragged through the small trees and yielding shrubbery, my face a mass of cuts and bruises, my clothes torn from my back, in pain and strain, fearing the worst, and able to do nothing to save myself. just as i had given myself up for lost the guide rope wound itself around a tree and held. i was precipitated from the basket, and fell unconscious. when i came to i had to walk some distance until i met some peasants. they helped me back to nice, where i went to bed, and had the doctors sew me up. during the early period when i was glad to make public ascents for my balloon constructor i had undergone a somewhat similar experience, and that by night. the ascent took place at péronne, in the north of france, one stormy afternoon, quite late. indeed, i started in spite of thunder threatening in the distance, a gloomy semi-twilight all around me, and the remonstrances of the public, among whom it was known that i was not an aeronaut by trade. they feared my inexperience, and wished me either to renounce the ascent or else to oblige me to take up the balloon constructor with me, he being the responsible organiser of the _fête_. i would listen to nothing, and started off as i had planned. soon i had cause to regret my rashness. i was alone, lost in the clouds, amid flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, in the rapidly-approaching darkness of the night! on, on i went tearing in the blackness. i knew that i must be going with great speed, yet felt no motion. i heard and felt the storm. i formed a part of the storm. i felt myself in great danger, yet the danger was not tangible. with it there was a fierce kind of joy. what shall i say? how shall i describe it? up there in the black solitude, amid the lightning flashes and the thunderclaps, i was a part of the storm. when i landed the next morning--long after i had sought a higher altitude and let the storm pass on beneath me--i found that i was well into belgium. the dawn was peaceful, so that my landing took place without difficulty. i mention this adventure because it was made account of in the papers of the time, and to show that night ballooning, even in a storm, may be more dangerous in appearance than reality. indeed, night ballooning has a charm that is all its own. one is alone in the black void--true, in a murky limbo, where one seems to float without weight, without a surrounding world--a soul freed from the weight of matter. yet now and again there are the lights of earth to cheer one. we see a point of light far on ahead. slowly it expands. then where there was one blaze there are countless bright spots. they run in lines, with here and there a brighter cluster. we know that it is a city. then, again, it is out into the lone land, with only a faint glow here and there. when the moon rises we see, perhaps, a faint curling line of grey. it is a river, with the moonlight falling on its waters. there is a flash upward and a faint roar. it is a railway train, the locomotive's fires, maybe, illuminating for a moment its smoke as it rises. then for safety we throw out more ballast, and rise through the black solitudes of the clouds into a soul-lifting burst of splendid starlight. there, alone with the constellations, we await the dawn. and when the dawn comes, red and gold and purple in its glory, one is almost loth to seek the earth again, although the novelty of landing in who knows what part of europe affords still another unique pleasure. for many the great charm of all ballooning lies here. the balloonist becomes an explorer. say that you are a young man who would roam, who would enjoy adventures, who would penetrate the unknown and deal with the unexpected--but say that you are tied down at home by family and business. i advise you to take to spherical ballooning. at noon you lunch peaceably amid your family. at p.m. you mount. ten minutes later you are no longer a commonplace citizen--you are an explorer, an adventurer of the unknown as truly as they who freeze on greenland's icy mountains or melt on india's coral strand. you know but vaguely where you are and cannot know where you are going. yet much may depend upon your choice as well as your skill and experience. the choice of altitude is yours--whether to accept this current or mount higher and go with another. you may mount above the clouds, where one breathes oxygen from tubes, while the earth, in the last glimpse you had of it, seems to spin beneath you, and you lose all bearings; or you may descend and scud along the surface, aided by your guide rope and a dipperful of ballast to leap over trees and houses--giant leaps made without effort. then when the time comes to land there is the true explorer's zest of coming on unknown peoples like a god from a machine. "what country is this?" will the answer come in german, russian, or norwegian? paris aéro club members have been shot at when crossing european frontiers. others, landing, have been taken prisoners to the burgomeister or the military governor, to languish as spies while the telegraph clicked to the far-off capital, and then to end the evening over champagne at an officers' enthusiastic mess. still others have had to strive with the dangerous ignorance and superstition even of some remote little peasant population. these are the chances of the winds. [illustration: motor of "no. "] chapter vi i yield to the steerable balloon idea during my ascent with m. machuron, while our guide rope was wrapped around the tree and the wind was shaking us so outrageously, he improved the occasion to discourage me against all steerable ballooning. "observe the treachery and vindictiveness of the wind," he cried between shocks. "we are tied to the tree, yet see with what force it tries to jerk us loose." (here i was thrown again to the bottom of the basket.) "what screw propeller could hold a course against it? what elongated balloon would not double up and take you flying to destruction?" it was discouraging. returning to paris by rail i gave up the ambition to continue giffard's trials, and this state of mind lasted with me for weeks. i would have argued fluently against the dirigibility of balloons. then came a new period of temptation, for a long-cherished idea dies hard. when i took account of its practical difficulties i found my mind working automatically to convince itself that they were not. i caught myself saying: "if i make a cylindrical balloon long enough and thin enough it will cut the air ..." and, with respect to the wind, "shall i not be as a sailing yachtsman who is not criticised for refusing to go out in a squall?" at last an accident decided me. i have always been charmed by simplicity, while complications, be they never so ingenious, repel me. automobile tricycle motors happened to be very much perfected at the moment. i delighted in their simplicity, and, illogically enough, their merits had the effect of deciding my mind against all other objections to steerable ballooning. "i will use this light and powerful motor," i said. "giffard had no such opportunity." giffard's primitive steam-engine, weak in proportion to its weight, spitting red-hot sparks from its coal fuel, had afforded that courageous innovator no fair chance, i argued. i did not dally a single moment with the idea of an electric motor, which promises little danger, it is true, but which has the capital ballooning defect of being the heaviest known engine, counting the weight of its battery. indeed, i have so little patience with the idea that i shall say no more about it except to repeat what mr edison said to me on this head in april : "you have done well," he said, "to choose the petroleum motor. it is the only one of which an aeronaut can dream in the present state of the industry; and steerable balloons with electric motors, especially as they were fifteen or twenty years ago, could have led to no result. that is why the tissandier brothers gave them up." in spite of the recent immense improvements made in the steam-engine it would not have been able to decide me in favour of steerable ballooning. motor for motor it is, perhaps, better than the petroleum motor, but when you compare the boiler with the carburator the latter weighs grammes per horse-power while the boiler weighs kilogrammes. in certain light steam-motors, that are lighter even than petroleum motors, the boiler always ruins the proportion. with one pound of petroleum you can exert one horse-power during one hour. to get this same energy from the most improved steam-engine you will want many kilogrammes of water and of fuel, be it petroleum or other. even condensing the water, you cannot have less than several kilogrammes per horse-power. then if one uses coal fuel with the steam-motor there are the burning sparks; while if one uses petroleum with burners you have a great amount of fire. we must do the petroleum motor the justice to admit that it makes neither flame nor burning sparks. at the present moment i have a clement petroleum motor that weighs but kilogrammes ( - / lbs.) per horse-power. this is my horse-power "no. ," whose total weight is but kilogrammes ( lbs.). compare this with the new steel-and-nickel battery of mr edison, which promises to weigh kilogrammes ( lbs.) per horse-power. the light weight and the simplicity of the little tricycle motor of are, therefore, responsible for all my trials. i started from this principle: to make any kind of success it would be necessary to economise weight, and so comply with the pecuniary, as well as the mechanical, conditions of the problem. nowadays i build air-ships in a large way. i am in it as a kind of lifework. then i was but a half-decided beginner, unwilling to spend large sums of money in a doubtful project. therefore i resolved to build an elongated balloon just large enough to raise, along with my own kilogrammes ( lbs.) of weight, as much more as might be necessary for the basket and rigging, motor, fuel, and absolutely indispensable ballast. in reality i was building an air-ship to fit my little tricycle motor. i looked for the workshop of some small mechanic near my residence in the centre of residential paris where i could have my plans executed under my own eyes and could apply my own hands to the task. i found such an one in the rue du colisée. there i first worked out a tandem of two cylinders of a tricycle motor--that is, their prolongation, one after the other, to work the same connecting-rod while fed by a single carburator. to bring everything down to a minimum weight, i cut out from every part of the motor whatever was not strictly necessary to solidity. in this way i realised something that was interesting in those days--a - / horse-power motor that weighed kilogrammes ( lbs.). i soon had an opportunity to test my tandem motor. the great series of automobile road-races, which seems to have had its climax in paris-madrid in , was raising the power of these wonderful engines by leaps and bounds year after year. paris-bordeaux in was won with a horse-power machine at an average speed of kilometres ( - / miles) per hour. in paris-marseilles-and-return was accomplished at the rate of kilometres ( - / miles) per hour. now, in , it was paris-amsterdam. although not entered for the race it occurred to me to try my tandem motor attached to its original tricycle. i started, and to my contentment found that i could keep well up with the pace. indeed, i might have won a good place in the finish--my vehicle was the most powerful of the lot in proportion to its weight, and the average speed of the winner was only kilometres ( miles) per hour--had i not begun to fear that the jarring of my motor in so strenuous an effort might in the long run derange it, and i imagined i had more important work for it to do. for that matter, my automobiling experience has stood me in good stead with my air-ships. the petroleum motor is still a delicate and capricious thing, and there are sounds in its spitting rumble that are intelligible only to the long-experienced ear. should the time come in some future flight of mine when the motor of my air-ship threatens danger i am convinced that my ear will hear, and i shall heed, the warning. this almost instinctive faculty i owe only to experience. having broken up the tricycle for the sake of its motor i purchased at about this time an up-to-date horse-power panhard, with which i went from paris to nice in hours--night and day, without stop--and had i not taken up dirigible ballooning i must have become a road-racing automobile enthusiast, continually exchanging one type for another, continually in search of greater speed, keeping pace with the progress of the industry, as so many others do, to the glory of french mechanics and the new parisian sporting spirit. but my air-ships stopped me. while experimenting i was tied down to paris. i could take no long trips, and the petroleum automobile, with its wonderful facility for finding fuel in every hamlet, lost its greatest use in my eyes. in i happened to see what was to me an unknown make of light american electric buggy. it appealed alike to my eye, my needs, and my reason, and i bought it. i have never had cause to regret the purchase. it serves me for running about paris, and it goes lightly, noiselessly, and without odour. i had already handed the plan of my balloon envelope to the constructors. it was that of a cylindrical balloon terminating fore and aft in cones, metres ( - / feet) long, with a diameter of · metres ( - / feet) and a gas capacity of cubic metres ( cubic feet). my calculations had left me only kilogrammes ( lbs.) for both the balloon material and its varnish. therefore i gave up the usual network and _chemise_, or outer cover; indeed, i considered this second envelope, holding the balloon proper within it, to be not only superfluous but harmful, if not dangerous. instead i attached the suspension cords of my basket directly to the balloon envelope by means of small wooden rods introduced into long horizontal hems sewed on both sides to its stuff for a great part of the balloon's length. again, in order not to pass my kilogrammes ( lbs.), including varnish, i was obliged to have recourse to my japanese silk, which had proved so staunch in the "brazil." after glancing at this order for the balloon envelope m. lachambre at first refused it plumply. he would not make himself a party to such rashness. but when i recalled to his memory how he had said the same thing with respect to the "brazil," and went on to assure him that, if necessary, i would cut and sew the balloon with my own hands, he gave way to me and undertook the job. he would cut and sew and varnish the balloon according to my plans. the balloon envelope being thus put under way i prepared my basket, motor, propeller, rudder, and machinery. when they were completed i made many trials with them, suspending the whole system by a cord from the rafters of the workshop, starting the motor, and measuring the force of the forward swing caused by the propeller working on the atmosphere behind it. holding back this forward movement by means of a horizontal rope attached to a dynamometer, i found that the traction power developed by the motor in my propeller with two arms, each measuring one metre across, was as high as · kilogrammes ( lbs.). this was a figure that promised good speed to a cylindrical balloon of my dimensions, whose length was equal to nearly seven times its diameter. with turns to the minute the propeller, which was attached directly to the motor shaft, might easily, if all went well, give the air-ship a speed of not less than metres ( - / feet) per second. [illustration: fig. .] the rudder i made of silk, stretched over a triangular steel frame. there now remained nothing to devise but a system of shifting weights, which from the very first i saw would be indispensable. for this purpose i placed two bags of ballast, one fore and one aft, suspended from the balloon envelope by cords. by means of lighter cords each of these two weights could be drawn into the basket (see fig. ), thus shifting the centre of gravity of the whole system. pulling in the fore weight would cause the stem of the balloon to point diagonally upward; pulling in the aft weight would have just the opposite effect. besides these i had a guide rope some metres ( feet) long, which could also be used, at need, as shifting ballast. all this occupied several months, and the work was all carried on in the little machine-shop of the rue du colisée, only a few steps from the place where later the paris aéro club was to have its first offices. chapter vii my first air-ship cruises ( ) in the middle of september i was ready to begin in the open air. the rumour had spread among the aeronauts of paris, who formed the nucleus of the aéro club, that i was going to carry up a petroleum motor in my basket. they were sincerely disquieted by what they called my temerity, and some of them made friendly efforts to show me the permanent danger of such a motor under a balloon filled with a highly inflammable gas. they begged me instead to use the electric motor--"which is infinitely less dangerous." i had arranged to inflate the balloon at the jardin d'acclimatation, where a captive balloon was already installed and furnished with everything needful daily. this gave me facilities for obtaining, at one franc per cubic metre, the cubic metres ( cubic feet) of hydrogen which i needed. [illustration: the "santos-dumont no. " first start] on september th my first air-ship--the "santos-dumont no. ," as it has since been called to distinguish it from those which followed--lay stretched out on the turf amid the trees of the beautiful jardin d'acclimatation, the new zoological garden of the west of paris. to understand what happened i must explain the starting of spherical balloons from such places where groups of trees and other obstructions surround the open space. when the weighing and balancing of the balloon are finished and the aeronauts have taken their place in the basket the balloon is ready to quit the ground with a certain ascensional force. thereupon aids carry it toward an extremity of the open space in the direction from which the wind happens to be blowing, and it is there that the order: "let go all!" is given. in this way the balloon has the entire open space to cross before reaching the trees or other obstructions which may be opposite and toward which the wind would naturally carry it. so it has space and time to rise high enough to pass over them. moreover, the ascensional force of the balloon is regulated accordingly: it is very little if the wind be light; it is more if the wind be stronger. i had thought that my air-ship would be able to go against the wind that was then blowing, therefore i had intended to place it for the start at precisely the other end of the open space from that which i have described--that is, down stream, and not up stream in the air current with relation to the open space surrounded by trees. i would thus move out of the open space without difficulty, having the wind against me--for under such conditions the relative speed of the air-ship ought to be the difference between its absolute speed and the velocity of the wind--and so by going against the air current i should have plenty of time to rise and pass over the trees. evidently it would be a mistake to place the air-ship at a point suitable for an ordinary balloon without motor and propeller. and yet it was there that i did place it, not by my own will, but by the will of the professional aeronauts who came in the crowd to be present at my experiment. in vain i explained that by placing myself "up stream" in the wind with relation to the centre of the open space i should inevitably risk precipitating the air-ship against the trees before i would have time to rise above them, the speed of my propeller being superior to that of the wind then blowing. all was useless. the aeronauts had never seen a dirigible balloon start off. they could not admit of its starting under other conditions than those of a spherical balloon, in spite of the essential difference between the two. as i was alone against them all i had the weakness to yield. i started off from the spot they indicated, and within a second's time i tore my air-ship against the trees, as i had feared i should do. after this deny if you can the existence of a fulcrum in the air. this accident at least served to show the effectiveness of my motor and propeller in the air to those who doubted it before. i did not waste time in regrets. two days later, on september th, i actually started from the same open space, this time choosing my own starting-point. i passed over the tops of the trees without mishap, and at once began sailing around them, to give on the spot a first demonstration of the air-ship to the great crowd of parisians that had assembled. i had their sympathy and applause then, as i have ever had it since; the parisian public has always been a kind and enthusiastic witness of my efforts. under the combined action of the propeller impulse, of the steering rudder, of the displacement of the guide rope, and of the two sacks of ballast sliding backward and forward as i willed, i had the satisfaction of making my evolutions in every direction--to right and left, and up and down. such a result encouraged me, and, being inexperienced, i made the great mistake of mounting high in the air to metres ( feet), an altitude that is considered nothing for a spherical balloon, but which is absurd and uselessly dangerous for an air-ship under trial. at this height i commanded a view of all the monuments of paris. i continued my evolutions in the direction of the longchamps racecourse, which from that day i chose for the scene of my aerial experiments. so long as i continued to ascend the hydrogen increased in volume as a consequence of the atmospheric depression. so by its tension the balloon was kept taut, and everything went well. it was not the same when i began descending. the air pump, which was intended to compensate the contraction of the hydrogen, was of insufficient capacity. the balloon, a long cylinder, all at once began to fold in the middle like a pocket knife, the tension of the cords became unequal, and the balloon envelope was on the point of being torn by them. at that moment i thought that all was over, the more so as the descent, which had begun, could no longer be checked by any of the usual means on board, where nothing worked. the descent became a fall. luckily, i was falling in the neighbourhood of the grassy turf of bagatelle, where some big boys were flying kites. a sudden idea struck me. i cried to them to grasp the end of my guide rope, which had already touched the ground, and to run as fast as they could with it _against the wind_. they were bright young fellows, and they grasped the idea and the rope at the same lucky instant. the effect of this help _in extremis_ was immediate, and such as i had hoped. by the manoeuvre we lessened the velocity of the fall, and so avoided what would have otherwise have been a bad shaking-up, to say the least. i was saved for the first time. thanking the brave boys, who continued aiding me to pack everything into the air-ship's basket, i finally secured a cab and took the relics back to paris. chapter viii how it feels to navigate the air notwithstanding the breakdown i felt nothing but elation that night. the sentiment of success filled me: i had navigated the air. i had performed every evolution prescribed by the problem. _the breakdown itself had not been due to any cause foreseen by the professional aeronauts._ i had mounted without sacrificing ballast. i had descended without sacrificing gas. my shifting weights had proved successful, and it would have been impossible not to recognise the capital triumph of these oblique flights through the air. no one had ever made them before. of course, when starting, or shortly after leaving the ground, one has sometimes to throw out ballast to balance the machine, as one may have made a mistake and started with the air-ship far too heavy. what i have referred to are manoeuvres in the air. [illustration: "no. " free diagonal movement up] [illustration: "no. ." free diagonal movement down] my first impression of aerial navigation was, i confess, surprise to feel the air-ship going straight ahead. it was astonishing to feel the wind in my face. in spherical ballooning we go with the wind, and do not feel it. true, in rising and descending the spherical balloonist feels the friction of the atmosphere, and the vertical oscillation makes the flag flutter, but in the horizontal movement the ordinary balloon seems to stand still, while the earth flies past under it. as my air-ship ploughed ahead the wind struck my face and fluttered my coat, as on the deck of a transatlantic liner, though in other respects it will be more accurate to liken aerial to river navigation with a steamboat. it is not like sail navigation, and all talk about "tacking" is meaningless. if there is any wind at all it is in a given direction, so that the analogy with a river current is complete. when there is no wind at all we may liken it to the navigation of a smooth lake or pond. it will be well to understand this matter. suppose that my motor and propeller push me through the air at the rate of miles an hour, i am in the position of a steamboat captain whose propeller is driving him up or down the river at the rate of miles an hour. imagine the current to be miles per hour. if he navigates against the current he accomplishes miles an hour with respect to the shore, though he has been travelling at the rate of miles an hour through the water. if he goes with the current he accomplishes miles an hour with respect to the shore, though he has not been going any faster through the water. this is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to estimate the speed of an air-ship. it is also the reason why air-ship captains will always prefer to navigate for their own pleasure in calm weather, and, when they find an air current against them, will steer obliquely upward or downward to get out of it. birds do the same thing. the sailing yachtsman whistles for a fair breeze, without which he can do nothing, but the river steamboat captain will always hug the shore to avoid the freshet, and will time his descent of the river by the outgoing, rather than the incoming, tide. we air-shipmen are steamboat captains and not sailing yachtsmen. the navigator of the air, however, has the one great advantage--he can leave one current for another. the air is full of varying currents. mounting, he will find an advantageous breeze or else a calm. these are strictly practical considerations, having nothing to do with the air-ship's ability to battle with the breeze when obliged to do it. before going on my first trip i had wondered if i should be sea-sick. i foresaw that the sensation of mounting and descending obliquely with my shifting weights might be unpleasant. and i looked forward to a good deal of pitching (_tangage_), as they say on board ship--of rolling there would not be so much--but both sensations would be novel in ballooning, for the spherical balloon gives no sensation of movement at all. in my first air-ship, however, the suspension was very long, approximating that of a spherical balloon. for this reason there was very little pitching. and, speaking generally, since that time, though i have been told that on this or that trip my air-ship pitched considerably, i have never been sea-sick. it may be due in part to the fact that i am rarely subject to this ill upon the water. back and forth between brazil and france and between france and the united states i have had experience of all kinds of weather. once, on the way to brazil, the storm was so violent that the grand piano went loose and broke a lady's leg, yet i was not sea-sick. i know that what one feels most distressingly at sea is not so much the movement as that momentary hesitation just before the boat pitches, followed by the malicious dipping or mounting, which never comes quite the same, and the shock at top and bottom. all this is powerfully aided by the smells of the paint, varnish, tar, mingled with the odours of the kitchen, the heat of the boilers, and the stench of the smoke and the hold. in the air-ship there is no smell--all is pure and clean--and the pitching itself has none of the shocks and hesitations of the boat at sea. the movement is suave and flowing, which is doubtless owing to the lesser resistance of the air waves. the pitches are less frequent and rapid than those at sea; the dip is not brusquely arrested, so that the mind can anticipate the curve to its end; and there is no shock to give that queer, "empty" sensation to the solar plexus. furthermore, the shocks of a transatlantic liner are due first to the fore, and then to the after, part of the giant construction rising out of the water to plunge into it again. the air-ship never leaves its medium--the air--in which it only swings. this consideration brings me to the most remarkable of all the sensations of aerial navigation. on my first trip it actually shocked me! this is the utterly new sensation of movement in an extra dimension! man has never known anything like free vertical existence. held to the plane of the earth, his movement "down" has scarcely been more than to return to it after a short excursion "up," our minds remaining always on the plane surface even while our bodies may be mounting; and this is so much the case that the spherical balloonist as he rises has no sense of movement, but gains the impression that the earth is descending below him. _with respect to combinations of vertical and horizontal movements, man is absolutely without experience of them._ therefore, as all our sensations of movement are practically in two dimensions, this is the extraordinary novelty of aerial navigation that it affords us experiences--not in the fourth dimension, it is true--but in what is practically an extra dimension--the third--so that the miracle is similar. indeed, i cannot describe the delight, the wonder, and intoxication of this free diagonal movement onward and upward or onward and downward, combined at will with brusque changes of direction horizontally when the air-ship answers to a touch of the rudder! the birds have this sensation when they spread their great wings and go tobogganning in curves and spirals through the sky! por mares nunca d'antes navegados! (o'er seas hereto unsailed.) the line of our great poet echoed in my memory from childhood. after this first of all my cruises i had it put on my flag. it is true that spherical ballooning had prepared me for the mere sensation of height; but that is a very different matter. it is, therefore, curious that, prepared on this head as i was, the mere thought of height should have given me my only unpleasant experience. what i mean is this: the wonderful new combinations of vertical and horizontal movements, utterly out of previous human experience, caused me neither surprise nor trouble. i would find myself ploughing diagonally upward through the air with a kind of instinctive liberty. and yet when moving horizontally--as you would say, in the natural position--a glance downwards at the house-tops disquieted me. [illustration: the housetops look so dangerous] "what if i should fall?" the thought came. the house-tops looked so dangerous with their chimney-pots for spikes. one seldom has this thought in a spherical balloon, because we know that the danger in the air is _nil_: the great spherical balloon can neither suddenly lose its gas nor burst. my little air-ship balloon had to support not only exterior but interior pressure as well--which is not the case with a spherical balloon, as i shall explain in the next chapter--and any injury to the cylindrical form of my air-ship balloon by loss of gas might prove fatal. while over the house-tops i felt that it would be bad to fall, but as soon as i left paris and was navigating over the forest of the bois de boulogne the idea left me entirely. below there seemed to be an ocean of greenery, soft and safe. it was while over the continuation of this greenery in the grassy _pelouse_ of the longchamps racecourse that my balloon, having lost a great deal of its gas, began to double on itself. previously i had heard a noise. looking up, i saw that the long cylinder of the balloon was beginning to break. then i was astonished and troubled. i wondered what i could do. i could not think of anything to do. i might throw out ballast. that would cause the air-ship to rise, and the decreased pressure of the atmosphere would doubtless permit the expanding gas to straighten out the balloon again taut and strong. but i remembered that i must always come down again when all the danger would repeat itself, and worse even than before, from the more gas i should have lost. there was nothing to do but to go on down instantly. i remember having the sure idea: "if that balloon cylinder doubles any more, the ropes by which i am suspended to it will work at different strengths and will begin to break one by one as i go down!" for the moment i was sure that i was in the presence of death. well, i will tell it frankly, my sentiment was almost entirely that of waiting and expectation. "what is coming next?" i thought. "what am i going to see and know in a few minutes? whom shall i see after i am dead?" [illustration: over the bois de boulogne. below there seemed to be an ocean of greenery, soft and safe] the thought that i should be meeting my father in a few minutes thrilled me. indeed, i think that in such moments there is no room either for regret or terror. the mind is too full of looking forward. one is frightened only so long as one still has a chance. chapter ix explosive engines and inflammable gases i have been so often and so sincerely warned against what is taken for granted to be the patent danger of operating explosive engines under masses of inflammable gases that i may be pardoned for stopping a moment to disclaim undue or thoughtless rashness. very naturally, from the first, the question of physical danger to myself called for consideration. i was the interested party, and i tried to view the question from all points. well, the outcome of these meditations was to make me fear fire very little, while doubting other possibilities against which no one ever dreamed of warning me. [illustration: the question of physical danger] i remember that while working on the first of all my air-ships in that little carpenter shop of the rue du colisée i used to wonder how the vibrations of the petroleum motor would affect the system when it got in the air. in those days we did not have the noiseless automobiles, free from great vibration, of the present. nowadays, even the colossal and horse-power motors of the latest racing types can be started and stopped as gently as those great steel hammers in iron foundries, whose engineers make a trick of cracking the top of an egg with them without breaking the rest of the shell. my tandem motor of two cylinders, working the same connecting-rod and fed by a single carburator, realised - / horse-power--at that time a considerable force for its weight--and i had no idea how it would act off terra firma. i had seen motors "jump" along the highway. what would mine do in its little basket, that weighed almost nothing, and suspended from a balloon that weighed less than nothing? you know the principle of these motors? one may say that there is gasoline in a receptacle. air passing through it comes out mixed with gasoline gas, ready to explode. you give a whirl to a crank, and the thing begins working automatically. the piston goes down, sucking combined gas and air into the cylinder. then the piston comes back and compresses it. at that moment an electric spark is struck. an explosion follows instantly; and the piston goes down, producing work. then it goes up, throwing out the product of combustion. thus with the two cylinders there was one explosion for every turn of the shaft. wishing to have my mind clear on the question i took my tricycle, just as it was after i had left the paris-amsterdam race, and, accompanied by a capable companion, i steered it to a lonely part of the bois de boulogne. there in the forest i chose a great tree with low-hanging limbs. from two of them we suspended the motor tricycle by three ropes. when we had well established the suspension my companion aided me to climb up and seat myself on the tricycle saddle. i was as in a swing. in a moment i would start the motor and learn something of my future success or failure. would the vibration of the explosive engine shake me back and forth, strain at the ropes until it had unequalised their tension, and then break them one by one? would it jar the interior air balloon's pump and derange the big balloon's valves? would it continually jerk and pull at the silk hems and the thin rods which were to hold my basket to the balloon? free from the steadying influence of the solid ground, would the jumping motor jar itself until it broke? and, breaking, might it not explode? all this and more had been predicted by the professional aeronauts, and i had as yet no proof outside of reasoning that they might not be right on this or that topic. i started the motor. i felt no particular vibration, and i was certainly not being shaken. i increased the speed, and felt _less_ vibration! there could be no doubt about it--there was less vibration in this light-weight tricycle hanging in the air than i had regularly felt while travelling on the ground. it was my first triumph in the air! i will say frankly that as i rose in the air on my first trip i had no fear of fire. what i feared was that the balloon might burst by reason of its interior pressure. i still fear it. before going up i had minutely tried the valves. i still try them minutely before each of my trips. the danger, of course, was that the valves might not work adequately, in which case the expanding of the gas as the balloon rose would cause the dreaded explosion. here is the great difference between spherical and dirigible balloons. the spherical balloon is always open. when it is taut with gas it is shaped like an apple; when it has lost part of its gas it takes the shape of a pear; but in each case there is a great hole in the bottom of the spherical balloon where the stem of the apple or the pear would be, and it is through this hole that the gas has opportunity to ease itself in the constant alternations of condensation and dilatation. having such a free vent, the spherical balloon runs no risk of bursting in the air; but the price paid for this immunity is great loss of gas and, consequently, a fatal shortening of the spherical balloon's stay in the air. some day a spherical balloonist will close up that hole; indeed, they already talk of doing it. i was obliged to do it in my air-ship balloon, whose cylindrical form must be preserved at all cost. for me there must be no transformations as from apple to pear. interior pressure only could guarantee me this. the valves to which i refer have since my first experiments been of all kinds--some very ingeniously interacting, others of extreme simplicity. but their object in each case has always been the same: to hold the gas tight in the balloon up to a certain pressure and then let only enough out to relieve dangerous interior pressure. it is easy to realise, therefore, that should these valves refuse to act adequately the danger of bursting would be there. this possible danger i acknowledged to myself, but it had nothing to do with fire from the explosive motor. yet during all my preparations, and up to the moment of calling: "let go all!" the professional aeronauts, completely overlooking this weak point of the air-ship, continued to warn me against fire, of which i had no fear at all! "do we dare strike matches in the basket of a spherical balloon?" they asked. "do we even permit ourselves the solace of a cigarette on trips that last for many hours?" to me the cases did not seem the same. in the first place, why should one not light a match in the basket of a spherical balloon? if it be only because the mind vaguely connects the ideas of gas and flame the danger remains as ideal. if it be because of a real possibility of igniting gas that has escaped from the free hole in the stem of the spherical balloon it would not apply to me. my balloon, hermetically closed, except when excessive pressure should let either air or a very little gas escape through one of the automatic valves, might for a moment leave a little trail of gas _behind_ it as it moved on horizontally or diagonally, but there would be none in front where the motor was. (see fig. .) [illustration: fig. ] in this first air-ship i had placed the gas escape valves even farther from the motor than i place them to-day. the suspension cords being very long i hung in my basket far below the balloon. therefore i asked myself: "how could this motor, so far below the balloon, and so far in front of its escape valves, set fire to the gas enclosed in it when such gas is not inflammable until mixed with air?" on this first trial, as in most since, i used hydrogen gas. undoubtedly when mixed with air it is tremendously inflammable--but it must first mix with air. all my little balloon models are kept filled with hydrogen, and, so filled, i have more than once amused myself by burning _inside them_, not their hydrogen, but its mixture with the oxygen of the atmosphere. all one has to do is to insert in the balloon model a little tube to furnish a jet of the room's atmosphere from an air pump and light it with the electric spark. similarly, should a pin-prick have made ever so slight a vent in my air-ship balloon, the interior pressure would have sent out into the atmosphere a long thin stream of hydrogen that _might_ have ignited had there been any flame near enough to do it. but there was none. this was the problem. my motor did undoubtedly send out flames for, say, half-a-yard round about it. they were, however, mere flames, not still-burning products of incomplete combustion like the sparks of a coal-burning steam-engine. this admitted, how was the fact that i had a mass of hydrogen unmixed with air and well secured in a tight envelope so high above the motor to prove dangerous? turning the matter over and over in my mind i could see but one dangerous possibility from fire. this was the possibility of the petroleum reservoir itself taking fire by a _retour de flamme_ from the motor. during five years, i may here say in passing, i enjoyed complete immunity from the _retour de flamme_ (sucking back of the flame). then, in the same week in which mr vanderbilt burned himself so severely, th july , the same accident overtook me in my little "no. " runabout air-ship just as i was crossing the seine to land on the ile de puteaux. i promptly extinguished the flame with my panama hat ... without other incident. [illustration: "no. " catches fire over the ile de puteaux] for reasons like these i went up on my first air-ship trip without fear of fire, but not without doubt of a possible explosion due to insufficient working of my balloon's escape valves. should such a "cold" explosion occur, the flame-spitting motor would probably ignite the mass of mixed hydrogen and air that would surround me; but it would have no decisive influence on the result. the "cold" explosion itself would doubtless be sufficient.... now, after five years of experience, and in spite of the _retour de flamme_ above the ile de puteaux, i continue to regard the danger from fire as practically _nil_; but the possibility of a "cold" explosion remains always with me, and i must continue to purchase immunity from it at the cost of vigilant attention to my gas escape valves. indeed, the possibility of the thing is greater technically now than in the early days which i describe. my first air-ship was not built for speed--consequently, it needed very little interior pressure to preserve the shape of its balloon. now that i have great speed, as in my "no. ," i must have enormous interior pressure to withstand the exterior pressure of the atmosphere in front of the balloon as i drive against it. chapter x i go in for airship building in the early spring of i built another air-ship, which the paris public at once called "the santos-dumont no. ." it had the same length and, at first sight, the same form as the "no. "; but its greater diameter brought its volume up to cubic metres--over cubic feet--and gave me kilogrammes ( lbs.) more ascensional force. i had taken account of the insufficiency of the air pump that had all but killed me, and had added a little aluminium ventilator to make sure of permanency in the form of the balloon. [illustration: accident to "no. ," may , (first phase)] this ventilator was a rotary fan, worked by the motor, to send air into the little interior air balloon, which was sewed inside to the bottom of the great balloon like a kind of closed pocket. in fig. , _g_ is the great balloon filled with hydrogen gas, _a_ the interior air balloon, _vv_ the automatic gas valves, _av_ the latter's air valve, and _tv_ the tube by which the rotary ventilator fed the interior air balloon. [illustration: fig. ] the air valve _av_ was an exhaust valve similar to the two gas valves _vv_ in the great balloon, with the one exception that it was weaker. in this way, when there happened to be too much fluid (_i.e._ gas or air, or both) distending the great balloon, all the air would leave the interior balloon before any of the gas would leave the great balloon. the first trial of my "no. " was set for th may . unfortunately, the weather, which had been fine in the morning, grew steadily rainy in the afternoon. in those days i had no balloon house of my own. all the morning the balloon had been slowly filling with hydrogen gas at the captive balloon station of the jardin d'acclimatation. as there was no shed there for me the work had to be done in the open, and it was done vexatiously, with a hundred delays, surprises, and excuses. when the rain came on, it wetted the balloon. what was to be done? i must either empty it and lose the hydrogen and all my time and trouble, or go on under the disadvantage of a rain-soaked balloon envelope, heavier than it ought to be. i chose to go up in the rain. no sooner had i risen than the weather caused a great contraction of the hydrogen, so that the long cylindrical balloon shrunk visibly. then before the air pump could remedy the fault, a strong wind gust of the rainstorm doubled it up worse than the "no. ," and tossed it into the neighbouring trees. my friends began at me again, saying: "this time you have learned your lesson. you must understand that it is impossible to keep the shape of your cylindrical balloon rigid. you must not again risk your life by taking a petroleum motor up beneath it." i said to myself: "what has the rigidity of the balloon's form to do with danger from a petroleum motor? errors do not count. i have learned my lesson, but it is not that lesson." [illustration: accident to "no. ," may , (second phase)] accordingly i immediately set to work on a "no. ," with a shorter and very much thicker balloon, metres ( feet) long and · metres ( feet) at its greatest diameter (fig. ). its much greater gas capacity-- cubic metres ( , cubic feet)--would give it, with hydrogen, three times the lifting power of my first, and twice that of my second air-ship. this permitted me to use common illuminating gas, whose lifting power is about half that of hydrogen. the hydrogen plant of the jardin d'acclimatation had always served me badly. with illuminating gas i should be free to start from the establishment of my balloon constructor or elsewhere as i desired. [illustration: fig. ] it will be seen that i was getting far away from the cylindrical shapes of my first two balloons. in the future i told myself that i would at least avoid doubling up. the rounder form of this balloon also made it possible to dispense with the interior air balloon and its feeding air pump that had twice refused to work adequately at the critical moment. should this shorter and thicker balloon need aid to keep its form rigid i relied on the stiffening effect of a -metre ( -foot) bamboo pole (fig. ) fixed lengthwise to the suspension cords above my head and directly beneath the balloon. while not yet a true keel, this pole keel supported basket and guide rope and brought my shifting weights into much more effectual play. on november th, , i started in the "santos-dumont no. ," from the establishment of vaugirard, on the most successful flight that i had yet made. [illustration: accident to "no. ," may , (third phase)] from vaugirard i went directly to the champ de mars, which i had chosen for its clear, open space. there i was able to practise aerial navigation to my heart's content--circling, driving ahead in straight courses, forcing the air-ship diagonally onward and upward, and shooting diagonally downward, by propeller force, and thus acquiring mastery of my shifting weights. these, because of the greater distance they were now set apart at the extremities of the pole keel (fig. ), worked with an effectiveness that astonished even myself. this proved my greatest triumph, for it was already clear to me that the central truth of dirigible ballooning must be ever: "to descend without sacrificing gas and to mount without sacrificing ballast." during these first evolutions over the champ de mars i had no particular thought of the eiffel tower. at most it seemed a monument worth going round, and so i circled round it at a prudent distance again and again. then--still without any dream of what the future had in store for me--i made a straight course for the parc des princes, _over almost the exact line that, two years later, was to mark the deutsch prize route_. i steered to the parc des princes because it was another fine open space. once there, however, i was loth to descend, so, making a hook, i navigated to the manoeuvre grounds of bagatelle, where i finally landed, in souvenir of my fall of the year previous. it was almost at the exact spot where the kite-flying boys had pulled on my guide rope and saved me from a bad shaking-up. at this time, remember, neither the aéro club nor myself possessed a balloon park or shed from which to start and to which to return. on this trip i considered that had the air been calm my speed in relation to the ground would have been as much as kilometres ( miles) per hour. in other words, i went at that rate through the air, the wind being strong though not violent. therefore, even had not sentimental reasons led me to land at bagatelle, i should have hesitated to return _with the wind_ to the vaugirard balloon house--itself of small size, and difficult of access, and surrounded by all the houses of a busy quarter. landing in paris, in general, is dangerous for any kind of balloon, amid chimney-pots that threaten to pierce its belly, and tiles that are always ready to be knocked down on the heads of passers-by. when in the future air-ships become as common as automobiles are at present, spacious public and private landing-stages will have to be built for them in every part of the capital. already they have been foretold by mr wells in his strange book, "when the sleeper wakes." [illustration: accident to "no. ," may , (finale)] considerations of this order made it desirable for me to have a plant of my own. i needed a building for the housing of my air-ship between trips. heretofore i had emptied the balloon of all its gas at the end of each trip, as one is bound to do with spherical balloons. now i saw very different possibilities for dirigibles. the significant thing was the fact that my "no. " had lost so little gas (or, perhaps, none at all) at the end of its first long trip that i could well have housed it overnight and gone out again in it the next day. i had no longer the slightest doubt of the success of my invention. i foresaw that i was going into air-ship construction as a sort of life work. i should need my own workshop, my own balloon house, hydrogen plant, and connection with the illuminating gas mains. the aéro club had just acquired some land on the newly-opened côteaux de longchamps at st cloud, and i concluded to build on it a great shed, long and high enough to house my air-ship with its balloon fully inflated, and furnished with all the facilities mentioned. this aerodrome, which i built at my own expense, was metres long ( feet), metres ( feet) wide, and metres ( feet) high. even here i had to contend with the conceit and prejudice of artisans which had already given me so much trouble at the jardin d'acclimatation. it was declared that the sliding doors of my aerodrome could not be made to slide on account of their great size. i had to insist. "follow my directions," i said, "and do not concern yourselves with their practicability!" although the men had named their own pay, it was a long time before i could get the better of this vainglorious stubbornness of theirs. when finished the doors worked, naturally. three years later the aerodrome built for me by the prince of monaco on my plans had still greater sliding doors. while this first of my balloon houses was under construction, i made a number of other successful trips in the "no. ," the last time losing my rudder and luckily landing on the plain at ivry. i did not repair the "no. ." its balloon was too clumsy in form and its motor was too weak. i had now my own aerodrome and gas plant. i would build a new air-ship, and with it i would be able to experiment for longer periods and with more method. [illustration: start of "no. ," november , ] chapter xi the exposition summer the exposition of , with its learned congresses, was now approaching. its international congress of aeronautics being set for the month of september i resolved that the new air-ship should be ready to be shown to it. this was my "no. ," finished st august , and by far the most familiar to the world at large of all my air-ships. this is due to the fact that when i won the deutsch prize, nearly eighteen months later and in quite a different construction, the newspapers of the world came out with old cuts of this "no. ," which they had kept on file. it was the air-ship with the bicycle saddle. in it the -metre ( -foot) bamboo pole of my "no. " came nearer to being a real keel in that it no longer hung above my head, but, amplified by vertical and horizontal cross pieces and a system of tightly-stretched cords, sustained within itself motor, propeller, and connecting machinery, petroleum reservoir, ballast, and navigator in a kind of spider web without a basket (see photograph, page ). i was obliged to sit in the midst of the spider web below the balloon on the saddle of a bicycle frame which i had incorporated into it. thus the absence of the traditional balloon basket appeared to leave me astride a pole in the midst of a confusion of ropes, tubes, and machinery. nevertheless, the device was very handy, because round this bicycle frame i had united cords for controlling the shifting weights, for striking the motor's electric spark, for opening and shutting the balloon's valves, for turning on and off the water-ballast spigots and certain other functions of the air-ship. under my feet i had the starting pedals of a new horse-power petroleum motor, driving a propeller with two wings metres ( feet) across each. they were of silk, stretched over steel plates, and very strong. for steering, my hands reposed on the bicycle handle-bars connected with my rudder. [illustration: "santos-dumont no. "] above all this there stretched the balloon, metres ( feet) long, with a middle diameter of · metres ( feet) and a gas capacity of cubic metres (nearly , cubic feet). in form it was a compromise between the slender cylinders of my first constructions and the clumsy compactness of the "no. ." (see fig. .) for this reason i thought it prudent to give it an interior compensating air balloon fed by a rotary ventilator like that of the "no. ," and as the balloon was smaller than its predecessor i was obliged to return again to hydrogen to get sufficient lifting power. for that matter, there was no longer any reason why i should not employ hydrogen. i now had my own hydrogen gas generator, and my "no. ," safely housed in the aerodrome, might be kept inflated during weeks. [illustration: fig. ] in the "santos-dumont, no. ," i also tried the experiment of placing the propeller at the stem instead of the stern of the air-ship. so, attached to the pole keel in front, the screw pulled, instead of pushing it through the air. the new horse-power motor with two cylinders turned it with a velocity of revolutions per minute, and produced, from a fixed point, a traction effort of some kilogrammes ( lbs.). the pole keel with its cross pieces, bicycle frame, and mechanism weighed heavy. therefore, although the balloon was filled with hydrogen, i could not take up more than kilogrammes ( lbs.) of ballast. i made almost daily experiments with this new air-ship during august and september at the aéro club's grounds at st cloud, but my most memorable trial with it took place on th september in presence of the members of the international congress of aeronautics. although an accident to my rudder at the last moment prevented me from making a free ascent before these men of science i, nevertheless, held my own against a very strong wind that was blowing at the time, and gave what they were good enough to proclaim a satisfying demonstration of the effectiveness of an aerial propeller driven by a petroleum motor. [illustration: motor of "no. "] a distinguished member of the congress, professor langley, desired to be present a few days later at one of my usual trials, and from him i received the heartiest kind of encouragement. the result of these trials was, nevertheless, to decide me to double the propeller's power by the adoption of the four-cylinder type of petroleum motor without water jacket--that is to say, the system of cooling _à ailettes_. the new motor was delivered to me very promptly, and i immediately set about adapting the air-ship to it. its extra weight demanded either that i should construct a new balloon or else enlarge the old one. i tried the latter course. cutting the balloon in half i had a piece put in it, as one puts a leaf in an extension table. this brought the balloon's length to metres ( feet). then i found that the aerodrome was too short by metres ( feet) to receive it. in prevision of future needs i added metres ( feet) to its length. motor, balloon, and shed were all transformed in fifteen days. the exposition was still open, but the autumn rains had set in. after waiting, with the balloon filled with hydrogen, through two weeks of the worst possible weather i let out the gas and began experimenting with the motor and propeller. it was not lost time, for, bringing the speed of the propeller up to revolutions per minute, i realised, from a fixed point, a traction effort of kilogrammes ( lbs.). indeed, the propeller turned with such force that i took pneumonia in its current of cold air. i betook myself to nice for the pneumonia, and there, while convalescing, an idea came to me. this new idea took the form of my first true air-ship keel. in a small carpenter shop at nice i worked it out with my own hands--a long, triangular-sectioned pine framework of great lightness and rigidity. though metres ( - / feet) in length it weighed only kilogrammes ( lbs.). its joints were in aluminium, and, to secure its lightness and rigidity, to cause it to offer less resistance to the air and make it less subject to hygrometric variations, it occurred to me to reinforce it with tightly-drawn piano wires instead of cords. [illustration: visit of professor langley] then what turned out to be an utterly new idea in aeronautics followed. i asked myself why i should not use this same piano wire for all my dirigible balloon suspensions in place of the cords and ropes used in all kinds of balloons up to this time. i did it, and the innovation turned out to be peculiarly valuable. these piano wires, / ths of a millimetre ( · inch) in diameter, possess a high coefficient of rupture and a surface so slight that their substitution for the ordinary cord suspensions constitutes a greater progress than many a more showy device. indeed, it has been calculated that the cord suspensions offered almost as much resistance to the air as did the balloon itself. [illustration: "no. ." flight before professor langley] at the stern of this air-ship keel i again established my propeller. i had found no advantage result from placing it in front of the "no. ," where it was an actual hindrance to the free working of the guide rope. the propeller was now driven by a new horse-power four-cylinder motor without water jacket, through the intermediary of a long, hollow steel shaft. placing this motor in the centre of the keel i balanced its weight by taking my position in my basket well to the front, while the guide rope hung suspended from a point still farther forward (fig. ). to it, some distance down its length, i fastened the end of a lighter cord run up to a pulley fixed in the after part of the keel, and thence to my basket, where i fastened it convenient to my hand. thus i made the guide rope do the work of shifting weights. imagine, for example, that going on a straight horizontal course (as in fig. ) i should desire to rise. i would have but to pull in the guide rope shifter. it would pull the guide rope itself back (fig. ), and thus shift back the centre of gravity of the whole system that much. the stem of the air-ship would rise (as in fig. ), and, consequently, my propeller force would push me up along the new diagonal line. [illustration: fig. ] the rudder was fixed at the stern as usual, and water-ballast cylinders, accessory shifting weights, petroleum reservoir, and the other parts of the machinery, were disposed in the new keel, well balanced. for the first time in these experiments, as well as the first time in aeronautics, i used liquid ballast. two brass reservoirs, very thin, and holding altogether litres ( gallons), were filled with water and fixed in the keel, as above stated, between motor and propeller, and their two spigots were so arranged that they could be opened and shut from my basket by means of two steel wires. [illustration: fig. ] before this new keel was fitted to the enlarged balloon of my "no. ," and in acknowledgment of the work i had done in , the scientific commission of the paris aéro club had awarded me its encouragement prize, founded by m. deutsch (de la meurthe), and consisting of the yearly interest on , francs. to induce others to follow up the difficult and expensive problem of dirigible ballooning i left this francs at the disposition of the aéro club to found a new prize. i made the conditions of winning it very simple: "the santos-dumont prize shall be awarded to the aeronaut, a member of the paris aéro club, and not the founder of this prize, who between st may and st october , starting from the parc d'aerostation of st cloud, shall turn round the eiffel tower and come back to the starting-point, at the end of whatever time, without having touched ground, and by his self-contained means on board alone. "if the santos-dumont prize is not won in it shall remain open the following year, always from st may to st october, and so on, until it be won." the aéro club signified the importance of such a trial by deciding to give its highest reward, a gold medal, to the winner of the santos-dumont prize, as may be seen by its minutes of the time. since then the francs have remained in the treasury of the club. [illustration: "santos-dumont no. "] chapter xii the deutsch prize and its problems this brings me to the deutsch prize of aerial navigation, offered in the spring of , while i was navigating my "no. ," and after i had on at least one occasion--all unknowing--steered over what was to be its exact course from the eiffel tower to the seine at bagatelle (see page ). this prize of , francs, founded by m. deutsch (de la meurthe), a member of the paris aéro club, was to be awarded by the scientific commission of that organisation to the first dirigible balloon or air-ship that between st may and st october , , , , and should rise from the parc d'aerostation of the aéro club at st cloud and, without touching ground and by its own self-contained means on board alone, describe a closed curve in such a way that the axis of the eiffel tower should be within the interior of the circuit, and return to the point of departure in the maximum time of half-an-hour. should more than one accomplish the task in the same year the , francs were to be divided in proportion to the respective times. the aéro club's scientific commission had been named expressly for the purpose of formulating these and such other conditions of the foundation as it might deem proper, and by reason of certain of them i had made no attempt to win the prize with my "santos-dumont, no. ." the course from the aéro club's parc d'aerostation to the eiffel tower and return was kilometres (nearly miles), and this distance, _plus the turning round the tower_, must be accomplished in thirty minutes. this meant in a perfect calm a necessary speed of kilometres ( - / miles) per hour for the straight stretches--a speed i could not be sure to maintain all the way in my "no. ." another condition formulated by the scientific commission was that its members, who were to be the judges of all trials, must be notified twenty-four hours in advance of each attempt. naturally, the operation of such a condition would be to nullify as much as possible all minute time calculations based either on a given rate of speed through perfect calm or such air current as might be prevailing twenty-four hours previous to the hour of trial. though paris is situated in a basin, surrounded on all sides by hills, its air currents are peculiarly variable, and brusque meteorological changes are extremely common. i foresaw also that when a competitor had once committed the formal act of assembling a scientific commission on a slope of the river seine so far away from paris as st cloud he would be under a kind of moral pressure to go on with his trial, no matter how the air currents might have increased, and no matter in what kind of weather--wet, dry, or simply humid--he might find himself. again, this moral pressure to go on with the trial against the aeronaut's better judgment must extend even to the event of an unlucky change in the state of the air-ship itself. one does not convoke a body of prominent personages to a distant riverside for nothing, yet in the twenty-four hours between notification and trial even a well-watched elongated balloon might well lose a little of its tautness unperceived. a previous day's preliminary trial might easily derange so uncertain an engine as the petroleum motor of the year . and, finally, i saw that the competitor would be barred by common courtesy from convoking the commission at the very hour most favourable for dirigible balloon experiments over paris--the calm of the dawn. the duellist may call out his friends at that sacred hour, but not the air-ship captain. in founding the santos-dumont prize with the francs awarded to me by the aéro club for my work in the year it will be observed that i made no such conditions by the way. i did not wish to complicate the trial by imposing a minimum velocity, the check of a special committee, or any limitation of time of trial during the day. i was sure that even under the widest conditions it would be a great deal to come back to the starting-point after having reached a post publicly pointed out in advance--a thing that was unheard of before the year . the conditions of the santos-dumont prize, therefore, left competitors free to choose the state of the air least unfavourable to them, as the calm of late evening or early morning. nor would i inflict on them the possible surprises of a period of waiting between the convocation and the meeting of a scientific commission, itself in my eyes quite unnecessary in these days, when the army of newspaper reporters of a great capital is always ready to mobilise without notice, at any hour and spot, on the bare prospect of news. the newspaper men of paris would be my scientific commission. [illustration: "no. ." leaving aËro club grounds, july , ] as i had excluded myself from trying for the santos-dumont prize i naturally wished to show that it would not be impossible to fulfil its conditions. my "no. "--composed of the enlarged balloon of the "no. " and the new keel, motor, and propeller already described--was now ready for trial. in it, on the first attempt, i fulfilled the conditions of my own prize foundation. this was on july th, , after a practice flight the day before. at . a.m. i steered my air-ship from the park of the aéro club at st cloud to the longchamps racecourse. i did not at that moment take time to ask permission of the jockey club, which, however, a few days later placed that admirable open space at my disposition. ten times in succession i made the circuit of longchamps, stopping each time at a point designed beforehand. after these first evolutions, which altogether made up a distance of about kilometres ( miles), i set out for puteaux, and after an excursion of about kilometres ( miles), done in nine minutes, i steered back again to longchamps. i was by this time so well satisfied with the dirigibility of my "no. " that i began looking for the eiffel tower. it had disappeared in the mists of the morning, but its direction was well known to me, so i steered for it as well as i might. in ten minutes i had come within metres ( rods) of the champ de mars. at this moment one of the cords managing my rudder broke. it was absolutely necessary to repair it at once, and to repair it i must descend to earth. with perfect ease i pulled forward the guide rope, shifted my centre of gravity, and drove the air-ship diagonally downward, landing gently in the trocadero gardens. good-natured workmen ran to me from all directions. did i need anything? they asked. yes; i needed a ladder. and in less time than it takes to write it a ladder was found and placed in position. while two of these discreet and intelligent volunteers held it i climbed some twenty rounds to its top, and was able to repair the damaged rudder connection. [illustration: "no. ." returning from the eiffel tower] i started off again, mounting diagonally to my chosen altitude, turned the eiffel tower in a wide curve, and returned to longchamps in a straight course without further incident after a trip which, including the stop for repairs, had lasted one hour and six minutes. then after a few minutes' conversation i took my flight back to the st cloud aerodrome, passing the seine at an altitude of metres (over feet), and housing the still perfectly-inflated air-ship in its shed as though it were a simple automobile. chapter xiii a fall before a rise my "no. " had proved itself so much more powerful than its predecessors that i now found courage to inscribe myself for the deutsch prize competition. having taken this decisive step i at once convoked the scientific commission of the aéro club for a trial in accordance with the regulations. the commission assembled in the grounds of the aéro club at st cloud on july th, at . a.m. at . i started off. i turned the eiffel tower in the tenth minute and came back against an unexpected head wind, reaching the timekeepers at st cloud in the fortieth minute, at an altitude of metres, and after a terrific struggle with the element. [illustration: "no. ." accident in the park of m. edmond de rothschild] just at this moment my capricious motor stopped, and the air-ship, bereft of its power, was carried off, and fell on the tallest chestnut-tree in the park of m. edmond de rothschild. the inhabitants and servants of the villa, who came running, very naturally imagined that the air-ship must be wrecked and myself probably hurt. they were astonished to find me standing in my basket high up in the tree, while the propeller touched the ground. considering the force with which the wind had blown when i was battling with it on the home stretch i was myself surprised to note how little the balloon was torn. nevertheless, all its gas had left it. this happened very near the house of the princess isabel, comtesse d'eu, who, hearing of my plight, and learning that i must be occupied some time in disengaging the air-ship, sent a lunch to me up in my tree, with an invitation to come and tell her the story of my trip. when the story was finished the daughter of dom pedro said to me: "your evolutions in the air make me think of the flight of our great birds of brazil. i hope you will do as well with your propeller as they do with their wings, and that you will succeed for the glory of our common country." a few days later i received the following letter:-- "_ st august ._ "monsieur santos-dumont,--here is a medal of st benedict that protects against accidents. "accept it, and wear it at your watch-chain, in your card-case, or at your neck. "i send it to you, thinking of your good mother, and praying god to help you always and to make you work for the glory of our country. (signed) "isabel, comtesse d'eu." as the newspapers have often spoken of my "bracelet" i may say that the thin gold chain of which it consists is simply the means i have taken to wear this medal, which i prize. [illustration: an accident] the air-ship, as a whole, was damaged very little, considering the force of the wind and the nature of the accident. when it was ready to be taken out again i nevertheless thought it prudent to make several trials with it over the grassy lawn of the longchamps racecourse. one of these trials i will mention, because it gave me--something rare--a fairly accurate idea of the air-ship's speed in perfect calm. on this occasion mr maurice farman followed me round the racecourse in his automobile at its second speed. his estimate was between and kilometres ( and - / miles) per hour with my guide rope dragging. of course, when the guide rope drags it acts exactly like a brake. how much it holds one back depends upon the length that actually drags along the ground. our calculation at the time was about kilometres ( miles) per hour, which would have brought my proper speed up to between and kilometres ( - / and - / miles) per hour. all this encouraged me to make another trial for the deutsch prize. and now i come to a terrible day-- th august . at . a.m., in presence of the scientific commission of the aéro club, i started again for the eiffel tower. i turned the tower at the end of nine minutes and took my way back to st cloud; but my balloon was losing hydrogen through one of its two automatic gas valves, whose spring had been accidentally weakened. i had perceived the beginning of this loss of gas even before reaching the eiffel tower, and ordinarily, in such an event, i should have come at once to earth to examine the lesion. but here i was competing for a prize of great honour, and my speed had been good. therefore i risked going on. the balloon now shrunk visibly. by the time i had got back to the fortifications of paris, near la muette, it caused the suspension wires to sag so much that those nearest to the screw propeller caught in it as it revolved. i saw the propeller cutting and tearing at the wires. i stopped the motor instantly. then, as a consequence, the air-ship was at once driven back toward the tower by the wind, which was strong. at the same time i was falling. the balloon had lost much gas. i might have thrown out ballast and greatly diminished the fall, but then the wind would have time to blow me back on the eiffel tower. i, therefore, preferred to let the air-ship go down as it was going. it may have seemed a terrific fall to those who watched it from the ground, but to me the worst detail was the air-ship's lack of equilibrium. the half-empty balloon, fluttering its empty end as an elephant waves his trunk, caused the air-ship's stem to point upward at an alarming angle. what i most feared, therefore, was that the unequal strain on the suspension wires would break them one by one and so precipitate me to the ground. why was the balloon fluttering an empty end and causing all this extra danger? how was it that the rotary ventilator was not fulfilling its purpose in feeding the interior air balloon and in this manner swelling out the gas balloon around it? the answer must be looked for in the nature of the accident. the rotary ventilator stopped working when the motor itself stopped, and i had been obliged to stop the motor to prevent the propeller from tearing the suspension wires near it when the balloon first began to sag from loss of gas. it is true that the ventilator, which was working at that moment, had not proved sufficient to prevent the first sagging. it may have been that the interior air balloon refused to fill out properly. the day after the accident, when my balloon constructor's man came to me for the plans of a "no. " balloon envelope, i gathered from something he said that the interior air balloon of the "no. ," not having been given time for its varnish to dry before being adjusted, might have stuck together or stuck to the sides or bottom of the outer balloon. such are the rewards of haste. i was falling. at the same time the wind was carrying me toward the eiffel tower. it had already carried me so far that i was expecting to land on the seine embankment beyond the trocadero. my basket and the whole of the keel had already passed the trocadero hotels, and had my balloon been a spherical one, it too would have cleared the building. but now, at the last critical moment, the end of the long balloon that was still full of gas came slapping down on the roof just before clearing it. it exploded with a great noise--exactly like a paper bag struck after being blown up. this was the "terrific explosion" described in the newspapers of the day. i had made a mistake in my estimate of the wind's force by a few yards. instead of being carried on to fall on the seine embankment i now found myself hanging in my wicker basket high up in the courtyard of the trocadero hotels, supported by my air-ship's keel, which stood braced at an angle of about degrees between the courtyard wall above and the roof of a lower construction farther down. the keel, in spite of my weight, that of the motor and machinery, and the shock it had received in falling, resisted wonderfully. the thin pine scantlings and piano wires of nice had saved my life! [illustration: phase of an accident] after what seemed tedious waiting i saw a rope being lowered to me from the roof above. i held to it, and was hauled up, when i perceived my rescuers to be the brave firemen of paris. from their station at passy they had been watching the flight of the air-ship. they had seen my fall, and immediately hastened to the spot. then, having rescued me, they proceeded to rescue the air-ship. the operation was painful. the remains of the balloon envelope and the suspension wires hung lamentably, and it was impossible to disengage them except in strips and fragments! so i escaped--and my escape may have been narrow--but it was not from the particular danger always present in my mind during this period of trials around the eiffel tower. a parisian journalist said that had the eiffel tower not existed it would have been necessary to invent it for the needs of aerostation. it is true that the engineers who remain at its summit have at their hands all necessary instruments for observing aerial and meteorological conditions: their chronometers are exact; and, as professor langley has said in a communication to the louisiana purchase exposition committee, the position of the tower as a central landmark, visible to everyone from considerable distances, made it a unique winning-post for an aerial contest. i myself had circled round it at a respectful distance, of my own free will, in , before the stipulation of the deutsch prize competition was dreamed of. yet none of these considerations altered the other fact that the necessity to round the eiffel tower attached a unique element of danger to the task. what i feared was that in my eagerness to make a quick turning, by some error in steering or by the influence of some unexpected side wind, i might be dashed against the tower. the impact would certainly burst my balloon, and i should fall to the ground like a stone. nor could the utmost prudence and self-control in making a wide turn guarantee me against the danger. should my capricious motor stop as i approached the tower--exactly as it stopped after i had passed over the timekeepers' heads at st cloud, returning from my first trial on th july --i should be powerless to hold the air-ship back. therefore i always dreaded the turn round the eiffel tower, looking on it as my principal danger. while never seeking to go high in my air-ships--on the contrary, i hold the record for the low altitudes in a free balloon--in passing over paris i must necessarily move above and out of the way of the chimney-pots and steeples. the eiffel tower was my one danger, yet it was my winning-post! such were my fears while on the ground; while in the air i had no time for fear. i have always kept a cool head. alone in the air-ship i am always busy, for there is more than enough work for one man. like the captain of a yacht, i must not let go the rudder for an instant. like its chief engineer, i must watch the motor. the balloon's rigidity of form must be preserved. and with this capital detail is connected the whole complex problem of the air-ship's altitude, the manoeuvring of guide rope and shifting weights, the economising of ballast, and the surveillance of the air pump attached to the motor. besides all this occupation there is also the strong joy of commanding rapid movement. the pleasurable sensations of aerial navigation experienced in my first air-ships were intensified in the powerful "no. ." as m. jaurès has well put it, i now felt myself a man in the air, commanding movement. in my spherical balloons i had felt myself to be only the shadow of a man! chapter xiv the building of my "no. " on the very evening of my fall to the roof of the trocadero hotels i gave out the specifications of a "santos-dumont, no. ," and after twenty-two days of continuous labour it was finished and inflated. [illustration: fig. ] the new balloon had the shape of an elongated ellipsoid (fig. ), metres ( feet) by its great axis and metres ( feet) by its small axis, terminated fore and aft by cones. [illustration: "no. ." first trip] i now gave more care than ever to the devices on which i depended to maintain the balloon's rigidity of form. i had fallen to the roof of the trocadero hotels by the fault of the smallest and most insignificant-looking piece of mechanism of the entire system--a weakened valve that let out the balloon's hydrogen. in very much the same way the fall of the first of all my air-ships had been occasioned by the failure of a little air-pump. in all my constructions, except the big-bellied balloon of the "no. ," i had depended much on the interior compensating air balloon (fig. , page ) fed by air pump or rotary ventilator. sewed like a closed patch pocket to the inside bottom of the great balloon, this compensating air balloon would remain flat and empty so long as the great balloon remained distended with its gas. then, as hydrogen might be condensed from time to time by changes of altitude and temperature, the air pump or ventilator worked by the motor would begin to fill the compensating air balloon, make it take up more room inside the great balloon, and so keep the latter distended. inside the balloon of my "no. " i now sewed such a compensating balloon, capable of holding cubic metres ( cubic feet). the ventilator that was to feed it formed practically a part of the motor itself. revolving continually while the motor worked, it would serve air continually to the compensating balloon whether or not the latter would be able to hold it. what air it could not hold would escape through a comparatively weak valve ("air valve," fig. ) communicating with the outer atmosphere through the bottom of the air balloon, which was also the bottom of the great outer balloon. to relieve the great balloon of its dilated hydrogen when necessary i supplied it with two of the best valves i could make ("gas valves," fig. ). these also communicated with the outer atmosphere. imagine, now, that after a certain condensation of my hydrogen the interior compensating balloon should have filled up in part with air from the ventilator and so maintained the form of the great balloon rigid. shortly after, by a change of temperature or altitude, the hydrogen would begin to dilate again. something would have to give way, or the balloon would burst in a "cold explosion." what ought to give way first? evidently the weaker air valve ("air valve," fig. ). letting out part or all of the air in the interior balloon, it would relieve the tension of the swelling hydrogen; and only afterwards, should this not be sufficient, would the stronger gas valves (fig. ) let out precious hydrogen. all three valves were automatic, opening outward on a given pressure from within. one of the hypotheses to account for the terrible accident to the unhappy severo's dirigible "pax"[a] is concerned with this all-important problem of valves. the "pax," as originally constructed, had two. m. severo, who was not a practical aeronaut, stopped up one of them with wax before starting on his first and last voyage. in view of the decreasing pressure of the atmosphere as one goes higher the ascent of a dirigible should always be slow and never great, for gas will expand on the rise of a few yards. it is quite different from the case of the spherical balloon, which has no interior pressure to withstand. a dirigible whose envelope is distended by great pressure depends on its valves not to burst. with one of its valves stopped with wax the "pax" was allowed to shoot up from the earth, and immediately its occupants seem to have lost their heads. instead of checking their rapid rise one of them threw out ballast--a handful of which will send up a great spherical balloon perceptibly. the mechanician of severo is said to have been last seen throwing out a whole bag in his excitement. up shot the "pax" higher and higher, and the expansion, the explosion, and the awful fall came as a chain of consequences. [a] in the early morning of th may m. augusto severo, accompanied by his mechanician, sachet, started from paris on a first trial with the "pax," the invention and construction of m. severo. the "pax" rose at once to a height almost double that of the eiffel tower, when, for reasons not precisely known, it exploded, and came crashing to earth with its two passengers. the fall took eight seconds to accomplish, and the luckless experimenters were picked up broken and shapeless masses. the tonnage of my new balloon was cubic metres ( , cubic feet), affording an absolute lifting power of kilogrammes ( lbs.), but the increased weight of the new motor and machinery, nevertheless, put my disposable ballast at kilogrammes ( lbs.). it was a four-cylinder motor of horse-power, cooled automatically by the circulation of water round the top of the piston (culasse). while the water cooler brought extra weight, i was glad to have it, for the arrangement would permit me to utilise, without fear of overheating or jamming _en route_, the full power of the motor, which was able to communicate to the propeller a traction effort of kilogrammes ( lbs.). [illustration: an accident to "no. "] my daily practice with the new air-ship ended, th september , in a slight accident. the balloon was reinflated by th september, but four days later it crashed against a tree in making a too sudden turn. such accidents i have always taken philosophically, looking on them as a kind of insurance against more terrible ones. were i to give a single word of caution to all dirigible balloonists, it would be: "keep close to earth." the place of the air-ship is not in high altitudes, and it is better to catch in the tops of trees, as i used to do in the bois de boulogne, than to risk the perils of the upper air without the slightest practical advantage. chapter xv winning the deutsch prize and now, th october , the air-ship "santos-dumont no. ," having been repaired with great celerity, i tried again for the deutsch prize and won it. on the day before the weather had been wretched. nevertheless, i had sent out the necessary telegrams convoking the commission. through the night the weather had improved, but the atmospheric conditions at o'clock in the afternoon--the hour announced for the trial--were, nevertheless, so unfavourable that of the twenty-five members composing the commission only five made their appearance--mm. deutsch (de la meurthe), de dion, fonvielle, besançon, and aimé. the central meteorological bureau, consulted at this hour by telephone, reported a south-east wind blowing metres per second at the altitude of the eiffel tower. when i consider that i was content when my first air-ship in had, in the opinion of myself and friends, been going at the rate of metres per second i am still surprised at the progress realised in those three years, for i was now setting out to win a race against a time limit in a wind blowing almost as fast as the highest speed i had realised in my first air-ship. [illustration: scientific commission of aËro club at the winning of the deutsch prize] the official start took place at . p.m. in spite of the wind striking me sidewise, with a tendency to take me to the left of the eiffel tower, i held my course straight to that goal. gradually i drove the air-ship onward and upward to a height of about metres above its summit. in doing this i lost some time, but secured myself against accidental contact with the tower as much as possible. as i passed the tower i turned with a sudden movement of the rudder, bringing the air-ship round the tower's lightning conductor at a distance of about metres from it. the tower was thus turned at . p.m., the distance of - / kilometres, _plus the turning_, being done in nine minutes. the return trip was longer, being in the teeth of this same wind. also, during the trip to the tower the motor had worked fairly well. now, after i had left it some metres behind me, the motor was actually on the point of stopping. i had a moment of great uncertainty. i must make a quick decision. it was to abandon the steering wheel for a moment, at the risk of drifting from my course, in order to devote my attention to the carburating lever and the lever controlling the electric spark. the motor, which had almost stopped, began to work again. i had now reached the bois, where, by a phenomenon known to all aeronauts, the cool air from the trees began making my balloon heavier and heavier--or in true physics, smaller by condensation. by an unlucky coincidence the motor at this moment began slowing again. thus the air-ship was descending, while its motive power was decreasing. to correct the descent i had to throw back both guide rope and shifting weights. this caused the air-ship to point diagonally upward, so that what propeller-force remained caused it to remount continually in the air. [illustration: "no. ." making for eiffel tower; altitude feet] i was now over the crowd of the auteuil racetrack, already with a sharp pointing upward. i heard the applause of the mighty throng, when suddenly my capricious motor started working at full speed again. the suddenly-accelerated propeller being almost under the high-pointed air-ship exaggerated the inclination, so that the applause of the crowd changed to cries of alarm. as for myself, i had no fear, being over the trees of the bois, whose soft greenery, as i have already stated, always reassured me. all this happened very quickly--before i had a chance to shift my weights and guide rope back to the normal horizontal positions. i was now at an altitude of metres. of course, i might have checked the diagonal mounting of the air-ship by the simple means of slowing the motor that was driving it upward; but i was racing against a time limit, and so i just went on. i soon righted myself by shifting the guide rope and the weights forward. i mention this in detail because at the time many of my friends imagined something terrible was happening. all the same, i did not have time to bring the air-ship to a lower altitude before reaching the timekeepers in the aéro club's grounds--a thing i might easily have done by slowing the motor. this is why i passed so high over the judges' heads. on my way to the tower i never looked down on the house-tops of paris: i navigated in a sea of white and azure, seeing nothing but the goal. on the return trip i had kept my eyes fixed on the verdure of the bois de boulogne and the silver streak of river where i had to cross it. now, at my high altitude of metres and with the propeller working at full power, i passed above longchamps, crossed the seine, and continued on at full speed over the heads of the commission and the spectators gathered in the aéro club's grounds. at that moment it was eleven minutes and thirty seconds past three o'clock, making the time exactly twenty-nine minutes and thirty-one seconds. the air-ship, carried by the impetus of its great speed, passed on as a racehorse passes the winning-post, as a sailing yacht passes the winning-line, as a road racing automobile continues flying past the judges who have snapped its time. like the jockey of the racehorse, i then turned and drove myself back to the aerodrome to have my guide rope caught and be drawn down at twelve minutes forty and four-fifths seconds past three, or thirty minutes and forty seconds from the start. i did not yet know my exact time. i cried: "have i won?" and the crowd of spectators cried back to me: "yes!" [illustration: round eiffel tower] * * * * * for a while there were those who argued that my time ought to be calculated up to the moment of my second return to the aerodrome instead of to the moment when i first passed over it, returning from the eiffel tower. for a while, indeed, it seemed that it might be more difficult to have the prize awarded to me than it had been to win it. in the end, however, common-sense prevailed. the money of the prize, amounting in all to , francs, i did not desire to keep. i, therefore, divided it into unequal parts. the greater sum, of , francs, i handed over to the prefect of police of paris to be used for the deserving poor. the balance i distributed among my employees, who had been so long with me and to whose devotion i was glad to pay this tribute. at this same time i received another grand prize, as gratifying as it was unexpected. this was a sum of contos ( , francs), voted to me by the government of my own country, and accompanied by a gold medal of large size and great beauty, designed, engraved, and struck off in brazil. its obverse shows my humble self led by victory and crowned with laurel by a flying figure of renown. above a rising sun there is engraved the line of camoëns, altered by one word, as i adopted it to float on the long streamer of my air-ship: "por _ceos_ nunca d'antes navegados!"[b] the reverse bears these words: "being president of the republic of the united states of brazil, the doctor manoel ferraz de campos salles has given order to engrave and strike this medal in homage to alberto santos-dumont. th october ." [b] "through _heavens_ hereto unsailed," instead of "_por mares nunca d'antes navegados_"-- "o'er _seas_ hereto unsailed." [illustration: rounding eiffel tower] chapter xvi a glance backward and forward just as i had not gone into air-ship constructing for the sake of winning the deutsch prize, so now i had no reason to stop experimenting after i had won it. when i built and navigated my first air-ships neither aéro club nor deutsch prize were yet in existence. the two, by their rapid rise and deserved prominence, had brought the problem of aerial navigation suddenly before the public--so suddenly, indeed, that i was really not prepared to enter into such a race with a time limit. naturally anxious to have the honour of winning such a competition, i had been forced on rapidly in new constructions at both danger and expense. now i would take time to perfect myself systematically as an aerial navigator. suppose you buy a new bicycle or automobile. you will have a perfect machine to your hand without having had any of the labour, the deceptions, the false starts and recommencements, of the inventor and constructor. yet with all these advantages you will soon find that possession of the perfected machine does not necessarily mean that you shall go spinning over the highways with it. you may be so unpractised that you will fall off the bicycle or blow up the automobile. the machine is all right, but you must learn to run it. to bring the modern bicycle to its perfection thousands of amateurs, inventors, engineers, and constructors laboured during more than twenty-five years, trying endless innovations, one by one rejecting the great mass of them, and, after endless failures by the way of half successes, slowly nearing to the perfect organism. so it is to-day with the automobile. imagine the united labours and financial sacrifices of the engineers and manufacturers that led, step by step, up to the road-racing automobiles of the paris-berlin competition in --the year in which the only working dirigible balloon then in existence won the deutsch prize against a time limit that was thought by many a complete bar to success. yet of the perfected automobiles registered for entry to the paris-berlin competition only completed the first day's run, and of these only finally reached berlin. [illustration: returning to aËro club grounds above aqueduct] out of automobiles entered for the race only reached the goal. and of these arriving at berlin how many do you imagine made the trip without serious accident? perhaps none. it is perfectly natural that this should be so. people think nothing of it. such is the natural development of a great invention. but if i break down while in the air i cannot stop for repairs: i must go on, and the whole world knows it. looking back, therefore, on my progress since the time i doubled up above the bagatelle grounds in i was surprised at the rapid pace at which i had allowed the notice of the world and my own ardour to push me on in what was in reality an arbitrary task. at the risk of my neck and the needless sacrifice of a great deal of money i had won the deutsch prize. i might have arrived at the same point of progress by less forced and more reasonable stages. throughout i had been inventor, patron, manufacturer, amateur, mechanician, and air-ship captain all united! yet any one of these qualities is thought to bring sufficient work and credit to the individual in the world of automobiles. with all these cares i often found myself criticised for choosing calm days for my experiments. yet who, experimenting over paris--as i had to do when trying for the deutsch prize--would add to his natural risks and expenses the vexations of who knows what prosecution for knocking down the chimney-pots of a great capital on the heads of a population of pedestrians? one by one i tried the assurance companies. none would make a rate for me against the damage i might do on a squally day. none would give me a rate on my own air-ship to insure it against destruction. to me it was now clear that what i most needed was navigation practice pure and simple. i had been increasing the speed of my air-ships--that is to say, i had been constructing at the expense of my education as an air-ship captain. the captain of a steamboat obtains his certificate only after years of study and experience of navigation in inferior capacities. even the "chauffeur" on the public highway must pass his examination before the authorities will give him his papers. [illustration: medal awarded by the brazilian government] in the air, where all is new, the routine navigation of a dirigible balloon, requiring for foundation the united experiences of the spherical balloonist and the automobile "chauffeur," makes demands upon the lone captain's coolness, ingenuity, quick reasoning, and a kind of instinct that comes with long habit. urged on by these considerations, my great object in the autumn of was to find a favourable place for practice in aerial navigation. my swiftest and best air-ship--"the santos-dumont no. "--was in perfect condition. the day after winning the deutsch prize in it my chief mechanician asked me if he should tighten it up with hydrogen. i told him yes. then, seeking to let some more hydrogen into it, he discovered something curious. the balloon would not take any more! it had not lost a single cubic unit of hydrogen! the actual winning of the deutsch prize had cost only a few litres of petroleum! just as the paris winter of biting winds, cold rains, and lowering skies was approaching i received an intimation that the prince of monaco, himself a man of science celebrated for his personal investigations, would be pleased to build a balloon house directly on the beach of la condamine, from which i might dart out on the mediterranean, and so continue my aerial practice through the winter. the situation promised to be ideal. the little bay of monaco, sheltered from behind against the wind and cold by mountains, and from the wind and sea on either side by the heights of monte carlo and monaco town, would make a well-protected manoeuvre ground. the air-ship would be always ready, filled with hydrogen gas. it could slip out of the balloon house to profit by good weather, and back again for shelter at the approach of squalls. the balloon house would be erected on the edge of the shore, and the whole mediterranean would lie before me for guide-roping. [illustration: "no. ." showing captain leaving basket for motor] chapter xvii monaco and the maritime guide rope when i arrived at monte carlo, in the latter part of january , the balloon house of the prince of monaco was already practically completed from suggestions i had given. the new aerodrome rose on the boulevard de la condamine, just across the electric tramcar tracks from the sea wall. it was an immense empty shell of wood and canvas over a stout iron skeleton metres ( feet) long, metres ( feet) wide, and metres ( feet) high. it had to be solidly constructed, not to risk the fate of the all-wood aerodrome of the french maritime ballooning station at toulon, twice wrecked, and once all but carried away, like a veritable wooden balloon, by tempests. in spite of the aerodrome's risky form and curious construction its sensational features were its doors. tourists told each other (quite correctly) that doors so great as these had never been before in ancient times or modern. they had been made to slide open and shut, above on wheels hanging from an iron construction that extended from the façade on each side, and below on wheels that rolled over a rail. each door was metres ( feet) high by metres ( - / feet) wide, and each weighed kilogrammes ( lbs.). yet their equilibrium was so well calculated that on the day of the inauguration of the aerodrome these giant doors were rolled apart by two little boys of eight and ten years respectively, the young princes ruspoli, grandsons of the duc de dino, my host at monte carlo. while the new situation attracted me by its promise of convenient and protected winter practice the prospect of doing some oversea navigation with my air-ship was even more alluring. even to the spherical balloonist the oversea problem has great temptations, concerning which an expert of the french navy has said: "the balloon can render the navy immense services, _on condition that its direction can be assured_. "floating over the sea, it can be at once scout and offensive auxiliary of so delicate a character that the general service of the navy has not yet allowed itself to pronounce on the matter. we can no longer conceal it from ourselves, however, that the hour approaches when balloons, now become military engines, will acquire, from the point of view of battle results, a great and, perhaps, decisive influence in war." [illustration: in the bay of monaco] as for myself, i have never made it any secret that, to my mind, the first practical use of the air-ship will be found in war, and the far-seeing henri rochefort, who was in the habit of coming to the aerodrome from his hotel at la turbie, wrote a most significant editorial in this sense after i had laid before him the speed calculations of my "no. ," then in course of building. "the day when it shall be established that a man can make his air-ship travel in a given direction and manoeuvre it at will during the four hours which the young santos demands to go from monaco to calvi," wrote henri rochefort, "there will remain little more for the nations to do than to throw down their arms.... "i am astonished that the capital importance of this matter has not yet been grasped by all the professionals of aerostation. to mount in a balloon that one has not constructed, and which one is not in a state to guide, constitutes the easiest of performances. a little cat has done it at the folies-bergère." now in war service overland the air-ship will, doubtless, have often to mount to considerable heights to avoid the rifle fire of the enemy, but, as the maritime auxiliary described by the expert of the french navy, its scouting _rôle_ will for the most part be performed at the end of its guide rope, comparatively close to the waves, and yet high enough to take in a wide view. only when for easily-imagined reasons it is desired to mount high for a short time will it quit the convenient contact of its guide rope with the surface of the sea. for these considerations--and particularly the last--i was anxious to do a great deal of guide-roping over the mediterranean. if the maritime experiment promises so much to spherical ballooning it is doubly promising to the air-ship, which, from the nature of its construction, carries comparatively little ballast. this ballast ought not to be currently sacrificed, as it is by the spherical balloonist, for the remedying of every little vertical aberration. its purpose is for use in great emergencies. nor ought the aerial navigator, particularly if he be alone, be forced to rectify his altitude continually by means of his propeller and shifting weights. he ought to be free to navigate his air-ship; if on pleasure bent, with ease and leisure to enjoy his flight; if on war service, with facility for his observations and hostile manoeuvres. therefore any _automatic_ guarantee of vertical stability is peculiarly welcome to him. you know already what the guide rope is. i have described it in my first experience of spherical ballooning. overland, where there are level plains or roads or even streets, where there are not too many troublesome trees, buildings, fences, telegraph and trolley poles and wires and like irregularities, the guide rope is as great an aid to the air-ship as to the spherical balloon. indeed, i have made it more so, for with me it is the central feature of my shifting weights (figs. and , page ). over the uninterrupted stretches of the sea my first monaco flight proved it to be a true _stabilisateur_. its very slight dragging resistance through the water is out of all proportion to the considerable weight of its floating extremity. according to its greater or less immersion, therefore, it ballasts or unballasts the air-ship (fig. ). the balloon is held by the weight of the guide rope down to a fixed level over the waves without danger of being drawn into contact with them. for the moment that the air-ship descends the slightest distance nearer to them that very moment it becomes relieved of just so much weight, and must naturally rise again by that amount of momentary unballasting. in this way an incessant little tugging toward and away from the waves is produced, infinitely gentle, an automatic ballasting and unballasting of the air-ship without loss of ballast. [illustration: fig. ] my first flight over the mediterranean, which was made on the morning of th january , proved more than this, unfortunately. it was seen that a miscalculation had been made with respect to the site of the aerodrome itself. in the navigation of the air, where all is new, such surprises meet the experimenter at every turn. this ought to be remembered when one takes account of progress. in the paris-madrid automobile race of what minute precautions were not taken to secure the competitors against the perils of quick turnings and grade crossings? and yet how notably insufficient did they not turn out to be. as the air-ship was being taken out from its house for its first flight on the morning of th january the spectators could see that nothing equivalent to the landing-stages which the air-ships of the future must have built for them existed in front of the building. the air-ship, loaded with ballast until it was a trifle heavier than the surrounding atmosphere, had to be towed, or helped, out of the aerodrome and across the boulevard de la condamine before it could be launched into the air over the sea wall. now that sea wall proved to be a dangerous obstruction. from the side walk it was only waist high, but on the other side of it the surf rolled over pebbles from four to five metres below. the air-ship had to be lifted over the sea wall more than waist high; also, not to risk damaging the arms of its propeller, and when half over, there was no one to sustain it from the other side. its stem pointed obliquely downward, while its stern threatened to grind on the wall. scuffling among the pebbles below, on the sea side, half-a-dozen workmen held their arms high toward the descending keel as it was let down and pushed on toward them by the workmen in charge of it on the boulevard in front of the wall, and they were at last able to catch and right it only in time to prevent me from being precipitated from the basket. [illustration: from the balloon house of la condamine at monaco, feb. , ] for this reason my return to the aerodrome after this first flight became the occasion of a real triumph, for the crowd promptly took cognisance of the perils of the situation and foresaw difficulties for me when i should attempt to re-enter the balloon house. as there was no wind, however, and as i steered boldly, i was able to make a sensational entry without damage--and without aid. straight as a dart the air-ship sped to the balloon house. the police of the prince had with difficulty cleared the boulevard between the sea wall and the wide-open doors. assistants and supernumeraries leaned over the wall with outstretched arms waiting for me; below on the beach were others, but this time i did not need them. i slowed the speed of the propeller as i came to them. just as i was half way over the sea wall, well above them all, i stopped the motor. carried onward by the dying momentum, the air-ship glided over their heads on toward the open door. they had grasped my guide rope to draw me down, but as i had been coming diagonally there was no need of it. now they walked beside the air-ship into the balloon house, as its trainer or the stable-boys grasp the bridle of their racehorse after the course and lead him back in honour to the stable with his jockey in the saddle. it was admitted, nevertheless, that i ought not to be obliged to steer so closely on returning from my flights--to enter the aerodrome as a needle is threaded by a steady hand--because a side gust of wind might catch me at the critical moment and dash me against a tree or lamp-post, or telegraph or telephone pole, not to speak of the sharp-cornered buildings on either side of the aerodrome. when i went out again for a short spin that same afternoon of th january the obstruction of the sea wall made itself only too evident. the prince offered to tear down the wall. "i will not ask you to do so much," i said. "it will be enough to build a landing-stage on the sea side of the wall at the level of the boulevard." this was done after twelve days of work, interrupted by persistent rain, and the air-ship, when it issued for its third flight, th february , had simply to be lifted a few feet by men on each side of the wall. they drew it gently on until its whole length floated in equilibrium over the new platform that extended so far out into the surf that its farthermost piles were always in six feet of water. standing on this platform they steadied the air-ship while its motor was beings started, while i let out the overplus of water ballast and shifted my guide rope so as to point for an oblique drive upward. the motor began spitting and rumbling. the propeller began turning. "let go all!" i cried, for the third time at monaco. lightly the air-ship slid along its oblique course, onward and upward. then as the propeller gathered force a mighty push sent me flying over the bay. i shifted forward the guide rope again to make a level course. and out to sea the air-ship darted, its scarlet pennant fluttering symbolic letters as upon a streak of flame. they were the initial letters of the first line of camoëns' "lusiad," the epic poet of my race: por mares nunca d'antes navegados! (o'er seas hereto unsailed.) chapter xviii flights in mediterranean winds in my two previous experiments i had kept fairly within the wind-protected limits of the bay of monaco, whose broad expanse afforded ample room both for guide-roping and practice in steering. furthermore, a hundred friends and thousands of friendly spectators stood around it from the terraces of monte carlo to the shore of la condamine and up the other side to the heights of old monaco. as i circled round and round the bay, mounted obliquely and swooped down, fetched a straight course, and then stopped abruptly to turn and begin again, their applause came up to me agreeably. now, on my third flight, i steered for the open sea. out into the open mediterranean i sped. the guide rope held me at a steady altitude of about metres above the waves, as if in some mysterious way its lower end were attached to them. in this way, automatically secure of my altitude, i found the work of aerial navigation become wonderfully easy. there was no ballast to throw out, no gas to let out, no shifting of the weights except when i expressly desired to mount or descend. so with my hand upon the rudder and my eye fixed on the far-off point of cap martin i gave myself up to the pleasure of this voyaging above the waves. here in these azure solitudes there were no chimney-pots of paris, no cruel, threatening roof-corners, no tree-tops of the bois de boulogne. my propeller was showing its power, and i was free to let it go. i had only to hold my course straight in the teeth of the breeze and watch the far-off mediterranean shore flit past me. i had plenty of leisure to look about. presently i met two sailing yachts scudding towards me down the coast. i noticed that their sails were full-bellied. as i flew on over them, and they beneath me, i heard a faint cheer, and a graceful female figure on the foremost yacht waved a red foulard. as i turned to answer the politeness i perceived with some astonishment that we were far apart already. i was now well up the coast, about half-way to cap martin. above was the limitless blue void. below was the solitude of white-capped waves. from the appearance of sailing boats here and there i could tell that the wind was increasing to a squall, and i would have to turn in it before i could fly back upon it in my homeward trip. porting my helm i held the rudder tight. the air-ship swung round like a boat; then as the wind sent me flying down the coast my only work was to maintain the steady course. in scarcely more time than it takes to write it i was opposite the bay of monaco again. with a sharp turn of the rudder i entered the protected harbour, and amid a thousand cheers stopped the propeller, pulled in the forward shifting weight, and let the dying impetus of the air-ship carry it diagonally down to the landing-stage. this time there was no trouble. on the broad landing-stage stood my own men, assisted by those put at my disposition by the prince. the air-ship was grasped as it came gliding slowly to them, and, without actually coming to a stop, it was "led" over the sea wall across the boulevard de la condamine and into the aerodrome. the trip had lasted less than an hour, and i had been within a few hundred metres (yards) of cap martin. here was an obvious trip, first against and then with a stiff wind, and the curious may render themselves an account of the fact by glancing at the two photographs marked "wind a" and "wind b." as they happened to be taken by a monte carlo professional intent simply on getting good photographs they are impartial. "wind a" shows me leaving the bay of monaco against a wind that is blowing back the smoke of the two steamers seen on the horizon. "wind b" was taken up the coast just before i met the two little sailing yachts which are obviously scudding toward me. the loneliness in which i found myself in the middle of this first extended flight up the mediterranean shore was not part of the programme. during the manufacture of the hydrogen gas and the filling of the balloon i had received the visits of a great many prominent people, several of whom signified their ability and readiness to lend valuable aid to these experiments. from beaulieu, where his steam-yacht, _lysistrata_, was at anchor, came mr james gordon bennett, and mr eugene higgins had already brought the _varuna_ up from nice on more than one occasion. the beautiful little steam-yacht of m. eiffel also held itself in readiness. it had been the intention of these owners, as it had been that of the prince with his _princesse alice_, to follow the air-ship in its flights over the mediterranean, so as to be on the spot in case of accident. this first flight, however, had been taken on impulse before any programme for the yachts had been arranged, and my next long flight, as will be seen, demonstrated that this kind of protection must not be counted on overmuch by air-ship captains. it was on the th of february . one steam chaloupe and two petroleum launches, all three of them swift goers, together with three well-manned row-boats, had been stationed at intervals down the coast to pick me up in case of accident. the steam _chaloupe_ of the prince of monaco, carrying his highness, the governor-general, and the captain of the _princesse alice_, had already started on the course ahead of time. the horse-power mors automobile of mr clarence grey dinsmore and the horse-power panhard of m. isidore kahenstein were prepared to follow along the lower coast road. [illustration: "wind a"] [illustration: "wind b"] immediately on leaving the bay of monaco i met the wind head on as i steered my course straight down the coast in the direction of the italian frontier. putting on all speed i held the rudder firm and let myself go. i could see the ragged outlines of the coast flit past me on the left. along the winding road the two racing automobiles kept abreast with me, being driven at high speed. "it was all we could do to follow the air-ship along the curves of the coast road," said one of mr dinsmore's passengers to the reporter of a paris journal, "so rapid was its flight. in less than five minutes it had arrived opposite the villa camille blanc, which is about a kilometre ( / of a mile) distant from cap martin as the crow flies. "at this moment the air-ship was absolutely alone. between it and cap martin i saw a single row-boat, while far behind was visible the smoke from the prince's _chaloupe_. it was really no commonplace sight to see the air-ship thus hovering isolated over the immense sea." the wind instead of subsiding had been increasing. here and there around the horizon i could see the bent white sails of yachts driven before it. the situation was new to me, so i made an abrupt turn and started back on the home stretch. now again the wind was with me, stronger than it had been on the preceding flight down the coast. yet it was easy steering, and i remarked with pleasure that going thus with the wind the pitching or _tangage_ of the air-ship was much less. though going fast with my propeller, and aided by the wind behind me, i felt no more motion, indeed even less, than before. for the rest, how different were my sensations from those of the spherical balloonist! it is true that he sees the earth flying backward beneath him at tremendous speed. but he knows that he is powerless. the great sphere of gas above him is the plaything of the air current, and he cannot change his direction by a hair's-breadth. in my air-ship i could see myself flying over the sea, but i had my hands on a helm that made me master of my direction in this splendid course. once or twice, merely to give myself an account of it, i shoved the helm around a short arc. obedient, the air-ship's stem swung to the other side, and i found myself speeding in a new diagonal course. but these manoeuvres only occupied a few instants each, and each time i swung myself back on a straight line to the entrance to the bay of monaco, for i was flying homeward like an eagle, and must keep my course. to those watching my return, from the terraces of monte carlo and monaco town, as they told me afterwards, the air-ship increased in size at every instant, like a veritable eagle bearing down upon them. as the wind was coming toward them they could hear the low, crackling rumble of my motor a long distance off. faintly, now, their own shouts of encouragement came to me. almost instantly the shouts grew loud. around the bay a thousand handkerchiefs were fluttering. i gave a sharp turn to the helm, and the air-ship leaped into the bay amid the cheering and the waving just as great raindrops were beginning to fall.[c] [c] "half-an-hour after the aeronaut's return the wind became violent, a heavy storm followed, and the sea became very rough." (paris edition, _new york herald_, th february .) i had first slowed and then stopped the motor. as the air-ship now gently approached the landing-stage, borne on by its dying momentum, i gave the usual signal for those in the boats to seize my guide rope. the steam _chaloupe_ of the prince, which had turned back midway between monte carlo and cap martin after i had overtaken and passed it on my out trip, had by this time reached the bay. the prince, who was still on board, desired to catch the guide rope; and those with him, having no experience of its weight and the force with which the air-ship drags it through the water, did not seek to dissuade him. instead of catching the heavy floating cordage as the darting _chaloupe_ passed it his highness managed to get struck by it on the right arm, an accident which knocked him fairly to the bottom of the little vessel and produced severe contusions. a second attempt to catch the guide rope was more successful, and the air-ship was easily drawn to the sea wall, over it, and into its house. like everything in this new navigation, the particular manoeuvre was new. i was still going faster than i appeared to be, and such attempts to catch and stop an air-ship even on its dying momentum are apt to upset someone. the only way not to get too abrupt a shock is to run with the machine and slow it down gently. chapter xix speed what speed my "no. " made on those mediterranean flights was not published at the time because i had not sought to calculate it closely. fresh from the troubling time limit of the deutsch prize competition i amused myself frankly with my air-ship, making observations of great value to myself, but not seeking to prove anything to anyone. the speed problem is, doubtless, the first of all air-ship problems. speed must always be the final test between rival air-ships, and until high speed shall be arrived at certain other problems of aerial navigation must remain in part unsolved. for example, take that of the air-ship's pitching (_tangage_). i think it quite likely that a critical point in speed will be found, beyond which, on each side, the pitching will be practically _nil_. when going slowly or at moderate speed i have experienced no pitching, which in an air-ship like my "no. " seems always to commence at to kilometres ( to miles) per hour through the air. now, probably, when one passes this speed considerably--say at the rate of kilometres ( miles) per hour--all _tangage_ or pitching will be found to cease again, as i myself experienced when flying homeward on the wind in the voyage last described. speed must always be the final test between rival air-ships, because, in itself, speed sums up all other air-ship qualities, including "stability." at monaco, however, i had no rivals to compete with. furthermore, my prime study and amusement there was the beautiful working of the maritime guide rope; and this guide rope, dragging through the water, must of necessity retard whatever speed i made. there could be no help for it. such was the price i must pay for automatic equilibrium and vertical stability--in a word, easy navigation--so long as i remained the sole and solitary navigator of the air-ship. nor is it an easy task to calculate an air-ship's speed. on those flights up and down the mediterranean coast the speed of my return to monaco, wonderfully aided by the wind, could bear no relation to the speed out, retarded by the wind, and there was nothing to show that the force of the wind going and coming was constant. it is true that on those flights one of the difficulties standing in the way of such speed calculations--the "shoot the chutes" (_montagnes russes_) of ever-varying altitude--was done away with by the operation of the maritime guide rope; but, on the other hand, as has been said, the dragging of the guide rope's weight through the water acted as a very effectual brake. as the speed of the air-ship is increased this brake-like action of the guide rope (like that of the resistance of the atmosphere itself) grows, not in proportion to the speed, but in proportion to the square of it. on those flights along the mediterranean coast the easy navigation afforded me by the maritime guide rope was purchased, as nearly as i could calculate, by the sacrifice of about or kilometres ( or miles) per hour of speed; but with or without maritime guide rope the speed calculation has its own almost insurmountable difficulties. from monte carlo to cap martin at o'clock of a given morning may be quite a different trip from monte carlo to cap martin at noon of the same day; while from cap martin to monte carlo, except in perfect calm, must always be a still different proposition. nor can any accurate calculations be based on the markings of the anemometer, an instrument which i, nevertheless, carried. out of simple curiosity i made note of its readings on several occasions during my trip of th february . it seemed to be marking between and kilometres ( and miles) per hour; but the wind, complicated by side gusts, acting at the same time on the air-ship and the wings of the anemometer windmill--_i.e._ on two moving systems whose inertia cannot possibly be compared--would alone be sufficient to falsify the result. when, therefore, i state that, according to my best judgment, the average of my speed through the air on those flights was between and kilometres ( and miles) per hour, it will be understood that it refers to speed through the air whether the air be still or moving and to speed retarded by the dragging of the maritime guide rope. putting this adverse influence at the moderate figure of kilometres ( - / miles) per hour my speed through the still or moving air would be between and kilometres ( and miles) per hour. rather than spend time over illusory calculations on paper i have always preferred to go on materially improving my air-ships. later, when they come in competition with the rivals which no one awaits more ardently than myself, all speed calculations made on paper and all disputes based on them must of necessity yield to the one sublime test of air-ship racing. where speed calculations have their real importance is in affording necessary _data_ for the construction of new and more powerful air-ships. thus the balloon of my racing "no. ," whose motive power depends on two propellers each metres ( - / feet) in diameter, and worked by a horse-power motor with a water cooler, has its envelope made of two layers of the strongest french silk, four times varnished, capable of standing, under dynamometric test, a traction of kilogrammes ( pounds) for the linear metre ( · feet). i will now try to explain why the balloon envelope must be made so very much stronger as the speed of the air-ship is designed to be increased; and in so doing i shall have to reveal the unique and paradoxical danger that besets high-speed dirigibles, threatening them, not with beating their heads in against the outer atmosphere, but with blowing their tails out behind them. although the interior pressure in the balloons of my air-ships is very considerable, as balloons go, the spherical balloon, having a hole in its bottom, is under no such pressure: it is so little in comparison with the general pressure of the atmosphere, that we measure it, not by "atmospheres," but by centimetres or millimetres of water pressure--_i.e._ the pressure that will send a column of water up that distance in a tube. one "atmosphere" means one kilogramme of pressure to the square centimetre ( lbs. to the square inch), and it is equivalent to about metres of water pressure, or, more conveniently, centimetres of "water." now, supposing the interior pressure in my slower "no. " to have been close up to centimetres of water (it required that pressure to open its gas valves), it would have been equivalent to / of an atmosphere; and as one atmosphere is equivalent to a pressure of grammes ( kilogramme) on one square centimetre the interior pressure of my "no. " would have been / of grammes, or grammes. therefore on one square metre ( , square centimetres) of the stem head of the balloon of my "no. " the interior pressure would have been , multiplied by , or , grammes _i.e._-- kilogrammes ( lbs.). [illustration: "santos-dumont no. "] how is this interior pressure maintained without being exceeded? were the great exterior balloon filled with hydrogen and then sealed up with wax at each of its valves, the sun's heat might expand the hydrogen, make it exceed this pressure, and burst the balloon; or should the sealed balloon rise high, the decreasing pressure of the outer atmosphere might let its hydrogen expand, with the same result. the gas valves of the great balloon, therefore, must _not_ be sealed; and, furthermore, they must always be very carefully made, so that they will open of their own accord at the required and calculated pressure. this pressure (of centimetres in the "no. "), it ought to be noted, is attained by the heating of the sun or by a rise in altitude only when the balloon is completely filled with gas: what may be called its working pressure--about one-fifth lower--is maintained by the rotary air pump. worked continually by the motor, it pumps air continually into the smaller interior balloon. as much of this air as is needed to preserve the outer balloon's rigidity remains inside the little interior balloon, but all the rest pushes its way out into the atmosphere again through its air valve, which opens at a little less pressure than do the gas valves. let us now return to the balloon of my "no. ." the _interior_ pressure on each square metre of its stem head being continuously about kilogrammes the silk material composing it must be normally strong enough to stand it; nevertheless, it will be easy to see how it becomes more and more relieved of that interior pressure as the air-ship gets in motion and increases speed. its striking against the atmosphere makes a counter pressure _against the outside_ of the stem head. up to kilogrammes to the square metre, therefore, all increase in the air-ship's speed tends to reduce strain, so that the faster the air-ship goes the less will it be liable to burst out its head! how fast may the balloon be carried on by motor and propeller before its head stem strikes the atmosphere hard enough to more than neutralise the interior pressure? this, too, is a matter of calculation; but, to spare the reader, i will content myself with pointing out that my flights over the mediterranean proved that the balloon of my "no. " could safely stand a speed of to kilometres ( to miles) per hour without giving the slightest hint of strain. had i wanted an air-ship of the proportions of the "no. " to go twice as fast under the same conditions its balloon must have been strong enough to stand four times its interior pressure of centimetres of "water," because the resistance of the atmosphere grows not in proportion to the speed but in proportion to the square of the speed. the balloon of my "no. " is not, of course, built in the precise proportions of that of my "no. ," but i may mention that it has been tested to resist an interior pressure of much more than centimetres of "water"; in fact, its gas valves open at that pressure only. this means just four times the interior pressure of my "no. ." comparing the two balloons in a general way, it is obvious, therefore, that with no risk from outside pressure, and with positive relief from interior pressure on its stem or head, the balloon of my "no. " may be driven twice as fast as my easy-going mediterranean pace of kilometres ( miles) per hour, or kilometres ( miles). this brings us to the unique and paradoxical weakness of the fast-going dirigible. up to the point where the exterior shall equal the interior pressure we have seen how every increase of speed actually guarantees safety to the stem of the balloon. unhappily, it does not remain true of the balloon's stern head. on it the interior pressure is also continuous, but speed cannot relieve it. on the contrary, the _suction_ of the atmosphere behind the balloon, as it speeds on, increases also almost in the same proportion as the pressure caused by driving the balloon against the atmosphere. and this suction, instead of operating to neutralise the interior pressure on the balloon's stern head, _increases_ the strain just that much, the pull being added to the push. paradoxical as it may seem, therefore, the danger of the swift dirigible is to blow its tail out rather than its head in. (see fig. .) [illustration: fig. ] how is this danger to be met? obviously by strengthening the stern part of the balloon envelope. we have seen that when the speed of my "no. " shall be just great enough to completely neutralise the interior pressure on its stem head the strain on its stern head will be practically doubled. for this reason i have doubled the balloon material at this point. i have reason to be careful of the balloon of my "no. ." in it the speed problem will be attacked definitely. it has two propellers, each metres ( - / feet) in diameter. one will push, as usual, from the stern, while the other will pull from the stem, as in my "no. ." its horse-power clement motor will, if my expectations are fulfilled, give it a speed of between and kilometres ( and miles) per hour. in a word, the speed of my "no. " will bring us very close to practical, everyday aerial navigation, for as we seldom have a wind blowing as much even as kilometres ( miles) per hour such an air-ship will surely be able to go out daily during more than ten months in the twelve. chapter xx an accident and its lessons at half-past two o'clock on the afternoon of the th of february the staunch air-ship which won the deutsch prize left the aerodrome of la condamine on what was destined to be its last voyage. immediately on quitting the aerodrome it began behaving badly, dipping heavily. it had left the balloon house imperfectly inflated, hence it lacked ascensional force. to keep my proper altitude i increased its diagonal pointing and kept the propeller pushing it on upward. the dipping, of course, was due to the counter effort of gravity. in the shaded atmosphere of the aerodrome the air had been comparatively cool. the balloon was now out in the hot, open sunlight. as a consequence, the hydrogen nearest to the silk cover rarefied rapidly. as the balloon had left the aerodrome imperfectly inflated the rarefied hydrogen was able to rush to the highest possible point--the up-pointing stem. this exaggerated the inclination which i had made purposely. the balloon pointed higher and higher. indeed, for a time, it seemed almost to be pointing perpendicularly. before i had time to correct this "rearing up" of my aerial steed many of the diagonal wires had begun to give way, as the slanting pressure on them was unusual, and others, including those of the rudder, caught in the propeller. should i leave the propeller to grind on the rigging the balloon envelope would be torn the next moment, the gas would leave the balloon in a mass, and i would be precipitated into the waves with violence. i stopped the motor. i was now in the position of an ordinary spherical balloonist--at the mercy of the winds. these were taking me in shore, where i would be presently cast upon the telegraph wires, trees, and house corners of monte carlo. there was but one thing to do. pulling on the manoeuvre valve i let out a sufficient quantity of hydrogen and came slowly down to the surface of the water, in which the air-ship sank. balloon, keel, and motor were successfully fished up the next day and shipped off to paris for repairs. thus abruptly ended my maritime experiments; but thus also i learned that, while a properly inflated balloon, furnished with the proper valves, has nothing to fear from gas displacement, it is best to be on the safe side and guard oneself against the possibility of such displacement, when by some neglect or other the balloon is allowed to go out imperfectly inflated. for this reason, in all my succeeding air-ships, the balloon is divided into many compartments by vertical silk partitions, not varnished. the partitions remaining unvarnished, the hydrogen gas can slowly pass through their meshes from one compartment to another to ensure an equal pressure throughout. but as they are, nevertheless, partitions, they are always ready to guard against any precipitous rushing of gas toward either extremity of the balloon. indeed, the experimenter with dirigible balloons must be continually on his guard against little errors and neglects of his aids. i have four men who have now been with me four years. they are in their way experts, and i have every confidence in them. yet this thing happened: the air-ship was allowed to leave the aerodrome imperfectly inflated. imagine, then, what might be the danger of an experimenter with a set of inexperienced subordinates. in spite of their great simplicity my air-ships require constant surveillance on a few capital heads: is the balloon properly filled? is there any possibility of a leak? is the rigging in condition? is the motor in condition? do the cords commanding rudder, motor, water ballast, and the shifting guide rope work freely? is the ballast properly weighed? looked on as a mere machine the air-ship requires no more care than an automobile, but, from the point of view of consequences, the need of faithful and intelligent surveillance is simply imperious. this very day all the highways of france are dotted with a thousand automobiles _en panne_, with their enthusiastic drivers crawling underneath them in the dust, oil-can and wrench in hand, repairing momentary accidents. they think no less of their automobile for this reason. yet let the air-ship have the same trifling accident and all the world is likely to hear of the fact. in the first years of my experiments i insisted on doing everything for myself. i "groomed" my balloons and motors with my own hands. my present aids understand my present air-ships, and nine times out of ten they hand them over to me in good condition for the voyage. yet were i to begin experiments with a new type i should have to train them all anew, and during that time i should have to care for the air-ships with my own hands again. on this occasion the air-ship left the aerodrome imperfectly weighed and inflated, not so much by the neglect of my men as by reason of the imperfect situation of the aerodrome. in spite of the care that had been given to designing and constructing it, from the very nature of its situation there was no space outside in which to send up the air-ship and ascertain if its ballast were properly distributed. could this have been done the imperfect inflation of the balloon would have been perceived in time. looking back over all my varied experiences i reflect with astonishment that one of my greatest dangers passed unperceived, even by myself at the end of my most successful flight over the mediterranean. [illustration: "my present aids understand my present airships" motor of "no. "] it was at the time the prince attempted to grasp my guide rope and was knocked into the bottom of his steam _chaloupe_. i had entered the bay after flying homeward up the coast, and they were towing me toward the aerodrome. the air-ship had descended very close to the surface of the water, and they were pulling it still lower by means of the guide rope, until it was not many feet above the smoke-stack of the steam _chaloupe_--and that smoke-stack was belching red-hot sparks. any one of those red-hot sparks might have, ascending, burned a hole in my balloon, set fire to the hydrogen, and blown balloon and myself to atoms. chapter xxi the first of the world's air-ship stations air-ship experimenters labour under one peculiar disadvantage, quite apart from the proper difficulties of the problem. it is due to the utter newness of travel in a third dimension, and consists in the slowness with which our minds realise the necessity of providing for the diagonal mountings and descents of the air-ships starting from and returning to the ground. when the aéro club of paris laid out its grounds at st cloud it was with the sole idea of facilitating the vertical mounting of spherical balloons. indeed, no provisions were made even for the landing of spherical balloons, because their captains never hoped to bring them back to the st cloud balloon park otherwise than by rail, packed in their boxes. the spherical balloon lands where the wind takes it. when i built my first air-ship house in the club's grounds at st cloud i dare say that the then novel advantages of possessing my own gas plant, workshop, and a shelter in which the inflated dirigibles could be housed indefinitely withheld my attention from this other almost vital problem of surroundings. it was already a great progress for me not to be obliged to empty the balloon and waste its hydrogen at the end of each trip. thus i was content to build simply an air-ship house with great sliding doors without even taking precautions to guarantee a flat, open space in front, and, less still, on either side of it. when, little by little, trenches something like a metre (yard) deep--vague foundation outlines for constructions that were never finished--began appearing here and there to the right of my open doors and on beyond i realised that my aids might risk falling into them in running to catch my guide rope when i should be returning from a trip. and when the gigantic skeleton of m. henry deutsch's air-ship house, designed to shelter the air-ship he built on the lines of my "no. ," and called "la ville de paris," rose directly in front of my sliding doors, scarcely two air-ships' lengths distant from them, it dawned on me at last that here was something of a peril, and more than a simple inconvenience due to natural crowding in a club's grounds. in spite of the new peril the deutsch prize was won. returning from the eiffel tower i passed high above the skeleton. i may say here, however, that the foundation trenches innocently caused the painful controversy about my time, to which i have made a brief allusion in the chapter. seeing that they might easily break their legs by stumbling into those foundation trenches i had positively forbidden my men to run across that space to catch my guide rope with their eyes and arms up in the air. not dreaming that such a point could be raised, my men obeyed the injunction. observing that i was quite master of my rudder, motor, and propeller, able to turn and return to the spot where the judges stood, they let me pass on over their heads without seeking to catch and run along with the guide rope, a thing they might have done easily--at the risk of their legs. again, at monaco, after a well-planned air-ship house had been erected in what seemed an ideal spot, we have seen what dangers were, nevertheless, threatened by the sea wall, the boulevard de la condamine with its poles, wires, and traffic, and the final disaster, due entirely to the absence of a weighing ground beside the aerodrome. these are dangers and inconveniences against which we come in time to be on our guard by actual and often dire experience. [illustration: "santos-dumont no. " showing how aËro club grounds were cut up] during the spring and summer of i took trips to england and the united states, of which i shall have a word to say later. returning from those trips to paris i at once set about selecting the site of an aerodrome that should be all my own and in which the experience gained at such cost should be taken advantage of. this time i resolved my air-ship house should have an ample space around it. and, succeeding in a way, i realised--if i may say it--the first of the air-ship stations of the future. after long search i came on a fair-sized lot of vacant ground surrounded by a high stone wall, inside the police jurisdiction of the bois de boulogne, but private property, situated on the rue de longchamps, in neuilly st james. first, i had to come to an understanding with its owner; then i had to come to an understanding with the bois authorities, who took time to give a building permit to such an unusual construction as a house from which air-ships would go and come. the rue de longchamps is a narrow suburban street, little built on at this end, that gives on the bagatelle gate to the bois de boulogne, beside the training ground of the same name. to go and come in my air-ships from this side is, however, inconvenient because of the walls of the various properties, the trees that line the bois so thickly, and the great park gates. to the right and left of my little property are other buildings. behind me, across the boulevard de la seine, is the river itself, with the ile de puteaux in it. it is from this side that i must go and come in my air-ships. mounting diagonally in the air from my own open grounds i pass over my wall, the boulevard de la seine, and turn when well above the river. regularly i turn to the left and make my way, in a great arc, to the bois by way of the training ground, itself a fairly open space. [illustration: first of the world's airship stations (neuilly st james)] there it stands in its grounds, the first of the air-ship stations of the future, capable of housing seven air-ships all inflated and prepared to navigate at an instant's notice! but in spite of all the needs that i attempted to provide for in it what a small and hampered place it is compared with the great, highly-organised stations which the future must produce for itself, with their high-placed and spacious landing-stages, to which air-ships will descend with complete safety and convenience, like great birds that seek nests on flat rocks! such stations may have little car tracks running out from their interior to the wide landing-spaces. the cars that run over them will pull the air-ships in and out by their guide ropes, without loss of time or the aid of a dozen or more men. their observation towers will serve for judges timing stations in aerial races; fitted with wireless telegraph apparatus they may be able to communicate with distant goals and, perhaps, even with the air-ships in motion. attached to their air-ship stations there will be gas-generating plants. there may be a casemated workshop for the testing of motors. there will certainly be sleeping-rooms for experimenters who desire to make an early start and profit by the calm of the dawn. it is quite probable that there will also be balloon envelope workshops for repairs and changes, a carpenter shop, and a machine shop, with intelligent and experienced workmen ready and able to seize an idea and execute it. meanwhile my air-ship station of the present is said to resemble a great square tent, striped red and white, set in the midst of a vacant lot surrounded by a high stone wall. its tent-like appearance is due to the fact that, being in a hurry to utilise it, i saw no reason to construct its walls or roof of wood. the framework consists of long rows of parallel wooden pillars. across their tops is stretched a canvas roof, and the four sides are made of the same striped canvas. this makes a construction stronger than it at first appears, the outside tent stuff weighing some kilogrammes ( lbs.), and being sustained between the pillars by metallic cordage. inside, the central stalls are - / metres ( feet) wide, metres ( feet) long, and - / metres ( - / feet) high, affording room for the largest dirigibles without permitting them to come into contact with each other. the great sliding doors are but a repetition of those of monaco. when in the spring of i found my air-ship station completed i had three new air-ships ready to house in it. they were: [illustration: "no. "] my "no. ." this i call my racing air-ship. it is designed and reserved for important competitions, the mere cost of filling it with hydrogen being more than francs (£ ). it is true that, once filled, it may be kept inflated for a month at the expense of francs (£ ) per day for hydrogen to replace what is lost by the daily play of condensation and dilatation. having a gas capacity of cubic metres (nearly , cubic feet) it possesses twice the lifting power of my "no. ," in which the deutsch prize was won; and such is the necessary weight of its horse-power, water-cooled, four-cylinder motor and its proportionally strong machinery that i shall probably take up no more ballast in it than i took up in the "no. ." comparing their sizes and lifting powers, it would make five of my "no. ," the novel little "runabout," which i shall describe in the succeeding chapter. the third of the new air-ships is my "no. ," which has been called "the omnibus." its gas capacity of cubic metres (nearly , cubic feet) makes its balloon greater in size and lifting power than even the racing "no. "; and should i, indeed, desire at any time to shift to it the latter's keel, all furnished with the racing motor and machinery, i might combine a very swift air craft capable of carrying myself, several aids and a large supply of both petroleum and ballast--not to speak of war munitions were the sudden need of a belligerent character. the prime purpose of my "no. ," however, is well indicated in its name: "the omnibus." its keel, or, rather, keels, as i have fashioned them, are double--that is to say, hanging underneath its usual keel, in which my basket is situated, there is a passenger keel that holds three similar baskets and a smaller basket for my aid. each passenger basket is large enough to contain four passengers; and it is to carry such passengers that "the omnibus" has been constructed. [illustration: fig. .--"no. " rising] [illustration: "no. " without passenger keel] indeed, after mature reflection, it seemed to me that this must be the most practical and rapid way to popularise aerial navigation. in my other air-ships i have shown that it is possible to mount and travel through the air on a prescribed course with no greater danger than one risks in any racing automobile. in "the omnibus" i shall demonstrate to the world that there are very many men--and women--possessed of sufficient confidence in the aerial idea to mount with me as passengers in the first of the air omnibuses of the future. [illustration: fig. .--"no. " descending] chapter xxii my "no. ," the little runabout once i was enamoured of high-power petroleum automobiles: they can go at express-train speed to any part of europe, finding fuel in any village. "i can go to moscow or lisbon!" i said to myself. but when i discovered that i did not want to go to moscow or to lisbon the small and handy electric runabout in which i do my errands about paris and the bois proved more satisfactory. speaking from the standpoint of my pleasure and convenience as a parisian my air-ship experience has been similar. when the balloon and motor of my horse-power "no. " were completed i said to myself: [illustration: "santos-dumont no. "] "i can race any air-ship that is likely to be built!" but when i found that, in spite of the forfeits i paid into the aéro club's treasury, there was no one ready to race with me i determined to build a small air-ship runabout for my pleasure and convenience only. in it i would pass the time while waiting for the future to bring forth competitions worthy of my race craft. so i built my "no. ," the smallest of possible dirigibles, yet very practical indeed. as originally constructed, its balloons capacity was but cubic metres ( cubic feet), permitting me to take up less than kilogrammes ( lbs.) of ballast--and thus i navigated it for weeks, without inconvenience. even when i enlarged its balloon to cubic metres ( cubic feet) the balloon of my "no. ," in which i won the deutsch prize, would have made almost three of it, while that of my "omnibus" is fully eight times its size. as i have already stated, its horse-power clement motor weighs but kilogrammes ( - / lbs.). with such a motor one cannot expect great speed; nevertheless, this handy little runabout takes me over the bois at between and kilometres ( and miles) per hour, and this notwithstanding its egg-shaped form (fig. ), which would seemingly be little calculated for cutting the air. indeed, to make it respond promptly to the rudder, i drive it thick end first. i have said that, as it was originally proportioned, the balloon of this smallest of possible dirigibles permitted me to take up less than kilogrammes ( lbs.) of ballast. as now enlarged its lifting power is greater; but when account is taken of my own weight and the weight of keel, motor, screw, and machinery, the whole system becomes neither lighter nor heavier than the surrounding atmosphere when i have loaded it with kilogrammes ( lbs.) of ballast; and it is just in this connection that it will be easiest to explain why i have called this little air-ship very practical. on monday, th june , i landed with it on the grounds of the aéro club at st cloud in the midst of six inflated spherical balloons. after a short call i started off again. [illustration: fig. ] "can we not give you some gas?" politely asked my fellow-clubmen. [illustration: "no. ." showing relative size] "you saw me coming all the way from neuilly," i replied; "did i throw out any ballast?" "you threw out no ballast," they admitted. "then why should i be in need of gas?" as a matter of scientific curiosity i may relate that i did not either lose or sacrifice a cubic foot of gas or a single pound of ballast that whole afternoon--nor has that experience been at all exceptional in the very practical little "no. " or even in its predecessors. it will be remembered that on the day succeeding the winning of the deutsch prize my chief mechanician found that the balloon of my "no. " would take no gas because none had been lost. after leaving my fellow-clubmen at st cloud that afternoon i made a typically practical trip. to go from neuilly st james to the aéro club's grounds i had already passed the seine. now, crossing it again, i made the café-restaurant of "the cascade," where i stopped for refreshments. it was by this time p.m. not wishing to return yet to my station i crossed the seine for a third time and went in a straight course as close to the great fort of mount valerien as delicacy permitted. then, returning, i traversed the river once again and came to earth in my own grounds at neuilly. during the whole trip my greatest altitude was metres ( feet). taking into consideration that my guide rope hangs metres ( feet) below me, and that the tops of the bois trees extend up some metres ( feet) from the ground, this extreme altitude left me but metres ( feet) of clear space for vertical manoeuvring. it was enough; and the proof of it is that i do not go higher on these trips of pleasure and experiment. indeed, when i hear of dirigibles going up metres ( feet) in the air without some special justifying object i am filled with amazement. as i have already explained, the place of the dirigible is, normally, in low altitudes; and the ideal is to guide-rope on a sufficiently low course to be left free from vertical manoeuvring. this is what m. armengaud, _jeune_, referred to in his learned inaugural discourse delivered before the société française de navigation aérienne in , when he advised me to quit the mediterranean and go guide-roping over great plains like that of la beauce. [illustration: "no. " jumping my wall] it is not necessary to go to the plain of la beauce. one can guide-rope even in the centre of paris if one goes about it at the proper moment. i have done it. i have guide-roped round the arc de triomphe and down the avenue des champs elysées at as low an altitude as the house-tops on either side, fearing no ill and finding no difficulty. my first flight of this kind occurred when i sought for the first time to land in my "no. " in front of my own house door, at the corner of the avenue des champs elysées and the rue washington, on tuesday, rd june . knowing that the feat must be accomplished at an hour when the imposing pleasure promenade of paris would be least encumbered, i had instructed my men to sleep through the early part of the night in the air-ship station at neuilly st james so as to be able to have the "no. " ready for an early start at dawn. i myself rose at a.m., and in my handy electric automobile arrived at the station while it was yet dark. the men still slept. i climbed the wall, waked them, and succeeded in quitting the earth on my first diagonally upward course over the wall and above the river seine before the day had broken. turning to the left, i made my way across the bois, picking out the open spaces so as to guide-rope as much as possible. when i came to trees i jumped over them. so, navigating through the cool air of the delicious dawn, i reached the porte dauphine and the beginning of the broad avenue du bois de boulogne, which leads directly to the arc de triomphe. this carriage promenade of tout-paris was empty. "i will guide-rope up the avenue of the bois," i said to myself gleefully. what this means you will perceive when i recall that my guide-rope's length is barely metres ( feet), and that one guide-ropes best with at least metres ( feet) of it trailing along the ground. thus at times i went lower than the roofs of the houses on each side. i call this practical air-ship navigation because: (_a_) it leaves the aerial navigator free to steer his course without pitching and without care or effort to maintain his steady altitude. (_b_) it can be done with absolute safety from falling, not only to the navigator, but also to the air-ship--a consideration not without its merit when the cost, both of repairs and hydrogen gas, is taken into count; and (_c_) when the wind is against one--as it was on this occasion--one finds less of it in these low altitudes. [illustration: "no. ." guide-roping on a level with the housetops] so i guide-roped up the avenue of the bois. so, some day, will explorers guide-rope to the north pole from their ice-locked steamship after it has reached its farthest point north. guide-roping over the ice pack, they will make the very few hundreds of miles to the pole at the rate of from to kilometres ( to miles) per hour. even at the rate of kilometres ( miles), the trip to the pole and back to the ship could be taken between breakfast and supper time. i do not say that they will land the first time at the pole, but they will circle round about the spot, take observations, and return ... for supper. i might have guide-roped under the arc de triomphe had i thought myself worthy. instead, i rounded the national monument to the right, as the law directs. naturally, i had intended to go on straight down the avenue des champs elysées, but here i met a difficulty. all the avenues meeting at the great "star" look alike from the air-ship. also, they look narrow. i was surprised and confused for a moment, and it was only by looking back to note the situation of the arc that i could find my avenue. like that of the bois, it was deserted. far down its length i saw a solitary cab. as i guide-roped along it to my house at the corner of the rue washington i thought of the time, sure to come, when the owners of handy little air-ships will not be obliged to land in the street, but will have their guide ropes caught by their domestics on their own roof gardens. but such roof gardens must be broad and unencumbered. so i reached my corner, to which i pointed my stem, and descended very gently. two servants caught, steadied, and held the air-ship, while i mounted to my apartment for a cup of coffee. from my round bay window at the corner i looked down upon the air-ship. were i to receive the municipal permission it would not be difficult to build an ornamental landing-stage out from that window. [illustration: "no. ." m. santos-dumont lands at his own door] projects like these will constitute work for the future. meanwhile the aerial idea is making progress. a small boy of seven years of age has mounted with me in the "no. ," and a charming young lady has actually navigated it alone for something like a mile. the boy will surely make an air-ship captain if he gives his mind to it. the occasion was the children's _fête_ at bagatelle th june . descending among them in the "no. ," i asked: "does any little boy want to go up?" such were the confidence and courage of young france and america that instantly i had to choose among a dozen volunteers. i took the nearest to me. "are you not afraid?" i asked clarkson potter as the air-ship rose. "not a bit," he answered. the cruise of the "no. " on this occasion was, naturally, a short one; but the other, in which the first woman to mount, accompanied or unaccompanied, in any air-ship, actually mounted alone and drove the "no. " free from all human contact with its guide rope for a distance of considerably over a kilometre (half-mile), is worthy of preservation in the annals of aerial navigation. the heroine, a very beautiful young cuban lady, well known in new york society, having visited my station with her friends on several occasions, confessed an extraordinary desire to navigate the air-ship. "would you have the courage to be taken up in the free air-ship with no one holding its guide rope?" i asked. "mademoiselle, i thank you for the confidence." "oh, no," she said; "i do not want to be taken up. i want to go up alone and navigate it freely, as you do." i think that the simple fact that i consented on condition that she would take a few lessons in the handling of the motor and machinery speaks eloquently in favour of my own confidence in the "no. ." she had three such lessons, and then on th june , a date that will be memorable in the fasti of dirigible ballooning, rising from my station grounds in the smallest of possible dirigibles, she cried: "let go all!" from my station at neuilly st james she guide-roped to bagatelle. the guide rope, trailing some metres ( feet), gave her an altitude and equilibrium that never varied. i will not say that no one ran along beside the dragging guide rope, but, certainly, no one touched it until the termination of the cruise at bagatelle, when the moment had arrived to pull down the intrepid girl navigator. chapter xxiii the air-ship in war on saturday morning, th july , at about a.m., the wind blowing at the time in gusts, i accepted a wager to go to luncheon at the sylvan restaurant of "the cascade" in my little "no. " air-ship. while the "no. ," with its egg-shaped balloon, and motor of but horse-power, was not built for speed--or, what amounts to the same thing, for battling with the wind--i thought that i could do it. reaching my station at neuilly st james at about . a.m. i had the little craft brought out and carefully weighed and balanced. it was in perfect condition, having lost none of its gas from the previous day. at . i started off. fortunately, the wind came to me head-on as i steered for "the cascade." my progress was not rapid, but i, nevertheless, met my friends on the lawn of that café-restaurant of the bois de boulogne at . noon. we took our luncheon, and i was preparing to depart when began an adventure that may take me far. as everybody knows, the restaurant of "the cascade" is close to longchamps. while we lunched, officers of the french army engaged in marking out the positions of the troops for the grand review of the th of july observed the air-ship on the lawn and came to inspect it. "shall you come to the review in it?" they asked me. the year previous there had been question of such a demonstration in presence of the army, but i had hesitated for reasons that may be readily divined. after the visit of the king of england i was asked on every hand why i had not brought out the air-ship in his honour, and the same questions had arisen in anticipation of the visit of the king of italy, who had been expected to be present at this review. i answered the officers that i could not make up my mind; that i was not sure how such an apparition would be viewed; and that my little "no. "--the only one of my fleet actually "in commission"--not being built for battling with high winds i could not be sure to keep an engagement in it. [illustration: "no. ." over bois de boulogne] "come and choose a place to land," they said; "we will mark it out for you in any case." and, as i continued to insist on my uncertainty of being present, they very courteously picked out and marked a place for me themselves, opposite the spot to be occupied by the president of the republic, in order that m. loubet and his staff might have a perfect view of the air-ship's evolutions. "you will come if you can," the officers said. "you need not fear to make such a provisional engagement, for you have already given your proofs." i hope i shall not be misunderstood when i say that it may be possible that those superior officers did good work for their army and country that morning--because, in order to begin, one must make a beginning--and i should scarcely have ventured to the review without some kind of invitation. venturing to the review, as i did in consequence, a whole train of events followed. in the early morning of th july , as the "no. " was weighed and balanced, i was nervous lest some unforeseen thing might happen to it in my very grounds. one is often thus on great occasions, and i did not seek to conceal it from myself that this--the first presentation of an air-ship to any army--would be a great occasion. on ordinary days i never hesitate to mount from my grounds, over the stone wall and the river, and so on to bagatelle. this morning i had the "no. " towed to the railing of bagatelle by means of its guide rope. at . a.m. i called: "let go all!" rising, i found my level course at an altitude of less than metres ( feet), and in a few moments was circling and manoeuvring above the heads of the soldiers nearest to me. thence i passed over longchamps, and arriving opposite the president i fired a salute of twenty-one blank revolver cartridges. i did not take the place marked out for me. fearing to disturb the good order of the review by prolonging an unusual sight i made my evolutions in the presence of the army last, all told, less than ten minutes. after this i steered for the polo grounds, where i was congratulated by numbers of my friends. [illustration: "no. ." at military review, july , ] these congratulations i found the next day repeated in the paris papers, together with conjectures of all kinds concerning the use of the air-ship in war. the superior officers who came to me at "the cascade" that morning had said: "it is practical, and will have to be taken account of in war." "i am entirely at your service!" had been my answer at the time; and now, under these influences, i sat down and wrote to the minister of war, offering, in case of hostilities with any country save those of the two americas, to put my aerial fleet at the disposition of the government of the republic. in doing this i merely put into formal written words the offer which i certainly should feel bound to make in case of the breaking out of such hostilities at any future time during my residence in france. it is in france that i have met with all my encouragement; in france and with french material i have made all my experiments; and the mass of my friends are french. i excepted the two americas because i am an american, and i added that in the impossible case of a war between france and brazil i should feel bound to volunteer my services to the land of my birth and citizenship. a few days later i received the following letter from the french minister of war:-- republique franÇaise, paris, _le juillet _. ministere de la guerre, cabinet du ministre. monsieur,--during the review of the fourteenth of july, i had remarked and admired the ease and security with which the balloon you were steering made its evolutions. it was impossible not to acknowledge the progress which you have given to aerial navigation. it seems that, thanks to you, such navigation must, henceforward, lend itself to practical applications, especially from the military point of view. i consider that, in this respect, it may render very substantial services in time of war. i am very happy, therefore, to accept the offer which you make, of putting, in case of need, your aerial flotilla at the disposition of the government of the republic, and, in its name, i thank you for your gracious proposition, which shows your lively sympathy for france. i have appointed chief of battalion hirschauer, commanding the battalion of balloonists in the first regiment of engineers, to examine, in agreement with you, the dispositions to take for putting the intentions you have manifested into execution. lieutenant-colonel bourdeaux, sous-chef of my cabinet, will also be associated with this superior officer, in order to keep me personally aware of the results of your joint labours. recevez, monsieur, les assurances de ma considération la plus distinguée. (signed) general andre. a monsieur alberto santos-dumont. on friday, st july , commandant hirschauer and lieutenant-colonel bourdeaux spent the afternoon with me at my air-ship station at neuilly st james, where i had my three newest air-ships--the racing "no. ," the omnibus "no. ," and the runabout "no. "--ready for their study. briefly, i may say that the opinions expressed by the representatives of the minister of war were so unreservedly favourable that a practical test of a novel character was decided to be made. should the air-ship chosen pass successfully through it the result will be conclusive of its military value. now that these particular experiments are leaving my exclusively private control i will say no more of them than what has been already published in the french press. the test will probably consist of an attempt to enter one of the french frontier towns, such as belfort, or nancy, on the same day that the air-ship leaves paris. it will not, of course, be necessary to make the whole journey in the air-ship. a military railway waggon may be assigned to carry it, with its balloon uninflated, with tubes of hydrogen to fill it, and with all the necessary machinery and instruments arranged beside it. at some station a short distance from the town to be entered the waggon may be uncoupled from the train, and a sufficient number of soldiers accompanying the officers will unload the air-ship and its appliances, transport the whole to the nearest open space, and at once begin inflating the balloon. within two hours from the time of quitting the train the air-ship may be ready for its flight to the interior of the technically-besieged town. such may be the outline of the task--a task presented imperiously to french balloonists by the events of - , and which all the devotion and science of the tissandier brothers failed to accomplish. to-day the problem may be set with better hope of success. all the essential difficulties may be revived by the marking out of a hostile zone around the town that must be entered; from beyond the outer edge of this zone, then, the air-ship will rise and take its flight--across it. will the air-ship be able to rise out of rifle range? i have always been the first to insist that the normal place of the air-ship is in low altitudes, and i shall have written this book to little purpose if i have not shown the reader the real dangers attending any _brusque_ vertical mounting to considerable heights. for this we have the terrible severo accident before our eyes. in particular, i have expressed astonishment at hearing of experimenters rising to these altitudes without adequate purpose in their early stages of experience with dirigible balloons. all this is very different, however, from a reasoned, cautious mounting, whose necessity has been foreseen and prepared for. to keep out of rifle range the air-ship will but seldom be obliged to make these tremendous vertical leaps. its navigator, even at a moderate altitude, will enjoy a very extended view of the surrounding country. thus he will be able to perceive danger afar off, and take his precautions. even in my little "no. ," which carries only kilogrammes ( lbs.) of ballast, i could rise, materially aided by my shifting weights and propeller, to great heights. if i have not done so it is because it would have served no useful purpose during a period of pleasure navigation, while it would but have added danger to experiments from which i have sought to eliminate all danger. dangers like these are to be accepted only when a good cause justifies them. the experiments above named are, of course, of a nature interesting warfare by land. i cannot abandon this topic, however, without referring to one unique maritime advantage of the air-ship. this is its navigator's ability to perceive bodies moving beneath the surface of the water. cruising at the end of its guide rope, the air-ship will carry its navigator here and there at will at the right height above the waves. any submarine boat, stealthily pursuing its course underneath them, will be beautifully visible to him, while from a warship's deck it would be quite invisible. this is a well-observed fact, and depends on certain optical laws. thus, very curiously, the twentieth century air-ship must become from the beginning the great enemy of that other twentieth century marvel--the submarine boat--and not only its enemy but its master. for, while the submarine boat can do no harm to the air-ship, the latter, having twice its speed, can cruise about to find it, follow all its movements, and signal them to the warships against which it is moving. indeed, it may be able to destroy the submarine boat by sending down to it long arrows filled with dynamite, and capable of penetrating to depths underneath the waves impossible to gunnery from the decks of a warship. chapter xxiv paris as a centre of air-ship experiments after leaving monte carlo, in february , i received many invitations from abroad to navigate my air-ships. in london, in particular, i was received with great friendliness by the aéro club of great britain, under whose auspices my "no. ," fished from the bottom of the bay of monaco, repaired and once again inflated, was exhibited at the crystal palace. from st louis, where the organisers of the louisiana purchase centennial exposition had already decided to make air-ship flights a feature of their world's fair in , i received an invitation to inspect the grounds, suggest a course, and confer with them on conditions. as it was officially announced that a sum of , dollars had been voted and set apart for prizes it might be expected that the emulation of air-ship experimenters would be well aroused. arriving at st louis in the summer of , i at once saw that the splendid open spaces of the exposition grounds offered the best of racecourses. the prevailing idea at that moment in the minds of some of the authorities was to set a long course of many hundreds of miles--say, from st louis to chicago. this, i pointed out, would be impracticable, if only for the reason that the exposition public would desire to see the flights from start to finish. i suggested that three great towers or flagstaffs be erected in the grounds at the corners of an equal-sided triangle. the comparatively short course around them--between and miles--would afford a decisive test of dirigibility no matter in what way the wind might blow; while as for speed, the necessary average might be increased per cent. over that fixed for the deutsch prize competition in paris. such was my modest advice. i also thought that, out of the appropriation of , dollars ( , , francs), a grand prize for dirigible aerostation of , dollars should be offered; only by means of such an inducement, it seemed to me, could the necessary emulation among air-ship experimenters be aroused. while never seeking to make profit from my air-ships, i have always offered to compete for prizes. while in london, and again in new york, both before and after my st louis visit, competitions with prize sanctions were suggested to me for immediate effort. i accepted all of them to this point, that i had my air-ships brought to the spot at considerable cost and effort, and had the prize funds been deposited i would have done my best to win them. such deposits failing, i, in each case, returned to my home in paris to continue my experiments in my own way, awaiting the great competition of st louis. prize or no prize, i must work, and i shall always work in this my chosen field of aerostation. for this my place is paris, where the public, in particular the kindly and enthusiastic populace, both knows and trusts me. here, in paris, i go up for my own pleasure day by day, as my reward for long and costly experiment. in england and america it is quite different. when i take my air-ships and my employees to those countries, build my own balloon house, furnish my own gas plant, and risk breaking machines that cost more than any automobile, i want it to be done with a settled aim. i say that i want it to be done with a settled aim, so that, if i fulfil the aim, i may no longer be criticised, at least on that particular head. otherwise i might go to the moon and back and yet accomplish nothing in the estimation of my critics and--though, perhaps, to a less extent--in the mind of the public which they sway. why have i sought to win prizes? because the most rational consecration of such effort and its fulfilment is found in a serious money prize. the mind of the public makes the obvious connection. when a valuable prize is handed over it concludes that something has been done to win it. to win such prizes, then, i waited long in london and new york; but, as they never passed from words to deeds, after having enjoyed myself very thoroughly, both socially and as a tourist, i returned to my work and pleasure in the paris which i call my home. and really, after all is said and done, there is no place like paris for air-ship experiments. nowhere else can the experimenter depend on the municipal and state authorities to be so liberal. take the development of automobilism as an example. it is universally admitted, i imagine, that this great and peculiarly french industry could not have developed without the speed licence which the french authorities have wide-mindedly permitted. in spite of the most powerful social and industrial influences, and in spite of it being england's turn to offer hospitality to the james gordon bennett cup race of , the english automobilists were not allowed to put their splendid roads out of the public use for its accommodation for a single day. so the great event had to come off in ireland. in france, and in france only, are not only the authorities, but the great mass of citizens, so much alive to their advantage in the development of this national industry that, day by day, year in and year out, they permit ten thousand automobiles to go tearing through the highroads at a really dangerous speed. in paris, in particular, one sees a "scorching" average in its great park and its very avenues and streets that causes londoners and tourists from new york to stand aghast. in this same order of ideas i may here state that, in spite of the tragic air-ship accidents of , i have never once been limited or in any way impeded in the course of my experiments by the parisian authorities; while as for the public, no matter where i land with an air-ship--in the country roads of the suburbs, in private gardens, even of great villas, in the avenues and parks and public places of the capital--i meet with unvarying friendly aid, protection, and enthusiasm. from that first memorable day when the big boys flying their kites over bagatelle seized my guide rope and saved me from an ugly fall as promptly and intelligently as they had seized the idea of pulling me against the wind, to the critical moment on that summer day in when, in my first trial for the deutsch prize, i descended to repair my rudder, and good-natured working-men found me a ladder in less time than it takes me to write the words--and on down to the present moment, when i take my pleasure in the bois in my small "no. "--i have had nothing but unvarying friendliness from the intelligent parisian populace. i need not say that it is a great thing for an air-ship experimenter thus to have the confidence and friendly aid of a whole population. over certain european frontiers spherical balloons have even been shot at. and i have often wondered what kind of a reception one of my air-ships would meet with in the country districts of england itself. for these reasons, and a hundred others, i consider that my air-ship's home, like my own, is in paris. as a boy, in brazil, my heart turned to the city of light, above which in the first montgolfier had been sent up; where the first of the world's aeronauts had made his first ascension; where the first hydrogen balloon had been set loose; where first an air-ship had been made to navigate the air with its steam-engine, screw propeller, and rudder. as a youth i made my own first balloon ascension from paris. in paris i have found balloon constructors, motor makers, and machinists possessed not only of skill but of patience. in paris i made all my first experiments. in paris i won the deutsch prize in the first dirigible to do a task against a time limit. and, now that i have not only what i call my racing air-ship but a little "runabout," in which to take my pleasure over the trees of the bois, it is in paris that i am enjoying my reward in it as--what i was once called reproachfully--an "aerostatic sportsman!" [illustration: "no. ." seen from captive balloon, june , ] concluding fable more reasoning of children during these years luis and pedro, the ingenious country boys whom we found reasoning of mechanical inventions in the introductory fable of this book, have spent some time in paris. they were present at the winning of the deutsch prize of aerial navigation; they spent the winter of - at monte carlo; had good places at the review of the th july ; and have broadened their education by the sedulous reading of scientific weeklies and the daily newspapers. now they are preparing to return to brazil. the other day, seated on a café terrace of the bois de boulogne, they chatted of the problem of aerial navigation. "these tentatives with dirigible balloons, so called, can bring us no nearer to its solution," said pedro. "look you, they are filled with a substance--hydrogen--fourteen times lighter than the medium in which it floats--the atmosphere. it would be just as possible to force a tallow candle through a brick wall!" "pedro," said luis, "do you remember your objections to my waggon wheels?" .... "to the locomotive engine?" .... "to the steamboat?" "our only hope to navigate the air," continued pedro, "must, in the nature of things, be found in devices heavier than the air--in flying machines or aeroplanes. reason by analogy. look at the bird...." "once you desired me to look at the fish," said luis. "you said the steamboat ought to wriggle through the water...." "do be serious, luis," said pedro in conclusive tones. "exercise common-sense. does man fly? no. does the bird fly? yes. then, if man would fly, let him imitate the bird. nature has made the bird. nature never goes wrong." * * * * * transcriber's notes: simple typographical errors were corrected. punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. courtesy of the digital library@villanova university (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction no. may , five cents motor matt's hard luck or the balloon house plot [illustration: "this way, dick" yelled motor matt as he struck down one of the ruffians.] street & smith publishers new york motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction _issued weekly. by subscription $ . per year. entered according to act of congress in the year , in the office of the librarian of congress, washington, d. c., by_ street & smith, _ - seventh avenue, new york, n. y._ no. . new york, may , . price five cents. motor matt's hard luck or, the balloon-house plot. by the author of "motor matt." contents chapter i. an old friend. chapter ii. a trap. chapter iii. overboard. chapter iv. rescued. chapter v. buying the "hawk." chapter vi. matt scores against jameson. chapter vii. at the balloon house. chapter viii. the plot of the brady gang. chapter ix. carl is surprised. chapter x. helen brady's clue. chapter xi. jerrold gives his aid. chapter xii. grand haven. chapter xiii. the line on brady. chapter xiv. the woods by the river. chapter xv. brady a prisoner. chapter xvi. back in south chicago. the red spider. pigeon-whistle concerts. characters that appear in this story. =matt king=, concerning whom there has always been a mystery--a lad of splendid athletic abilities, and never-failing nerve, who has won for himself, among the boys of the western town, the popular name of "mile-a-minute matt." =carl pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking german lad, who is led by a fortunate accident to hook up with motor matt in double harness. =dick ferral=, a canadian boy and a favorite of uncle jack; has served his time in the king's navy, and bobs up in new mexico where he falls into plots and counter-plots, and comes near losing his life. =helen brady=, hector brady's daughter, who helps motor matt. =hector brady=, a rival inventor who has stolen his ideas from hamilton jerrold. his air ship is called the hawk and is used for criminal purposes. brady's attempt to secure motor matt's services as driver of the hawk brings about the undoing of the criminal gang. =hamilton jerrold=, an honest inventor who has devoted his life to aëronautics, and who has built a successful air ship called the eagle. =jameson=, a rich member of the aëro club, who thinks of buying the hawk. =whipple=, =pete=, =grove=, =harper=, members of brady's gang who carried out the "balloon-house plot," which nearly resulted in a tragedy, and finally proved the complete undoing of hector brady. =ochiltree=, an ex-convict whose past record nearly got him into trouble. =harris=, a policeman of south chicago who aids motor matt in his work against the bradys. =dennison and twitchell=, police officers of grand haven, michigan, who take a part in the final capture of brady. chapter i. an old friend. "py chimineddy!" muttered carl pretzel to himself, starting up on the couch, where he had been snatching forty winks by way of passing the time. "vat's dot? der voice has some familiar sounds mit me. lisden vonce." a loud, jovial voice floated in through the open window, a voice with a swing to it that set carl's nerves in a flutter. "'in cawsand bay lying, and a blue peter flying, all hands were turned up the anchor to weigh, there came a young lady, as fair as a may-day, and modestly hailing, the damsel did say: "'"i've got a young man there, d'ye hear? bear a hand there to hoist me aboard or to bring him to me: which his name's henry grady, and i am a lady, just come down to purwent his a-going to sea."'" the roaring song had come closer and closer. by then it was almost under the open window. jumping from the couch, carl ran across the room and looked out. a youth of seventeen or eighteen, wearing a sailor rig and with his hat cocked over one eye, was lurching along with both hands in his pockets. behind him trailed four or five hoodlums, bunched close together and talking among themselves. "here's where i quit you, you lubbers," said the young sailor, halting at the steps leading up to the boarding-house door, and turning to the hoodlums. "a messmate of mine berths here, and i'm going to drop in on him and have a bit of a chat over old times. 'bout ship, the lot of you, and make a good offing. i don't like the cut of your jibs any too well, anyhow. slant away, slant away." the sailor backed up against a post at the bottom of the steps. "say, yous ole webfoot," said one of the hoodlums, "loosen up, can't yous, an' fork over the price o' a drink, all around?" the fellow shambled closer to the sailor and held out one hand with an expectant grin. "not a bob will i give you for a tot of drink," answered the sailor, "for i'll be keelhauled if you don't look as though you'd already been topping the boom too much for your own good, but i'll loosen up, as you call it, for a good meal all around." his hand went into the pocket of his trousers and he drew out a big roll of bills. a greedy gleam darted into the hoodlum's eyes as he glimpsed the bundle of money, and those at his back pushed closer together, nudging each other in the ribs and pointing while the sailor's head was bent. suddenly the rascal who had acted as spokesman for the rest made a leap and a grab. "avast there, you loafing longshore scuttler!" yelled the young tar. "what sort of a beachcomber's trick do you call that?" the hoodlum had whirled, the roll in his hands, and was making off as fast as his legs could carry him. the sailor sprang after him, but the rest of the thieving pack jumped in his way and began using their fists, hoping to give their pal the necessary time to get clear with the money. carl pretzel, with an angry shout, withdrew from the open window, dashed from the room, down the stairs and out at the front door. without paying any attention to the sailor and those with whom he was tussling, the dutch boy rushed past the struggling group and made a bee line after the thief. carl was too fat for a swift sprinter, but the thieving hoodlum was handicapped by a game leg, and carl was able to overhaul him slowly. looking over his shoulder in order to take in the situation behind, the thief saw the dutch boy, and redoubled his efforts to get away. an alley lay just ahead, and the thief turned into it. carl plunged after him, but when he got into the alley, the fellow with the money had mysteriously vanished. "dot's a funny t'ing!" panted carl, coming to a halt and peering around. "vere dit he go mit himseluf?" garbage barrels and boxes lined the alley on both sides. carl started onward again, peering sharply behind each garbage receptacle as he advanced. suddenly he discovered the man he was looking for, crouching behind a big box. carl was a little way beyond the box before he caught sight of the thief. "dere you vas!" he yelled, as he faced about. "now i ged you, und i dake avay vat you got--yah, so helup me!" he rushed at the thief, and the latter got up, squirmed around the end of the box, and leaped for the side of a shed whose wall stood flush with the alley. the shed had a square opening, about four feet from the ground, for convenience in unloading wood. the thief had his eye on the opening. if he could get into the shed, he probably reasoned, he could run through into the back yard of the house, gain the street in front, and so, undoubtedly, evade his fat pursuer. but he didn't make it. by the time he was half through the opening, carl was close enough to grab his thrashing feet, and he hung onto them like grim death. "how you like dot, hey?" jubilated the dutch boy. "you findt oudt, py shimmy, dot it don'd vas so easy to ged avay mit money dot don'd pelong mit you. oof you shkin oudt, you leaf your feet pehind, und oof you don't come pack indo der alley, den i pull you in two. how vas dot for some fixes?" "wot's de matter wit' yous?" came the angry, muffled voice from inside the shed. "le'go 'r i'll kick a hole in your face!" "you vill i don'd t'ink," puffed carl, still hanging to the feet. "gif oop der money, you dinhorn, oder i turn you ofer py der bolice und you go to der lockoop." the hoodlum made no move to return the money, but continued to struggle wildly. with a firm hold on each ankle, carl laid back and pulled for all he was worth; but the thief had caught hold of something inside and all carl's pulling didn't get him an inch toward the alley. while the whole matter was at a deadlock, the thief half in half out of the shed, and carl tugging fruitlessly, the young sailor appeared at the end of the alley. taking quick note of the situation at the shed, he gave a yell and bore down in that direction. "well, strike me lucky, old ship," cried the young tar, "this is my busy day and no mistake. is that the duffing son of a flounder that got away with my wad?" "he iss der feller, verral," panted carl. "he don'd vant to come out oof der vood shet." "hang onto his pins, matey," was the answer, "and i'll fix him." the sailor pushed his hands through the hole, grabbed the hoodlum by the throat, and exerted a steady pressure. this manoeuvre was successful. half strangled, the thief's clutching fingers relaxed their hold, and the sailor and carl, between them, managed to drag him back into the alley. "now, you pirate," cried the sailor, dropping down on the captive, "where's that money? that was a raw play you made and you might have pulled it off if it hadn't been for my mate, here. d'you want to go below, in irons? where's the roll?" "look in his bocket vonce," suggested carl. "i'll kill you fer dis!" fumed the hoodlum. "stow that!" growled the sailor. "i've a knife at the end of my lanyard, but there's nothing about this that calls for cold steel. drop down on his feet, carl, and that will hold him steady while i go through his clothes." while the dutch boy sat on the hoodlum's feet, the sailor was able to push his hands into the thief's pockets. the roll was found and appropriated, and both boys leaped up. the hoodlum floundered erect. "i'll git even fer dis!" he scowled. "yous can't run in dat kind of a play on nifty perkins an' make it stick." "bear away!" cried the sailor angrily. "maybe that'll help you," and he gave the villainous scoundrel a kick that sent him two yards on his way toward the street. the hoodlum turned to shake his fist, and mutter a threat, then started off at a run. when he reached the street, the rest of his pals joined him. for a time they hung about the alley entrance, apparently trying to make up their minds whether it would be wise to attack the sailor and carl in force. "donnervetter!" cried carl. "dot looks like a shance for some scrappings. i don'd vas looking for drouple, aber you bed somet'ing for nodding dot i don'd dodge any. come along mit yourseluf, verral! led's gif dem fellers hail golumby." "cut away!" shouted the young sailor. "the swabs that ran foul of me bolted as soon as you crossed that other chap's hawse. i'd like to square my score with them." but the hoodlums did not wait. carl and the sailor looked altogether too war-like. by the time the two boys reached the end of the alley, the street rowdies had taken to their heels. "a jolly fine lot they are!" cried the sailor contemptuously. "you saved my roll for me, carl. haven't had time to shake your hand before, but i can do it now to the king's taste. your flipper, mate!" carl gripped the sailor's hand. "vat a surbrise it iss!" he exclaimed. "i don'd haf time to say mooch aboudt dot, eider, aber ven i heardt you singing mit yourself, und looked oudt oof der vinder und saw dot you vas tick verral, i ketched my breat' a gouple oof times. vere you come from, tick?" "from denver, messmate," answered dick ferral. "my uncle supplies me with plenty of money, but just the same i'd hate to lose that roll. he made me a present of it when i started for quebec. but where's my old raggie, motor matt? i stopped off here in chicago just to see him. got his address from the lestrange automobile people, and i'm fair hungry to grip his fin, once more. i'll never forget what matt king did for me--and my uncle won't, either." "he don'd vas in chicago schust now, tick," said carl. "he vill be pack in two or dree tays, meppy. anyhow, oof he don'd come pack py do-morrow, meppy ve go oudt vere he iss, und see him? vat you t'ink oof dot?" dick ferral's disappointment was keen, and he showed it plainly. "how far is he from here, carl?" he asked. "only a leedle vays. it iss in a blace vat dey call sout' chicago." "what's matt doing out there?" "vell, ve hat some ructions oudt dere--a mighdy high olt time, you bed you. look at here vonce. ven you read somet'ing, den you vill know more." carl pulled a newspaper out of his pocket and held it under ferral's eyes, indicating a certain paragraph with his finger. what ferral read was this: "for sale--the practicable air ship, hawk, fully equipped with gasoline motor, rudders, propellers, and almost new gas bag. apply to chief of police, south chicago, illinois." chapter ii. a trap. "well, sink me!" muttered dick ferral, staring at the newspaper paragraph. "have they really got so they can navigate the air like they do the water? i've heard of such things, but i didn't know they'd made a success of them." carl threw back his shoulders and puffed out his chest. "vell, modor matt und me ve haf sailed der sky mit der air ship," said he. "matt sailed in der hawk, und i sailed in der eagle. ditn't you hear about dot? vy, it vas in der bapers." "i haven't looked at a paper for a week," returned ferral curiously. "how did you and matt happen to go up in an air ship?" "it vas like dis, tick. matt und me vas oudt peyond sout' chicago taking some spins in a pubble, ven along comes a runavay air ship, und----" "a runaway air ship?" interrupted ferral incredulously. "tell that to the marines, carl!" "dot's righdt," insisted carl. "der air ship vas running avay mit two fellers vat don'd know how to use him, see? matt und me shtopped it mit a rope vat vas tragging on der groundt, und der rope proke avay und der air ship vent on, aber vone oof der fellers in der car tropped somet'ing oudt oof his bocket, vich matt und i picked oop. vell, dot roll oof bapers pelonged mit anoder feller vat hat hat dem shtolen, und ve hat a mighdy oxciding time gedding dem pack. matt vas carried off in der air ship to a svamp in intiana, und i followed him dere in der eagle, und matt turned der tables on der fellers vat run avay mit him, und come pack mit two oof der roppers."[a] [a] see no. of the motor stories, entitled, "motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors." "well, keelhaul me!" exclaimed ferral. "i'd give my eyeteeth to be able to take a sail in an air ship. how much do they want for this one?" his hand wandered to his pocket, where he had replaced the roll of money. "dey vant so mooch as dey can ged," said carl. "why is the chief of police of south chicago selling it?" "prady, der feller vat owned it, vas a t'ief. some oof vat he shtole vas prought pack by matt, und der air ship iss going to be soldt to pay a leedle to some oof der odders vat don'd ged der goots pack." "what's matt doing?" "he shows der air ship off to fellers vat come to see how it vorks. he is heluping der bolice, und dey gif him den tollars a day for flying aroundt mit it." "strike me lucky!" exclaimed the impulsive ferral, slapping carl on the shoulder, "do you think two thousand plunks would buy the craft, carl?" "nix, verrai, i don'd. oof two t'ousandt vouldt puy her, den matt vould haf owned her pefore now. he vants der hawk vorse as anypody you efer see." "couldn't we rake up enough between us to buy her?" cried ferral. "if matt knows about her, and if she'll sail successfully, i wouldn't like anything better than to go from chicago to quebec by the air-ship route. what a high old jinks that would be!" "pully!" exclaimed carl, as highly elated over the prospect as was ferral. "king und verral, oof der air-ship limidet line! ach, vat a habbiness oof it couldt come oudt like dot." "king, ferral & pretzel," said ferral. "you'll be in on the deal, carl." "fife tollars' vort," returned carl. "dot's all der money vat i got." "we'll let you in on the deal just to have you along. matt will be captain, i'll be mate, and you'll be the crew." "py shinks," chuckled carl, "i vould make a fine crew." "does the hawk handle easily?" "so easy as i can't dell! you pull a t'ing und she goes oop, den you pull anoder t'ing und she comes down, und you viggle her aroundt mit some more t'ing--i don'd know vat. aber matt can vork her so shlick as nodding. say, verral, matt can make dot air ship turn some handt-shprings in der cloudts, und----" "avast there, carl! i'll bet matt can handle the craft, all right, even if he can't make her do any hand-springs. do you suppose she'll be sold before we get out to south chicago?" "vell, i hope nod. meppy ve go righdt avay, hey?" "sure! the quicker we go, the more chance we will have to get the hawk. if we----" the boys had been walking slowly back to the boarding house, and ferral suddenly broke off his words and came to a halt. "oh, hang it," he went on, "i'm due for a sail on the lake at one o'clock. merrick, a nice chap i met on the train coming from denver, invited me to go with him, and i said i'd meet him across the lake street viaduct right after dinner. i hate to cut away from merrick like that." "vy nod ged him to sail us as near sout' chicago as he can go?" suggested carl. "den meppy ve ged off der poat und dake der shdreed car?" "right-o!" cried ferral. "that's what we'll do. how long before you can be ready, carl?" "schust so kevick as i can go up py my room und ged dot fife tollars oudt oof der pureau trawer." "that's the ticket! but you don't need any money, old ship, while you're with me. i've got plenty for the two of us." "anyvay, tick, i got to vash oop a leedle, und prush my clothes----" "so've i. those swabs handled me a bit rough, although they didn't leave many marks on me." ferral was completely carried away with the idea of buying the air ship, and he could talk of nothing else while he and carl were smoothing the kinks out of their personal appearance, and riding downtown on the car. it was nearly one o'clock and they did not have any time to stop at a restaurant for dinner. but neither of the lads thought of anything to eat--and that was what carl had a habit of thinking of at the right time, and between times, so it will be understood how the prospect of securing the air ship dazzled him. a little sailing craft was bumping against the wharf at the lake end of the viaduct. although a small boat, yet she had a cuddy forward, a cockpit aft, and was as spick and span as snow-white canvas, clean decks, and polished brasswork could make her. a young fellow, rather loudly dressed, was leaning against one of the posts to which the sailboat was moored. he was smoking a cigarette, and, at sight of ferral, ran up to him with outstretched hand. "ahoy, my gay sailorman!" he cried. "i had a kind of hunch that you'd go back on me, and wouldn't show up." "whenever i say i'll do a thing," replied ferral, catching the other's hand heartily, "i lay my course in that direction. but i'm in a rush to get to south chicago. do you suppose you can take us somewhere near there?" "take you anywhere, old chap," returned the other. ferral presented carl. the dutch lad was not very much taken with ferral's friend. there was something about him that rubbed carl's fur the wrong way. however, carl did not pay much attention to this vague distrust. he was thinking of the hawk, and hoping that he and ferral would reach south chicago in time to buy the air ship before she was sold to anybody else. carl, more than anyone else, knew how motor matt was longing to own the hawk, and how badly disappointed he was to think he had not the money to buy her. dick ferral had dropped into the affair at just the right time. the name of the sailboat was the _christina_, and her skipper was a heavy-jawed norwegian by the name of erickson. there was something about captain erickson that carl did not like, and the swede who helped the skipper sail the _christina_ did not appear to any better advantage. yet the idea of buying the air ship had put carl's nerves in a twitter, and he gave little heed to his vague suspicions. merrick, ferral and carl got aboard the _christina_, the swede cast off the bow moorings, the skipper hauled up the mainsail and jib, and then the swede threw on the stern rope and jumped aboard. there was a fine breeze, and the little boat tripped out through the harbor in the direction of the government pier. ferral and carl went forward and seated themselves on the top of the cabin. merrick lingered in the cockpit to talk with erickson, who had the wheel. the swede was farther forward, setting another of the jibs. "how long you knowed dot merrick feller, tick?" queried carl. "about a day and a half. why?" "his looks don'd make some hits mit me; und i don'd like der norvegian or der svede, neider." ferral laughed. "why, carl," said he, "you can't smoke a fellow's roll on such a short acquaintance." "i ged some hunches ven i see vat i don'd like, und i got all kindts oof hunches, righdt now, dot somet'ing is crooked. meppy dot merrick feller shmokes your roll--der vone vat you got in your bocket." "belay, carl! you'll like merrick after you know him a little better. i'll admit he's not exactly my style, but he's no beachcomber. if anything happened, why, there's two of us to three of them, and we could put up a pretty stiff set-to. but south chicago and the hawk loom pretty large in my glass, just now, and i haven't got time to think of much of anything else." just at that moment a doubled-up form pushed out of the cuddy into the cockpit. as the form straightened, and turned around so as to face forward, carl went off the cabin at a jump and gave a yell. "prady!" he gasped; "prady, or i vas a geezer!" chapter iii. overboard. carl's yell drew the attention of all those on the boat. brady leaned over the top of the cabin and laughed huskily. merrick dropped his mask and joined triumphantly in brady's laugh. the norwegian and the swede stared blankly for a minute, and then went stolidly on about their work. "brady!" muttered ferral, squaring around on the cabin so as to get a good look at the man in the cockpit. "is he the swab that carried matt off in the air ship, carl?" "sure he iss der feller!" averred carl. "i vould know him any blace. ach, himmelblitzen, i toldt you i hat some hunches, verral!" "i've made a monkey's fist out of this," growled ferral, "and i'm a fiji if i can understand the thing yet. the way this brady falls afoul of us don't look like a happenchance, and yet i can't make anything else out of it. ahoy, there, merrick! stow that grinning and give me the lay of this business." "merrick's real name is brady," explained the outlaw in the cockpit--and outlaw he was, having been a fugitive from justice ever since matt had navigated the hawk away from the swamp and into south chicago. "he's my son, hector, jr., and i'm proud of the way he worked this deal," brady continued, still laughing as though the affair was a huge joke. ferral was bewildered. "you're a thief, are you," said he, struggling to get the matter clear in his head, "and the fellow who met me on the train, and said his name was merrick, is your son?" "that's the how of it," returned brady. "then i'm free to say," cried ferral, "that i don't like the how of it. 'bout ship and takes us back to the wharf. i'm a bit particular about the company i keep." "well, you've got a picture of us letting you go after we've been to all the trouble to get you here. we'll put you ashore somewhere to the north, my bantam, but before we do that we'll frisk you for that bundle of long green you've got in your pocket. the hawk's for sale, and i'm counting on buying her." the more carl heard and saw, the more puzzled he became. it didn't seem like an accident the way ferral had met brady, jr., on the train, and yet the two bradys must have taken a long look ahead in order to bring about the situation in which ferral and carl now found themselves. their plots, however, had centred about ferral, and carl had merely blundered into them. "i'll hear from you, merrick," said ferral sharply. "what have you got to say about this?" the _christina_ had passed through the break in the government pier and was breasting the heavier waves in the open lake. the pier behind was rapidly receding. there were a score of fishermen on the piles, but they had become mere dots, almost out of sight and entirely out of hearing. carl looked around for a glimpse of some other boat. there was a smudge of smoke from a steamer, off on the watery horizon to eastward, and well to the south could be seen the upper sails of a schooner, but these were the only craft in sight, and they were too far away for any practical benefit. "there's nothing much to say," answered hector, jr., as calmly as though he had been talking about the weather. "i was running a hand book on the denver races, but got a wire from dad that he was in trouble. you happened to be on the same train that brought me to chicago, and when you flashed that roll on me, and i remembered that i was nearly strapped and that dad needed money, i figured on how i could annex such a nice fat wad of the long green. you wouldn't play cards, you wouldn't drink, and there wasn't anything else i could do but make this sort of a play. i put dad next as soon as i could get to him. he didn't think you'd show up to take the sail, but i told him that you had said you would, and that i believed you were the sort of a fool who always did what you said. i reckon i was right, eh, dad?" and hector, jr., came forward and leaned over the top of the cabin beside his worthy father. "bright boy, son," said the elder scoundrel approvingly. "we've got you, younker," went on brady, sr., again facing ferral. "we're too far from land for you to swim ashore, and i'm giving you credit for too much sense to try a trick like that. it was a bit of a surprise to me to see that dutchman trailing along after you, but"--and here a black scowl crept over the man's face--"i've got a bone to pick with him and that meddling whelp, motor matt. the dutchman won't get away from us so easily as you will, ferral, i can promise you that. and before motor matt is many days older, i'll show him what it means to cross brady's path." hector brady, like his son, was a fair-spoken villain, but none the less dangerous for all that. as he ceased talking, he started to step from the cockpit to the aisle of deck between the cabin top and the sailboat's side. "'vast, there!" roared ferral, twitching at the lanyard about his neck and bringing out a sheath knife. "keep your offing, both you sharks, or you'll find a knife between your ribs. you've got us out in the lake, but you haven't my money yet, and you're not going to cut up rough with my raggie here. i got him into this mess, and i'm going to see him out of it." a boat hook, dropped by the skipper when he was pushing the nose of the boat away from the pier, lay on the deck close to carl's feet. he bent down and picked it up. "oof he makes some foolishness mit me," averred carl, "you bed my life i vill haf somet'ing to say aboudt dot meinseluf. i had some hunches all der time," he harped ruefully. brady, sr., did not come out of the cockpit just then. "there are four of us against you," said he sternly, "and if you've got as much sense as i give you credit for, you'll not resist. all i want of you, ferral, is your money. if what you told my son is true, your uncle is a rich man. he'll give you another roll for the asking and never miss it. are you a pard of king's?" "i'm all that," declared ferral. "i owe motor matt a debt i can never repay." "and i owe him one i'm going to repay," said brady, with a black look. "he stole my air ship from me, and i've got to buy it back. it's no more than justice that i take part of the money from you--if you're such a good pal of king's. i didn't think, any more than hector, that the thing was going to fall out like this, but my luck must be taking a turn for the better." "skipper," shouted ferral, looking at the norwegian over the heads of the two bradys, "put about and take us ashore! these scoundrels are trying to rob me." the skipper, however, only returned a stolid look. "you'll be hauled over the coals for this!" threatened ferral. carl had been on the point of saying something, but off toward the west and south, over the stern of the sailboat, he beheld an object that amazed him and aroused a faint hope. the object seemed to hang in the sky like a black cylinder. it was the hawk, there could be no possible doubt about that, but was the hawk sailing out over the lake or merely traveling over the city of chicago? so far away was it that carl could not tell whether it was coming or going. could it be possible that motor matt was bringing the air ship in the direction of the _christina_? it seemed too much of a coincidence to be true, and yet it was hardly stranger than the circumstances which had enveloped ferral in the net spread by the two bradys. carl, although the discovery of the air ship stretched his nerves to tightest tension and filled him with fluttering hope, kept the news of his discovery to himself. if the hawk was really heading lakeward, brady, if he knew it, might realize the possibilities of escape which it would afford the two boys and take measures to keep the _christina_ away from the air ship. "no one is going to be hauled over the coals, ferral," said brady. "when we put you ashore, it will be in a place from which it will take you a good long while to get back to chicago. before you get back, i'll have a man buy the hawk, and i and my friends will make a quick getaway to parts unknown. the hawk means liberty for me, for i can't dodge around on the ground and keep clear of the police much longer. are you going to hand that money over, or have we got to take it away from you?" shifting his sheath knife to his left hand, ferral drew the roll of bills from his pocket and stowed it snugly in the breast of his blue shirt. "if you get this money you'll have to take it," said he defiantly, "and if that two-faced sea cook you say is your son comes too close to me, i'll get him on the point of this dirk." covertly, carl was watching the round swaying speck in the heavens. that it was round, proved that he was looking toward the end of the gas bag, which, seen lengthwise, would have been of cigar-shaped proportions; and the fact that the object was growing larger by swift degrees, proved that it was coming closer to the sailboat. "enough of this foolishness," scowled brady, drawing a revolver and leveling it at ferral over the end of the cabin. "take that money out of your shirt and throw it this way. if you make a miss throw and land it in the lake, i'll plug you for that just as quick as i would for not throwing it at all. it's up to you," he added warningly, "and i'm not going to wait all day." carl, in the moment of silence that intervened, suddenly hurled the boat hook with all his strength. the move was entirely unexpected on brady's part, and he was caught unawares. the handle of the hook struck his arm a violent blow, knocking the weapon out of his fingers and dropping it overboard. a yell of rage went up from brady. "kick off your shoes, tick," whispered carl excitedly. "ven i gif der vort, chump indo der lake. i know vat i know, und i dell you it vas all righdt. do schust vat i say, aber don'd say somet'ing." the presence of the air ship was unknown to everyone on the sailboat except carl. to ferral it looked like suicide to jump into the lake, with no other boat anywhere in sight. "i'll kill you for that!" bawled brady to carl. the dutch boy paid no attention. he had already kicked off his shoes and pulled off his coat. holding his coat in his hand, he leaped to the top of the cabin and began waving it frantically. the bradys, the norwegian and the swede swept the surface of the lake with their eyes. even then their glances fell too low to give them a glimpse of the hawk. ferral had got rid of his shoes, although he was still reluctant about taking to the water. carl did not give him much time to consider the matter, but grabbed him by the arm and, when the little craft heeled to a strong gust of wind, pulled him overboard. chapter iv. rescued. all those on the _christina_ were astounded at the move made by the two boys. "leave 'em in the water for a while!" shouted brady, sr. "i guess that'll take the ginger out of 'em. don't be in any hurry, captain, about turning around." the captain could not have turned very quickly, even if he had wanted to. with all sail set, the _christina_ was driving through the water at race-horse speed. it would take time, and she would inevitably have to get a long way from the boys before she could be put about. both carl and ferral were good swimmers and had little difficulty in keeping themselves afloat, hampered though they were with their wet clothing. "we're in for it now, carl!" gurgled ferral. "that sailboat will put about and we'll be hauled aboard--then that swab of a brady will have us just where he wants us." ferral rose in the water, shook his head to clear his eyes, and peered after the _christina_. "they're coming around now," he added. "led dem come aroundt all vat dey blease," sputtered carl; "matt vill pull us oudt oof der vet pefore dey ged here." "matt?" echoed ferral. "look oferheadt vonce, tick." ferral took a look upward. rushing toward that part of the lake and swooping downward like a huge bird was an air ship. the strange craft was almost upon him and carl. two men were leaning over the guard rail of the car on each side; both held coiled ropes in their hands, and one of them was shouting instructions to matt, who was in charge of the motor. the _christina_ was forging along on the back track, the bradys well forward and clinging to ropes while they watched the manoeuvres of the hawk. it must have been apparent to them that the hawk would pick up the boys before the _christina_ could come anywhere near them. splash! splash! two ropes dropped in the water just as the hawk, with a graceful, gliding motion, came to an even keel some fifteen or twenty feet above the surface of the lake. the whirling propeller lessened its speed and the air ship hovered over the water. "grab the ropes!" shouted a voice from the hawk's car. it was a useless suggestion, for the ropes had already been caught. "can you climb up?" called one of the men. "it isn't safe to bring the air ship any closer to the water." climbing the rope was easy for ferral. hand over hand he lifted himself upward, was caught by the man and pulled over the rail and into the car. but carl was no sailor, and every time he tried to climb the rope he slid back into the water again. "hang hard," shouted the man in the car, "and we'll pull you up." the _christina_, by then, was quite close. carl had hardly been lifted clear of the water before the crack of a revolver rang out. brady, jr., had passed his own revolver to his father, and the latter was pecking away at carl as he gyrated under the car of the air ship. "keep a firm hold on that rope!" cried the man in the car. "we've got to ascend and get away from that sailboat." the nose of the hawk tilted sharply upward, the propeller whirred at steadily increasing speed, and the air ship bore swiftly away with the dripping form of the dutch boy swinging underneath. crack! crack! came the reports from brady's revolver. carl, however, was not a good target, and, besides, brady had to fire from the pitching deck of the _christina_. all the bullets flew wide, and before brady could fire more than three shots the air ship was out of range. the dutch boy's position was in no wise comfortable for his nerves. the hawk was steadily mounting toward the clouds, and carl was swaying underneath like a pendulum. as soon as the air ship was out of pistol range of the _christina_, however, hands were again laid on the rope and carl was jerked up to the car and pulled to safety. "well, great spark plugs!" cried the voice of motor matt. "of all the brain twisters i ever ran up against, this takes the banner! where did you come from, dick? and how does it happen carl is with you?" matt was in a chair at one end of the open space in the middle of the car, his hands on the levers that worked the mechanism and controlled the motor. ferral, wet as a drowned rat, was sitting up on the floor of the car, his back against the rail. across from him was carl. in the other end of the car were the other two passengers. one of these wore the uniform of a policeman. ferral's novel situation filled him with wonder. his eyes were darting all around him, above at the swelling gas bag, around him at the machinery, the propeller, the rudder and space, and below him at the heaving expanse of water. "well, strike me lucky," he breathed, "but all this seems like a dream. am i doing a caulk, and imagining i'm wide awake? if i am, pinch me, somebody." "you're not asleep, old chap," laughed matt, "if that's what you mean by 'doing a caulk.' where did you come from?" "denver. i'm on my way to quebec. heard you were anchored in chicago and stopped off there to see you. couldn't find you at home, but i did find carl." "how in the world did you and carl happen to be on that sailboat?" went on matt. "and why did you jump overboard?" "carl pulled me overboard," replied ferral. "it vas healthier for us in der vater dan it vas on der poat," put in carl, slapping at his wet clothes. "aber i vouldn't haf pulled verral oferboardt oof i hatn't seen der hawk skyhootin' along toward us. ach, dot vas pully! how you habben to be vere you vas schust ven ve needet you, bard?" "mr. jameson"--and matt nodded toward the passenger forward with the officer--"is thinking of buying the hawk, but he wanted to try her out with a good long flight and to see if she would be perfectly safe over water. so we sailed over chicago and headed into the lake. we saw that sailboat, but didn't pay much attention to her until harris saw some one waving something on her deck. then, thinking we were being hailed, we laid a course for her. as we came closer, we saw two persons jump into the water. that was our cue to get closer to the lake and pick you up. but what was the matter on that boat? you haven't told me yet." ferral ran one hand into the front of his shirt and fished out his water-soaked roll of greenbacks. "that's what caused the trouble," said he. "brady wanted the money." "brady?" motor matt looked questioningly at carl. "yah, so," spoke up carl. "it iss der same prady vat you hat sooch a time mit, ofer py villoughpy's svamp." "what do you think of that, harris?" cried matt, looking at the officer. "if brady is on that boat," returned harris, showing a good deal of excitement, "we ought to tip somebody off and have him captured." "we'll turn back toward chicago," said matt. "meantime, carl, you and dick tell us all about how you got into that fix. hurry up with the yarn. if we're to do anything toward capturing brady, we haven't much time to lose." carl and ferral went over their recent experiences. matt's wonder grew as he listened. it was strange the way events had fallen out and brought the three chums together just in time to avert a robbery--perhaps a tragedy. "it's main queer, mate, don't you think?" queried ferral, when the details had all been given. "queerest thing i ever heard of!" avowed harris. "i knew brady had a son, but i hadn't a notion where he was, or what he was doing. looks as though young brady was a chip off the old block." "it's a lesson for me," remarked ferral ruefully, "never to pick up a fellow on his own showing. the queerest part of the whole business was my meeting young brady on the train, walking right into the trap he had set for me and his father was going to help him spring, and towing carl along." "we're coming close to the shore, king," called jameson. matt stole a look over the side. "take out your notebook and pencil, harris," said he, drawing back, "and write a note. address the memorandum to the police department and say that hector brady and his son are off the government pier in a sailboat called the _christina_, and that if the scoundrels are captured, a tug better put off at once." harris scribbled the note. when it was finished, matt had him tie the small sheet of paper around a bolt taken from the tool box. "we'll fly low over the park near the art building," said matt, "and you yell to the first policeman you see, harris, and drop the note." there was no need of yelling to attract anybody's attention in the park, for every person was looking upward at the air ship. harris was not long in sighting an officer, and his own uniform demanded the officer's respectful attention. the note was dropped, and those in the air ship could see the policeman pick it up, untie the sheet of paper and read the communication. before the hawk got out of sight of the park, matt and the rest had the satisfaction of seeing the policeman wave his hand to signify that he understood, and then hurry off toward the lake. "i guess that will cook brady's goose for him," muttered harris complacently. "are you satisfied with the hawk, mr. jameson?" inquired matt. "i never imagined that an air ship had been invented which could be manoeuvred as you have manoeuvred this one," said jameson. "i'm so well satisfied with the hawk that i will give three thousand for her." carl gave a gasp and stared at ferral, only to find that ferral was already looking at him. were matt and ferral to lose the air ship, after all? chapter v. buying the "hawk." "an air ship's a hard thing to sell," observed harris; "about as hard, i should say, as a white elephant. your offer, jameson, is the best one we've had, so far, and i shouldn't wonder if you'd get the hawk. what are you going to use her for?" "for a pleasure craft," was the answer. "i'm a member of the aëro club and i'm tired of just plain ballooning. i want to climb around through the air wherever i take a notion, and not wherever the winds choose to carry me." "you won't make any mistake buying the hawk at three thousand," said matt, a disappointed look on his face. "if i had that much to spare, mr. jameson, you'd never get her." "vell, matt," spoke up carl, "oof you vant somepody to helup you oudt mit more money, vy----" just then carl caught an expressive look shot at him by dick. the sailor shook his head. carl couldn't understand why he was saying more than he ought to, but bit off his words. dick felt sure that if jameson knew there was some one else to bid over him, he would increase his bid, and run it up until it would be impossible for matt and dick to consider the purchase. jameson was undoubtedly a man of wealth, and able to go any length in gratifying his hobby for air ships. matt, of course, did not know what ferral and carl had at the back of their heads, for no mention had yet been made of ferral's desire to joint matt in the purchase of the air ship. the return to south chicago was quickly made, the wind being behind the hawk and helping her onward. the aëronauts descended at brady's old balloon house, in a swamp field in the outskirts of south chicago. two police officers were constantly on guard at the balloon house to keep anyone from tampering with the air ship. after the craft had been safely stowed in its quarters, matt, carl, ferral, harris, and jameson set off toward town. carl and ferral were in a sorry plight and in urgent need of dry clothes and hats and shoes, but they were not thinking of their own comfort. the danger of losing the air ship was causing them a vast amount of worry. "i'll take you fellows to a clothing store," said matt, as they came into the town, "and fix you out so you'll look respectable. everybody is looking at you as though you were a couple of freaks." "belay that--for awhile," returned ferral. "take us to a hotel, or anywhere else where we can have a talk." "you can talk better if you're in dry clothes," said matt. "don'd you t'ink dot for a minid," palpitated carl, with an apprehensive look at jameson. the signs were plain enough to matt that ferral and carl had something they wanted to tell him. at the place where they left harris to pursue his way to police headquarters, jameson likewise broke away. "you'll hear from me sometime this afternoon, harris," said jameson, "and when i come around i'll bring a certified check for three thousand with me." "you'll have to deal with the chief," answered harris, "and he's acting under instructions from the court. i suppose your offer will take the hawk, but i can't make any promises." "people are not falling over themselves to buy the air ship," laughed jameson, "and i guess my offer is the best one you'll ever get. see you later." matt took his chums to the hotel at which he had been stopping while in south chicago. as soon as carl and ferral got inside the hotel office, they grabbed hold of matt and hustled him toward some chairs in a corner of the room where they could have a private talk. "you fellows have got something on your minds," laughed matt. "i've seen that for quite a while. what is it?" "how'd you like to own the hawk yourself, mate?" asked ferral. "i'd like it fine," answered matt, his gray eyes brightening. "if i had more money than i knew what to do with, i'd buy the hawk just to play with it." "jameson offers three thousand," went on ferral. "if you and i offered thirty-five hundred, and hustled the deal right through before jameson had a chance to overbid us, we'd get the old flugee, eh?" "sure!" said matt. "but where's the thirty-five hundred to come from?" "well, i've got two thousand damp dollars in this roll. if you can scrape up the other fifteen hundred, pard, we'll go halvers on the buy and own the hawk together." matt started forward in his chair. no one knew how motor matt longed to own that air ship. carl thought he knew, but he didn't. it was a passion with matt, almost a mania, but he had held it under control by his iron will. matt had his way to make in the world, and what little money he had in the bank had come by hard knocks. would it be wise to put it into such a thing as an air ship? "you've got a wealthy uncle, dick," said the young motorist, "and i don't suppose he cares a picayune what you do with your money. but it's different with me. i've got to invest what little capital i have where it will bring returns." "it vill pring redurns oof you pud der money in der air ship, matt," fluttered carl. "you can make ascensions at shtate fairs, und a lod oof t'ings like dot." "and maybe we can sell the hawk, when we are through with her," put in ferral, "to the united states government for a whole lot more than we paid for her. "und oof der gofermendt don'd vant der hawk," said carl, "den meppy you can sell her py some feller like chameson for more as you pay." "keelhaul me!" exclaimed ferral, struck by a sudden thought. "they're offering all kinds of prizes now for air-ship flights. we can get into some of them, mate, and make more money than we ever dreamed of! come, old ship! don't look as though you'd lost half a sovereign and found a sixpence. say the word and we'll go navigating the sky for all there is in it. it's a first-chop game, you take it from me." "i thought you were going to quebec?" queried matt, with a twinkle in his eyes. "that's where i was bound for, but it makes no odds how long it takes me to get to the place. besides, when i'm ready to pull out for the river st. lawrence and the gulf, why can't i sail there in the hawk?" matt was thoughtful. it was not his habit to jump into any new undertaking blindly, and there was something mighty alluring about this air-ship proposition. "i'll have to give up my job with the lestrange people," said he, "and there's a future to that." "future?" repeated ferral. "aye, mate, there's a prospect that you'll go into a smash, one of these days, and break your neck. racing an automobile is risky business." "maybe it's not so dangerous as running an air ship, at that," laughed the young motorist. "vell, anyhow," said carl, "you don'd make some collisions in a air ship oxcept mit der clouds. air ships ain'd so blendy like pubbles." "i'll go you, dick!" cried matt suddenly, reaching out his hand to grab ferral's. "but," he added, "it will have to be an even thing. you put in seventeen hundred and fifty and i'll put in the same amount. that will make each of us a half owner." "three times three and a tiger!" exulted ferral, pulling the roll of bills out of his pocket and counting off the water-soaked notes. "there's your seventeen hundred and fifty, matey," and he thrust the money into his chum's hand; "now, slant away for the place where you pay it over, and be sure you get ahead of jameson." "there's plenty of time for that," answered matt, smiling at ferral's impatience. "jameson said he would happen in on the chief sometime during the afternoon. why, it wasn't more than a half hour ago that we left him." "a whole lod oof t'ings can habben in haluf oof an hour," said carl. "go on, bard, und finish oop der teal. i von't be easy in my mindt ondil i know dot you und ferral own der hawk. himmelblitzen, vat a habbiness dot vill be. captain matt, oof you blease, oof der air ship hawk, sailing from eferyvere und going der same blace. hoop-a-la! i vas so gay mit meinseluf as i don'd know. be jeerful, be jeerful!" with that, carl jumped up and began a war dance around the office. he looked like a crazy man, shoeless and hatless, and with his tow hair standing out all over his head like an albino's. ferral was every whit as delighted over the prospect as was carl. he had to do a little jubilating himself, so he got up and began a hornpipe. "i'll get out of here," laughed matt, starting for the door, "before you fellows are pinched for escaped lunatics. if i was around, the officers might nab me, too. get some decent clothes while i'm away." with that, he started for the office of the chief of police. on his way to headquarters, he passed a bank. just before he reached the bank, he saw jameson come hastily out the front door and hurry to a cab that was waiting beside the walk. "police headquarters," matt heard jameson call to the driver of the cab. a suspicion darted through matt's brain. jameson, having secured his certified check, was losing little time putting through his deal for the hawk. had his remark about dropping in on the chief sometime during afternoon been merely a "bluff"? there was no other cab in sight, and several long blocks lay between matt and the chief's office. jameson was bound to reach police headquarters before matt could possibly arrive there. for a minute, matt stood in front of the bank, racking his brains; then, as a swift counterstroke came to him, he darted across the street to a corner drug store. chapter vi. matt scores against jameson. what matt had in mind when he raced across the street was the telephone booth in the drug store. he would call up the chief on the telephone. the chief was a good friend of matt's. in fact, motor matt, because of the plucky and successful work he had done, stood pretty high with the south chicago police department. after a hurried examination of the telephone directory, the young motorist called up the chief's office. "hello!" said he. "is chief raymond there?" "yes," some one answered at the other end of the wire. "want to talk with him personally?" "got to, and right away." "he's busy just now. leave your message and i'll see that he gets it." "can't. this is important and i'm in the biggest kind of a hurry. tell the chief matt king--motor matt--wants a word with him." "oh! is that you, matt? why didn't you say so at the start off? this is harris. couldn't you recognize my voice?" "is mr. jameson there, harris?" "he's just gettin' out of a cab, in front--i can see him through the window." "well, please call the chief; i want to talk to him before jameson gets a chance." a low whistle floated along the wire. "all right," answered harris. it seemed to matt as though he waited in that hot telephone box for an hour, although it could not have been more than a minute or two. he was now as eager to get ahead of jameson in the deal for the hawk as were ferral and carl. finally the chief's voice came over the phone. "howdy, matt. what can i do for you?" "i want to buy that air ship, chief," answered matt. "great scott, boy! you haven't any money to throw away, have you?" "i should say not, but----" "well, forget it. you'd have about as much use for that flying machine as a pig for two tails. just wait a second--here's jameson, the fellow you had out in the hawk, waiting to talk with me. i'll call you up in a few----" "no, wait a minute," cried matt. "jameson's got three thousand he's going to pay for the hawk. i'll give thirty-five hundred, and put half the amount in your hands inside of fifteen minutes. the rest will be here as soon as i can get it from chicago." "i'm not going to let you squander your money in any such fool way," was the chief's astonishing response. "i've got your best interests too much at heart, my lad." "look here," and matt's voice took on a steely note, "i'm not so young, chief, that i don't know what i'm doing. i can see a good many chances to make money with the hawk, and if you keep me from getting the air ship you'll be cutting a big hole in my prospects. besides, you've got to sell to the highest bidder, and i'm giving you five hundred more than jameson offers. not only that, but only part of the purchase money is mine. i've got a partner in the deal, and----" from a click and a sudden silence on the wire, matt knew that "central" had cut him off. throwing the receiver onto the hooks, he rang the bell frantically. after two or three minutes, "central" answered him, begged his pardon for cutting him off, and once more gave him the chief's office. harris answered the phone again. "where's the chief, harris?" asked matt. "in his private room, matt, talking with jameson," came the officer's reply. "well, i'm coming right over there," said matt. "please find out if the chief will see me when i arrive. you can tell me when i reach headquarters." "i guess he'll see you, all right." matt entered the big stone building in less than ten minutes. harris met him with a wide and wondering grin. "you've bought something, matt," said he. "how do you know?" queried matt. "jameson just left, and he was considerably worked up. he said he hadn't any idea that you were bidding over him, and that he had stood ready to offer five thousand for the hawk before letting the machine get away from him." "what did the chief say?" "why, that if you didn't show up inside of fifteen minutes, with half the purchase money, jameson could have the air ship." the young motorist drew a long breath of relief. "well," said he, "right here is where i deliver the goods." he walked into the chief's office, and found that official smoking a cigar. "here's the money, chief," said matt, laying the bills down on the table. "i can give you a check for the balance, or i'll go to chicago and get the cash." "i suppose you know what you're doing, matt," returned the chief, "but i'll be hanged if i do. first off, you'll have to have a place to keep the hawk, and you know brady sold that old balloon house before he skipped out, and the place is to be pulled down in a few days." "i've figured out how i can have a light canvas shelter made and carry it along in the car," said matt. "but what are you going to do with the machine?" went on the chief curiously. "give exhibitions at state and county fairs, compete for aëronautical prizes, perhaps, and after i and my partner have had all the fun we want to with the hawk, we'll sell it to the government." "you're buying a pig in a poke, matt, but that's your lookout. the hawk is yours, and i guess i know you well enough to take your check. when do you want possession?" "this afternoon or to-morrow morning." "better make it to-morrow morning. it will take this afternoon to get the necessary papers from the court." "all right, then. will you let your officers guard the hawk until to-morrow morning?" "i'll keep two men at the balloon house until you show up there to claim your property." "thank you, chief. just give me a receipt for that cash and the check saying the money is in payment for the air ship hawk and that i'm to have the necessary papers completing the transfer as soon as you can get them." this business formality was quickly carried out, and when matt left the chief's office, his chicago bank account looked as though it had been sandbagged. but matt had the chief's agreement in his pocket, and his heart was light and his hopes buoyant. carl and ferral were waiting for him in the hotel office. "the hawk belongs to us, dick," announced matt, and both carl and ferral began to rejoice. "we've got to take possession to-morrow----" "the quicker the better!" cried ferral. "what are we going to do with the machine?" "do?" gasped ferral blankly. "why, fly in it, of course! navigate the skies." "we can't be in the skies all the time. we'll have to come down once in awhile, for gasoline, if for nothing else, and for gas. where are we going to keep the hawk while she's on the ground?" "hitch her to a tree," suggested ferral. "it's easy enough to find moorings for such a craft." "but, if there's a storm, the hawk will have to be protected." "py shinks," muttered carl, "dere iss more to der pitzness as vat i t'ought." ferral had bought a new outfit of shoes, hats, and clothes for himself and carl. ferral's sailor rig was being dried and pressed, and he had managed to pick up a sailorman's hat, in lieu of the one he had lost on the _christina_. matt's logical remarks impressed ferral quite as much as carl. "well," said he, with a grim laugh, "owning an air ship ain't all beer and skittles. the best thing for us to do is to keep traveling with it. at night, we'll berth the thing in some farmer's barn, and we'll spend the day fanning along through the air." "there are plenty of barns big enough to house the hawk," returned matt, "but i don't know where you'll find a barn, in the whole country, with a big enough door to take it in. and when you talk about traveling, dick, where'll we go?" "oh, anywhere, mate, it's all one to me until i'm ready for quebec." "it costs money to travel by air ship. we've got to buy oil and gasoline, and gas, too, now and then. wherever we travel, we've got to have the idea of profit in mind. how about going to new york and hiring the air ship to some one out on coney island?" "fine-o!" applauded ferral. "you're overhauling the right idea, at last, messmate. i knew we could trust you to do that." "pully!" cried carl. "ve vill show off der machine at goney islandt, und make so mooch money ve von't know vat to do mit it. hoop-a-la!" just then a bell boy came hurriedly up to matt. "you're wanted on the phone," said he. "police headquarters is callin' fer you." matt and his chums had a distressful feeling that something had gone wrong with the air-ship deal, and that the chief was calling up to tell matt to come back and get his money. all three of them hurried to the telephone booth. while matt was talking, carl and ferral hung about the door of the booth, wrestling morbidly with their doubts and fears. "the air ship is still ours," laughed matt, as he came out of the booth, "but grove, one of the gang that worked with brady, and who was captured and in jail here awaiting trial, has escaped. what's more, the chicago police haven't been able to find that sailboat and catch the bradys. the chief here thinks grove has gone to join hector brady, and that----" matt paused. "go on, mate," urged ferral. "and that carl and i had better look out," finished matt, "or brady and his gang will put us out of the way." "dey vill haf more as dey can do keeping oudt oof der vay oof der bolice deirselufs," said carl, "to bodder mit us, matt." "that's the way i size it up, carl," returned matt. "besides, if brady and his gang want to find us, after to-morrow morning, they'll have to get hold of another air ship." but, even then, the cunning brady was engineering a plot which was to strike matt and his chums like a bolt from the blue. chapter vii. at the balloon house. late that afternoon matt and carl went into chicago on the train. the young motorist had to sever his connection with the lestrange people, who were the eastern representatives of the jarrot automobile company, for whom matt had won the borden cup during the recent kansas race. while matt was at the office of the lestrange company, carl was to go to the boarding house, settle their bill, and get their baggage. meanwhile, dick ferral went to the balloon house to keep watch over the hawk with the two officers on guard there. the lestrange people were more than sorry to lose matt's services. there was no driver who could get more speed out of a racing car than motor matt, and it was largely his driving that had won the five-day race at the coliseum for the jarrot car. matt agreed, before he left the lestrange offices, that if ever he drove in another race, he would give the lestrange and jarrot people first chance to secure his services. then, with his back pay in his pocket, he made his way to the twelfth street station, met carl with the luggage, and they returned to south chicago. matt and carl went to the hotel to stay all night, and the two officers who had been on duty at the balloon house, having been relieved by a fresh detail, came in about nine in the evening and informed matt that ferral was going to stay at the balloon house until morning. "verral is afraidt der machine vill fly avay mit itseluf," chuckled carl. "it's all right to be on the safe side," said matt. "i guess that there won't be anything happen to the hawk, with two policemen and dick to look after her." "sure nod," agreed carl. "vere vill ferral shleep?" "there's a small sleeping room in the back of the big shed. brady used to spend his nights there when he had the air ship under the roof. there's a fixture in the room for supplying the hawk with illuminating gas. brady used to manufacture hydrogen, but since the police department has had charge of the air ship, the supply of gas has come from the city gas works. oh, dick will be comfortable enough, out there, and when we join him in the morning we'll take his breakfast along." it was the intention of the three chums to start on their long journey to new york the following morning. matt had bought a compass and a number of maps covering the country they would cross. for a long time he sat up, studying the maps and figuring on the towns at which they would stop during their flight. it was nearly midnight when he went to bed, and carl had been snoring for several hours. both boys were up bright and early. they ate a hearty breakfast, and matt had a meal packed away in a box for dick. it was about half-past six when they were ready to start for the balloon house, and matt suddenly remembered that the papers completing the transfer of the air ship had not come from the chief. "i'll go on out to the balloon house with my satchel and the box of grub for dick," said matt, "and you go to police headquarters, carl, and ask the chief for the papers he was to get for me. if the chief isn't there yet, see harris. it may be you'll have to go to the chief's house." "all righdt," answered carl, "schust so you don'd fly avay und leaf me." "you can bet we won't do that, carl. we'll wait until you get there before we start." the two chums separated in front of the hotel, carl walking rapidly toward police headquarters, and matt turning toward the outskirts of the town and striding away in the direction of the black smoke from the rolling mills. ferral, once more in his sailor rig, was out in front of the balloon house, and gave a yell when he saw matt coming down the road. matt dropped the satchel and lunch box over the fence at the roadside, jumped after them, and then started across the swampy stretch of ground. "ahoy, old raggie!" whooped ferral, whose enthusiasm seemed to have grown during the night. "our ship's pulling at her cables, just as though she's as anxious to get away as we are. where's carl?" "i sent him to the police department after those papers the chief was to get for us," replied matt. "here's some breakfast for you, dick. better get on the outside of it as soon as you can. by the way, haven't you some luggage in chicago you'll want to get?" "i sent all my luggage through to quebec. when i travel, matt, i always travel light. mighty nice of you to remember my 'scran,'" ferral added, as he took the box matt handed him. while he was eating, the two officers came around the end of the building. "our orders was to pull out as soon as you got here, king," said one of them. "you're goin' to leave purty soon, anyhow, ain't you?" "just as soon as we can get the hawk out of the shed. our dutch pard will be here by that time." "i'd like to stay and see you off, but the old woman'll have my breakfast ready, an' there's always a row if i don't get there while it's hot. good-by, an' good luck to you." "the same to you, officer." the policeman started off toward the road, and matt went around to the front of the balloon house to open the doors. the doors comprised almost the whole end of the building, and when they were open, the interior of the shed was well lighted by the sun. the hawk seemed fit and ready for any work she might be called upon to do. as matt looked at the great swaying bag, the light car and its trim machinery, he experienced a pride in the air ship he had never before known. this was because the hawk belonged partly to him, now. while in the balloon house, the air ship was not moored with ropes, but was weighted down with sand bags hung to the under side of the car. a pull of a lever would release all the sand bags. there was a supply of gasoline in the shed, and also a small amount of oil. matt filled the gasoline tank and the oil tank, saw that all ropes belonging to the car were safely stowed, and that propeller and steering rudder were working properly. by the time he had finished his survey, ferral had got through with his breakfast and had joined him. "see anything of carl, dick?" asked matt. "he wasn't in sight when i came in," replied ferral. "probably the chief wasn't at his office and carl had to go to his house. he'll be along pretty soon, though. it's a fine morning for the start. hardly a breath of air stirring." matt stowed his maps and compass in a little locker close to the driver's chair. "we've got to have a compass, eh?" grinned ferral. "it's just as well to have one," said matt. "and charts! keelhaul me, mate, but this is just like putting to sea in a ship." "it's about the same thing." "only when we make landfall we drop to it. but what's the good of the charts? we'll be off soundings all the time, and no danger of bouncing up on a reef." "it's a good thing to keep track of the towns we pass. if we need gas, we want to be able to figure on reaching a town big enough to supply it." "right-o, mate. i'll lay a month's pay your head's level on the whole business, and that you've figured out everything connected with the cruise. are we going to follow the railroad?" "not much, dick! we're going to strike a bee line for where we want to go. that's the beauty of traveling in an air ship. you don't have to go around a mountain, or hunt for a place to cross a stream." "strike me lucky, mate," jubilated ferral, rubbing his hands, "i'm mighty glad i stopped over in chicago to see you, and that we were able to get our hooks on this air ship. the way the thing fell out, it seems like that was how it was meant to be. everything that's happened has steered us both for the hawk. if i hadn't dropped into that trap brady, jr., laid for me, i wouldn't have been out in the lake; and if you hadn't come along in the hawk, just when you did, i couldn't have saved my money; and if you hadn't picked me up, money and all, that other lubber would have got ahead of us and grabbed the air ship. oh, we've been main lucky, all around." "what will your uncle say," quizzed matt, "when you write him you have bought an interest in an air ship?" "bless the old chap! why, matey, anything i do is all right for uncle jack. if i'd bought a menagerie, or a steam calliope, the old boy would have clapped me on the shoulder and said i'd done well." "well," laughed matt, "that's mighty nice--for you. suppose we get the hawk out of the shed? by the time we do that, carl ought to be here." "aye, aye, my hearty! how do you go to work to warp the craft out of her berth? you'll have to tell me what to do, until i can learn the ropes." "all we've got to do," said matt, "is just to take hold of the car and pull the air ship through the door. these sand bags hold her steady. be careful, though, that the gas bag don't strike the side of the door. it would cost us a lot of money, and delay us for a week or two, if we were unlucky enough to rip the fabric." by working carefully, the boys got the front part of the hawk through the end of the shed and into the open air. matt was at the front of the car, and ferral was at the rear. while the young motorist bent to his work, he heard a noise as of running feet. straightening himself quickly, he whirled around. four roughly dressed men were rushing at him from the corner of the shed. the rascals were plainly hostile, as their clinched fists and their scowling faces proved. one of the scoundrels, who was within arm's length of matt, halted and aimed a blow at him. matt deftly evaded the blow. by then the others were near enough to take part in the set-to. "this way, dick!" yelled motor matt, as he struck down one of the ruffians. chapter viii. the plot of the brady gang. the attack of the four men had been engineered with a suddenness that took matt's breath. the men were not common hoodlums, although they looked the part, but all four of them were men whom matt recognized. they were all members of the brady gang. one was grove, who had escaped from the south chicago authorities on the preceding afternoon; another was harper, who used to drive the hawk for brady when the air ship was in his possession; another man was pete, and the fourth was whipple. matt had seen a picture of harper in the "rogues' gallery" in the chief's office, and he had had no difficulty in recognizing the rascal at a glance. harper had been with grove at the time some blue prints were stolen from hamilton jerrold, another inventor of air ships, living in south chicago. but harper had been hurt in jerrold's house and had not got away in the air ship, which the thieves had used to help them commit their robbery. pete and whipple had been with brady in a rendezvous in willoughby's swamp, near lake station, indiana. matt had had some exciting dealings with grove, pete, and whipple, and knew them fairly well. ferral, hearing matt's cry and the rush of feet, had run out of the shed and around the front of the car. as quickly as he could, he leaped to matt's assistance. but what could the two boys accomplish against four husky men, all desperately determined to carry out the plot they had formed? officers of the law were hunting for all of them, and if they did not succeed in their nefarious work, it would not be many hours before they saw the inside of a prison cell. matt king never fought better than he did then. he had struck down whipple, and had thrown himself at pete. about the same time, ferral engaged grove. grove had science as well as strength, and was keeping ferral pretty well occupied. whipple, wild with fury, staggered to his feet. he was behind matt, and ferral, out of the corner of his eye, saw him preparing to strike. "look out, mate!" warned ferral. "there's a big swab behind you!" but the warning came too late. whipple's ham-like fist reached matt's head, and the young motorist staggered and flung up his arms. again the enraged whipple aimed a blow, but matt dropped to one side, and the fist only grazed his shoulder. pete, however, had been watching his chance. throwing himself forward, he dealt a fierce blow with his fist that toppled matt to the ground. harper, meantime, had come up behind ferral and successfully carried out the same manoeuvre that had been made use of by whipple. both boys were brutally knocked off their feet. the moment they were down, harper fell on ferral and pete dropped on matt, when whipple turned on grove. "go ter the side o' the shed, grove," said he, "an' keep yer eyes skinned along the road. if ye see anyone comin', jest let out a yell." "what's the use of fooling around here any longer?" demanded grove. "we've got the car, and all we have to do now is to get into her and let the police look up at us." "do as i tell ye!" bawled whipple. "our work ain't done yet. the ole man told us what ter do with king, an' we're goin' ter do it. he's played hob with brady's plans, an' the ole man is crazy ter git even. t'other chap, bein' with king, 'll have ter stand fer the same dose." grove, muttering to himself, moved off toward the corner of the balloon house. whipple, hurrying to the car, took out a coil of rope. it was not heavy rope, but fine and pliable. cutting off four pieces of the rope, whipple went to matt. the young motorist was still dazed from the blows he had received, and it was not difficult for pete to hold him while whipple tied his wrists at his back and his feet at the ankles. thereupon whipple passed to dick and secured him in the same way. "anyone in sight yet, grove?" whipple asked as he straightened up. "no," replied grove. "well, keep yer eyes peeled. we're a good ways from bein' through." he turned to harper and pete. "lay holt o' the car, you two," he ordered, "an' pull the hawk clear o' the shed. mind ye don't let the gas bag tech the sides o' the door." "this ain't the first time i've helped with the hawk," said harper. "i reckon i know how ter handle her as well as anyone." harper and pete managed to get the air ship out of the shed without injury. this left the opening into the shed clear. "you two," whipple went on to pete and harper, "pick up that other feller an' kerry him in. i can handle king, all right." the way whipple handled matt was to grab him by the collar and drag him through the door and the length of the shed. at the end of the big room he opened a door and pulled matt into a small chamber not more than ten feet square by as many high--hardly more than a big box. there was a window in one wall, and two cots at each side. halting in front of one of the cots, whipple picked matt up in his arms and dumped him upon the narrow bed. "put your kid on the other cot," ordered whipple to harper and pete. ferral was lifted and placed as the leader of the gang had directed. matt had been conscious of every move that was made, although his mind had not been at all clear. by the time he had been placed on the cot, however, his faculties were as keen as ever, in spite of the pain he suffered on account of his rough treatment. "what are you trying to do, whipple?" he demanded, turning his head so he could look directly into the face of the leader of the gang. "what we're tryin' ter do we've as good as done," was the fierce answer. "we're undoin' the thing you done a week er more ago. the perlice are after us, on account o' you, an' we're goin' ter make a getaway in the hawk." "the hawk belongs to me and my friend, on the other cot." "how d'ye figger that out? i reckoned the hawk belonged ter brady." "brady is a thief. he stole a lot of stuff, and the hawk was sold to help pay back the losses of some of the people who were robbed." "oh, ho!" laughed whipple, huskily, "that's the way of it, eh? an' you an' yer chum bought the hawk?" "yes. if you steal her you'll get into trouble--a lot more trouble than you're in already. i guess you've got more now than you can take care of." "an' it was you as made the trouble fer us!" cried whipple, with a black scowl, stepping closer to matt and shaking a fist in his face. "but you're right at the end o' your rope, my buck. brady never fergits a feller who crosses his plans like you done. arter we leave here it won't be you that makes the trouble fer us." "is brady in this?" queried matt, seeking information. "he's on deck, you bet, an' we're goin' ter pick him up close ter willoughby's swamp; then we're goin' ter cross the lake an' come down in a place where we'll be safe fer a spell. while we got the hawk we're safe from the perlice, all right, but we got our operations ter attend to." "more robbery, i suppose." "suppose what ye blam' please, ye'll never be able ter tell anyone what ye're hearin' from me now. what we're goin' ter do to you an' yer chum'll teach others ter let hector brady an' his gang alone. if i----" just then a shrill whistle came to the ears of those in the little room. "listen to that!" exclaimed pete, in consternation. "somebody's comin'!" gasped harper. "if we don't make a run out of this we'll be nabbed." whipple jumped to a gas bracket against one of the rough board walls. it was not an ordinary bracket, but had a wide mouth to which a piece of hose could be attached. this had been used by the police officials to replenish the gas in the silk envelope of the hawk. with one jerk of his hand whipple turned the gas full on. "get out!" he called to the two with him. pete and harper tumbled through the door into the shed. whipple hurried after them but paused a moment on the threshold to give a wild, taunting laugh. "that's what brady told us ter do," said he, savagely, "an' we've done it. git clear o' this, if ye can!" with that, whipple slammed the door. the fate to which the murderous scoundrel had consigned the two boys was a fearful one. even as the door closed, matt could smell the odor of gas pouring into the small room and poisoning the air. "dick!" he called. "can you hear me? do you know what has been going on?" "aye, aye, old ship," came from ferral. "we're bound for jones', as straight as we can go. we've lost the hawk, and probably we've lost our lives. hard luck!" "hard luck!" exclaimed matt. "why, dick, it's the hardest luck i ever had come my way. but there's a chance." "what sort of a chance, mate? i can't see any." "grove, one of the gang, was left outside to watch. he was to whistle if anyone came along the road. didn't you hear him give the warning? if anyone is coming, we can bring them here. use your lungs, pard! yell for all you're worth! our lives may depend on it!" fighting frenziedly to free themselves of the ropes about their hands, the boys shouted at the top of their voices for help. they could feel the vitiated air of the room bringing their breath short and hard, and they knew that their voices were getting feebler by degrees. desperately they continued to call, hoping against hope that they would be heard, and that some one would come to their aid before it was too late. chapter ix. carl is surprised. carl, when he left the hotel to call on the chief in accordance with motor matt's instructions, left his satchel in care of the clerk. in going to the balloon house, after he had transacted his business at police headquarters, he would have to return past the hotel, and by leaving the satchel he would not have to bother with it during his call on the chief. it was very early, too early for the chief to be in his office. nor was harris at headquarters. no one there knew of any papers that had been left for matt. carl was disappointed, for he was in a hurry to rejoin his friends at the balloon house. nevertheless, matt had told him to be sure and see the chief, and so carl inquired his way to that official's house. when he arrived at the house, carl found that the chief had left and gone to headquarters; so the disgusted german turned around and made his way back to the chief's office. the head of the department had not yet arrived there, having been delayed somewhere on the road. carl had to wait half an hour. when the chief finally came, carl got to him at once and asked about the papers. "they're here, all right," smiled the official. "i would have sent them to matt last night, only i was so busy trying to find that escaped prisoner, grove, that the matter slipped my mind. you lads are going to start off in the air ship, are you?" "sure," answered the impatient carl, "oof i efer ged dose bapers and meet matt like vat he saidt. i don'd vant dem fellers to go off mitoudt me." "oh, i guess they won't do that! where are you going?" "py new york. anyhow, dot vas our bresent indentions." "new york? great scott! do you think that----" "i vas in a pig hurry, chief," interrupted carl, wildly. "you see, i haf peen more as an hour looking for you, und i vas vay late meeding matt und tick. oof you vill blease handt ofer dose bapers, i vill shlide oudt so kevick as bossiple." the chief pulled a sealed envelope from a pigeonhole in his desk and handed it to carl. "there you are," said he. "if matt hears anything about brady, or the rest of his gang, tell him to be sure and let me know." "he vill do dot, you bed you. he iss as anxious to haf brady captured as anypody." "he ought to be. brady will do everything he can to get even with matt for the havoc matt has played with the gang. and that's what leads me to believe matt may see something of him. tell your friend that----" but carl waited for no more. he had already lost more time than he could well afford. bolting out of the chief's office, he made a rush for the hotel. there he secured his satchel and started along the road toward the rolling mills. the drops rolled off carl's face as he hurried. as soon as he struck the beginning of the road that ran past the swampy meadow, he kept his eyes in the direction of the balloon house. it was several minutes before he sighted the big building, and then it was far off and could be seen only indistinctly. swiftly he drew nearer and nearer. as the building came more prominently into view, he was able to make out the air ship, swaying in front. "dey haf got der hawk oudt oof der house!" he muttered. "dey're alretty to go, und dey vas only vaiting for me." even as carl was congratulating himself on the fact that he was not going to be left behind, he was astounded to see the hawk move upward and away from the balloon house. he was still so far away that he could not see those in the car, and a terrific fear shivered along his nerves. "himmelblitzen!" he groaned, "i vouldn't haf t'ought it bossiple! dey vas leafing me in der lurch. modor matt, der pest friendt vat i efer hat, iss skyhooting avay mitoudt his dutch bard! vat iss der meaning oof dot?" for a few moments carl stood rooted to the ground. then he had an idea. "meppy matt und tick vas coming pack tovards town to pick me oop!" he murmured, and continued to stand still and watch. but the hawk did not turn around and come in carl's direction. on the contrary, it kept moving off toward the south and west. "ach, vat a pad pitzness!" groaned carl. "matt!" he yelled, as loud as he could, starting to run along the road and waving his satchel as he went, "vy don'd you vait for your dutch pard, matt? haf you gone back on me?" if carl's voice had been strong enough to reach a mile, his yelling might have ascended to the ears of those in the car. as it was, however, carl might as well have shouted into the empty air. but he was excited, and hardly knew what he was about. when he came opposite the balloon house he hardly gave it a look; and he was making so much noise himself that he was unable to hear the calls coming from the small addition in the rear of the big shed. on and on along the road went carl, keeping up his frenzied pace. he got beyond the big mills, and then, after he had got past the smoke from their huge chimneys, he saw that the air ship had disappeared. utterly dejected, and tired out with his hard run, he sat down on a rock near the roadside. "i nefer vouldt haf t'ought dot oof modor matt," he wheezed mournfully. "all along i haf hat some hunches dot i vouldn't ged avay in dot air ship py new york. vell, vell! der pest friendt vat i efer hat has vent pack on me, und i vas a shdray dutchman mit fife tollars in my bocket und no blace to go." while carl mused in this lugubrious strain, a girl came toward him along the road. her clothes were dusty, and her face was haggard. she was pretty, in spite of her weariness and her coarse clothes, and there was a dauntless gleam in her dark eyes. when she came close to carl she paused. carl pulled off his hat. "vas you in some drouples, too, miss?" he asked. "oof you vas, den ve ought to be some pooty goot gompany. misery lofes gompany, dey say, und i vas so full oof misery as i can't dell." the girl stared at him wonderingly for a moment. "are you acquainted with the country around here?" she asked. "i ought to know it, but i never came into south chicago before by this road." "vell, i know somet'ing aboudt it," replied carl. "for vy do you make dose inkviries?" "i'm looking for the balloon house where they keep the air ship called the hawk," was the astounding reply. carl leaped off the stone as though he had been touched by a live wire. "sure i know dot!" he cried. "vat for do you vant to know?" "i must hurry and get there," answered the girl. "i've walked a long ways, and i'm pretty tired, but i've got to reach the balloon house." "der hawk don'd vas dere any more," said carl. the girl clasped her hands. "you mean to say that the hawk has been taken away so soon?" "vell, she don'd vas oxactly daken. you see, der bard vat i hat has gone pack on me und he skyhooted off mit der hawk, leafing me behindt." "when was this?" asked the girl, excitedly. "schust a leedle vile ago. ter hawk only schust got oudt oof sight. couldn't you see it? oof you hat looked oop you vould sure haf seen der air ship." "oh," cried the girl, tearfully, "then i'm too late! and i tried so hard to get here. i hadn't any money, you see, and i had to walk." "how far haf you valked?" "all the way from lake station." "ach, chimineddy! dot vas too pad, i bed you. who you vas? i haf fife tollars, und you can haf dot." carl pulled the crumpled bill out of his pocket and tried to push it into the girl's hand. but she would not take it. "no, no," said she. "my name is helen brady, and i----" carl grew rigid. his amazement was growing. "vy," he cried, "den you vas prady's daughter, eh? der vone vat heluped modor matt ged avay from villoughy's svamp mit der hawk dot time he prought two oof der gang indo sout' chicago?" "yes, yes," returned the girl. "i am the same helen brady who helped motor matt. if the air ship is gone from the balloon house, then it wasn't matt who sailed away with her, but four of my father's men." carl was electrified. "ach, i ditn't t'ink my olt bard, modor matt, could dreat me in sooch a vay as dot!" he exclaimed. "vat has pecome oof matt und verral?" "oh, i don't know," answered the girl. "i'm afraid that some awful trouble has come to them. we must hurry to the balloon house and see." "yah, you bed you!" cried carl. "meppy i can gif you some helup on der vay? you vas more tired as me--und you valked from lake station! himmelblitzen! vat you t'ink oof dot! a leedle girl like you valk all der vay from lake station! come, und ve vill got togedder py der palloon house." carrying his satchel in his left hand, with his right carl grasped the girl's arm and helped her along the road. they did not proceed at a very rapid pace, but they walked much faster than the girl could have done had she been compelled to go on alone. "vat iss der drouple, anyvay?" asked carl. "vy you vas valking to der palloon house?" "there is a plot," answered the girl, "a plot to steal the air ship and to do some harm to motor matt. matt helped me, that time he took the air ship away from the swamp, and i want to help him. but i'm afraid i'm too late, too late." the girl's voice and manner all convinced carl that there was something very serious the matter. the theft of the air ship would have been bad enough, in itself, but there was a chance that harm had befallen matt. excited and anxious, carl toiled on along the road, helping the girl and keeping his eyes on the balloon house, just as he had done when he had approached it from the direction of town--only he was even more wildly anxious now than he was then. chapter x. helen brady's clue. matt remembered the awful moment when he felt his senses leaving him, when the interior of the bare little room swam on his sight and was blotted out in a black mist. after that he could remember nothing until he opened his eyes in the bright sunlight, and saw the strangely familiar face of a girl bending over him. for a brief space his clearing senses grappled with the situation helplessly; then, as the clear outer air drove from his lungs the poison he had been breathing, his faculties regained their normal condition. "helen brady!" he mumbled, sitting up. "yah, you bed you!" whooped carl, from a little distance away. "dot vas helen prady, matt, und oof it hatn't peen for her, you und tick vould haf peen goners. helen prady is a pooty fine girl, you bed you. i dake off my hat to her any tay as you can findt in der veek. miss prady," and carl directed his admiring gaze at the girl, "allow me to make some remarks dot you vas a brick--und not a goldt brick, neider. she valked all der vay from lake station, matt, to safe you und tick!" carl was near ferral, who was likewise sitting up in front of the balloon house, only a little way off. "sink me, mate," cried ferral, "but we had a close call of it. we shook hands with davy jones--just about--and then miss brady and carl pulled us away from him." "i'm all twisted up about this," said matt, rubbing a hand across his eyes in a dazed way. "i'm all ahoo over it myself," put in ferral. "i'm glad i'm alive, but i can't understand how miss brady got here and helped us out of that scrape." "tell dem aboudt it, miss prady," urged carl. "you haf tone a mighdy fine t'ing, und matt und tick ought to know all aboudt it." "ever since you got away from willoughby's swamp with the hawk, matt," said helen, "i have been staying in lake station. my father, and pete, and whipple got out of the swamp by a secret way they knew about, very soon after you left. dad gave me some money and told me to find a place to stay in lake station. he was terribly ugly to me, and i was glad that i was going to be free from him for a while. there was a woman in the village who had some furnished rooms to rent, and i rented them and stayed there. i didn't see anything of dad until last night. i was in the other part of the house, visiting the woman who owned it, and when i went back to my rooms i saw a light shining through a window between the edge of the curtain and the sill. i listened and heard voices--then i knew that dad had found the place where i was staying, and had come there. "there was a way to get into the cellar, and i got into it and crept up a stairway without being heard. by sitting at the top of the stairs i could listen and hear all that was said. "whipple was in the room with dad, and they were talking over a scheme for getting hold of the hawk. officers of the law were hunting them, and, if they did not have the air ship, they felt that they would not be able to avoid arrest for very long. "whipple told dad how grove had managed to escape from the south chicago police, and dad told whipple how he had been out in a sailboat with my brother, and how they had tried to get some money from a young fellow my brother had met on the train, and how motor matt, with the hawk, had come along just in time to prevent the robbery. after that, my father said he and my brother had the sailboat set them ashore. my father had come to lake station, and had sent my brother to tell whipple to come to the same place. and that was how the two happened to meet in my rooms. "whipple, pete, and harper had been in hiding in willoughby's swamp, and that was the place to which grove came when he made his escape. "my father knew that the hawk was being kept by the police in the old balloon house, and that two officers were constantly on guard to see that no harm came to the machine. it was also known that motor matt was spending a good deal of time at the balloon house and running the air ship for the officers. "dad's plot centred about the balloon house. it was a risky plot, but dad told whipple they would all have to take desperate chances if they hoped to succeed in stealing the hawk and getting away in her. whipple agreed with dad, and they arranged between them that whipple, grove, harper, and pete were to get close to the balloon house in the early morning, steal the hawk, and sail away. if they were successful, they were to stop at the marsh for dad; and if they captured motor matt, whipple was to put him, securely bound, in the back room, behind the shed, and turn on the gas there." the girl shivered, and an expression of horror crossed her face. "i can't begin to tell you," she half sobbed, "how terribly i felt. motor matt had helped me, and i could not bear to think that my own father was--was----" helen paused, and it was a moment before she could recover herself and go on. "at first," she continued, "i thought of running into the room where dad was and begging him not to let whipple harm motor matt. but a little thought showed me that such a course would be foolish. not only would dad not listen to me, but he would probably make me a prisoner, so as to keep me from interfering with his plot. i had no money left, and the only thing i could do was to walk to south chicago, and try to get there before the plot was carried out. i got my hat--it was in a bedroom easily reached from the cellarway--and i started. "i walked miles and miles through the darkness, and at last i was so tired i had to sit down and rest. then i got up and started on again. every little while i would sit down for a few minutes. but i did not dare to stop very long, for fear i would not get to south chicago in time. "morning came, and i guided myself by the smoke from the rolling mills. just as i was about to give out entirely, i met carl." the girl turned her eyes toward the dutch boy. "und it vas a pooty goot t'ing dot miss prady met me schust ven she dit. i vas feeling pooty plue mit meinseluf, you bed you. you see, matt, it vas like dis: afder fooling aroundt und losing more dime as i vanted to, i got dose bapers from der chief. den i come pack py der hodel, get my sadchel, und hurry kevick along der roadt to der palloon house. ven i see der blace, oop goes der hawk in der air, und i t'ink, py shiminy, dot matt hat got tired oof vaiting und hat gone off py new york mitoudt his dutch bard. vell, meppy it vas some foolishness, aber i shaced afder dot air ship so fast as i couldt. sure i couldn't ketch der hawk, aber i vas oft my headt und ditn't shdop to t'ink. i schust run, und yelled, und got vay past der palloon house ven i med miss prady. as soon as she say a few t'ings, den i know dot it vasn't matt vat vent avay mit der hawk, but dot prady gang; und as soon as she say a few t'ings more, den i ged some vorries aboudt matt und tick. ve come pack py der palloon house togedder, miss prady und me, und ve go to dot leedle room pehindt der blace, und, whoosh! sooch a odor vat shtruck us in der faces ven ve obened der door. "vell, dere vas my bard, modor matt, lying shdill on der cot on vone site, und my odder bard, tick verral, lying shdill on der cot on der odder site. ve hat some vildness mit us ven ve t'ink you vas gone oop der shpout, aber ve turned off der gas, got you oudt oof der room und indo der glear air, und pooty kevick, pympy, you refifed. ach, it vas some habbiness for bot' oof us ven ve see dot!" matt and dick had listened to all this with deep interest. what most impressed them was the courage and determination shown by helen brady. matt reached out and clasped her hand. "you saved my life and dick's," said he, with feeling, "and that is something we'll never forget." "not if we live to be a thousand years old!" declared ferral. "you're a brave lass, miss brady, and i've an uncle who won't forget what you've done, either." "i only did what i thought i ought to do," said helen. "it was merely undoing a wrong of my father's, and it was no more than right that i should do what i could." "ach, matt," piped up carl, "aber you vas blaying in some hardt luck! und shdill, mit all dot, vasn't it pooty fine dot you got oudt oof dot tight blace mit your life, you und tick?" "right-o, matey!" agreed ferral heartily. "matt and i, between us, have lost the hawk, which means thirty-five hundred, in cold cash, but, all the same, we ought to shake hands over it and call ourselves well off." matt grabbed dick's hand. "shake!" said he. "a fellow never has such a run of hard luck but he can think a little and see where it might have been a whole lot worse." a puzzled look had come into helen's face. "how was it, matt," she queried, "that you and your friend lost so much money?" matt explained about the purchase of the air ship. as helen listened, her look of wonder changed to one of distress. "i am sorry!" she said, with a pang of deepest regret. "i know where dad and the rest have gone, though, and if you wanted to follow them, you might be able to get the air ship back." the information startled all three of the boys. "you know that?" cried matt, his face brightening. "yes. they are going to cross the lake to grand haven. there's a man in grand haven that dad knows. his name is ochiltree, dave ochiltree. dad is going to see him. i don't know where the rest will be with the hawk, but no doubt you could find out from ochiltree." "it's a clue, and a good one!" said matt. "we will follow it, helen." "aye, that we will!" exclaimed ferral. "you bed you!" averred carl. "sooch a goot luck as dot iss vat ve vas looking for. meppy ve follow der clue und get der air ship pack, den make anoder shtart for new york, hey?" an idea came suddenly to matt. leaping to carl, he grabbed him by the arm. "the eagle," said he, speaking rapidly, "has chased the hawk before. why not call on hamilton jerrold?" carl gave an exultant yell and tossed his cap. "dot's der fery t'ing, matt!" he declared. "oof dere iss enyvone in der whole vorldt as vouldt like to do modor matt a goot durn, it iss dot feller jerrold! led us go to him righdt avay, ad vonce, mitoudt losing some more dime!" chapter xi. jerrold gives his aid. "you've got me in a monkey's fist again," spoke up ferral. "what's all this about the eagle and hamilton jerrold?" "don'd you rememper, tick," said carl, "i toldt you aboudt dot odder feller in sout' chicago vat hat inventioned an air ship? his ship iss der eagle, und----" "aye, aye, mate, now i rise to you," interrupted ferral. "fine idea, that of chasing one air craft with another. the only point is, will this man jerrold let matt take his air ship?" "dot feller vouldt do anyt'ing for matt," averred carl. "matt got pack der plue brints for him, und he t'inks der king oof der modor poys iss der greadest feller vat efer habbened." "the quicker we can see jerrold," suggested matt, "the sooner we shall know whether or not he can help us. not only that, but i've got to report the theft of the air ship to the police." "who loses der air ship?" queried carl. "der bolice, oder matt und tick?" "matt and dick," answered ferral. "we had bought the machine, and if it had been stolen no more than a minute after the money had been turned over, we would still have been the ones to lose it. i don't know what sort of case you're in, matt, but i've got a head that feels as big as a barrel. if i could soak it awhile in cold water i think it would do it good." "my head was pretty near knocked off my shoulders," answered matt, "and then to inhale all that gas on top of the pounding, gave us a whole lot to stand. work is what we need, dick. if we can get busy we'll forget our troubles." the doors of the empty balloon house were closed, matt and carl gathered up their satchels, and they started back toward south chicago, ferral helping helen brady over the road. "some beople vill be surbrised ad seeing us come in valking mit ourselufs," observed carl, "ven ve vas going to rite der odder vay in der hawk. ve nefer know vone minid vat iss going to happen der next." this remark of carl's was generally agreed to. "what are you going to do now, helen?" asked matt, dropping alongside the girl and ferral. "your father has gone away and left you, and you will have to do something for yourself." "i know it," answered the girl. "what has become of your brother?" "i don't know where he has gone. he may go across the lake with dad, or he may stay in chicago. when dad talked with whipple, i didn't hear him say what hector was to do." "it's a good thing your father has left you, helen," said matt, "and if all i hear about your brother is true, i hope he won't come around to bother you." a sad look crossed the girl's face. with her father and her brother both criminals, her position was forlorn, indeed. "i have friends in chicago," said she, "and i could go and stay with them for a time." "that's the thing to do," approved matt. taking two ten-dollar bills from his pocket, he forced them into the girl's hand. "you've got to take the money," said he. "sometime, if you feel as though you ought to, you can pay me back, but don't let the debt bother you." "here," called ferral, diving into his own pocket and bringing up some money, "i'm in on this." "und me, too," said carl. "i vill dake five tollars' vort'." helen thanked all the boys, with tears in her eyes, but matt's was the only money she would take. "this will be enough for my immediate needs," said she, "and while i am staying in chicago, i can arrange to get something to do." by that time the little party was well into south chicago. the satchels were returned to the hotel, and carl was left with helen, to take her to a restaurant where she could get something to eat, and then to put her aboard a train for chicago. after that, carl was to make his way to jerrold's house. matt and dick, when they left their dutch chum and the girl, hurried to police headquarters. when the chief saw matt, he threw up his hands. "did your air ship give out on you?" he asked. "i thought you were well on your way to new york by this time." what matt had to say about the air ship nearly took the chief's breath. then, when he realized all that recent events meant, his temper got the better of him. "i've got a fine force of roundsmen and detectives," said he sarcastically, "when a pack of scoundrels we're looking for can pull off a trick like that right in the outskirts of town!" matt eased the chief's anger somewhat by telling him of the clue they had received as to brady's whereabouts, and he explained how he and his friends were going to get jerrold's air ship and follow the clue across the lake. "now that sounds mighty good," said the chief, a flicker of hope crossing his face, "and of course the south chicago police department ought to be represented in the expedition. suppose i send harris, in plain clothes, along with you? he knows st. jo, benton harbor, grand haven, and all those places across the lake like a native. he'll be a help. unless i'm mightily mistaken, this man ochiltree is an old-time crook, and has served a term or two in the 'pen.' anyhow, his name is familiar to me. but you boys are in a hurry and i won't detain you. go on to jerrold's. i'll have harris get into civilian's clothes and join you there." fifteen minutes later, matt and dick were at the inventor's rambling old house. hamilton jerrold himself answered matt's ring, caught him by the hand with the utmost cordiality, and ushered him and ferral into the sitting room. "it does my eyes good to see you again, matt," beamed jerrold. "you've been making some fine flights with the hawk for the police department. jupiter, but you're a wonder when it comes to handling anything that's driven with an explosive engine." matt flushed and made a deprecatory gesture. "it seems, mr. jerrold," said he, "that i never call on you except when i'm in trouble." the inventor took fresh interest. "you're in trouble now?" he asked, showing a good deal of concern. "i'm in the hardest kind of luck," went on matt, and he proceeded to explain how he and ferral had bought the hawk, and how brady had executed his balloon-house plot, stolen the machine, and almost caused a tragedy. hamilton jerrold had been himself entangled with brady and knew just what kind of a scoundrel he was. his experience with brady had left much bitterness in its wake, and jerrold was eager to do whatever he could to bring the leader of the brady gang to justice. apart from his own feelings in the matter, jerrold felt that motor matt had a claim on him. "the hawk," said jerrold, "is a good machine, but the eagle is a better one. we can cross the lake in the eagle and land wherever you want to, and it is needless for me to say, my boy, that both the air ship and myself are at your service." "thank you, mr. jerrold," returned matt gratefully. "is the eagle ready for use?" "during the last week payne and i have been improving her, and we did the very last tap on the car yesterday. all we have to do is to fill the tanks and put a little more gas in the bag--inside of an hour we can start." the boys accompanied jerrold into the back yard, where he had the air ship under a canvas shelter. payne, jerrold's assistant, was working around the car. as soon as jerrold had told payne what was wanted, the latter began making the eagle ready. "this is a great town for flying machines," remarked ferral, as he watched the operation of getting the craft ready for a voyage. "jerrold has done a whole lot toward solving the problem of aërial navigation," said matt. "it was his work that made the hawk as good as it is. you see, brady used to work for jerrold, and he stole most of his ideas for the hawk from the eagle." "a regular skull-and-cross-bones pirate, that brady," muttered ferral. "i hope we can lay him by the heels and cut short his lawless career." while the eagle was being made ready, harris and carl arrived together on the scene of operations. harris wore civilian clothes and looked like anything but a police officer. "well," said he, rubbing his hands, "this reminds me of that other time, matt, when carl and jerrold and i went chasing the hawk in order to get hold of you. i hope we'll have better success this trip than we had before." "ve vill," declared carl. "matt iss mit us, now, und dot means dot ve vill haf more luck. he iss der lucky poy, all der dime." "i don't know about that, carl," laughed matt a little grimly, "my luck seems to have taken a turn." "did you look after miss brady, carl?" queried ferral. "vell, i bed you. she hat a good meal, und den i pud her apoardt a drain for der city. she vanted me to say to you dot she vas mooch opliged." "we're under more obligations to her than she is to us," went on ferral. "kind of strange, it strikes me, that she should be willing to give us a tip about her father." "you wouldn't think it strange, dick," said matt warmly, "if you knew the girl better. she knows that her father, if he is not captured, will go on and on in crime until he does something that will earn him more than a mere prison sentence. she wants him captured, and the hawk taken away from him. that was her plan when brady captured me and held me a prisoner in willoughby's swamp. but she wouldn't leave her father when i came away. she considered it her duty to stay with him up to the very last moment. it's a good thing for her that her father went away like he did. now helen can look out for herself, and do it with a clear conscience." "all ready, friends," called jerrold. "step into the car and we'll start for michigan." payne was not to go with the searching party. jerrold, matt, carl, harris, and ferral were to be the passengers. all climbed aboard and took the places to which jerrold assigned them. jerrold himself was to run the motor, but he had matt near by to "spell" him now and then. carl and ferral were to act as lookouts, and were placed as far forward as the car would allow them to go. ferral's position was almost opposite matt's. the stability of the air ship depended a good deal on its "trim," and the positions taken by the passengers at the start were to be kept throughout the trip. weighted bags at each end of the cigar-shaped envelope were used for giving the required angle for rising or falling. the pull of a lever drew in the bag at the forward point, and the eagle inclined upward. payne had already pulled aside the top of the canvas protection. "all ready," said he. the motor was started, and presently the power was switched into the propeller. the air ship took the push and arose slowly and easily into the air. "ve're off!" shouted carl. "i hope, py shinks, nodding goes wrong und ve come down in der lake. verral und i haf peen in der lake vonce, und it don'd vas any fun, i tell you dot." chapter xii. grand haven. jerrold soon demonstrated the fact that the eagle was a much faster craft than the hawk. as already stated, there was scarcely any wind, so the eagle had practically no adverse air current to contend against. pointing the air ship east by south, jerrold tuned up the engine, and the speed they made was marvelous. they could form a tolerable idea of the swiftness of their flight by watching the surface of the earth, some five hundred feet below them. "she's certainly a swifter craft than the hawk," remarked ferral. "i will improve the hawk for you," said jerrold, "so she will be just as swift as the eagle." "oof ve efer ged der hawk pack, vich ve don'd know," struck in carl. "we _must_ get her back," averred matt. "the biggest trouble with air ships equipped with gasoline," continued jerrold, "is the fact that the slightest change in the temperature affects the buoyancy. even a cloud over the sun will cause the gas to contract, and the difference in heat thrown off by the sun at morning and noon will expand the gas and also disturb the equilibrium. now i have an improvement that remedies that. it consists of a smaller bag inside the gas bag, filled with a vapor of my own invention. when the buoyancy of the outer bag decreases, that of the inner bag increases, and _vice versa_. that gives us a unit of buoyancy which is always the same, and leaves the propeller free to carry us in any direction." "greadt!" cried carl. "i don'd ondershtand vat you vas gedding ad, aber i bed it vas somet'ing fine. ach!" and he looked downward, "here ve go ofer der lake. i hope dere iss some ships all along der vay, so dot oof anyt'ing habbens ve can trop down ondo vone oof dem." "don't worry about our dropping into the water, carl," smiled jerrold, "for there is absolutely no danger of that." in an hour the eagle was out of sight of land. the sails of one or two schooners could be seen far away on the horizon, but they were too far off to be considered "company." as the eagle plowed on and on through the sunny air, with never a hitch or a sign of anything going wrong, carl's fears slowly subsided and he took delight in this novel experience of crossing a large body of water. for a time, matt relieved jerrold at the motor. so far as the young motorist could see, the eagle handled as easily as the hawk; besides that, there were points of superiority about her, in addition to speed, as compared with the brady air ship. for three hours the eagle was over the lake, and then ferral, with a shout, announced: "land ho, messmates, right under our fore foot!" harris examined the shore line, critically. a little later, when they were nearer, he turned to jerrold. "we're a bit south of grand haven," said he, "about two miles, i should judge. i can see the cottages on the trolley line that follows the lake shore." jerrold was about to shift the steering rudder so as to point the eagle directly for the town, when matt interposed. "it strikes me," said matt, "that it would be better for us to land outside the town and go in on the trolley. if we took the eagle over the place, the whole town would be out to see us. that would make it impossible for us to take this ochiltree by surprise, and might give brady and his gang a chance to clear out." "that's a level-headed suggestion," declared harris. "an air ship arouses everybody's curiosity, and if brady and his gang saw us, or heard about us, they'd know at once that we were on their track with the eagle. make a landing on the lake shore, jerrold. that ought to be easy, as the beach is clear of obstructions and covered with good white sand." "it's never hard for me to make a landing with the eagle," said jerrold. "i can come down anywhere, and ascend from anywhere." he took a look over the side. "right ahead looks like an excellent place," he went on, as he drew back. "the trees run right down to the beach, and there are no houses near. that means that our descent will be screened, and that we'll not arouse so much curiosity as we would if we alighted in a more populous place." instructed by carl, ferral, and harris, jerrold brought the air ship to rest on the beach without the slightest difficulty. "now to call on this fellow ochiltree," said harris briskly, as he stepped out of the car. "we can't all go, and i'd suggest that carl stay here with jerrold and watch the car while matt, ferral, and i call on the police department here and see if we can find out where ochiltree lives." carl's face fell. if there was going to be any trouble, he had hoped that he would have as big a part in it as any of the rest of them. ferral, noting carl's long face, clapped him on the back. "don't go into the doldrums, my hearty," cried ferral. "if brady and his gang should find out that the eagle is here, you and jerrold may have more trouble on your hands than the rest of us." carl brightened visibly. "py shinks," said he, "i hatn't t'ought oof dot. aber you bed you can drust us to dake care oof der eagle." without waiting longer, harris led matt and ferral through the timber and to the tracks of the trolley line. they had not long to wait before a car came along, headed toward grand haven. apparently, neither the conductor nor the motorman had seen the descent of the eagle, for they had nothing to say about the air ship. "we're playing in great luck, right at the start-off," said harris, in a low tone. "in how many places in this country, do you think, could an air ship come down without having a curious crowd around it inside of five minutes? not many, i'll bet; and yet, here we make a landing in the midst of a summer resort and not so much as a dog comes out to bark at us." "a good thing for us, too," returned ferral. "if there's anything to be accomplished in grand haven, we can do it, for all the odds are in our favor." "exactly," said harris. "that's the point i was trying to make." in ten minutes they reached grand haven, and in fifteen minutes they were at police headquarters, and harris was having an interview with the head of the department. harris was not long with that official, and when he came out he took a chair between matt and ferral. "prospects are bright," said he. "the chief here knows all about ochiltree, and says he's a shady character and has a record. we've got to wait for a few minutes for a plain-clothes man who is going with us to call on the party." "did the chief say anything about another air ship?" asked matt. "i was coming to that," went on harris. "yes, another air ship was seen crossing over the town about two hours ago. everybody was out to look at it, and the chief says there were four or five men in the car." "that would be whipple, pete, harper, and brady," put in matt. "that's the way i had figured it out. young brady wasn't picked up by the other four that got the hawk away from you at the balloon house. it would be a great piece of work if we could capture the whole gang." just then a small man, with a restless black eye and a beak-like face, pushed up to where harris and the boys were talking. "my name's dennison," said he. "the chief has told me what you wanted, and i'm to take you to ochiltree's place." harris gave dennison his name and introduced matt and ferral. "we hadn't better lose much time," suggested dennison. "the fellow we're looking for is usually at home this time of the day." "the quicker we can wind this up, the better," said harris. "lead the way, dennison, and we'll be right behind you." the course they followed took them across the river and then along the opposite bank in the direction of the life-saving station. there, in a patch of scrub, they came upon a small, shanty-like house. as a precautionary move, dennison went around to the back door, and left harris and the boys to present themselves at the front. it was well this precaution was taken. although harris rapped and pounded, no one answered his summons for several minutes. when a voice was finally heard from within the house, it was dennison's. "come in, harris," he called. "if the front door's locked, come around to the back of the house." the front door, however, was not locked. harris and the boys opened it and walked in. they found dennison, revolver in hand, standing in front of a sulky, black-whiskered man, who was sitting in a chair. "he didn't like your looks," explained dennison, "and so he wouldn't open the door. on the contrary, he tried to get away by the rear of the house, and so ran into me. all that looks suspicious, on the face of it." "i'm tryin' ter do an honest turn," growled ochiltree, "an' you cops keep naggin' me. it's a wonder i don't go wrong, when ye're all expectin' me to." "what did you try to duck by the back way for?" demanded dennison. "i ain't anxious fer callers," was the sullen response. "has brady been here to see you?" "brady?" queried ochiltree. "who's brady?" "come, ochiltree, that won't go down. you haven't forgotten your old friend brady, have you?" "never heard o' such a feller. if he's----" matt, who had been looking curiously around the room, glimpsed some one through the front window, stealthily approaching the house. "hist!" the young motorist whispered, turning to harris. "here comes harper, now." ochiltree began to squirm uneasily in his chair. "luck again!" muttered harris exultantly. "keep ochiltree covered, dennison, and be sure he doesn't open his mouth to call a warning. i'll take care of harper. he's one of the gang and can give us a line on brady." harris stole noiselessly to the door. matt likewise crowded up close to it on the other side. the instant harper rapped, harris flung the door open, and he and matt grabbed the astounded caller and dragged him into the room. chapter xiii. the line on brady. harper's astonishment was so profound as to be ludicrous. naturally he could not recognize harris, even as being a policeman, but he could hardly fail to be astounded at seeing matt and ferral. with a revolver in his hand, harris drove harper into a chair beside ochiltree. "what--what's the meanin' o' this?" asked harper, in faltering tones, his bewildered eyes roaming from matt to ferral, and then to ochiltree. "you'll find out the meaning of it before you're many minutes older," answered harris, with a snap of the jaw. "why, you murderous hound," he went on, "how can you look at king, there, and at his friend, ferral, and find the nerve to put such a question? i suppose you've forgotten how you tied these two lads, put them in the little room back of the balloon house, and then turned on the gas?" "it wasn't me done that," protested harper. "it was you, just as much as it was whipple or pete. the law won't make any fine distinctions, i can tell you, when it comes to playing even for that bit of dastardly work. you're in a hard row of stumps, harper. i don't know as anything can be done to help you, either, but if you show a disposition to help us, it won't hurt you any." "nothin' happened to them two kids," growled harper, recovering a little of his courage, "an' i knew all the time they'd get clear." "use the soft pedal!" warned harris. "you didn't have any such notion. anyhow, the law will handle you almost as it would if both boys had been smothered to death. it wasn't anything to your credit that they got out of that room alive. but you're not the main object of our expedition. where's brady?" "who told you where we was?" asked harper, ignoring the question. "some one gave us the tip, and that's enough for you to know. where's brady?" "i don't know where he----" "yes, you do!" the muzzle of harris' revolver was pushed closer to harper's face. he cringed away from it with a frightened look in his eyes. "don't get careless with that," he whined. "i'm not goin' to run away." "you're right you're not. it wouldn't do you any good if you did try. where's brady? i'm not going to ask you many times." "who're you?" demanded harper. "what right you got to ask me things like that?" "i'm an officer from south chicago," and harris pulled back his coat and showed the badge pinned to his vest. "and i," spoke up dennison, going through the same movements, "am a grand haven officer. you're nigged good and plenty, my man. if you know when you're well off, you'll help rather than hinder this game we're playing." harper cast an appealing look at ochiltree. the latter met the look savagely. "what ye lookin' at me fer?" he snapped. "i don't know you--never seen ye before in my life. ye can see what trouble ye've got me in by comin' here. take him away an' jug him," ochiltree added, turning to harris. "he's nothin' ter me, an' i'd like ter have ye git him out o' this house as soon as ye kin." "we'll jug the two of you, ochiltree," answered dennison grimly, "until we find out just where you stand in this business." ochiltree relapsed into his chair with a black scowl. this byplay between ochiltree and the officer did not serve to make harper any more easy in his mind. "are you going to tell us anything about brady?" demanded harris. "i'm waiting." "what's it goin' to mean to me?" asked harper, wishing to drive some sort of a bargain on his own account. "it may help you, but i'm making no promises." harper bowed his head and, for a moment, thought the matter over. evidently he made up his mind that he was cornered, and that it would be well for him to take a chance at doing something for himself. "what do you want to know?" he queried. "where is brady?" repeated harris. "he's out on the trolley line that leads toward grand rapids." "is the hawk there?" "yes. something went wrong with the hawk's motor, and brady sent me after ochiltree while he was tinkering with the machinery." "sent you after ochiltree, did he?" echoed harris. "why was that?" "give it up. i guess brady was plannin' to have ochiltree help him to steer clear of the law." "consarn you!" flared ochiltree, glaring at harper. "what ye tryin' ter git me inter this thing fer? i'll admit i useter know brady," he went on, turning to dennison and harris, "but i ain't had a thing ter do with him fer years. why he comes to me now, like this, is more'n i know." "it looks bad for you, ochiltree," commented dennison. "i know that," scowled ochiltree, "an' all because o' this mutt. he's doin' his best ter ring me in on the deal, but i'll swear i ain't got a thing ter do with it." "we'll find that out for ourselves." "how far is the hawk from town?" queried harris, again taking up his line of questioning with harper. "about two miles," was the prisoner's answer. "how'll we know the place when we get to it?" "there's a broken oak close to a platform where the cars stop to take on an' let off passengers. ye can't miss the place. get off at the platform and walk to the right, straight into the timber." "was brady to wait there until you and ochiltree joined him?" "yes." "how long will it take brady to repair the hawk?" "he figured on a couple of hours." "who's with him?" "pete and whipple." "no one else?" "no." "what's become of hector, jr.?" "he's gone east. brady thought hector, jr., had better cut out of chicago after what happened on the lake." "i see." harris turned to dennison. "we've got a good line on brady," he continued. "we'll take harper and ochiltree to the lockup, and then we'll pick up another officer and go to the platform by the blasted oak, and----" "i know the place," broke in dennison. "i've passed it a dozen times on the way to grand rapids. the quicker we pull off the rest of this the better." "my notion to a t, y, ty." harris snapped a pair of iron bracelets about harper's wrists, while dennison gave the same delicate attention to ochiltree. "i'm blamed if i can understand why ye're treatin' me in this way," growled ochiltree. "your actions are suspicious," replied the grand haven officer. "i can't keep crooks from callin' on me," protested ochiltree. "well, you'd better," was the significant response. "come along, ochiltree, and come peaceably." ferral walked on one side of ochiltree, and matt walked on one side of harper. with this escort, the two prisoners were removed from the house, taken across the river and conducted to police headquarters. if success was to attend the rest of the officers' movements, there was no time to be lost. the two prisoners had been paraded through the town, and there was the possibility that the news of their arrest might reach brady and his men in advance of the arrival of harris and dennison. another officer was secured. while the three plain-clothes men were waiting for the car, harris endeavored to persuade matt and ferral to go back to the eagle and leave the rest of the work to him, and dennison, and the other officer. "keelhaul me if i cut adrift at this stage of the game," answered ferral. "why, it's just beginning to get exciting." "i feel the same way, harris," spoke up matt. "if brady does any shooting, matt," answered harris, "you can gamble that it will be in your direction. the scoundrel has got it in for you, and he'll take any chance to play even, no matter what it costs him." "i'll look out for myself," said matt confidently. "besides, harris, you're overlooking one important point. "what's that?" "suppose brady hasn't got the hawk in shape. it would be necessary for some one that understands a gasoline motor to lay hold and finish the job. who could do that, if i wasn't along?" there was a brief silence, broken at last by dennison. "the youngster is right," said he. "perhaps he'll be needed." "what's more," averred ferral, "matt and i own the hawk, and it's right and proper that we should be there to look after it. if there's any shooting, you fellows see that the air ship isn't hurt." "we'll do our best to look after the hawk," answered harris, "but we can't forget that the capture of brady and his men is our principal business." "here comes the car," announced dennison. "tumble aboard and we'll start off on the last lap of the chase." chapter xiv. the woods by the river. there was a wait on a siding, a little way out of town, for another car from grand rapids to pass on the single track of the trolley system. five minutes were lost, and ferral fretted and fumed. "take it easy, son," said harris soothingly. "we're on the way, you know, and a little wait like this isn't going to make much of a difference." "it might, matey," answered ferral. "a whole lot can happen in five minutes." at last the car got under headway again and rushed over the remaining distance. "i'd better get off alone," suggested dennison, just as the car began slowing up for the platform. "if brady has anyone watching the platform, the fellow won't know but that i'm ochiltree, or some one sent by ochiltree and harper. the rest of you go on a little way, get off, and double back. show your badge to the conductor, harris, and he'll let you off anywhere." this was a good idea, and dennison deserved credit for thinking of it at the last moment. the success of the whole plan might depend upon the ruse. dennison debarked on the platform, and, when the car pulled out, those still aboard saw him stepping off the planks and pushing into the timber that grew close up to the stopping place. matt and ferral, as the car went on, saw the broken oak at the end of the platform. it was a plain enough landmark and not easily to be passed or mistaken. "harper is playing square with us, matey," remarked ferral, pointing to the tree. "it looks that way, dick," agreed matt. "here's where we get back our air ship," jubilated ferral. "sink me, though, but the loss of that flugee gave me a scare." "we haven't got it back yet, old chap." "i know that, but i feel in my bones that we're going to. i----" just then the car began to slow down. harris had got out of his seat, with the other officer, and had gone back to the conductor. evidently the badges worn by the two men had caused him to slow down the express car for a halt in defiance of rules. the boys, heeding a call from harris, got up and ran back along the aisle. they jumped off, after the two officers, and the car resumed its course to grand rapids. but there was a mighty curious conductor on the rear platform. as long as the car remained in sight of the four who had debarked, he looked back and wondered what was up. "we'll go back quietly," said harris. "the river is just over there, and the woods lie between it and the trolley line. we'll get to the river bank and follow it back. that ought to bring us out close to the place where the hawk landed. follow me, twitchell," he added to the other officer, "and you boys," he finished, "come along behind twitchell. quiet's the word." harris darted into the timber, which bordered the track closely. the underbrush had evidently been cleaned out, so that the timber had the appearance of a grove. on one of the trees, near the track, matt saw a big white sign bearing the words, "lots for sale." the river, as it proved, was hardly more than a stone's throw from the trolley track. turning along its bank, harris led the way back toward the vicinity of the broken oak and the platform. they all knew they had not far to go, but they were startled at the suddenness with which harris turned on them before they had followed the river bank for more than two or three minutes. "i can see the hawk," whispered harris. "she's just ahead. and brady is there--and dennison, too. they're talking. i can't see pete or whipple, and those rascals may be laying low to carry out some black plan of brady's--but we'll see about that. come along, and keep behind the trees as much as you can." as harris turned about, he drew his revolver. twitchell likewise got out a weapon. then the party separated, and each advanced from tree to tree. it was not long before matt and ferral, who were advancing near each other, were able to get a good look at their air ship. the hawk had descended in a cleared space hard by the river, and seemed to be in good condition. she was moored to the ground with two ropes at the front and rear of the car, the ropes being tied to trees. coming a little closer, the boys were able to see brady and dennison. brady had his coat off and his shirt sleeves rolled up. he was holding a heavy wrench in his hand and had evidently been working with the motor when dennison presented himself. the two men were talking, and matt and ferral were able to hear what passed between them. "what did you say your name was?" inquired brady, evidently distrustful. "gammon," answered dennison. "i'm a pal o' ochiltree's." "where's harper?" "he stayed behind at ochiltree's house." "why was that? i told harper to come and to bring ochiltree with him." "i'll tell ye the why of it, brady. ye see, the perlice are watchin' ochiltree good and hard, an' if he was seen comin' here with harper, the two of 'em might be follered. ochiltree got word ter me ter come an' put the situation up to you, an' to tell ye that he an' harper 'u'd be along when it got dark, as it wasn't safe ter come in broad day." "i see," muttered brady, studying dennison with his gimlet eyes. "harper said ye had two more men with ye," went on dennison, playing his game easily and evidently edging closer for a chance to lay hold of brady and make him a prisoner. "where are they?" "they're off watching the platform. i reckon they'll be along in a minute. prob'ly they followed you, and----" at that precise moment, pete and whipple broke out of the timber. they came up directly behind dennison and laid hands on him before he could make a move to defend himself. "what you doing?" yelled brady, leaping forward. "grabbing an officer," said whipple, with an oath. "his name's gammon, all right, an' the talk he was givin' ye, brady, was pure gammon, an' nothin' else." "how's that?" brady's voice, as he put the question, was hard and metallic, and he measured dennison with glistening eyes. "why," explained whipple, "when he got off'n the keer we seen some 'un else through a winder. i'm a sinner if it wasn't matt king. now, whatever was king doin' on that keer? by rights, he ort ter hev got shuffled out o' the game, across the lake in that balloon house. but he didn't, an' here he is, travelin' on the same keer with a feller as says his name is gammon, an' that he comes from ochiltree." dennison, as he was held helpless in the hands of pete and whipple, was studying the timber covertly, but none the less anxiously. "what have you got to say for yourself?" cried brady, advancing threateningly upon dennison. matt and ferral had been wondering why harris and twitchell had not shown themselves. unable to hold back any longer, the boys dashed forward. the noise they made drew the instant attention of brady, whipple and pete. "there's king now!" yelled pete. in a twinkling, brady dropped the wrench and drew a revolver. a sharp, incisive note echoed through the woods and across the river. matt felt the wind of the bullet as it passed his face. "look out, matey!" bellowed ferral. "duck for a tree! you're not armed, and can't take any chances. he's going to shoot again." but it was not necessary for matt to get behind a tree. before brady could fire another shot in his direction, harris and twitchell rushed upon the scene. "drop your guns!" cried harris sternly. "stand right where you are! you're our prisoners!" brady, however, was made of sterner stuff. a prison cell was yawning to receive him, and he knew it. whipple and pete, astounded by this sudden demonstration, paused undecided. their fingers relaxed, and dennison leaped away from them. "treachery!" roared brady; "harper has sold us out! fight for it, boys!" dennison, being nearer brady than any of the rest, jumped for him. he tried to draw his revolver, but it stuck in his pocket. brady had leveled his weapon at point-blank range, and only motor matt's quickness, at that moment, saved the officer's life. matt, watching the fight breathlessly, had instinctively picked up a stone. now, seeing dennison's danger, he hurled the stone at brady with all his strength. the missile sped true, struck brady's arm with terrific force and caused the revolver to drop. with wild yells, harris and twitchell rushed forward to capture brady and his two men. but pete and whipple, not knowing the extent of the forces against them, thought best to trust their liberty to their heels. whirling around, they darted into the timber, leaping from tree to tree as they ran in order to screen themselves from any bullets that might be sent after them. the bullets came fast and thick, but evidently without doing any damage, for whipple and pete did not slacken pace. brady, swearing like a pirate, turned on dennison like a madman, grabbed him about the waist and, with a tremendous display of strength, held the officer in front of him. still swearing, he began backing into the timber, with the intention of making his escape as pete and whipple had done. seeing that he would be likely to effect his purpose, matt and ferral doubled around behind him and suddenly hurled themselves upon him from the rear. brady fought like a tiger. matt could not have believed that one man possessed so much strength. dennison, whose temper was fiercely aroused by the turn events had taken, jerked loose from brady and turned to help the boys. harris and twitchell, seeing that brady was as good as captured, took after pete and whipple. chapter xv. brady a prisoner. matt, ferral and dennison were not long in getting the whip hand of hector brady. as matt and the officer held him down, dennison called to ferral to get a rope. ferral got a rope from the car and the desperate thief was finally secured, wrist and ankle. even then he continued to struggle and roar his defiance of his captors. "you might as well calm down," cried dennison, picking up the revolver which matt's missile had knocked from brady's hand. "your goose is cooked, brady, and there's no use tiring yourself out." after a few moments brady seemed to realize this. "you've got me, but you won't keep me," he snarled. "if you can get away from us," replied the officer, "you're welcome to your liberty. but you won't get away. i had too close a call at your hands to let you do that." "who in the fiend's name are you?" "a plain-clothes man from the grand haven police headquarters." "did you get this tip from harper?" "harper couldn't help himself. he and ochiltree are in the lockup." dennison turned to matt and grabbed his hand. "if it hadn't been for you, king," said he, "i'd have been laid out. you were quick as a cat and as certain as fate. i never met your kind before, and it does me good to shake hands with you. i'm mighty glad," he added, with a grin, "that we couldn't persuade you to stay behind, in grand haven." "that's the way this raggie of mine does things, dennison," remarked ferral, looking at matt admiringly. "he's chain lightning when he turns himself loose." "the best part of it all is," observed matt, anxious to change the subject, "no harm has happened to the air ship." throwing off his coat and cap, matt lost not a moment in diving into the machinery. he could see nothing wrong, and he "turned over" the engine and set it to going. it worked perfectly. "if you're looking for trouble," growled brady, turning his head to follow matt's movements, "you won't find any. i've fixed the motor--just got through with it when this cop in plain clothes showed up. if i'd known who he was----" and brady finished with a diabolical light in his eyes that told plainly what he would have done. "pass it up," said dennison curtly; "you came within an ace of getting me, as it was." "king balked me again, just as he has been doing right along," went on brady fiercely. "i'd willingly have gone to joliet for life if i could have nicked him. he's the cause of all my troubles." "bully for king!" applauded dennison. "the more i hear of him the higher he stacks up with me." "who put you next to where i was going, king?" demanded brady. "never mind about that," replied matt, getting into his coat and cap again. "we've captured you, brady, and that's enough for you to know." "captured, but not sent up," qualified brady. "nor i won't be sent up. i'll live and have my liberty until i can settle accounts with motor matt and some more of you fellows." "let him rave," laughed dennison. "that's the only thing he can do, and it won't hurt anybody." "if it was that girl of mine that tipped me off to you and harris," went on brady, "she's one of those who'll come in for a fair share of the trouble i'm going to turn loose. nice kind of a daughter she is! it's been the grief of my life that she never was more like hector, jr." matt listened to this in amazement, and his heart sickened as he turned away. at that moment, harris and twitchell came hurrying back. "where are the other two?" cried dennison. "i'd give a bunch of pay if i knew," answered harris, very much put out. "we couldn't locate them, and the thing for us to do, dennison, is to get back to headquarters and use the telegraph and the telephone." he hurried forward to brady's side. "you're in michigan," said he, "and you're wanted in illinois. will you waive requisition?" "waive nothing!" shouted brady. "all you get out of me you'll fight for." "personally," said harris contemptuously, "i don't care a toss-up. we've got you, brady, and we've got you right. by staying in michigan until requisition papers are put through you're only delaying a game that can have only one termination." "well," was the scowling response, "we'll wait for the termination. maybe somebody will get fooled before we're at the end of this." harris turned away to matt and ferral. "twitchell, dennison and i," said he, "will take brady to grand haven and put him in the lockup with harper. they'll both stand out for requisition, and they'll have to be left on this side of the lake until our governor can get the case before the michigan executive. have you looked over the hawk, matt?" "yes." "much tinkering to be done on her?" "brady had already fixed the motor so that it works as well as ever." "then you and ferral had better get aboard and make a getaway to the place where jerrold and carl have the other air ship. as soon as i finish my work in grand haven, i'll join you and we'll all go back to south chicago together. your hard luck has certainly taken a turn for the better, matt, and we want to make sure that you don't have any more backsets. whipple and pete are loose in the timber, and i'll bet they'd give their eyeteeth to be able to capture the hawk. we want to keep them from doing that, or from trying it. we'll take brady back on the trolley, but before we start i want to see you well away in the hawk." "it won't take us more than a couple of minutes to get under way," returned matt. "all aboard, pard," he added to ferral. "get into our air ship, old chap, and we'll go on a still hunt for carl and jerrold and the eagle." "aye, aye, captain matt," laughed ferral, getting into the car. matt followed him aboard and settled himself in the driver's seat. "cast off the ropes, harris, you and dennison," called matt. harris was familiar with that part of the work, and he and dennison soon had the air ship unmoored and the cables in the car. the river offered a clear stretch for rising, and matt turned the hawk in that direction. the motor began to pop and then to settle down to a steady hum. matt manipulated the steering rudder, switched the power into the propeller, and the hawk arose gracefully accompanied by the cheers of the officers. but no cheers came from brady. with baleful eyes he watched the hawk's departure. "that's the second time you've taken my air ship away from me, king," he roared. "the next time----" "there'll never be a next time," cried harris. "you're down and out, brady, and you'd better begin to realize it." up and up mounted the hawk, the river lying below her like a silver ribbon, entangled among the greenery of the trees. off to the west sparkled the waters of the lake, and in between the hawk and the shore lay grand haven, cottages and farms, all spread out like a map. "getting a bird's-eye view of a scene is a heap finer than looking at it from the ground," observed ferral, leaning over the hawk's rail and feasting his eyes on the panorama below. "we're in good trim to enjoy looking down at the landscape from the hawk," laughed matt. "right-o, matey," answered the young sailor. "i'd about given up ever taking another ride in the hawk. we're thirty-five hundred to the good by this afternoon's work." "that's the least of what we have accomplished," said matt. "the capture of brady is a bigger thing than the recovery of the air ship." "i guess that's right," said ferral, "but i'm sorry those other two beachcombers got away. they'll be making trouble for some one later." "harris will get quick action over the telegraph and telephone," said matt, "and the chances are good for the overhauling of pete and whipple." "i hope so, and that's a fact. say, i'll bet carl and jerrold will be surprised when they see the hawk coming for their part of the beach." "keep a good lookout, dick, and let me know when you sight the eagle. this is unfamiliar territory to me, and your eyes will have to guide us." "as i get the bearings," said ferral, leaning over the rail and peering ahead, "we ought to be about east by north of where we want to land. when we took the trolley we went east." "that's right," returned matt. "keep your gaze south and west, and you ought to be able to pick up the eagle." a few moments later ferral sighted the swaying bulk of the other air ship. "bear to the left a little, matt," said he, "and we'll come down right where we want to go. i can see jerrold and carl standing on the beach and looking up at us. i'll bet they're wondering whether we're in the car, or whether brady and his gang are the passengers." "wave something at them," suggested matt. "we don't want to scare them." ferral waved his handkerchief. this calmed the fears of carl and jerrold, if they had had any, and ferral reported that they were waving their hats. a few moments later matt engineered an easy landing, and the hawk was moored within a dozen yards of the eagle. chapter xvi. back in south chicago. there was some great rejoicing on carl's part when he learned what had happened in grand haven and out along the trolley line to grand rapids. "ach, aber dot all sounds too goot to be droo!" exulted the dutch boy. "i vish i hat peen dere during der fragas. ferral vas fooling mit me ven he saidt dot jerrold und i mighdt haf more drouples as der resdt oof you. dere don'd vas any tanger oof dot at any stage oof der game. prady gaptured! hoop-a-la! aber der pest oof all iss dot der hawk is pack vere she pelongs, und dot pooty soon, pympy, modor matt, tick ferral und carl pretzel vill sail avay mit demselufs py noo york. der palloon-house plot ditn't vork oudt like prady t'ought." "it would have worked out just as he planned," said matt, "if it hadn't been for helen brady." "yah, so! miss prady safed der tay for all oof us. ven ve shdart for noo york now, matt? oof ve vaid too long, den meppy dose odder two fellers, vipple und pete, vill hatch some more plots. i don'd like dot. der kevicker vat ve get avay, der pedder all aroundt." "carl's got the marlinspike by the right end, old ship," said ferral to matt. "that may be," answered matt, "but i think we ought to find out something more about what helen brady intends doing before we leave chicago." "right-o!" agreed ferral. "i was forgetting about that. she's mighty independent, though, and i doubt whether she'll let us do much to help her." "that's one of the things i like about helen brady." matt went over the hawk and found that she would need more gasoline before the trip back across the lake was attempted. jerrold was also wanting a supply, and he and matt, leaving carl and ferral in charge of both air ships, started for the nearest house to find out where they could get the fuel of which they stood in need. they found that gasoline was used for cooking, and for manufacturing gas for lighting, in the house where they inquired. the man who owned the place kindly offered to let the air ship owners have all they needed. in less than an hour matt and jerrold were back and filling their gasoline tanks. a little later harris reached the scene. the sun was down and darkness was coming on. "i couldn't get away any quicker," explained harris. "i am leaving everything in good shape here, though. harper is willing to go back to south chicago without any requisition papers, but i thought it best to let him stay and take him across the lake at the same time we took brady." "i should think that would be better," agreed matt. "harper is ready to turn states' evidence against the gang in the hope of getting a light sentence," went on harris. "he claims to know where some more stolen property has been secreted, so i suppose there will be a few happy people in south chicago if he proves that he knows what he's talking about." "the law will deal lightly with harper, i suppose," put in jerrold, "if he does all that." "i guess so, but the law will not let him off scot free. harper will go to the 'pen,' but he won't get anywhere near the sentence that brady will." "how long will brady go up for?" "that's hard to say, but it will be long enough to keep him out of mischief for twenty or thirty years." "what is going to be done with ochiltree?" asked matt. "nothing. ochiltree will be kept in the lockup until the officers in this part of michigan have had a chance to capture whipple and pete. after that, ochiltree will be turned loose." "what are the chances for capturing whipple and pete?" "good. we have used the wires in every direction, and also coupled a description of grove with the descriptions of the other two." "why, shiver me," cried ferral, "i hadn't thought about grove! what became of him, harris?" "harper says that grove was put down on the lake shore, just before brady and the rest started across. i don't know how true that is, and i'm just telling you what harper told me. but harper's information has panned out straight goods, so far. he says that grove showed signs of weakening, and that brady, in a temper, cut loose from him. it may be that grove will join whipple and pete, somehow, and i thought it well to telephone and telegraph his description along with the others. but what are we going to do, jerrold? wait here until morning?" "i don't think we'd better," said jerrold. "the night bids fair to be as calm as the day has been, and we can cross the lake easily enough by moonlight. if we wait until to-morrow we may have a high wind, and perhaps a storm. air ships, and flying machines of every sort, ought to be under cover in a time like that. we'd better make the most of the good weather. don't you think so, matt?" "you know more about air ships than i do, mr. jerrold," answered matt, "but, from my brief experience with the hawk, i think a storm would be bad business for an air ship. i've weathered out storms in balloons, but it's possible, with just a plain gas bag, to get above the clouds and the tempest. you can't safely do that with machines like ours." "well," said harris, "if we're going to south chicago to-night, the quicker we start the quicker we'll get there. i'll confess i'm not in love with the idea of hanging out on this beach all night with these two air ships. we can't tell what might happen, with grove, and pete, and whipple at large." "then," said jerrold, "we'll pull out at once. you start first, matt, and we'll follow." "i'll ride mit my bards," said carl, "und harris can come mit you, misder jerrold." the ropes were cast off and matt manoeuvred the hawk upward and out above the lake. when they had got a good "offing," as ferral described it, those in the car could look back and see the dark, weird shape of the eagle flinging itself upward against the lighter background of sky. what little wind there had been, during the day, had gone down with the sun, and perfect silence, save for the lapping of the waves, reigned on every hand. the eagle soon overhauled the hawk, and side by side the two air ships made toward the illinois shore. could anyone in a boat have seen the air ships, the sight presented would have been strangely exciting. the spectacle would have been prophetic, too, of man's coming command of an element heretofore out of his reach. as time passed, the moon arose as if out of the water, and a scene of weird beauty unrolled to those aboard the hawk and the eagle. "i vould radder be a sailor oof der air dan oof der sea," remarked carl, breaking a silence during which all hands had been enjoying their novel surroundings. "why so, carl?" came across from the eagle, in the voice of harris. "pecause," said carl, "you got four vays to go insteadt oof two. in a sea ship, you don't vas aple to go oop und town." "once in awhile, matey," laughed ferral, "a sea ship goes down." "yah," averred carl, "und she shdays town. go on mit dot song vat you vas singing mit yourseluf, tick, der dime vat you vas coming py der poarding house to see matt. it vas a pooty fine song, i tell you dot." ferral had a fine voice, and he at once broke into "in cawsand bay lying," and followed it through from start to finish. harris thereupon tuned up, and when he got through carl piped out in german. this singing was kept up, off and on, during the entire trip across the lake. it was decided, just as the air ships were hoving over south chicago, that matt and his chums should take the hawk to the balloon house and stow her away there. harris would go on to jerrold's place in the eagle, and then send a couple of policemen from headquarters to watch the hawk until the boys were ready to leave. this programme was carried out without a break. it was about three o'clock in the morning when the boys got their sand bags in place along the bottom rail of the car and towed the hawk into her old berth. half an hour after that a detail of two officers arrived and went on guard. matt, ferral and carl went into the small room at the back of the balloon house, and two of them took possession of the cots and the third had a bed made for him on the floor. it was carl who stretched out between the two cots, and it was he who remarked, just before he dozed off to sleep: "you fellers came pooty near daking a long shleep here, hey?" "stow it, matey!" cried ferral. "i'll be dreaming about that now." "ach, donnervetter!" returned carl, "dere iss pedder t'ings as dot to tream aboudt, ferral. for insdunce, tream oof der vay matt shtruck some shtreaks oof hardt luck, und den turned der hardt luck to goot atvantage py gedding prady gaptured." "and recovering the hawk," added matt. "there's a silver lining to every cloud, dick." "there's never a flat foot nor a shellback but will tell you same thing, messmate," agreed ferral heartily. "good night, or good morning, whichever you want. i'm ready to take my stretch off the land, and here goes." two minutes later the fateful old balloon house was steeped in silence. the end. the next number ( ) will contain motor matt's daring rescue or, the strange case of helen brady. the disappearance of helen brady--the important letter--by the old quarry--a queer situation--pete and whipple make a capture--brady's proposition--a surprise at hooligan's--back to the canal--brady returns with hot news--the mansion on the river--the fight--daring work--helen's ordeal--the capture of pete and whipple. motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction new york, may , . terms to motor stories mail subscribers. (_postage free._) single copies or back numbers, c. each. months c. months c. months $ . one year . copies one year . copy two years . =how to send money=--by post-office or express money-order, registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. at your own risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. =receipts=--receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of number on your label. if not correct you have not been properly credited, and should let us know at once. ormond g. smith, } george c. smith, } _proprietors_. street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york city. the red spider. "this," said phil clode, setting down his bag, "is the limit!" having given vent to which expressive remark, he laughed to himself and gazed round upon the most desolate scene that it had ever been his fortune to behold. behind him stood a small, wooden erection, not unlike an enlarged run, which was, however, dignified by the name of station. for the rest, a clove-brown plain stretched away to infinity, marred only by the shining ribbons of the railway track and an occasional clump of cactus or greaseweed. "the limit," the boy repeated solemnly. "hullo! there's a man, or something very like one. i will get a line on to his vicinity, and try to extract a little useful information." picking up his grip, he hustled over to where a specimen of the cowboy genus had lounged from behind the station, leading a broncho that looked rather the worse for wear. phil, as he approached, saw that a bag branded with the sign "u. s. mail" was slung over the beast's saddle, and his eyes brightened. he knew that even in that deserted region of colorado any servant of uncle sam's could be trusted. "say," he sang out. "can you give me any notion where i am, mister? i was told to get off at silver bridge, and here i am right enough, but i can't see much sign of the town." "you on foot?" the other returned with undisguised astonishment. "you must be stark----" "broncho waiting for me at silver bridge," phil interrupted shortly. he had urgent reasons for not wishing to talk about his private affairs. "so?" the man muttered with a sidelong glance. he had a pleasant face, rough but good humored, and the lad took to him instinctively. "you're an easterner, ain't yeh?" "yes, and proud of it." "that's all right. i'm from the east, too, only i've been here so long that yeh wouldn't think it. i guess yeh'd better hop up behind me, pardner. betsy's a game chicken--she's carried three before now." "you going to silver bridge, then?" phil queried as the cowboy stroked the unprepossessing broncho fondly. "i should smile. i'm cattle tender to the ore-crushing plant there." phil received this information with a start, but made no remark. in silence he mounted behind the man, who gave his name as idaho bart, and felt with some surprise the plain bumping rapidly away beneath them, as the broncho, becoming a bunch of throbbing muscles, pounded eastward with the regularity of tirelessness of a steam engine. the mail rider did not seem disposed to let the silence continue. out west curiosity about another man's affairs is usually the signal for gun play, but idaho bart proceeded to break the rule by a series of interrogations of the most pointed and particular description. phil clode, however, was old for his years, and he met him at every point, giving a false name, and a reason for his arrival at silver bridge that was so obviously wide of the truth that the mail carrier, having turned in the saddle to fix him with a twinkling eye, emitted a short laugh, and relapsed into taciturnity. this muteness remained undisturbed until they were in sight of silver bridge, the big ore-crushing town, the shares of which, back in wall street, were at a premium. it appeared suddenly as they topped a swelling hill that surrounded two sides of the city like a wall, and phil surveyed it with the curiosity of first acquaintance. it reminded him of a battle ship out of action--of something titanic which is wrapped in incongruous slumber. though only midday, not a sound rose from the vast collection of shacks and wooden buildings. the mighty ore crushers and distributors were idle, the men lounged listlessly round the two hotels, and the river swirled past unstained by the red of washed metal. the river? in those two words lay the tragedy--the reason of the inaction that spelled ruin to thousands, including the canvas-coated men who diced and gambled and swore in the saloons. for the river was now a mere meandering stream, and the power that worked the mills was gone, leaving the great plant worse than useless, for it would cost more than it was worth to entrain it to any place where there would be the likelihood of a buyer. "looks pleasant, i don't think," idaho bart said bitterly as he watched phil's keen, dark eyes glancing over the drowsy, deserted streets, splashed golden by the afternoon sun. "two weeks ago yeh would have opined that yeh were back in new york. busy? i guess we had got the fountain of youth faded to a harlem ash can, when it came to hustling." "and now the river's gone," the boy rejoined quietly. his remarks were all couched to extract information without giving any in return. "say, that's a right hook on the jaw of truth! it's a lead-pipe cinch that this is about the most mysterious thing that ever gave a whole layout brain storm. the river stopped in the night, and we woke up to find this here dribble. the men are going to pike out, if there don't come a change 'fore saturday." phil muttered something to himself. "why don't you find out what has dammed the source of the river?" he asked a moment later. "say, yeh are a young green-growing thing, all ready canned and labeled!" bart sniggered. "do you know that the source of silver river is up in black cañon?" "what of that?" queried phil ingenuously. "oh, come off! this ain't the season for spring chickens, i reckon. i only know of three men what have been into black cañon, and come out alive. two o' them were engineers belonging to the united states reclamation service, and they had the time of their lives. the other was a indian, and went in to escape the posse that was trailing him for hoss stealing. he said afterwards that he wished he'd stopped and been lynched." phil made no reply to these revelations, for they were now in the main thoroughfare of silver bridge, and the ore-stained men were lounging up with a tumultuous outcry for the mail. they also bestowed upon the boy the benefit of their rather doubtful wit, but, finding that they got rather better than they sent, soon betook themselves back to the enticements of the saloons, leaving idaho bart to take the few official letters up to the office. "say, kid, where are yeh going?" he drawled as he strode away with the loping movement peculiar to the riders of the plains. "to mr. allsoner," phil returned carelessly, keeping pace with him. he made a clucking sound in his cheek. "if yeh are after a job, yeh'd better carry your store clothes away along the shining homeward track right now," he said poetically. "old allsoner's hoppin' mad, and he'll have yer scalp before yeh could say teddy." "i don't want a job," was the irritating reply, and phil grinned as he noted the other's mystification. the office of mr. allsoner, general manager of clode's silver bridge reducing company, limited, was not an imposing structure. in fact, it might well have been taken for a stack of damaged firewood by the uninitiated, but phil clode did not make this mistake. suddenly shouldering his way ahead of idaho bart, he entered the office at a run, and disappeared into the manager's private office--the most sacred spot in the whole townstead--with a coolness that left the two clerks in the outer department absolutely petrified. mr. allsoner, however, was far from being petrified, and he had already used more adjectives than could be found in any dictionary before he looked up, started as though he could scarcely believe the evidence of his senses, and ejaculated: "phil clode!" "yes, it's me," was the ungrammatical rejoinder. "father's got to keep his eye on the market, or we'd go up in a balloon before an hour was through, and there was nobody else to come. mr. allsoner, there's treachery afloat." the keen-eyed business man uttered an exclamation of wonderment, and then, rising, locked the door. "spit it out," he said tersely. "you know our river is stopped." "i do." "it's been dammed purposely." the manager had just seated himself, but he leaped up again at these quietly spoken words. "nonsense! the source is in black cañon." he made his rejoinder with an air of finality, as though there was no room left for argument. "nevertheless, father overheard a conversation between two wall street brokers that convinced him that they have paid some bad man to dam the river for a time. it's a certainty, not guesswork." mr. allsoner stared at him in bewilderment. "i may be dense, phil, but i fail to see what good damming our river would do to anybody." "you are dense," smiled the boy. "don't you see? silver bridge river runs dry. panic in wall street, and two-hundred-dollar shares sold in bucketfuls, and bought by the men who have had the river dammed. then, after, say, a month, when they've got control of every share in the market, down comes the river again, up go the shares to top notch, and they've netted a cool million." silence reigned for a minute, while the manager reviewed this startling idea. then he murmured "jove!" in the tone of one seeing visions. "you couldn't tell me who's working the rig, could you?" he asked facetiously. the realization that the stoppage was only temporary acted like a tonic. "the boys would give him a lively time, if they got their fingers in his wool. it would be a case of the nearest telegraph pole." "the man mentioned," phil answered in a cautious whisper, "was nicknamed red spider." "what! by heavens, you are right! red spider is an outlaw half-breed, horse stealer, cattle runner, murderer, and everything else abominable. he is known to have a cache up in the hills, too." "then catch red spider before eleven o'clock to-morrow. at that hour there is a meeting, and the state of affairs here will become public property. the river must be running before then." "there isn't a man here that will go into the black cañon, and i don't blame them," the manager declared hopelessly. "it's certain death." "what red spider can do we must do." "he's discovered some secret way. besides, a cross between an omaha indian and a mexican produces something tougher than a white man." "i start at midnight," said phil clode, strolling toward the door. it was a few minutes after midnight when phil clode rode out of the town. he was alone. as one man the ore workers had jeered at the idea of attempting to penetrate into the famous black cañon. they had already been as far as possible, and found the river unstopped. it had failed at its source, they argued. such things had been heard of before. mr. allsoner did not agree with this latter conclusion, but he was entirely convinced that any attempt to enter the cañon would be futile, and he did not scruple to tell phil so. the boy, however, although he pretended to accept the manager's decision as final, secretly determined to make an attempt at solving the mystery single-handed. he knew that the failure to resume operations on the morrow would mean ruin to his father, and with the impetuosity of youth he stigmatized the ore workers as a pack of "superstitious grandmothers." once out of sight of the camp, he urged his game little steed to a gallop, and set off to where the mountains rose stark and flat against the mauve-colored rim of the horizon, keeping his course by the dried river bed that led the way into the very heart of black cañon. after about an hour's hard riding the track grew even too steep for the broncho, and phil, tethering the animal to a rock, made his way forward on foot. gradually the walls of rock rose up and encompassed him, leaving only a strip of sky faintly seen above his head, and the stillness became so unearthly that he paused occasionally to cast a stone down a chasm for the mere pleasure of hearing it rattle. arrived at the entrance of the cañon, he halted and surveyed the way for a few minutes. as allsoner had told him, the river--now a morass of horrible mud--entirely filled the gulch from side to side, rendering progress without a boat an impossibility. the dam controlling the flow, however, was built half a mile farther up, and this was reached by a species of aërial railway, built on the plan of the old overhead switchbacks, with a car slung to a double rope, worked by block and pulley on the return journey. it was certainly not an inviting mode of progression, but phil did not falter. setting his teeth, he grasped the iron ladder that led up to the summit of the first trestle, and mounted steadily. by the time that he reached the top the wind was shrieking in his ears with demoniac fury, and the trestle seemed to sway bodily before the furious gusts, although only a mild and gentle breeze could be felt in the cañon below. buttoning his fluttering jacket tightly around him, he stepped nervously on to the flat, swaying car, and fumbled with the two hooks that held it in place, being secured to a couple of iron rings in the top corners. with a sudden swoop the frail craft left its moorings, and phil found himself spinning at a dizzy speed through space. presently the slope became less steep, and as his conveyance slackened speed he was able to look about him. not that there was much to be seen, even though the moon rendered it nearly as light as day. before him the ropes ran on in an everlasting stream, and on each side nothing was visible but the walls of rock, smoothed in places by human handiwork to allow of the passage of the traveling cradle. occasionally the car would almost stop as it passed with a shock over the platform of one of the trestles, and phil found that, by clutching the railings at the proper moment, he could arrest it without feeling any particular strain. he had closed his eyes, and was almost enjoying the rush through the scented night air, when he felt a sudden shudder run through the car, as if it had struck against something. opening his eyes hastily, he peered round, and then a terrified cry rose to his lips. the swaying cradle had a new passenger, in the shape of a picturesquely garbed mexican, who glared upon the boy with fierce wolfish orbs, fiery and bloodshot, as he flourished a long-barreled revolver in his face. phil did not need to inquire who the stranger was. he guessed, and rightly, that it was red spider, the outlaw of the plains, who stood before him. "carajo!" the man hissed gutturally, thrusting the firearm forward until it snicked the boy's nose. "whose baby are you? why are you here? answer, or over the side you go!" leaning forward, he seized phil's wrist in a vise-like grip, and forced him slowly toward the edge of the car. "come to that, who are you?" the boy retorted pluckily. "you've got less right than i have to be here, i guess." the half-breed's teeth grated with fury at this impertinence. "i am left here to guard the trestle railway," he yelled, with a curse. "and my duty is to shoot brats who have no business here!" he pushed the revolver into phil's face, gradually forcing him nearer and nearer to the edge of the vibrating car. "you find so many boys trying to steal rides on the trolleys, don't you?" that worthy choked, keeping his wits by a mighty effort of will. he could see that they were rushing rapidly toward the last platform, and, if he managed to cling on till then, he might manage to escape, hopeless as it seemed. reaching out as the red spider made a vicious lunge, he caught hold of one of the iron crossbars that secured the car to the rope, and held on like grim death. the outlaw, with a shriek of fury, lifted his revolver, and his finger was pressing upon the trigger when the last platform stopped their progress with appalling abruptness. phil, clinging desperately as he was, narrowly escaped being flung off, and the mexican, unprepared for the impact, literally hurtled through the air. over the boy's head he flew, spread-eagled and screaming, and went down--down--down, with the swiftness of a shot bird, and disappeared into the purple mists that veiled the bottom of the cañon from sight. a crash, a single soul-appalling scream, and red spider had vanished forever from the sight of men. sick at heart, phil clode lay for a few minutes without tempting to move. then he rose cautiously, and, keeping his eyes averted from the dreadful cañon, commenced the descent. before he had reached the bottom all his natural courage had returned, and he pressed on with renewed energy, inspired by the idea that the outlaw might have left some trail which would lead to his hiding place. it was black as within a tomb now, for the rocky walls towered up and up higher than the eye could reach. the track was no more than a smear along the face of the cliff, and phil began to realize the difficulties that he was to encounter as he proceeded inch by inch, clinging on with teeth and hands, with a thousand-foot drop waiting below. the path, too, grew narrower, and he was just about to relinquish his herculean task in despair when he saw a gleam of light--lantern light--searing the eternal glooms like a streak of fire, and not twenty yards ahead of him as he rounded a sharp bend. in another minute red spider's secret lay revealed. a square of rock, fitted with powerful hinges, had been opened inward, and the lantern set in the entrance as a guiding light when the outlaw returned. beyond, the path grew so narrow that it was a human impossibility to scale it; below, until the mysterious catastrophe of its cessation, lay the river, sliding and thundering in cascades and waterfalls, and usually fifty feet or more deep. phil realized that the passage of black cañon was a thing to be dreamed of, and not attempted. taking up the lantern, he set off at a brisk pace up the sandy tunnel at the entrance of which it was placed, keeping his eyes open for pitfalls and fissures. the passage led to the right, and perceptibly upward, and ere long he found himself walking parallel with what had once been the river. after an hour's hard walking he came suddenly into a spacious cave, and found himself gazing once more at the oozing river bed, and at--red spider's dam! yes, there it was, a great mass of blocks of stone, walling the cañon from side to side, and cunningly diverting the foaming water into a subterranean stream that had been uncovered and channeled for the purpose. picks and ropes, and blocks of stone, were strewn around in every direction, and just over the mouth of the underground river hung a platform of planking supported by countless ropes, and loaded with a ton or more of cut rock. phil was not long in doubt as to its use. with a little bubbling cry of joy he produced his clasp knife, and went to work busily to hack the ropes in twain. a score of them were severed, when an ear-splitting crack made him start hastily back. next instant the whole load of rock fell with a mighty crash, completely blocking the entrance to the subterranean stream that had been draining the life from the river. something had to give way, and red spider's cunningly constructed dam was directly in the path of the river as it swelled, and rose, and bellied upward. then, with a roar louder than any thunder, it broke the barrier away, and hurled itself into black cañon with irresistible fury, to race and tumble down to where the silver bridge reducing company's plant was waiting to sully its foaming waters with the red stain of the ore. pigeon-whistle concerts. a traveler in eastern lands tells the following little story of the chinese and their most unique pigeon whistles. "one of the most curious expressions of emotional life in china is the application of whistles to a flock of pigeons. these whistles, very light, weighing hardly a few grammes, are attached to the tails of young pigeons soon after their birth, by means of a fine copper wire, so that when the birds fly the wind will blow through the whistles and set them vibrating, thus producing an open-air concert, for the instruments in one and the same flock are all tuned differently. on a serene day in peking, where these instruments are manufactured with great cleverness and ingenuity, it is possible to enjoy this aerial music while sitting in one's room. "there are two distinct types of whistles--those consisting of bamboo tubes placed side by side, and a type placed on the principle of tubes attached to a gourd body or wind chest. they are lacquered in yellow, brown, red, and black to protect the material from destructive influences of the atmosphere. the tube whistles have either two, three, or five tubes. in some specimens the five tubes are made of ox-horn instead of bamboo. the gourd whistles are furnished with a mouthpiece, and small apertures to the number of two, three, six, ten, and even thirteen. certain among them have besides, a number of bamboo tubes, some on the principal mouthpiece, some arranged around it. these varieties are distinguished by different names. thus a whistle with one mouthpiece and ten tubes is called 'the eleven-eyed one.'" latest issues brave and bold weekly all kinds of stories that boys like. the biggest and best nickel's worth ever offered. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --madcap max, the boy adventurer; or, lost in the land of the mahdi. by frank sheridan. --always to the front; or, for fun and fortune. by cornelius shea. --caught in a trap; or, the great diamond case. by harrie irving hancock. --for big money; or, beating his way to the pacific. by fred thorpe. --muscles of steel; or, the boy wonder. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith in zululand; or, how "checkers" held the fort. by lawrence white, jr. --the boys' revolt; or, right against might. by harrie irving hancock. --the mystic isle; or, in peril of his life. by fred thorpe. --a million a minute; or, a brace of meteors. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith under african skies; or, four comrades in the danger zone. by lawrence white, jr. --two chums afloat; or, the cruise of the "arrow." by cornelius shea. --in the path of duty; or, the fortunes of officer dan deering. by harrie irving hancock. --a bid for fortune; or, true as steel. by fred thorpe. --a battle with fate; or, the baseball mascot. by weldon j. cobb. --three brave boys; or, adventures in the balloon world. by frank sheridan. motor stories the latest and best five-cent weekly. we won't say how interesting it is. see for yourself. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, castaway in the bahamas. tip top weekly the most popular publication for boys. the adventures of frank and dick merriwell can be had only in this weekly. =high art colored covers. thirty-two pages. price, cents.= --dick merriwell's "dip;" or, the mysterious movements of a hat. --dick merriwell's rally; or, making a fighting finish. --dick merriwell's flier; or, the champions of the ice. --frank merriwell's bullets; or, a steady nerve and a sure hand. --frank merriwell cut off; or, the result of the great spring rise. --frank merriwell's ranch boss; or, big bruce and the blossoms. --dick merriwell's equal; or, the fellow with the flying feet. --dick merriwell's development; or, the all-around wonder. --dick merriwell's eye; or, the secret of good batting. --prank merriwell's zest; or, the spirit of the school. --frank merriwell's patience; or, the making of a pitcher. --frank merriwell's pupil; or, the boy with the wizard wing. --frank merriwell's fighters; or, the decisive battle with blackstone. --dick merriwell at the "meet"; or, honors worth winning. _for sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york =if you want any back numbers= of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. fill out the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. =postage stamps taken the same as money.= ________________________ _ _ _street & smith, - seventh avenue, new york city._ _dear sirs: enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_: tip top weekly, nos. ________________________________ nick carter weekly, " ________________________________ diamond dick weekly, " ________________________________ buffalo bill stories, " ________________________________ brave and bold weekly, " ________________________________ motor stories, " ________________________________ _name_ ________________ _street_ ________________ _city_ ________________ _state_ ________________ adventures of a boy genius motor stories most five-cent weeklies are founded upon the adventures of boy wonders who perform all sorts of impossible feats and who never act or talk as a boy really does. this is displeasing to the intelligent boy of the present day, who is better educated, and who, consequently, demands more logical reading than the old-time boy did. the boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as motor stories. "motor matt" is not an impossible boy character. he is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. his sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural, adventures that ever befell a boy. buy the current number from your newsdealer. we feel sure that you will be just as enthusiastic about it as the fifty thousand other boys throughout the united states have become. here are the titles now ready: no. .--motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. no. .--motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. no. .--motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. no. .--motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." no. .--motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. no. .--motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. no. .--motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. to be published on may d no. .--motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. to be published on may th no. .--motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. =price, five cents= at all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of the price. _street & smith, publishers, new york_ transcriber's notes: added table of contents. italics are represented with _underscores_, bold with =equal signs=. replaced oe ligatures with oe for the text edition (they are retained in the html version). page , changed "who" to "whose" ("whose past record") and changed "motor mart" to "motor matt" ("who aids motor matt"). page , added missing italics to "helped the skipper sail the _christina_." page , changed "gratfying" to "gratifying." page , changed "dutsy" to "dusty" ("clothes were dusty"). page , changed "intrrupted" to "interrupted" after "now i rise to you." page , changed "wtih" to "with" ("with the regularity of tirelessness"). courtesy of the digital library@villanova university (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction no. may , five cents motor matt's daring rescue or the strange case of helen brady [illustration: _step lively, mate! cried dick as motor matt assisted the girl into the car._] _street & smith, publishers, new york._ motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction _issued weekly. by subscription $ . per year. entered according to act of congress in the year , in the office of the librarian of congress, washington, d. c., by_ street & smith, _ - seventh avenue, new york, n. y._ no. . new york, may , . price five cents. motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. by the author of "motor matt." contents chapter i. the disappearance of helen brady. chapter ii. the important letter. chapter iii. by the old quarry. chapter iv. a queer situation. chapter v. pete and whipple make a capture. chapter vi. brady's proposition. chapter vii. a surprise at hooligan's. chapter viii. the trouble at the air ship. chapter ix. back to the canal. chapter x. brady returns--with hot news. chapter xi. the mansion on the river. chapter xii. the fight. chapter xiii. daring work. chapter xiv. helen's ordeal. chapter xv. the capture of pete and whipple. chapter xvi. conclusion. a fall to fortune. tip for rabbit hunters. characters that appear in this story. =matt king=, concerning whom there has always been a mystery--a lad of splendid athletic abilities, and never-failing nerve, who has won for himself, among the boys of the western town, the popular name of "mile-a-minute matt." =carl pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking german lad, who is led by a fortunate accident to hook up with motor matt in double harness. =dick ferral=, a canadian boy who has served his time in the king's navy, and bobs up in the states where he falls into plots and counter-plots, and comes near losing his life. =hector brady=, a convict who breaks prison to wreak vengeance upon two members of his former band. =helen brady=, hector brady's daughter, who helps motor matt. =whipple and pete=, two members of hector brady's old band of air-ship thieves who are engineering a treacherous plot aimed at brady. it is against them that brady has vowed vengeance--and a queer twist of circumstances causes brady to ask aid of motor matt in order that the scoundrels may be captured and helen rescued. =hooligan and his wife=, scoundrelly caretakers in charge of a mansion in river forest. =harris=, a policeman of south chicago who aids motor matt in his work against the bradys. =burton and sanders=, two police officers from la grange, ills., who assist harris and motor matt and his friends in the daring rescue of helen brady. chapter i. the disappearance of helen brady. "your name king?" "yes." "you de feller dey calls motor matt?" "you've struck it." "chee! i seen yer mug in de poipers an' i t'ought yous must be de feller. i'm de kid wot woiks f'r hagenmyer, an' here's a letter dat he told me t' give t' yous." motor matt and dick ferral had been sunning themselves in front of the balloon house, a little way out of the town of south chicago. a youngster of ten or eleven had climbed the roadside fence and made his way toward the big, shed-like building in the centre of the swampy meadow. of the two boys, the youngster had instinctively picked out matt, had halted in front of him, and had started the foregoing colloquy. he finished by taking a letter out of his pocket and passing it over to the young motorist. "yous has been doin' a lot o' t'ings here in dis little ole burg," grinned the youngster, as he started back toward the road, "an' i wants t' go on record as sayin' yous is class a, an' all t' de good." "much obliged," laughed matt. the kid from hagenmyer's waved his hand, then turned around and made his way briskly toward the fence. "who's this hagenmyer, mate?" queried ferral, drawing closer to his chum and looking at the latter curiously. "he's the fellow that bought this balloon house from brady," explained matt. "that was before the police found out that brady was a thief, but brady knew the discovery was coming, so he got rid of everything he owned in south chicago." "what business has hagenmyer got with you?" "we'll know in a minute, dick." matt tore off the end of the envelope and pulled out the enclosed sheet. he gave a low whistle as he read; then, after he had finished, he passed the letter over to ferral. the communication ran as follows: "motor matt: my workmen will begin tearing down the balloon house to-morrow morning. it will be necessary, therefore, for you to remove your air ship sometime this afternoon or to-night. "isidore hagenmyer." a look of satisfaction crossed ferral's face. "that means we've got to trip anchor and bear away," said he. "i'm not sorry. we've been hung up here for two weeks, old ship, and what good has it done us?" "not much, that's a fact," answered matt discontentedly. "hagenmyer has held off on tearing down the balloon house for that length of time, just to give us a safe place to keep the hawk. we can't blame him for getting busy on the old shed to-morrow morning." "well, our movable canvas shelter is ready, and stowed in the car. we can use that, now that the shed is to be taken away from us." "the canvas is not a safe shelter, by any means, dick." "it's the only one we can use on our fly from here to new york. you won't try to stay here any longer, will you?" "i hate to leave without learning something about helen brady. that girl has done a lot for us, pard, and it looks kind of heartless for us to pull out without doing what we can to settle the mystery of her disappearance." "but what can we do, mate, if the detectives are all aback and not able to find a trace of her? miss brady went to visit friends on archer avenue, chicago; she was there three days while her father, hector brady, was being tried and railroaded to the penitentiary; then, the fourth day after miss brady goes to archer avenue, she suddenly vanishes, and not a trace of her can be found. no matter how you overhaul the situation, it's queer, and i'm inclined to think that the girl's brother, hector brady, jr., has spirited her away. either that, or else the girl went away with her brother of her own free will. if brady, jr., is mixed up in this, matey, what right have we got to interfere? looks like a family affair." although matt's brow wrinkled perplexedly, yet his eyes gleamed resolutely, as he replied: "we know young brady is a crook, just like his father, dick, and if there wasn't something wrong, helen would not have left her friends without giving some explanation. i don't care whether brady, jr., is mixed up in the affair or not, i intend to discover what's happened, and to give the girl help if she needs it. if it hadn't been for helen, you and i would never have been able to chase brady, sr., over into michigan, capture him, and get our air ship back. we mustn't forget what we owe helen brady, and that she's entitled to our aid if she needs it." "right-o, messmate!" returned ferral heartily. "the girl helped us get back the hawk, but that's the least of what she did. if it hadn't been for her, the pair of us would have gone to davy jones, right here in this old balloon house.[a] i'm for doing everything we can for her, but if the police can't do anything, i don't see where we come in." [a] see motor matt weekly no. , "motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon-house plot." matt was gloomily silent for a little while, turning his helplessness over and over in his mind. "well, dick," he finally answered, "something may turn up." "but we can't wait for it. hagenmyer will be jerking the old shed down over our heads if we don't slant away sometime between this and morning." "i'm hoping that telegram from the lestrange people may result in something. that letter they have for me may be from helen brady." matt took the message from his pocket and read it over again. it was from the people for whom he had been driving a racing automobile, and had been received about eleven o'clock that morning. it merely stated that they had received a letter for matt, that it was marked "important," and that they would hold it until matt told them what to do with it. the young motorist had immediately sent his dutch pard, carl pretzel, to chicago after the letter. "perhaps you're right, matey," said ferral. "anyhow, we'll know as soon as carl gets back. he ought to be here by eight bells of the afternoon watch. hello!" and here ferral's eyes wandered to the road, "who's that steering this way? he's coming full and by, and seems to be in a hurry." matt stared in the direction indicated by his chum. carl had not had time to get to chicago and back, so he knew it could not be him. as the hurrying figure drew closer, and became more distinct, it resolved itself into the form of a man in blue and brass buttons. "harris!" exclaimed matt. "that's right!" agreed ferral excitedly; "harris, or i'm a fiji! he's got something mighty important stowed away in his locker, or he wouldn't be bearing down on us at that gait." harris was a member of the south chicago police force, and was a good friend of motor matt. "perhaps he's got something to tell us about helen brady!" cried matt, starting up. "if he has, then the news couldn't come at a better time." while harris was climbing the fence, both boys started across the swampy ground to meet him. "howdy, matt!" called the officer, jerking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his perspiring face. "hello, ferral. pretty hot day for a fast walk, and i didn't let any grass grow under me." "what's the trouble, harris?" queried matt. "there's plenty, i'm telling you. i guess we'll have to put another detail of officers on guard at this balloon house; if we don't, you lads are liable to get done up and lose the hawk." "how's that?" demanded ferral. "why, that pesky brady has escaped from the 'pen' at joliet, and----" "escaped?" echoed matt. "well, sink me!" exclaimed ferral. "why, he made his brags that the 'pen' couldn't hold him." "that fellow's as slippery as an eel," went on harris. "he's been at large for two days, and the prison authorities have kept it quiet, hoping they'd be able to bag him; but they failed to catch him, and now it's got into the papers. i wonder if you understand what that means to you, matt?" and here the officer fixed a significant look on the young motorist. "brady swore he'd get even with matt," spoke up ferral. "that's it," said harris, "and he's the sort of fellow that don't say things just to hear himself talk. he's been out of the 'pen' two days, and i'd like to bet something handsome he's been thinking of motor matt and the air ship ever since he got clear of the stone walls and the iron bars. i rushed out here as soon as i could, to warn you boys to look out for yourselves, and for the hawk." "brady will have enough to do keeping his liberty," remarked matt; "he won't have any time to bother with me." "that's where you're wrong, matt, according to my notion. you know how anxious brady has been, every time the law got after him, to get hold of the air ship. with the hawk, he can snap his fingers at all the detectives and police officers, and it's a cinch he'll come this way. some of the rest of the gang may be helping him. you know pete, whipple, grove, and brady, jr., are still at large. you don't want to have another balloon-house plot worked on you, so i think you lads had better pull out, and go east, if that's where you're headed for." "but i don't want to leave until i can learn something about helen brady!" protested matt. "you can't help the girl any," continued harris. "who knows but some of her father's gang are mixed up in her disappearance? if it comes to that, who knows but the girl is with her father now? you can't afford to have any more dealings with that gang, matt. besides, you owe it to the authorities to take the hawk where there won't be any possibility of brady's getting hands on her. if he gets the hawk, he'll never be captured; if he doesn't get the air ship, he can't possibly keep from getting laid by the heels." the officer's position was logical. matt's disappointment on helen brady's account was keen, but events seemed to be shaping themselves so that he and his friends would have to leave south chicago that afternoon, whether they wanted to or not. chapter ii. the important letter. "it looks as though we'd have to get away from here this afternoon, harris," said matt. "hagenmyer just sent us word he's going to begin tearing down the balloon house in the morning." "good!" exclaimed the officer, with satisfaction. "this old roost can't be knocked to pieces any too quick. it has witnessed many a lawless act on the part of brady and his gang, and if these old walls could speak they'd tell us of many a crime. are you and your chums going to try to get to new york with the hawk, matt?" "yes." "it's quite a long trip. i know, from experience, that the hawk will do well on a short voyage, but will she hold out for such a long journey as that?" "i don't see why she won't, if she's carefully handled." "but in bad weather? you can't figure on having sunshine and mild breezes all the way, you know, matt. i've never seen the hawk tried out in a stiff gale." "if the gale was too strong, we'd have to come down, anchor, and put up our canvas shelter." "if anyone could make a success of such a flight, i guess you're the boy. will you help out the authorities by taking the hawk so far away that brady can't have any designs on her?" "of course, harris," said matt, "we'll do whatever you think is right, but before we leave i think we ought to do something for helen brady." "the chicago police are hard at work on her case, and you can trust them to do whatever can be done." "well," went on matt, "we'll have to stay here until carl gets back from the city. he's gone there after an important letter, and i've a hunch it may be from miss brady." harris opened his eyes at this, and matt explained about the telegram from the lestrange people. the officer shook his head. "there's not much ground for thinking that letter is from miss brady," said he. "probably it's some one who has heard about your air-ship work, and wants to hire the hawk, or to charter her. what you've been doing in the aeronautical line, matt, has aroused a good deal of interest all over the country. it's the first time, so far as i know, that an air ship has ever been used practically. first, brady used the hawk in his thieving operations, and next you used her to bring two of the gang and some of their booty from willoughby's swamp. your last exploit, in which you made an air-ship trip across lake michigan in jerrold's machine, the eagle, captured the hawk and returned safely with her, seems to have caused more talk than anything else you have done. no, you can take my word for it, that important letter is from some enthusiast who wants to buy the hawk, or to hire her. if you lads wanted to sell the air ship, you could realize at least four times what you paid for the craft. not a bad 'spec,' eh?" "she ain't for sale, messmate," spoke up ferral. "she may be for sale, after awhile, but we want to have a little fun with her first. eh, matt?" "that's right, dick," answered matt. "aside from the fun, too, i want to learn all i can about the air-ship business. you never can tell when knowledge of that kind will come handy." "there you are!" laughed harris. "you never saw a boy with such a grasping disposition whenever there's anything to be learned. i'm going to stay right here with you and make myself comfortable until carl gets back from chicago. you've got me all worked up about that letter, and i'll have to see what it amounts to." the officer peeled off his long coat and made himself at ease on a box in the shade of the balloon house. "it beats all," he remarked, after a pause, "how brady ever succeeded in getting out of the 'pen.'" "haven't you heard how he accomplished that?" queried matt. "the details haven't been given out--even the newspapers haven't got them. if brady ever got another chance at you, matt, he wouldn't halt at any halfway measures. he's right in laying his capture, and most of his troubles, to you, and we all know that he has a disposition like a rattlesnake. you've got to look out for him." matt would have given a good deal to know just how much harris was thinking of his safety, and just how much he was considering the help the authorities would receive by having the hawk removed from that part of the country. he put the question point-blank, and the officer averred that he was thinking entirely of the recapture of brady. "is the hawk in shape for a get-away?" he asked. "she's been ready for a week," replied the young motorist. "there's enough gasoline in the tank to carry her at least three hundred miles, and we have a reserve supply stowed in the car that will carry her that much farther. the bag is full of gas, and mr. jerrold has equipped us with a balloonet, or inner bag, that will keep the buoyancy the same in any temperature. the balloonet is filled with something of his own invention--a vapor of some sort that contracts as the gas in the outer bag expands, and that expands as the gas contracts. not only that, but mr. jerrold gave the bag a coat of some sort of varnish which makes it almost proof against leakage, and we figure that we could travel some thousands of miles before it would be necessary to visit a gas plant." "jerrold is a mighty good friend of yours, matt," observed harris. "it's not everybody he'd give the benefit of his own inventions." "he's one of the greatest men of the age," declared the young motorist, with enthusiasm, "and he's doing more to put aëronautics on a commercial and practical basis than any other inventor in the country." for an hour or two harris and matt talked on technical points connected with air ships, and the two finally went into the balloon house so that matt could point out the improvements which his friend, jerrold, had helped make in the hawk. most of all this was worse than greek to ferral, and he yawned as he listened, and remained behind when his chum and the officer went inside the huge shed. leaning against the board wall behind him, ferral dozed, and it was only when a shout reached him from the road that he realized that carl was coming. when ferral turned his gaze in the direction from which the shout had come, carl was just clambering over the fence. "ahoy, matt!" yelled ferral, starting to his feet, and wide awake on the instant. "here's our dutch raggie! it's hard on the stroke of eight bells and he's made the round trip just as i thought he would." in response to the hail, matt and harris came hurrying out of the shed. by that time carl was half way between the road and the balloon house. "did you get the letter all right, carl?" asked matt, as soon as the dutch boy had come close. "you bed my life!" whooped carl. "don'd i chenerally ged vatefer i go afder, matt?" "it isn't often you fall down, and that's a fact." "it wasn't much of a job, anyhow," laughed ferral, "going after something that was waiting for you." "i vent so kevick as i got pack," continued carl, drawing the letter from his pocket, "und dot's vere i shine. motor matt say for me to do somet'ing, und i do him like chain lighdings. dere you vas. he's atressed to misder motor matt, care oof der lestrange garage, und down in vone gorner iss der vort 'imbortant.' my nerfs vas all in some flutters to know vat iss on der insite." matt took the letter and tore it open; then, for the benefit of harris and ferral and carl, he read it aloud. "'motor matt: you are a friend of helen brady's, and the writer knows that she is in grave peril. she can be rescued, but it can only be by means of your air ship, the hawk, and the work will have to be done quietly. i am one of the detectives from headquarters, and my attention is so completely taken up with the case that i can't leave where i am to call and see you personally, but if you want to help rescue the girl, you will follow these instructions: "'between la grange and the town of gary, not many miles from south chicago, there's an abandoned stone quarry. you can't miss it, as it is on the drainage canal, and the limestone in the bottom of the quarry will look like a white patch on the earth from the air ship. bring the hawk to the quarry at ten o'clock to-night, descending on the edge of the canal. i will be there to meet you. don't come before night, for, if the hawk is seen, we will have all our trouble for our pains. and keep mum about what you are doing, for if you were to talk, the information might reach those who have the girl in charge and thus prevent our success. can i count on you? i am figuring that you will receive this letter tuesday, and come to the quarry tuesday night; but, if you don't receive this until wednesday, come wednesday night. dave glennie.'" "egol!" muttered harris. "that's a peculiar letter, and no mistake. but it rings true. besides, i know glennie, and he's the best detective at the city headquarters." "i had hoped that this might be from miss brady herself," said matt. "the girl is probably where she can't write. glennie knows what he's about. he has asked you to come and told you how to get to the place, so if you want to help miss brady, matt, you'll go." "will you come along with us, harris?" harris shook his head. "it wouldn't do for me to butt in on a bit of work that glennie's pulling off--it would look too much as though i was trying to 'hog' some of the honor. glennie would resent it, and he'd be perfectly right in doing so. he has laid his plans and the thing for you to do is to help carry them out." "but you know the country better than any the rest of us. we'll be able to find the quarry, all right, when we get over it, but it may bother us some to find la grange. you see, we'll have to work at night, and----" "that will be easy, matt," interrupted harris, "if you find the canal and then follow it until you get to the quarry. i'll show you how to reach the canal, and after that you will have plain sailing." the officer gave the instructions. after he was through, the finding of the quarry seemed a simple enough matter. it was eight o'clock in the evening before the boys got the hawk out of the shed for the start. harris had stayed with them up to that time. he watched while the young motorist and his chums got into the car and glided upward to a humming accompaniment of the motor's cylinders. "good-by and good luck!" yelled harris, in answer to the parting hail that came to him from the dusky blot overhead. harris, after he had returned to headquarters to report, called up the chicago police department. it was merely by an afterthought and not because he anticipated finding anything wrong. "this is harris, of south chicago, talking," said he, as soon as his call was answered. "where's dave glennie?" "right here in the office, harris. if you----" harris staggered back and almost dropped the receiver. "what!" he demanded. "glennie's here in the office," repeated the man at the other end of the line. "if you want to talk to him i'll call him." "you bet i do want to talk to him! tell him to hustle to the phone." glennie must have "hustled," for in less than a minute he was at the phone, saying hello, and asking what was wanted. "did you write a letter to motor matt and send it to him in care of the lestrange garage, there in chicago?" "what would i want to write a letter to motor matt for?" demanded the detective. "i'll keep it quiet, if you did. all i want's to get at the truth." "i've given you the truth, harris." "you've been working on that helen brady case, haven't you?" "sure, but my hands are in the air. everybody's hands are in the air. it's the strangest case you ever heard of, and there's absolutely no trace----" harris tossed the receiver onto the hooks and staggered away from the phone. what sort of underhand work was going on? motor matt and his chums were running right into trouble, and harris realized that he had helped to start them on the way. "an automobile!" he muttered, hurrying out of the headquarters' building. "i've got to have a fast one and get to that old quarry before ten o'clock. egol, this is the worst thing i ever went up against!" chapter iii. by the old quarry. traveling by night in the hawk was not a new experience for motor matt and his chums. when they had crossed the lake from grand haven, after the capture of hector brady, they had come by night. at that time they had had the moon to light their course, but on this trip to the old quarry the moon was new and they had to depend upon the stars. as the night advanced, the stars grew brighter and they were able to distinguish the different features of the landscape below them. all was in shadow, more or less, but groves of trees were darker than the open stretches, and the highways were whitish lines dividing the country in squares. a cluster of lights marked the situation of a village, and stray gleams from below showed where the farm houses were located. "i'd radder travel mit a air ship," remarked carl, "dan any odder vay vat i know. it vas fine, und dot's all aboudt it." "right-o, matey," answered ferral. "i used to think there was nothing like a good ship and a skipper's breeze to make a fellow in love with life, but strike me lucky if there's anything on the seas to compare with this. we can not only shift our course by putting the helm down or up, but we can dive through the air like a porpoise in the water, and then we can climb up like a blooming whale that wants to spout. i'm an air sailor from this on, as long as the hawk's afloat. sell her? not for joseph! not if some lubber was to offer us four times what we paid for her. eh, matt?" "it's all right to hang onto the craft until we get at all the ins and outs of this air-ship business," replied the king of the motor boys from his place among the levers, "but if we can't make some money out of the hawk after that, i'll have to unload my interest in her, dick, and get busy with something more profitable. carl and i, you know, haven't any rich uncles to stand behind us. we have to work like sam hill for all we get." "dot's right," agreed carl. "i haf vorked all my life like sam hill, but i don'd got sooch a derriple sighdt now. oof i shday hooked oop mit matt, dough, i bed you someding for nodding i come oudt on der dop." "aye, aye," cried ferral heartily, "motor matt's the boy to win. but i'm not going to let my rich uncle do everything for me. when we get through with the hawk i'm going to quebec and get back in the king's service. nothing like the navy. my uncle wants to see me amount to something in the service, and he stands ready to give me a boost, but i told him to let me alone and watch me work my way up. i was captain of the after gun crew on the old _billy ruffian_, and----" ferral broke off suddenly, leaned over the rail and peered downward. "i'm a fiji, matt," he went on, "if i don't think we're close to the canal. cock your eye over the side, carl, and take a look." "vell," said carl, after a careful survey, "it vas a mighdy shtraight rifer oof it vasn't der canal." "put your helm over, matt," went on ferral, "for here's where we take a fresh tack." matt took a look for himself, then shifted the steering rudder so as to turn the hawk to the left, and at right angles with the course she had been following. "now then, fellows," said he, "keep your eyes skinned for the old quarry. they're all limestone quarries, in this part of the country, and the one we're looking for ought to show as white as a strip of macadam road." for half an hour they whirred along, a moving blot against the stars. it was carl who first discovered the quarry. "i t'ink i haf seen der blace, verral," said he. "look, vonce, off der on der righdt." ferral stared in the direction indicated. "you've hit it, mate," averred ferral. "there's the old quarry, matt, and it lies to the right of the canal. there's a railroad track in between." "well, we'll get down by the canal, opposite the quarry," said matt. "if the detective, glennie, is anywhere around, he'll be on the lookout for us and won't be slow reaching the place where we land." "i can see a couple of trees close to the bank of the canal, matt," announced ferral, "and if we could drop in between them it would be a good berth, and give us a fine place in which to moor the hawk." "guide me to the place," returned matt, "and be sure you don't land us in the top of one of the trees." "turn her about two points to port," went on ferral, keeping his keen eyes below as he gave the direction. "there you are--steady as she is. now tilt her--gently, gently!" matt depressed the steering rudder, keeping the vertical planes rigid as they were. when the hawk had attained the proper slant to bring her to an even keel between the two trees, ferral gave the word. matt slowed the propeller and they glided easily downward. "now then," called ferral, "straighten her out." the nose of the air ship immediately swung upward, and she glided in between the trees. matt cut off the power, and carl jumped out on one side and ferral on the other, each with a rope. the trees stood about forty feet apart, with cleared ground in between, and the propeller had hardly come to a standstill before carl and ferral had the mooring ropes securely fastened to the tree trunks. matt leaped over the rail and began looking about him through the semi-gloom. "there's some one bearing this way from the direction of the railroad track," said ferral, in a low tone. "he's coming in a hurry, too." matt turned his eyes in the direction of ferral's pointing finger. a dark figure could be seen rapidly approaching. as the man drew nearer, the starlight struck a vague flash from buttons on the front of his coat. "looks like a man in uniform," remarked matt, stepping out from under the shadow of the trees. "hello!" he cried. "is that you, glennie?" "that's who it is, king," came a husky answer. "glad you got that letter in time to get here to-night. if you hadn't come before to-morrow night it might have been too late." "sink me!" muttered ferral. "seems like i'd heard that voice before." "me, too," seconded carl; "dere vas some familiar rings mit it." matt likewise had a vague notion that he had heard the voice before, although he could not tell where. the man came steadily onward and, when he halted within a few feet of the boys, they could see that he was in uniform, and wore a cap with gold braid. there was lettering on the cap, but it was too dark to read it. the collar of the man's coat was turned up about his ears, and the cap was pulled down over his forehead. "you're dave glennie, are you?" queried matt. "sure," was the answer, but there was a shifty undernote in the voice which still further aroused matt's suspicions. "who did you think i was? i've been watching by this old quarry for two or three days, and when i sent that letter to you i had to get a boy to post it in la grange. didn't dare to leave here myself. if you--thunder! what's the matter with you?" matt, with a quick move, had leaped at the man and jerked off his cap. "brady!" he shouted. "help here, boys!" he grabbed brady by the shoulders, and both of them fell to the ground. "prady!" gasped carl. "vell, vat do you t'ink oof dot! prady! und ve t'ought all der time he vas a tedectif! ach, plazes, vat a surbrise!" ferral, appreciating the necessity of quick action, did not stop to say anything. running to matt, he helped him hold brady on the ground. presently, carl came, and the three boys soon had the escaped convict helpless. brady's fall had caused his coat to come open. under it matt saw a lighter suit of prison stripes. "brady put the uniform on over the prison clothes," panted matt. "he's clever as ever," returned ferral, "but what's his dodge?" "look a leedle oudt for some oof der odder members oof der gang!" fluttered carl. "meppy dis is anoder drap." "trap nothing!" protested brady. "get off of me, you fellows, and give me a chance to talk. i've got something to say that will open your eyes. if you want to help my girl, now's your chance--but i've got to go with you." chapter iv. a queer situation. brady had made no resistance. when attacked by matt, he had allowed himself to be overborne without a struggle. the young motorist, however, was well acquainted with brady's treacherous nature and thought he was playing a part. paying no attention to his request to be left free for a talk, matt continued to keep tight hold of him. "get a rope, carl," said he. "on der chump!" answered carl, starting at once for the car. "i'm not putting up any fight, king," spoke up brady; "you can see that, and it ought to be proof that i haven't any hostile intentions. do you suppose i'd have come here alone if i'd wanted to rough things with you?" "there's never any telling what you'll do," answered matt. "you're full of tricks, brady; not only that, but you're an escaped convict. you're playing some kind of a game, but you're not going to catch us, i can tell you that." brady fell silent. when carl got back with the rope he allowed himself to be tied. "now," said he, as he lay helpless on the ground, "if you're satisfied, we can talk." considering the temper he had, he showed a most remarkable command of himself. "i haven't any objections to talking with you," returned matt, "but nothing you can say is going to keep us from handing you over to the police. carl," and here he turned to his dutch chum, "you go to the other side of the trees and keep a sharp watch for some of the rest of the gang. and you, dick," he added to ferral, "keep your eyes skinned on this side. it won't do to let pete or whipple sneak up on us while brady is holding our attention." "ve fool him vonce oof he dries dot," said carl, moving away to the position assigned him. "right-o," agreed ferral. "we know too much about brady to let him pull the wool over our eyes." as brady lay bound, matt went through his pockets, looking for a weapon. his search was unsuccessful. brady laughed harshly as the lad drew away with empty hands. "you'll not find any shooting irons about me, king," said he. "why, i haven't so much as a pocket knife in my clothes. that's more proof that i didn't come here with any hostile intentions against you and your friends." "where did you get that uniform?" asked matt sternly. "it belongs to one of the guards at the prison." "he gave it to you and helped you get away?" "not much he didn't. i knocked him over the head, got into his uniform and walked out of the 'pen.' that's how i made my get-away." "when you were sent up you said you'd get clear and play even with me." "i've made up my mind to play even with somebody else, and want you to help me with the hawk." the audacity of this proposition staggered matt. "you must be crazy, brady," said he, "if you think i'd help you in any of your underhand schemes. you came here and wrote that forged letter?" "i came directly here from the prison," replied brady, with the utmost frankness, "and have been hiding in that deserted stone quarry. just as i told you, i wrote that letter and ran the risk of discovery by getting a boy to bring me an envelope and a sheet of paper, and then to take the letter to la grange and mail it." "why did you use dave glennie's name?" "because i thought it would bring you, and i didn't think of anything else that would fetch you this way." "well, you overreached yourself. instead of making us your prisoners, we have turned the tables on you; and we're going to get you away from here before the rest of your gang show up." "they'll not show up," declared brady, "and i didn't get you and your friends here to make any trouble for you." it was a queer condition of affairs--so queer, in fact, that matt would not take any stock in it. "what did you bring us here for?" he asked incredulously. "to help my girl," replied brady, in a voice that seemed perfectly sincere. "she has helped you a good many times, king, and i supposed you would be willing to do something for her." "i would do anything for miss brady, but i don't think that you, even though you are her father, have her best interests at heart. when you were captured, over in michigan, you swore you would get even with your daughter, just as you would with me." "a few days have made a different man of me, king. i got a letter while i was in prison, telling how the girl had been spirited away from the home of her friends, in chicago. i know who did that, and i know why it was done. helen needs help--she must have it soon--and if you won't come with me and help me with the hawk, there's no telling what will happen to the girl. it was to do what i could for her that i escaped from the 'pen,' that i have been hiding and starving in that old quarry, and that i wrote that letter and got you here. good heavens, boys, do you think i'd have taken all these chances unless there was the biggest kind of a demand on me?" brady was terribly in earnest, but he was so shifty and full of tricks that matt could not have any confidence in him. "your change of heart is too sudden to be sincere," said he. "you've played fast and loose with me ever since i first met you, brady." "i know that what i have done is against me," went on brady, with an odd, pleading note in his voice, "but just now i have hazarded everything on a single throw, and if you refuse to trust me you'll regret it--on helen's account. i tell you she's in danger. of course you can load me into the hawk and take me back to south chicago, but when the worst happens to the girl you're going to be sorry." matt pondered the subject for a few moments. there was nothing he wouldn't have done for helen brady, but her reprobate father was not the one to show him his duty in that direction. "where are pete and whipple?" he asked. "they're hiding in la grange, but they don't know anything about where i am. it's those black-hearted scoundrels who are making all the trouble for helen." the old fierceness crept into brady's voice. "i'll get even with the whelps if i hang for it!" he cried. "they can't turn against me without footing the bill! they ought to be in the 'pen' and i'll land them there before i go back myself. we can do this, king, and we can save the girl--if you will only help me. don't take me back to south chicago until we have captured pete and whipple and saved helen! i know i have been tricky with you, and that you have just cause to suspect my motives now, but i declare to you solemnly that all i ask is a chance to get even with pete and whipple and to take helen out of their hands." "miss brady was spirited away by pete and whipple?" asked matt, his nerves quivering at the very thought. "yes, and they're keeping her a prisoner now. if you----" just here carl came running out from the shadow of the trees. "dere vas two fellers coming dis vay from der canal," he cried excitedly, "und dey vas coming on der run. ve haf got to do somet'ing un do it kevick!" "it's a trap, after all!" exclaimed matt. "ferral, you and carl pick up brady and hustle him over to the car. get ready to cast off and make a swift start from here. look alive, now, or we'll be head over heels in the trouble harris was afraid would come our way." as matt spoke, he ran toward the trees and the air ship, intending to cast off the mooring ropes himself. his foot struck against something, which he found to be a piece of a dead branch from one of the trees. he possessed himself of the club, with the intention of using it if he was interfered with in his work. carl and ferral realized the necessity of quick action. grabbing up brady by the feet and shoulders, they hustled him toward the hawk. when they dumped him into the car, matt had already cast off one rope and was working frantically with the other. "here's the hawk, by thunder!" bellowed an exulting voice from the gloom. "what do you think of this for luck? we got ter capture the air ship, pete! it won't do to let such a chance get away from us." the hoarse voice came closer and closer, and matt heard a scramble of running feet. "dere dey are!" cried carl. "it vas pete und vipple! vat a luck, und--" there came the impact of a blow. among the shadows under the trees matt saw carl, who had been standing by the rail of the car, suddenly hurled backward. he had been struck down by one of the two scoundrels--pete or whipple--it was impossible to tell which. "pipe to quarters!" came the voice of ferral as he leaped to carl's assistance. "all hands repel boarders! look out for yourself, matt!" just then matt had his own hands full and could not pay any more attention to what was going on by the car. one of the two ruffians, seeing him in the gloom, leaped in his direction. there was a bluish flash, followed by a sudden report. matt dropped backward. "i've got king, pete!" jubilated the voice of whipple. "we'll have everythin' our own way, now! don't let them others git the best o' ye afore i git there." whipple, however, was mistaken. he had not "got" matt. his bullet had sped wide, and matt had merely tumbled backward to pick up the club which he had dropped while working at the rope. as whipple continued to rush forward, the young motorist sprang up, whirled the bludgeon, and let it drop on the scoundrel's head with all his strength. whipple gave a howl of pain, threw up his hands, and staggered back. matt pressed the robber hard, and another blow felled him where he stood. whirling away, matt rushed back to help his two chums. carl had not yet recovered himself sufficiently to be of any use, and ferral was having a little more than he could manage. "take him from behind, whipple!" panted pete, thinking matt was his confederate. the next moment pete saw his mistake. rightly surmising that something had happened to his pal, and not caring to run the risk of being captured, pete whirled and took to his heels. "keelhaul me, mate," cried ferral, "but that was a tight squeak. where's the other swab?" "i was lucky enough to bowl him over, and----" "my heart was in my throat when i heard that shot! i thought sure you had got your gruel." "never mind that, now. get into the car and turn over the engine. i'll finish casting off that other rope and we'll get out of here. there's more of the gang at large and they may be skulking around in this vicinity. hurry up, dick!" matt rushed back to where he had had his encounter with whipple. the scoundrel had vanished, having probably recovered his wits, and made off after pete. this made the situation more critical for matt and his friends. the two scoundrels were armed, and it would be only a matter of a few minutes before they rejoined each other and renewed the attack. working swiftly, matt released the rope from the tree, threw it into the car, and bounded after it. everything was ready, and all he had to do was to jump into the car, switch the power into the propeller, and lift the steering rudder. in another moment, the hawk had glided upward and away into the night. chapter v. pete and whipple make a capture. "consarn it!" cried whipple, overtaking pete as he was legging it for the canal, "what ye runnin' fer?" "fer the same reason you are, i reckon," replied pete. "them three kids was too much fer us. i thought i heerd ye yell that ye'd put king down an' out?" "i thought i had," and whipple exploded a savage oath and fondled the side of his head, "but the cub come back at me with a sand bag, or somethin', an' i seen more stars than what ye can find overhead. fer about half a minit i was clean knocked out. when i come ter myself ye had made a run of it, an' i trailed after ye. we got a chance yet, d'ye hear? purty idee if two huskies like us can't git the best o' three kids like them." "that king is more kinds of an eel than i know how ter mention," replied pete. "the way he wriggles around an' gits out o' tight corners is some surprisin'. had we better go back there, whipple? it wouldn't do fer us ter git captured; an' then, considerin' what we're workin' fer in la grange, it would be foolish ter take any chances." "chances!" growled whipple. "we've got guns an' them kids haven't. where do the chances come in? pull yer six-shooter an' come on. i'm going ter git even for that whack king give me on the head. an' we want that air ship. it's jest the thing we need. don't be a fool, pete." with this final adjuration, whipple, weapon in hand, started back toward the trees. pete, likewise prepared for emergencies, hurried after him. before they had covered half the distance that separated them from the trees, however, they saw the black shape of the air ship shoot upward and vanish in the darkness toward the north. whipple's rage and disappointment were so keen that he gave way to a torrent of piratical language, storming around until pete called him to a halt with a show of temper. "what good does that do? king an' his pals have hiked out, an' mebby it's a good thing fer us that they did. stop yer swearin' an' let's go on to the ole quarry an' take a look fer brady." stifling his anger, whipple strode on to the trees and peered over the scene of the recent encounter. "yes," he growled, "king has showed us his heels ag'in, but it ain't a good thing fer us noways that he got clear. what d'ye s'pose he was doin' here?" "i pass. i ain't no mind reader, whipple." "no, i reckon ye ain't; an' ye ain't got any too much good, common sense, neither. mebby king's got a tip that the girl's at la grange, an' he's come over in this direction lookin' fer us. did ye ever think o' that? if our game's been tipped off, we're li'ble ter find ourselves in a hard row o' stumps." "who's goin' ter tip off our game?" demanded pete. "them chicago detectives ain't been able ter find out a thing." "mebby they have, but that confounded matt king is the sort o' cat we never know which way he's goin' ter jump. if that kid wasn't stringin' us, i'll bet money the feller that got him ter git writin' material, an' then ter take a letter to the la grange postoffice, addressed ter king, was brady." "why should brady be writin' ter king? he hates him down ter the ground." "brady would do anythin' ter beat our game." "then, if ye're so sure brady's in the ole quarry, let's find him an' have it out with him, right here." "that's the thing fer us ter do--only thing we _can_ do, now." the two men started out of the shadow of the trees in the direction of the railroad track and the quarry. a wagon road followed the track, and before they had reached the road, the _chugetty-chug_ of an automobile, rapidly approaching, struck on their ears. "get back ter the trees!" muttered whipple. "here comes an automobile, an' it won't do fer us ter be seen." they scrambled back into the dark shadows of the trees. crouching there, they waited and watched. the automobile was coming at a good clip along the road, and could be seen to contain two men. to the surprise and consternation of pete and whipple, the machine slowed to a halt just between the trees and the track. "thunder!" gasped pete; "that move don't mean any good ter us. i don't like the way things is movin' ternight. what d'ye think them dubs is up to?" "shut up an' listen!" whispered whipple. "they're talkin', an' mebby we can find out what their game is." "there's the old quarry, on the right, graydon," one of the men was saying, "and there's the canal on the left. right around in here is where that air ship ought to be." "maybe we're too late, harris," answered the man addressed as graydon, "and that the game has been pulled off." "i hope not. if anything has gone wrong with king and his friends, i'm to blame. get out and cross the track to the quarry. look around there and see if you can find anything of the boys. if you can't, my hands will be in the air, and i won't know the first thing to do. while you're nosing around the quarry, i'll walk over toward the canal. if anything has gone wrong with motor matt, i'll bet hector brady is back of it." all this, which was plainly heard by whipple and pete, rendered them anything but easy in their minds. they knew harris, the energetic officer from south chicago, and his activities while helping motor matt had left memories anything but pleasant. and then, too, the mention of brady had set the two scoundrels to guessing. "we'd better duck while we've got time," whispered pete. "wait!" returned whipple roughly. "we've got ter find out what's up--it may mean success or failure fer that game we're workin' at la grange." "how ye goin' ter find out anythin' more? them fellers have quit talkin'." "they've quit talkin'," answered whipple darkly, "but they haven't got away from here yet. stick right where ye are, pete, an' watch." graydon had got out of the automobile and started across the railroad track. it was only a moment or two before he was blotted out of sight. harris had likewise climbed out of the car and was starting slowly in the direction of the canal. as the officer advanced, whipple pulled pete behind one of the trees. "leave it ter me," he whispered savagely. "harris is comin' this way an' i'll take care o' him. we've got a score ter settle with that dub, anyway." "i won't stand fer no desperate work, whipple," warned pete. "we're tangled up a-plenty as it is." "you stand by an' keep yer mouth shut!" ordered whipple. "we got ter nab harris an' make him do some more talkin'. hist, now! he's comin' close." the officer, greatly worried on account of matt and his friends, and utterly unconscious of lurking danger, was making straight toward the trees, evidently intending to pass between them on his way to the canal. as he drew nearer, he kept his head moving from side to side, plainly hoping to discover something. scarcely breathing, the two fugitives waited for him. whipple, catching his revolver by the barrel, leaped out from behind the tree just as harris came abreast of him. at that instant the officer's head was turned away. he heard the noise of the spring and whirled--but too late. whipple brought the butt of his revolver down on the officer's head with stunning force. harris, without a word, flung up his hands and crumpled in an insensible heap to the ground. "look here, whipple," cried the exasperated pete, "if ye've done fer him i'm goin' ter quit ye, right here." "i haven't done fer him," scoffed whipple, "only jest laid him out so'st we can handle him." "what ye goin' ter do?" "take him ter la grange an' find out what he knows. we'll use the automobile." "that's plumb foolish! he'll git next ter the whole game, then he'll have us dead ter rights." "if i'm figgerin' this thing right, some 'un's next ter our game as it is, an' we've got ter take the girl an' move. the automobile'll come in handy fer us, an' when we pull out we can leave harris behind. i've run the engine in the hawk, an' i know enough about motor cars ter run that machine. hurry up! we want ter git away from here afore that other dub comes back from the quarry." harris, breathing heavily and still unconscious, was picked up neck and heels and rushed to the car. "you git in behind with him," said whipple, as the officer was placed in the tonneau, "an' i'll git in the driver's seat. we'll pass up lookin' fer brady in the quarry fer now. i reckon harris can tell us all we want ter know." the two scoundrels got into the car, whipple pausing first to crank up the engine. turning the car around the other way, he headed along the back track, gradually speeding up the motor. the rascals had had one backset, but this move seemed likely to more than make up for it. chapter vi. brady's proposition. "how do you feel, carl?" asked matt, when the hawk was safely clear of the ground and swinging easily along through the night. "i feel like my headt vas as pig as a parrel," answered carl. "py shiminy, dot vas a svipe vat i got. i see pooty ret lights aroundt me, und i don'd know somet'ing ondil lader." "it's a cinch, matey," spoke up ferral, "that brady laid that trap, and that we only got out of it by the skin of our teeth." "what do you say to that, brady?" asked matt. "it's mighty unfortunate--for me," replied brady, from the bottom of the car. "i laid a trap, king, but not that kind. what i wanted, was to talk you into helping me rescue helen. i don't know yet how whipple and pete managed to show up there when they did. they didn't see me, and they don't know now that you've captured me." "as soon as we can get to south chicago," said matt, "we'll tell harris those fellows are here. this is the first clue the police have had as to where they are." "a good night's work, mate," said ferral, "strike me lucky if it ain't. harris will be all ahoo when we tell him that it was brady who wrote that letter." "don't take me back to south chicago just yet," pleaded brady, struggling to a sitting posture and leaning against the rail at the side of the car. "if pete and whipple are away from that shanty in la grange, this will be a good time to get helen." "he talks mit two tongues vorse as any feller vat i know," remarked carl. "he thinks he can keep on fooling us," scoffed ferral. "listen to me, that's all i ask," pursued brady, desperately earnest. "pete and whipple, helped by a man named hooligan, got the girl away from her friends in chicago, and----" "how did they do it?" interrupted matt. "hooligan met helen on the street, and told her that her brother, hector brady, jr., was sick and wanted her to come to him at once. helen knew the police were looking for my son, just as they were for the other members of my gang who had escaped the officers, and she did not dare to go back to her friends and tell them where she was going. hooligan told her it wouldn't be necessary for her to say anything, as she could get back to archer avenue in the afternoon. hooligan took helen by train to river forest, a suburb of chicago, and not far from la grange. he's care-taker during the summer for a house in river forest, hooligan is, and he took the girl there. the moment the girl reached the house, whipple and pete made a prisoner of her, and turned her over to mrs. hooligan. when it became night, helen was taken to a house owned by the hooligans in la grange--and helen has been there ever since. last night i was in la grange and i spotted the house, but the gang were too many for me and i didn't dare try to rescue helen alone. i had already thought of you and the hawk, king, and i knew we could turn the trick if i could only get you to help." the facts were surprising--providing they were the facts--and brady's knowledge of them was equally mystifying. "how did you learn all this, brady?" demanded matt. "grove got the news to me while i was in prison. whipple and pete tried to ring him in on the deal, but grove wouldn't stand for it. a pretty decent sort of a grafter, grove is, but he's done with crooked work and has gone to california to lead a different life. my son, at last accounts, was in new york. by this time he's off for foreign parts. it is due to you, king, that my gang has been scattered like this, and there was a time, not many days ago, when all i asked was to be free just long enough to settle my score with you. but this strange affair of helen's has changed all that. i'm thinking more of getting even with whipple and pete than i am of getting even with you. as for helen, i can see now that the girl meant well, although what she has done has made a convict of me." the convict was always a well-spoken man, and plainly a man of education. this, perhaps, had made him a more dangerous criminal than he would otherwise have been. somehow, matt was deeply impressed by his words. the young motorist's desire to help helen brady probably influenced him to pay some attention to his prisoner's words. "you're right in saying this is a strange case, brady," said matt. "the strangest part of it is why whipple and pete should go to all this trouble. what are they trying to do?" "i've made up my mind to tell you the whole of it, king," returned brady. "during my thieving operations around south chicago i picked up quite a lot of valuable property. you got some of it back, but not the biggest part. i hid that away, to a place known only to me, and wrote down instructions for finding the place, and stowed the memorandum under a loose brick in the house at lake station, where helen stayed for awhile after you got the hawk away from me in willoughby's swamp. if anything happened to me, i intended to tell hector, jr., where the instructions were hidden, have him get the plunder, turn it into cash, and hire lawyers to get me out of trouble. while i was waiting for my trial, there in south chicago, i sent the letter to hector, jr. he had left town and the letter fell into helen's hands. she opened it, went to lake station and got the memorandum. in some way, whipple and pete found out about it, and they engineered the abduction before helen could turn the paper over to the police--as i know she intended doing." a great rage welled up in brady as he went on. "those two treacherous hounds want to get the plunder, and they will keep helen a prisoner until they can make her tell where the stuff is concealed, for i imagine she destroyed the paper after reading it. that's why i want to play even with them! it was for that alone that i struck down the prison guard, got into his uniform, and escaped from the 'pen.' if you'll help me, king, i've got a proposition to make to you--and you'll find that i stand by it." "what's your proposition?" asked matt. where brady had put the spoil of his many robberies had long been a mystery to the authorities, and brady's recital, although one of the strangest matt had ever heard, was logical, and bore the stamp of truth. "it's this," went on brady, visibly gratified because the young motorist seemed inclined to fall in with his plans; "help me rescue helen and place whipple and pete in the 'pen.' if you will do that, i will go back to joliet and finish my term, and you can rely on helen to tell where the plunder is cached. but if anything has happened to those written instructions, and helen can't tell, i'll give the information to you and you can have the stuff dug up and returned to the people from whom it was taken. i can't say anything fairer than that." this was queer talk for hector brady. motor matt could hardly believe his ears. and yet, he was offering little. he had already been recaptured, so his return to joliet was a foregone conclusion; and helen, it was almost certain, knew the location of the caché, and it might be considered that the stolen property would be returned without any of brady's help. that whipple and pete could wrest the location of the caché from helen, matt could not believe. he knew the girl's determination too well. "he iss trying to make some fools oudt oof us," remarked carl. "don'd listen to him, matt." "that's the sizing i give his talk, mate," seconded ferral. "he's a bad one, and couldn't tell the truth on a bet." "haven't you any gratitude for what helen did for you?" demanded brady. "if it hadn't been for her, you would have lost this air ship." "that's the least of it," said matt gravely. "miss brady saved ferral's life and mine, at the time of that balloon-house plot of yours, brady. you want to take the hawk to the place in la grange where hooligan and his wife live?" "to the place where they live when they're at home," answered brady. "they only stay there in the winter. during the summer they're taking care of that house in river forest." "they're making fine use of that river forest house!" exclaimed matt. "but they can't be there now, if they've got helen at the place in la grange." "mrs. hooligan has charge of helen, and whipple and pete are there with her. hooligan himself is at river forest." "what sort of a two-faced scoundrel is this hooligan, that he helps criminals in such work?" "he happens to be pete's brother." "that doesn't excuse him." "probably he's figuring on getting a share of the stuff pete and whipple are hoping to find. there's enough of the loot to make them all pretty comfortable. if you hadn't butted into my affairs, king, i could have sailed away in the hawk and taken life easy for the rest of my days." "the proper way to work this," said matt, after a moment's reflection, "is to take you to south chicago, brady, leave you there, and pick up harris and two other officers. then you can tell us where to go and we'll have whipple, pete and the two hooligans behind the bars before daylight. and miss brady will be safely rescued." "that won't do at all," protested brady. "in the first place, that will make too much of a delay at a time when every moment may count; and, in the next place, i'll have to be along to tell you where to moor the air ship and point out the house." "he has got somet'ing oop his sleeve more as he lets oudt," answered carl. "go shlow a leedle, matt; dot's der vay vat i feel aboudt it." "right-o," agreed ferral. "even though there is a little delay, matt, it's better to go to south chicago and pick up harris than to let brady lead us into a mare's nest." brady showed signs of exasperation. "i don't believe you want to do anything for helen!" he growled. "yes, we do," said matt, "and we're going to la grange at once; but we're going to leave those ropes on you all the time, brady, and i'll reconnoitre hooligan's house and find out if your yarn is straight goods before we sail in there and get ourselves into possible trouble." "that suits me," and brady floundered to his knees and looked over the rail. for a long time he peered downward, evidently getting his bearings. "make a half turn to the left," said he, "and speed up the engine. i'll stay right here and tell you exactly where to go. you'll never regret making this move, king. all i have to gain is the satisfaction of rescuing helen brady and getting the stripes on whipple and pete." matt, full of wonder at the way events were falling out, turned the air ship in the direction indicated by brady and increased the speed of the propeller. chapter vii. a surprise at hooligan's. instructed by brady, who knelt on the floor of the car and watched keenly as they traveled through the air, matt brought the hawk down in a vacant lot back of a high billboard. the houses in the neighborhood were dark, as it was after midnight, and the vague bulk of the gas bag, looming over the top of the billboard, would hardly have claimed the attention of any chance passerby on the sidewalk. at that hour, too, there were not liable to be any travelers in the street. the hawk carried no lights, and the only noise she made in descending was caused by the low murmur of the cylinders. the craft was moored to the supports of the billboard, on one side, and to a heavy wagon on the other. the wagon was a truck, and it was evidently the owner's custom to leave it over night in the lot. "i got the lay of the land when i came in here from the quarry," explained brady, in a low voice, "and i had just such an emergency as this in mind. directly across the alley is hooligan's house. if you want to reconnoitre, king, go ahead, but i'd advise you to be careful, for whipple would be quick to use a knife or a revolver on you if he got the chance." "i'll look out for whipple," answered matt confidently. "the chances are, you know, that they're not there. we left them out by the canal, and i don't think they have had time to get here yet, if they walked out to the old quarry." "we don't want to take any chance, matt," said ferral, "of those two swabs getting next to us here. there'd be a pretty kettle of fish if they find us, use their guns, and then make off with the air ship--and brady." "while i'm gone," returned matt, impressed with ferral's reasoning, "you and carl will have to be on your guard. you'd better go to the end of the billboard, carl, and watch the street. you can keep your eye on the alley, dick. if pete and whipple happen to show up before i get back, and you think the hawk is in any danger, cut loose and sail away--never mind me. you can hover around and pick me up later." "i don'd like dot, matt," said carl. "meppy i pedder go mit you, hey? you vill be in more tanger as der air ship, i bed you." "i'm not going to get into any danger, and it's the hawk we've got to be sure of beyond everything else. you remember how anxious harris was to keep her out of the hands of any of brady's gang? well, we don't want to lose the hawk, and we don't want to cheat justice by letting pete and whipple get hold of her. i don't think there's much chance of the scoundrels showing up, but it's well to be on the safe side. if mrs. hooligan is alone there, when i come back i'll have miss brady; then we can get a policeman or two and have them lie in wait for pete and whipple when they come. i see how, if luck is with us, we can wind this whole matter up, right here. brady's advice was good in having us come directly here without losing any time. now, i'm----" matt paused. to his ears there came the popping of a motor just getting into action. the noise was followed by a steady hum of cylinders, getting down to work. the hum grew low in the distance and finally died out. "dere's a pubble!" muttered carl. "in the street on the other side of hooligan's," said matt. "it's getting so you can hear automobiles at any time of the day or night." "but hooligan's house faces a street where no one lives that's able to own an automobile," spoke up brady. "somebody else who doesn't live on the street is going through." "the machine had stopped. when we heard it it was just starting. besides, it's a poor street, and no machine would come that way unless the driver blundered into the thoroughfare. i don't like it. hurry up, king, and find out what's going on, if you can." matt lost no more time, but gained the alley, climbed a rickety fence on the other side, and stood in the back yard of the hooligan home. the house was a small, one-story affair, shabby even in that faint light, and the back yard was waist high with weeds. it was quite plain that hooligan's being away in summer was a bad thing for his home place. matt approached the house cautiously and went completely around it. there was no light anywhere, and no sounds came from within. "mrs. hooligan has probably gone to bed," he thought. "if i was absolutely sure that pete and whipple had not got back, i'd rap on the door and try to get in in that way." while it seemed reasonable to suppose that the two rascals were still absent from the place, yet matt did not want to run the risk of trouble by pounding on the door for mrs. hooligan. to get a policeman might have been the best plan, but matt was none too sure of his ground, inclined though he was to put implicit faith in brady's information. "i'll get in, if i can, and look around," he finally concluded. "the hooligans might have a case against me for house-breaking, but i'll take a chance. besides, if what brady says is true, we've got a bigger case against the hooligans than they can possibly get against me." softly he tried the front door. as he had imagined, it was locked. then he tried the kitchen door, but with no better result. after that he passed completely around the building endeavoring to raise one of the windows. the windows, like the doors, were secured. this seemed strange, inasmuch as it was a warm night and just the time windows should be open to admit the air. with his pocket knife matt succeeded in pushing aside the fastening between the upper and lower sash of a window at the side of the house. he listened for a moment to see if his work had been detected by anyone in the building. hearing nothing to arouse his apprehension, he pushed up the window and climbed into the dark room beyond. silence reigned all around him. taking a match from his pocket, he struck it and surveyed the room. it was a bedroom. the bed was not disturbed, although the coverlet and pillow bore the imprint of a human form, as though some one had lain down on it for a few minutes' rest. from a nail in the wall hung an article which at once attracted matt's attention. it was a small gray shawl, and he at once recalled it as a shawl which he had seen helen brady wear. here was fresh proof that hector brady had told the truth. undoubtedly the girl had been in that house, and that that was the room set aside for her use. but where was she? softly matt opened a door and stepped through into the kitchen. there was a pile of dirty dishes on a table, and other evidences that the kitchen had been recently used. but there was no one there, and no sounds came to matt to tell him that there was anyone, apart from himself, in the house. an open door admitted him into what was undoubtedly the main living room. there was some disorder apparent, as though those who had been in the house had left hastily. a heavy disappointment ran through the young motorist. helen brady had been there, but she had been taken away! he was too late. while he stood in the centre of the living room, a flickering match in his fingers, he heard something that sent his pulses to a faster beat. a faint sound as of stifled breathing came to him. there was one more room he had not examined, and it opened off the one in which he was standing. the choking respiration apparently reached him from this unseen chamber. what lay beyond the closed door he did not know, but he had gone too far to retreat. if pete and whipple were there, and if they were waiting for him---- but that thought did not dismay him. he was thinking of helen brady, and hoping against hope that she was still in the house. he let the match flicker out and, in the darkness, stepped to the door and pushed it open. the breathing was more distinct, but, apart from the person who caused the sound, there was no one else in the room. matt lighted another match, and started back with an astounded exclamation. on the floor, almost at his feet, lay harris! he was bound, wrist and ankle, and a handkerchief gag was twisted between his jaws. the policeman's wide-open eyes were rolling, and he was doing his utmost to talk. as soon as he had recovered himself somewhat, matt stepped to a washstand and lighted a lamp that stood there; then, going down on his knees, he proceeded to free the officer of his bonds and the gag. "great scott!" were the officer's first gasping words as he sat up and raised both hands to his head, "how, in the name of all that's good, do _you_ happen to be here?" "i was just going to ask you the same question," answered the bewildered matt. "never had such a big surprise in my life!" "nor i, either. i came here looking for helen brady, but i thought there was no one at home, and i got through a window. how did you come here?" "i was brought here by pete and whipple," was the astonishing reply. "brought here by pete and whipple?" echoed matt. "why, we left them out by the canal and the old quarry." "left them there, eh? what happened to you, matt? i was scared stiff, on your account, back there in south chicago. after you left, i called up police headquarters in the city and asked after dave glennie--just thought i'd make sure i hadn't sent you into trouble. glennie himself answered the phone. he hadn't written you any letter and didn't know a thing about that proposed meeting. i got graydon, another officer, and we hustled off in an automobile. couldn't find you at the quarry, and while graydon was looking for you in one direction, and i was nosing around in another, i was keeled over by whipple. the two scoundrels stole the automobile and brought me here. i don't know what the nation graydon will think, or---- ouch, my head! there's a lump on it as big as my fist, and it feels as though it had been hit with a sledge hammer. but it's good for sore eyes to see you, matt, and to find out that you didn't get into trouble. if you----" a wild shout came muffled from the distance. it was carl's voice, and evidently something was going wrong at the air ship. "that's carl!" exclaimed matt. "come on, harris. i've got to get out of here and see what's up. i left carl and dick with the hawk in a vacant lot on the other side of the alley." without waiting to explain further, matt whirled and dashed from the room. chapter viii. the trouble at the air ship. when carl and ferral went on guard duty, brady, still bound, was left in the car of the hawk. from the deep gloom of the billboard, carl watched both ways--kept his eye on the street for possible signs of pete and whipple, and looked occasionally toward the car to make sure that brady was keeping quiet. carl always claimed to have "hunches" when anything was going wrong. he had a good many "hunches" when nothing ever went wrong, but rarely had anything to say when his dismal forebodings failed to make good. however, when his "hunch" struck him shortly before a bit of hard luck, he was sure to brag about it. one of the shivery feelings which carl supposed to be a "hunch" had been on him ever since they had started from the balloon house. instead of finding dave glennie, the city detective, by the old quarry, the chums had run into hector brady; and, right after that, they had had an encounter with pete and whipple, and had got away by a narrow margin. this amount of trouble ought to have been sufficient for any ordinary "hunch," but it did not satisfy carl's. the shivery feeling still held him in its grip, and he was looking for something else to strike matt, and ferral, and himself. ferral, finding everything quiet in the alley, strolled around by the end of the billboard. carl was so busy looking for trouble that he did not see his chum coming. when he heard his step, close behind him, carl jumped about ten feet. "ach, vat a cholt!" he murmured, recognizing the low laugh that greeted him when he turned around. "you hatn't ought to do dot, verral," he went on reproachfully. "you come pooty near shcarin' me oudt oof a year's growt'." "what ails you, old ship?" queried ferral. "i never saw you in such a taking before. there must be something wrong with your top hamper." "i don't know abudt dot," said carl, "aber i bed my life somet'ing pooty bad iss going to habben mit us. i got der feeling in my pones--leetle didicums valkin' all droo me--lettle spookishness feelings like vat i can't tell hop, shkip und chumping oop my shpine. yah, himmelblitzen, dot's der t'ing vat i feels, und it makes me vant to yell righdt oudt. you efer haf dot, verral?" "from your description," chuckled ferral, "i don't think anything of that kind ever crossed my hawse. it must be an awful feeling, carl." "ach, vorse as dot! i vas a rekular drouple parometer. schust vatch me und you can alvays tell schust ven hardt luck is going to shdrike modor matt und his bards. now, ve vill ged some more do-nighdt, i tell you dose." "what sort of trouble will it be?" "i don'd know dot, aber i bed you matt is mixed oop in it. i ditn't pelieve dot he ought to haf svallowed all dot talk prady gif him. anyvay, you see how matt dook it down, und here ve are, und dere iss matt ofer der alley--und der teufel knows vat vill habben pecause oof it, i don'd." "that old raggie of ours, carl, generally knows what he's about. it ain't often that he gets fooled." "don'd i know dot? he iss der greadest feller dot efer vas, aber der pest oof dem vill make a misblay vonce und oggasionally. matt ought to haf let me go along mit him. he has peen gone a goot vile now, und he may be in drouble alretty for all dot ve know." "matt can keep out of trouble easier than any fellow you ever saw," answered ferral. "sure! aber i vish dot you vould go ofer py der alley und lisden pehindt der house. see oof you can hear anyt'ing vat lisdens like drouple." "i'll go you, carl," said ferral, "not because i don't think matt's not able to take care of himself, but just to ease up a bit on your nerves. i never saw a fellow that liked to fight better than you do, and it's main queer you'll let a foreboding of trouble get you on the mat like that." "der forepoding iss der whole drouple; oof der fighdt vould come on mitoudt dot, i vouldt be habby. yah, so. it's der uncerdainty oof vat iss coming vat hurts." with an amused laugh, ferral strolled off toward the alley. carl watched him vanish into the deeper shadows cast by the sheds and other buildings, and then allowed his eyes to swerve toward the car of the air ship. the dutch boy had cast an apprehensive look toward the car a score of times without seeing anything. this time, however, he saw something, and that was the figure of a man jumping over the rail. with a wild yell he rushed toward the car. the man, running like a deer, came directly toward him, and carl planted himself firmly and made ready to use his fists. as the running form came closer, carl made it out to be brady. the escaping prisoner lurched to one side in order to give carl a wide berth. "no, you don'd!" cried carl, and threw himself in front of brady. the latter, by a dexterous move, put out a foot and tripped the dutch boy, sending him heels over head. while carl was getting up, he saw brady disappearing around one end of the billboard. "what's run afoul of you, mate?" demanded ferral, hurrying to the scene. "prady!" answered carl excitedly. "he has proken loose mit himseluf und run avay!" carl at once started on the trail, darting around the end of the billboard and plunging into the street. once in the thoroughfare, he was puzzled to know which way brady had gone. the fellow was out of sight and hearing, and all carl could do was to make a guess and plunge away. he guessed wrong, and after he had run two blocks he made up his mind that he would go the other way and raced back. in front of the billboard he was stopped by matt, ferral and some one else. it was too dark for carl to see who the third man was. "hold up, carl!" called matt, grabbing him, "there's no use whaling around like that." "prady has got avay!" cried carl. "so dick was telling us. it's hard luck, and i can't understand it." "did you have brady?" demanded the third member of the party. "vell, oof it ain'd harris!" murmured carl. "vere dit you come from?" harris had no time, just then, for useless talk. "yes," said matt, "we had brady. he was a prisoner in the air ship, and he loosened his ropes and made a break for his freedom. i'm all at sea and can't make head or tail of it." "if he's in this town," proceeded harris, "he can be captured, but we'll have to call on the police authorities here. however, now that brady's got away, that can wait a few minutes. tell me all about how you found him." matt went over the event of brady's capture at some length, telling briefly what brady had told him and how he and his chums had come to bring the hawk to the vacant lot near hooligan's. it was the first chance since matt had found harris in the house that the two had had to talk. harris, as might be supposed, was amazed. "a queer move for brady to make," muttered the officer. "a big change must have come over him since he went to the 'pen.' the last thing he said to me, when he started for joliet, was that he'd get even with motor matt if it was the last thing he ever did. either he's playing some deep game, or else he's experienced a remarkable change of heart." "it's a deep game he's playing, i guess," said matt ruefully. "if not, why did he try to get away?" "well, he gave you a lot of information, and gave it to you pretty straight. that don't tally very well with his desire to make you trouble. there's something about all this i can't understand." "brady was quite a little worked up over that automobile we heard, in front of hooligan's, mate," put in ferral, with a sudden thought. "that was the automobile that brought graydon and me from south chicago," explained harris. "pete and whipple ran off with it. they used the machine to bring me to hooligan's, and then loaded the old woman and the girl into it, got in themselves, and tore away." "do you know where they went?" asked matt. "no. whipple told me, just before he left the house, that i could stay where i was and starve to death, for all he cared. and i guess that might have happened if it hadn't been for you, matt. all this tallies with what brady told you, and makes the whole affair look as though he was playing on the square." "but he bolted!" exclaimed matt. "that goes to show that he had something up his sleeve that we don't know anything about." the puzzled officer rubbed his bruised head thoughtfully. "well, you've got me," he observed finally. "i can't explain it. it will be a good scheme for you boys to get away from here as soon as you can. if pete and whipple should show up and lay hands on the hawk----" "how can they do that if they went off in the automobile?" "that's right, too. i'm reasoning like a crazy man, which shows how badly rattled this thing has made me. suppose you go back to those two trees near the quarry and wait there for me? they say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, so probably the hawk will be safer there than anywhere else. while you're there you might keep an eye out for graydon. i'm going to call on the police authorities here and get men out hunting for brady. no matter what his game is, he has got to be located. and that automobile has got to be recovered. graydon and i borrowed it, and i'd hate to have to put up three thousand for it in case it's wrecked or got away with for good. you might go along with me, carl. i may have use for you." at such a time the dutch boy would rather have stayed with matt and ferral. however, a word from matt decided him, and he and the officer hurried off together. the other two boys, very much disheartened over the way events had fallen out at hooligan's, unmoored the hawk and started back toward the quarry. well beyond the edge of town, ferral, who was on the lookout in the forward part of the car, saw something to which he called matt's attention. the object was a light, almost directly underneath them, waving back and forth as though to attract their attention. "hello, down there!" called matt. "who are you?" "graydon," came the answer. "is that you, king?" "yes." "well, come down and take me aboard. i've had a deuce of a time. there's a whole lot been going on that's got me queered." "he's not the only one that's queered," muttered ferral as matt turned the nose of the hawk earthward. "watch sharp, dick," said matt. "if there's more than one man there, tell me before it's too late for us to get away. i'm looking for trouble everywhere to-night." chapter ix. back to the canal. "there's only one man down there, mate, so far as i can see," announced ferral presently. "he's waving a bunch of burning grass on the end of a stick." "is he an officer?" "he's got on a policeman's uniform." "then i guess it will be safe for us to go down." the descent continued, and the hawk hovered above the place where graydon was standing. "don't bring that fire near the air ship, graydon!" matt called. "put it out and then come alongside and we'll help you into the car." the officer did as directed, and was soon in the air ship with matt and ferral. the young motorist started on again toward the canal. "it was a big surprise to me to see this air ship," said graydon. "harris was scared to death thinking something had happened to it, and to you boys. we rushed out here from south chicago in an automobile, and----" "we know all about that, graydon," interposed matt. "you do?" cried graydon. "who told you?" "harris." "now where in the blazes did you see harris? he halted the automobile in the road and asked me to get out and take a look through the old quarry. when i got back to the road again the car was gone, and so was harris. i've been at sixes and sevens ever since. why did harris pull out and leave me?" "he didn't go of his own free will, graydon. he was knocked down and carried in an unconscious condition to a house in la grange," and matt briefly explained what had happened. graydon's amazement was keen. "well, what do you think of that!" he exclaimed. "here i've been pottering around in the vicinity of that old quarry for two hours, wondering where harris was, and why he didn't show up. i got the notion that maybe he had seen some one and had given chase, and that perhaps he'd come back. after two hours of waiting and looking, i gave up and started for la grange. then i saw the air ship, and now you tell me the automobile has been stolen, and that harris is scurrying around la grange, hunting for the machine and for hector brady! i suppose i ought to be there with him." "you might just as well go on with us, graydon," said matt. "we're going back to the quarry and harris is coming there as soon as he finishes his work. you'll probably find him a whole lot quicker if you go with us than if you keep on to la grange." "i'm willing enough to go with you," answered graydon, "because i'm tired out. i've had footwork enough to-night to last me for a week." "what did you find in the old quarry? anything?" "i found a place where somebody had camped--a sort of a den under an overhang of limestone. but there wasn't any one in the quarry." "that must have been the place where brady has been hanging out." "so you captured him and he got away from you! well, he's about as slippery a crook as you'll find in eleven states." the two trees by the canal were soon reached, and the hawk was moored just as she had been the other time. graydon, after turning over his revolver to matt, stretched out in the bottom of the car with his rolled-up coat under his head and was quickly snoring. but there was not to be much sleep for matt or ferral that night. it might be, as harris had said, that "lightning never struck twice in the same place," but the two lads were not taking any chances. armed with graydon's revolver they felt equal to any emergency that might confront them, but to close their eyes seemed out of the question. they patrolled the ground in the vicinity of the two trees. this was more as a precaution to keep themselves awake than anything else. "too blooming bad we just missed getting miss brady away from that outfit," muttered ferral. "if we'd got to hooligan's half an hour sooner, we might have rescued the girl." "we can't tell what would have happened," returned matt. "those scoundrels had the automobile--don't forget that--and they didn't stop at hooligans very long after they got there from the quarry." "long enough, anyhow, so that we could have grabbed the machine if we had known about it. now there's no telling where pete and whipple have taken the girl. with that automobile, they may be thirty miles from here, by now." "it will be easier to find them with the automobile than if they had got away without it. they'll have to keep to the best roads, and harris can telegraph all over this part of the country. every automobile will be closely scanned, and if pete and whipple get away they'll be a whole lot more clever than i think they are." "they'll only use the old flugee by night, mate. during the daytime they will hide away somewhere." "well, i think the chances are good for the whole party being captured. helen brady has done so much for us, though, that i would like to have had a hand in rescuing her." "i'm tagged onto the same rope, old ship! but i guess it don't make much difference how helen brady gets away from pete and whipple, just so she _does_ get away. that guff about the memorandum in the lake station house, and the buried treasure, was a fine yarn for the marines. i'm a fiji if that brady hasn't got a keen imagination." "i'm taking a whole lot of stock in that yarn myself, dick." "oh, my eye! say, matey, where's your head? why, brady just threw that treasure business into the story to make it more catchy." "i don't think so. we know that pete and whipple lured helen brady away. why should they do it if it wasn't to get hold of that buried loot? brady's explanation is the only reasonable one, and it rings true, to me." "why did he get up and dust if he was playing square with us? didn't he say he'd give himself up if you'd head the hawk for la grange and help rescue the girl? nice way he's got of giving himself up! why, he tripped anchor the minute he got a chance, knocked carl over and took a slant for the open. he's got a good offing by now, and i'm betting we never see him again. according to my notion, he stands a better chance of steering clear of the law than do pete and whipple. brady can give any the rest of his old gang cards and spades when it comes to headwork." "i don't know why it is, dick," said matt, "but somehow i've got a lot of confidence in brady's doing as he said he would. he's hungry to revenge himself on pete and whipple for their attempt to steal the buried plunder, and making the girl help them. brady, if i know him, will go a long way to get even with a man." "he's tried jolly hard to get even with you, but you've just naturally boxed the compass all around him." "well, he's let up on me now." "don't be so cocksure of that, my hearty. he let up on you while he could use you and the hawk. after he accomplishes what he set out to do, if he ever does, there may be a different story." "i've got a good deal of confidence in him," insisted matt. "everything's quiet around here, dick," he added, "and you might as well turn in and catch your forty winks. i'll stand guard alone. if anything goes wrong--which i haven't the least idea will be the case--you'll hear this gun begin to talk and can flock to the place where you're needed." "i guess i will do a caulk, mate, for i'm mighty dozy; but i'll only take the nap on one condition." "what's that?" "why, that you go below yourself after i do my own stretch off the land. i'll wake up in time to give you a chance before sunrise." "i'll agree," laughed matt, "providing you wake up." ferral selected a spot under one of the trees and spread the canvas shelter matt had stowed in the car for the protection of the air ship. with his coat for a pillow, and the canvas between him and the ground, he was off to the land of nod in record time. from that on, matt had a lonely and fruitless vigil. a passenger train went past on the railroad, but that was the only event that came to relieve the monotony of two hours' sentry duty. at the end of the two hours, when, as matt judged, it was nearly four o'clock, ferral stirred himself and arose. "it's my turn-to, mate," said he. "give me the revolver and below with you." "how did you manage to wake up?" queried matt, as he passed over the weapon. "practice, i guess. if a fellow fixes it in his mind that he's going to wake up at a certain time, he can usually do it. anyhow, that's the case with me. but ease off on your jaw tackle, matey. you're wasting valuable time. we've been through a lot of excitement and you must be tired. harris and carl will probably be here before you have the chance to get as much of a snooze as i had." matt walked over to the improvised bed under the tree and dropped down. he was hardly flat on his back before he was sound asleep; and it didn't seem to him that he had more than closed his eyes before a yell from ferral brought him to his feet. but some time had passed since matt had laid down. the sun had risen, and it was broad day. there was the roar of an approaching train in matt's ears, and ferral was pointing excitedly toward the cars and shouting: "look there, mate! what do you think of that? brady, or i'm a fiji!" chapter x. brady returns--with hot news. "that's right! blamed if it ain't brady!" this from graydon, who had also been aroused by ferral's alarm. crowding close to the two boys, the officer stood gazing with them toward the train. it was a freight train and was coming from chicago. just opposite the old quarry there was a stiff up-grade, and the freight had slackened speed. hanging to an iron ladder on the side of one of the box cars, still wearing his stolen uniform, was hector brady. he was looking toward the three by the tree, and when he saw he had caught their eye he waved his hand. "give me that revolver!" cried graydon. "i'll guarantee to pick him off that ladder with a single shot." the policeman reached to take the weapon from ferral's hand, but matt caught it away before graydon could get his hands on it. "wait," said matt coolly. "you don't want to kill brady, graydon. he's liable to be useful to us." "useful?" scoffed the officer excitedly. "why, the scoundrel is defying us. he's planning to ride past and----" "you're wrong," interrupted matt. "brady is a good ways from being a fool. if he had wanted to get past us he wouldn't have shown himself like he's doing. ah! what did i tell you?" while matt was talking, brady had suddenly thrown himself from the train at a point where the ground was almost on a level with the rails. he kept his footing like a cat, faced around and started coolly in the direction of matt, carl and graydon. "talk about surprises," mumbled graydon, "why, that fellow is full of 'em. what's he up to now, i wonder? it don't make any difference what his game is, right here is where he gets into a pair of darbies. keep that revolver handy, king." graydon drew a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. brady gave them a contemptuous glance as he halted within a few feet of matt. "you don't need to put those things on me," said he. "i could have got away if i had wanted to--but i didn't want to. i made a bargain with king, and there's too much at stake for me to break it. that's why i'm here." "now that you're here," returned graydon brusquely, "you'll consider yourself my prisoner." "not your prisoner, officer, but king's. he's the one who captured me." "you got away from king and----" "no, i didn't. i was on parole." a cool smile wreathed itself about brady's lips. "that's all it amounted to, king," he added to matt. "when i slipped away from the air ship, last night, i was intending all the time to come back to you. i've found out something, and if you make the most of my information it must be acted upon at once." "what have you found out?" asked matt. "i've discovered where pete and whipple went with helen." "well, strike me lucky!" muttered ferral. "you're a queer combination of crook and honest man, brady, douse me if you're not! you come back and give yourself up, when you know it means the 'pen' for you." "when the warden finds out what i've done," said brady, "it will mean favorable mention, and several months of good time. they'll forget, at the prison, the way i knocked over the guard and borrowed his uniform. but to come back to our mutton, as the english say, when i heard that automobile in front of hooligan's, last night, i got the notion that those two members of my old gang had made a getaway. i was about as sure of it as i was that i was lying on the bottom of the air-ship car, with my ropes so loose that all i'd have to do to get clear was to pull out my hands. after you started for the house, king, i watched my chance, freed my hands and then took the rope from my ankles. i couldn't explain where i was going, because you wouldn't believe me, and i knew that dutch pard of yours, or the sailor, either, wouldn't believe me. so i just hiked out. i had an idea where pete and whipple had gone, but i wanted to make sure of it. that's what i've done." "where are they?" inquired matt. "river forest." then it began to dawn on matt that the schemers had fallen back on hooligan. "they've gone----" "you're quick at a guess, now i've dropped the hint," interrupted brady. "yes, they've gone to the house where hooligan is acting as caretaker. the family's away for the summer, and hooligan is able to do about as he pleases there. it's a mansion, and a fine one, but it's a safe bet that the hooligans won't be taking care of the place another year. the family's abroad, i understand, and they wouldn't feel very easy if they knew what sort of a gang was staying in the place." "where's the house?" went on matt, his excitement growing. "it's a big, flat-topped mansion close to the river, just below the town. it's owned by a man named caspar----" "i know the place!" exclaimed graydon. "i've seen it a dozen times. it stands at a good distance from any other house, and is one of the show places of river forest. you're right, brady. mr. caspar would be mightily put out if he knew how his home was being used." "well, that's where pete and whipple, two of my old gang, have taken my daughter," went on brady. "they're there now, and so are the hooligans. but there's no telling how long they'll be there. it's up to you officers to get busy and make the most of my tip. i want you to capture those two traitors who have been trying to cheat me out of the stuff i stole, and have cached away--and who are trying to make my daughter help them. i want you to rescue the girl. that's your part of the bargain, matt," he added, turning to the young motorist. "i don't care what's done with the hooligans, for they don't concern me, but i want to see pete and whipple at hard labor alongside of me in the 'pen,' and every time they look at me i want them to remember that it was brady who put them where they are!" a look of demoniacal hate convulsed brady's face. if any one had doubted the genuineness of his desire for revenge upon pete and whipple, that look would have settled it. "we'll get them," averred graydon, "but first we'll make sure of you." he stepped forward with the handcuffs, and brady put out his wrists. "i'm king's prisoner, not yours, remember," said he, with a hard laugh, "and you'll put it in your report that i helped you capture pete and whipple. now don't lose any more time. those two men are pretty clever, and you'll have to nab them quick if you want to be sure of them." by a most opportune circumstance, a two-seated carriage containing harris and two other officers, and carl, came whipping along the road at that moment. carl and harris stared in open-mouthed amazement when they saw brady. then they tumbled from the carriage and raced for the little group by the trees. "where did you capture brady?" demanded harris. "he captured himself," replied matt. "dropped off a freight train and gave himself up." "the dickens he did!" "vell, donnervetter!" put in carl. "for vy you knock me ofer to ged avay den, oof you come pack?" "i had pressing business, dutchy," said brady, rattling the gyves, "and didn't want you to interfere with me. you'd better let graydon take me to la grange in that carriage, harris, and then on to south chicago. i've done about all i can, and you officers are to do the rest. you can go to river forest in the air ship, along with matt, and those other two officers can sail along with you. you may need even more help, for pete and whipple are strongly entrenched." "pete and whipple?" echoed harris blankly. "i've located them, and told matt and the rest where to go. caspar's house, in river forest----" "you know the house, don't you, harris?" queried graydon. "like a book," replied harris. "but tell me more about this before i----" "you've got to hurry, i tell you!" cried brady, with angry impatience. "the scoundrels are all there, and my girl is there with them. king can explain to you as you travel along." "is that automobile there?" asked harris. "i didn't see it, but it must be there if the rest are in the house. hurry up and get started. your nearest course is to follow the railroad track. better land in the timber and surround the house before you let pete and whipple know you're anywhere in the neighborhood. if you have to shoot, shoot straight." there was a deadly menace in the last words which did not escape those who heard them. "you're a bloodthirsty scoundrel!" muttered harris. "my word's as good as my bond, though," laughed brady cynically, "in a case like this." "you'd better take him to la grange, graydon," said harris, "and then on to south chicago. can you manage the team and brady, too, as far as the town?" "sure," replied graydon confidently. "hand me that gun, king." matt returned the weapon to its owner, and harris, graydon and brady walked toward the carriage and the two waiting officers. while harris and graydon were explaining the work ahead to the men in the carriage, matt and his chums hurried to the air ship and began making the craft ready for the task before her. there was still plenty of gasoline in the receptacle, but matt, out of his reserve supply, filled the tank full up. by the time harris and the other two officers reached the air ship, everything was in readiness. the la grange men were somewhat fearful of trusting their lives in the craft, but harris laughed away their fears and they took the places in the car to which matt assigned them. the burden now placed upon the hawk was about as great as she could carry. the car was somewhat crowded, but matt succeeded in making a neat ascension, and at one hundred feet from the ground he turned the craft to an even keel and steered her along a line parallel with the railroad track. "first time i ever went after a couple o' thieves in an air ship," observed burton, one of the la grange men. "and it'll be the last time, for me," added sanders, the other one, with a frightened gasp as the car careened. "the ground is good enough for sanders, any old day." chapter xi. the mansion on the river. the hawk, flying low over a populous country, attracted a good deal of attention. people--men, women and children--came out of their houses to stare and wonder. probably most of them had read, in their daily papers, of the exploits of motor matt and his air ship, so the dirigible gas bag did not take them wholly by surprise. some of those on the ground started to follow the craft, looking up and shouting as they ran. "we don't want a gang of curious people trailing us clear to river forest," growled harris. "speed her up, matt." "this is fast enough for me," observed sanders. "i guess i'd be a lot easier in my mind, too, if you'd keep her close enough to the ground so i could tumble out if anything slips a cog." "no cog ever slips," replied harris, "with king in charge of the engine. he knows what he's doing, every time and all the time." "vell, you bed my life!" cried carl. "he iss my bard, too, und i mighdt schust as vell haf peen mit him und der hawk, harris, as running aroundt mit you in la grange. vat ve dit vasn't nodding. ve hat to come pack py modor matt to findt oudt vat vas going on." "no dream about that, either," said harris grimly. "we did a lot of telegraphing, in la grange, but even that was lost time if brady has given us a proper steer." matt had thrown more power into the propeller. in spite of her heavy load the hawk was making about twenty miles an hour. the wind was behind her, what little there was, and that helped. "now that we're going in good shape, matt," said harris, "tell me what brady said." "dick will do that, harris," answered matt. "i want to give my whole attention to the engine." ferral gave the three officers and carl the gist of brady's information. "first time on record, i guess," commented burton, "that a crook like brady ever walked right back into the 'pen.'" "it's a cinch that he wouldn't have walked back, either," observed harris, "if he hadn't been so hungry to land pete and whipple in the same place. we're coming close to river forest now, matt," the officer added, taking their bearings with a critical eye, "and we've got to be careful not to arouse the curiosity of the townspeople. that line of timber, over there, marks the course of the river. caspar's house is about a mile to the right. you'd better turn from the railroad and strike across country. and you'd better keep as low as you can, so the woods will screen our approach to the house. if whipple, or pete, should see us, they might try to clear out in that automobile." the turn at right angles to their course carried the hawk across farming land and toward a point of the woods near which, harris stated, the caspar mansion was located. in order to keep the timber between the air ship and the house, matt dropped so low that the bottom of the car only safely cleared the fences. "blamed if you can't do about whatever you want to with this machine!" exclaimed burton enthusiastically. "i've read about the hawk, and about jerrold's air ship, the eagle, but i hadn't no idee they'd been figured down to such a fine point." "the time is coming," said matt, "when people will own air ships just as they own automobiles now." "not me," averred sanders. "the time'll never come when i trust my neck to a few cubic feet of gas and a motor. the solid ground'll do me for quite a spell yet." "better come down at the edge of the timber, matt," counseled harris, indicating a favorable spot. "there's a place where you can moor her to a fence post on one side and to a telephone pole on the other. you'll have to look out for the wires." "you can't pass under 'em!" cried sanders, in trepidation. "then we'll jump over them," said matt coolly, and the slant he gave the car in making the "jump" caused all hands to hang on for dear life to keep from being spilled out. the manoeuvre, however, was effected in the neatest kind of style, the hawk skimming over the topmost wire, and changing her course during the descent so that, when matt brought her to an even keel on the surface of the ground, she was parallel with the telephone line and just between the farm fence and one of the poles. sanders scrambled out with an exclamation of thankfulness. "if we go back with any prisoners," said he, "we'll not travel by air ship." "not by _this_ air ship, anyhow, mr. sanders," laughed matt, "for her passenger capacity is limited." harris helped put the mooring ropes in place. "it won't do to leave the car unguarded, matt," said he, when the air ship was safely fastened. "i don't think there's anything to be feared from those in the house, for we're going to keep them busy, but some one might happen along and get to tampering with the machinery." "i'll leave ferral and carl to look after the craft," returned matt. "as for me, though, i want to go along with you and see if everything at the house is as we expect to find it. if helen brady is going to be rescued, i want to have a share in the work." "come along, then," said harris, starting off through the woods. "oof you findt anyvone vat iss spoiling for a fighdt," carl called after them, "send him dis vay, oof you blease. i t'ink i vas spoiling for vone meinseluf." "never mind him, mates," laughed ferral; "just let him spoil. carl's too full of fight for his own good, anyhow." only a short stretch of timber lay between the advancing party and the house. when they came upon the premises, they approached from the rear. the house was large and had an old-fashioned mansard roof. the main part of the structure was three stories in height. there was an addition at the back that terminated at the lower part of the second story. the grounds were extensive, and entirely surrounded by an iron fence. a large stable filled in the back part of the yard. most of the windows of the house were boarded up, although here and there was one that had not been closed. there was no barricade at the rear door. "post yourself at the kitchen door, sanders," said harris, "and watch the rear of the house and give some attention to the side. i'll place burton at a front corner, so he can watch the other side and the front. matt isn't armed, so he can come with me while i try to rout out the gang, but keeping well behind and looking out for trouble." sanders placed himself at the kitchen door, revolver in hand, and the other three moved off around the house to the front. burton, as already indicated by harris, was placed at a front corner, where he could not only command the entrance but the side sanders had not been instructed to look after. "the lower windows are all boarded up on the first floor, so i guess there won't be any getaways through them," commented harris. "about the only points it is absolutely necessary to watch are the doors at front and rear. neither of those has been boarded over." harris, as he finished, started up the broad front steps. when he was halfway up, the front door suddenly opened and a tall man showed himself. the man was neither pete nor whipple, although his face slightly resembled pete's. the moment the man saw harris, climbing upward with his drawn revolver, he started back. the policeman made a dash upward, but the door was slammed in his face. "they know what we want," muttered harris, "and it looks like they were going to fight. that fellow must have been hooligan. well, i don't want to smash in mr. caspar's front door, so we'll try persuasion. we've got the rascals bottled up, and it won't do them any good to resist. if----" the crack of a revolver rang out, and a whiff of smoke eddied upward from one of the barricaded front windows. the bullet whistled uncomfortably close to harris' head, and even matt heard the sing of it, although it must have missed him by a foot or more. "down, matt!" shouted harris, throwing himself over the rail at the side of the steps and dropping under the protection of the foundation of the veranda. "get into safer quarters, my lad," he went on, as the young motorist landed beside him. "the rascals have loopholes in those window barricades. i wonder what they hope to gain by such work?" "hello, you!" called an angry voice, muffled in tone, from behind the boards where the shot had been fired. "hello, yourself!" shouted harris, peering out from his place of concealment. "what do you mean by firing at us?" "ye're trespassin' on mr. caspar's ground," went on the man in the house, "an' i'm here to protect the property. clear out!" "we're officers of the law," cried harris, "and you're giving refuge to a couple of fugitives from justice. is your name hooligan?" "what of it?" came the defiant response. "well, if you are," proceeded harris, "i'll give you just five minutes to open that front door and shove your brother, pete, and his pal, whipple, out onto the veranda. after we have taken care of them, we'll have you send the girl. i guess you know what we want. the quicker you obey me, hooligan, the better it will be for you." "i know my business," continued the angry voice, "an' if ye don't git off these grounds ye'll never live to git off." "that's a game two can play at, hooligan," answered harris coolly. "we're going to get the people we've come for if we have to batter in the door." "yes, ye will!" whooped another voice, which matt plainly recognized as whipple's. "ye'll never git us alive." "that's whipple, harris," whispered matt. "glad to know you're there, whipple," shouted harris grimly. "now we know we're on the right track. you and pete have got five minutes to come out and give yourselves up." "ye got a picter of us comin' out!" taunted the voice. "we can shoot--ye'll find that out--but, if ye press us too close, it's goin' to be worse for the girl. if ye'll clear out an' let us go, we'll let her go; if ye won't clear out, then it'll be a case o' up-sticks with helen brady." matt's heart sank like lead. the scoundrels had the girl with them, and they were seeking to make her safety their protection. how far would they carry their murderous threats? the young motorist's blood ran cold as he thought of helen brady's danger. chapter xii. the fight. harris had looked at his watch when he called out to whipple that five minutes would be allowed him and pete to give themselves up. "while we're waiting to see what they do, inside there," the officer said to matt, "you go around and tell sanders the fellows are showing fight, and warn him to be on his guard." matt made his way to the corner of the house under the protection of the veranda. burton, at the first shot from inside, had got behind a tree from which he could command the front entrance and the side of the building he had been instructed to watch. the young motorist, without being fired at, gained the rear door and told sanders what had happened around in front. sanders had heaped up a little pile of stove wood in the form of a breastwork, and was crouching behind it. "i heard that shot," said he, "and made up my mind we was goin' to have brisk work. there ain't no trees handy, around here, so i did the next best thing an' fortified my position with stove wood. you bet i'll be on the lookout, king! if any man tries to come through that door, i'll drop him in his tracks. i don't know what them skunks think they can do, actin' in this way. we could keep 'em boxed up in there fer a week, if we wanted to, and they're bound to lose out in the end." leaving sanders to watch and wait for developments, matt started back toward the front of the house. seeing a garage that caspar had built for his car, the idea struck him to move over in that direction and look for the stolen automobile. he found the door of the garage locked. as he turned away from it, he saw a square framework of oak planks leaning against the barn. probably the framework was four feet square. what it had been used for matt could not guess, but his quick brain instantly devised an idea. dragging the framework along with him, he reached the front of the house and found harris just snapping his watch and returning it to his pocket. the south chicago man was standing near the tree with burton. "the five minutes are up," he remarked, "and here's where we've got to do something. what are you bringing there, matt?" he asked. "a portable fort," replied matt. "you've got to get to the front door, harris, and you don't want pete and whipple making a target of you while you're doing it. after you get close up to the door they won't be able to reach you with their bullets." "egol, that's a bright idea! but how's one man going to manage the thing?" "i'll go along with you. between the two of us i guess we can handle it." holding the framework on edge, matt and harris crouched behind it; then, keeping it upright and hauling it along with them, they started across the front of the house toward the steps. weapons cracked from the boarded-up windows, and leaden missiles _chugged_ into the stout oak planks. the bullets could not penetrate the heavy oak, and consequently they did no damage. reaching the steps, matt and harris lifted the framework upward a step at a time and finally gained the recess containing the front door. here they stepped from behind the barricade, and the officer laid hands on the knob and shook the door violently. "open!" he cried; "open in the name of the law!" a taunting laugh from within was his only answer. "i hate to do any damage to this fine building," said harris, "but we've got to get in if the scoundrels won't come out. i'll try to smash the lock." placing the muzzle of his revolver against the key-hole, he pulled the trigger. the bullet tore its way through the lock, and once again the officer essayed to open the door. but it defied his efforts. "there must be a bolt in addition to the lock," said he, disappointed. "if we smash in here we'll have to use a battering-ram, and i don't want to do that except as a last resort. we'll look for a ladder and make an attack on one of the windows." when he and matt started down the steps with their movable framework, they came nearly getting caught by a drop fire. the shooting was done from the second-story windows, and the bullets came over the top of the oak shield. fortunately no harm was done, and matt and harris tilted the screen so as to cover the tops of their heads. just as they reached the bottom of the steps, a fierce yell came from the rear of the house, followed by sounds of firing. "sanders is in trouble!" cried burton, starting to run around the side of the building. "while some of those inside were holding our attention at the front door, an attempt was made to get out at the back." "you stay here, burton!" shouted harris. "they may be trying to draw all of us around behind while they get through the front entrance. watch the door like a hawk, and i'll go around and help sanders." matt trailed after harris as he hotfooted it for the back yard. they found sanders leaning over the top of his woodpile, covering the rear door with his revolver. "what's the matter?" demanded harris. "nothin' now," sanders answered grimly. "it's all over. one of 'em pulled the kitchen door open an' was plannin' to make a break. i discouraged the attempt an' the man jumped back and slammed the door." harris leaped to the door, put a bullet into the lock and then tried to push into the house. but this door, like the one in front, had other fastenings than the lock, and the attempt was fruitless. harris beat a retreat as soon as he found out the effort could not succeed. several bullets followed his retreat, coming from the windows, and one of them pierced his helmet and flung the head-piece to the ground. "they're getting real savage," remarked sanders grimly. "if they don't look out they'll hurt somebody." "it will make it all the worse for them, if they do," snapped harris, his temper rising with each succeeding failure to get into the house. "we'll get a stick of cordwood and smash in this back door." there was a pile of cordwood near the garage, and harris ran and got a heavy, four-foot section of elm. matt jumped to help him. "you'd better take sanders' gun and stay behind the woodpile, matt," said harris, "and let sanders and me do this. there'll be more shooting and----" "sanders will watch the door better than i can," broke in matt, laying hold of one end of the heavy stick. "all right," acquiesced harris, and they ran at the door. the shooting continued, but it was plain that the men in the house were not in good range, for their ammunition was wasted. the end of the stick of wood crashed into the door and set it to shaking. a second blow still further loosened it, and a third sent it smashing inward. the giving 'way of the door under the impact threw both harris and matt from their feet, and the two of them, with the stick, tumbled into the kitchen. matt, quick as a cat to regain his feet, saw whipple and pete bearing down on harris with clubs. the officer lay on the floor, half stunned. grabbing him by the feet, matt jerked him back to safety, followed by a torrent of oaths from the two fugitives. the door slammed. while harris was getting to his feet, pete and whipple could be heard piling things against the door on the inside. "wow, this head!" exclaimed harris, lifting one hand to his temples. "it hasn't got over that first jolt, yet, and here it gets another. and we didn't gain much, at that." "we haven't got a strong enough force to rush into the house," said sanders. "if it hadn't been for king, harris, you'd have been captured by those fellows, and then burton and i would have had to send for help before we could do anything more. you've got to be more careful, or the gang will escape in spite of us." "i'm beginning to see that, myself. but we can't lay around here with our hands in our pockets. if----" "hist!" interrupted matt, in an excited whisper. "don't look up, harris. miss brady is on the roof and just looked over and waved her hand." "great scott!" muttered harris. "what do you think that means?" "it means that she has been able to free herself, in some way, and get to the top of the house. now's our chance to rescue her and get her out of this fighting." "how's it to be done? there ain't ladders enough to reach to the roof, and pete and whipple wouldn't give us a chance to use them even if there were." "we can't use ladders, and we can't let any of those in the house know by our actions that there's anyone on the roof. the instant they think miss brady is up there, they'll make a rush for the top of the house and drag her back inside. don't look up, whatever you do." "but we've got to get the girl off the roof, in some way." "i'll use the air ship----" "that's a scheme for your life!" exclaimed harris. "but while i'm using the hawk," went on matt, speaking quickly, "you and sanders and burton must contrive to keep everyone in the house occupied on the lower floor." "we can do that. we'll blaze away at the boards at the windows. that will keep their attention below." "you'd better go and tell burton what our plan is. if he should see miss brady he'd be liable to yell to us, and that would let pete and whipple know what's up." "they'll probably suspect something when they see the air ship coming." "i don't think so. besides, if you keep them busy enough, the chances are that the hawk won't be seen." "if you _are_ seen, matt, you'll surely be shot at--and the hawk's a pretty big target. if a bullet is put into the gas bag, or if one smashes into the motor, you and the girl may be killed." "i think i can make it," said matt resolutely. "anyhow, i'm going to try." "good luck to you!" returned harris warmly. "i'll go at once and put burton next." while the officer moved toward the front of the house, matt started for the rear of the yard on his way back to the air ship. chapter xiii. daring work. when matt had got outside the iron fence and just within the screen of timber, he turned. helen brady, bareheaded and plainly just from the interior of the house, stood at the edge of the roof, following matt with her eyes. matt waved his cap to her, and this was the first intimation the girl had had that she was seen. she fluttered her hand in response and then stretched out both arms appealingly. matt nodded his head vigorously, to signify that her appeal was understood, and that it would be answered; then he pointed through the woods in the direction of the air ship. helen turned her head to look in the direction indicated. from her elevated position she must have been able to see the gas bag of the hawk over or through the tops of the trees. looking back to matt, she waved one hand and nodded. matt placed a finger on his lips and waved toward the house in an endeavor to make the girl understand that she must be very careful, so as not to let her captors know where she was. again helen nodded her head, and accompanied the movement with a gesture that plainly requested him to hurry. he replied in pantomime that he would be as quick as possible, then whirled and dashed through the timber. carl and ferral were walking about and talking impatiently. at sight of matt they both started toward him. "what happened, matey?" cried ferral. "carl and i have been all ahoo, over here, listening to the shooting and trying to guess what was going on. have you captured the----" "no time to talk, pards," cried matt, running to the air ship and beginning to make her ready. "dick, you jump in here with me. carl, i can't take you along. there's brisk work ahead and the hawk must not carry any more passengers than will be necessary. cast off one of the ropes. you cast off the other, dick." it was easy to tell, from matt's manner and words, that something of vital importance was in prospect. "i von't be in der vay, matt," pleaded carl, hustling with one of the mooring ropes. "i vill make meinseluf so shmall as bossiple und----" "two are all that can go," broke in matt decidedly. the engine was popping and sputtering as carl and ferral threw in the ropes. "vat's der madder, anyvay?" asked carl, swallowing his disappointment with a wry face. "helen brady is on the roof of the house. the scoundrels are below, fighting with the officers, and don't know she is on the roof. if we hurry, we can get there and rescue her." while matt was talking, ferral had got into the car. matt switched the power into the propeller shaft and the hawk glided upward. when the car cleared the tops of the trees, matt brought the air ship to a level. "look sharp, dick," called matt, his face set and determined. "we've got to win out, this time. if we don't, there's no telling what will happen to the girl. whipple has already threatened her, in case the officers don't leave the house. can you see miss brady?" matt's position, in the rear of the car, rendered it impossible for him to see much of what lay ahead. "there she is, matey!" cried ferral. "she sees us coming. there's an open skylight in the roof which shows how she got to the top of the house." "any of the men on the roof?" "no." "good! how are we headed?" "just right. hold to the course as you are." "are we high enough?" "plenty." "it won't do to hit the edge of the roof, you know, and if we're too high, we may skim clear over the house before we can drop down." "just as you are now, matt, you'll come over the building three or four feet in the clear. there's a chimney, and if you can drop beside that, i'll stand ready to take a twist of the mooring rope about it. the wind's freshening, and if there isn't something to hold to we're liable to be blown off the roof before we can get the girl aboard." "you take care of that part of it. steer me so as to come onto the roof close to the chimney." it was necessary for matt to hurry, yet he could not drive the hawk ahead swiftly because of the necessity of making a quick halt on the comparatively small space of the roof top. harris, burton, and sanders had been keeping up a brisk fire ever since matt had left to go for the air ship. none of them seemed to be looking up or paying any attention to what matt and ferral were doing. this, of course, was for the purpose of keeping the presence of the air ship a secret from those in the house. but, in some way, the secret got out. abruptly the fire from the house slackened, and then ceased altogether. as matt shut off the power and glided over the edge of the roof, he caught a glimpse of whipple's astounded face in a second-story window which had not been boarded up. when the air ship vanished over the edge of the house top, whipple disappeared from the window. "they're onto you, matt!" roared harris, from below. "you'll have to hurry, if you win. from the sounds we hear, everybody is climbing for the roof." matt and ferral remained perfectly cool. the situation was a ticklish one, and if their labors were crowned with success they would have to keep their heads and not make any misplays. ferral stood at the edge of the car, holding a loop of one of the mooring ropes in his hands. "turn her, mate!" he cried. the power having already been shut off, the hawk was proceeding only under the headway given by the now dormant motor. this was sufficient not only to turn her, but also to carry her downward so that the bottom of the car swept the roof. as they passed one of the chimneys, ferral dropped the loop of the rope over its top, and laid back. his pull halted the air ship. in a twinkling, matt was over the rail and standing beside the car. he held out his hand to the girl, and she ran toward him, with a cry of joy and thankfulness. at that precise moment, matt, out of the tails of his eyes, saw a head appearing through the open skylight. grasping helen's arm, he hurried her toward the air ship. "step lively, mate!" cried dick, as matt assisted the girl into the car. no matter how swiftly matt hurried, it was certain that the man coming through the skylight would reach the roof in time to interfere with the two boys before they could get away. matt realized that, and so did ferral. the man, who was now head-and-shoulders above the roof top, was whipple, the most desperate member of the gang. whipple, who was undoubtedly amazed to see helen all but rescued when, quite likely, he supposed her safe in some room below, gave a bellow of rage and fury. "that'll do you, king!" he roared. "ye're not goin' ter hike off with the girl in any such way as this!" leaning against the side of the opening, whipple rested his elbows on the roof and took careful aim at motor matt with his revolver. others were flocking toward the roof on the stairway below whipple, but he blocked the way. matt and helen were in the car, and it seemed certain that whipple's shot was to be effective, he was taking so much care to get a good aim. but the shot was not fired, principally because ferral became suddenly active. seizing a loosened brick from the top of the chimney, the young sailor hurled it with all his force. whipple was struck in the shoulder, and the impact of the missile hurled him from his foothold and down upon those under him. as he vanished from the skylight, a clamor of startled voices came back through the opening, accompanied by a clatter of men falling down the stairs. "that's something i owe you, dick," remarked matt, settling into his chair among the levers. "you don't owe me anything, old ship," answered ferral. "i'll have to do something like that several times before you and i come on anything like an easy bow-line. but take care of the ship, or she'll founder." in order to grab the brick from the chimney, and throw it, ferral, had to let go of the rope by means of which he was holding the hawk against the wind. with the rope loosened, the uncontrolled air ship drifted off the roof and was bobbing around, some fifty feet above ground, the sport of the breeze. there was imminent danger of her coming to grief, either against the cupola of the stable, or in the tops of the trees. swiftly matt got the motor to going, and as the hawk took the push of the propeller, she once more became manageable. this was in the nick of time, too, for as the craft glided upward the bottom of the car rustled through the branches of one of the trees. "hurrah!" cheered harris, from below. "well done, motor matt!" "bully boy!" applauded sanders. "never saw anything neater!" whooped burton. "go back to where you were before," called harris, his voice faint in the distance, "and wait till we finish this job. it won't be long, now, till we get the scoundrels." "sink me," muttered ferral, breathing hard, "those officers don't know how well we did. they couldn't see the top of the house from the ground, and they didn't know whipple was looking at us over the end of a gun." "matt," said helen, in a quivering voice, "i don't know how i ever can repay you for what you've done, or----" "repay us!" cried ferral. "why, miss brady, i guess you're forgetting what you've done for matt and me." "it's a big relief, helen," said matt, "to get you out of the clutches of that gang. it's the best stroke of work the hawk ever did." "right-o," agreed ferral enthusiastically, "and it was right and proper that the craft, manned by us, should save miss brady. if it hadn't been for her, we wouldn't have had the hawk. oh, this is a pretty square old world, after all. don't you think so, old ship?" chapter xiv. helen's ordeal. inside of half an hour after matt and ferral had left carl with the hawk, they had the air ship back in her old moorings. carl had hurried through the woods and watched proceedings from the ground as well as he could. when he saw the hawk returning to her old berth, he followed her back, bursting into sight from the timber just as matt and ferral had finished securing the mooring ropes. "shake hants mit me!" bellowed carl, rushing to grip matt's hand, then passing to ferral, and then to helen brady. "dot vas der pootiest t'ing vat i efer saw done, yah, so helup me! air ships can do t'ings vat nodding else vas aple, und der strangeness oof it fills me mit vonder and surbrises. miss prady, you vas a lucky girl! und matt vas lucky, und so vas verral. i'm der only unlucky feller in der punch, pecause i don'd vas along to helup in der rescue. matt cut me oudt oof der game. anyvay, i'm glad dot everyt'ing come oudt like vat it dit. dell us aboudt vat habbened mit you, miss prady." helen, seated in matt's chair in the car, was leaning back, her eyes on the faces of the three lads. ferral climbed up on the fence and sat down on the top board, and matt leaned against the telephone pole. carl sat down on the ground near the car. "that's a good notion our dutch raggie has just overhauled, miss brady," seconded ferral. "we'd all like to hear that yarn. there's nothing better we can do, just now, as we haven't any guns and can't help harris and the officers." "go on, helen," said matt. "we know something about what happened to you, but not all." "where did you find out anything?" queried the girl. "i was never more surprised in my life than when i saw you with the officers near the house." "we'll tell you that later," answered matt. "your experiences first." "well," began the girl, "after i went to visit my friends in archer avenue, a letter came for my brother. i have been worried about my brother for a long time, for he would be honest if it was not for my father's evil influence." the girl's lip quivered, but she fought down her rising emotion and went on. "i opened the letter. it was from my father and asked hector to go to the house at lake station, where i lived for a while, and get a paper which he would find under a loosened brick in the basement wall. the brick was marked with a cross. "hector, as i knew, had left the city, so i concluded to go to lake station and get the paper myself. i was wondering what it was all about. i found the paper, and it gave the location of a spot in willoughby's swamp where some of the goods stolen by my father had been concealed. father wanted the plunder turned into cash so that the best lawyers could be hired to keep him out of the penitentiary. i decided at once that i would turn the paper over the chief of police in south chicago, and i had left my friends' house to start for there when a man stopped me on the street. "the man's name was hooligan, and he told me that my brother had not gone to new york at all, but had given it out that he was going merely as a 'blind' for the police. my brother, hooligan told me, was lying very ill in a house in river forest, and wanted to see me. i concluded to put off going to south chicago until next day, and to go and see hector. "hooligan took me to that house, from which you just rescued me, and there i was made a captive by pete and whipple, and turned over to the care of mrs. hooligan. i surmised, at once, why i had been spirited away. pete and whipple had found out about the paper i had secured, and they wanted to get the stolen property for themselves. and there i was with the paper! you see, i had started for south chicago with it, and had it in my pocket. i remembered the instructions, and i tore the paper into little bits, when mrs. hooligan wasn't looking, and threw the pieces down a register into one of the furnace pipes. "when whipple and pete came and demanded the paper, i told them truthfully that i didn't have it. they said that, even if i didn't have the paper, they knew i could remember the instructions for finding the buried spoil, and ordered me to repeat them. i refused, and for two days they gave me nothing to eat, and only a little water to drink. whipple said he would starve me to death if i didn't tell." "the scoundrel!" muttered matt darkly. "vorse as dot!" wheezed carl wrathfully, "ach, mooch vorse!" "the whole lot ought to be lashed to a grating and flogged with the cat," growled ferral. "i was at mrs. hooligan's house in la grange at that time," continued helen. "pete and whipple had taken mrs. hooligan and me to la grange on the night of the day i was captured. we went in a closed carriage. "mrs. hooligan was with me all the time, and there never was a moment when she wasn't watching. sometimes she treated me kindly, and sometimes she was cross and violent. she drank a good deal, and whenever she was under the influence of liquor she was always quarrelsome and hard to get along with. "i got so weak and sick without food that pete and whipple must have become afraid i would die without telling them what they wanted to know. anyhow, they began to give me something to eat, but kept me tied to a chair nearly all the time, coming to see me two or three times a day and threatening what they would do if i continued obstinate. but i made up my mind that i would let them kill me before i would say anything about where that plunder had been buried. that, i had decided, should go back to its rightful owners." "you were a brave girl to hang out for your principles like that," put in matt. "it does take a little courage, sometimes, to do what is right," returned the girl, "but when your conscience approves, that makes it easy. i lost track of the time, while i was at mrs. hooligan's house, in la grange, and it seemed as though months must have passed; then, suddenly, i heard an automobile stop in front of the place, last night, and mrs. hooligan and i were bundled into it and taken away. "i was brought back here, and early this morning whipple told me that they were tired of bothering with me, and that if i didn't tell them what they wanted to know before night i should never leave the house alive. "mrs. hooligan had been keeping me in a room on the top floor. she had been drinking more or less all night, and she acted so savage toward me that i began to believe pete and whipple had told her to put me out of the way. mrs. hooligan, i imagined, was drinking to get up her courage. if that was the reason, though, she went too far, for she drank so much that she became stupefied and fell asleep with her head on a table. "i was bound to a chair, but i succeeded in freeing myself of the cords. at about that time i heard a commotion downstairs, and a sound of shooting. hope arose in me, and i made my way to the roof of the building, with the intention of letting those below know where i was. i can't tell you how surprised i was when i saw motor matt and mr. harris. i did not dare call out, for fear my voice would be heard by whipple and pete, but it was not long before i knew that matt had seen me and had made his plans for a rescue. the rest, you know. i have had a terrible experience, but it is a satisfaction to think that the plans of pete and whipple failed, and that they did not find out what they wanted to know. now, matt," and helen fixed her gaze on the young motorist, "you can tell me how you were able to discover where i was." all the chums had a hand in the telling. helen was amazed when she learned how her father had been instrumental in bringing matt and his friends to her aid--amazed as well as overjoyed. to her, it indicated a change of heart in her father, as pleasant to her as it was unexpected. barely had the three boys finished their part of the explanation, when the pounding of a motor came to them from the direction of the road that followed the railway track. "vat's dot?" cried carl, as all became suddenly attentive. "only an automobile," replied matt, smiling. "you've heard them before, carl." "vell, i bed you," answered carl, "aber my nerfs vas on edge, schust now, und i peen imachining all sorts oof t'ings. meppy dot vas---" at that point, carl was interrupted by harris and burton, bursting into sight from the edge of the timber. "that air ship, matt!" cried harris, "we want to use her in a hurry." "eferyt'ing goes mit a rush, seems like," said carl curiously. "vat's oop, now, harris?" "pete and whipple have got away in the automobile, and we must follow them." "the hawk is fast for an air ship," said matt, "but she's not fast enough to catch an automobile." "she's the only thing we have to give chase with," spoke up burton, "and we've got to do our best with her, or let whipple and pete get away." "and we've got to get the automobile back," stormed harris. "hustle up, matt! the automobile may break down, or something else may happen to give us a chance to overhaul her. we'll try, anyway. miss brady had better stay here--one of the boys can remain to look after her." "that's your job, dick," said matt, busily unmooring. "we'll come back here for you after we see how the chase comes out." "hoop-a-la!" tuned up carl, fluttering around the car. "here's ver i ged a shance ad some oxcidement." helen got out of the car as soon as the ropes were cast off, and matt, carl, harris, and burton jumped in. a twist of the right hand got the machinery to going, and a jerk of the left gave the steering rudder the proper angle. rising swiftly, the hawk turned her nose toward the wagon road. from their high elevation, harris, burton, and carl were able to see the automobile, far in the distance and making along the la grange road. "turn her to the right, matt!" cried harris, "and we'll bear away in the direction of la grange. it may be a hopeless chase, but we've got to do what we can." "tough luck if those scoundrels get away, after all the trouble they've caused," muttered burton. "and it will be tough on me," said harris, "if i can't get back that automobile!" chapter xv. the capture of pete and whipple. there was one big advantage the hawk had over the automobile, and it was presently to make itself manifest to all in the air ship. the road which the fleeing robbers had taken was a very rough one, and a few moments after they had been sighted by those in the hawk, whipple and pete turned into another road, which ran at right angles with the one along which they had first started. "they're not headed for la grange, that's a cinch," commented burton. "they're looking for better going," said harris, "but that road they've taken is rougher than the one they just left." "when they get to the end of the second road," went on burton, "they'll be on a turnpike, with a bed like asphalt. then, if something about the automobile doesn't break, it will be good-by to our hopes of----" "what are you doing, matt?" asked harris suddenly. matt had shifted the course of the hawk. "i've just realized what an advantage we have over the automobile," laughed the young motorist. "roads don't bother us any, and fences, hills, and swamps don't exist for us. i'm cutting off a corner, harris. if the going on that cross road is as rough as i think it is, we'll overhaul the automobile." "fine!" cried harris, clapping his hands. "nodding can shtop a air ship ven it vants to go some blace," grinned carl. "nothing but the wind," said matt. "we've got a good, smart breeze right behind us, and we're making every bit of thirty miles an hour. hear the motor! it runs as sweet as any machine i ever heard. but how did those fellows come to give you the slip like they did, harris? they must have had to leave the house and get to the garage before they could make a run with the automobile." "well," grunted harris, "they did all of that. we made a bobble, that's all. after you got away with the girl, burton and i concluded to rush things to a finish. with that end in view, we carried that stick of cordwood around in front and smashed in the front door. then we rushed into the house. we heard some one running up the stairs, so we chased after, and finally found ourselves in the top story. there was no one there, except a hag of a woman, stupefied with drink, in one of the rooms. "the skylight was open, and burton and i bounded up, thinking our men had taken to the roof. but there was only one man on the roof, and that was hooligan. he had made all that noise just to get us to follow him. he surrendered, and while he was doing it, burton and i looked down and saw pete and whipple hopping around and getting that automobile out of the garage. they were out of pistol range, and it didn't take burton and me more than a minute to understand that we had been lured to the roof in order to give whipple and pete a chance to save their bacon. "we ran down and out at the kitchen door. there we stumbled over sanders, tied hand and foot and lying on his woodpile. the two scoundrels had paid him their respects to that extent. leaving sanders, we rushed around the house, and saw the automobile spinning through the gate. then we went after the hawk, on the run. we're coming close to that other road, matt," harris added excitedly, "and pete and whipple haven't seen us, yet. they're pounding the life out of that car! i hope to thunder they don't wreck it. the road is awful." the crossroad was rifled with ruts and "thank-ye-ma'ms." over these the automobile was lurching and swaying, and not making more than fifteen or twenty miles an hour. the hawk came over the road almost directly above the motor car. "halt!" roared harris, leaning from the rail and aiming his revolver downward. "you're at the end of your rope, whipple, you and pete, and you might as well surrender. if you don't, we'll shoot." both scoundrels looked upward, and both, as might be expected, began to swear. pete continued looking up, but whipple recklessly threw on more speed. the automobile jumped forward like a horse suddenly lashed. at the same moment the wheels on one side went down into a deep rut, and pete, whose eyes were still aloft, was hurled over the side as though from a catapult. he landed on head and shoulders close to the roadside fence, and, instead of getting up, he straightened out and lay quiet. "he's killed!" cried burton. "don't you believe it," answered harris. "he's too tough to be killed by a fall like that. drop lower, matt," the officer added to the young motorist, "and let burton get out and take care of pete. after that, we'll go on in pursuit of whipple." it took about two minutes to land burton. pete was still lying prone and silent as the la grange man rushed toward him. while the hawk was rising and forging onward after the automobile, those aboard her saw burton raise himself upon completing a swift examination of pete. burton waved a hand reassuringly, then dropped the hand into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "i was sure pete was all right," said harris, turning his eyes ahead. "that was an easy capture for burton--an easier one than i think we'll have." "vell," observed carl, "i don'd know aboudt dot. der pubble is acting oop mit itseluf. it has shtopped, und vipple iss like some crazy mans, drying to make it go." what carl had said was the truth. directly ahead, the automobile was at a complete standstill, with whipple pulling and hauling frantically at the levers. "now we'll land him!" exulted harris. "straight ahead, matt." whipple, despairing of getting the car into usable condition, suddenly sprang into the road and started for the fence. he was climbing the fence, when matt shut off the power and halted about twenty feet over his head. harris' revolver was trained full on the fugitive. "now, then," yelled the officer, "either give up or take the consequences." "it's your play," answered whipple, turning around and sitting on the top board. "throw your six-shooter into the road!" ordered harris. whipple jerked the gun from his pocket and cast it from him, with a hoarse laugh. "it ain't any good," said he. "there ain't a loaded shell in the cylinder, an' no more ter put in. if it hadn't been fer that, harris, i wouldn't have come so easy. i could have slammed a bullet inter the machinery o' that air ship an' put it out o' the runnin'." "i thought it was queer," remarked harris, "that pete or whipple didn't use their revolvers. get down closer to the ground, matt. better tie up to the fence, for i'd like to have you take a look at the automobile and see what's the matter with it." carl helped in the landing so that harris could give his entire attention to whipple. all of them breathed easier when they heard a pair of handcuffs snap around whipple's wrists. the air ship was moored so the wind could not drive the gas bag against anything in the road, and matt went forward to the automobile. after a few moments' examination, he turned away with a laugh. "she's badly shaken up, isn't she?" inquired harris anxiously. "doesn't seem to be, harris," replied matt. "she has stood the rough handling she has had remarkably well." "i don't know much about drivin' a car," admitted whipple, "an' ye can bet i was puttin' her through fer all she was worth. i was certain nothin' had busted, an' i couldn't understand what made her stop." "the gasoline tank was empty," said matt. "you can't run a motor without fuel." "hang it all!" snorted whipple, "an' there was a bar'l o' the stuff right there in caspar's garage!" "you were in too big a hurry to get away to make any use of the gasoline supply," said harris. "it wasn't that. i jest didn't know enough, that's all, an' this is how i'm payin' fer my ignorance." "we'd have captured you, anyway, whipple," declared harris. "well, ye wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been fer king an' the hawk. he's busted up brady an' all his gang, an' it's a good thing fer him the darbies are on my hands this minute." "i'll take whipple back to where we left burton and pete, matt," said harris, "and if we can get a supply of gasoline from some farmhouse, we'll hike for south chicago in the automobile." "i can help you out, harris," answered matt. "i've an extra supply of gasoline in the air ship. wait a minute and i'll get you ready for the trip home." in a few moments matt had strained enough gasoline into the motor car's tank to carry her a hundred miles. after that, he and carl waited for harris to get into the car with his prisoner and start back toward the place where burton and pete had been left. the automobile moved off with everything working perfectly. "i'll see you in south chicago, matt," harris called over his shoulder. "we mustn't forget poor sanders, either." "we haven't any balloon house to go to now," matt answered, "so we can't stay in south chicago very long." "dot vinds oop der whole game, bard," remarked carl. "vipple und pete vas der vorst oof der olt gang, nexdt to prady, und dey vas now down und oudt. miss prady has likevise peen rescued, und eferyt'ing iss lofely und ve can now go on mit ourselufs py new york." "we'll have to go somewhere," said matt. "an air ship is something of a white elephant when you haven't a proper place in which to keep it. this wind is increasing, and the sky is clouding up. looks like a storm, to me, and we'd better hurry and pick up carl and miss brady and make a run for south chicago." the sky certainly looked threatening, and the boys made haste to get the hawk in the air and to head her back toward the caspar mansion. they had a hard struggle, for the wind was dead against them, and they could make scarcely more than five miles an hour. getting ferral and helen aboard the car was ticklish business, because of the increasing wind, but it was finally accomplished and the hawk scooted away toward south chicago. chapter xvi. conclusion. "scoot" is the only word that would fittingly describe the hawk's return to her home port. a thirty-mile wind was directly behind her, and the propeller--which it was necessary to keep going in order to make the air ship fairly manageable--still further helped her along. part of the time, as the three chums figured it, they were dashing through space at the rate of a mile a minute. overhead the skies had become black and threatening, and an occasional flash of lightning and roll of distant thunder told the boys what they were presently to expect. that was the first time they had ever been in such a wind with the hawk, and the first time a storm had ever threatened them while aloft. even matt, stout hearted as he was, felt a qualm of dread as he saw how the air craft flung onward by sheer force of the wind. it was not more than twenty minutes from the time they left river forest until they sighted the grimy chimneys of south chicago. "what're we going to do with the hawk, mate?" shouted ferral. "if the balloon house hasn't been too badly dismantled," matt answered, "we'll put the hawk in there until the storm blows over." by the time matt had finished speaking, they were hard upon the big shed. but hagenmyer's men were even then at work. the roof of the structure was gone, and its usefulness as a shelter, of course, went with roof. "py shinks," bellowed carl, "i don'd like der looks oof t'ings! ve got to do somet'ing mit der air ship, but vat it iss? dell me, somepody!" "we'll try jerrold!" said matt. "he keeps the eagle in that big back yard of us, and perhaps he can help us out with the hawk." "drop down in the yard, anyhow," suggested ferral, "and take chances." dropping down in such a gale was hazardous business. how matt ever executed the manoeuvre as safely as he did he could not have told, for a good many things had to be done, and done quickly. he flung the hawk downward full fifty feet before he reached the confines of jerrold's big back yard. the air ship had to slide sixty feet down the void, and in sliding those sixty feet the wind carried her over more than the fifty feet necessary to clear jerrold's high board fence. the bottom of the car struck the ground with a jolt that tipped carl out heels over head. carl had been standing ready with one of the mooring ropes, and he still clung to it. ferral went out on the other side with another rope. meanwhile, the hawk was lurching sideways and bounding up and down in a most terrific manner, lifting the car at each leap and pounding it on the surface of the ground. fortunately for matt and his friends, jerrold and his assistant, payne, were close by, making the fastenings of their own air ship secure. they rushed to the assistance of carl and ferral, and succeeded, between all four of them, in getting the mooring ropes in place. jerrold thereupon brought four more ropes from his workshop, and the hawk was likewise lashed with these. matt's canvas shelter was then brought out, unfolded and put in place over the gas bag. this task had no sooner been completed than the rain began to come down in torrents. thankful that they had reached a safe haven in the very nick of time, helen, brady and matt and his friends went into jerrold's house and watched the rain pouring from the windows. * * * * * it was not until the day after their difficult landing in jerrold's yard that matt and his friends, accompanied by helen brady, paid a visit to the office of the chief of police. brady had already been taken back to joliet, and pete and whipple were penned up in cells, awaiting trial. "they'll go up, all right," said the chief, "and brady will have the pleasure of seeing the two members of his old gang in the same institution where he is at hard labor." "what about the hooligans, chief?" queried matt. "harris, burton, and sanders had their hands full with pete and whipple," replied the chief, "and they were not able to look after the caretaker and his wife. they telephoned the river forest authorities, though, and some officers went there. they found the place deserted. hooligan and his wife, fearing to be called to account for their rascality, had fled, and left the mansion to take care of itself. the river forest police put some one else in charge of the place, and have cabled to the caspars, in paris. the la grange officers are watching the hooligan house in that town, and when the caretaker shows up there he will be captured." justice seemed to have failed in the matter of the hooligans, but possibly it was only deferred. their home was still in la grange, and, sooner or later, one or both of them would return there. "i just received a telegram from the detail i sent to willoughby's swamp," went on the chief. "to look for the loot?" asked matt, turning his eyes on helen. "yes." "i didn't know helen had told you where the stuff was hidden." "she wrote out the instructions on the back of an old letter i had in my pocket, matey," spoke up ferral, "while she and i were waiting for you and carl to come back with the hawk. she gave the instructions to sanders, and he turned them over to harris when he and burton, with their prisoners, came after him in the automobile." "that was the way of it," continued the chief. "the detail went out last night, in the rain, because we did not think it well to have any delay in such an important matter. here's what the telegram says." opening a yellow slip, which had been lying on his desk, the chief read aloud the following: "'plunder found. there's a raft of it. will bring it in by train, under guard.'" "dot's fine!" cried carl. "und der peoble vat geds der shtuff pack vill haf to t'ank miss prady for dot." "they have already had to thank my father for losing the property, in the first place," said helen sadly, "so they won't feel very grateful to me. and it's not right they should," she added. "yes, it is," said the chief kindly. "you've played a noble part all through these troubles which the law has had with your father, miss brady, and your faithfulness in standing firmly for what you thought was right, has won universal recognition and gained you many friends. what will you do now?" "i think i shall go to my mother's sister, who lives in new york," replied helen. "she has always wanted me to come and live with her. she is alone in the world and needs somebody for a companion." "you couldn't do better," said the chief approvingly. "by the way," and here he whirled to his desk and drew a yellow envelope from one of the pigeonholes, "here's another message, and it's for you, matt. it came yesterday, and, as you know, this is the first chance i have had since then to deliver it." wondering who the telegram could be from, matt opened it, read it over to himself, laughed, and then read it aloud. "'will guarantee you one thousand dollars a week to come here and give exhibitions with your air ship. deflate it and forward by express, and come by train. wire me if you accept.'" "well, what do you think of that!" exclaimed the chief. "vone t'ousant tollars a veek!" jubilated carl. "py shinks, ve vill haf morgan und rockyfeller backed off der map! vone t'ousant a veek! binch me, somepody." "where's it from, matey?" asked ferral, with suppressed excitement. "from atlantic city, new jersey," answered matt. "big summer resort," observed the chief. "the people who go there can afford to have what they want, and pay well for it. what name's signed to the message, matt?" "kitson steel pier company." "well, it must be all right," said the chief. "anyhow, the kitson steel pier company show a whole lot of sense in advising you to deflate the gas bag and ship the air ship by express. that's a whole lot better than trying to fly there, and butting into such storms as we had last night. what message are you going to send to atlantic city, matt?" "'terms accepted; start at once.'" ferral tossed up his hat delightedly, and carl floundered to his feet and began shaking hands all around. "we'll go to atlantic city by way of new york," matt went on, with a glance toward the girl, "and see miss brady safely in the hands of her aunt." "good idea!" approved the chief heartily. helen lifted her eyes to matt's, and then reached out impulsively and caught his hand. the end. the next number ( ) will contain motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. carl as buttinsky--the moving-picture man makes a queer move--warm work at the "inlet"--prisoners on a submarine--through the torpedo tube--the cape town mystery--off for the bahamas--an accident--matt and his chums go it alone--the air ship springs a leak--wrecked--luck, or ill-luck--a move and a countermove--motor matt's success--a few surprises--matt takes townsend's advice. motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction new york, may , . terms to motor stories mail subscribers. (_postage free._) single copies or back numbers, c. each. months c. months c. months $ . one year . copies one year . copy two years . =how to send money=--by post-office or express money-order, registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. at your own risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. =receipts=--receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of number on your label. if not correct you have not been properly credited, and should let us know at once. ormond g. smith, } george c. smith, } _proprietors_. street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york city. a fall to fortune. "i say, mother, mr. carey's going to take me to the balloon ascent. isn't it good of him?" mrs. keen turned to the kindly faced, bearded man who had followed her son into the cottage kitchen. "it is most kind of you, mr. carey. clifford has been longing to go ever since he heard about professor starley. but"--sadly--"i couldn't even find the necessary quarter for admission." "won't you come, too, mrs. keen?" said carey cheerily. "do you no end of good." she shook her head. "no, i won't come," she said gently. "but perhaps you will come back to tea with us afterward." carey said he would gladly do so, and he and clifford started for the fair ground, from which the famous aëronaut, professor starley, was going to make an ascent by balloon and a drop by parachute. "wish your mother had come, cliff," said mr. carey, as they walked up the street. "wish she had, too," echoed the boy. "but she never goes anywhere now. tell you the truth," he went on, lowering his voice, "i believe she's afraid of any of our old friends recognizing her. you're the only one we keep up with." "oh, but that's foolishness!" "i've told her so lots of times," declared clifford. "but you know it's pretty hard to come down from a nice house to a cottage like that. not that i care," he hastened to add. "but it's tough for mother. fancy her having to do all the cooking! and she's got no nice clothes like she used to have before dad was drowned." mr. carey shook his head gravely. "she's always fretting about him," he said. "i don't wonder. it was a terrible business altogether. and what made it worse was leaving her almost penniless." he paused. "cliff, do you know i've always suspected that that fellow moise didn't treat your mother squarely?" "have you, mr. carey?" cried the boy eagerly. "d'you know, i've often thought the same thing myself. seems a bit queer, after dad had always had lots of money, that old moise should swear there was nothing left except about five hundred dollars. don't you think there's something awfully queer about moise's face? he never looks at you straight." "i've noticed that myself," said the other dryly. "but here we are. we'll talk about this again some other time." the crowd was tremendous. all dunthorne seemed to have turned out. as they worked their way through the masses of people clifford keen could see over their heads the great varnished globe swaying in the breeze. clifford was not the sort to be content with a back seat. he wormed his way through the packed throng till he reached the very front row, where a number of volunteers were holding the mooring ropes. the breeze was brisking, and the balloon tugged and leaped like a live thing. "here, sonny, catch a hold!" came a quick voice as a powerfully built man in tights and spangles caught sight of the boy's eager face. "don't let go till i tell you. mind!" clifford seized the rope delightedly. starley sprang back into the open space underneath the balloon. the balloon had no car, only a trapeze. on this starley seated himself, holding the side ropes tight with both hands. the parachute, clifford noticed, was fastened up against the side of the balloon. "now, gentlemen, when i give the word i want you all to release the cords at the same instant. the wind makes----" at that very moment came such a gust that starley's speech was cut short. the balloon came whirling over almost on top of clifford, and two men who had hold of the same rope let go and sprang out of the way with shouts of alarm. "cowards!" muttered clifford, holding on tighter than ever. he knew nothing whatever of the lifting power of a balloon. next instant as the gust passed the balloon came back with a jerk to the perpendicular, and clifford was swung completely off his feet. before he could realize what had happened or make up his mind to let go he was far above the heads of the crowd. from the whole fair ground rose an extraordinary sound--a deep groan. it was this that first made the boy realize the extreme peril of his position. nineteen boys out of twenty finding themselves dangling at the end of a rope in mid-air would have let go at once, and, of course, been smashed to atoms. clifford happened to be the twentieth. the first thing he did was to crook his right leg in the rope, the second to shut his eyes in order to arrest the horrible dizziness which made his head swim like seasickness. the next thing he was conscious of was a quiet voice from above. "say, sonny, can you climb up here?" clifford looked up. the aëronaut, seated on the crossbar about ten feet above him, was looking down with a cool expression, which helped to restore clifford's confidence. "i'll try," he answered. "come right along, then. don't get flustered. it's just as easy as climbing a tree. and say, you keep looking at me. don't look down." "all right," replied clifford briefly, and started to swarm up the rope. he was rather indignant at starley's suggestion as to his getting flustered. up to the time of his father's death he had always meant to be a sailor. he prided himself he could climb and stand heights as well as most chaps. all the same, he wished the rope wouldn't swing so. to climb a cord that is describing great arcs in mid-air is rather different from swarming one in a school playground. "that's first class," said starley encouragingly. "keep a good grip with your legs. come on." he held out an encouraging hand. clifford found time to marvel at the airy ease with which the aëronaut balanced on the thin bar of the trapeze, holding by one hand only. another yard, and strong fingers clutched his collar. next moment he was seated beside starley on the trapeze. at first this was almost worse than the rope. for the life of him the boy couldn't help looking down, and it gave him a curious shock to see men like black insects crawling among toy buildings, and little carriages moving down streets no wider than a window sill. for a moment his head reeled, and he felt that horrible impulse to let go and fling himself down. starley's strong arm was round him. "all right, sonny, you'll get over that in a jiffy. when you feel fit again we must hold a council of war." "i'm all right," declared clifford, half angrily. he was savage with himself for giving way. "what are we going to do now?" "that's just the trouble," replied the american with a dry smile. "it beats me to know how we're going to get back to the solid." "can't we both go down in your parachute?" starley shook his head. "she'll take my weight, and not ten pounds more. if we both hung on to her we'd rip the stuffing out of her, and there'd just be a splash to show where we hit the floor." clifford glanced at his companion with startled eyes. "there's worse than that, sonny," went on the other. "you see, this isn't like a balloon that'll come down just when you like by pulling a valve cord. she's just an old thing i use for these descents, and trust to pick up wherever she happens to fall." "then you and i can't go down together?" said clifford sharply. starley shook his head. "what'll happen, then?" "we'll go on up till we freeze and can't hold on any longer and drop off, or else the balloon'll bust, and we'll both come down a bit too quick for the good of our health." "is there nothing else we can do?" cried the boy. "there's just one other chance," replied the aëronaut. "if you've got the pluck to take the parachute, i'll climb up in the netting and put my knife through the cover of the balloon. if i rip her enough she'll come down all right." "that wouldn't be fair," returned clifford sharply. "you take the parachute. i'll stick to the balloon." starley hesitated a moment. "have you got the nerve to climb up there"--pointing aloft--"and cut the cover?" "yes," said clifford firmly. "reckon he'd be safer that way," muttered the man to himself. then, aloud: "if you can do it you'll be safe enough, sonny. safer by chalks than if you take the parachute. it's an ugly job, anyway you look at it, but the parachute's the worst for a beginner. the jerk when she opens pretty near takes the arms out of you, and we're up all of three thousand already." he pulled out a big clasp knife, and handed it to clifford. "let's see you up on the ring before i let loose," he said. "you'll feel a bit safer so long as you haven't got to climb it alone. but look sharp. we're still rising, and the wind's carrying us pretty sharp." clifford took the knife, slipped it into his coat pocket, and, clutching the side rope of the trapeze, set his teeth and began to climb. for a horrid moment the ghastly dizziness clutched him again. but he set his teeth, and swore he would not give way to it. starley's weight kept the rope taut, and it was easier to climb than the other had been. at last he was clinging to the iron ring of the parachute, with the great globe of varnished silk immediately above him. "are you right, sonny?" cried the aëronaut, looking up. "yes," called back clifford with a cheeriness he was far from feeling. then as he swung a leg over the ring and pulled himself up sitting, both hands clutching the netting, he saw starley lean over and grasp the rope of the parachute. "rip her well, and as high up as you can. and hang on till she reaches the ground," were starley's last words of advice. then he gave the parachute rope a sharp jerk, there was a slight ripping sound, and the man dropped like a plummet toward the distant earth. the balloon, relieved of his weight, made an enormous bound upward. for a full thirty seconds the boy clung there, unable to do anything but watch starley shooting down into the awful depths below. he gave a gasp of relief as the parachute at last opened like an umbrella, and went sailing away earthward as gently as a feather. then he got out his knife. "now for it," he muttered bravely. by this time the balloon was nearly a mile above the earth, and the breeze had long ago carried it clear of the town. it was sailing over what looked to clifford like a patchwork quilt of little fields and woods and farmsteads, with here and there the silver ribbon of a river. the whole position was so amazing that clifford found it sheerly impossible to believe that one brief half hour before he had been one of those ants that he now saw crawling at such an enormous depth beneath him. clinging here close to the side of the balloon envelope the boy felt safer. he had something more or less solid to hold on to. he was so interested and excited that for the moment he almost forgot about the knife. it was the cold that brought him to himself again. down below it had been a warm if breezy september afternoon. up here clifford, in thin summer clothes, was rapidly chilling to the bone. his fingers were already blue. he looked at them blankly. "if i don't hurry up they'll be too stiff to use the knife," he said half aloud. he opened the knife with his teeth, and, taking a long breath, stabbed boldly at the silk. the blade flashed through with a ripping sound, and gas gushed out in such volumes that clifford, half suffocated, was forced to hastily abandon his position and clamber a little way round out of reach of the rush. learning by experience, he reached as high as he could stretch, and made a long, sideways gash, then dropped hastily back to the ring. "that's done it!" he cried delightedly. for the cut was followed by a long, hissing tear. the envelope had split for several feet, and the lower part was rapidly crumpling like a burst bladder. he glanced down. it looked exactly as if fields and houses were rushing up to meet him. the balloon was dropping at tremendous speed. at the same time clifford noticed that the shadow of the balloon was swishing across the fields at almost the pace of an express train. he had dropped into a swift air current, and the rapidly deflating balloon was actually traveling at more than thirty miles an hour. a small town loomed below, with a tall factory chimney sticking spike-like from its centre. "if i hit that i'm a gone coon," muttered the boy, but the balloon passed far above its smoking summit, and swirled away over villas and gardens toward a wood. clifford saw people looking up, heard shouts of surprise and alarm, but he was past it all in a minute and swinging down toward the wood. a fresh spasm of fright seized him as he saw the tall trees bending in the gale. but the balloon scudded just above their leafy tops, and swooped toward a large square building, which lay in its own grounds surrounded by a high brick wall. even in the one flashing glance he caught of the place there was something sombre and forbidding about it. the tall gray walls, the barred windows, the dark elms, and the heavy shrubbery. now the balloon was flying straight for the outer wall. with a shout of alarm clifford scrambled wildly into the netting. just in time. with a loud clang the iron ring struck the top of the wall. it caught a second, the whole envelope heeled over, the branches of a thick yew tore clifford from his hold, and the last thing he remembered was the thump with which he reached the ground. a face was the first thing clifford caught sight of when he opened his eyes again. such a face! huge, dull, heavy, with deep, sunken eyes, which shone out with a lurid light from under cavernous eyebrows. they were fixed upon the boy with such a beast-like glare that clifford, sick and shaken with his heavy fall, could only lie and gaze and vaguely wonder whether he was awake or dreaming. gradually as his senses came back he realized that he was lying on a grassy path, and the owner of the eyes, a tall, powerfully built man, was sitting on a moss-grown log leaning over him. but who and what he was, and why he glared in this ghastly fashion, never attempting to offer help, clifford could not imagine. the fixed stare was slowly hypnotizing him. he made an attempt to roll out of reach of the horrible eyes. instantly a long arm shot out, and fell on his shoulder with a grip painful in its vise-like strength. "you'll do," said the owner of the eyes in a queer, hoarse voice. "do what?" muttered the boy faintly. "to kill," replied the man in the coolest tone imaginable. "oh, i must be dreaming!" thought clifford. but the painful grasp on his shoulder was good proof he was doing nothing of the sort. "nice and young and tender!" said the brute, licking his leathery lips. he let go of clifford's shoulder, and suddenly produced from his pocket an ordinary table knife. clifford saw with a shudder that its blade had been ground to razor-like keenness. the man ran a finger along the sharp edge--ran it so carelessly that the thin steel ripped the skin, and blood dropped to the grass. at the sight of the blood his dull face turned to a mask of fury, and he sprang to his feet with a howl resembling that of a wild beast hungry for its food. the movement broke the spell. clifford bounded to his feet, and, ducking just in time to escape a vicious stab, ran for dear life toward the house. with a scream of balked fury the man was after him. bruised and shaken as he was, clifford had never in his life before run so fast. at first he gained a little, but presently the long legs of his pursuer began to tell, and he heard the hot panting so close behind that each moment he expected to feel the sharp steel buried in his back. the path ran right up under the blank windows of the silent house. reaching the angle, clifford swerved wildly to the right. a figure was standing by the door. with a wild yell of "help!" clifford dashed toward it. to his horror it vanished, slamming the door in his face. once more clifford dodged, and reached an opening in the thick shrubbery which bordered the drive. as he dashed in among the trees his foot caught in a root, and down he came with a crash that knocked the remaining breath out of him. his pursuer was so close that he could not stop, and, tripping over the boy, went over on his head, burying his knife deep in the ground. at the same moment a gaunt, middle-aged man with a gray beard and hair burst out of the thick bushes alongside, and hurled himself upon clifford's assailant. clifford, scrambling wildly to his feet, saw the big man struggling to rise. he was howling with rage, and in his bull-like fury was throwing the other about like a feather. clifford glanced round. a dead branch lay close by. it was the work of an instant to snatch it up and bring it with all his force across the great head of his would-be murderer. "well done!" cried the gray-bearded man, as the other straightened out and lay still. "i've often told them that prynne was dangerous. but how did you get here?" he turned, and for the first time caught sight of clifford's face. for a moment the two stared at one another in an amazement beyond any description. then staggering back, with face white as chalk, the elder man muttered, "clifford!" "father!" replied the boy, unable to believe his eyes. at this moment footsteps crunched on the gravel of the drive. the gray-bearded man recovered himself. "they're coming," he hissed in a tense whisper. "don't let on you know me. moise put me here. tell carey." it was all he had time to say before a wandering man burst upon them. "what's up here?" he cried gruffly. then, catching sight of clifford, "and what are you doing here?" "dropped in a balloon," retorted clifford sharply. the man's tone was most offensive. "this brute"--pointing to the insensible man--"tried to kill me. he must be mad." the warder burst into a hoarse guffaw. "mad--of course he's mad. they're all mad here." then like a thunder clap the truth burst on clifford. his scoundrelly partner had immured his father in this horrible place. the boy blazed with fury. it was all he could do to keep down the rage which consumed him. but he did it. he turned to the warder. "the sooner i'm clear of the place, the better i shall be pleased," he said. "perhaps you'll kindly show me the way out." "the sooner you're out the better, my lad," returned the man with an ugly grin. he led the way to a tall iron-spiked gate, unlocked it, and, with a sigh of intense relief, clifford found himself on the highroad. that the first passer-by told him he was eighteen miles from home, every step of which he would have to tramp, hardly made the slightest impression on the eager excitement with which clifford looked forward to the release of his father. * * * * * three days later mr. keen and his wife met once more. as for moise, when he found that his villainy was discovered, he took what ready cash he could lay hands on, and vanished with all speed. clifford is never tired of hearing his father tell of the shipwreck and the injury to his head, which gave his ex-partner the opportunity to declare him mad, and imprison him under a false name in the private asylum from which he was so wonderfully rescued. since his liberation mr. keen has made use of a part of his recovered fortune to force an investigation of the methods employed in the private asylum. and the owner of the house with the barred windows found himself in such extremely hot water that he followed moise's example and cleared out of the country. tip for rabbit hunters. a west duluth man says he has the newest and best way to catch rabbits. he finds a creek running through a swamp and follows it until he comes to a place where the rabbit tracks are thick. then he scrapes the snow off a large surface of the ice and piles bark and wood in the middle of the space. in the evening just after dark he lights the fire and leaves the spot. in the morning he comes back with a pack sack and picks up the rabbits. how does he get them? it is this way: when the rabbits see the fire they get curious and go out on the ice. they sit around gazing at the flames until the fire goes out, never noticing that the surface of the ice has melted, and after the heat subsides they find they are frozen to the ice and unable to move. the man comes around with a club in the morning and kills the rabbits. latest issues motor stories the latest and best five-cent weekly. we won't say how interesting it is. see for yourself. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, castaway in the bahamas. tip top weekly the most popular publication for boys. the adventures of frank and dick merriwell can be had only in this weekly. =high art colored covers. thirty-two pages. price, cents.= --frank merriwell's great work; or, getting the right start. --dick merriwell's mind; or, the ideal of manhood. --dick merriwell's "dip;" or, the mysterious movements of a hat. --dick merriwell's rally; or, making a fighting finish. --dick merriwell's flier; or, the champions of the ice. --frank merriwell's bullets; or, a steady nerve and a sure hand. --frank merriwell cut off; or, the result of the great spring rise. --frank merriwell's ranch boss; or, big bruce and the blossoms. --dick merriwell's equal; or, the fellow with the flying feet. --dick merriwell's development; or, the all-around wonder. --dick merriwell's eye; or, the secret of good batting. --frank merriwell's zest; or, the spirit of the school. --frank merriwell's patience; or, the making of a pitcher. --frank merriwell's pupil; or, the boy with the wizard wing. --frank merriwell's fighters; or, the decisive battle with blackstone. --dick merriwell at the "meet"; or, honors worth winning. nick carter weekly the best detective stories on earth. nick carter's exploits are read the world over. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --the moving picture mystery; or, nick carter's blindest trail. --the tiger-tamer; or, nick carter's boldest strategy. --a strange bargain; or, nick carter's dead-shot circus case. --the haunted circus; or, nick carter lays a ghost. --the secret of a private room; or, nick carter makes an experiment. --a mental mystery; or, nick carter on a difficult trail. --the sealed envelope; or, nick carter's search for a lost fortune. --the message in blue; or, nick carter's clue to a vast conspiracy. --a dream of empire; or, nick carter and the queen of conspirators. --the detective's disappearance; or, nick carter is saved by adelina. --the midnight marauders; or, nick carter's telephone mystery. --the child of the jungle; or, nick carter's ingenious ruse. --nick carter's satanic enemy; or, the case of an easy mark. --three times stolen; or, nick carter's strange clue. --the great diamond syndicate; or, nick carter's cleverest foes. _for sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york =if you want any back numbers= of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. fill out the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. =postage stamps taken the same as money.= ________________________ _ _ _street & smith, - seventh avenue, new york city._ _dear sirs: enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_: tip top weekly, nos. ________________________________ nick carter weekly, " ________________________________ diamond dick weekly, " ________________________________ buffalo bill stories, " ________________________________ brave and bold weekly, " ________________________________ motor stories, " ________________________________ _name_ ________________ _street_ ________________ _city_ ________________ _state_ ________________ adventures of a boy genius motor stories most five-cent weeklies are founded upon the adventures of boy wonders who perform all sorts of impossible feats and who never act or talk as a boy really does. this is displeasing to the intelligent boy of the present day, who is better educated, and who, consequently, demands more logical reading than the old-time boy did. the boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as motor stories. "motor matt" is not an impossible boy character. he is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. his sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural, adventures that ever befell a boy. buy the current number from your newsdealer. we feel sure that you will be just as enthusiastic about it as the fifty thousand other boys throughout the united states have become. here are the titles now ready: no. .--motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. no. .--motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. no. .--motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. no. .--motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." no. .--motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. no. .--motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. no. .--motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. to be published on may d no. .--motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. to be published on may th no. .--motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. =price, five cents= at all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of the price. _street & smith, publishers, new york_ transcriber's notes: added table of contents. bold is represented by =equal signs=, italics by _underscores_. in this text version, oe ligatures are expanded to oe; the ligatures are retained in the html version. retained inconsistent/unusual spellings in dialect (e.g. "leetle" vs. "lettle"). retained inconsistent hyphenation (e.g. "passerby" vs. "passer-by"). page , added missing footnote reference (original text had footnote, but no matching asterisk). changed ? to ! in "howdy, matt!" page , changed "techincal" to "technical" ("talked on technical points"). page , changed "mat" to "matt" ("mit matt, dough"). page , changed comma to period at end of "binch me, somepody." [illustration: shoulders squared, head up, young renaud stood beneath his wireless aerial.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ stand by the story of a boy's achievement in radio _by_ hugh mcalister _author of_ "a viking of the sky," "flaming river" "steve holworth of the oldham works" "the flight of the silver ship" "conqueror of the highroad" the saalfield publishing company akron, ohio new york ------------------------------------------------------------------------ stand by copyright, mcmxxx _by_ the saalfield publishing company printed in the united states of america ------------------------------------------------------------------------ contents i the crystal wheel ii strange experiments iii hot wires iv the gang takes a hand v taps vi amazing things vii harnessing lightning power viii compressed power ix sargon sound x a pencil line xi a mysterious call xii the nardak xiii within the silvery hull xiv danger ahead xv shagun xvi quest for camp xvii besieged xviii prospecting xix in the gondola xx f-o-y-n xxi killers of the arctic xxii hope and despair xxiii fighting through xxiv on to glory xxv from the desert of ice ------------------------------------------------------------------------ stand by chapter i the crystal wheel there it stood--a great glass wheel, half submerged in the dusty clutter of an old outhouse filled with broken chairs, moth-eaten strips of carpet, and a tangle of ancient harness. lee renaud, spider webs draping his black hair and the dust of ages prickling at his nose, persisted in his efforts to clear this strange mechanism of its weight of junk. at last it was freed, a three-foot circular sheet of glass mounted on a framework of brass and wood. held against the wheel by slips of wood were pads of some kind of fur, now worn to a few stray hairs and bits of hide. the circle of glass turned on an axis of wood which passed through its center, and attached to this was a series of cogwheels and a handle for cranking the whole affair--at considerable speed, it appeared. lee renaud backed off a bit as he stared at the thing. glittering in the dim sunlight that filtered into the storage shed, it looked strange, almost sinister. but then the boy had found everything here at king's cove strange and outlandish. king's cove! it sounded rather elegant. instead, it consisted of a handful of shacks that housed a little village of farming and fishing folk, an ignorant people given over to poverty and superstition. king's cove had been aristocratic in its past. a fringe of rotting, semi-roofless "big houses" up beyond the cove testified to the long-gone past when a settlement of rich folk had set out great orange orchards and camphor groves in that strip of south alabama that touches the gulf of mexico. all had gone well until the historic freeze of had ruined the tropic fruits and emptied the purses of the settlers. after that, the population steadily drifted away from king's cove. squatters came in to fish and to scratch the soil for a living. of all the old-timers only gem renaud remained. he loved the semi-tropic climate, the great oaks swathed in spanish moss, the bit of sea that indented his land. he preferred remaining in poverty to moving elsewhere and beginning life over again. so he lived on in a white-columned old house that year by year got more leaky and more warped. then gem renaud had slipped and injured his leg. and lee renaud had been sent down by his family to look after his great-uncle gem. lee's home was in shelton, a pleasant and progressive town. lee's mother was a widow. her two older boys were already at work. this vacation, lee had counted on his first steady job, work at a garage. but because he was not already working and could be spared most easily, the lot had fallen on him to be sent down to king's cove. and here at king's cove the boy felt that he had stepped back into the past a hundred years or more--the queer ignorant villagers; no electricity, only candles and little old kerosene lamps; no automobiles, only wagons drawn by lazy, lanky mules or by slow oxen; homemade boats on the bay and bayou; uncle gem's great tumble-down old house where pompey, the negro that cooked for him, lighted homemade candles in silver candlesticks and served meager meals of corn pone and peas in china that had come from france three-quarters of a century ago. when lee went down to the shack of a country store for meal or kerosene, the village loafers looked "offishly" at the tall boy with close-clipped black hair, knickers, and sport cap usually swinging in his hand. lem hicks, the storekeeper's boy, tony zita, one of the fishing folk, and other lanky youths, barefooted and in faded overalls, seemed to have no particular interest in life save to lounge on boxes in front of the store and spit tobacco juice into the dust. sometimes when lee passed the line of loafers, he caught remarks muttered behind his back--"stuck-up! thinks he's citified, ain't he!" once when lee got home, he found mud spattered on his "store-bought" clothes--and he hadn't remembered stepping in a puddle either! uncle gem was a queer figure himself. the tall, stooped old man with his sideburns, his chin-whiskers, his long-tailed coat of faded plum color, was a prisoner of his chair now. as lee, all dusty and cobwebby, burst in from the storage room, his questions about the strange crystal wheel woke a gleam of excitement in the old man's eyes. "the glass wheel--you never saw anything like it before, eh?" uncle gem's long fingers tapped the chair arm. "gadzooks! that was our old-time 'lightning maker.' my brothers and i had a tutor, one master lloyd, a welshman, and a very conscientious, thorough little man. he used this mechanism to prove to us boys that electricity, or 'lightning power,' as he dubbed it, could be tapped by mankind." "and did he--could he?" great-uncle gem nodded emphatically. lee renaud's own black eyes lighted with excitement, too. electricity! why, he was so used to it that he had always just taken it for granted--electricity for lights, cars, telephones. and yet here was a man in whose childhood it had been a mere theory, a something to be gingerly toyed with. but that old wheel must hold power--or rather man's groping after power. "wonder if i could make electricity with it?" lee was thinking aloud. "umph, of course, if there's enough left of the old mechanism to hitch it up right. i could show you--ouch! confound that leg!" in his interest in electricity, the old man had forgotten his injury and had tried to put his foot to the floor. "wait, wait, uncle gem! pompey and i can carry you, chair and all." the darky and lee finally did achieve getting mr. renaud down the steps and out to the dusty, cluttered storehouse. then pompey departed for his kitchen, muttering under his breath, "glad to get away. pomp don't mix in with no glass wheel and trying to conjure lightning down out of the sky." "pomp's not very progressive," old gem renaud smiled wryly. "lots of other folks around here too that are superstitious about this business of trying to get electricity out of the air with a piece of glass." for the rest of that day and for other days to come, the work of renovating the strange old wheel went forward. there was more to be done than one might think for, and so little with which to do the repairing. propped in his chair, old gem directed, and lee, scraping up such crude material as he could in the cast-off junk about the place, tried to carry out his orders. a brass tube, set in a standard of glass and branching forward so that its two arms nearly touched the crystal plate, had once been set with rows of sharp wires like the teeth of a comb. most of these were missing now, and lee spent the better part of one day resetting the empty sockets with metal points patiently hacked from a bit of old barbed wire fencing. next, the moth-eaten pads of fur must be replaced. "glass and fur," puzzled lee. "that's a strange combination." gem renaud tugged at his chin-whisker while his mind went searching back into the past. "that book of science, we studied as boys, explains it, if i can just remember. it was something about 'a portion of fair glass well rubbed with silk or fur or leather begets this electrica.'" "why, there seem to be all kinds of rubbers or exciters. i reckon though, since fur was used on this contraption at first, fur is what we better use again." lee renaud got up and stretched his legs, then went outside. he had remembered seeing some squirrel skins tacked to old pomp's cabin door. and now he was going forth to do some bargaining. "hey, pompey," the boy held out his best silk necktie, "how about trading me those skins for this?" the bright silk was most beguiling. the negro hesitated a moment, then capitulated. "yas, sir, i'd sho like to swap. i--i reckon i might's well trade. you take along them skins, but please, sir, don't connect me in no way with any glass wheel conjuring you might be using those squirrel pelts for." restraining his laughter, lee solemnly agreed and soon departed, carrying four good pelts with him. he cut out good-sized pieces of the fur and nailed these on the four blocks of wood that had held the original fur pads. then he fixed the blocks back in their places on the frame so that the revolving glass would brush between the two pairs of pads, one pair at the top, and one pair at the bottom. cogwheels had to be geared up and a new handle made to replace the old one that had rotted. it was dusk of day before lee renaud was ready to test out the ancient "lightning maker." great-uncle gem sat erect and eager in his chair. pompey stood in a far corner, holding a candle for light, rolling his eyes in something of a fright, but sticking by to see after marse gem, no matter what happened. lee's heart half smothered him with its excited pounding. creak of rusty cogs, whirl of the wheel, fast, faster! all in a tremble, young renaud brought his knuckle near to the row of metal points set so close to the revolving disc. his hand was still a space from the metal when with a sharp crackle a spark leaped across. he had done it! he was making electricity--like those old experimenters! lee burst into a wild shout. with a sudden booming detonation, a gunshot roared across the little room, dwarfing every other sound. so close it was that lee renaud felt a bullet almost scorch across his face, and heard it thud viciously against a wall. pomp's candle clattered to the floor, went out. there came a sound as though great-uncle gem had slumped across his chair. outside, stealthy footsteps made off into the darkness. chapter ii strange experiments the shot that rang out in the night was echoed by a yell from lee, who dropped in a huddle beside the glass wheel. for a moment he crouched there, fighting against a wild desire to crawl back under the clutter of rubbish, and hide. what did it all mean? in the dark silence beyond the open window, what manner of fiend was waiting to shoot down innocent people? but a muttering and moaning and sounds of difficult breathing came to him from other parts of the room. uncle gem, old pomp, both of them might be wounded, dying! he couldn't crouch here like a craven and leave them to their fate. lee forced himself to action. he began to crawl across the room to where he knew there were some matches and a candle. fumbling around in the dark, he at last got the candle lighted, stood up and looked about him. pompey, face downwards upon the floor, was moaning loudly, "lordy, lordy, the lightning of the air done struck us, like i knowed it would--" "lightning nothing! don't you know a gunshot when you hear one?" burst from lee. "if you're not hurt yourself, come help me quick with uncle gem--he looks like he's dead!" "oh, marse gem, is you kilt?" pomp, who had suffered no injury save fright, rolled to his feet and came on the run, his kindly old black face all distorted with grief. indeed gem renaud did look like one dead. he hung slumped sideways, half fallen out of his chair. his drawn face was ashen, his hands limp and cold. but, though lee searched frantically, he could find no sign of gunshot wound or oozing blood. together he and pompey laid the long figure out at ease on the floor, sponged the face with a wet handkerchief, and rubbed hands and wrists. at last old gem renaud opened his eyelids with a slow, tired movement. then he motioned lee to prop him up into sitting position. "just fainted--heart not so good! this shooting--must have been that old fool, johnny poolak--taking another shot at the glass wheel--" "sh-shooting at the wheel?" stammered lee. "what for?" "what for? for superstition mostly," old gem renaud's black eyes snapped angrily, "and some for meanness, too!" as great-uncle gem regained his strength, he told about this poolak, the half-wit, full of fool religions and imbued with all the superstitions that ignorant people hold to. the rest of the uneducated squatters here in the village were about on this level too. once, long ago, when renaud had been experimenting with his crude electrical devices, a cyclone swept the fringes of the town. immediately the ignorant villagers coupled the crystal wheel with the disaster, and poolak, bent on destroying the source of evil, took a shot at the "lightning maker." "evidently," went on gem renaud, "old poolak has noted your work out here and thinks you're all set to bring on another cyclone and so has taken another shot at the contraption. if you'll dig out the bullet that's imbedded in the wall beyond our wheel of glass, i'll wager that you'll find it's a silver bullet. silver is the only weapon to down witchcraft according to all the old superstitions, you know." that night, before he went to bed, lee slipped down to the old storage room. there, by the light of a candle, he pried with his knife blade into the wall just beyond the crystal wheel. and sure enough, the bullet that he dug out was not made of lead, but of silver. a rough lump that old poolak must have molded for himself, melting down a hard-earned twenty-five cent piece, most likely! the silver bullet on his palm gave lee renaud a queer sensation, a feeling that he had stepped very far back into a past peopled with eerie fears and superstitions. the next day lee moved the whole apparatus of the glass wheel into an unused room on the second floor of the dwelling house. it was safer up there. a fellow didn't have it hanging over his head that a pious old ignoramus was liable to shoot up one's affairs again with silver bullets. the wheel, with its wooden base and brass tubes, was heavy, so lee carried it over piecemeal. this taking it apart and putting it back together again gave young renaud a much better knowledge of it than he had had heretofore. there was the hollow brass prime conductor, supported on its glass standard and so fixed on its frame that the metal points set on the ends of its curved out-branching arms nearly touched the glass plate. lee knew that in some way the metal points collected the electricity generated on the glass whirl of the plate and conveyed this electricity to the hollow brass collector. but there was something else he needed to know. "uncle gem," he questioned, "why is a little chain hung from the fur cushions so as to just dangle down against the floor--what's it good for?" "gadzooks, boy! you can ask more questions in a minute than i can answer in a year." great-uncle gem tugged at his militant chin-whisker. "wish i could lay hands on master lloyd's old schoolbook on the sciences. it explains lots. let me see, though, it goes something like this. by the friction of the whirling glass plate against the fur cushions, electricity is developed--the glass plate becomes positively electrified, and the cushions negatively--" "positive, negative--positive, negative," muttered lee renaud, shaking his head as if he didn't quite take it all in. "be quiet, sir!" ordered uncle gem testily. "now that i've started remembering this blamed thing, i want to finish my say. without the chains, the cushions are insulated, and the quantity of electricity which they generate is limited, consisting merely of that which the cushions themselves contain. we conquer this by making the cushions communicate with the ground, the great reservoir of electricity. to do this, we merely lay a chain attached to the cushions on the floor or table. after this connection is made, and the wheel is turned again, much more electricity is conveyed to the conductor. now, young man, do you see?" "i--i'm much obliged, uncle gem. reckon i took in a little of it." lee blinked dazedly and off he went, still muttering under his breath, "positive, negative--positive, negative." that old science book uncle gem was always talking about--if he could only find it, he could learn something. for the rest of the day lee poked around in the dim and dusty attic high up under the eaves of the big house. now and again he brought down some volume to submit to uncle gem's inspection. but always gem renaud shook his head--no, that was not it, not the book. then at last lee found it, a great calfskin-bound old volume stored away at the bottom of a trunk. even before he carried it to uncle gem, he had a feeling this was the right one. it was so full of strange old illustrations, it was so ponderous--of a truth, it had to be ponderous to live up to its name, "ye compleat knowledge of philosophy and sciences." gem renaud's hands shook with excitement as he took hold of the ancient tome that had played so large a part in his long gone childhood training. "here's a whole education between two covers. just listen to the index." old renaud began to read, "astronomy, catoptrics, gyroscope, distance of planets, intensity of sound, solar spectrum--" "and electricity, there's plenty about that too, isn't there?" lee renaud couldn't help but break in. "yes, yes," gem renaud agreed with him absently, and went on flipping through the pages. "how natural they all look, the old illustrations, the waterwheel, undershot and overshot, the waterchain, the turbine engine! it seems just yesterday that master lloyd, the welshman, had us boys all down at the creek building these mechanisms out of canes and what-not, building them so as they'd really work, to prove to him that we understood what he was trying to teach us." "and did you build electrical things too?" "why, yes. master lloyd sent all the way back to new york to get the proper materials for us." materials from new york! lee turned away in disappointment. he had been hoping to experiment some with electricity himself, but what had he out here to work with? later in the day lee picked up the old book again and plunged into its strange, stilted dissertation on electricity. he learned that away back in , von kleist, a priest in pomerania, had experimented with a glass jar half full of water, corked, and a long nail driven through the cork to reach down into the water. when the old pomeranian priest touched this nail head to a frictional machine, he got a "shock" that made him think the jar was full of devils. and that ended experimentation for him. but the next year two hollanders, professors at leyden university, carried von kleist's experiment forward till they developed the leyden jar, a practical method for storing electricity. to lee renaud, stumbling upon all this old knowledge, it seemed that he himself was just discovering electricity. for most of the fifteen years of his life, he had merely accepted electricity as an ordinary, everyday thing. now the real glory of it smote him, thrilled him, inspired him. he longed desperately to try out these primitive experiments for himself. here on these pages was given the beginning of man's knowledge of electricity, the beginning of man's struggle to harness this mighty power into usefulness. if only he could "grow up" with this marvelous power, understand it, step by step! a large order, indeed! especially for a youngster stuck off in the backwoods. but anyway, lee renaud flung young enthusiasm and will power into this strange task he was setting for himself. already he had the crystal wheel that could make a spark, that could generate electricity. but unless that electricity could be "stored," it had no usefulness. so it was up to him to make an electrical condenser. but of what? umph, well, those old fellows in the past had gone right ahead and used such things as came to hand--and he was going to do the same thing. lee studied the chapter on electricity in "ye compleat knowledge of philosophy and sciences" until he could almost say it by heart. jar of fair glass, brass rod "compleated" with a knob, wooden stopper, sheets of substance tinfoil, chain of brass, three coiled springs--these were the things lee needed to make the leyden jar, which was to be his first forward step in electricity. desperately he ransacked the place for "laboratory material" and finally gathered together an old metal door knob, an empty fruit jar, a few links of small chain, some tin cans and bits of wire. it didn't look very scientific--that pile of junk! but lee renaud set his jaw doggedly, and got down to work. since he had no "substance tinfoil," he figured that perhaps pieces of tin from old tin cans might do. so he slit down a can, and cut it nearly all the way off from its bottom. the round bottom he patiently trimmed till it would just slip in through the neck of the jar. by rolling the tin sides smaller, he managed to push the whole affair down into the jar, where the released roll of the tin sprung itself out to fit neatly against the inside surface of the glass. then the outside had to be "tinned" and lee kept trying until he found a can that was a good tight fit when the jar was pushed down into it. and there, he had made a start! instead of tinfoil, the jar was at least covered in tin in the prescribed manner two-thirds of the way up, inside and outside. instead of "ye brass rod" that the old book called for, he used a length of wire which he "compleated" with the old brass door knob. he thrust this wire through a wooden stopper he had whittled to fit the mouth of the jar. he had no metal springs, but decided to make the contact with the bit of chain fastened to the end of the wire. when this was thrust down into the jar, the little chain rested on the tin bottom, which was still in part connected with the tin side lining. lee renaud had worked terrifically hard at his job, but now that he stood back to inspect the finished product, it looked more like junk than ever. it didn't seem humanly possible that such a thing could be an adjunct to collecting power, to storing the marvel of electricity. half-heartedly lee held the knob of the jar to the metal points set against the crystal "friction maker." after a few minutes of this, he grasped the jar in his left hand and experimentally approached his right thumb towards the knob. there came a scream and a rattle of glass and tin as the jar was flung from lee's hand to smash into a hundred bits on the floor. the boy leaped high in the air and came down, apparently trying to rub himself in six places at the same time. chapter iii hot wires lee's screech and the crashing clatter of glass and tin brought old pompey on the run to see what the "devils in the jar" had done now to marse lee. from the next room sounded the pounding of uncle gem's cane as he thumped the floor to summon someone to tell him what was happening. lee hurried to his uncle, looking rather sheepish, and rubbing his elbow where the "prickles" still tingled. "no, sir, not hurt; just got kicked a little," he reassured the old man. "that thing i made looked mighty innocent, but it had power to it--more'n i thought for." lee renaud's first experiment lay smashed all over the floor, but he didn't care. he could make another leyden jar, for he still had the shaped pieces of tin, the knob, and the rest of the necessities. in spite of the smash, he was terrifically thrilled--he had tapped power, real power that time! he had learned something important too: electricity was not anything to be played with. it was as dangerous as it was powerful. with his next leyden jar, lee went forward more carefully. there was a contrivance of his own that he wanted to try out this time, too. and a very crude contrivance it was--nothing more than a length of wire and two long slivers of a broken window pane. the boy gave the wire a twist around the outer tin and left one end free. then he charged the inner tin negatively at the friction machine, and the outer tin (wire and all) positively, at the positive pole of the mechanism. next, oh so carefully, gripping the free end of the wire between the two strips of glass--he didn't crave any more shocks like that first one--he brought the wire close, and closer up towards the brass knob. before he could ever touch wire to knob--wow! there it came! snap, crackle, across the air-gap shot a spark an inch long! lee's hands trembled a little as he laid aside his glass pincers. sure enough, he had done something this time. that was such lively electricity he had gotten penned up in the glass jar that it couldn't wait for any connecting metallic pathway to be made but had to go leaping across the air-gap. power! power! he was tapping it--and getting a wild excitement out of the job. it was all true! true! just like the old book said! and the musty, ancient volume was full of queer diagrams and elegantly stilted descriptions of other strange experiments. as he turned the pages, lee renaud longed to try out more of these things--all of them, if possible. "think of it!" lee muttered admiringly. "that old fellow, volta, without any friction wheel at all, just piled up some metal and wet cloth and got an electric current! by heck, i want to try that! i want to make a 'voltaic pile,' too!" the makings of the voltaic pile sounded simple enough. just some discs of iron and copper piled up with circles of wet flannel placed in between. volta had connected his iron discs and his copper discs with two different wires. next he touched the ends of the two wires together, and--hecla! he found that electricity began to flow between the copper and the iron. but when he started out on the hunt for this material, lee soon ran aground. he got some pieces of iron all right, and as for flannel, a moth-eaten wool shirt in an attic trunk would do for that. but the copper--there seemed to be none anywhere on the whole renaud place. finally old pompey came to the rescue. "i don't know nothing 'bout copper, but you might find it down in marse sargent's junk pile. he's been dead a long time, but he sho must a throwed away a heap of stuff in his day. folks been carrying off what-not-and-everything from that junk pile in the gully for years--and there's still yet junk left there smothered down in the weeds and the bushes." following pompey's directions, young renaud strode along the little woods path that the old darky had pointed out to him. at first he went forward whistling gayly, but after a while the spell of the forest laid its silence upon him. sometimes the narrow trail wound through the piney woods where a little breeze soughed mournfully in the tree tops and the afternoon sun slanted downwards to cast a weaving of shadows upon the ground. then again the little path dipped into close glades of live oak where the long gray moss dripped down from the branches, and where the sunshine could scarce penetrate to dapple the shadows. it was eerie out here in the woods, and silent--no, not exactly silent either. now and then a bird call drifted on the air. and occasionally there came a slight crackle of brush. now lee heard it off to the side of him, now directly behind. was that a stealthy padding, a footstep--was he being followed? time and again the boy whirled around quickly, but never could catch sign of any movement whatever, or of any hulking form lurking back in the shadows. he was being foolish, that was all. he kept telling himself that it was just the soughing of the pine boughs, the ghostly, shaking curtain of the long moss that had gotten on his nerves. best thing for him to do was to keep his mind on what he had come for, and wind up his business out here in the woods. it was all as old pomp had said. just beyond the scarred snag of the lightning-blasted pine, a flat-hewn log lay across the gulch for a foot-bridge. then a "tollable piece" on down the gully, where it wound in close behind what had once been a rich man's house, lee found a fascinating tangle of cast-offs partly buried in matted vegetation and drift sand. one wheel and the metal skeleton of what once must have been a dashing barouche, debris of broken china and battered kitchen utensils, rusted springs, a splintered table leg--a little of everything reposed here! as lee dug into the tangle of junk and vines, there came again the cautious crackle of a twig. someone was watching him. he was sure of that. but why--what did it mean? it was after he had started home that the mystery solved itself somewhat for him. lee was stepping along in the dusk, rather jubilant over having unearthed an old copper pot. its lack of bottom didn't matter--all he wanted was copper. and he hoped a bent strip of metal was zinc. volta had used zinc in another experiment. lee strode forward, full of plans of what he was going to try next. then a tingle of fear knocked plans out of his head as the bushes parted and a hand reached out and grabbed him by the pants leg. all manner of things flashed through lee renaud's mind. remembering how loungers at the store had looked their dislike of him, and how poolak had carried prejudice further and had taken a shot at his friction-wheel experimenting, lee had full reason to tingle with fear at that clutching hand. stealthy footsteps had dogged him all up and down these woods, and now he was being dragged off. the boy stiffened and tightened his grip on the copper pot. he'd put up a fight against whatever was happening to him! then as the bushes parted more fully and lee saw the owner of the clutching hand, he almost dropped the pot in his surprise. a wizen-faced, shock-headed youngster stood before him, one arm uplifted as if to shield his face. "you--you don't look so turrible," said the child. "i bin following you all evening, and you don't look so harmful. anyhow, jimmy bobb allowed he wanted to set eyes on you, and i come to take you to him--" "jimmy bobb, who's he? what does he want with me?" queried lee. "jimmy's my older brother, only he ain't near so big as me. he had infantile para--para something--" "paralysis, was it?" put in lee. "yeah, that's what a doctor what saw him one time said it was. but johnny poolak, him that preaches when the spell gets on him, said it warn't nothing but tarnation sin what twisted jimmy all up. i dunno. but jimmy, he can't move by himself, just got to sit one place all the time. he heard 'em talking 'bout you. he don't never see nothing much and he wanted to see you. but promise you won't conjure up no imps, no nothing and hurt him." lee renaud felt a wave of pity for the bleak existence of the crippled one, though caution stirred in him too. he didn't exactly like to mix in with these cove people. in every meeting with them, he had sensed their antagonism toward him. if he happened to tread on the toes of their ignorance and superstition, why, like as not they'd fill him full of buckshot! he turned back into the path that led toward home. "say, you, ain't you coming?" the child clung to him with desperate, clutching hands. "jimmy, he's so powerful lonesome. he said to me, 'mackey, you go git that there furriner and bring him down here. folks tell how he's got store-bought clothes and slicks his hair and looks different an' all. and i ain't never seen nothing different in all my life.' and i promised jimmy i'd get you. please, mister, you--you--" "i--yes." the child was so insistent that lee renaud found himself following down the path. this by-trail twisted in and out through some thickets and suddenly came out before the clean-swept knoll whereon was perched mackey bobb's home. lee renaud may have thought he had seen poor folks before, but now he found himself face to face with real poverty. the dwelling was a square log cabin with a log lean-to on behind. inside was bareness save for a homemade bedstead spread with a faded old quilt and one chair set by the window opening that had no glass but merely closed with a heavy shutter of wooden slabs. although it was summer, a fire blazed up the mud-and-wattle chimney. before it knelt a lanky woman in a faded wrapper and a sunbonnet, frying something in a skillet. lee had met these cove women now and then out on the road, as they carried eggs or chickens to the store to barter for store-bought rations. always they had on wide aprons and sunbonnets. he hadn't known they wore these flapping bonnets in the house too. the woman rose languidly from her supper cooking and came across the room. she looked worn out and old without being old. her clothing was awkward and her hands were work-roughened, yet she held to a certain dignity. "howdy. i'm right thankful to you for coming," she said. "jimmy here has been pining for a sight of you. he don't never get to see much." then lee saw jimmy, the prisoner of the old homemade armchair by the window opening. the boy's limp, twisted legs told why he was a prisoner. the body was undersized, and the face was old with pain, but jimmy bobb's dark blue eyes were eager, interesting eyes. "you, mackey," ordered the woman, "draw out the bench from the shed room. and now, mister," extending her hand, "lemme rest your hat, and you set and make yourself comfortable." when he had first stood on the threshold of this house of poverty, lee renaud had thought he was going to be embarrassed with people so different from any he had ever known. but here he found genuine courtesy to set him at ease. more than that, the terrible eagerness in jimmy bobb's eyes turned lee renaud's thoughts entirely away from lee renaud. this jimmy bobb knew so little, and he wanted to know so much. "is it rightly true," burst from jimmy before lee had hardly got settled on the bench, "that you got a whirling glass contraption up at the big house what pulls the lightning right down out of the sky?" "well," lee tugged at his chin in perplexity. how in kingdom come was he, who knew so little about electricity, going to explain it to a fellow who knew even less? "well," lee made another start, "it's kind of this way. the glass wheel when turned very, very fast between some fur pads, or rubbers, generates a spark of power called electricity. smart men have proved that this electricity that we generate and the lightning that flashes in the sky are full of the same kind of power. lightning, you know, shoots through the air in zigzag lines." "i know. i've watched it often. it goes like this," and the excited listener made sharp, jerky motions with his hand. "that's it. and the electrical discharge from a man-made battery shoots out jagged, too, like the lightning. lightning strikes the highest pointed objects. electricity does that too. lightning sets fire to non-conductors, or rends them in pieces. lightning destroys animal life when it strikes, and electricity acts just that way--" "it sounds turrible powerful," muttered jimmy bobb. "what and all you going to do with this here power you are getting out of the air?" "nothing in particular," said lee ruefully. "i haven't managed to get any too much of it. but back in the town where i have always lived, there are plenty of folks brainy enough to make electricity do lots of work for them. it makes bright lights and runs telephones and street cars and talking machines--" "how might a street car look? tele--telephone, what's that?" so the eager questioning went. lee renaud found himself leaping conversationally from point to point, drawing word-pictures of a host of everyday conveniences that had seemed so commonplace to him but that seemed almost like magic when recounted to this boy who had never seen anything. in the midst of all this talk, sarah ann bobb, jimmy's mother, still in the flopping sunbonnet, came forward bearing a tin platter set with the usual cove meal of corn pone and fried hog-meat. "set and eat," she said hospitably. "i--thank you, ma'am, no--" lee leaped up in confusion. he hadn't known he was talking so long. night had dropped down upon him. "uncle gem--he'll be worried--doesn't know where i am, or what might have happened to me. i--i reckon i better trot along," lee stammered, as he reached for his cap that was "resting" where the woman had hung it on a wall peg. "you, mackey," said sarah ann bobb with her kind, crude courtesy, "draw out one of these here pine knots from off the fire so you can light him down the path." as lee said his hasty good-byes, crippled jimmy bobb sat in his prison chair like one dazed. "street cars, 'lectric lights, talking contraptions!" he muttered to himself. "if," shutting his eyes tightly, then opening them wide, "if i could only see something myself, oncet, anyway!" chapter iv the gang takes a hand for days after that visit, jimmy bobb stuck in lee's mind. the cripple boy had so little. if only there were something one could do to give him a little pleasure! then a plan came to lee. he just believed he'd--well, what he believed was so vague that he couldn't put it into words, but it started him off on a very busy time. lee turned back through the pages of the old science book, studying a section here, copying off a diagram there in painstaking pencil lines. in between times he roamed the renaud place from attic to cellar, from old stable yard to wood lot. and the things he collected--a broken pipestem, a bit of beeswax, some feathers, an old cornstalk, wire, a needle, a few threads raveled from a piece of yellowed silk! a strange assortment for a strong, husky boy to spend his time gathering together! anybody might have thought he had gone as batty as old johnny poolak. only there was nobody to see. and as for bothering about making himself ridiculous--um! well, lee renaud was so intent upon his task that all thought of self had gone out of his head. towards the end of the week, lee tramped over to the bobb cabin. "good evening, everybody! tomorrow suppose--" in his excitement, lee twisted his cap round and round in his hands--"suppose old pomp and i come here and carry jimmy, chair and all, over to our place. i've got something to show him. it would be all right, wouldn't it?" "would it! o-o-oh! think of going somewhere!" jimmy bobb swayed in his chair. his eyes seemed to get three sizes bigger. "i can, can't i, ma?" not being given to over many words, sarah ann bobb merely nodded. but her face was no longer apathetic; some of its tiredness seemed to have gone away. the next day, though, when lee and old pomp parted the bushes on the narrow trail and came out on the bare knoll of the bobb place, things appeared entirely different. there was a change in atmosphere--due to a group of rough-looking fellows massed close to the cabin door. some of those tobacco-spitting loafers lee had had to navigate around every time he went to the country store! like all the cove people, these gangling youths were an unkempt, taciturn lot. even as lee and pomp drew nearer, they gave no greeting, but merely drew closer together like a guard before the door. lee renaud could almost feel the down on his spine prickle as his anger rose against them. what was this gang up to? they had gathered here for something! must have heard that he and pomp were going to carry jimmy over to the electrical shop. full of the coveite's ignorances and superstitions, they must have gotten together here to try to interfere with his plans. well, just let 'em try to stop him--just let 'em! involuntarily his fists clenched, his jaw tightened. he was going to give jimmy a good time--as he'd planned! he'd fight 'em all before he'd give up! renaud strode forward, with old pomp edging back a little behind him. lem hicks, who seemed to be leader of the gang, detached himself from his fellows and stepped out into the path. when the long-armed, hulking lemuel spoke, what he had to say came nearer knocking the wind out of lee renaud than any fist blow might have done. "we--we allowed we'd carry jimmy over for you." lee stood like one rooted to the ground. he couldn't believe he'd heard aright. there must be some trick in it. this rough gang was up to something. his fists, that had relaxed, tightened up again. another was stepping out of the group, the one they called big sandy. he was a tall fellow, but he grasped a couple of poles taller than himself. "done cut some hickory saplings for to slide under jimmy's chair for handles, like. jimmy, he ain't so big, but i allow he'd be quite a tote for just you two. us four can do it more better--" "sure--fine!" lee renaud's voice surprised himself. he blurted it out almost before he knew it. but there was a something in the eyes of these boys that made him say what he did. it was that same terrible eagerness--like in jimmy bobb's--that hunger after something of interest in their meager lives. little dark tony zita (one of those lowlife fishing folk, old pomp had once dubbed him) darted up close to lee, a new light in the black eyes beneath his tousled black locks. "you gonner let us see it all--what you gonner show to jimmy? we ain't never seen no 'lectricity, nor nothing!" it was a lively procession that went forward down the little woods trail between the log cabin and the warped and leaking elegance of the old renaud mansion. jimmy bobb, almost hysterical with excitement, rode like a king in the wheelless chariot of his old armchair. lem and big sandy, being the strongest in the bunch, handled a pole end on either side where the weight was heaviest. the zita boy and joe burk put a shoulder to the other ends of the poles. mackey, who went along too, and lee took their turns at carrying. class feeling had been swept away. the antagonism of these secluded backwoods folk for a "city dude what slicked his hair," the antagonism of an educated fellow toward the narrow, suspicious ignorance of country louts--a new feeling had suddenly taken the place of all this. this group was now just "boys" bound together by an interest. up in the littered second-story room that served as lee's workshop, young renaud didn't need to press very strongly his warning against "folks mixing too much with the dangers of electricity." the great glass wheel, with its strange gearing of wood and brass and fur, laid its own spell of warning on the boys. the old thing did look queer and outlandish. one almost expected some black-robed wizard to step out of the past and "make magic" on it. well, electricity was a sort of magic, it was so wonderful and powerful, thought lee, only it wasn't the "black magic" of evil; it was a great power for good. as lee cranked the machine into a swift whirl, the other boys stood well back, but looked with all their eyes. like a showman putting his charges through their stunts, lee put all his crude, homemade apparatuses through their paces. "he's doing it! he's ketching lightning, like they said!" whispered tony zita as sparks leaped and crackled across the metal points set in brass so close to the wheel. he showed his leyden jar "that you stored electricity in just like pouring molasses in a bucket, then shot it out again on a wire what sparks!" he exhibited his voltaic pile, a crude stack of broken bits of iron and pieces of a copper pot and squares of old flannel wet in salt water that, as lem hicks admiringly put it, "without no rubbing together of things--without no nothing doing at all except piling up of wet iron and copper--just went ahead and made this here electricity!" "gosh a'mighty," lem exclaimed, "that's a smart thing! wish i could fix up something like it oncet!" jimmy bobb didn't have so much to say. he just looked, taking it in and storing it away in his eager hungering brain. then lee opened a wall cupboard and brought out his latest treasures--the things he had prepared especially to show jimmy bobb what electricity could do. he came back to the group now, bearing the piece of broken pipestem in his hand. it was a clear, yellowish piece of stem, with a pretty sheen to it. lee handed it to jimmy, along with a rag of flannel cloth. "rub the yellow stuff with the cloth," he ordered. "rub hard." jimmy's legs might be feeble, but his arms were strong. he put in some sharp, vigorous rubs, his face excited but withal mystified. he didn't know what it was all about, but he was making a try at it. "now that's enough." as he spoke, lee scattered some downy feathers on the table. "reach the yellow piece out, somewhere near the feathers," he went on, "and see what'll happen." jimmy stretched out the old piece of pipestem, and the feathers leaped up to it as though they were alive. "well, i'll be blowed!" shouted jimmy, trying the experiment time and again, and each time having the fluff leap up to cling to the stem. "what is it? what makes it act all alive?" "electricity." lee renaud picked up the broken stem. "this thing is amber. i just happened to find it in a junk pile. an old book told me about how people found out long ago that 'delectable amber, rubbed with woolen' would generate enough electricity to draw to itself light objects." "i'll be blowed! well, i'll be blowed!" jimmy bobb kept saying to himself, as he tried the amber and feather stunt over and over. "just think, i can rub up this here lightning-power myself!" lee renaud was not through with his show pieces yet. from the cupboard he brought out the strangest little contraption of all. upon the center of a stout plank about two feet long, he had erected two small posts of wood. the tiny figure of a man, ingeniously cut out of cornstalk pith, sat in a swing of frail silken thread that hung suspended from the tops of the posts. at one end of the board was an insulated standard of brass. at the other end was a brass standard, uninsulated. lee carefully arranged this curious apparatus so that the insulated stand was connected with the "prime conductor" of the old glass friction-wheel. against the other standard was laid a little chain so that the chain end touched the floor, thus making what is known electrically as ground contact. now the fun began. electrified by its connection with the prime conductor, the insulated standard drew the tiny figure in the silken swing up against the brass where the figure took on an electrical charge. then off swung the little man to discharge his load of electricity against the ground contact post at the other end of the board. this way, that way swung the tiny figure, an animated little cornstalk man that for all the world looked as if he was enjoying his high riding. back and forth, back and forth he swung, pulled now by the positive, now by the negative power of that strange thing, electricity. and he continued to swing just as long as electrical power was supplied to him. shouts of laughter greeted the antics of lee's little man. "this here electricity's fun!" "better'n a show!" "we can come again, huh, can't we?" altogether, lee renaud had a pleasurable afternoon showing off his treasures. his pride was punctured a bit, though, when, upon leaving, one fellow said, "this here 'lectricity's a right pretty thing. pity it ain't no use for helping folks." chapter v taps "what's this? what's this?" a rough voice from the doorway startled lee so that he nearly dropped the glass jar half full of salt water, in which he was just placing a strip of tin and a long stick of charcoal. the man behind the big voice was a little wizened, gray-headed fellow, with twinkle lines around his eyes that rather belied his gruff manner. "well, well, well!" boomed the visitor. lee thought in amazement that he had never heard such a vast bellow proceed out of such a little man. "um, yes, you must be lee, gem's nephew. he told me i'd find you up here. i'm doctor pendexter from tilton, old friend of gem's. just now heard about his bum leg and came over to see him. gem, consarn him, never does write to anybody. looks like you're getting ready to generate some sort of power. used to dabble in electrics myself, i have no time for that nowadays. what's that you're up to?" "i was just following out the volta experiments as best i could." lee touched the jar with its half load of salt water. "was trying tin and charcoal for electrodes." "um! go on with it." dr. pendexter drew up a chair close beside lee's work table. at first lee was embarrassed at having an older head watching over his crude tests. however, as he struggled sturdily on with what he had planned to do, interest in the work claimed his attention till there was no room left for feeling self-conscious. with a firm twist at each end, lee proceeded to connect the tops of his two electrodes with a bit of wire. there, he had done it as volta said. and if volta were right, there ought to be electricity passing from one of his crude electrodes to the other. he'd test it in his own way. with a quick clip, he cut the wire in the middle, setting the ends apart but very nearly touching. he laid a finger on the gap. a tiny prickling shot through his finger. the thing was working feebly, but working enough to show that the theory was right. fine--he'd learned another way of making electricity! then his excitement quickly faded, leaving him looking rather doleful. "what's the matter? didn't it work? it ought to. i've dabbled at that experiment myself. it always works--" "yes, sir, it worked. all the old tests i've tackled so far have. but just something to play with is as far as i seem to get. i can't find out how to apply the power, how to make some use out of it." dr. pendexter's quick ear caught the note of tragedy in the boy's voice. to the man came a sudden realization of what a struggle this boy must be having as he strove alone to fathom the almost unfathomable mysteries of electricity. being a man of action, pendexter applied a remedy in his own way. "consarn it all," he roared, "don't look so blasted blue! you're coming on fine, as far as you've gone." the little doctor cast a quick eye around the room at the bottles and jars, the voltaic pile and the crystal wheel with its renovated gear. "the trouble is, you're going sort of one-sided with nothing but one old book to learn out of," and he flipped the calfskin cover of "ye compleat knowledge" with his forefinger. "you've got to the point where you need something modern to study. what do you know about magnets and magnetism and electromagnets?" "n-nothing," stammered lee renaud in confusion. "umph!" from the doctor. "well, you've been missing out on one of the biggest things in electricity. the electromagnet, that's the king pin of 'em all!" "i've seen little magnets, sort of horseshoe-shaped bits of metal that you can pick up a needle or a tack or the like with. didn't know magnets had anything to do with electricity!" "you better be knowing it then!" the doctor banged the table with an emphatic fist. "the electromagnet is the thing that puts the 'go' in telegraphy, the telephone, this radio business. say, i'm going to send you a book about it, a modern one. you study it!" and with that parting command, the wiry, roaring little man was gone. staring at the empty chair drawn up close beside his latest experiment in tin and charcoal, lee renaud had the feeling that he had only imagined dr. william pendexter. the wizened little man with the outlandish voice was queer enough to have been generated out of a jar by one of these old electrical experiments. a few days later though, lee had good proof that pendexter was very real--and a man of his word, too. when lee made a trip down to the village store for a can of kerosene, mr. hicks, who was postmaster as well as storekeeper, shoved a package over the counter to him and said, "today's mail day." (mail came only three times a week to this little backwash village of king's cove, and then never very much of it.) mr. hicks thumped the packet importantly, "this here come for you. must amount to something, 'cording to the passel of stamps they stuck on to it." it most certainly did amount to something. when he got off to himself, lee's hands trembled so that he could hardly tear the wrappings away. ah, there it was--a big, fat, red-bound volume, with gold letters, "the amateur electrician's handbook." there was information enough within those red covers to set lee renaud off on a brand new set of experiments. from a battery made of a trio of glass jars containing salt water, each jar holding its strips of zinc and copper, and fitted with wiring, he charged a bar of soft iron until it was magnetized--but this would stay magnetized only so long as the current was put to it. then he electrified a bit of steel--and it became a permanent magnet. lee became more ambitious in his experimenting. he was after power, something that would generate real movement. and so he rushed in where a more experienced hand might have been stalled by the lack of material. but lee renaud staunchly refused to be stalled, even though his supply of working material was nothing much beyond bits of tin, iron, some barbed wire, old nails, broken glass, and pieces of brass salvaged from old cartridges. and out of such junk, lee proposed to make himself an electric motor! well, that was the next step for him. if he were going forward, he just had to make a motor. his first attempt was the simplest of the simple. according to directions and diagrams in the new red book, he took current from his voltaic cell and put it in a circuit through a loop of wire which lay in a strongly magnetized field. the push of power in the lines of magnetic force, through changes in the connections, set the loop to revolving. and there it was, his electric motor! very sketchy, very rudimentary indeed, but it worked in its own crude way. later, and after much study, he decided to attempt a real little dynamo. this, by comparison with number one, was to be an elaborate affair, comprising a loop of wire revolving between the poles of a horseshoe-shaped permanent magnet, with two half-cylinders connected to the revolving loop of wire and touched at each half-turn by stationary metal brushes. the metal brushing was to turn the alternating current into a direct current. in the making, lee ran into all sorts of troubles, mostly due to his poor materials. but he kept on, and at last produced something that sputtered and coughed and was as cranky as a one-eyed mule. but it ran part of the time--enough to teach lee more about electric motors than all the reading in the world could have done. a few weeks later, dr. william pendexter drove his prim little car out again to see how gem renaud's leg was progressing--which really wasn't necessary for old mr. renaud was coming on finely. he might just as well have admitted that the real reason for driving twenty miles to king's cove was to see how lee and electricity were hitting it off. the wiry little man roamed all over the renaud place and roared his approval of lee's cranky, balky dynamo. when he was climbing into his car, he called, "hi there, lee! i've got to go to tilton and back to bring something i want for gem. want to go for the ride?" to lee, who for months now had been stuck away down in the backwoods cove, this trip to town seemed to be bringing him into another world, the progressive world that he had slipped out of for a spell. drug stores, banks, cars, tall poles for telegraph and telephone wires, electric lights--seeing all these again made his dabblings at voltaic cells and the crystal wheel seem truly to belong to a long-gone, primitive period. pendexter got out at the railroad station, motioning for lee to follow. he wrote off a telegram, handing it to the operator. all the while lee stood like one transfixed, staring in fascination at the telegraph instruments on the dispatcher's table. almost without knowing it, the boy was mentally calculating on the coils of wire, the shining brass. electricity ran that thing; here was power hitched up and working. pendexter jerked a thumb in the boy's direction when he had caught the operator's eye. "plumb batty on electricity!" for once the pendexter roar was silenced to a mere whisper. "found him down there in the cove experimenting all by himself. consarn it, john akerly, tell him something about electricity! you know plenty. got to go by the house for a package--be back." and the doctor disappeared. akerly reached out a long finger and suddenly clickety-clicked the instrument. "want to know something about that?" he queried sharply, but with a grin wrinkling up his leathery face. "i--what--yes, sir!" the click and the voice had startled lee. "know anything about batteries?" "i made some that worked--sort of. you mean putting two metal strips in an acid solution so as to produce an electric current. then a lot of jars with this stuff in 'em, and wired up right--you set 'em together and that forms a battery--" "you've got it, kid! with that much in your noodle, i reckon i can pass on to you something about this telegraphing business. to begin with, i've got a battery here, with a wire from one pole of it passing through my table and going all the way to birmingham. say that this wire came all the way back from birmingham and connected with the other pole of my battery, what would that make?" "an electric circuit," answered lee. "one that--" "yes, one that included the birmingham station in its circle. only there isn't any return wire--" "then it isn't a cir--" lee began. "yes, it is! think, boy! this old earth of ours is a mighty good electric conductor--" "of course!" lee was crestfallen that he hadn't thought of that. "i've grounded wires myself, and made the circuit." "all right then. we've got our wire going to birmingham, grounded at the birmingham station, and the earth acting as a return for our current. now we'll say this circuit is fixed around some instruments on my table, and fixed around the same sort of instruments on the table in birmingham. well, when i start tapping my telegraph key--making and breaking the circuit--won't this current be stopped and started at birmingham just like it is here? huh?" "yes--an instrument on the same circuit." lee cocked his head sidewise in deep thought. "it just naturally would be." "well, son, that's telegraphy!" "telegraphy! great jumping catfish! is that all there is to it?" "er-r, not exactly," said akerly dryly. "there's the relay, or local battery circuit, the electromagnet sounder, special stuff and duplex work, signals, the code to be learned." the dispatcher paused a moment in his recital, pulled a battered book out of a drawer, opened it at a page full of queer marks, and added, "here's the code." lee bent over the page. "i see," he said, then added with a wry grin, "or rather i don't see! how do you hitch all those little signs up so that they mean something on an instrument?" "all right--it's like this. i'll tap the telegraph key for a tenth of a second. that means i've let the current flow for a tenth of a second. we call that a 'dot.' a three-tenths of a second tap makes the 'dash.' put 'dot,' 'dash,' 'dot' together in all sorts of combinations, and you've got the code. when the fellow at the other end of the line knows the code, he can understand what you're tapping to him." a couple of hours later when pendexter breezed back into the office, he found the two of them still at it, with the talk switching back and forth about magnetic rotations and cycles and frequency, about multiplying powers and symmetry and resonance. "looks like you two sort of speak the same language," rumbled the doctor. "didn't mean to leave you at it all day but got a patient up there. had to stop--" "why, it's--it's late!" lee looked dazed at the passage of time. "your work, i didn't mean to keep you from it--" and the boy leaped up. "i like to talk about electricity. come again and we'll jaw some more." lanky, long john akerly shook hands heartily. lee's mind fairly seethed with the information it had tried to absorb about coils and codes and induction and what-not. electricity was a language that dr. william pendexter spoke too, and the twenty miles back to king's cove fairly slid by. as they drove up to the high sagging porch of the old renaud place, the little grizzled doctor started pulling a wooden box out of the back of his car. lee put a willing shoulder to it, and involuntarily grunted a little. just a little old box--but gosh, it was heavy! "not in here," roared the doctor, as lee started to ease the thing down in his great-uncle gem's room. "go on upstairs." breathing hard, lee lugged it on, and following directions, slid it down in a corner of his workshop. "that's right! good place for it. some junk i'm going to leave with you," rumbled pendexter. "get the lid off." the next moment lee renaud was on his knees beside the box, touching the contents as though they were gold and diamonds. a code book, some tattered pamphlets full of sketches and diagrams, and these well mixed in with coils of copper wire, screws, an old sounder still bearing its precious electromagnets, some scrap glass and brass. it might all have looked like trash to somebody else, but not to lee renaud. right here under his hand, experimental stuff such as he had never even hoped to buy! he touched one prize, then another. "it's too much! you don't really mean to leave it?" "leaving it! by heck, of course i am. my wife would skin me alive if i brought that box back home to just sit and catch dust and spider webs again. never fool with it any more, myself,--no time." "i--i--how will i ever thank you?" lee couldn't keep his hands from straying over the old sounder and the bits of real copper wire. "do something with it!" roared pendexter, backing off testily from any further thanks. "do something with it, that's what!" chapter vi amazing things "just wonder if'n i'll ever get it right! wisht i'd paid more attenshun to teacher that year we had one!" lem hicks ran a tragic hand through his sandy hair till it stood out like a bottle brush. he sat at the table in lee's workshop. before him stood a homemade contraption young renaud fondly hoped bore enough resemblance to a telegraphic outfit to work. spread open beside the instrument was the code book, and spread open beside the code book was an old blue-backed speller. lem, with a finger poised above the telegraph key, frantically studied first one book, then the other. it was no use! the excitement of the occasion had driven all the "book larnin'" out of lem's head. for days he had been planning on this, the first telegraphic message to be sent in king's cove. but the final effort of "putting words into spelling" and then "putting spelling into code" was too much for him. he just had to tap something, though. lee, waiting at a similar instrument down in the old storage house, which was the end of their telegraph line, was all set to see if the thing really worked. in desperation lem clickety-clicked at the only piece of the code he could seem to remember--three quick taps, three long taps, then three quick taps again. and before he had hardly finished, there came a bang of doors downstairs, a gallop of feet on the stairs, and lee renaud shot breathless into the room. "in trouble? what's the matter?" he yelled. "short-long-short, three times each, that's s. o. s., the distress signal of the world. i thought this thing must have blown up or busted or electrocuted somebody." lee dropped limply on a bench. "naw," said lem, flushing shamefacedly. "every bit of the code 'cept that went clean out of my head. i wanted to get something to you--" "it got me, all right!" lee burst out laughing. "but say, man, it worked! we've made us something here. that set of taps clicked through to me as clean as anything. when we get some more code in our heads, we can really talk to each other over the wire." lee renaud's experimenting with the telegraph set in motion a strange surge for king's cove, a surge of educational longings. for the first time in their drab lives, some young coveites "wisht they had sat under a teacher more." in the past these tow-headed youngsters had looked upon the few months of schooling that occasionally came to them as something to be dodged as manfully as possible. now with the hunger upon them to enter the grand adventure of sending one's thoughts, clickety-click, far away across a wire, the mistreated reading books and dog-eared spellers were dug out and actually studied. "great snakes! a fellow railly had to know sump'n if he was goin' to put his thoughts into spellin', and then put spellin' into code," remarked one lank youth as he lolled in front of the village store, and tony zita mournfully allowed it was "more worser than tryin' to scramble eggs, then tryin' to unscramble them." great-uncle gem could hobble around now with his stick. he began taking as lively an interest as the youngsters in lee's "tapping machine." quite often he would come limping up to sit in the workshop, his black eyes twinkling beneath bushy white brows at the electrical chatter going on around him. "just think," lee was day-dreaming, "if i had wire enough, i could make my battery send a telegraph signal all the way to mr. akerly in tilton, on to birmingham, maybe on to my home folks in shelton--" "wait there, wait there! hold your horses, young man!" uncle gem interposed, not wanting this dreamer to dream too big a dream and then have it crash. "maybe some day you'll progress enough to send far messages by this wireless we read about, but as long as you're still talking about telegraph wires, just remember that it would cost some few thousand dollars just to string wires from here to tilton--" "a thousand dollars--um, and some more thousands! gosh, i didn't know wire cost like that!" lee's face fell. "i'd been hoping, anyway, that we could stretch a wire on to jimmy bobb's so he'd be sort of in touch with folks. he's so--so--" "from here to the bobb place is more than half a mile. half a mile of wire is a considerable bit. here, give me a pencil; let me do some figuring." great-uncle gem bent his head above a scrap of paper. "there's the horse lot and the cow pasture--we don't have any cattle on the place these days. all that was fenced once, four strands high. you might as well take what you can find of it and put it to some use." "hurrah for the famous renaud-bobb telegraph company!" shouted lee, leaping up and letting out a whoop like a wild indian. "uncle gem can be president. who wants to join this mighty organization?" it seemed that everybody did, or at least all the young crew in king's cove. taking stock in this booming concern consisted merely in contributing all the labor and man-power you had in you. stringing up even a half mile of telegraph wire turned out to be a vast task; especially since the wire had to be yanked down from old fences, and some of it was barbed, from which the barbs had to be untwisted. but whenever a cove youth could be spared from hoeing 'taters and corn or pushing the plow, he rushed off to the renaud place to work ten times harder. only this new labor was interesting work--work with a zest to it. one crew logged in the woods for tall, strong cedar poles that were to carry the wires, another crew de-barbed old fencing, still another dug the line of post holes. a great search went on for old bottles to be used as glass insulators. then the actual stringing up began to go forward. "mind, you boys," warned uncle gem, "don't let anybody's clothesline get mixed up in this. we don't want to stir up any hard feeling round here against our project." which very likely was the reason why the stringing up halted for a time while more old fencing was de-barbed, and why, in the dark of a night, nanny borden's clothes wire miraculously reappeared on its posts. it was hard for untrained hands to set the posts firm and in a straight line, harder still to string the much-spliced wire taut. at last, though, the great day came when the renaud-bobb telegraph line reached from station to station. the lonely little bobb cabin suddenly became a center of interest. there was always some youngster happening along who wanted to send a message over the line. jimmy bobb's eager mind picked up the code quickly. his long fingers learned to click the key with real speed. the cripple began to know happiness. for the first time in all his starved, meager years, he was getting in touch with life. then one day while lee renaud was away from his workshop, a frantic message came clicking over the crude wires. "that thing's banging like fury up there!" uncle gem waved his stick ceilingwards as lee dashed into the house. the boy hesitated a moment. he had come for a bag, and was going out to the old junk heap in the gully. right now something new was surging in his brain and there might be some metal on that old carriage frame that would help him. the stuttering of the telegraph clicked on again. "just some of the gang wanting to gab," lee muttered, turning away. then the insistent note of the click caught his ear. "that's--that's s.o.s.!" up the stairs he leaped, taking two at a time. sharp and loud came the tap-tap-tap, three short, three long, three short! s.o.s.! save! save! save! again three short, three long--a little crashing thump of the key--then blankness. "what is it? what is it?" pleaded lee's clicking key. no answer. "something's happened! can't get any answer from jimmy!" he shouted as he left the house on the run. "send pomp for help to ray's meadow--" great-uncle gem, for all his injured leg, must have put some speed into his search for pomp. for, as lee sped down the woods path, he could hear the old darky somewhere behind him hallooing, "help! help!" and clanging the dinner bell as he headed across the village towards the open hay fields where everybody was cutting grass while the weather held. with that racket pomp would stir up somebody, never a doubt! but lee wasn't wasting time waiting on reinforcements. with that last insistent tap-tap call of the telegraph still beating in his ears, he stretched his long legs down the path. hurtling through bushes, dodging swishing limbs, he burst panting into the clearing of the bobb hilltop. here no human sound greeted him. instead, the awful crackle of flames filled the air. whorls of smoke curled up from almost every part of the old shingle roof. as he looked, the smoke whorls began to burst into tongues of flame. lee raced to the door and flung himself inside, shouting, "jimmy, jimmy, where are you?" there was no answer. the heat and smoke were nearly overpowering. lee dropped to the floor and crawled across the room. yes, here by the ticker was jimmy's chair, and jimmy in it, slumped in a huddle. lifting the limp form to his shoulder, lee staggered back to the door and out into the fresh air. as he laid jimmy down in the shelter of the trees on the side off the wind, shouts greeted him. the whole woods seemed alive with people. pomp and his dinner bell had done their work. while lee revived jimmy bobb, an impromptu water-line formed. like magic, buckets and tubs and even gourds of water passed up from the spring under the hill to the flaming hell of the roof. cove women, not being given to style, wore plenty of clothing. here and there, a wide apron or a voluminous balmoral was shed, wetted and wielded as a weapon to beat down the flames. crews of howling small boys broke pine brush for brooms and swept out any creeping line of flame that caught from sparks and headed for the fence, the slab-sided chicken house, or the cow shed. then it was over. the fire was out. blackened rafters and a pall of smoke told what a fight it had been. the roof was gone, but the cabin walls stood, and the meager homemade furniture was safe. sarah ann bobb, stirred for once out of her habitual calm, stood near jimmy, waving her hands and weeping. one of the cove men detached himself from the smoke-stained group and went up to her. "don't take on so, miz bobb," he consoled awkwardly. "hit war that old no 'count chimney what must've done it. we aims to build you a new one, and set on another roof. done plan to start tomorrow, the lord sparing us!" "i ain't crying sorrowful." sarah ann's knees let her down on the ground. "i'm so happy jimmy ain't dead!" "i'm all right, maw," jimmy assured her, "but i bet the telegraph's all busted." "yep, considerably busted, i suppose." lee sounded inordinately cheerful. "but all the real stuff we need is still here, and we'll be building her over again, good as new, maybe better." "oh," jimmy bobb settled back down, "i'm right thankful you saved hit. hit sho saved me!" chapter vii harnessing lightning power "aiming for to go up to renaud's?" asked big sandy as he fell into step alongside of lem hicks. "yep! wanter see how them new fixings up there are going to turn out," was lem's answer. "you ain't--you ain't sorter scared?" "scared?" lem wheeled on big sandy, then grinned himself as he saw the teasing grin on the other's face. "honest injun, though," went on big sandy, "lots of folks round here are scared plumb stiff over this electricity stuff. old poolak's had one of his preaching fits. he's been spreading the word that it warn't fire from the chimney what burned miz bobb's roof, but lightning fire what our telegraph conjured down out of the sky. according to his tell, it ain't scriptural to be taking electricity out of the air and hitching it on to man's contrivances. johnny allows it's tampering with evil and's goner bring down fire and brimstone on the whole cove 'less'n folks take axes to our newfangled fixings--" "johnny poolak better mind his own business and not be mixing in with our wires." lem's chin went out belligerently. "i'm banking turrible strong on this new fixing of lee's. it's so mysterious-like, it don't seem anyways reasonable. yet if it works, it'll be the wonderfullest thing what ever happened down here in the cove." "well, i'm for it, strong." big sandy flung open the gate to the renaud yard and went in. lem followed. the "new fandangle" that lee was working on now was an attempt at radio. telegraphy was wonderful enough. but that took wires, thousands of dollars' worth to reach any distance at all. with radio, one merely sat at a machine, turned a key and picked up sound that went hurtling through the air with only electrical power to bear it on. it seemed unbelievable--yet man was already doing this unbelievable thing. and lee renaud, stuck off in the backwoods, had the temerity to make a try at this same wonder. lee was subscribing to a magazine now, "the radio world." hard study and the endless copying of hook-up designs from its pages was the way he was preparing ground for his next experiment. by degrees he had gathered together in his old workshop such materials as he could lay hands on. his collection was crude enough to have gotten a laugh out of a regular "radio ham," but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. true enough, little rip-roaring dr. pendexter, out of the kindness of his heart, had wanted to buy lee considerable experimental stuff. but somehow the boy's pride had rebelled at being under too much obligation to anyone. "i thank you, but no, sir," he had stammered, "i can't let you give me everything. it would be different if i could only earn money some way to pay for it--" "there is a way!" snorted the doctor. "only i didn't want you fooling away time at it when you could be going forward with electricity. hell's bells! you've got too much pride!" the way of money-making that dr. pendexter pointed out to lee was the gathering of wild plants for medicinal purposes. now and again the boy sent in little packets of such things as bloodroot, wild ginseng, and bay leaves. quite a lot of herbs brought in only a few dollars, but that money wisely expended brought back some very wonderful things through the mail. one time it was two pairs of ordinary telephone receivers; another time it was a piece of crystal; again it was a little can of shellac and some special wire. in addition, lee had gathered together an assortment of his own--a piece of curtain pole, some old curtain rings, a piece of mica that had once acted as "back light" in an ancient buggy top, a length of stout oak board, sundry bits of wire and second-hand screws and nails. back in his home town of shelton, lee had once listened in at someone else's radio--a sleek affair with all its interior workings neatly housed in a shining wooden case. in those days lee had never dreamed of aspiring to own a radio, much less aspiring to make one by using an oak board, an old curtain pole and pieces of wire as parts. throughout the making, the lanky youths of king's cove "drapped in" on lee whenever they could, to see how the work was progressing. now, when big sandy and lem hurried along the shady lane in the dusk, and on up to the workshop, they found tony and little mackey and joe burk already there ahead of them. "the aerial's done up!" shouted tony zita. "done did it yesterday. had to finish the job by lantern light." "i helped!" little mackey bobb was fairly bristling with pride. "us all went up through that funny little door right in the roof of this here house. one end of the wire's hitched to a pole that's lashed onto a chimney. t'other end of the wire is rigged to a scantling what's nailed to the barn." "and you're countin' on that high-sittin' wire to pick up music out of the air for you?" asked big sandy incredulously. "jumping catfish, no!" exploded lee, who was cutting wrapping paper into long strips. "we've got to hitch up a sight of apparatus here in the house, too." "ain't there something i can do?" lem hicks moved over to the bench where lee was working. soon everybody was hard at it, doing whatever he could on this strange contraption young renaud was evolving. the younger boys scraped and trimmed at smoothing off the heavy oak plank that was to be the base of the outfit. lee had spread around him on table and bench a half dozen "radio worlds," propped open to show diagrams full of coils and lines, and lettered at certain points, a, b, c, d, and so on. "this paper says the timing coil is most important, so we better go mighty careful on that." lee produced a piece of old-fashioned wooden curtain pole, three inches in diameter. "a ten-inch length is all we need." when this core was measured and cut, lee began to wind it smoothly in the strips of tough brown wrapping paper that he had already prepared. as he wound it on, lem, armed with the little can of shellac and a stiff feather for a brush, bent above the job and carefully shellacked each piece. after the neatly wrapped core with its dose of the sticky gum had dried out a little, the hardest task of all was undertaken--winding on the wire tuning coil itself. the paper strips had been easy to handle, but managing the lively, wriggling wire was a very difficult task. "help, everybody! we've got to step lively to get this thing on right away, while the shellac is still some sticky, so it will hold the wire firm." lee waved his roll of wire, and there was a general rush for everyone to have a finger in this excitement. a couple of fellows held the wire taut, and another couple, gripping the ends of the wooden rod with tense fingers, turned it steadily. as the master hand, lee laid the coils in place at each turn. with even the simple machinery of a lathe and foot pedal, it would have been an easy job to wind the core. but with only excited boyish fingers to grip and turn, the task was one of considerable difficulty. the wire would writhe and knot. now and again coils slipped and refused to lie smooth. "unwind it! try it again!" brows bent, mouth set firmly, lee unwound and rewound, over and over again. this thing had to be right. no use making it if the wire didn't lie smooth and close, without any space at all between the coils. "um! that looks sort of like it now!" lee said with satisfaction as he fastened down the last tag end. the other boys drew close and gazed upon it pridefully. "gosh, it does look right! slicker'n silk, and 'pears to be real close kin to that there picture in the book," big sandy said, holding the illustration of the tuning coil in a "radio world" up beside their effort in wire and wood. "i thought you was being tollable persnikerty, doing it over so much, but reckon you was right." "the sliding contacts come next. wonder if we can mount them now?" in lieu of store-bought metallic contacts, lee produced a pair of old metal curtain rings. "got to punch holes in 'em so we can stick in the copper rivets." and so the work went forward. night after night the gang met in lee's workshop. there was a certain amount of the apparatus that even untrained hands could attend to, such as cutting the four-inch squares of paraffined paper and tinfoil, alternating these in a stack, then placing these between two blocks of wood and screwing them tightly together. this was the "condenser" that, according to the printed directions, was to help the electric vibrations pass through the earphone receivers. since the human ear alone could not detect the sound waves that touched the aerial, a sort of electrical ear was necessary. and this electrical ear was nothing more than a piece of sensitive galena crystal and a wire of phosphor bronze. if this thing that lee renaud was building turned out right, when that phosphor bronze wire came in contact with the bit of crystal, the mysterious sound wave would become audible. lee himself attended to the delicate task of mounting the galena crystal and adjusting the two rods that held the sliding contacts, also the soldering of various "lead in" and "lead out" wires. then at last it was all done. for lee renaud, this was a crucial time. it didn't seem possible that this homemade contraption of wood and wire and old curtain fixtures could really reach out into the ether and pull down music for its users. according to one of old pomp's favorite expressions, the young inventor felt "more nervouser than a rabbit what's bin shot at and missed." he would have liked to have tried out the thing alone. but there was no chance of that. every youngster in the cove was packed in that old upstairs workshop. even a couple of flop-eared 'possum hounds had managed to sneak in at their young masters' heels. here was a full audience and everything set for a great night. on the heavy oak base on the table before lee, the tuning coil, the crystal detector, the condenser, and the terminals for the head phone plugs were arranged and fitted in their proper places. the last cutting, stripping and soldering of connecting wires had been attended to. "g-gosh, i'm almost afraid to give it a try," muttered lee to himself. "s'pose it don't work!" he couldn't keep his hand from trembling as he set one of the sliding contacts at the middle of the tuning coil, and moved the other just about opposite. young renaud had on one pair of ear phones. jimmy bobb and lem hicks, heads right together, shared the other pair. lee, all keyed up to hear something, adjusted the sharp little phosphor bronze wire on the detector until the point just touched the crystal. no sound came. lee could feel the tenseness of the crowd, could sense the gasp of bitter disappointment from jimmy and lem. in desperation, he slowly moved the slider along the tuning coil. suddenly a burst of orchestra music rolled in to those at the ear phones. faintly at first, then swelling triumphantly as lee renaud slid his contacts along the coil! those first listeners sat spellbound till others, eager for their turn, snatched away the ear phones. like one in a trance, jimmy bobb sat with the music still ringing in his soul. "gee," he whispered, "those fiddles, high and sweet, like they was right in the next room!" "and they were really in gulf city, fifty miles from here!" laughed young renaud. "let's make a try for madsden. that will be a good bit farther--something like a hundred miles." until far into the night the group stayed "tuned in," excitedly swapping phones, eagerly listening to the first real music in their lives. king's cove was in touch with the world! it had suddenly come out of the nowhere into the somewhere. a copper rivet slid along a coil of wire, and in a fraction of a second this bunch of boys in faded, ragged overalls was in contact with music in another county, music in another state even! then there came a swishing thud against the outside of the house as if made by the recoil of wire. "s-s-sh!" hissingly whispered little mackey, who had been peering out of the window. "something out on the barn roof--like a man with hisself all humped up, creeping, creeping--" "somebody's been at our aerial--cut it off!" agonized lee, realizing to a certainty what that swish of wire against the house had meant. another had taken in the situation, too, it seemed. the shutters of the next room were flung open and great-uncle gem's voice rang out angrily, "what you up to on that roof? don't be trespassing on my place, you johnny poolak!" from the slant of the barn roof a fanatical voice croaked back, "lightning power belongs up in the sky. the lord's agin humans what steals his lightning. fire and brimstone! but the wire's cut! and i'm a-saving king's cove!" "better be saving your own hide!" shouted old gem. and from that second-story window roared a pistol shot. a thud and a bump from the barn roof. then footsteps crashing off, running through the underbrush. into the radio room limped gem renaud, wiping off a smoking, long-barreled old pistol. "just shot up in the air," he announced angrily. "but i hope i put enough fright into that old nuisance to run him into the next county." chapter viii compressed power "how far a piece you goner take it?" questioned lem hicks. "you stay here. i'll amble on down to where the road forks off into the woods. that'll put us more'n a mile apart. this outfit worked all right just from room to room, but we're giving it a real try-out now." lee renaud's voice was full of suppressed excitement. he wore a contraption, the like of which was never seen before. on his head was a cap of straps that held a pair of radio ear phones in place. on his chest hung a small transmitter that could be adjusted to his lips. slung against his back, all neatly packed into a sort of knapsack, was a mechanism that operated by means of a crankshaft driven by hand. the whole machine was less than twelve inches square, but so geared that when its hand crank was turned at thirty-three revolutions per minute, its generators made thirty-three hundred revolutions per minute. in lee's pocket was folded a miniature aerial. lemuel hicks wore a similar outfit. portable radio--that was something ambitious for a youngster to be tackling! but lee renaud had made many steps forward since that night when he had put king's cove in touch with the world with his homemade radio. the cove itself had stepped out a bit in the last months. it had become a place of sharpest contrasts. though mule and ox carts still creaked down its sandy village road, within its cabins nightly sounded the tinkle of music which radio, that modern of the moderns, plucked from the air of the great outside world. the radios were homebuilt affairs, some the galena crystal type, some the carborundum type, all patterned after lee's first attempt--but they got the music, the news, and the latest crop prices. they were waking up the cove out of its long lethargy. over in tilton, dr. pendexter had told a newspaperman of the struggle a lone boy was making to master electricity, and had laughed about the whimsy of radio in that backwash, the cove. the reporter knew a good story when he heard one, and wrote up radio and the cove--with a strange outcome for lee renaud. that newspaper story was good human-interest news. it was copied by other papers and was read by a far-reaching audience. then things began to happen. touched by the pathos of a boy's lonely struggle, radio fans here, there and elsewhere packed boxes of material and sent them down to renaud of the cove. americans are generous when human interest hits the heart. books, wires, tubes--lee renaud was almost swamped in the wealth of experimental material. and lee even had a visit from one of the regular relay station inspectors. there was talk of making the cove a step in the relay organization of america and erecting a sending station there. the talk died down, but out of the affair lee got in touch with american radio relay and was given a call number, "rl." with the thoroughness peculiar to him, lee made no spectacular plunge, but went ahead step by step. as he had followed the beginnings of electricity up through that ancient scientific book, so he now tried to "grow up" along with the moderns, in radio. the making of a new type radio transmitter was his dream, but he began his work back at the very beginning. up in his workshop stood copies of some of the very first radio models. there was a primitive looking hertz resonator, or receiver. it was nothing but a hoop of wire, its circle being broken at one point by a pair of tiny brass balls, with a very small air-gap between. when this resonator was set up across a room, exactly opposite the spark-gap of an electric oscillator, and the key of the oscillator was manipulated, sparks shot across the gap in the wire hoop, even though the hoop was not attached to a current. and that was wireless--the first one! in lee's collection were also copies of the branly coherer and the morse inker, and of that amazingly simple radio apparatus with which the inventor marconi shook the world. as marconi had built on the discoveries of hertz and lodge and branly, so renaud planned to build on marconi. where other modern inventors had seen the vision of huge transmitting machines and tremendous power, young renaud's vision was to ensmall radio. months of work had gone into these outfits that he and lem hicks bore on their backs. there was power in them, but of necessity they were crudely built. and now would this simple mechanism transmit sound for more than the few yards for which it had been tested thus far? time and again as he tramped along, lee was tempted to halt, set up his outfit, and seek connection with hicks, waiting at the village. but he had set the forks of the road as his distance, and lem wouldn't be expecting him before a certain time anyway. at last he was there, where the rambling country road divided, one branch dropping down into the valley, the other leading over a wooded ridge. it was all a matter of minutes for young renaud to assemble his outfit, erect the folding aerial above his head, adjust the mouthpiece, and crank the handshaft for power. he was in a tremble as he pressed the buzzer signal and tensely waited for some sign that the sound had gone through. but no reply came in through the small ear phone receivers. the whole world seemed suddenly still, save for the faint rustle of wind in the leaves, the twit-twit of a bird off in the woods. "guess it won't work. it's failed!" lee's mind was registering dully when, with a hissing "zip" that made him leap clear of the ground, a distinct buzz sounded in the ear pieces. "h-hello! you--you hear me? you lem!" lee shrieked into the little transmitter. "hey! plain as day! you like to blew my head off!" came the delighted voice of lem hicks. "whoop-la, you done made something, lee renaud!" for a spell the two boys passed excited words back and forth through this thing that had made a mile of space as nothing. then a sudden beat of hoofs down the woods road made lee leap back towards the ditch. he had hardly cleared the way when a lank bay horse, lathered in mud and sweat, plunged around the bend. at the sight of this strange apparition in head-strap and ear pieces, with aerial wire rising above its head like horns, the horse shied, snorting and plunging. "hi, be you man or devil?" shouted the mud-spattered rider, trying to rein in his animal. "what for be you rigged up to scare honest folk out of the road?" "i--just trying an experiment," lee hastily slipped his head free of aerial harness and the mouth and ear pieces, so that he looked human once more. "no time for any of your 'speriments to be hindering me," called the rider over his shoulder, as his horse plunged on down the road. "i'm spreading the call for help. floods over everything up sargon sound! folks homeless and dying!" and with a clatter of hoofs, he was gone. he was a surprised rider, though, when he galloped into king's cove village some ten minutes later and found that his news had preceded him. two little portable radio machines, manipulated by a couple of youngsters, had brought the word faster, ten times faster, than his horse could travel and men were already preparing to set out to rescue the flood sufferers. chapter ix sargon sound a line of wagons were unloading along a ridge of land that overlooked the turbid yellow waters of the sargon flood. one group of men were stacking sacks of meat and meal, which had been lugged over the hill road to help feed the stricken families that had lost everything. another group had already started for the woods with their saws and axes to fell trees for rafts, on which to bring off the hundreds of refugees huddled on ridges still showing above the water. "powerful heavy, and don't feel like nothing to eat," said jed prother, giving a disdainful kick against some crates and a pile of metal pieces wrapped in old sacking which he had just lifted off a wagon. "hi--don't! that's our radio! might break something!" protested renaud, coming on the jump. "radio? huh!" snorted prother. "better have brought meat and blankets 'stead of that thing! no time to tinker at toys down here!" "he must allow to serenade the rabbits and the 'possums--give 'em a little music, perhaps," broke out another of the workmen with a bitter laugh. lee renaud started to retort, then checked his words. these fellows had a right to feel bitter, with all their possessions swept away in that rolling ocean of muddy waters. it was an appalling disaster. a cloudburst up in the hills had flooded a whole valley. trees, houses, dead animals rode the current in a procession of horror. and if help did not reach out soon to the pitiful families marooned on tiny islands, human bodies would be swirled off into that awful drift. the need was great, yet there were so few to do the relief work, and the equipment of homemade scows and lumbering log rafts was so inadequate. sargon district was peculiarly isolated--fourteen miles from a railroad, not an automobile in the whole valley, no telegraph or telephone connections. starvation, sickness from exposure, any of a hundred other ills could sweep in on the trail of the sargon flood before the outside world would be aware of it. these facts stalked endlessly through lee's mind as, with lem hicks to help him, he began unpacking his crates and sackcloth bundles in a tiny cabin on the edge of the flood. here was wireless apparatus, a fearful jumble of it! this stuff might work--and then again it mightn't. "two strong huskies! better be rowing a boat 'stead o' tinkering!" was a jeer that drifted in through the cabin door. maybe they ought to, and yet--with a sudden out-thrust of chin, renaud settled back to work. jeering be blowed! he must carry on as best he could. shades of all inventors! lee renaud had brought to sargon valley his old marconi model, with a wild scheme for hitching a receiving circuit on to it. he had lugged down, also, his two crude little portables for field radio use, but they were too unperfected as yet to depend on for any distant use. and "distance" was what young renaud had to get in an emergency like this. lem hicks thought that in all these months he had learned a bit about wireless. but he was lost in trying to follow the complexities of the improvised wiring plan renaud was flinging into shape. batteries, induction coils, couplers, transformers seemed to fairly spring into place. in his haste, lee appeared to be rushing the work with incoherent carelessness, but in fact he was following a wiring plan of rigid exactitude, binding, twisting, tying wires with fingers that knew the meaning of every move. lem, unskilled as he was, could only fetch and carry. "lively now! let's get at the aerial! where's the hammer, the chisel?" like one demented, renaud drove himself and lem hicks, too. here was a bewildering tangle of coils and tubes hitched onto the little old-fashioned marconi "brass pounder" of electric wireless telegraph. then at a touch from lee the spark began to sputter. adjustments, and it sputtered more. "now--now! it's hitting it up! and i'm going to cq mobile till the cows come home!" muttered lee between set teeth. "that's the nearest big city and we got to have help out of 'em for down here--quick!" to the crackle of the spark, the "urgent" call sped over watery waste and land ridges towards civilization. every few seconds lee eased up on his telegraphic tapping and switched over to listen. "ah, we've touched a station!" "wdk talking! point hope amateur relay. who are you, brother? new station, eh? glad you're on the air." on and on the string of morse rolled in. "idiot!" snorted lee in disgust, switching his key back to transmission with a vicious jab. "we've got to have action, not gab!" then with steady spark he hammered relentlessly, "s.o.s.--s.o.s.--s.o.s.--help! help! save!" that brought station wdk up to taw in a hurry, knocked the gab out of him, and held him keyed for business. "shoot! who's in trouble? we stand by to help!" flashed in the message. lee settled down to transmission. his code poured out in a steady stream from the brass pounder. "rl amateur station calling. sargon river district flooded. need immediate help. cut off from everywhere--no railroads--no telegraph. need food, tents, doctors. pass on the call!" on through the day lee renaud stuck to his pounder, cqing up and down the whole state of alabama, sending word of the dire need. mobile, anniston, birmingham--the cities over the state were tapped into touch. yes. help was coming. red cross was answering the s.o.s. of the lone operator down in the flood country. "o.k. for you, flood station rl. on the way with supplies, tents, doctors, couple more radios and relief operators. army post sending emergency airplanes. coast steamer at mobile wants to head up the sound for rescue work. can she make it?" and so, hour after hour, lee renaud kept his old marconi sparking--taking innumerable calls, sputtering back directions in morse. then his little portable radios had their inning. lem hicks, with one of the fieldpack mechanisms on his back, traveled the return trail till he was halfway between sargon and king's cove. from here he relayed the flood reports from lee on to jimmy bobb at the cove. this was done to ease the minds of the king's cove folk who had plenty of kin all up and down sargon valley, and were anxious for news. it was a blessed thing, though, that young renaud had pounded his old marconi on longdistance calls for aid through the day, for the night hours brought a new and worse disaster. a great power dam, fifty miles up the sargon, broke under the pressure of water, and by early morning a second flood rushed down and widened the first flood by miles. chapter x a pencil line lee did not know just what had happened in that brief interval when he nodded at his post, but he awoke to find himself sprawled in the midst of radio wreckage on the floor of his cabin, which was reeling and rocking, adrift in the flood. water swishing over his face had brought him around. it was coming in fast now, and the cabin was sinking. he would have to get out. something must have struck him when the flood swept off the cabin, for his head throbbed dizzily. nevertheless he managed to climb to the rafters, dragging with him his little shoulder-pack radio though he feared the fall had ruined it. hacking with his pocket-knife, he tore off enough shingles to let himself out on the roof. all about him stretched a horrible yellow sea. on its drift were other flood-loosed buildings, tangle of house furnishings, swollen dead animals, bellies up, and now and then a human corpse. like some frail skiff sucked into the wake of a great ocean liner, lee's sodden little roof rolled smashingly against a big two-story cupolaed dwelling that was careening magnificently on its way to the gulf of mexico. the boy was catapulted into the air, then down into the flood, and came up, swimming for life. when the waves flung him against the big derelict again, he clung desperately to the ragged planking of what once must have been the porch, caught his breath, and began to draw himself up into this new haven of doubtful safety. heavy with weariness and the weight of water, it was a momentous matter to inch himself up the house wall to gain a high window sill and to crawl over. half-fainting from exhaustion, he fell inside on the slippery floor. a voice beat in his ears. it was startling to have words come out of that shadowy corner across the room. "hi, stranger! a perilous ride we're having!" lying on the floor was a heavy-built man with iron-gray hair, and skin bronzed almost to mahogany. his face was drawn with pain and one leg was stiffly bound in crude splints made of broken chair slats. "captain jan bartlot, explorer, welcomes you to his home." a hand was extended as lee crawled across the floor. "devil of an exploration we're on now! looks like our last one, though i've been in worse fixes and come out--once in egypt, another time in borneo." lee felt that this was some mysterious dream he was having. the flood, the drifting, this man with bronzed face and queer accent--all seemed part and parcel of the dream. it was too strange to be true. but it was true. and this did look to be the last voyage in this life for the man and the boy unless rescue came to them. but how could they get help--how let people know of their perilous position? his radio could do it! if only he could make it work. lee's whole body was a mass of weariness; his head was still dizzy. but as his senses cleared, he mechanically set to work to repair his little shoulder-pack radio. on the wave-rocked floor he spread out the parts. the heavy little cogwheels, the crankshaft, the coil of stout wire--these could be patched together. lee rummaged through the derelict house for repair material. he smashed open the swollen doors of closets and cupboards and found glass jars, some tins, nails and pieces of wire. with these he went forward with his task. but it was hopeless! he could find nothing to replace the delicate network of minute wiring that had crossed the little selenized sheets in the transmitter and receiver. the blow that had torn this fragile meshwork away had destroyed all usefulness of the radio. there was nothing for lee to do except wait and watch the flood wastes for some rescue boat. meantime he would try to keep the stranger with the broken leg as comfortable as possible on that dipping, careening house floor. it is remarkable how, in times of dire stress, two utter strangers can be drawn together. in a short time they are as old friends. friendship made and cemented by danger! lee renaud and captain bartlot talked of many things. one could almost forget present danger in listening to captain bartlot, mining explorer, tell of the weird, out-of-the-way places of the world where he had gone in search of the rare stones and minerals that were his hobbies. he had prospected down in tropic jungles, where one had to dodge the poison darts of black head-hunters, where one encountered monster animals and reptiles. he had gone into the arctic wastes, into the underground treasure-houses of buried cities, into the tombs of the ancients. "if this ark of ours would only stop pitching so, why, boy, i'd show you some of the specimens i have in this case," bartlot said, his hand touching a leather roll that lay beside him on the floor. "there's one of those rare green fire-diamonds from out of an aztec king's tomb, and a piece of nickel-iron star stone from a meteor that fell in frozen greenland. rather far extremes, eh? a new york museum wants to buy my collection. i came back to my old home where i could catalog my specimens in peace and write up their histories for museum records. and after all my travels and close calls, here i am in my own living-room, my leg smashed by a cabinet sliding across the floor, and the whole house adrift on the flood tide of my native alabama river." the lurching of the drifting house ended the sentence in a groan, as the injured man, despite lee's efforts, rolled across the floor. "the water is coming in fast now," said lee. "do you think i could help you upstairs?" with a bed slat for a crutch, bartlot labored up the stairway, young renaud lifting and tugging to the limit of his strength. somehow they accomplished it though bartlot fell unconscious when the last step was achieved. diamonds in their leather roll and some useless radio junk had no particular value in a crisis like this. nevertheless, renaud returned to the first floor and carried these possessions, some tins of food, and a couple of soggy blankets up the slippery stair. step by step, the hungry waters crept up and up behind him. what would the end be? would this sagging, sinking building last much longer? a booming detonation hurled a negative answer to the question. a floating mass of logs and uprooted trees had crashed into a portion of the old house. lower and lower in the flood tide rode the battered derelict. the water was coming up to the second floor. there was still the cupola tower above the roof. if they could reach that! with a blanket knotted under the unconscious man's arms, lee began to drag him up the narrow, ladder-like stair that led into this turret. his heart was sick at the horrible jolting he had to inflict on the injured man. a blessing on his unconsciousness! it must hold him in its pall until--until--now they were up! lee carried their belongings up this second flight, and wedged the trapdoor down between them and that creeping flood below. here was safety until the house battered to pieces in the torrent. jan bartlot came out of his stupor and lay very still, clenching his teeth against groaning. death lurked near. to keep his mind off the boom and thunder of the flood, off the lap of water creeping, creeping up toward their last refuge, lee renaud bent over his wrecked radio. his fingers straightened a loop of aerial here, made a connection there, cranked at the motor shaft for power. it was all no use. too much of the selenized plate wiring missing! but he had to be doing something. crouching in this last lift of floor space, he idly drew his pencil point back and forth across the tiny receiver plate, outlining the mesh of missing wires--and almost screamed as a faint buzzing seemed to follow in the path of the pencil lines. extraordinary! out of all reason! electricity following a pencil line as though it were a wire! a faint hope burned! like a madman, lee cranked at the generator arm, adjusted transmitter and receiver, shot the buzzer. and like a miracle sweeping over that yellow torrent, a sound came to him in the receiver: "renaud? that you? been searching all night. first buzz signal just hit us. where are you?" "stand by, lem!" renaud cranked frantically for more power. "out in an old cupola top house--sinking fast. that double sugarloaf mountain peak looms just to the west of us." "airplanes searched there last night," wirelessed young hicks. "must a missed you. coming again, two of 'em!" but it wasn't an airplane that rescued them after all. to get an injured man out of a drifting house and aboard a ship of the air was beyond question. so renaud stuck to his post till one of the rescue motor boats could thread the flood litter and circle in near enough to get a hawser to the derelict. supporting the half-conscious bartlot on life-preservers that had been flung to him, lee kept his burden afloat till both could be drawn aboard. * * * * * in that night, when lee had been swept adrift, the sargon sound district had seemed to progress a hundred years. yesterday it had been a land on foot or on mule-back, without telephone or telegraph. today on a height above the flood, a city of tents had sprung up. motor trucks, muddy to the wheel top, showed how transportation had been accomplished. supplies in stacks, a long hospital tent, doctors, nurses, a flotilla of seaplanes moored in the crescent-shaped harbor! a line of refugees filing into a field soup kitchen, and more refugees coming into safety aboard a bluntnosed steamer that had been scouring the islands! radio had done it! radio had brought the assistance of a whole state to the relief of the flood sufferers down in this isolated district. "gosh!" lee exclaimed as he stepped from the putt-putting little motor boat, "folks sure answered the call of that old marconi 'brass pounder' in something like a--like a hurry!" "sho did!" lem hicks' voice was fervent. "and, boy, when you brought radio down here, you done something!" chapter xi a mysterious call the winter following the sargon valley flood was a busy one for lee renaud. the spectacular success of his little "pencil line" radio outfit brought him considerable newspaper notice. he even had offers from one or two radio concerns for the outright purchase of his portable model. but both his staunch friends, dr. pendexter and captain bartlot, advised against the sale of his rights in the little mechanism he had invented. it was in a crude state now but, developed and improved, it might have the makings of a fortune in it, especially if it could be advertised in a big way. so lee sent in an application to washington to have his model patented, and then dropped back once more into the oblivion of king's cove, and hard work. the mysterious pencil line that had acted in the place of a wire connection, and so had saved his and bartlot's lives, had proved to lee renaud that there were many hitherto undreamed-of agencies for radio improvement. the boy longed to experiment in a big way with those crystal detectors that act as the electric ear of radio--such as zincite, and bornite, and silicon-antimony. but working with what materials he had, lee improved his little machine until instead of a mere ten-or twenty-mile reach, he stretched its sending power to a hundred, then to two hundred miles. lee's vision grew. he dreamed of radio encircling the earth. since his own little mechanism had stretched its call to reach on from twenty to two hundred miles, why couldn't it be improved to reach across frozen wastes of the far north, across jungles, across oceans? oh, for a chance to study modern radio! a chance to live with one of those splendid, modern sending machines that concerns backed by huge wealth were producing! he had been going it so alone. it was a blow to young renaud when he found that captain bartlot was leaving the gulf coast, going north for an indefinite stay. lee had come to depend greatly on the encouragement and advice of this tall, bronzed man who, for all of his quiet look, had lived through more hairbreadth adventures than most folk even dream could happen. it was to place his museum collection, which he had spent the better part of his life in gathering, that captain bartlot was going to new york. before he sailed, though, as a parting gift to lee renaud, he laid in the young fellow's hand a bit of odd-looking stone in a tiny box. "that doesn't look like much of a gift to a fellow who has stood by you on the 'burning deck,' or rather on the sinking housetop," he said with a laugh. "but if you happen to want to turn it into a bit of money for your experimenting, the brant-golden jewelry company over in tilton would likely be interested in it." some weeks later, when a tall, dark-haired youngster, who had made the twenty-mile trip to tilton on horseback, slid the tiny box with the bit of stone in it across the jeweler's counter, the mr. brant, of brant-golden, undid the wrappings rather diffidently, emptied the contents into his hand with a careless flip--then indulged in a shout and a sort of indian-dance leap that jounced his pince-nez clear off his dignified nose. "why--er--ah! an ancient egyptian balas-ruby, cut octahedronal!" he balanced it on his palm, turned it so that the facets caught the light, now pale rose, now deepening to orange. "don't see one in a hundred years over here. must be the stone jan bartlot was telling me about. say, young man, i'll give you five hundred dollars for it!" lee renaud opened his mouth--shut it. he was too surprised to say anything. "eight hundred, then, if it's real!" mr. brant mistook lee's silence of pure surprise as negation of his first offer. then, as if afraid the strange ruby might melt in his hand, the jeweler dashed into his testing room. the balas-ruby was real, a semi-precious stone. it was the peculiar ancient egyptian glyph, or inscription sign, cut into its back that gave the stone its triple value. his head still reeling with amazement, lee rode back to the cove with a check in his pocket--the first eight hundred dollar check he had ever seen in his life. he had not dreamed that captain bartlot was making him such a gift. the money was a wonderful boon. not all of it went into radio experimentation, however. a part of the sum re-roofed great-uncle gem's leaking old mansion. another part went to lee's mother back in the north alabama city of shelton. and there were still some funds left to invest in the costly experimental material young renaud had longed for. he pushed on continually with his work of trying for distance, trying to amplify the weak sounds that traveled from far places on the mighty push of electrically generated waves that needed to be magnified and regenerated before the human ear could hear them. great-uncle gem was wrapped up in lee's work. every experiment held his keenest interest. "gadzooks!" snorted the old gentleman. "this radio business has added ten years to my life. i was just drying up and aging for the lack of interest in something." night after night, old gem sat before the radio lee had built for him, keeping in touch with the world without moving out of his armchair. "eh, what's that now?" gem renaud waved his cane at a queer-looking metal tube lee was bringing in from his workshop. this was a brass cylinder some ten inches long by two inches thick. caps of a silvery metal closed the ends, and a roll of fine wire was attached to each cap. in his other hand, lee carried a compact wooden case. "just a new type storage cell and some selenium plates for aerial wave catchers that i want to try out on your radio." lee dropped down beside the mechanism and set to work. for an hour and more, he tapped and screwed and soldered. "there, that's sort of like it!" he cut on the switch and leaned forward, tense, listening. clear as a bell, purer and with less static interference than ever before, music from a distant station rolled through the room. "it's those selenium plates," jubilated young renaud. "they catch the waves better than any other aerial going!" far into the night, he and old gem sat tinkering, trying this station and that, enjoying themselves hugely. it was along toward midnight that they picked up a strange message out of the air. "renaud of the radio, do you want to go to the arctic?" just that; nothing more. chapter xii the nardak as lee renaud, burdened with two heavy leather cases, stepped off the train in adron, ohio, and made his way toward the station exit, a big bronzed man rushed forward to meet him. "good for you, lee!" and captain bartlot reached a hand for one of the cases. "you did what i was counting on--came in time to superintend the copying of that portable of yours for the field radio use. say, want to go to the hotel first or straight out to the nardak's hangar?" "on to the nardak!" said lee. "i couldn't rest till i saw it, anyway." radio certainly was getting renaud "somewhere." like a magic jinnee of old, it had picked him up by the scruff of the neck, swished him out of a dreamy gulf coast village, and landed him in this hustling midwestern city that was famed for its rubber factories and its airship hangar. if radio, to be exact, hadn't bodily brought him here to adron, at least it had been the motive power that had gained for him this trip. "renaud of the radio, do you want to go to the arctic?" that had been the beginning of it all. a puzzling communication, that, to drop in on a fellow out of mid-air. later had come another message in explanation. both were from his friend, captain jan bartlot. he was planning a "mush" into the arctic by airship, to prospect for gold and other valuables. he had sold his jewel collection for a vast sum, and now the call of adventure was taking him back into a life of exploration. captain jan was the type of man whom danger lures as a honey-pot lures bees. a great new gold rush was stirring the western hemisphere--a flying rush into canada's frozen arctic on the hunt for that precious metal. a fur-clad adventurer's discovery of gold-bearing rock in the northern wilds of the mackenzie delta had sent men trekking into that frozen land by canoe, by foot, by dog-sled. on his other explorations, jan bartlot had followed land trails and sea trails. but now he proposed to follow the air trail up into the arctic, to take a huge dirigible into that land of storms and snows. it was an expedition fraught with danger, yet one of marvellous practicability----if handled right. instead of pushing north for many months on a long trek by canoe and sled, prospectors, geologists, mining engineers, mining-syndicate scouts, all the personnel of a vast mining operation could be transported into the north in record time. for this mammoth gold hunt, the modern surveyor's implement was to be the camera, and the connecting link between the various scout parties was to be the "voice of radio." on a dangerous journey like this, radio operators had to have something besides a nimble brain and mechanical ability; they must needs possess courage, stamina. it was remembrance of the way one lee renaud had stood by an injured man aboard a sinking, derelict roof in the sargon flood that had caused bartlot to offer the young fellow a chance to go on this wild, wonderful expedition. in his long explanatory message sent to renaud at king's cove, bartlot had stated that he wanted to try out the boy's portable radio model as a connecting link between various mining explorations in the field of operation--was offering five thousand dollars for the right to copy this model and test it, provided renaud went on the trip. a dangerous test he was offering the young inventor, but if it succeeded--well, it meant world advertising, and the renaud portable going over the top, big. would renaud go? the answer was lee renaud himself. after making the necessary arrangements for the care of his great-uncle gem, lee had caught the first train north. as they taxied across adron, the busy rush of trucks and cars, the clang and clatter of this factory metropolis, and the loom of skyscrapers furnished a thrill for the visitor--but it was as nothing to the thrill of his first sight of a dirigible. captain bartlot had wirelessed renaud that an airship, the dirigible nardak, was to be their mode of travel. but renaud had not dreamed how immense this ship would be. even before he saw the monster of the air, the unique building that housed it loomed before his eyes like some magic growth. there it stood--a master structure in dun-colored steel, semi-paraboloid in shape, like a mastodonic egg cut in half lengthwise. a one-story structure eleven hundred feet long, and tall enough to take a twenty-two story skyscraper under its roof, with room to spare! while their taxi was still some miles from the airport, its enormous bulk dominated its surroundings. men in impressive uniforms patrolling outside the building seemed like minute toys in comparison. small wonder, when the doors behind them weighed six hundred tons each and stood two hundred feet high. as the two got out of the taxi and came up the paved way, bartlot motioned to a couple of officials. "commander millard, chief engineer goode," he called out, "here's another of our staff, second in command at the radio--my friend renaud." "glad to meet you! ah--a word with you, captain?" and millard, briefly acknowledging the introduction, went aside with bartlot. a heated argument ensued. voices, lowered at first, rose now and then. "a mistake--too young, country bumpkin--risk to expedition." lee had the uncomfortable feeling that he was the subject of discussion. then captain bartlot came striding back, his jaw set, his bronzed face tinged an angry red. at his command, a couple of stationary engines, housed on either side of the building, were set to generating. under their power the huge curved doors began to roll back, each door moving on twenty steel wheels on a curved track that carried it back along the side of the building. as he stepped forward and took a view down that vast vault, lee renaud felt reduced to smallness--of a truth! as he looked upward, there was a sense of surrounding immensity that left him weak in the legs. two hundred feet up, under the ridge of the roof, toy workmen labored on a duralumin framework that had been lifted up by cranes. not a sound came from them, they were too far away. lee renaud caught his breath. within this mountain of steel and glass, six football games, a chariot race and a circus could be staged simultaneously. "the largest building in the world without internal supports or columns of any kind," said jan bartlot, "and er-r, the only building in the world that has its own peculiar brand of weather. ah--ca-chu-ah!" the captain ended in a wild sneeze as a heavy shower rained down upon them. lee looked about in puzzlement. the sun was shining brightly outside. "condensation," explained bartlot. "all sorts of temperatures meet in here, form a fog, and occasionally roll down in rain." "but the nardak? i thought it was housed in here?" lee cast his gaze over the vast emptiness. "she's coming in now. don't you hear the buzzer?" "bz-z-z!" a radio within the building had picked up the signal from the approaching ship. men rushed forward from all sides and took their stands at stated intervals along the length of the building. from the magazine illustrations he had seen of dirigibles, lee renaud pictured to himself how the nardak would come--an elongated balloon drifting through the air, casting off thousand-foot lengths of rope for men to seize and drag her down to earth. but the huge nardak swept into her dock in a very different manner. chapter xiii within the silvery hull the nardak was coining into her hangar--not drifting through the air, but rolling in on wheels. from far down the track line that entered the covered dock came a heavy rumbling. then a long line of trucks appeared, running smoothly over the docking rails. anchored to these was the vast, silvery shape of the nardak, an aeronautical leviathan nearly eight hundred feet long by a hundred and forty feet high. "the nardak on wheels! i thought it was a ship of the air!" gasped renaud. "so it is," laughed captain bartlot, "but this is the simplest way of getting her into her hangar. even with these rolling doors opened to make an enormous entrance, there is always the danger that the cross winds and gusts that sweep into the hangar will batter this lighter-than-air craft against the walls or roof. she's been on a test flight. her crew landed her out on the unobstructed field, then anchored her on wheels for the trip indoors." after the nardak was in the hangar, the ground crew stepped forward and fastened her ropes through the iron rings in concrete pillars that studded the floor here and there on either side of the docking rails. "we won't have all this assistance and landing paraphernalia to help us when we get up into the ice country," said bartlot. "but we are counting on another landing method that we are going to try out when the need comes. all right, young man," motioning lee to follow, "want to see this 'cigar' of mine at close quarters?" the huge dirigible in its sheen of silvery paint did look like a mammoth, tinfoil wrapped cigar--a cigar eight hundred feet long! as lee renaud went up the little set of drop-steps and entered the hull, he was overwhelmed at the amazing intricacy of the interior. seen from without, the simple lines of the dirigible would seem to indicate that it was nothing more than a great gas bag. but within that silvery casing was a structure as complicated as that of a steel skyscraper. three thousand metal struts criss-crossed in a maze of latticed girders. "tons, and thousands of tons of weight!" thought lee. "how can this load even lift, much less fly!" as if in answer to the thought, bartlot spoke. "these struts--duralumin, an alloy metal, that's what they are made of. there, laid on the floor of the runway, is a discarded girder that's just been taken out. lift it." lee took a long breath, got a grip on the thing, gave a great tug--and almost fell backwards. sixteen feet of girder, and it weighed next to nothing! he could almost lift it with a finger! "and yet the weight of six men couldn't bend it!" bartlot remarked in answer to lee's questioning look. they passed on down the catwalk, or metal promenade plank that ran the whole length of the hull. on either side were arranged the great tanks of gasoline that furnished the motive power for the dirigible, and the twenty separate balloonets or gas bags that contained helium, which was the lifting power of the ship. "here's a case where _a la_ the old rhyme, the cow will jump over the moon." captain jan pointed to the gas bags. "these remarkable gas-tight containers are made of thousands upon thousands of portions of gold-beater's skin, which is the small tough section of the intestine of a steer. more than , , cattle from the various stockyards contributed to the making of these helium bags--so in the name of science, the cow is going to soar pretty high." one marvel after another aroused lee renaud's admiration as his capable guide took him from end to end of the ship, and down through the ladderways that connected with the outside gondolas that housed the engines, the navigating room, the quarters for the crew. there was the great rudder to guide her through the ocean of air, the flippers for elevation, the keel corridor for storage, the laboratory, the photographic room, the instruments for recording speed, height, weather. wonderful equipment, on a wonderful craft. yet lee renaud found his eyes straying here and there, searching for something more. "the radio-room, eh? i'll bet a ton of duralumin, you're on pins to set your eyes on it. well, i've saved radio for the climax--saved the best for the last, and i know that's a truth, so far as lee renaud's concerned." captain jan exploded into his big laugh as he led the way forward toward a compartment in the navigating section of the ship which was built at the bow, just under the nose. this navigating section was arranged with the control-room set first, the chart-house immediately behind, and behind this again the radio-room with its complete broadcasting and receiving equipment. as lee renaud got his first eyeful of the nardak's radio equipment, his breath seemed to cut off and his hair fairly stand on end for excitement. here was radio--real radio! into wall panels, from floor to ceiling, were set elaborate mechanisms of grills and tubes and coils. in the center of the compartment was a desk and chair, as though this were some secretarial room in a skyscraper office building. but instead of housing pen and ink and paper, this desk housed the marvelous apparatus that could send word by air, instead of by ink. a man in shirt sleeves, and with head phones adjusted, sat humped over the radio desk, working at a dial. this was jack simms, radio chief of the nardak. as captain bartlot made the introductions, a ferocious scowl, emphasized by a great scar across the left cheek, seem to draw up simms' face, and he spoke shortly, "howdy, youngster!" with what appeared to lee unnecessary emphasis on the "youngster." all these veterans seemed to have it in for the youngest member of the crew, and to resent his being thrust in among them. while simms rather perfunctorily explained to his newly arrived assistant the various parts of this very modern and powerful radio unit, lee couldn't keep his eyes off the scar across the man's cheek. what lee did not know, at that time, was that simms had gained that perpetual decoration by sticking to his radio post aboard a rammed and sinking ocean liner--a post that he held till he had put wireless through to other ships that answered the call and rescued every man jack aboard the wreck. "now here are our ten-meter transmitters for exploring ultra-short waves," simms' cool voice went on. "with condensers adjusted for maximum plate current, sounds from quite a respectable distance can be brought into the clear. i'll demonstrate." he turned the tiny marking light on the dial. "that ought to get us station zeaf at brinton, two hundred miles away." as the dial light came to rest, a clear burst of beautiful music rolled through the little room. "that's hitting it up pretty fine." lee's face glowed. "i reached out to two hundred once with an old battery, some barbed wire and the like. got the sound, but it was distorted, like the singer was yelling out of the side of his mouth--" "you've made radio, huh? receiver, or transmitter?" "both." as lee, at simms' prompting, told something of the various experiments he had tried, bartlot quietly left the room, to return later bearing the leather case containing the boy's portable model. without a word, the captain opened back the leather and shoved the contents up under jack simms' nose. the latter half arose, then settled back, and went over the little mechanism carefully. he gave a long whistle. "some points to that, kid!" after that, there wasn't much in the way of radio that jack simms didn't go into minutely for lee renaud's benefit. old simms had found that he and lee talked the same language--audio frequency, voltage, detector grid input, c , filter, and the rest of the jargon. * * * * * for a fortnight longer, the preparation aboard the nardak went forward. on former trips the nardak had been a floating pleasure palace circling the globe with a crew of forty and with twenty passengers in luxurious staterooms. in view of her impending arduous flight into the barren polar wastes, all of this was being changed. such luxurious features of the ship as the cabin de luxe and the magnificent passenger saloon were being discarded, and small plain cabins installed. this was done to lighten the load on the ship and increase the capacity for the useful load of food and fuel necessities. during this interim, on a special rush order, an adron factory pushed forward the work of making six portables after lee's little radio model. these were for field work on the arctic barrens. in the airship itself, several structural changes were made. there was the protecting of vital parts against the effects of low temperatures and the preparation of certain special equipment for landing without any help from the ground. then the great day came. the day for all aboard, and then off, adventure bound! for the last time the huge ship came out of her hangar on wheels. she was ready now to be loosed, ready to take the air. to the high daring of her mission the city of adron did homage. horns blared, great factory sirens roared their calls, bands played. now a wedge of airplanes zoomed across the sky, come to bid the expedition farewell in their own particular aerial style. for this departing mammoth of the air was answering the greatest challenge of them all--a prolonged exploration flight over the vast frozen arctic. on this exploration were going a wonderful picked crew of scientists, geologists, meteorologists--learned men of many professions had striven for a chance to face any hardship, if only they might go on this expedition to the "geologist's paradise," the fearful, mysterious frozen polar region with its lure of unrevealed secrets. out of the hundreds of applicants, only so few could go--some sixty men. because this dangerous expedition could be no stronger than its weakest member, its personnel had to be selected with an eye to strength, health and disposition as well as scientific ability. a large order in the way of exploration personnel! yet jan bartlot's genius for leadership led him to pick an astonishingly capable, loyal, brave body of men to companion him into the wilds of the arctic. there was stocky, blond norwegian olaf valchen who came from spitzbergen, that far northern settlement. he had long been a lone flyer of the icy wastes, a carrier of dynamite and other mining supplies across the hudson bay territory. "tornado" harrison of the united states weather bureau was going along to "get the weather" for the various undertakings. a most important member of the crew was sandy sanderson, the cook. sanderson was already well up on frigid zone cooking, having dished up seal steak patties and walrus goulash to whaling ships over half the oceans of the world. on this flight, there were explorers who had already battled ice fields with various forms of polar locomotion, some with shaggy siberian ponies, some with sledge huskies, some with ships of the sea. but now, by ship of the air, by radio, by electricity, commander bartlot hoped not only to penetrate the arctic, but also to explore it. he would have need of all the aids of modern science, for the arctic world breeds the most fearful of storms, spews forth the most monstrous of grinding, treacherous icebergs, forever shifts its sky lights in a strange visibility that deceives and magnifies and lures with mirages. as the great ship of adventure began to rise, the bands burst into martial tunes. shouts roared from the throngs below. handkerchiefs fluttered. a little girl in a red dress held her doll aloft for her father on board to see. wives, mothers, sweethearts waved farewell. lee renaud, looking over the side, felt suddenly engulfed in loneliness. in all that crowd there was not one to personally wish him god speed. the last ropes were being cast off. the vessel rose higher. there came a shout from below. a boy on a motorcycle was threading the crowd. "telegram! drop a hook!" was bawled up through a megaphone amplifier. then the little yellow envelope went fluttering up on the end of a line. "renaud,--lee renaud, it's for you!" lee's hands trembled as he tore it open. what did it mean? what had happened? from great-uncle gem! lee's eyes devoured the line of words on the yellow sheet. "god bless you, and keep you, and help you to show to the world the stuff you're made out of, lee renaud. (signed) g. renaud." lee gulped. "g-gosh, i bet he sold a silver candlestick to get cash to send this!" the boy was humble and exultant at the same time. somebody believed in him. the ship was riding the air now. it rose majestically, like a gigantic silvery bird, turned its prow into the north and was off. before the nardak stretched uncharted wastes--the ocean of air. chapter xiv danger ahead a new feeling permeated the ship. she was on her own now, headed for the great north. only a few miles separated her from the city of adron, but it might as well have been ten thousand leagues, so definitely was the voyage on. after so much confusion of last visitors aboard, supplies being stored, a hundred things underfoot, the crew had to get down to the business of making affairs ship-shape. some donned overalls, some stripped to the waist. men moved swiftly along the catwalk, up and down connecting ladders. up in the keel corridors of the hull men were happily busy. down in the navigating section men were happily busy. in the heat of the engine gondolas, slung four to each side of the hull, half-naked fellows, with sweat dripping down their bodies, tuned the six hundred horsepower gasoline motors for power, and more power. ninety, ninety-five, a hundred miles an hour--speed was coming up! they were on the way, hurrah! this huge floating bubble of gas prisoned in fabric was to be men's home for many months. so the expedition settled down to making itself feel at home. bob tucker, the expedition's photographer, and three assistants, set to work checking up on the complicated mechanism of the aerial cameras and the million feet of film that was to be aimed at the arctic topography. theirs would be the task of getting a picture record of the lay of the land in the mineral section, so as to help the geologists in their scientific deductions. up in the keel storage room, arctic scouts went through the assortment of skis and snowshoes, preparatory to the foot-excursions in the land of snow. slim up-curved sticks of the skis, broad, thong-latticed spread of the snowshoes--methods of snow-locomotion that have come down from man's dim, primitive past! these seemed incongruous aboard this modern sky ship. but captain jan bartlot was combining the best of many ages in this exploration. a little, short-haired dog walked sedately out from the crew's quarters, navigated a ladder-like stair adroitly, and then curled up beside one of the big observation windows. this was yiggy, olaf valchen's pet. yiggy was an old-timer in the ways of the arctic, having made many trips across the snow barrens with valchen in his mining supply transport, a big-winged aeroplane. out of some bits of fur, olaf was already making yiggy a new set of boots for polar walking--since yiggy, being a temperate zone dog, had not been born with foot-pad protection like the shaggy canines of the land of snow and ice. here, there and everywhere over his craft went captain bartlot, seeing that all things were in proper shape. before this start for the arctic could be made, weary months of closest application to detail had already been spent by bartlot. equipping an expedition was a huge business. there was the ship itself that had had to be refitted from stem to stern in preparation for bucking arctic storm and the terrors of the "great cold." there had been waterproof cloth and fur and machinery and radios and tons of food to be bought. where they were going, there was no grocery up the block to run to. there was no mechanician's shop around the corner, either. so to make a ship of the air safe for getting them there and bringing them back, and safe for landing on frozen polar fields, one had to go prepared with hundreds of extra machine parts. one little missing screw could mean a calamity. a captain must think of dessicated vegetables and canned sunshine for his crew's health. and just suppose they had forgotten to pack the snow moss! they hadn't. it was there in its container, along with reindeer skin boots and the down-lined gloves. on even so slight a thing as a bundle of snow moss does the success of an arctic trip hang. for without this specially prepared moss to line boots and absorb dampness, the feet of men tramping the blizzard-swept snow barrens would freeze. just such details as these, and a thousand others, great and small, had to be attended to by captain jan and the men who worked with him. a trip into the frozen north was no holiday of leisure; it meant hard work for all concerned. the busiest place aboard the nardak was the radio-room, with its every space--walls, ceiling, desk--crowded with modern equipment. here was the powerful short-wave sending and receiving set, an intermediate wave set for communication with near-by cities and other ships of both air and sea, and a radio direction finder. within this room, a group of mining scouts was carefully taking apart and putting back together one of the renaud portables, under the watchful eye of lee. these men must know their radio mechanism. for when the great dirigible dropped these men for scouting in various parts of the arctic waste, radio would be their only means of communication with the rest of the party. the staccato tap-tapping of radio telegraph seemed never to drop silent. either simms or renaud was always at the desk instrument. as the string of morse came in, they deciphered the code into plain english, and passed on the slips of paper to tornado harrison, weather-getter of the expedition. from harrison's atmospheric deductions, the route of the ship was plotted. there was constant communication between radio-room, chartroom and navigating section. this morse code that tapped in so steadily was bringing reports from the united states weather bureau at washington. these reports were the chief aids in navigating the great dirigible. the ocean of air is just as real as any ocean of water; it has its currents and tides and its air-falls, similar to waterfalls, where air pours from a higher to a lower level. it is the lay of the land below that causes the differences in the vast ocean of atmosphere. mountains, forests, valleys, all produce their own peculiar currents and cross currents in the aerial expanse above. over hills, the air currents are deflected upwards. over great flat tablelands, the air flows downward over the edges in vast niagaras of air. weatherman harrison had his air map, america of the air, all wavy lines and curves and whorls. from observation posts, on land and sea, all over the world, weather news is continually radioed to the united states weather bureau. from this mass of information, the bureau continually computes and makes deductions and predicts impending weather conditions--which it radios back out into the ether for the safety of ships of both sea and air. thus a far-flung outpost wirelesses: "storm sweeping southwest from labrador at hundred and fifty miles an hour." knowing its intensity, its area, and its initial speed, weather chiefs can tell that the storm will reach toronto in so many hours, and the mississippi valley in so many more hours. storm warnings tap through the air, radio speeds the word in all directions. in consequence, a mail plane for the west dips south in its itinerary to avoid nasty weather; shipping on the great lakes goes into dock or heads for the safety of open water; a mammoth dirigible changes its course to circle around a hail-and-wind-tortured sector of the ocean of air. between his hours of standing watch at the radio, lee turned with delighted eyes to the mosaic of rivers, cities, forests and farms spread beneath the ship. radiograms, together with the great wall map, helped him identify the cities and the scenic wonders over which they passed. they swept above toledo and the smokestacks of detroit. in splendid spectacle, the great lakes rippled their waters beneath them in the gleaming sun. "well, well, lee," captain jan came down from the hull-storage section into the navigation car, bringing out for display one of the fur-lined sleeping bags and a snow knife, "how's traveling? what do you think of your first ride in a dirigible?" "fine!" said lee. "only i might as well be sitting out on the front porch back in king's cove, so far as any motion can be felt. i can't tell i'm moving until i happen to look down and glimpse cities and lakes swishing by at considerably over a mile a minute." "um--yes, this thing rides a pretty even keel. not much dipping and diving so far. and now take a look at these." captain jan spread out his armful. "no matter whether it may seem cumbersome or not, a sleeping bag and one of these snow knives for cutting a wind-break out of a drift, is what every man must carry if he goes off from the ship any way at all after we land in the ice country. it's a safety rule that i'm laying down." "er--yes, sir." lee's answer was entirely absent-minded, his whole attention bent towards the radio instrument, as he leaned forward, listening to every click. "danger ahead--danger!" white to the lips, renaud swiftly decoded the wild tap-tapping of wireless into understandable english. "vast area of storms and tornado-twisters sweeping down upon us, moving at immense speed!" "orders for engine-rooms, quick! switch to the gondola telegraphs," roared captain bartlot. "tap in orders, boy! minutes may mean lives! reverse flight! turn the ship!" before a terror-twister of the skies, man can only flee down the wind. chapter xv shagun facing a storm, a vessel at sea would have reefed sails and laid low for the blow. but on this great elongated gas bag, there was nothing to reef. she could only turn tail and race the wind for her life. telegraph orders, rushed from control-room to engine quarters, brought the huge dirigible up short, rearing and plunging like a frightened steed. at touch of the engineers, the marvelous mechanism of drive-shaft and bevel gear tilted each propeller on its axis to throw the ship into reverse and back it around. for so huge a bulk, she wheeled in her tracks with amazing speed. there was need of speed! even in that short time while receiving the wirelessed warning out of the air and plunging into retreat, great banks of cloud had reared themselves on the horizon, looming black and sinister. with every passing moment they rolled up, darker, heavier. with awful menace, a great droning roar filled the air. the nardak was turning back on the very fringes of an onrushing storm that seemed to leap out of the nowhere. with a rumble the wind-clouds loosed their first furious gusts in a rage that tore the clouds themselves into a jagged pattern. ragged openings gave vistas into the still more fearful storm that they had masked! through the barrage of thunderheads burst a three-headed tornado, three huge twisting wind-spouts that seemed to reach from earth to sky. writhing, speeding, twisting across the sky, they pursued the nardak like great devouring serpents. devourers they were! terrific wind velocity within those whirling storms could pluck the hair from the human head, could tear a man limb from limb, could wrench a great airship into shreds and splinters. with a rush and a roar, forerunners of the storm seemed to burst upon the nardak from all quarters, seemed bound to beat the great hulk into submission. gone was the smooth, swift gliding with which the nardak had swept northward for more than a thousand miles. in the fury of the gale, the huge ship of the air rocked and plunged. everything not built in or lashed into place was flung crashing about the hull. lee renaud and captain jan were careened together and then dashed to the floor and flung hither and yon in a welter of broken furnishings. "is it the--the end? will she capsize?" lee managed to shout to captain jan. "heavy ballast--can't turn over. this pounding within, without, that's the danger." even as captain jan spoke, came a thunderous crash of falling objects within the hull. "the struts--if they break, they'll slash the bags like knives!" like some hunted wild animal, the nardak plunged on her way, riding the constantly changing air currents, sweeping on the edges of the storm, dodging between gales, by a miracle of maneuvering never letting herself be completely swallowed in the maw of the storm monster. behind her, three snaky wind-spouts came together with a concussion that rocked sky and earth. in the twinkling of an eye, the face of the land was changed. trees, boulders, a whole cliff were swept upward and reduced to powder in the grinding crush of the winds. a great air wave, like some tidal wave of the sea, flung the huge nardak high as though it were a bit of chaff, sucked it earthward to almost scrape the ground. then, as swiftly as it had roared into being, the tempest died away. the wind muttered and rumbled low, and dropped into a strange calm. for a little space the airship hung in this calm, quivering and trembling like some spent runner that has barely survived a terrific race. by degrees, the apathy of exhaustion passed from the crew. battered and bruised, with strained, white faces, the men rallied from their terrifying experience and began to take up their tasks. with apparent serenity, the nardak went on her way. but in many and varied places, men labored to repair the damages of the storm. the thrashings of a broken strut had ripped the tough cloth-and-membrane lining of one gas bag. it was a total loss--a loss that reduced the lifting power of the dirigible, but did not cripple the ship to any appreciable extent. the builders had allowed an overplus of helium to meet such an emergency. much more alarming was the discovery of a defect in the propeller shaft and the flapping of wind-torn fabric on the port stabilizer fin. because lee renaud was cool-headed, as well as young and active, he took his part in the emergency repair work that now must be done. there was no halting of the great dirigible on her flight. she simply went into reverse, pointed her nose to the northwest, and took up her storm-broken course once more. if possible, she must keep to her scheduled time of going into the arctic. for the arctic summer might last two months, and it might last only a week or so. arctic summer means a slight melting of snow in wind-swept valleys, means black up-thrust of rock and cliff here and there where the snow-cap has slipped. it is in this brief period, the only time when the contour of the terrain of this ice-locked land is even slightly exposed, that geologist and scientist and gold prospector must make their swift search for the treasure held in arctic rocks. so without ever slowing down, much less landing, the nardak held to her course, while men, like tiny midgets, crawled perilously over her hull, within and without. in the crowded quarters of a motor gondola, mechanics repaired and replaced a propeller, all in the space of four hours. that was a hot and heavy task. but the real danger came to those workers suspended in a sort of harness against the outside of the great dirigible to repair its dismantled fin, while the giant ship held to her speed and to her height of a thousand meters in the air. young renaud was one of those who let themselves be swung in a net of ropes between heaven and earth, while they plied great needles in the latest thing in "dressmaking," seamstering for a new garment for the stabilizer fin. the tattered condition of the fabric of the port fin was evidence of the suck and pull of the storm she had grazed. more than a third of it hung in shreds. armed with a huge needle and a cord thread that billowed in the wind, lee did his share of sewing blankets into place as patching material on the exposed framework. this would have to do till the dirigible made her landing at that last outpost of civilization, shagun post on hudson bay. as the repair crew made its way up dizzy aerial ladders, back to the safety of the interior of the hull, and walked down the long catwalk that led between rows of fuel tanks, lee ran his hand through his upstanding black hair and laughingly remarked, "whew! i'm hunting a mirror. want to see how many gray hairs i got, swinging out there in that hundred-mile breeze. from the way my knees still tremble, bet it's all--" "ha-ooo! ha-ooo! ha-ooo!" a strange pitiful wail changed lee's joking into an astonished gasp. it was a wail that came up from the dim, lattice-work shadows of the ship's bottom, some sixty-odd feet below. "man overboard--i mean, lost in-board!" someone shouted. "must've gone down from the walk here, in the plunge of the storm. a wonder he can still holler, after being hung down there all this time!" said olof valchen. "ropes!" "down the ladder there!" "we're coming!" a jumble of shouts echoed through all parts of the ship. lee was one of the first men to go swinging down a long narrow ladder into the shadowy interlacing of beams and girders. above the catwalk were lights, but down here was semi-darkness, and a maze of struts that must be threaded. the thin wailing guided him. the gleam of his pocket flashlight glinted on a pair of eyes far below. then he was there, all the way to the ship's bottom, and touching his hands to a body wedged between girders. as lee's hands made contact, he gasped at what he found. and olaf valchen, who was the next man to get there, echoed his gasp. then the two of them, sung out: "we've got the rope on! haul away!" what the men on the planking far above hauled up to safety and a place in the friendly glow of lights, was no man at all, but yiggy, the little dog. a battered and banged-up yiggy, but all there and very much alive, as the wagging of his stub of a tail indicated. * * * * * wireless calls began coming in to the nardak from the distant north. "what has happened? you are overdue here already!" these calls were from the radio operator at shagun, the wilderness settlement that would be the dirigible's only halting place on its way to the arctic. a relay of supplies had been shipped here, the end of both railroad and civilization. the nardak was to take them aboard so as to enter upon the last lap of her journey as fully fueled and provisioned as possible. seven hours behind her schedule, the great silver nardak drifted into the sky above shagun. the boom of guns and the lighting of a line of signal fires greeted her. these were to call together a landing-crew to lend their aid in bringing to earth the first dirigible ever seen in these parts. for a time, the nardak hung motionless, then by the use of movable planes and sliding weights, by which the center of gravity was shifted, she slowly began to nose down towards earth. waiting in a spreading, wedge-shaped formation were two long lines of nearly a hundred men. not nearly so many were really needed. but every husky denizen of shagun wanted to have a hand at manning the pull ropes of this monster visitor. slowly the great ship of the air was drawn to earth in the vast clearing which lomen larsen, the factor of the shagun post, had prepared ahead of time for the reception of the sky ship. here, of course, was no cement landing field and ironringed cement posts to receive mooring ropes, but the ground had been smoothed, and trees served as mooring posts. as lee stepped off the ship, he felt that he had stepped off into the land of contrasts. here at shagun ended the shining lines of steel rails over which traveled the mighty engines and loaded cars of the great northern. and here at shagun began primitive transportation by birchbark canoe, shoulder-pack and dog-sled by which necessities were carried on into the north. bearded white men, indians, a few slant-eyed eskimos with cotton garments of civilization donned incongruously atop their native furs, moved along the trails and in and out the low-roofed log shacks. and above these primitive folk loomed the high aerial and mighty masts of a modern powerful radio sending station! but not for lee renaud, nor for anyone else of the expedition, was there much time to stand day-dreaming over the strangeness of the long arm of radio reaching out to touch this primitive settlement on the arctic fringes. for it seemed the great nardak landed in her open-air dock one minute, and the next the work of loading her new cargo and of further repairing began. men fell to with a vim. men learned in geology and meteorology donned dungarees and entered upon a brand-new career of stevedoring. a perspiring aerial photographer and an equally perspiring slant-eyed eskimo tugged a huge box to the hold opening. indian trappers and the engineers of the latest thing in air engines labored together at the mountain of bales and barrels and tanks to be put aboard. a dozen times yiggy escaped his quarters and rushed joyously underfoot to enter battle-royal with shaggy sled huskies that could swallow him at a mouthful--and a dozen times yiggy had to be rescued from battle, murder and sudden death. muscles ached, but men joked and bantered and worked all the harder. then at last it was all aboard--eight hundred pounds of oil, seven tons of gasoline, a thousand pounds of chocolate, pemmican, coffee and hard biscuit, which were to provision this great adventure. ground lines were loosed, the nardak rose slowly. a clamorous ovation saluted her from the watchers. shouts rose in four different languages, the bell of the little log mission clanged its farewell. lomen larsen touched off a row of powder-flares in a final uproarious salute. higher and higher rose the nardak, then sped northward on her last great stretch of flight. what would happen in this unexplored land? only the future could answer. chapter xvi quest for camp lee renaud's black eyes looked out anxiously from the shaggy fur of his hooded parka or eskimo coat as he climbed out on the top of the airship to see if ice had formed. not a pleasant task, this, in a wind pressure created by a speed of over a hundred miles per hour, and with the thermometer at twenty below zero! good, no ice sheathing as yet on the great shining hull. coatings of ice and sleet were the danger to a dirigible--these could weight the ship down to a tragic fall. below the nardak stretched snow fields, and often great frozen lakes where the ice lay sometimes smooth, sometimes thrust high in grotesque ridges where some throe of nature had hurled up the frozen substance. for days now they had been traversing the snow barrens, a strange white world where daylight held continuously. for this was the land of the midnight sun. through the summer of this weird arctic world, there would be months of daylight, with the sun riding from horizon to horizon, but never quite dipping out of sight. with autumn would come a twilight that would merge into the long winter night when the sun left this frozen land to months of darkness. in the present daylight period, the nardak's men must make their exploration, then flee before the night, back to civilization and home. ordinarily, the great ship kept to a height of well over two thousand feet, but when the photographers wanted to picture some object, the dirigible would be glided down to a thousand, five hundred, even a mere three hundred feet above ground. lee renaud was startled to find that ice sheets which from on high had looked glassy smooth, from the near view stood out in deep ridges and furrows, as though broken by some giant's plowshare. nature turned some strange tricks up here in this frozen north. everywhere was white stillness. not a sign of vegetation; not a sign of animal life--or so it seemed at first. those untrained in the ways of the arctic do not at once realize the protective coloring which nature has bestowed on her denizens in this land of eternal cold. to lee renaud, a wind-swept hillside over which the dirigible zoomed low, with moving-picture cameras clicking out film, was--well, was just a hillside dotted with black rocks where the gale had swept off the snow. then--and lee opened his eyes very wide--some of the black rocks began galloping off. in truth, these moving objects were a herd of shaggy musk-oxen that had been pawing for snow moss among the rocks till the shadow of the huge ship of the air had sent them snorting off in fear. in a white land, nature had left these creatures dark colored, because they most often grazed on wind-swept highlands where their dun sides melted inconspicuously into the dark splotches of the landscape. another time, looking down through the observation window, lee saw the amazing sight of a snow field that suddenly seemed to leap up into separate white parts and go bounding off across the plain. in this case it was a herd of white caribou that had been huddled at rest on the snow. scent of danger, borne down on the wind, must have stampeded them. soon enough young renaud saw what that danger was, for another line of moving white swept into view--the wolf-pack, white killers of the north! lee's heart shivered within him. these were so relentless; they knew only the law of fang and claw. tails straight behind, noses down, the pack swept on down trail, were lost to view. but, ola, in the end the wolf-pack would pull down its prey; it always did! in a snow valley, where mountain cliffs rose protectingly on either side, nestled a row of white domes. circular hillocks with faint spirals of blue smoke drifting upward from a crevice in the top. eskimo igloos--the round earth-and-stone huts banked in snow that were the homes of the fur-clad natives of the arctic! as the huge ship of the air passed like a menacing shadow above this native settlement, fur-clad men crept out from their tunnel-like doors, waved their arms and raced wildly over the snow fields. seen from the airship, they looked to be tiny ants swarming out of an ant hill. then a flight of sharp pointed arrows shot up toward the sky, curved back uselessly to earth. the huge ship drifted on serenely, safe in its heights from this puny demonstration. "must have thought we were some vast evil spirit, drifting up from sermik-suak, eskimo spirit-land!" said valchen who had been much among the arctic natives and knew their life and beliefs. "the sight of this great gas bag sweeping like a black shadow across their village was enough to strike terror to their hearts and set them on the defensive. on the whole, these eskimo tribes are a kindly, hospitable lot. let a man come among them in peace, and they'll take him in and give him the best they have. i've known them, in times of famine, to divide the last morsel of fish, the last chunk of blubber with some utter stranger." through the speeding miles, the white northland revealed itself to eyes that by degrees were learning to distinguish between the still white that meant snow wastes, and the moving white that meant some animal leaping into action on hoof or padded paw. on the ice of great lakes that were almost inland seas, now and again one glimpsed some shaggy mound of flesh and white fur that was a great polar bear, seeking his food through a break in the lake ice. in the air, the honk of geese, the weird laughter of the long-billed loons flying north in the continuous daylight, often echoed the siren of the dirigible. in the navigating-room, maps and charts were always in evidence now. across their surfaces, lines drawn in day by day showed the progress of the ship. its position was checked constantly both by magnetic compass and by sun compass. the ship's course was directed away from northwest and headed due north now. "there it is--the tri-pointed crest of coronation mountain!" shouted olaf valchen, eye to the telescope and one arm wildly waving, beckoning the others to come and see for themselves. in the distance, like a regal crown, showed the points of a group of mountains, rising above swirling clouds that masked all save the high-flung peaks themselves. "it's somewhere near that range that we'll find rottenstone lake--nakaluka, the eskimos call it. and when we stand on its shores we'll be standing on wealth. there are rock mounds in this region where the stone is so old, it has cracked and lets the shining treasure veins show through. i know. i've seen it myself." valchen's usually deep voice was high-pitched with excitement. he pulled from beneath his fur overgarment a tiny map of caribou hide with some lines scrawled upon it. "the hunger fever was upon me when i drew this, some five years ago, but i am sure the lines are right. there's the tri-mountain; and the sun observations i took then tally with our present check-up, in part, anyway." below them stretched snow field and ice crag. somewhere in that maze of peaks and ridges lay the frozen waters of nakaluka and its encircling treasure mounds. in all this whiteness, its frozen waters would be no more noticeable than a tiny grain of dust would be on the expanse of a great plate glass show window. the only feasible method of procedure seemed to be to get aerial photographs, piece together the long strips of film, and from a study of these get an idea of the lay of the land. this would take time. to cruise continually would burn the precious fuel and oil that must be more or less hoarded for the return trip. better to establish a central camp for sleeping and eating, then to radiate out on air trips at regular intervals. for a time the dirigible forged ahead, the eyes of all watchers searching the snow barrens for a safe base camp. below them a snow fog began creeping over the land, a mysterious curtain of blue and gray light. as they swept on in this strange haze, snow hills and valleys took on warped, unreal proportions. the official decision was that it was better to land now than to risk crashing into some shrouded peak. at other landing fields there had been hundreds of men to pull at the drag ropes and gently ease the ship to earth. here there was naught save snow and perhaps a polar bear or two--no very active assistance at landing in that! lee renaud, like the rest of the crew, was full of anxiety as to how the new, and untried method captain jan was depending on would work. he hurried along the corridor to a trapdoor section where bartlot and a number of his officers and men were grouped about a great flat metal plate that was connected to a windlass by hawsers passing over two sets of pulleys. in the meantime, the dirigible, by motor power and the use of elevators, had been descending lower and lower, until it was now less than a hundred feet above the great ice field. at a word of command from the captain, the metal plate was let down through its opening in the ship. they heard when it struck the ice with a clank. along one of those pulley hawsers had been affixed a heavily insulated length of pliable electric wiring. now, with hand that trembled a little as he began his great experiment, captain jan pushed an electric button that connected power from one of the ship's generators to this wire leading down to the plate resting on the ice far below. this plate was in reality an electric stove. as the current hit it, it was supposed by its heat to sink rapidly into the ice. then when the electricity was cut off, it would freeze deep and fast into the ice--or so men hoped and prayed it would. after a breath-taking interval, captain jan turned the windlass gently, to see if the plate-anchor held in the ice. more and more he wound on the turn shaft--and the anchor held! the experiment was working! a great shout went up from all sides. many hands cranked at the windlass, taking in the lines, gradually forcing the ship down and down. at last the pneumatic bumpers touched ice. it was all hands out to see what manner of frozen world they had landed in. viewed from above, this surface had looked smooth enough, but now they found it to be far from a "looking-glass surface." there were up-ended ice cakes and pressure ridges to be clambered over. of a certainty, water must be somewhere under this ice sheet. for water freezing, expanding, contracting, was what shot up the slabs of pressure ice. this was no pleasant place to dwell. there were whole stretches where the ice floor had split asunder in deep crevasses and purple chasms. seeming snow hills were mere masks across gully traps. for a night, or for the length of a period that would have been a night had the hazy red ball of the sun ever dropped entirely below the horizon, the expedition rested in this strange ice waste. then a party set out on foot to reconnoiter the land. captain jan, valchen, a dozen others. lee renaud was glad his strong young legs gained him a place in this crew. of necessity, each man had to bear a stout load. one could not venture out in the bare white wastes without food and weapons, a fur sleeping-bag to crawl into in case of a storm, and a great knife for cutting snow blocks to build a wind-break. also, the party carried bundles of bright, orange-hued flags to mark their trail. excitement hung over this little group as they made their start at trail-breaking into the unknown. some on snowshoes, some on skis, they marched out under the strange glow of the arctic sun, a glow that sometimes crisped and blistered, but never seemed to hold any cheer in its pale gleams that slanted over eternal ice. after they had crossed miles of ice level and laboriously scaled frozen cliffs, they came down into a strange valley. on every side were snow mounds, like haycocks in assorted sizes, some the height of a man, some as tall as a one-story building. they were the roofs of round pits. some pressure below had blown up these weird snow bubbles. bartlot, in the lead, stumbled against one. its sides caved in and the captain shot out of sight down in a snow hollow fifteen feet deep. lines were flung down and soon he was drawn out, breathing hard and pretty well banged up, but luckily not seriously injured. after that, the party moved forward, roped together for protection. out of curiosity, they now and again slashed openings in the snow domes. some covered pits fifty and a hundred feet wide, and vastly deep. it behooved them to pick their way carefully here, and to test each step with an alpine staff thrust into the snow ahead. behind the party, the orange gleam of the route flags marked a zig-zag trail and showed the way back to the base camp. after threading this valley checkered with pitfalls, and climbing a range of ice hills all pitted and honeycombed by underground pressure, bartlot's party halted on the crest of the ridge to gaze ahead in blank astonishment. a huge dark blot, a triangle in shape, loomed blackly against the white of a mountain of snow. it was as though some giant, passing up this valley, had painted his huge triangular flag on the smooth white, and had gone on his way. to find the meaning of that mysterious black tri-cornered surface, they must push on to it. it could not be far, just across the valley and up the next height. but "just across the valley" was a deceptive term. in the haze of the ever shifting arctic lights, horizons are most uncanny things. sometimes objects far away seem almost under the nose. and again, men find their feet mounting some small rise that in the haze they had thought was far away. mirages, too, fling processions of strange scenes before the eye. a mountain, a lake, a river looms vividly ahead, then fades back into the shadows from which it has sprung. so it was a good ten hours of hard travel, and stumblings, and dodgings of ice pitfalls, before the exploration party came within "normal eyesight" view of the great black triangle. then they found that, instead of a black surface on the mountain side, it was a great black hole leading back and back into the mountain depths. "a cave! a whale of a cave!" shouted renaud who was taking his turn at leading, and had scrambled up the slope a rope-length ahead of the others. it was a whale of a cave--one of those mammoth, finned and fluked creatures of the sea could have drifted in here and brought his whole family with him. the snow domes and pits the party had just passed were as toys compared to this evidence of mighty pressure forces within the earth. some terrifically violent cataclysm must have flung up these two great walls of rock and ice that slanted together and formed a vast triangular tunnel. at close view, it was a place of beauty. the depths that penetrated the mountain were dark. but here at the mighty three hundred foot entrance all was white. crystal fringe of ice stalactites hung from the roof like huge prisms on a giant's candelabra. snow banks, in soft mounds, guarded the opening. now and again the stiff wind swept flurries from these drifts and scattered the white powder over the floor of the cavern in ever-changing patterns. "a hangar for our dirigible! she could ease into here slicker than a banana into a peel!" shouted captain bartlot. "banana in a peel!" echoed valchen. "why, captain, she could park in here and still leave room for an airplane to sail in rings around her! whew! some house we've found ourselves!" "think i'll do housekeeping over there, set up my portable stove and all." sanderson indicated a side cave like a wing room off the main tunnel. electric torchlights were pulled from their packs and put into use. excited laughter and shouts echoed from the mighty roof and rumbled back through the cave, as they pushed slowly on, exploring wonders as they went. the ice drip on the cave walls had built itself into beautiful fantasies. here stood a row of mighty columns like the pipes of a vast organ. over there hung delicate ice lacework. further on was a scalloped basin with a pillar rising out of it, icy semblance of a statue set in a fountain basin. but even an ice wonder-hall set with frozen filigree could not turn their minds over long from the pangs of hunger. the journey had been one continuous round of labor and anxiety. the steep climb in the rarefied atmosphere told on strength and lungs. so before penetrating the depths of the cavern, the party decided to halt for food and rest. back near the entrance, they dropped down, eased their heavy burdens to the snowy floor, and joyously opened up their packets of sandwiches and thermos bottles of steaming hot chocolate. as they ate, this advance crew went ahead with their planning of how they could utilize the great tunnel to house the airship. "we can drop the ice anchor out there on the slope," said captain jan between hearty bites of a thick meat sandwich. "then all hands can man the drag ropes and with a little help from the motor, we ought to be able to ease the nardak into this ready-made hangar as pretty as you please." "and some of the ice pillars will do for anchor posts to knot the ropes a--hi, what's that?" the big fur-clad fellow who spoke cocked an eye upward. suddenly zooming almost over their heads, flapping its long wings and quavering its hoarse hooting call, a great white cliff-owl departed indignantly, his raucous voice hurling back protest to these invaders of his icy domain. "umph!" grunted sanderson. "looks like he's serving notice on us that this house is already taken. don't you reckon we'd better step up the street to the real estate agent in the next block and see what he's got in the way of nice arctic mansions and cottages to offer us." sanderson's gay banter choked off in a sputter, and a wild look came into his eyes. a sound swept, through the cave, the long-drawn, shivery "wha-o-o-o-ah!" of the wolf-pack trailing meat. another moment, and the killer pack surged into view, speeding out of the depths of the cave itself. the men screamed and leaped for the cavern walls, clambering madly up, clinging grimly to ice ledge and ice stalactite, praying that they would bear human weight. chapter xvii besieged "don't lose your grip, men! better freeze to the walls than fall below there!" captain bartlot's voice echoed through the great ice cave. dwarfed to mere fly-size by the immensity of vast ice columns and ice-frescoed sides of the cavern, bartlot's crew clung to the precarious ledges above the white-fanged wolf-pack that crouched waiting, waiting, below. sinister shapes, long-jawed, powerful, were those shaggy killers of the north. when they had burst, full cry, from the cave depths, a paralysis of fear had numbed the men's brains for an instant. another instant and they had gone leaping, scrambling, screaming up the ice wall,--with never a thought for food or weapons, never a thought for aught save putting space between them and those slavering, slashing jaws. endurance gains the wolf-pack its meat--relentless persistence in the chase and untiring watching and waiting for hunger, weakness and thirst to drop some beleaguered creature into their jaws. green eyes of hate glared up from the cave floor at the men trapped on the ice wall. red tongues lolled hungrily over long jaws each time there was some faint movement of slipping or sliding, for it might presage a human losing grip and falling into the waiting death ring below. one man did fall--eric borden, of the geological surveyors. the ice column against which his lank person was wedged broke and shot him, slipping and clawing, down the wall. the boom of the falling ice, sanderson's knife hurled below, the flash of the two shots left in bartlot's revolver--these created distraction enough to hurl back the wolves for a moment, while many hands reached down to rescue a comrade, to haul him back to the ledges. bartlot's shots had killed a wolf. the knife had drawn blood on another. snarling and howling, the pack leaped upon its own unfortunates, tore them asunder, devoured them. the men on the ice above shivered and dug deeper into crack and crevice. wedged precariously between two crystal-white stalactites on the wall, lee renaud trusted to the pressure of knee and foot to hold him firm, and thus leave his hands free. in spite of weariness, in spite of nerve rack from the hundred-eyed monster that waited below, lee forced his fur-clad fingers on with their tinkering at a tiny radio set he carried on his back, a finished, polished copy of his own crude portable outfit. factory experts had carried out his ideas in a more compact, lighter arrangement than he had been able to achieve with the rough materials available in his backwoods laboratory. but whether this new arrangement would send the call for help as effectively as that old rattletrap had done during the sargon flood--well, that was something to be proved. lee's hands trembled as he pushed the wire framing of the folding aerial up and up over his head, while he crouched low to give room for it in the slanting niche in which his body was jammed. it was dangerous work, balancing one's self in a high ice crack while below the killer horde squatted on its haunches and waited, as only the wolf-pack can wait, for its meat. a restless, fearsome, cruel-eyed horde it was. one unbalancing movement, and lee renaud's body would go slithering down for the white-fanged horde to rend and tear into a thousand pieces, even as it had done to its own wounded members. shivers like an ague shot through his body, his hands were numbing from the bitter cold that inaction was letting creep through his double furs. hurry,--he must hurry! soon he would have no more feeling, no more control. he and his companions would be dropping down like frozen lumps from this frozen wall--dropping to a terrible death. leaning forward precariously, renaud slipped the head harness into place, adjusted receiver and mouthpiece, and threw his strength into cranking to generate power. his fingers, numb and clumsy within their great fur gloves, pressed the buzzer signal of the tiny radio and sent its staccato call hissing out through the air strata of the arctic. no answering buzz came back, no sign that his call had penetrated the ether. "bz-z-z-z!" went his frantic signaling. "renaud calling!" he shouted into the tiny mouthpiece, as though to sweep his message on by the force of his voice alone. "renaud calling! party trapped by wolves at ice cave. follow trail of route flags. help! bring guns, flares. help!" louder and louder grew his voice. but no heartening answer was flung back from the ship's radio. not so much as a buzz or faintest whisper sounded in the receiver strapped to his straining ears. no answer. nothing. the only sound was a long-drawn wail as the white horde circled in nearer, waiting, waiting beneath their prey. chapter xviii prospecting "ah-boom-ah!" it sounded like guns, but it could be only the roar of some glacier avalanche, or an ice peak splitting asunder. "ah-boom-ah! ah-boom!" there it came again, almost at hand. puffs of white smoke, fur-jacketed men running, dropping on knee to aim, to fire, leaping up to run on again. these were goode, millard, harrison, and a score of armed men from the dirigible. at their onslaught, the wolf-pack leaped snarling into action, faced the hail of lead for a moment, then fled, leaving their dead behind. the snarling call and hunger wail of a pack cheated of its prey drifted back on the wind. numb and stiff in their frost-rimed furs, the cave refugees had to be lifted down from the ice ledges. hot soup, and many hands to rub up circulation in numb forms soon brought them back to normal. "how--how'd you ever find us so quick?" asked renaud. "radio wouldn't work--" "like thunder, it wouldn't!" ejaculated tornado harrison, whirling on his heel. "why, your voice came sliding in on that ship's instrument like greased lightning. simms tuned in to your voice soon as that buzz signal zipped in. he answered you a dozen times, telling you that help was coming. didn't you get that?" "got nothing, not a sound, till those guns boomed. they were powerful welcome, though," renaud grinned, then sobered down. "something wrong with my instrument. next time it might not work even one way. got to look into that." * * * * * the next few days saw mighty changes at the ice cave. instead of slinking wolves and flapping owls, it now housed a settlement of humankind. a very modern settlement it was. man had brought electricity into the wastes of the arctic,--electricity for heating, for cooking, for running various mechanical devices. before the explorers moved into this vast, ready-built, triangular abode, however, some precautionary steps were taken. no telling whether bear as well as wolf had made this a den. smoke bombs and gas rockets were hurled in to drive out any dangerous inmates. then when the atmosphere cleared, thorough investigation was made by the light of electric torches. they found themselves in a mammoth shelter. a great opening back into the mountain that must have been full three city blocks deep by a block wide. so high was its pointed ceiling that our national capitol and a couple of skyscrapers besides could have been housed beneath it. with the motors running gently, and with men hauling at the drag ropes, the great silver hull of the nardak was finally drawn into this arctic cave-hangar. ice columns served as anchor posts for its hawsers. the great dirigible held central place within the shelter. here and there little rooms and tunnels rayed off from the main room. in one was set up a workshop with anvil and hammers and an electric furnace. in another a kitchen with pots and stove and part of the stores banked against the wall. further on, lee renaud had spread some laboratory material, tubes, acids, wires. he was trailing the flaw in his radio receiver, experimenting with an acid dip for selenized plates, to render them impervious to the terrific cold of this bleak white world. since the wiring of his radio was in perfect order, and since the little machine worked well within a compartment heated to moderate warmth, renaud was more than sure that the penetrating touch of the bitter arctic must have interfered with his sensitized plates. with grim determination he pushed on with his work. he must find the flaw, must find the cure. failure of these little portable connecting links could spell failure for the whole expedition. when the expedition began to settle itself into the real business of this hazardous journey, seeking gold in this white, frozen land, renaud watched his little "knapsack radios" being placed in the various field outfits with a clutch at his heart. suppose the new acid-treated plates worked no better than the old ones? suppose, in dire need, the radios failed, even as his had failed in part during the wolf episode! far different from anything that had ever heretofore been tried out, were captain jan bartlot's very modern methods of gold seeking. for generations, the great canadian northwest has been luring men into its frozen heart to seek wealth. the magnet which drew adventurers into this enormous wilderness, where for hundreds upon hundreds of miles there was no sign of human life, no vegetation save the fossilized leaves and twigs of a million years ago, no connection with the world of living men--the magnet which lured was mineral wealth. gold, silver, nickel, platinum, not reckoned in millions of dollars, but in billions, lay almost to hand, just below the frozen crust of this frozen land. for hope of such treasures, men in the past pushed into the very fringes of the arctic circle by the primitive sledge drawn by wolf-dogs, and the equally primitive canoe of bark or skin. with such crude, laborious means of travel it took almost superhuman endurance to even reach the mineral fields of the arctic. when the old-time mining prospector stepped off the train and aboard sled or canoe, it meant a whole summer of grueling, grinding travel before he reached the northern ore country. then winter darkness would cover the land, and the prospector could do nothing but sit down and await the coming of another spring. the following year, when the red rim of the sun again showed above the arctic world, he set about his prospecting, slow work that might lead him to wealth, but that would likely take the whole of summer daylight in the doing. that meant another settling down for another lonely sojourn through the night of winter. the next spring the bearded, fur-clad prospector trekked his wealth back to civilization--if he lived to tell the tale of those terrible years of frozen exposure, hardship and suffering. three years to trek a thousand miles and back! hundreds followed the lure of gold up into the far north. only tens lived to get back. olaf valchen was one of those prospectors, who, eight years ago, followed the land trail and the water trail, by sled, by skin canoe, up into the frozen north. he had found gold--millions of dollars' worth of it in the strange rottenstone mounds that edged a frozen lake. three years later he reached civilization, but as penniless as when he had adventured forth. on the long trail, when one has to either cast away life or gold--well, one drops the heavy skin sacks in the snow, and struggles on, thankful to survive. and now he was going back to try to find again the trail that led to gold. but this time he was following the arctic trail in a manner that was most modern of the modern. in the past, one year by sled and portage! now, over the same trail by air in a few days! as the bartlot expedition had by dirigible so speeded up the trek into the north, so it now planned to speed up the business of prospecting. in this marvel of mine-prospecting by air, the camera was to be the surveyor's first instrument. when the great dirigible backed out of its ice hangar and took the air once more, it wore a new appendage--a small, boat-like arrangement that swung by long hawsers far below the hull. in the nose of this and aimed toward earth were set three big motion-picture cameras. the major part of that million feet of film was about to be put into use. as the huge ship of the air, day after day, radiated out from its cave base on journeys that covered hundreds of miles, the steady grind of cameras devouring film made aerial maps of the frozen hills, valleys, mountains, and lakes. this was no film to be "canned" and carried to a warmer clime for development and display. to fulfill its purpose, it had to be developed right here in liquid baths of eight hundred gallons of water. a startling order for a land where water was not water at all, but solid ice. so after the aerial cameras had clicked their final click, some rousing times were had at the ice cave camp. captain, engineers, weather man, radio men, doctor, geologist, cook and crew, every man-jack of them turned out to lug snow, three tons of it! cook pots were everywhere. buckets and bags of snow were dumped in them to melt. in the end, tons of snow made hundreds of gallons of water--and the film had its developing bath, arctic or no arctic! outside on the snow barrens, the polar world went its old way. the cold streamers of the northern lights flickered in the sky; the wolf-pack flung its hunting howl on the winds; the great white bear stalked across his lonely domain. but within the shelter of the ice tunnel, a handful of humans had dared to bring a new way of life into the arctic wilds. here a little audience sat thrilled and tense before a screen on which a moving-picture machine projected flight pictures made and developed in the very teeth of arctic cold. here was pictured no tawdry drama of human love and hate. instead the film unrolled magnificent vistas of mountain land and lake land. before the screen sat the expedition geologists, exploring a thousand miles by paper in less time than the prospectors of other days took to explore only a few miles on foot, and with the pick and shovel. to a geologist, this pointed range of hills meant a certain rock formation. the lake bed presaged another. the long, low, rounded mounds circling water meant the great pre-cambrian rock shield, the oldest stone formation in the north country, stone so old that its weathered seams have chipped and cracked and broken, so that the treasure it once hid now shows through in extrusions of gold or copper, silver or platinum. with modern machines in that ice hangar, this little band of explorers could tap the air of the civilized latitudes and bring its music across thousands of miles of snow barrens. a turn of the dial in the ship's radio-room, and the long arm of radio reached forth and plucked music out of the air, the latest news from america's metropolitan cities, tunes from broadway and personal messages from well-wishers. "shades of all ancient explorers!" lee renaud chuckled to himself. "how those old fellows would turn over in their graves at the idea of music from broadway being just twenty seconds from the arctic circle. and it all happened because a pomeranian monk shut some electricity in a glass jar." as his mind went back to his own first studies of things electrical, lee had the strange feeling that king's cove and all his old life were in the realm of the unreal--that only the arctic, and radio at the top of the world, and a modern airship flying the polar wastes were real. when, from study of the aerial photographs, the geological map was finally pieced together and arranged, it was time for the ground prospecting to begin. the prospectors were carried out in pairs. the dirigible landed them in various places where the ground formation was such as to indicate the pre-cambrian sheath rising in its long, shallow mounds. some men were put down within a few miles of the cave base; some, hundreds of miles away. these intrepid ones were left with a pup tent, an eiderdown sleeping bag, a rifle and ammunition, radio outfit and food. left alone, the men were to make a temporary camp immediately and to begin prospecting. if they made a find, they were to communicate with the main base by radio, or by orange flags laid out on the white snow as signals for the dirigible when it passed over again. in the prospecting crew were the best of their kind, miners from africa, india and the yukon. the messages began rolling in incredibly soon. the ship's radio men had to dance continual attendance on buzzer signal and radio code. the first prospector to get in touch with dirigible headquarters was olaf valchen. "stand by--o. v. on the air! after breakfast, better hop over here in that sky boat. location a hundred miles west of where longitude cuts latitude . come prepared to knock off a few samples of greenstone with a geologist's hammer, and fly back to base to have 'em assayed before supper. come in a hurry! got something real to show you! o. v. signing off!" as the great dirigible, answering this joy call, sped through the snow haze and skimmed lower and lower, her lookouts sighted the orange signal laid out on the frozen white, and her engines were halted. the ice anchor was dropped and with a loud hissing seared its way to a secure depth. the hawsers were windlassed up, and the great hull eased to earth on its pneumatic bumpers. the entrances to gondolas and navigating section were flung open--and the first fellow out was yiggy, fur boots and all, barking a delighted greeting to his stocky blond norwegian master. scooping up the wriggling terrier into his arms, olaf valchen led the way to his find. a hundred paces back from where he had laid out his flag signal, the prospector stopped on the banks of a frozen lake. circling the lake was a rim of low mounds. one of these, like a domed ant hill, thirty feet high and some two hundred feet in diameter, had been partly freed of its frozen crust. these bare spots showed dull green and gray, the famous greenstone of the canadian prospectors who had made lucky strikes. nakaluka, the rottenstone of the eskimos! so old was this, the oldest stone formation in the north country, that it was crumbling asunder, cracking apart in great seams. and in those seams lay gold, glittering and yellow. lee renaud could feel his heart thumping against his double-furred shirt. he had not dreamed that his eyes would ever see such a thing--a great mound that was one vast heap of wealth, piled up in plain sight, set out where anyone strolling by in the course of the last thousand years might have seen it. a few hours of work and they had collected bagfuls of samples, so rich that the naked eye could almost estimate their value. excitement and happiness swirled through lee renaud. but it was not all "gold" excitement. his chief thrill was that his radio had passed a great test. despite the creeping touch of abnormal cold on metal and acid and tube, his radio had brought in the message! his latest improvement had worked! already still other plans were dimly outlining themselves, plans for stretching the power of his tiny instrument, making its call reach farther and farther. other reports were radioed in. some prospectors had found other pre-cambrian rock mounds, but with slight gold value, for ridges of granite rose too close and precluded the possibility of the ore veins stretching to any distance. here and there, though, more of the vastly rich finds were located, mapped, stake-claimed, and sample ore taken. on this one trip, gold worth millions of dollars could be taken out. and that was but the beginning. in the next few years, these arctic barren lands would see civilization brought into them because of man's mastery of the flying ship, and his new power of speeding the spoken word through the air on the waves of radio. for this forward march of civilization into the waste places, first bases of operation would have to be laid. great dirigibles would transport the gas, food, equipment up into the north. planes would be flown in. hangars would be set up. spare engines, spare parts, together with landing gears for summer or winter, all would be stored away. gasoline and oil would be put down in large caches. gradually a combination airport and mining camp would spring into being, with huts, radio mast, machine shops and the rest of the equipment. bartlot's expedition into the great northland had achieved success. and future success loomed ahead. to lee renaud, it was all very wonderful and marvelous. success written in large letters! and yet through it all, he felt a strange little throb of regret. this success had been too easy, too mechanical. he could not down an unwonted touch of sadness that soon there would be left no more surprises on this world of ours. no far, unknown, mysterious and frozen outposts for man to dream about. the white north conquered, and turned into factory ground! but young renaud was indulging too soon in boyish regrets over man's conquest of the great white mysteries of the north country. the frozen north still held some surprises for puny man who had dared push his machines of sound and of flight into her vast lonely spaces. the north reached her icy fingers after the huge silver nardak loaded with arctic treasure and headed southward; she roared out her power in merciless blasts that tossed and whirled the great ship like some chip at the base of a cataract. chapter xix in the gondola "be a good sport, scotty! crank her up and give me a call in about three minutes. that's all the time i'll need to get up to the navigation-room." lee renaud, ye tireless radio hound, as his shipmates had laughingly dubbed him, pushed a batch of wireless outfit into the grasp of scotty mcgraw, assistant port-engine tender, with a plea for a little help in testing a new radio device. lee began backing out of the narrow confines of the engine gondola, but he never gained even the flimsy, swaying catwalk leading up into the hull. for, with a roar of fury, a sudden arctic gale struck the ship. it seemed to leap up out of the nowhere to whirl and pound the huge envelope at every point. like so much meal in a sack, renaud was flung crashing back into the gondola. from other parts of the dirigible came rendings and crashings. it was as though the great ship were caught in a giant's hand and flung hither and yon. the arctic had lain bland and tractable for a space, while man in his floating gas bubble had slipped into the frozen domain to rifle it of its stone-sheathed treasures. in suddenly awakened fury, the arctic loosed its weapons of sub-zero, knife-edged gale, hail, sleet, and hurricane swirl that sucked and battered and tore. on through the storm-darkened air, the dirigible plunged, swoop and check, swoop and check, now half capsized, now riding high, now riding low. mountains fell away into blackness; the white land was left behind. they were over the frozen sea. all control of the ship was gone, all sense of direction lost. it might be a hundred miles, a thousand miles off its course. like a toy of the winds, the huge silver bubble was tossed high on the mad currents of the ocean of air. in some upper stratum, a rushing, swirling river of the winds caught the dirigible in its grasp and swept the lost ship back into the north faster than any of its human load had ever traveled before. a hundred, two hundred, three hundred miles an hour--then the speed indicators broke! every part of the ship seemed out of touch with every other part. so far as any human connection was concerned, the engine gondolas, the hull, the fore-car might have been so many separate planets hurtling through space. lee renaud, battered and banged almost to pulp, thought all feeling was gone from him forever. yet in one awful flash, he sensed what was befalling them now. as though the river of air had reached the edge of some unseen, mighty precipice, and flowed over in a deadly, rushing torrent, the ship was sucked down and down over the invisible niagara. through a stratum of sleet it tore and gathered an ice sheathing of dangerous weight. from an engine nacelle came a jerk of machinery striving to lift the great bag. out of the hull rained tanks and stores, as frantic hands cast off ballast to try to save the ship. but it was impossible to halt the down plunge of the huge ship. in another moment, the nardak scraped the ice of the polar sea, its port side grinding against the ice. as the port gondola crashed, renaud had a fleeting sense of being violently projected into space, then smashing heavily into the snow. black mist swept through his brain, cleared. he lay, a mass of aches. then his eyelids flicked open. he tried to scream as he gazed upward. the dirigible, freed of the weight of one engine cabin, had shot high in the air again! in that moment, renaud saw harrison, the meteorologist, and captain bartlot standing at an observation opening and looking down in distress. their eyes, wide with apprehension, seemed fixed on him until the huge balloon disappeared in the mist. from somewhere on high, a piece or two more of ballast crashed down and fell far out on the ice. a little later a thin streak of smoke showed up against the northern sky. had the dirigible caught fire, or was this merely a smoke signal? more terrible than the bitter cold creeping into renaud's body was the desolation creeping into his heart. chapter xx f-o-y-n renaud lay where he had been flung, in a narrow trough of snow that was almost like a coffin. he scarce knew whether he was alive or dead. at first the bitter cold had pierced him sharply. now his arms felt nerveless, like some leaden weights. all sense of touch seemed to have left his hands. he hardly knew whether they were still attached to his wrists or not. suppose he were dead? suppose he were in his coffin? a pleasant stupor was creeping, creeping over him. he was dying. he was freezing to death. through his stupefied brain a tiny thought kept hammering desperately. rouse--move--stir! so the tiny impulse kept throbbing, but slower, and slower now. it was the impulse of life resisting death to the very end. the storm gale had spent itself, but a tag end of wind fluttered across the wastes and hurled snow with a sudden vicious sting into renaud's face. its cold slap roused the boy momentarily. he stirred. his circulation set up its throb again. life was calling. lee forced himself to a sitting posture. he must not give up. he must fight this temptation to abandon himself to this numbing, creeping cold. in slow movements, he freed himself of the drift snow, forced himself to stand, began to put one numb foot before the other in shaky progress across the ice sheet and its swathing of snow. at last he reached the splintered debris of the engine cabin. two men in the wreckage! scotty was breathing. lee could feel the faint movement when he laid his hands on the other's furred garment above the heart. then lee had his arms under scotty's shoulders, shaking him, pounding him, begging him to rouse, to live. in urging another back into life, renaud strengthened his own muscles, hardened his own resolution to fight. it took long labor from both scotty and renaud to revive van granger, the other engineer. he had been stunned by a blow on the head. the left side of his face was all blackened and swollen from impact with the ice. even after his two mates had lifted him, walked him, rubbed up his circulation with desperate, vigorous strokes, he was too weak to do more than sit propped with his back to a snow mound near a tiny warming fire they had started with bits of the splintered wood from the cabin. but they must have some kind of shelter against storm, sleet and cold. here was plenty of material such as the eskimos use for building their round-topped igloos. but scotty and lee knew well enough that their untrained hands held no knack for setting snow blocks into the perfect dome of an igloo. any dome-shaped snow carpentry of theirs was likely to crash down on their heads at the first breath of wind. so they contented themselves with merely setting up straight thick walls of snow blocks. for roofing, they used material they salvaged from the wrecked gondola. over their whole domicile, sides and top, they banked a warm blanket of snow, packed down hard and firm. every bit of food, broken machinery, pieces of wood and metal, were painstakingly gathered and stored within or close beside their shelter. it was a jumbled medley, remnants of broken radio, a case of chocolate, bursted cans of fruit, bundles of fur garments. scattered here and there in the wreckage were lumps of the rich specimen ore taken out of the arctic surface mine. to men marooned on an ice sheet, gold was a mockery. food, instead of gold, was treasure to them now. lee and scotty worked on and on, gathering bits of wreckage, banking deeper their snow roof, pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion. for as long as they labored, they could force off thought. but finally they had to give in to physical weariness, had to drop down to rest. and all unbidden, thoughts marched blackly across their minds. what could be the end? what hope could they have? all they knew of the dirigible was that they had seen it still aloft, swept off in the gale. and then, later, that distant column of smoke. had the silver hull of the nardak gone up in flames? or was that wavering smoke line a beacon, lighted by their shipmates where they had landed? and should the nardak still be safe, and navigable, how would her searching crew ever find the castaways, three minute dots on the vast sheet of ice? for, clad in their grayish white furs, they were scarcely discernible against the white background of ice and snow. lee renaud burrowed his head between his hands, as though by pressure he would stop the ugly round of thought. but thought swept on, ceaselessly. to make matters worse, it was drift ice they were on, a great sheet that constantly changed its position. in a gale, it might be pounded into a thousand pieces and become little pans that would scarce support a man's weight. scotty, a short, heavy-set fellow, wearing spectacles that miraculously had not broken in his fall, worked continually with the remnant of his sun compass and a small magnetic compass. from position, checked by these, and by the loom of some far, white mountain peaks he hazarded a guess that they were in the drift somewhere to the west of spitzbergen--and their nearest land would be the island of foyn, an uninhabited speck in the polar sea, unvisited even by whalers, unless storm drove them there. spitzbergen--foyn! land that guarded the european gateway to the pole! how mighty was the river of the winds! caught in its currents, an exploration expedition had been hurled from the american arctic, across the top of the world, to the polar regions above europe. "if the wind carries the drift aright," scotty pointed to a distant white height, "we may come near foyn island and we may be able to make it to that piece of land by crossing from floe to floe." "foyn--land--uninhabited! this nearest land might be the south pole, for what good it'll do us!" thought lee renaud bitterly. why had he forced himself to live? why hadn't he let himself go in that first quick, merciful stupor? what if they did ever reach that barren, ice-sheathed island? they might eke out their little store of food to last a few weeks. they might catch seals, shoot a bear--get food for a month, for a year. but in the end starvation, exposure, death must claim these forlorn castaways. need to work for another helped renaud shake off some of the black hopelessness that enveloped him. granger, who was ill, had to be warmed and fed, and made comfortable as far as was possible on this insecure haven of drifting ice. cooking a scanty meal, melting snow for water, cutting a crude eye-shade out of wood to protect granger's vision from the snow glare--just such homely tasks as these braced lee renaud and set him on his feet. shame for the weakling thoughts in which he had let himself indulge now swept over him. he was young, he had strength. he would keep his courage up. if he had to die--well, he would die. but he would go like a man, master of himself. determination and courage seemed to color the pitiless, white frozen waste with some glow of hope. the frozen drift felt solid to the feet, anyway. they were here, and they were alive. might as well settle themselves in what comfort they could, and hold on to life as long as possible. out of the jumbled mass of wreckage, he and scotty picked such things as might add to the comfort of their arctic housekeeping. "well, here are knives and forks for our banquets." scotty mac held up some aluminum splinters gathered from around the crashed gondola. "with a little twisting and bending, we might convert 'em into fish hooks, if that'd be more to the point." "and here's something we'll convert into a drinking glass for ice water. my, aren't we magnificent up here in the arctic!" renaud laughingly dug out a glass shade that had once adorned a light in the nardak's lost cabin. "cut glass and very chic! bet when it made that pleasure trip around the world, it never dreamed it would some day be turned upside down to hold drinking water for a trio of derelicts on an ice island! this felt, from under the engine base, might--might--" what he was going to do with the strip of felt, lee renaud failed to say. something else caught his attention. "why--why--" the boy gasped, then went to digging into a mass of chocolate and tinfoil wrapping. something had buried itself down in the very midst of that great bundle of brown sweet. lee worked his hands into the mass, then lifted out some tubes, capped in a white metal. "my radio accumulators!" he shouted. "thought every fraction of the thing was smashed--but here's this much, anyway!" he carefully wiped them off, ran his hands over every part, shook them. the liquid within was safe. the finding of those metal tubes wrought a vast change in lee renaud. his first thought, after regaining consciousness when he had crashed on the ice, had been to signal for help with radio. then he had found his mechanism smashed, an utter wreck. that, most of all, had knocked the heart out of him. he had counted so on radio. and now like a reprieve from the death sentence had come the finding of these tubes, still intact. a couple of tubes,--little enough, but a start anyway. "it's more than von kleist had," lee half whispered to himself. "and three hundred years ago von kleist had the sense to take a bottle, a nail and some salt water, and figure out a way to get an electric spark. it's more than hertz had, either, and he figured out a way to send electric power through the air, for a tiny distance anyway. i can at least rig up some wires and make a try at the thing." it was a large order lee renaud was giving himself--to try to piece up a radio sending machine, the most delicate and powerful of all mechanisms, out of some smashed junk on an arctic ice floe. not for nothing had lee renaud grown up with radio. not for nothing had he followed the work of those old inventors making their way forward, a step at a time. in his own old workshop in the cove, lee had copied those steps in real, working mechanisms that, however crude they might have been, had yet achieved results. a modern, up-to-date inventor would be used to a splendid laboratory, used to purchasing smooth, finished, machine-made products to help with the carrying out of his ideas. but lee renaud, like those oldtime pioneers in electricity, was used to seizing upon wood and wire, scrap metal and glass. it was this crude, hard-bought training that now gave young renaud courage to face some scraps of broken metal and still to hope to build a radio here on drift ice. again and again lee went through every vestige of the wreckage they had salvaged, laying aside such objects as might possibly be of use. some long strips of metal, a heavy base that had once been an engine support--here was a start on the antennae. he wired the strips to the base, then wired them together at the top to insure stability. to his antennae, lee fastened a strip of torn flag that he had found in the wreck. a bit of old glory fluttering above some arctic refugees! lee could not know how often in the near future their eyes would be fixed on that bit of cloth, their minds desperately wondering if the country behind that flag would not make some attempt to save them. working material was of the meagerest. wires had to be soldered--but with what? for a whole period between "two sleeps" (there was not yet any set day and night in this land of the midnight sun), lee worked at two coins, a tin box, and a tiny fire of their precious wood splinters--and in the end achieved a rather creditable metal joining. the cut-glass shade, so very chic, now began a new duty as, combined with some tin, a wood stopper and a piece of wire, it served as a battery unit. lee renaud hardly paused for eating or sleeping. always his fingers were at it, adjusting wires, tubes, battery jars, wiring the parts. he would creep into his sleeping bag to rest, and in less than an hour, while the others were deep in slumber, out he would crawl, to take up his work again. a fever of labor burned within him. he could not lay this thing aside until he finished it, tested it, knew the best or the worst of the case. for the hundredth time, renaud looked up at the bit of flag floating on his arctic aerial. the nation behind the stars and stripes would do something towards rescue if--if only america knew the fate of the greatest dirigible that had ever left its shores. it was to combat that "if" that renaud squatted beside the tangled mass of wires and jars and metal scraps which he prayed would act the part of a radio sender. anyway, the thing sparked! there was some power to it! all in a tremble he raised his finger to tap the first code click over radio adrift in the arctic. foyn, the name of their nearest land, that was the first word to send. "f-o-y-n on the air, f-o-y-n--" and that was all renaud's radio clicked. for with a shout of anguish tearing up through his throat, he sprang to his feet, overturning the radio in a tangled mass of loosed wire and broken battery, and sped towards the ice edge. van granger had been lying on a pallet of furs at the water's edge where he could entertain himself with trying for fish with a piece of twisted aluminum for a hook. being still weak and sick, he had fallen asleep. in a lane of sea water, not twenty feet from the sick man, lee had glimpsed a dark form gliding under the surface. in the next instant, thirty feet of sea monster rolled to the surface, all hideous saw-toothed black snout, and leaped high out of the water towards the ice edge. chapter xxi killers of the arctic "help! scotty! killer whales!" screamed lee, plunging forward, striving to pull pallet, sick man and all back from the edge of the ice. at lee's shout, the sea monster slid back into the depths. but not for long! there came a swish, a puff. out of the water was thrust again the huge black snout, in which were set two wicked little eyes. other black snouts were thrust above water. ten, maybe twenty killers rolled surfacewards and spouted. scotty was beside young renaud now, helping him drag the sick man back and back from the water's edge. their hearts throbbed painfully. it had been a close call. another instant and the sea killer would have snatched off the helpless victim and sunk to the chill, dark depths to gorge itself on a meal of human meat. "hi, ya! sea wolves! tigers of the sea!" such were the epithets scotty hurled forth as he shook his fist at the sinister black crew that kept rising at the ice edge, sinking, rising again to glare with ravenous, evil eyes at meat that had moved out of reach. many times before this, scotty had seen service in the arctic waters, and knew well enough about the killer whales. like the wolf-pack of the snow barrens, these ferocious sea creatures hunted in bands. the man shuddered now when he remembered what he had seen of the killers on the trail. sometimes these carnivori swallowed dolphins alive without even taking trouble to kill them. sometimes the killer-pack attacked a huge bowhead whale, beat him into submission with leapings and poundings of their lithe, cruel black bodies, devoured him ferociously, first the lips, then the tongue, then the rest of the monstrous, helpless body. anxiously the marooned men watched the horizon for thunderhead and storm cloud. suppose a tempest rolled up, drove their ice field hither and yon on the sea, smashed and ground it to pieces? it would mean a terrible end, with the killer-pack of the sea nosing in, ready to devour. it was hard to set the thoughts on anything else save the sinister sea shapes that slunk away mysteriously for long stretches, then rolled back into view, to glide and blow and watch with evil, hungry eyes. somehow, though, lee forced his mind and his hands to concentrate on the scattered debris of his broken radio. for hours he labored, repairing the condenser, straightening springs, connecting wires. "f-o-y-n"--that one call had gone out on the air from his machine. had anyone heard it? would he ever be able to send another? an hour, eight hours, for days, the struggle went on. a black-haired boy out on the bleak white of drift ice striving to rehabilitate a dead radio! no tools, no resources, no anything save some broken wires and metal pieces--and the eternal ice! a wire bent here, a patient bit of soldering there--then all of a sudden he was in touch! he had done it, made the connection, fired again the spark of electricity that was the life of radio! something was coming in! a chitter-chatter of faint telegraphic code! "latitude --on the ice--drifting--" that was all. no matter how renaud sent out an answering call, begged, pleaded, tapped out the code, nothing more came in. by the buzz from the wire circuit of his direction-finder, the call had come from the north. from the dirigible--it could be from no other! for a brief second these two widely separated sections of the ill-fated expedition had been in touch. then something had broken the connection. atmospheric condition--disaster--storm, who could tell what? never another sound came from the north. renaud and his companions comforted themselves with the belief that their shipmates aboard the dirigible had survived thus far. except for the briefest periods off for rest and food, and to race up and down the ice sheet to stir circulation against the treacherous creep of the bitter cold, lee renaud hung feverishly over his radio. it was their one hope, their one connecting link to anything beyond this frozen hell. two more days dragged by their torturous lengths, and except for its own little lonely click, the drift-ice radio brought no other sound. it seemed insane to continue to place hope on this pile of junk. it had reached a little way into some near region--once--and that was all. scotty began to plan how they could strike out over the ice on foot, move on somewhere, anywhere, in hope of getting nearer to land. this inaction was terrible. but there was van granger to be thought of, sick and nearly helpless. sensing a discussion that he could not hear, van granger began begging his companions to kill him, to put him out of his misery. he wanted to be no drag, holding other men from their chance to make a dash for life. without the burden of him, they could carry food--for a greater distance. after that, lee and scotty always kept their weapons with them, or hidden out on the ice. words of comfort and assurance seemed to make no impression on the sick mind of their injured companion. they feared that he would do himself some bodily injury. in the midst of black hopelessness, lee aimlessly tinkered at the radio outfit. he shunted wires here and there, set a tube connection higher--and with a sudden crackle of spark, code began sliding in! "v-i-a-t-k-a," lee, counting code with one hand, scratched the mysterious letters on the snow beside him. exhilaration shot through him. he was in touch with something--but what, where? "viatka--viatka!" there it came again and other letters in a strange jumble that he could not seem to unravel. the direction-finder indicated south, east. frantically lee poured his own code on the air. he got nothing more, made no other connection, could only content himself with the fact that his radio was reaching somewhere beside the floes of arctic. what lee did not know was that, days ago, his first brief call, "f-o-y-n," had been picked up by a young russian amateur wireless operator by the name of arloff, living in a village in the government of viatka. just the faint, far signal of four mysterious letters! this call out of the ether intrigued arloff. he wired it on to moscow, from whence it was spread throughout the world. men began putting two and two together. foyn--an island at the gateway to the north pole! the dirigible nardak lost above northern america after a great storm which had rolled down thence--for days all radio communication cut off from the nardak, and no more word from her. and now this mysterious call, "f-o-y-n." did that call hold the answer to the dark riddle of the lost ship? the mental eye of the world focused upon that bit of frozen land in the polar ocean. though he knew nothing of this, though some atmospheric disturbance of the air ceiling interfered with his receiving, lee renaud continued to doggedly tap out his radio call of location--needs--a cry for help. in siberia, alaska, canada, stations keyed by that mysterious "f-o-y-n" checked in his message, tried to check their answering call across the frozen wastes--but some arctic interference barred the sound. then came some sudden change in atmospheric conditions, storm-charged stratum of interference lifted, sound went through. it was from the lofty wireless towers at fort churchill, an outpost of civilization on hudson bay, that an operator got the "touch" through to renaud. "putting through to f-o-y-n--clear the air, all else--courage to the marooned--help coming--the planes and ice-breakers of five nations to the rescue!" "rescue! rescue!" shouted lee renaud, then his fingers fell to tapping again. "stand by--the arctic on the air--f-o-y-n heard the message--we live--" lee renaud slid to his knees, a prayer of thankfulness in his heart, then fainted dead away in the snow. chapter xxii hope and despair "tat! tat! t-t-tat!" it was working, the radio code was coming in! they were in touch! the wonder of it! from this lone camp out here on the drift ice, the operator with his patched-up radio set was in voice connection with lands hundreds--yes, thousands of miles away. some metal strips wired together, their bases banked in snow, lifted their slender height above this tiny camp on a drift-island of ice. renaud's radio aerial! beneath it, a black-haired boy with determination in set of jaw, dark eyes fever-bright, hands that trembled from hunger weakness in spite of the grip a fellow kept upon himself! that was renaud, huddled at patient work over screws and coils and some solder on a tin box. it took continual nursing to keep the metal patches and makeshifts in place, to keep this thing clicking. but he was doing it! taps--more taps! he was in touch again with that hudson bay operator at a station that was a whole ocean and half a continent away. "renaud--up about foyn--are you on the air? keep in touch with us. your country is organizing search crews. airplanes and ice-breaker ships from other nations joining the search. give us news of the lost dirigible. give us your needs." instead of being perched out on a hunk of ice in the vast arctic, lee renaud, wireless operator, might, for all the precision of the affair, have been seated in a swivel-chair at the telegraph desk in some forty-story city skyscraper sending a message over the wires. he was on the ice--but the messages were going through in great shape. "stand by--renaud on the air! no more word from the dirigible, save that call from the th latitude. still clinging to hope for them. our needs--everything. something dry to stand on, medicine for our eyes, and food, food!" lee shivered in his soggy furs. it was a marvel to be in touch even by sound. but a nearer touch must come soon, rescue. their ice island was breaking in long black lanes. every hour now the encroaching water perilously ensmalled their domain. later that day the tapping in the radio box began again. the powerful arm of canadian radio was reaching out with its vicarious comfort. it was a strange, homely message that traveled over the frozen wastes this time. it had started from somewhere down south. hundreds of amateur radio operators of the monstrous, friendly radio relay organization of america had kept the word going. a radio "ham" in hillton, alabama, had picked it out of the air and had wirelessed it on to bington. a bington amateur had put it on to johnston. by devious, criss-cross routes, a crippled boy's little message had sped across the length of the united states, across part of canada, and now had been flung on the air from that greatest of northern stations, the hudson's bay aerial, to speed on waves of ether till that makeshift aerial near foyn caught the words: "lee renaud, king's cove is praying for you. your true friend, jimmy bobb." lee renaud had need of prayers--adrift as he was on breaking ice, with one companion injured and the other slowly falling a prey to ice-blindness. under the pound of the winds and the steady grind of the waves, their piece of ice was steadily diminishing. where it had once stretched a limitless field, it now lay a mere thousand feet long by some seven hundred wide. wet winds had turned its cover of snow into a slush two feet deep. lee and scotty were continually having to move van granger to new ridges to keep him above the slush. despite the crude eye-shades that they had whittled out of wood and tied above their brows, the awful ice glare had wrought havoc with scotty's eyes, which were blue and seemed far more susceptible to the ice dazzle than did renaud's dark eyes. twice now, ice breaks had further ensmalled their island. with terrific labor, they had moved their precious pieces of broken planking, their radio, their scanty stores, farther in to the tough heart of the floe. scotty's eyes had gotten so bad by this time that he hadn't even seen a white bear, huge sneak-thief that had crossed from another floe, come creeping, creeping on its broad pads to dig into their pemmican cache. a quick shot from renaud's rifle made the dangerous marauder take to water with lightning speed for so lumbering a beast, and soon it disappeared in the maze of floating tablelands. lee looked regretfully after so many hundred pounds of meat disappearing into the distance. they had need, dire need of that warming, rich bear steak and of the thick fur. a pity his hand had trembled so! "t-t-tat, t-tat!" staccato stutter of radio coming in again! oslo, norway, sending the call. "courage! relief operations pushing forward. the russian boat, kravassin, most powerful ice-breaker in the world, smashing her way up into the north towards spitzbergen to act as base ship for the rescue planes. dog-sledge camps being laid on mainland to act as further supply bases for rescue flight. advance wedge of three great airplanes winging into the arctic now." rescue on the way even now! and the metallic click of his tiny radio bringing the news to the human flotsam out on the drift ice! "rescue coming! wonderful! and yet--" like some black thread of cloud that spreads till it darkens a whole horizon, a cloud of premonition, of anxiety, spread over lee renaud's jubilation. "scotty," queried lee, looking out over the limitless stretches of broken, drifting white, "how big is this sea we are in?" "um--let me see!" scotty, unbelievably darkened by snow glare, black whiskers standing out fiercely round his emaciated face, kept his hand to his poor suffering eyes, and answered slowly. "perhaps it's a thousand miles one way, by about fifteen hundred the other." "thousand--fifteen hundred!" gasped renaud. "why, scotty, we're lost in a sea as big as the whole united states east of the mississippi. and somewhere in that stretch of water are the pin points that are us! a silver dot further on, maybe, that's the nardak! however--why, no lookout in a speeding airship can ever sight us! how can we hope?" "miracles. they still happen, sometimes," said the half-blind scotty. the next day, when lee was trying to divide their remnant of provisions, a little chocolate and a little pemmican, into as small portions as would sustain life, so that it would last as long as possible, he heard a sound up in the sky. a zoom, far away yet coming nearer, nearer! scotty heard it too, and ran staggering blindly in circles in the snow, shouting. a speck in the sky, coming close, closer--a great monoplane with orange fuselage and silver wing. in a furor of relief and excitement, renaud and scotty shouted, waved, threw things in the air. on it came from the south. the pilot must have seen them and was heading their way--no, no, he was passing too far to the left. he was missing them! like statues, the two on the drift ice stood rooted to their tracks. from within the cabin, granger's weak voice called fretfully, wanting to know what the shouting was, what was happening? nothing--nothing was happening. ah, yes, it was! the ship of the air was coming back, coursing in the sky trails like some trusty hunter on the scent. ola, it must locate them this time! wasn't that the engine slowing, the pilot "cutting the gun" for a swoop to their floe? but above, and still far away to the left of the three on the great white waste, the pilot in his silver and orange craft kept on his way, unseeing. after him rose hoarse shouts, that the wind whipped to nothing before they could ever reach him. somewhere below him, two humans flung up their arms and dropped in the snow. hope had gone. chapter xxiii fighting through radio had brought ships of the air and ships of the sea into the arctic to search for the lost crew from the great nardak. radio must now be the guide to focus the eyes of the searchers upon these dots that were freezing, starving humans on the boundless wastes. like one demented, lee renaud hung over his crude sending machine, tap-tapping his call into the air. he ate next to nothing, slept only in snatches. he must get in touch with spitzbergen, with the base ship, the kravassin, anchored there. since that first disappointment, two other planes had circled in and passed on, unseeing. these were two seaplanes, sturdy white-winged biplanes, with black fuselage. they had come that close, near enough for men on the ice to see, yet not to be seen. frantic efforts to signal from the ice had been all in vain. one plane had hung in the air for an hour's reconnaissance, then had disappeared in the grim arctic horizon, flying back toward spitzbergen. "put radios on the rescue planes. put radios on the rescue planes, short-wave, telegraphic type. sending station f-o-y-n on the drift ice can then communicate direct and give signals to bring the planes to the refugees. s. o. s. to the world! help! relay the word to spitzbergen. f-o-y-n can't make the touch to its nearest station." thus, hour after hour, renaud sent his call. for forty hours now, there had been no radio connection between the refugee camp and the rest of the world. atmospheric disturbances, most likely,--a storm brewing and rolling up interference between the makeshift station and the stations of a listening world! the snow haze was creeping over the horizon, forerunner of evil weather. and out in the water lanes, dark forms rose now and again with a swish and a puff, rolled to blow, and sank again. killer whales come back, like under-sea vultures, to await what storm and death might fling to them. on and on went renaud with his tapping. there was nothing else to do. answer or no answer, his fingers kept doggedly to their task. tap--listen--tap--and the snow haze closing down. then through the dimness to the southwest, a puff of smoke rose slim and tall, and then spread out on the damp air in a long wavering line. another smoke puff, closer this time! smoke bombs! signals dropped from a plane! with a sudden chitter-chatter that sent his heart pounding up into his very throat for joy, renaud's little radio picked up a call out of the near air. the plane--it was sending the radio call! it was carrying a wireless set, as renaud had pleaded! with flying fingers, renaud tapped out his location. "here--to the east of the smoke bomb! more to the east! now to the north!" on came the plane. it was so easy now, with connection between ground and air. the plane was the splendid silver and orange monoplane that had searched in vain for them a day ago. now it swept in a direct line above them, flew low over the ice pack--lower, lower, but did not land. "major ravoia in the sd- . no chance to land. break of the ice would sink us all." it was a message that sent renaud reeling across his machine. but if the sd- could not land, something else could. from over the edge of the plane, as it hovered low, an object was dropped. this fell free for a space, then fluttered open into a parachute to which was attached a large box. as gently as a hand setting a fragile glass on a table, the broad, inverted chalice of the parachute let its weight down and down till it eased against the ice. renaud had raised his head to watch. now he went across the ice to the box with its draping of collapsed parachute. with a piece of metal he beat open the top--began lifting out the contents. it was enough to stir the heart of any half-starved marooner--food, clothing, snow glasses, bandages and medicines, rifles and ammunition and a collapsible rubber boat. "dry clothing! something to eat! medicine for your eyes!" he called out huskily to poor scotty, who, scarce seeing at all now, came wavering across the snow slush. the silver and orange of the monoplane was lifting above their heads now, but its wireless was pouring out a staccato message that came sliding briskly into the radio base on the drift ice: "don't despair. the ice-breaker kravassin is fighting through to you. by radio connection i can locate you again; can pilot the ice ship on." with a zooming roar, the sd- was gone. so quickly did the flash of orange and silver disappear into the lowering haze, that it seemed almost a dream that it had ever hovered within hailing distance. only, here was the food, the clothing, the strange rubber boat, the parachute that had eased them to the ice. and on the air still seemed to hang the sd- 's message: "don't despair--kravassin fighting through!" on the great russian ice-breaker hung their last hope. chapter xxiv on to glory the little group huddled close on their piece of drift. in the past hour, winds had swept a huge tableland of frozen white so near that it had verged on riding down the castaways. but instead a veer of the wind had sent it scraping by, and shearing off the whole eastern edge of their domain. a few more such vast, unwelcome visitors and their island would be ground to bits. young renaud, the only one of the three whom exposure had not crippled in some way, had hastily gathered together portions of their supplies in packs that could be strapped to each person. the queer rubber boat was ready for launching though it seemed beyond reason to hope that this frail craft could live for even a moment in that grinding, crashing, ice-strewn sea. with a sudden hoarse cry, lee renaud leaped to his feet, seized the half-blind scotty by the shoulder. "quick! help me lift granger to the boat! in it yourself! i'll stand ready to push off if--if what's coming strikes!" whatever the thing was, tornado or waterspout, a crash seemed imminent. straight toward the piteous group on their drift island, the stormy line of white moved. tons of ice were hurled up in great masses that crashed back to churn the sea in gigantic geyser spouts of turmoil. lee renaud shivered and closed his eyes. it would soon be the end. god give him strength to meet that end like a man! shoulders squared, head up, young renaud stood beneath his wireless aerial with its fluttering bit of flag that was a little piece of america up here in the farthest north. boom, crash, boom! it was a titanic sight, ice ripped and torn by terrific power. then behind the ice, through the ice, there came a strange sight. not the tornado whirl lee renaud was expecting, but the great prow of a vessel. the most powerful ice-breaker of the north, the kravassin, fighting through to the rescue! renaud's heart stood still. relief at the reprieve from death itself rushed through him in a revulsion of feeling that left him weak. his limbs were as water, his bones were as sand. he crumpled to his knees. it was a stupendous spectacle that renaud was given to watch--a gigantic battle between the vessel's ten thousand horsepower engines and the frozen clutch of the north. how could the great ship smash through to the tiny island without sinking it? in anguish, renaud watched the oncoming, triple-sheathed ram of the kravassin cut her terrible path. the refugees would be submerged, swept off their ice. how could the monster heave in to them without drowning them? but with a sure hand, markovitch, captain of the mighty ice-breaker, sent his crashing, metal-clad monster in a great circle about the marooners' piece of floe. then cutting in, he made a smaller circle, and a still smaller circle--eased his huge vessel close. movement was slow. the great ram of the prow, instead of smashing, was nosing in, creeping in now. with a shudder of steam exhaust, she came to rest, her bulk pushing together the ice drift before her to make a white bridge to the marooners' island. over her side swarmed a rescue crew, ravoia of the sd- leading on foot now to the little ice island he had located from the air days ago. the castaways were rushed back, sped across rocking floe, lifted across little chasms that in another moment would be great chasms. at the ship itself, ladders and hawsers and scores of willing hands waited to draw them up to safety. "easy now! he's injured! that one's not seeing much. easy, easy!" rose calls from the ice. blanket slings hoisted up van granger and scotty. lee renaud had the strength to go up and over by himself, though the feel of solid ship beneath him took the last of his fighting spirit out of him. safe! he didn't have to be strong for himself and for the sick and injured men longer. he was going to make a fool of himself--going to faint. he fought off blackness in vain. he felt kind hands catch him, lower him. the last he heard was ravoia calling out, "hey, get this up--renaud's wireless. it's made history, linked the world." when renaud came to, he had the feeling that he was still on a bit of drift ice, that it must all be a marvelous dream--the great ship, comforts, warmth, the crew calling him a hero. with the picking up of these first refugees, the kravassin's work had just begun. on into the frozen north she pushed, following that one clue of the lost dirigible, that faint wireless call renaud's radio had picked up--"adrift on ice. latitude ." life aboard the kravassin was one steady round of excitement. food and comforts soon brought lee's strong young body back to normal. snug in furs, from hooded parka to boot tip, he took his part in the work as the steel-clad ram bucked the floes, deeper and deeper into the frozen ocean of the arctic. never was there such a ship as the kravassin, never such a method of fighting the power of ice. with metal ram to crack the ice, with keel built to ride the floe in slide movement, with ten thousand horsepower engines to push her, the kravassin fought her fight. huge water tanks, fore and aft, were filled or emptied at the rate of hundreds of tons an hour, so the weight could be increased enormously to crush the ice or so the ship could roll to smash itself free. for a week the kravassin pushed on, pathmaking through the frozen pack, heading north, trailing the faint clue--"lost at ." it was hopeless. the arctic summer light was merging into the twilight that meant the beginning of the long night of the arctic winter. man must flee before that long period of darkness descended. part of the crew were ready to turn back. they had done their duty, had crossed ,--no lost dirigible was in these parts. perhaps it was all a hallucination of young renaud's fevered mind--that radio call from the north. so the talk went. they must push on, farther still; it was drift ice the call had come from; the dirigible may have been swept on and on. renaud pleaded and begged for a longer search. he reinforced his pleading with promise of rich pay out of the golden treasure that had crashed with the gondola on the ice. because of renaud's intense belief in that faint call, the mighty search went on yet a little longer. steel prow crashing tons of ice to the sky and back--airship flotilla searching from the upper strata--men's eyes strained ahead for glint of lost silver hulk! a second week was wearing itself away when lookouts sighted a thread of smoke on the north horizon. a day later the kravassin had fought through to that smoke. chapter xxv from the desert of ice small wonder that none had glimpsed the silver hull of the great nardak! for on the desert of ice, when the search party from the kravassin made landing, they found the whole crew of the lost dirigible--but no dirigible. not at first, anyway. instead before their eyes lay a vast mound of snow. within those tons of white drift lay the wreck of the nardak--two engines smashed, and no fuel to run those that were left. haggard, bearded men, in whom hope had long been dead, laughed and shouted and prayed when they saw the great ship, and the rescue party swarming over the ice. "the impossible! a miracle out of the sky! how are we found?" gasped the worn, emaciated captain jan. "the miracle? wireless it was," markovitch the russian made answer in his halting, precise english. he whirled renaud around and thrust him forward. "and this youngster the miracle-man is. with some broken wire and bottles, he called to the world, and the world sent men to the rescue." but miracles were not over, for the wreck of the nardak was to go out of the arctic under her own power. snow was shoveled off the huge hull. the kravassin's machine shop had tools and furnaces and fusing power to rehabilitate the dirigible and put her back into the air again. sufficient fuel was spared from the ship's tanks to get the nardak to spitzbergen, that strange arctic island port where enormous gasoline tanks and lofty aerials of radio towers mark man's progress in the conquest of the ice country. from spitzbergen, the route lay on to oslo, norway, where further repairing and refueling were attended to. then it was off across the north atlantic, headed for the welcoming shores of america! these adventurers into the mysterious north were bringing back wealth, and a knowledge of where lay nakaluka, that arctic lake edged with rock rich in golden gifts. arctic gold had nearly cost them their lives, but it had led them to witness strange, wild sights. now that it was nearly over, lee renaud felt thankful for that wonderful experience--and living to get out again. behind them lay a great white land of a frozen world lit by weird lights, swept by winds of power--a mighty splendor that few humans ever see and live to tell of. before them lay home! across the atlantic in two days! sighting the shores of america--passing above the great statue of the goddess of liberty, her arm lifted in silent greeting--then on over new york, and landing beyond the city! radio, the long arm of mysterious sound that had rescued the nardak from the ice barrens--radio now welcomed her home. since the time the nardak had touched on the shores of civilized europe, hour by hour, minute by minute, america had kept track of her return. bulletins had posted the shops and theaters of the land, "nardak four hours away"--"nardak sighted"--"nardak coming in!" lee renaud knew from the interest and enthusiasm of those radio calls that the home country was awaiting her wanderers--but for all that, he was taken back by the vast crowd that viewed their arrival. as far as the eye could see, the flying field, the streets, the housetops were black with people. bands were playing. a thunder of shouts greeted the dirigible as she settled on american soil once again. young renaud was among the last to step down from the nardak's open hatch. a hush fell as he came into sight, and a pathway opened before him. then captain bartlot had him by the shoulder, pushing him forward, making him look up to where a triumphal arch loomed right ahead--an arch built of flowers, decked with the flags of the nations of the world and set with letters thirty inches high. lee renaud's head swam dizzily as he looked up at those letters: "stand by--the arctic on the air! greeting to renaud of the radio! he linked the world with his wireless call!" and america greeted her renaud. shouts roared up. people laughed and cried and hurrahed over a bewildered, dark-haired hero, who couldn't quite take it in that it was he they were shouting over. out of the throng, an imposing gentleman fought his way close, grasped lee's hand and burst into hurried speech: "represent the amalgamated radio corporation of america--have come a thousand miles to be first on the ground. our corporation offers you a million dollars for the rights to your portable radio--" "sir, i'll talk later--please," and lee pushed forward. over there, could he believe his eyes? his mother, great-uncle gem pounding his cane and waving wildly, jimmy bobb in a chair--they had come all the way here, just to see him! [illustration: cover art] the dreadnought of the air glories of sea and air series by percy f. westerman the mystery ship the rival submarines billy barcroft of the r.n.a.s. a watch-dog of the north sea a sub of the r.n.r. the dreadnought of the air publishers partridge london [illustration: "she was describing a succession of 'loops,' while her motors were still running." frontispiece] the dreadnought of the air by percy f. westerman author of "the rival submarines" etc., etc., etc publishers partridge london made in great britain contents. chap. i. concerning sub-lieutenant dacres ii. the french instructor iii. removed from the navy list iv. the mysterious airship v. a momentous train journey vi. challenged vii. the return of the airship viii. whittinghame's narrative ix. the flight to london x. the stolen plans xi. the "meteor" xii. the "meteor's" debut xiii. an official and an unofficial inspection xiv. across greenland xv. the north pole xvi. in the nick of time xvii. zaypuru's bold stroke xviii. the disaster to the "libertad" xix. investigating the wreck xx. a hazardous proposal xxi. within the cavarale prison xxii. dacres reminds the admiral xxiii. locomotive versus aeroplane xxiv. a brush with the indians xxv. the capture of the cavarale xxvi. unable to rise xxvii. preparing for the president's visit xxviii. a prisoner of war xxix. work for the seaplanes xxx. the fall of naocuanha xxxi. a surprise for dacres xxxii. a submarine encounter xxxiii. news of durango xxxiv. the chase xxxv. the thunderstorm xxxvi. the abandoned flying-boat xxxvii. the galapagos fishermen xxxviii. cornered xxxix. dacres' promotion the dreadnought of the air. chapter i. concerning sub-lieutenant dacres. it was thursday afternoon--make and mend clothes day as it is known in the royal navy. h.m.s. "royal oak," a super-dreadnought now relegated to the second class, lay at moorings off singapore. two cables' length ahead of her swung her sister ship the "repulse," flying the flag of admiral maynebrace commanding the special squadron, now on a cruise round the world in order to display the white ensign in foreign waters as a gentle reminder to petty potentates that the british lion's tail could not be twisted with impunity. the heat was terrific. the sun's scorching rays beat down with relentless violence upon the white awnings that shrouded the warships from bow to stern. the glare, reflected from the oily sea, seemed to penetrate everywhere on board in spite of electric fans and the latest type of ventilators. officers and men, used though they were to the heat of the tropics, were reduced to a state of perspiring listlessness. alacrity seemed for the time being no longer the characteristic of the british seamen. one and all they barely existed in nature's stew-pan and waited for the sun to set. to add to the discomfort the crew of the "royal oak" were rankling under a grievance. hitherto first in the list for prize-firing, they had been ousted from their proud position by the flagship: and the flagship didn't forget to crow over her success. had the contest been carried out under equal conditions and the "royal oak" had "gone under" the disappointment would not have been so great; but the "repulse" had gained the position of "top-dog" more by a fluke than anything else. "makes one feel jolly rotten," remarked eccles, the "royal oak's" gunnery jack. "the service papers at home will publish the results and add a lot about the superb efficiency of the flagship and the lamentable falling-off of the 'royal oak's' gun-layers. all that sort of twaddle, you know: penny-a-line stuff from a fellow who does not know a fifteen-inch from a seven-pounder." "you'll bet your bottom dollar, eccles, there won't be a word said about the flagship making her record with the beaufort scale logged as o (a flat calm), while our packet was shoving her nose into it with the fo'c'sle awash and everything battened down. ugh! it makes me wild," rejoined commander bourne. "healthy rivalry is all very well, but----" "i don't know whether you heard the yarn," said eccles, "but indirectly an outstanding row between the admiral and the skipper has something to do with it: a little misunderstanding they had when they were at osborne, i believe. and the fact that maynebrace is now an admiral and staggers only a captain doesn't improve matters. the owner forgets sometimes that the admiral's grandfather was an earl and his only a post-captain." "i did hear something of the sort," replied bourne. "it's a pity that personal matters are taken into consideration in the service. anyway, captain staggers would be glad of a chance to pull the admiral's leg." "hear that?" asked little dick alderney, the midshipman of the watch. "rather," agreed sub-lieutenant basil dacres emphatically. "it almost gives one a cue." basil dacres was a tall, alert-looking young officer of nineteen. his features were clean cut, his complexion tanned to a deep brown by reason of exposure to the sun and the salt breezes of three of the five oceans. his athletic frame betokened a zest for sport, for in spite of the heat he paced the deck with an elasticity of tread that denoted exceptional physical energy. it did not take long for an observer to come to the right conclusion that basil dacres' solemnity of manner when on duty was an acquired one. those dancing clear blue eyes betrayed the inborn love of a high-spirited nature. even the rigid rules and regulations of the service could not break his fondness of practical joking. yet, somehow, he contrived to wriggle out of the dire consequences without dishonour, and upon calming down he would enter into the preparatory stages of perpetrating another joke. upon the eve of his departure from home on the present commission this trait asserted itself. dacres' little pranks were invariably intended to be of a harmless nature, but sometimes the result surpassed his expectations. dacres' father was a retired colonel who, possessed of ample private means, kept a large establishment in the west end. the colonel was absolutely military to the backbone, a martinet even in home life, although "his bark was worse than his bite." one thing is certain, basil dacres never inherited the lighter vein from his father, for the latter was never known to have spoken a funny sentence except by a sheer accident; and then, when the rest of the mess laughed, he was completely puzzled to know why. it happened that the thursday on which the sub was to leave to join his ship was his mother's at-home day, and mrs. dacres' at-homes were always well-attended. on this occasion there were present a colonial bishop and his wife in addition to the usual "smart-set" in which the hostess moved. now mrs. dacres' georgian silver tea service was the envy and admiration of her guests, and mrs. colonial bishop had been previously told to pay particular attention to the magnificent teapot. in came the head footman, resplendent in his fine livery and powdered hair, and placed the tray in front of the hostess. the far-famed teapot, enveloped in a huge cosy, was for the time being hidden from admiring and covetous eyes. "pouring-out" was one of the great events of mrs. dacres' at-homes: it was a sort of sacrifice at the altar of conventionality. the hostess, after having asked whether the guests took cream and sugar, made a preliminary flourish ere removing the covering that hid the gorgeous silver teapot. the act was a silent appeal for attention, and all eyes were fixed in anticipation upon the piece of plate that held the fragrant beverage. with the dexterity of a practised conjuror mrs. dacres lifted the cosy. . . . in the place of the teapot was a huge tortoise that blinked solemnly at the sudden transit from darkness into light, and proceeded to slowly waddle across the slippery silver tray. the next instant, amidst a chorus of shrieks, tortoise and tea-things, including the choicest crown derby, clattered on the floor. the sub's departure took place under a cloud. his mother's farewell was somewhat chilly, while the colonel spoke his mind in a very blunt manner. "mark my words, you confounded young fool!" he said, "unless you stop this sort of thing there'll be trouble. it will end with your being court-martialled and kicked out of the service. and, by jove! if you are, don't look to me for any sympathy." but the funny part about the whole business was that basil knew nothing about the tortoise episode until after the tea cosy was removed. his part of the joke was to take the blame upon his broad shoulders and to chuckle at the idea that he had been accused of what he had not done. he was not asked for an explanation, nor did he give one. he had no wish that punishment should fall upon the real culprit--his ten-year-old brother, clarence; for the fond parents never for one moment suspected that guile could be found in their cherub-faced youngest-born child. "give you a cue--what about?" asked the midshipman. the sub brought himself up with a round turn. he realized that perhaps it was not altogether wise to confide in his subordinate over the plan that had readily resolved itself in his brain. "h'm!" he ejaculated. "eccles seems rather up the pole about the prize-firing result. i suppose it's natural." "well, aren't you, sir?" asked alderney. "i know i am, and so are the rest of the gun-room. just fancy! the midshipmen of the flagship, whom we licked hollow at cricket, actually had the cheek to row round the ship with a cock perched on a jack-staff in the bows, and the whole crowd crowing like anything. beastly bad form, i call it. after all, gunnery isn't everything, as the admiral ought to know he had with the 'aphrodite.'" "the submarine? yes, i remember. she's 'm. i.' now. that business has given us a good lead in submarines and pretty well knocked the flying branch into a cocked hat, worse luck." and dacres shook his shoulders deprecatingly. he had volunteered for the service with the naval wing of the royal flying corps, but owing to an unexpected decision on the part of the first lord to cut down that part of the service his offer had been declined. just then sinclair, the duty-sub for the first dog watch, came on deck, and dacres, freed from his responsible duty of doing nothing in particular, made his way below to the gun-room. there the conversation was mainly upon the bumptiousness of the flagship. dacres said little, but thought the more. after a while he went to the half-deck and knocked at the gunnery lieutenant's cabin door. he was there for nearly an hour, at the end of which time he applied for leave till eight bells (noon) on the following day. this he obtained without difficulty, then changing into mufti he went ashore. chapter ii. the french instructor. singapore in the year was a very important naval station. during the last six or seven years it had undergone great changes. the practical abandonment of a powerful war-squadron on the china station, owing to the understanding with japan, had led to a decline in the greatness of hong-kong as a base. and what hong-kong had lost singapore had gained--with compound interest. henceforth that little island at the extreme south of the malay peninsula was to be the greatest british naval station on the portals of the pacific. additional docks, capable of taking the largest battleships afloat, had been constructed, with smaller basins for submarines, of which twelve of the "c" class and six of the "d" type were stationed there. bomb-proof sheds for seaplanes had been built, and the whole defended by modern forts armed with the most up-to-date and powerful guns. at half-past eight on the morning following the event recorded in the first chapter a signal was made from the dockyard to the flagship of rear-admiral maynebrace. it read: "commander-in-chief to 'repulse': french instructor will proceed on board at four bells. please send boat to meet him at kelang steps." the receipt of this message was duly acknowledged and then communicated through the manifold yet proper channels to the gun-room, where the midshipmen received it with ill-concealed disgust. they had planned a picnic along the well-kept country road that, fringed on either side by unbroken avenues of fruit-trees and luxuriant palms, led to the lofty who hen kang. there they had hoped to revel in the gorgeous glades, eating pine-apples and coco-nuts till the services of the sick-bay staff might have to be called into requisition. the prospect, ignoring the consequences of their injudicious appetites, was most alluring; till almost on the eve of the anticipated picnic came this disconcerting message that the french instructor was about to come off to the ship. french lessons with the temperature at ninety-eight in the shade! this ordeal was sufficient to crush even the resistance of a punch-ball, let alone a dozen irresponsible midshipmen. such terrors did not exist for rear-admiral maynebrace. he had forgotten all the foreign languages that had been dinned into his head forty years ago, and since the king's regulations say nothing about flag officers polishing up their french, maynebrace felt no qualms. as it happened he had an invitation to meet the governor. with due ceremony the admiral was piped over the side and his motor-pinnace landed him at the kelang steps. somehow there was no conveyance in waiting, not even a rickshaw, so maynebrace and his flag-lieutenant had to walk. on his way through the dockyard the admiral's attention was directed towards an individual who, even amidst the quaintly-costumed inhabitants of singapore, looked singularly bizarre. the person who attracted the notice of the mighty maynebrace was tall, inclined to corpulence, and bowed in the shoulders. his sun-dried face was partly concealed by a bristling black moustache and an imperial. his hair, or at least what was visible outside a top hat of wondrous style, was grey. a white waistcoat, buttoned almost to bursting strain over his _embonpoint_ and fitting where it touched elsewhere, was cut deeply at the throat, revealing a wide, turned-down collar and an enormous red silk tie. his frock coat was of a late nineteenth century pattern; while his trousers, baggy fore and aft, were at one time "white ducks": now they were saffron colour. sky-blue socks and brown canvas shoes completed the extraordinary "get-up." as this remarkable personage passed the admiral he hesitated a moment, then removing his "stove-pipe" made a most elaborate bow, a compliment that maynebrace returned by stiffly bringing his right hand up to the edge of his white-covered peaked cap. "rummy codger," remarked the admiral. "it's the french instructor, i believe, sir," said the flag-lieutenant. "h'm! fancy that on board my ship!" "regulations, sir; paragraph d says: whenever practicable instruction in french is to be given to midshipmen by french instructors domiciled in british ports." "well, well. thank goodness i'm not a midshipman," ejaculated maynebrace, as he frantically signalled to a passing rickshaw-man. whatever opinion the frenchman had of rear-admiral maynebrace he wisely kept it to himself, and trotting along with short jerky steps he reached the place where the gig from h.m.s. "repulse" awaited him. the coxswain could scarce suppress a grin as the instructor stepped into the stern sheets. his surprise was still greater when the latter took the yoke-lines and gave the order to "pull you to ze ship!" bending their backs to the supple ash oars the boats crew made the gig dart rapidly through the water. some of them, possibly, wondered what order the grotesque object in the stern-sheets would give as the boat ran alongside the flagship. as a matter of fact he gave none, but pulling at the wrong yoke-line he made the light gig collide bows on with the accommodation ladder, jerking the rowers backwards off their thwarts, and causing himself to sit ungracefully upon the gratings. considering his corpulence the instructor picked himself up with agility and, not waiting for the boat to be brought properly alongside, made his way from thwart to thwart, gaining the foot of the accommodation-ladder by way of the bows of the gig. at the head of the ladder he was met by the officer of the watch. greatly to the latter's disgust the instructor committed a most heinous offence: he spat upon the sacred precincts of the quarter-deck and coolly threw his cigarette end upon the snowy planks! so flabbergasted was the duty-lieutenant that he said not a word, and before he could recover his composure he was anticipated by first-lieutenant garboard. garboard was an officer who owed his position to influence rather than to merit. he shone in the reflected light of his parent, sir peter garboard, till lately commander-in-chief at portsmouth. he was one of those officers, luckily becoming rarer, who believe in cast-iron discipline amounting almost to tyranny. he would bully and brow-beat at the ship's-police when there were not enough defaulters to do the odd jobs requisitioned by the commander. when the childish punishment known as _a_ (which consisted of compelling blacklist men to stand on the lee side of the quarter-deck from to p.m., to have their meals under the sentry's charge and to be deprived of grog and tobacco) was abolished, garboard, then a junior lieutenant, asserted that the service was going, to the dogs. he was never happier than when bully-ragging the men of his watch, under the plea of efficiency. wishing to air his french the first lieutenant remarked: "_il fait très chaud, monsieur._" the instructor whisked off his stove-pipe hat and bowed ceremoniously. "show?" he repeated. "_oui_, ver' fine show," and looked about him as if he expected to see a floating agricultural hall. "blockhead!" muttered the discomfited garboard as he beat a retreat, signing to a quarter-master to take the frenchman below to the midshipmen's study. the dozen disconsolate youngsters were already mustered, and awaited with no great zest the arrival of their instructor; but their apathy changed when the frenchman appeared. they seemed to scent a lark. but they were sadly mistaken if they hoped to rag that oddly-garbed individual. "sit you down," he said sternly. "sit you down. you tink i haf not imparted ze instruction to ze midsheepmens before, eh? you make great mistake. ze first zat acts ze light-headed goat he go in ze capitan's report: zen, no leave for a whole veek." taking up a piece of chalk the instructor wrote in a firm hand:-- "_mon frère a raison, mais ma soeur a tort._" "now, zen," he continued, "zat young zhentleman with ze red hair. how you translate zat, eh?" mr. midshipman moxitter's particular weakness was french translation. it had caused him hours of uneasiness at osborne and dartmouth. by a succession of lucky shots he had foiled the examiners and had managed to scrape through in that particular subject. upon being asked to translate the sentence, moxitter stood up, squared his shoulders, and said solemnly:-- "'my brother has reasons that my sister's a tart,' sir." a roar of laughter, audible even in the captain's cabin, greeted this information. the rest of the midshipmen nearly succumbed to apoplexy, while even the frenchman was obliged to pull out his pink silk handkerchief and press it tightly to his face. "we vill not dispute ze point, monsieur," he said after an awkward pause. "ze affairs of your family are of no concern to ze rest of ze class, mais you are a good-for-nothing rascal, i say. if you no better are at ze rest of ze work on ze sheep zen i say you are a young rotter." for the full three-quarters of an hour the instructor bullied and badgered the midshipmen in a manner that outvied lieutenant garboard's treatment of the men. they had to submit: the alternative of having their leave stopped by the captain put all idea of resistance out of their heads. finally he made each midshipman write in bold characters, "_mais, que je suis sot,_" and sign this humiliating confession. gathering up the papers the instructor went on deck. "will you take any refreshment before you leave?" asked the officer of the watch. "no, sare, with many tanks. permit me: my card." the lieutenant took the proffered piece of pasteboard, and watched the frenchman go over the side. the coxswain of the gig had been previously cautioned not to allow the instructor to handle the yoke-lines again. as the boat headed for kelang steps the officer of the watch glanced at the instructor's card. it was written in a flowing hand:-- "_jean le plaisant, professeur de litérature et des langues, singapore._" the second time the officer of the watch looked at the piece of pasteboard more intently. he even tilted his cap on one side and scratched his closely-cut hair. "fetch me the french dictionary from the wardroom," he ordered, and the quarter-deck messenger hastened to carry out his instructions. seizing the book the lieutenant hurriedly turned over the pages, then looked dubiously at the retreating gig, now out of hailing distance. "h'm," he muttered. "i'll speak to the commander. by jove! i will." chapter iii. removed from the navy list. "well?" asked eccles, as sub-lieutenant basil dacres came off to the ship at the expiration of his leave. "ripping time, by jove! i'll tell you about it when you've done your trick. is the commander below?" receiving an affirmative reply the sub made his way to commander bourne's cabin, bubbling over with suppressed excitement. "i've done it, sir," he announced. "spoofed the whole jolly lot of them, admiral included." "hope you've covered up your tracks?" asked his superior anxiously. "rather! i snubbed garboard, twitted oxley and played the very dickens with the flagship's midshipmen. it was hot work, though. fancy spending a couple of hours on a day like this with a pillow stuffed under your waistcoat, and false moustaches tickling like billy-ho." bourne laughed heartily as dacres related the details of the joke he had played, but his face grew serious as he remarked:-- "'pon my word, dacres, i'm rather sorry i let you carry out this mad prank, after all. it's bound to leak out." "it may, sir. if it does the flagship's people won't say much. the less they say the better, for they will be the laughing-stock of the squadron." "i don't know so much about that," rejoined the commander. "you see, we must do our best to keep it to ourselves. the culprit must be screened. if there is a row, of course i must own up to my share." "you must do nothing of the sort, sir," said the sub firmly. "this is my pigeon, you know. anyway, they haven't tumbled to it yet, and when they do they'll have to go a long way to spot me." during the first dog watch the commander told the captain, who laughed till the tears rolled down his mahogany-coloured cheeks. the chaplain had it third hand from the skipper, and passed the news on to the ward-room. as for the gun-room they heard it directly from dacres. so far so good. loyalty to a brother officer joke a sure bond that the joke against the unpopular flagship would be kept a secret. but jones, the captain's valet, heard his master and the padre laughing immoderately--was human enough to put his ear to the keyhole of the captain's cabin. in less than an hour the whole of the lower deck heard the yarn, and mr. dacres was unanimously acclaimed a "thunderin' brick." everything passed off quietly until the following afternoon. it was the calm before the storm. basil dacres had just completed his trick as "duty sub," and was enjoying a cooling glass of lime juice in the gun-room when a signalman knocked at the door. "chit for mr. dacres, sir," he announced. the sub held out his hand for the folded slip of paper. his intuition told him that something was amiss: it was. "flag to officer commanding h.m.s. 'royal oak.' mr. basil dacres, sub-lieutenant, is to report himself on board the flagship as soon as possible." dacres said not a word to his messmates, but the deep flush that swept over his bronzed features told its own tale. without waiting to give explanations or to receive condolences or advice the sub hurried off to his cabin and changed into no. eight rig. in the midst of the operation commander bourne entered. he had, in the course of his duty, initialled the message and guessed its purport. "look here, dacres," he exclaimed impulsively, "i'm going with you. there's bound to be a most unholy bust-up, i'm afraid; but i mean to stand by you." for a moment the sub hesitated. he quite realized the need of a friend to back him up during the coming ordeal, but his independence quickly reasserted itself. "i don't think you need, sir," he replied. "you see, it may be something else. in any case, i'd much rather i went through by myself." "you would?" "yes, sir." "but, look here, dacres----" "it's no use, sir. i'll stick to it somehow. what's the good of getting other men mixed up in this affair when one can bear the brunt. sharing the blame will not make things any easier for me, i'm afraid. after all, i had a rattling good time." there was a ring of determination in the sub's voice that compelled his superior officer to give way. "very well, then," said bourne reluctantly. "you go alone. but, mark you, if there's to be any serious bother i, as your commander and a fellow conspirator, will stand by you." "all right, then, sir," replied dacres, "that's agreed. if i am in danger of going under i'll look to my superior officer for assistance." just then eccles and plumbly, the assistant paymaster, entered the cabin and expressed their intention of "standing in." "standing in--what about?" demanded dacres. "about hoaxing the flagship, of course," replied eccles. "you've done your part of the business," retorted the sub, "now let me carry on with mine. for one thing i'm not sure that the admiral wants me in connexion with that affair. how on earth could he find out? now sheer off, there's good fellows, and let me finish dressing." young alderney was midshipman of the duty boats, and on the run to the "repulse" he added his condolences till dacres peremptorily cut him short. the sub hated outward expressions of sympathy almost as much as he detested formal praise. he vastly preferred in matters of this sort to be self-reliant. gaining the quarter-deck of the flagship he saluted with the utmost coolness, and turned to follow the lieutenant who was to escort him to the admiral's cabin. three or four youngsters, whom he recognized as being members of the french instructor's class, were on deck, evidently anticipating his discomfiture. something about his bearing impelled them to return to the shelter of the after barbette, feeling rather sorry for the man who had so recently "pulled their legs." vice-admiral maynebrace was alone. he had sent his secretary away on some convenient duty, and well-nigh bursting with indignation he stood prepared for the fray. "well, sir," he began, as soon as the door was closed. "do you recognize this?" and he held up the pseudo jean le plaisant's card. "yes, sir," answered the sub calmly. "then, perhaps, sir, next time you have an opportunity to impersonate a french professor you might have the sense to remember that _littérateur_ is spelt with a double 't.' had it not been for the perspicuity of the officer of the watch your senseless joke might have passed off undetected--at least for a time. now, sir, you, on your own confession, have been guilty of the heinous offence of bringing his majesty's uniform into contempt. a senseless joke, sir! there are no extenuating circumstances." admiral maynebrace paused to recover his breath. he had completely forgotten his early days, when, a ringleader of a little mob of midshipmen from the guardship, he had gone ashore at southampton in the small hours of the morning and had artistically decorated the two lions guarding the historic bargate. dacres had heard of the episode and how young maynebrace was jockeyed out of what promised to be a serious scrape; and he was half tempted to remind his superior of that little delinquency, but the sub had steadfastly made up his mind not to say a word save to reply directly to questions put to him. the admiral had fully expected that the culprit would metaphorically go down on his knees and beg for pardon, but he had mistaken dacres' character. the sub's silence and coolness goaded him to a further outburst. "confound you, sir!" he roared. "you're a discredit to the service, sir. you have two alternatives: either to stand your trial by court-martial for unbecoming conduct, or to send in your papers. you understand?" "yes, sir," replied dacres. the pros and cons of the two alternatives flashed through his mind in a brief instant. he was fully convinced that the old martinet meant to have him kicked out of the service. a court-martial could but bring in a verdict of guilty and with no extenuating circumstances. the publicity and disgrace were most undesirable. by resigning he might be able to make a fresh start in another sphere, without the taint of ignominy. his father's words, "unless you stop this sort of thing there'll be trouble. it will end in your being court-martialled and kicked out of the service. and, by jove! if you are, don't look to me for sympathy," came home with redoubled force. "i'll send in my papers, sir," he said steadily. the admiral looked searchingly at him as if to detect any signs of remorse in his words. there were none. "very good," he replied with an air of finality. "you may go, sir." vice-admiral maynebrace spent a restless night. possibly it was the tropical heat, but more than once he thought of the young officer whose career was in jeopardy. "if only the young fool had said he was sorry," he soliloquized, "i would have let him down lightly. hang it! i'll send for him again in the morning and see if he's amenable to reason." but when morning came, before the admiral could carry out his good intention, sub-lieutenant basil dacres' papers, duly annoted by his captain, were sent to the flagship accompanied by a written application for the young officer to be allowed to withdraw from his majesty's service. the receipt of this document was received by both ships with feelings of regret. the officers of the flagship, in spite of the fact that they were indignant at the prank that had been played upon them, were good-natured fellows. they fully expected that the culprit would "climb down" and apologize for his delinquency; but they were mistaken. they had misjudged dacres' peculiar temperament, for the sub, regarding himself as being with his back to the wall, was as obstinate as the proverbial mule. now that the sub had taken the desperate plunge, they felt genuinely sorry. as for the ship's company of the "royal oak" they were all completely taken aback. dacres was a favourite with his brother-officers and well-liked by the lower deck. it seemed incomprehensible that the admiral should take such a strong step; but it was not the first time that drastic measures were the result of comparatively slight offences against discipline. at the eleventh hour admiral maynebrace sent a message to the "royal oak" to ask whether sub-lieutenant dacres had reconsidered the matter. in vain captain staggers tried to reason with his subordinate. "look here, dacres," he said kindly. "think over this affair. remember your career is at stake. it was a silly thing to do to attempt to hoax the flagship, in spite of the circumstances. of course you realize that we were in sympathy with you, but that was a mistake. if you think you are going to come out 'top-dog' in your difference with the admiral the sooner you put that idea out of your head the better. i don't believe in the whole of naval history that a junior officer has done so with any degree of success. you see, it's against all principles of discipline." "thank you, sir," replied dacres, "but i'm afraid you cannot understand my motives, and i cannot very well explain. all the same, i don't wish to withdraw my resignation; and as to scoring over the admiral, well, the idea never entered into my head until you mentioned it. but i may, even yet," he added. nettled by the sub's refusal, the admiral used the power entrusted to him under the revised king's regulations. he accepted dacres' resignation, without having to wait for admiralty authority; and before noon on the same day dacres ceased to be an officer of his majesty's navy. "look here, dacres," exclaimed commander bourne impetuously, "you're a young rotter. you remember what i said: 'if there's any serious bother i, your commander and fellow conspirator, will stand by you.' to that you agreed; so i'm off to the flagship to bear my share of the brunt." dacres looked at the commander for a few moments, then, doing what he would not have dared to do but an hour previously, he tapped him familiarly on the shoulder. "look here, bourne," he said, "you are no longer my superior officer, so the deal's off. if you attempt to put your finger in my pie i'll give you the biggest hiding you've ever had in your life. so don't make matters worse, and i'll be thankful to one of the best pals i've ever had in the service." bourne agreed reluctantly. he had fully intended to interview the admiral, but now he was somewhat relieved to find that dacres had vetoed the proposal. the commander's prospects were no longer in danger; and since bourne's chances of promotion depended solely upon merit--for he had no outside influence--he was genuinely grateful for the principal culprit's magnanimity. that same afternoon the squadron, with the exception of the "royal oak," weighed and proceeded to sea. the "royal oak" had developed slight engine-room defects and was left behind in order to effect necessary repairs. thus an opportunity occurred of giving a demonstration that otherwise could not have taken place; for as dacres went over the side of the battleship for the last time the officers turned out on the quarter-deck to bid him good luck, while by a purely spontaneous impulse the men gave three rousing cheers for the youngster whom they could no longer regard as one of the ship's company of h.m.s. "royal oak." chapter iv. the mysterious airship. on his homeward voyage basil dacres had plenty of opportunities for pondering over his future plans. having once taken the plunge he was not a fellow to repine. his thoughts were of the future and not of the past. "in any case," he thought, "i'll be as independent as i can. i don't want to come to loggerheads with the pater, but goodness only knows how he'll take it. if i can have a quiet chat with him before he learns the official version of the row, i may be able to explain matters with a certain degree of satisfaction. after that i'll go abroad, and get an appointment under one of the south american governments. there will be plenty of scope in that direction." at suez the liner received a batch of english mails, and, as usual, there was a great demand for newspapers to supplement the meagre details of the world's doings as received by wireless. dacres hurriedly scanned the columns of four successive weeks of the journal, but to his relief he saw no mention of his resignation being reported. that gave him hopes of being able to be first in the field as far as his parent was concerned. having assured himself on this point he proceeded systematically to wade through the news with the zest that only those who have been cut off from home ties know how to appreciate. presently his eye caught sight of a heading, "the mysterious airship again." "h'm, this sounds interesting," he soliloquized, for anything in connexion with aviation appealed to him. when his services for the naval flying wing were declined the refusal hit him far harder than his being asked to withdraw from his majesty's service. "they say 'again,' i notice. i wonder for how long this airship has been claiming the attention of the great british public? it's a pity i've been unable to see the first account of its appearance. seems like starting a book at the sixth chapter." settling himself in a comfortable deck-chair dacres was soon lost to his surroundings in the account of the remarkable exploits of an airship of entirely new design. it was seen within a few hours at places as far apart as newcastle and plymouth, and holyhead and canterbury. although the eye-witnesses' accounts varied considerably in detail the general description was sufficiently unanimous to prove conclusively that the airship was not a creation of an excited imagination. it was agreed that the airship was of immense length and of exceptional speed. she invariably flew at a great altitude. her appearance resembled that of a lead pencil pointed at one end, but the observers were unable to state whether there were planes, cars, and other appendages. there was none of that gently see-sawing motion of the british military and naval dirigibles: she flew as steadily as a seaplane on a calm day, and created a far greater impression of speed. near newcastle she was spotted by a pair of belated motorists who were travelling over a road that follows the old roman wall between chollerford and heddon. it was a moonlight night, although the sky was frequently obscured by drifting clouds. while brought up to make good a slight defect one of the motorists noticed a dark object overhead and called his companion's attention to it. both simultaneously expressed their opinion that it was an airship, while one of the men found by extending his arm that the extremities of the craft coincided with the length between his outstretched little finger and thumb, while its breadth was roughly half the thickness of the nail joint of the same finger. taking the breadth to be forty feet it was reasonable to suppose that the length of the airship was nearly thirty times that dimension, or one thousand two hundred feet. the airship was then travelling rapidly in a westerly direction, the time being . a.m. so impressed were the travellers by this unusual sight that they proceeded to the offices of the "newcastle daily record" and stated the facts to the sub-editor who happened to be on night duty. just before four on the same morning the coastguard on watch at yealm head, near plymouth, "spotted" the airship still flying at a great height, but in an easterly direction. he followed it through his telescope until it was lost to sight, but owing to the airship being against the growing dawn he was unable to give any details as to its construction. his description, however, tallied with that of the newcastle motorists, whose report was published in a special edition of the principal london papers. since newcastle and plymouth are roughly miles apart the speed of the airship could not be less than miles per hour, and that not taking into consideration the fact that on each occasion the craft was shaping a course at right angles to the direct line between these two places. two days later came an even more startling report, this time from canterbury. it appears that a shepherd employed at wether farm, petham--a small village five miles from the kentish cathedral city--had occasion to visit a fold at some distance from the farm-buildings. this was at three o'clock, an hour before sunrise, but it was just light enough to distinguish surrounding objects. suddenly he saw a huge object falling through the air. all he could liken it to was a haystack. it struck the ground quite gently and about two hundred yards from the place where he stood. at first he was afraid to move, until, thinking it might be a balloon that had met with an accident, he ran towards the spot. as he did so he heard voices, evidently discussing the situation; but before he could get close to the "haystack," the object gave a bound and shot skywards. he stood stock still watching the balloon growing smaller and smaller till it approached an object that had hitherto escaped his notice--an airship resembling a "wooden meat-skewer," according to his description. of what happened to the smaller balloon he had no idea, but as he watched he saw the airship soar still higher till lost to sight. curiosity prompted him to examine the spot where the balloon had alighted. the marks on the dew-sodden grass gave him an opportunity of measuring its base, which was twelve paces square, or, roughly, thirty feet. there were footprints showing that two men had alighted, but had not moved far from the spot. although he made a careful search he found that nothing had been left behind that might give a clue to the occupants of the balloon. this story the shepherd told to his master, who, knowing that a mysterious aircraft had been sighted at newcastle and plymouth, took the first opportunity of reporting the matter to the military authorities at canterbury. asked if he could vouch for his informant's trustworthiness the farmer replied that the man had been in his employment for thirty years, and as far as shepherds went, was intelligent, honest, and not given to immoderate drinking. when this was reported in the press the interest in the mysterious airship redoubled. various theories were advanced as to the presence of the balloon, or airship dinghy as a facetious correspondent suggested. crediting the airship with a mean speed of miles per hour, it was still doubted whether it would be possible to tow a balloon with it, while, on the other hand, it was equally impossible to deflate and stow the gas-bag within the airship during the short interval that had elapsed according to the shepherd's statement. then, of course, there was the alarmist section; people who wrote demanding that the royal flying corps should be brought to book for neglecting their duty. it was pointed out that in the course of her nocturnal voyages the airship had passed the prohibited areas without being challenged by any of the air patrols. it seemed incredible that the mysterious giant of the clouds could be here, there, everywhere, from the north of england to the south, without being seen except by chance by a few individuals. where, also, could a huge aircraft, measuring at least a thousand feet over-all, be housed in complete secrecy? then from the wilds of north wales came an astounding report. this time the narrator was a signalman on the north western railway, who witnessed a remarkable sight from his box near llanfaelog in the isle of anglesey. it was at midnight. the moon had just risen in a cloudless sky, and there was hardly any wind. the man had just cleared a goods train over his section and was about to set the signals, when he was aware of a huge object rushing with a rapidity greater by far than that of the most powerful express train. it passed almost overhead and, according to his estimate, at about a hundred feet from the ground. after it passed the leaves of the trees close to the signal box were violently agitated and a sudden blast of air swept the papers off his desk, but in spite of the commotion in the air there was hardly any sound from the mysterious airship, save a subdued buzzing. recovering his presence of mind the signalman promptly telegraphed the news along the line, but the terrific rush of this gigantic aircraft was unnoticed by any of the other railway employés on duty. at six o'clock, however, two fishermen put into dulas bay, on the north coast of anglesey, and reported that at dawn they had seen a large airship break in two at a distance of about two miles n. n. of where they were fishing. both men were unshaken in this statement, that a complete severance had taken place, and that both portions, instead of falling into the sea, headed off at great speed in a westerly direction. it was pointed out to the government, in a strongly-worded leader in "the times," that something must be radically wrong with our system of policing the air, since it was conclusively proved that an unknown aircraft, possessing superior power of propulsion and radius of action to any yet known, had cruised over the length and breadth of england and wales--and perhaps further afield--without being officially reported. although there were no evidences that the mysterious aircraft was flying under the auspices of a foreign power, it was quite possible that she hailed from a country other than our own. if not, and she was built and controlled by a british subject, the government ought to take steps to secure a right to build others of her pattern; otherwise the bare margin of safety set up by the aerial defence committee was in danger. awaking out of its customary lethargy the british government accepted the advice of "the times," and steps were taken to locate the base from which the airship operated, and also, if possible, to trace her complete course during one of her nocturnal flights. searchlights were temporarily installed on almost every important hill-top from berwick to land's end, and from the south foreland to holyhead; airmen, both military and civilian, were encouraged to make night flights with the idea of being able to sight and perhaps keep in touch with the giant dirigible; while destroyers and seaplanes patrolled the coast, ready on the first intimation by wireless to concentrate at any rendezvous on the line of flight that the sought-for airship was likely to adopt. "h'm!" ejaculated dacres, as he carefully folded the latest newspaper that it was possible to obtain. "this looks lively. things are getting exciting in the old country. perhaps, after all, i may get a chance of a berth with one of the private flying schools, even if i can't manage to join the flying corps. i'll have a shot at it, by jove!" chapter v. a momentous train journey. upon the arrival of the liner in the thames, basil dacres took the opportunity of leaving the vessel at tilbury, thus avoiding the tedious passage up to the docks. still uncertain as to what his reception by his father would be he booked his scanty belongings at the london terminus, and proceeded west. although outwardly calm his heart was thumping violently as he knocked at the door of colonel dacres' house. a strange footman answered him, and in reply to an inquiry said that colonel dacres had let the house for the season. this was astonishing news, for in his last letter the colonel had made no mention of his intention, and to let his house was quite a departure from his usual plans. "can you give me colonel dacres' present address?" "yes, sir," replied the man; "it is cranbury house, near holmsley, hants." "i wonder what possessed the governor to rusticate," thought dacres as he turned away. "well, the sooner we come to an understanding the better, i suppose. i'll get some lunch and then take the first train to this out-of-the-way show. i can't say that i've heard of the place before." whilst having lunch dacres asked for a time-table, and by dint of a considerable tax upon his brain-power he discovered that holmsley was a small station in the new forest. an express train, leaving waterloo at five, would take him as far as brockenhurst in an hour and fifty minutes. then, as is usual with railway companies' arrangements, he found that he had three-quarters of an hour to wait until a slow train took him on to holmsley. the daily papers gave no further definite information about the unknown airship. it appeared to have escaped notice for nearly three weeks, although during that interval there were several unauthenticated accounts that it had been "spotted." many reports turned out to be deliberate hoaxes, while in one instance a company of royal engineers at portsmouth turned out with a searchlight, only to find that the "airship" reported by a belated and slightly inebriated clubman was a large telephone cable spanning the narrow roadway between two lofty blocks of buildings. finding he had plenty of time on his hands dacres decided to walk to waterloo. after an absence from town he had a strong desire to see some of the familiar haunts, so after walking along piccadilly and thence to trafalgar square, he turned down northumberland avenue. under existing circumstances he gave the admiralty buildings a wide berth, for he had no inclination to come in contact with any of his former brother-officers. just as he was passing the metropole, dacres nearly collided with a powerfully-built, athletic-looking man who looked anything between twenty and thirty years of age. in the midst of mutual apologies the stranger suddenly exclaimed:-- "why, bless my soul, what are you doing here, dacres?" "hythe, by jove!" ejaculated dacres. "right you are, old man. you haven't altered much since i saw you last. let me see, that was when we paid off in the old 'cornwall' in . but we needn't stand here; come to my club--it's only a few minutes' walk." arnold hythe was in more respects than one a fortunate individual. in recognition of his services in connexion with the submarine "aphrodite"--now the prototype of the british "m" class--he had been promoted to the rank of inspecting commander of submarines after less than a year's service as lieutenant. this was creating a precedent, but circumstances warranted it, and when the unusual appointment was announced, the shoals of congratulatory telegrams that poured in from his brother-officers showed that in this case there was little or no grumbling at hythe's well-deserved promotion. "dacres, old man, i am awfully sorry," remarked hythe with genuine concern when dacres had told his story. "i cannot imagine what possessed old maynebrace to take such drastic measures. of course i had a lot to do with him when he was admiral superintendent at portsmouth, and, personally, i found him quite a genial old fellow. possibly his being sent to sea from a dockyard commission without being promoted to vice-admiral may have soured his temper a bit. by the by, what are your plans?" "nothing definite at present. ultimately i hope to do something in the way of flying. always had an inclination in that direction." "yes, i remember you had. a little affair with that aviator at dartmouth, for instance. thank goodness, it isn't in my line. give me six fathoms of water any day of the week." "i suppose so," rejoined dacres, "but i'm not keen on submarine work. it lacks the sense of freedom that you get when rushing through the air." "h'm!" ejaculated hythe. "my experience does not lead me to agree with you, at least, as far as aeroplanes are concerned. i had a nasty tumble at zanzibar." "yes, i recollect: it was while you were doing your unlawful commission in the 'aphrodite.' by the by, what's your opinion about this mysterious aircraft? it's making as much commotion as when captain restronguet shook us up a couple of years ago." "cannot say," replied hythe laconically. "but in the event of her proving to be in the employ of a foreign power, how would you propose to collar her?" "i wouldn't give much for her chances if she came within range of one of our aerial torpedoes." "an airship moving at over miles an hour wants some hitting," remarked dacres. "besides, supposing she keeps clear of the sea?" "that's out of my bearings," said hythe. "it's a case for the military authorities. anyhow, there's been nothing heard of her for days past, so no doubt she has transferred her activities elsewhere. personally i have but little faith in the command of the air. so long as we keep command of the sea there's not much to trouble about. but to get back to more personal matters, dacres, where are you bound for?" "going to pay the governor a visit." "but you were shaping a course in the opposite direction when i crossed your bows." "the pater has let his house and gone to live somewhere in the new forest--near holmsley. it's a matter of three hours' journey, even by express." "why not hire a 'plane? all you've to do is to tube to richmond and get one from the metropolitan and suburban volo company. you'd be at holmsley in three-quarters of an hour." dacres shook his head. "can't run to it, old man," he said gravely. "i haven't any too much shot in the locker at present." hythe's hand was in his pocket in an instant. "don't be offended, dacres," he said hurriedly, "but if i can let you have----" dacres shook his head. "thanks, old chap," he replied, "i'd rather not." "as a loan, then?" "no, thanks all the same. it hasn't come to that yet, and i hope it never will. it's awfully good of you, hythe." "sorry you won't let me show my sympathy in a tangible manner, dacres. still, you know my address. if there's anything i can do, don't hesitate to write." "i won't, forget," said dacres. "there are not many old shipmates i would care to look to for a favour, but you are the exception, hythe. well, i must be getting under way once more. it's close on quarter to five." by a few seconds dacres caught his train. he travelled first class, for in spite of his dwindling purse he resolved to maintain the dignity of the family. it was one of the few concessions he made to appearances. as the train was moving out of the station he bought an evening paper, and settling himself in a corner seat, scanned the pages. in the "stop press column" appeared a report to the effect that the elusive airship had been sighted by the s.s "micronome" in lat. degrees minutes n. long. degrees minutes w., or roughly midway between liverpool and new york. the tramp was plugging at half speed against a furious easterly gale. the sky was obscured with dark clouds, and although it was noon the light was very dim. the airship, travelling at an estimated speed of one hundred miles an hour, passed at a height of eight hundred feet above the vessel, and was seen by the captain and second mate, who were on the bridge, and also by four of the dockhands. the force of the wind was registered at fifty miles per hour, yet the airship flew steadily and without the slightest inclination to pitch. the information was received by wireless at valencia at . p.m. and immediately transmitted to the admiralty. presuming that the speed and direction of the airship were uniformly maintained she ought to be sighted by the coast-guards on the kerry coast by p.m. dacres finished reading the paper without discovering any news bearing directly upon the actual doings of the gigantic aircraft; then, having devoured the advertisement columns for the simple reason that there was nothing else to read, he threw the paper on to the seat and began to take a slight interest in his fellow-passengers. they were two in number, one, a short, redfaced man whose chief characteristics were a white waistcoat, a massive gold chain, and a large diamond tie pin, was evidently a well-to-do city man. dacres' surmise was strengthened by the fact that the man was deep in the pages of the "financial times." the second passenger was a man of a very different type. he was about five feet nine inches in height, and heavily-built. he was clean-shaven, revealing an exceedingly sallow complexion. this, together with the fact that the "whites" of his eyes were far from being white and were of an aggressively bilious colour, seemed to suggest that this man had been born under a tropical sun. his hair was dark and inclined to curl, while dacres noticed that the "half-moons" of his finger-nails were of a purple hue. his lips were heavy and of a pale pink tint. "touch of the tar-brush there," soliloquized dacres. "finger-nails of that colour invariably betray a dash of black blood. he doesn't look any too well dressed, either." the stranger was attired in a shabby brown suit; his dirty collar and frayed red tie were in keeping with his sombre appearance. altogether he looked as unlike a man who habitually travels first class as anyone could possibly imagine. dacres made his examination with assumed and well-guarded indifference, but his scrutiny was none the less minute. he had the knack of being able to read a person's character by observation, and was rarely at fault. "a truculent bounder," was his summing-up. twenty years back he would have made a fairly tough customer in the ring. "unless i'm much mistaken he is too fond of bending his elbow. i'd like to hear him talk: ten to one he has a south american accent." as the train tore past the brooklands flying ground two large biplanes were in the act of ascending. they rose awkwardly, bobbing in the stiff breeze, then, gradually overhauling the express, passed beyond the limits of dacres' observation. "untameable beasts," remarked an evenly-modulated voice, and turning from the window dacres found that the sallow-faced passenger was addressing him. the city man, deep in his paper, had paid no heed to the aeroplanes in flight. "think so?" asked dacres. "they seem to be making good headway, especially as they are plugging right in the eye of the wind." "while they are under control they are--well--safe," rejoined the man. "but one never knows when they take it into their heads to side slip or bank too steeply. to my mind accidents are bound to happen till a means is found of counteracting the force of gravity." "which is only obtainable by means of hydrogen gas-bags," added dacres. "up to the present," agreed the stranger. "still, one never knows. a compromise between an airship and an aeroplane, for example?" "the speed would suffer in consequence," objected dacres. "oh? take the case of this mysterious airship which has been seen in various parts of the country. her speed exceeds that of the swiftest monoplane that the country possesses." in spite of his adverse opinion of the man dacres felt interested. he felt inclined to admit that he had made a mistake in putting him down as a south american. his accent was almost perfect; in fact, almost too faultless for an average englishman, yet there was not the slightest trace of a foreign pronunciation in his sentences. "that is where submarines score," continued the man. "so long as they retain their reserve of buoyancy they are practically safe. they can return to the surface and remain motionless. of course i am alluding to peace conditions. a helpless submarine lying awash would stand a very poor chance in action if exposed to the fire of a hostile vessel. i presume, sir, that you are a naval officer?" "your surmise is at fault," replied dacres. "i have no connexion with the----" he was about to say "service," but checking himself in time substituted "navy." a shade of disappointment flitted across the stranger's face. "thought perhaps you were," he said apologetically. "the subject of the navy interests me. by the by, does this train stop at southampton docks?" "no," replied dacres. "only at southampton west. it's quite a short distance thence to the docks." "ah, that is good. you see, i am a cold storage contractor, and this is my first visit to southampton. my duties hitherto have been confined to liverpool and manchester. thanks for the information, sir." then, drawing a notebook from his breast-pocket, the stranger broke off the conversation as abruptly as he had started. "that's strange," thought dacres. "he seemed very much inclined to yarn till i told him i had no connexion with the service--worse luck. he shut up like a hedgehog after that. cold storage contractor, eh? with a red-hot temper, i'll be bound. pity the poor bounders under him." shortly afterwards dacres happened to glance in the direction of the livery-looking individual. he was still deep in his notebook. on the cover, partially concealed by the man's flabby hands, was the title in gilt letters. enough was left uncovered for dacres to read the words "telegrafos y----" "h'm! my yellow-skinned fellow-traveller understands spanish after all," he soliloquized. "perhaps my original summing-up is not so much at fault after all." the man made no further attempt to enter into conversation, but just as the train was rushing through winchester station he stood up, took his handbag from the rack, and went out into the corridor. the express pulled up at eastleigh for a few minutes; then, just as it was on the move, dacres happened to catch a glimpse of his late fellow-passenger seated in a portsmouth train by the furthermost platform. "h'm! decidedly funny way to get to southampton docks by that train," he muttered. "that fellow was trying to pull my leg over the cold storage business, i'll be bound. bless me, if i like the cut of your jib. i am not generally given to presupposition, but something seems to tell me that you and i will fall foul of each other before very long." chapter vi. challenged. referring to the back of an envelope on which he had jotted down the times of the trains, dacres found upon alighting at brockenhurst junction that he had three-quarters of an hour to wait. since he did not feel inclined to cool his heels on the station platform he made up his mind to take a stroll through the village, have tea, and thus turn the interval of waiting to good account. the air was cool, the dense foliage afforded a pleasant shelter from the slanting though powerful rays of the sun, and dacres began to feel quite easy in his mind. "by george!" he ejaculated. "that airship seems to interest me far more than my forthcoming interview with the governor. i wonder if she has been sighted again. i'll get an evening paper at the bookstall when i return to the station. how jolly fine the forest scenery is. now i am not surprised that the pater came down to this part of the country if the scenery around cranbury house is anything like this." a plain but substantial tea filled dacres' cup of contentment to the brim. english bread, fresh country butter, and watercress, after the fare obtainable on board the "royal oak" in the tropics, combined to make the most appetizing meal he had tasted for months past. it reminded him of the saying of an old chief boatswain on returning to england after a two years' arduous commission mostly in the persian gulf. "bless you, sir," said the warrant officer emphatically. "directly i set foot ashore at portsmouth i'll order a prime beefsteak and a tankard--not a glass, mind you--of ale." two months later the chief bo's'un retired with the rank of lieutenant, and forthwith settled down in the country. one of his first acts was to hire a man to stand outside his bedroom window every evening from ten to eleven, his duty being to throw buckets of water against the panes. "couldn't get to sleep unless i heard the sea breaking against the scuttles," he explained. dacres wondered whether the call of the sea would come back to him with such vividness. perhaps; but up to the present he felt no such overwhelming desire. it was just possible that he had not yet had time to realize his position. in the midst of his meditation the traveller remembered that he had to catch a train. pulling out his watch he found that he had fifteen minutes to get to the station and, since he did the outward journey in ten minutes, it was an easy jaunt back to the junction. "where are you for?" asked a porter as dacres arrived on the practically deserted platform. "holmsley." "your train's just gone, sir," announced the railway employee with the air of a man who has imparted a joyful surprise. "but----" dacres pulled out the envelope. "i thought it went at seven-four." "did till this month, sir," was the unconcerned reply. "now it leaves here at six-fifty-six. next train at eight-two." "they must have had an old time-table in that restaurant," muttered dacres disgustedly. "i was a bit of an ass not to make sure, and a doubly confounded idiot not to have asked when i arrived here. however, can't be helped. 'what's done can't be undone,' as the landlubber remarked when he tied a slippery hitch in his hammock lashing and found himself sprawling on the mess-deck ten seconds later. this time i keep watch here, i don't mean to be let down a second time." when a fast train bringing the evening papers from london stopped at the station dacres hurried to buy a copy. the news as far as the airship was concerned was woefully disappointing. she had not been sighted anywhere in great britain or ireland. there was one item of news that interested him, however. it was a wireless message from cape columbia, announcing that lieutenant cardyke and four men of the british arctic expedition had started on their dash for the north pole. "plucky chap!" ejaculated dacres. "i hope he'll pull it off all right. it's a jolly risky business, though. never fancied that kind of job myself, but cardyke was always keen on polar work. i remember how he used to devour scott's and shackleton's works when he was at osborne. all the same, i wonder they don't make a dash for the pole in an up-to-date dirigible, instead of tramping all those hundreds of miles. i'd volunteer for a polar airship expedition like a shot." the loud ringing of an electric bell warned dacres that his train was signalled. folding the paper and placing it in his pocket he rose from his seat and waited for the train to run into the station. the last stage of his journey was a short one and he chided himself for not having walked. the sun had just dipped behind the heather-clad hills as dacres alighted, while already the evening mists were rising from the shallow valleys. a typical country porter took the tickets of the three passengers who left the train, and in response to dacres' inquiry as to the direction of cranbury house, scratched his head in obvious perplexity. "garge, du 'ee knaw whur be cranbury 'ouse?" he sung out to a shock-headed youth who was struggling with a truck on the opposite platform. "yes," was the reply. "a matter of a couple o' mile t'other side o' wilverley post." after a lengthy and complex explanation of how to reach wilverley post, dacres found himself almost as much enlightened as before. "can i get a motor or a cab?" he asked. "naw, zur; not onless you'm ordered 'em. there be a bus, only it doänt meet this train." dacres was not a man to be daunted by difficulties. emerging from the station he swung along the road, breathing in the pure moorland air, determined by hook or by crook to reach his destination with the least possible delay. the road was quite deserted. not even a motorist passed, otherwise he would have boldly asked the favour of a lift. overhead a deep buzzing caused him to look upwards. two aviators, making towards bournemouth, glided swiftly through the gathering gloom. in this part of the country, dacres reflected, there were more men in the air than on the highway. presently he reached a signpost at the junction of four cross roads. by this time there was just sufficient light for him to decipher the directions. lyndhurst--he did not want to go there; ringwood--equally undesirable, as were the other places mentioned. "i suppose this is wilverley post," he thought. "here i must bring up and wait till some one comes along. that ought to be fairly soon. what a deserted-looking spot, though. however," he added optimistically, "it might be a jolly sight worse. for instance, it might be raining hard and blowing half a gale. ha! here's a cart coming along." in response to a hail the driver pulled up, but he was quite at a loss to give the desired information. he had lived at ringwood all his life, and had never heard of cranbury house. ten minutes later a large motor-car came swinging along. the chauffeur obligingly stopped, but was likewise unable to state the locality of colonel dacres' property. "if it were this way, sir, i would give you a lift with pleasure," added the man, "but ten chances to one it would only be taking you farther out of your way. if you like, though, i'll run you down to christchurch and you can put up there for the night, sir." "thanks all the same, i want particularly to get to cranbury house to-night," said dacres. with a civil good-night the chauffeur sped on his way, while dacres prepared to resume his vigil by the gaunt signpost. presently his ready ear detected the sounds of footsteps plodding methodically along the hard tarred road. out of the darkness loomed the shape of a powerfully-built man, bending under a load of faggots. "cranbury house, zur? sure i knaws 'ut well. if 'tweer light enow oi could show you the chimbleys, over yonder. du 'ee taäk this path an' 'twill bring ee right agin the gates of t'ouse. it'll be a matter of a couple o' miles. if ye like, zur, i'll come along wi' ee," said the man, setting his load down by the roadside. "i won't trouble you, thanks," replied dacres, bestowing a shilling upon the man. "it's a fairly easy path, i hope?" "yes, zur, 's long as you keep to un. there be some bad bogs close on hand. why, only t'other evenin' old bill jarvis as lives down goatspen plain wur a-comin'----" but dacres was not at all anxious to hear of the nocturnal adventures of the said bill jarvis. "i'll keep to the path all right," he said. "about two miles, eh? thank you and good night." the path, showing grey in the misty starlight, was barely wide enough for two persons to walk abreast. on either hand were clumps of furze and heather, that at places encroached to such an extent that the sharp spikes tingled the pedestrian's calves. here and there the footway, worn by the action of rain and the passing of cattle, was several feet below the surface of the surrounding ground. it was far from level, for all around the country seemed composed of a series of hillocks, all divided by wreaths of mist. for ten minutes dacres walked on at a rapid rate till he was suddenly brought up by the bifurcation of the path. so acute was the angle between the two ways and so alike in width that he stood stock still in deep perplexity. his informant had made no mention of the forked paths. "perhaps they reunite farther on," muttered dacres. "it looks like a case of pay your money and take your choice. why not toss for it? heads the right hand, tails the left." he spun the coin. he missed it and it fell dully upon the sandy ground. three matches he struck before he discovered it standing upright in the soft earth. "ah! that bears out my theory. the ways meet again. anyway, i'll take the right hand one." he had not gone very far when, with a rush and a swish amidst the heather, four black objects darted across his path, within an ace of capsizing him altogether. "pigs," he exclaimed. "fancy those beasts roaming about in this deserted spot. i wonder if there's a cottage handy?" a hundred yards further on the path was joined on the left hand by another, which apparently confirmed his suggestion that it was the reunion of the two forked routes. with this reassuring discovery he redoubled his efforts until he found that the path was growing narrower and eventually broke off in three fairly diverging directions. taking his bearings by means of the pole star dacres chose the path that followed the direction he had hitherto pursued. down and down into a wide yet shallow valley it plunged, till once more it split into two ways. to add to the perplexity of the situation both of them bore away to the right and in quite a different direction from that which he supposed to be the proper one. dacres brought "all standing." not a sound disturbed the stillness of the night. he could easily imagine himself to be "bushed" in the australian wilds as far as the presence of human beings was concerned. again he glanced upwards to ascertain his bearings, but in the hollow the mists were considerably denser and rose high above the ground. the stars were completely blotted out. "i'll take the left hand path this time," he muttered impatiently, for his peace of mind was now considerably ruffled by the vexatious delays that he had experienced. "it's bound to lead somewhere, so here goes." but before he had covered a hundred paces he found that his progress was impeded by a brook that trickled over the now ill-defined track. on either hand the ground was marshy and, bearing in mind the incompleted narrative of bill jarvis's experience, he acted warily. "it won't be the first time that i've entered the paternal dwelling with muddy boots," he reflected as he waded through the shallow stream, prodding the bed of the brook with his stick at each step. when, at length, he negotiated the twenty feet of water he found to his intense disgust that there were no signs of the path being resumed. evidently that track was made by cattle for the purpose of going to the stream to drink. away on the left rose a rounded hill crowned with a gaunt tree, the outlines of which were curiously distorted by the layers of mist. "here goes!" he exclaimed desperately. "i'll make for that hill. perhaps it will be clearer up there, and i may be able to strike a fresh path." forcing his way through the heather, dodging aggressive clumps of gorse, and slipping on the loose sandy soil, dacres reached the summit of the knoll. here he was no better off, for the sky was still overcast, while as far as he could see in the dim light the surrounding country was enshrouded in mist. in vain he attempted to retrace his steps, till sinking ankle deep in marshy ground warned him that he was not only lost but in danger of being trapped in a bog. "ahoy!" he shouted in stentorian tones. his hail was quickly answered by another "ahoy." "that's good," he exclaimed. "there's a sailor somewhere about. i've heard that pensioners frequently settle down in these out of the way wilds." "ahoy! where are you?" he hailed again. "where are you?" came the voice. "hang it all," said dacres dejectedly. "it's only an echo. i am merely wasting precious breath. if only there were a breeze i could keep a fairly straight course. luck's quite out this trip." striking a match and glancing at his watch dacres discovered that it was a quarter to ten. "no use stopping here," he decided. "i'll plug away and trust to find another path. wish i'd accepted that fellow's offer and got him to pilot me through this wilderness. that's the result of being so beastly independent." on and on he went, dodging between the thick masses of furze. an hour later he had a shrewd suspicion that he was describing a large circle, for one peculiar-shaped tree struck him as being familiar; yet no longed-for path rewarded his perseverance. "hurrah!" he exclaimed as a tiny speck of light leapt up at some distance ahead of him. "now there's a chance of finding out where i am." recklessly he plunged through the undergrowth, his eyes fixed upon the friendly gleam that came from the midst of a deep shadow. suddenly the light vanished, but the shadow resolved itself into a dense clump of trees extending right and left like a huge wall till lost in the night mist. now he could hear voices: men talking rapidly and earnestly, while the clatter of a metal object falling upon hard ground raised a sharp reproof. "midnight motor repairs," thought dacres. "a broken-down car, perhaps. then, these trees are by the side of the high road. ha!" further progress was impeded by a barbed wire fence upon which he blundered with disastrous results to his trousers and coat sleeves. the pain caused by one of the spikes cutting his wrist made him utter an exclamation of annoyance. simultaneously a bell began to tinkle faintly. the men's voices ceased. dacres paid scant heed to these ominous warnings. his one desire was to get into touch with human beings once more. standing upon the lowermost wire and holding upon the one above, he wriggled adroitly through the fence, then hurried through the wood, half expecting to find himself upon the road. but no highway rewarded his efforts. pine trunk after pine trunk he passed until it began to occur to him that he was in danger of being lost in a wood, which was as undesirable as being adrift in the midst of a foggy moorland. he paused. all was quiet. "i'll give a shout," he thought, but before he could raise his voice there was a sudden scuffling to the right and left of him and a deep voice exclaimed:-- "collar him, lads. he's one of them." chapter vii. the return of the airship. it was no time for explanation. dacres could just discern the outlines of two men in the act of springing upon him. at this uncalled-for outrage is blood was up. he would resist first and explain afterwards. stepping agilely aside dacres thrust out his foot and sent one of his assailants sprawling on his hands and knees. his comrade, within an ace of tripping over the other's prostrate body, thought discretion the better part of valour, and slipped back until he could obtain assistance. "what's the meaning of this?" demanded dacres angrily. "i'm not a poacher. i've lost my way." "a likely story," exclaimed the man who had given the order for the attack. "all the same, you've got to come with us." "got to?" repeated dacres, standing on his guard. "there are two sides to that question." a minute before he would have gone anywhere with anyone, and with the utmost willingness. now, the aggressive nature of the reception completely destroyed any such desire. as he stood with his arms in a professional boxing attitude he heard other footsteps, crunching on the dry pine-needles. "look here," continued the speaker. "it's no use resisting. we are five to one. you've jolly well got to be brought before the governor. it may be all right for you or it may not. we've got our orders and we mean to carry them out. now, then, are you coming quietly?" "evidently they take me for a poacher," thought dacres. "perhaps i am on the pater's preserves. it will be rather a joke if i am, and they run me in before my own governor." "very well, then," he said aloud, "i'll come quietly; only keep your hands off me." "we will if you promise to give no trouble," replied the leader of the party in a mollified tone, "but orders are orders, you know." "and this is an illegal arrest," added dacres. "maybe," retorted the man coolly. "anyway, it isn't our pigeon. you can argue that out with the governor. quick march, you men." two of dacres' captors faced about with military precision; two more formed up behind him, while the spokesman kept in the rear. in this order, and like an escort marching a deserter through the streets, the men set off through the wood. presently they emerged into a circular clearing, measuring roughly two hundred yards in diameter. the ground was covered with grass mown as short and as evenly as a cricket pitch, while at equal distances were five lofty wooden sheds, their fronts level with the surrounding forest and extending backwards into the dense masses of trees. in front of each of these buildings a red lamp was burning brightly. "can we get him across to the house before----?" whispered one of dacres' captors. "yes, if we hurry. no, we can't, by jupiter! there she is." overhead, its extremities hidden by the lofty tree tops, was a huge cylindrical object. in a moment the truth flashed across dacres' mind. the mysterious airship was returning to its place of concealment, and he was the first outsider to stumble upon its secret hiding-place. "remember your promise," hissed the leader of the men. "this is a mess. i'll have something to answer for. come on, you chaps." followed by three of his companions the man bounded across the open space. dacres' remaining captor touched him on the shoulder. "get back," he ordered. "i think not," replied dacres coolly, although inwardly consumed with excitement. "i mean to stay where i am." "you jolly well must," said the man threateningly. "thank you, but i'm not used to being ordered about," rejoined dacres with a sternness that commanded respect. "i will take the risk. i am perfectly aware that this is the secret hiding-place of the airship that has been causing such a stir, and i mean to see my part of the business through." "you'll be sorry for it, then," muttered the man. "we guessed as much. i won't give much for your chances when----" "my friend, you were not asked to," retorted dacres. "remember, i'm giving no trouble, as i promised. any trouble which arises depends solely upon yourself." the man, powerful though he was, realized that single-handed he was no match for his athletic prisoner. the rest of his companions had to hasten to assist in the berthing of the airship. to appeal to them would be useless. fortunately, however, the detained intruder made no attempt to escape. fascinated, dacres watched the strange scene. the airship was almost touching the tree-tops. it was too dark to distinguish any details of her construction. she showed no lights, nor was there a suspended platform visible. he could hear men's voices conversing in subdued tones, although he was unable to distinguish what was being said. presently coils of ropes were thrown down and secured by the men who had recently been dacres' assailants. there came a faint hissing sound like that of escaping air, and, as he watched, dacres saw the midship section of the huge envelope drop slowly out of line. held by the ropes it sank gently to the ground, and from it emerged two of the crew, who, assisted by one of the men in waiting guided it into one of the sheds that dacres had previously noticed. another section followed, and then a third, both of which were placed under cover. only the bow and stern portion now remained, till, smoothly as if they were gliding on a pair of rails, they came together without the faintest suspicion of a jar. even with the removal of the major portion of its bulk, the remaining sections of the airship were of considerable dimensions. the extremities almost touched the surrounding trees as the massive fabric was brought to earth. dacres could distinguish no signs of any propellers. the remaining remaining sections were very much like those already housed, except for the pointed bow and a long cylindrical projection on either side and parallel to the major axis of the main body. nor were there any elevating planes or rudders to be seen. the whole fabric seemed to be remarkably simple and business-like in design. by this time the fore and aft sections of the airship had shed their crew, and nearly thirty men were holding on to the guide ropes. again came the faint hissing sound and once more the giant envelope swung apart. within ten minutes from the lowering of the first rope the huge leviathan of the air was securely housed in the sheds erected for its reception. the red lights were switched off and darkness brooded over the open space. "now for it," thought dacres, as several of the men crossed the green and approached the spot where he was standing. "here is the man, sir," announced the fellow who had directed the capture. without saying a word the person addressed flashed an electric torch full in the captive's face. it struck dacres that this was taking rather a mean advantage, for no man can be at ease with a powerful glare temporarily blinding him. "you have made a mistake, callaghan," said the stranger at length, as he switched off the light. "this gentleman is not one of our undesirable friends. you ought to have exercised more discretion." "i thought, sir----" began callaghan. "never mind what you thought," interrupted the stranger peremptorily. "what is done is, unfortunately, hardly remediable at present. excuse me," he continued addressing himself to dacres, "but the zeal of my man rather outran his discretion. i think i am right in assuming that i am speaking to an englishman and a gentleman?" dacres bowed stiffly. he was still unable to see what his questioner was like, but judging by his voice he was a comparatively young man. "i think i can claim to be both," he replied. he was now in no hurry to furnish explanations. the situation appealed to him, and the more he could prolong his stay on the forbidden ground the better, he decided. cranbury house was for the time being far remote from his mind. "allow me to show you the way to my modest dwelling," continued the unknown. "there is no need for you to hurry away." whether there was any significance in the latter sentence dacres could not quite determine. he cared still less, for here, apparently, was a chance of learning more about the owner of this mysterious airship. after giving various directions to his men, the stranger took hold of dacres' arm in an easy yet dignified manner. "now," he said, "this way. it is rather a rough path." "it couldn't be rougher than the path i traversed this evening," said dacres, but the remark drew no response from his self-constituted companion. the track seemed a perfect labyrinth. it wound in sharp curves between the thickly-clustered trees; sometimes ascending and sometimes dipping steeply into hollows crowded with dense undergrowth. the darkness under the foliage was intense, and without his companions guiding arm dacres must have collided with the tree trunks more than once; but the stranger seemed to possess the instincts of a cat, for unhaltingly he pursued his way with the certainty of a man familiar with his haunts. presently the two men came upon a road that cut its way boldly through the wood. this the stranger followed for about a hundred yards, till he stopped in front of a gateway in a tall brick wall. had dacres wished to escape there seemed no reason why he should not take to his heels, for the roadway was evidently a carriage-drive, and must lead somewhere. but without hesitation he complied with the unknown's unspoken request as, with a wave of the hand, he indicated that his guest should enter. "here we are," said the stranger apologetically as they reached the door of a long rambling house. "we have not the convenience of electric light here, so i must strike a match and light the lamp." these words were spoken in such a matter-of-fact way that dacres could hardly realize that the speaker was one and the same as the daring airman who had stirred not only the united kingdom but the whole of the civilized world. unhesitatingly dacres followed his host into a plain but substantially furnished room, and when the lamp was turned up the former was able to discern the features of his companion. the owner of the aircraft was the shorter by two inches. he was sparely built, yet his breadth and depth of chest betokened more than average strength. his limbs were long in comparison to his body, while the long, tapering fingers indicated an artistic temperament. his face was oval, and of a deep tanned colour, his eyes were grey and evenly set beneath a pair of heavy brows. his hair was brown in hue and neatly parted in the centre, giving him at first sight a slightly effeminate appearance. dacres guessed his age to be about twenty-five. his dress consisted of a brown norfolk suit and riding breeches, box gaiters and brown boots. round his neck was a dark green muffler. his golf-cap and doeskin gloves he tossed upon the table. "now we can discuss this little matter, mr.----?" he raised his eyebrows interrogatively. "dacres is my name--basil dacres." "ah! any relation of colonel dacres, my nearest neighbour?" he asked. "his son? that's quite a coincidence. i owe the colonel a duty call, but i have been so excessively busy of late that i really haven't had time. by the by, my name's whittinghame--vaughan whittinghame. i don't suppose for one moment that you've heard of me before." "i have reason to dispute that," said dacres. "well, then, as an individual you might, but as far as the name is concerned----" "i happened to meet a gerald whittinghame in town about five years ago," said dacres. "oh--how?" "during the college summer vacation. i met him at general shaldon's house, when i was staying with my friend dick shaldon. whittinghame was then a man of about twenty-two. he had just come home from somewhere in south america. he was a rattling good left-hand bowler, i remember." "that's my brother," said vaughan whittinghame quietly. "by the by, are you a 'varsity man?" dacres shook his head. he did not at present feel inclined to lay his cards upon the table. "to get straight to the point," continued whittinghame, looking his guest full in the face, "how came you in my grounds this evening?" "that's easily explained," replied dacres. "i was on my way to cranbury house--i've never been there yet--and i lost my way. nearly got stuck in a bog more than once. eventually i saw a light, and crawling through a fence"--here he looked regretfully at his torn clothing "--i found myself confronted by some of your men." "it is as well you thought better of resisting," said whittinghame quietly. "they are tough customers and they know their orders. i may as well tell you, mr. dacres, that i am compelled to detain you here for a few days." "very well," replied dacres with perfect sangfroid. it was whittinghame's turn to look astonished. "there's nothing like making the best of a bad job," he remarked as soon as he had mastered his feelings. "'pon my soul you are a cool customer. i fully expected that you would have made a dash for it, when we reached the drive." "there was nothing to prevent me from so doing," rejoined dacres. his host smiled. "there you're wrong you gave your word you'd come quietly, and i wanted to test you. if you had attempted to escape you would have been laid by the heels in a brace of shakes. you honestly assert that you had no idea that my little airship had her head-quarters here when you broke through the fence?" "no, i did not; but honestly i'm glad i found out." "i am afraid your knowledge will be of no service to anyone save yourself until there is no further need for concealment, mr. dacres. i trust that your enforced detention will in no wise inconvenience you?" "not in the least," declared dacres fervently. "i have no immediate plans." "but colonel dacres?" "does not expect me." "excuse me, but would you mind telling me what you are?" asked whittinghame. "if you do not feel inclined i will not press the point; but i am interested to know." "what i am and what i was a few weeks ago are two very different conditions," said dacres without hesitation. "i was once a british naval officer. now i am a--well, one of the unemployed, i suppose." "sorry, 'pon my word," said the other sympathetically. "let's hear your story--but wait: you must be famished. i'll get something to eat and drink." with that whittinghame left the room, ostensibly to order refreshment. he also took the opportunity of consulting the latest quarterly copy of the official navy list. "by jove! i'm in luck," soliloquized dacres. "whittinghame's quite a decent sort. i may even be able to get him to let me have a trip with him. anyway, it's something to occupy my mind, and since the governor doesn't know i'm in england our somewhat delicate interview can wait." he looked round the room. there was nothing to denote the aerial propensities of his host. over the mantelpiece was a pair of huge horns covered with a metallic substance resembling silver. on the walls were oil-paintings of country scenes which looked suspiciously like constable's work. in one corner was a gun rack containing several twelve bores and rook-rifles; a few fishing-rods and a pair of waders occupied another. a smoker's cabinet stood on the massive oak table. the room might well be the den of an ordinary country gentleman. presently whittinghame returned followed by a serving-man bearing a loaded tray. "that will be all to-night, williamson," said his master. "you can lock up and go to bed." "very good, sir." "h'm!" thought dacres, looking at the black-garbed man. "you're a bit of a quick-change artist, i know." for he recognized the fellow by his voice: he was the one who had been left to keep an eye on the captive when the airship returned. "now, set to," continued whittinghame genially. "then, if you're not too tired, we can yarn over a pipe." until dacres commenced eating he had no idea how hungry he really was. the food was plain but appetizing, the cold ham especially, and he did hearty justice to the repast. "fill your pipe--or do you prefer a cigar?" asked his host pointing to the cabinet. "try that chair; you'll find it fairly comfortable. by jove! your boots are wet. let me offer you some slippers." "yes, i feel sorry for your carpet," said dacres apologetically as he stooped to unfasten his bootlaces. for a few moments both men smoked in silence. dacres felt that his host was watching him narrowly, yet he imperturbably puffed at his pipe. "look here, dacres, old man," whittinghame suddenly exclaimed, "what do you say? will you ship along with me?" chapter viii. whittinghame's narrative. vaughan whittinghame had not made the proposal on the spur of the moment. he already knew the circumstances under which dacres had left the service; he was aware that the young man was "down on his luck;" he also had found out that he had volunteered for the royal flying corps. dacres was a man who could be useful to him in more ways than one. he was used to command; he had a thorough knowledge of armaments, and what was more essential he was used to navigating a ship and could determine his position by either solar or stellar observation. the coolness with which he had followed whittinghame into what might have proved to be a dangerous trap convinced the latter that the ex-naval officer was a man on whom he could entirely depend. "conditionally--yes," replied dacres, whereat his companion was even better pleased. he was not a hot-headed man, he reflected. "what stipulations do you lay down?" he asked. "one only," answered dacres. "that i am not called upon to assist in committing any acts prejudicial to the interests of king and country." "that i can safely agree to. but before i give you any details as to the nature of my masterpiece i ought to explain the reasons why i have undertaken a definite mission." "quite so," assented dacres. "you are not too tired? would you rather turn in?" "not in the least. fire away; i am all attention." "you've heard, of course, of valderia?" began whittinghame abruptly. "yes, that rotten tin-pot south american republic that owes its very existence to the jealousy between chili and peru." "that's the average englishman's idea of valderia. you can take it from me that that republic is greatly under-rated. the inhabitants, of course, are of the usual south american type: the better class are creoles and the lower class are a mixture of spanish, negro, and indian blood. you may remember president santobar? he was assassinated about two years ago--in march, , to be correct. he was a most able ruler as far as order and progress went. under his presidency valderia became prosperous. gold was found there, and also, although not generally known, platinum. that pair of horns, for example, is overlaid with thin platinum from the san bonetta mines. at current london prices that metal is worth at least eight thousand pounds. "my brother gerald had a mining concession at san bonetta, which is less than thirty miles from the capital, naocuanha. he was held in great esteem by president santobar, who often asked his advice on matters concerning internal transport. "after a while prosperity turned the valderians heads. they hankered after military and naval supremacy amongst the south american republics; and since santobar was of a peace-loving disposition, there was a revolution and he was deposed. four days after the revolution the president was murdered, and an octroon named diego zaypuru became dictator. "a glance at the map will convince anyone who studies the situation of the favourable physical conditions of valderia. it has a fair extent of coast-line, possessing several deep and land-locked harbours, while a semi-circle of lofty snow-capped mountains, breaking off abruptly at the coast on the northern and southern frontiers, form a well-nigh impossible barrier between it and the neighbouring states. "although the climate on the littoral is unhealthy it is quite the reverse on the three great terraces that lie between the sea and the sierras. not only is there abundant mineral wealth, but two of these plateaux are extremely suitable for raising corn and rearing cattle. "had the valderians contented themselves with their commercial advantages they might easily, within a few years, have become the most prosperous state of south america, but their aptitude for commerce was outweighed by their desire for the hollow glory of feats of arms. "one of president zaypuru's first acts was to purchase a super-dreadnought that had been constructed at elswick to the order of another south american republic; four ocean-going destroyers were bought from the vulkan yard at stettin, and six semi-obsolete submarines were obtained from the french government. these formed the nucleus of the valderian navy, while docks were constructed at zandovar, the port of naocuanha. "at the same time an army of fifteen thousand men was raised, armed with modern rifles, and drilled by ex-non-commissioned officers of the german army. of course, president zaypuru must have an aerial fleet, and with this object in view he sent for my brother. "gerald and i had always been very keen on all matters appertaining to aviation and aeronautics. before he left england for valderia we prepared plans in duplicate of a veritable dreadnought of the air--in fact, they were the plans from which my airship was constructed. "it was agreed that as soon as gerald made sufficient money he was to return home, and both of us were to carry our long-cherished plan into effect. "somehow, don diego zaypuru came to know of the existence of these plans, and sending for my brother offered him immense sums if he would superintend the construction of an aerial dreadnought on the lines indicated in the design. "gerald had sufficient foresight to be prepared for a rupture. he had already sent home an amount more than enough to defray the cost of building and maintaining the projected airship. he was actually about to leave the country when the president's arbitrary summons was presented to him. "there was no love lost between my brother and the murderer of ex-president santobar. gerald point-blank refused to have any truck with zaypuru; and because of this refusal my brother was arrested and thrown into prison, where he still remains. "it is with the primary object of rescuing my brother from the clutches of president zaypuru that my dreadnought of the air--the 'meteor,' as i have named her--has now become an airship in being." "but surely," remarked dacres, taking advantage of a pause in the narrative, "surely the british government would take up the matter, since the life and liberty of one of its subjects is at stake?" "you have not yet heard all of the business, dacres. in the first place, the lethargy of the british government is proverbial. the time has passed when england would strike and explain afterwards. now a long-winded and generally futile course of diplomatic relations is the order of things. my own opinion is that sooner than release my brother president zaypuru would put him out of the way, disclaim knowledge of the act, and if pressed offer apologies and a monetary indemnity. "but there is another phase in the story of valderia. you remember, of course, a renegade called von harburg?" "the fellow captain restronguet tracked and eventually discovered dead somewhere in portuguese east africa. yes, and curiously enough i met hythe in town this afternoon." "in all probability you'll meet again ere long; but to carry on. von harburg's base was in the dutch east indies, and, when the 'vorwartz' was captured, the renegade's sumatran retreat was occupied by dutch troops and the remainder of his gang dispersed. "the fellow whom von harburg had left in charge of his repairing-base was a mexican named reno durango. he is a clever rascal, from all accounts, for on being pushed out of sumatra--he managed, by the by, to get clear with a tidy sum of money--he volunteered his services to president zaypuru as adviser to the submarine branch of the infant valderian navy. "the semi-obsolete french submarines were equipped with many of von harburg's really dangerous means of offence; while durango managed to build a large airship from the plans which had been found in gerald's house. of course that airship does not embody all my inventions, still it is not to be despised. i would class it as superior to any dirigible now owned by the great powers. "but to get back to the submarine part of my narrative. reno durango's ambition was to acquire the secrets of the british 'm' class of submarines--those built to the same type as the renowned 'aphrodite.' and with this object in view, i hear from a very trustworthy source--from one of my brother's native assistants and a real loyal man to his employer's interests--that durango is on his way to england to attempt to steal the specifications from the british admiralty." dacres smiled. "surely," he said incredulously, "the fellow doesn't know the utter impracticability of his scheme. his appearance, his accent, would betray him. besides, see how jealously those secrets are guarded." "perhaps you do not know that this rascal was educated in england--at a public school near london. he speaks english perfectly. he is as wily as a fox, and since he has ample funds--well, there have been instances of high officials being known to sell state secrets for a considerable bribe, you know." "the admiralty ought to be warned." "i agree with you. i mean to do so; but there is plenty of time. durango is still on the high seas. now you can follow my plan of operation. the 'meteor' has now passed her final trials. in a few days i mean to offer my services to the admiralty and to ask for a letter of marque to destroy the airship that the valderian government has taken under its protection. in the course of this operation i hope to rescue my brother." "but valderia is a friendly state. the republic has been recognized by the powers," objected dacres. "admitted; but the airship is still the private property of reno durango, and since that rogue is branded as an outlaw--for the declaration by the great powers against karl von harburg and his gang has never been withdrawn--he is still the lawful prey to anyone who can lay him by the heels." "when taking refuge in a neutral country?" "we'll see about that later on," rejoined whittinghame grimly. "suppose we knock off now; you've quite enough to dream about to-night." "one moment," said dacres, a thought flashing across his mind. "what is this fellow durango like?" "i'll describe him--no, i won't. i've a photograph of him somewhere. i'll fetch it." "don't trouble." "no trouble at all. have another cigar." whittinghame hurried out of the room, soon to return with a cabinet photograph in his hand. "here you are," he announced. dacres took the photograph. one glance was sufficient. "it strikes me rather forcibly that you are mistaken about reno durango," he remarked. "he is not on the high seas: he's in england. i travelled from waterloo in the same carriage with him this afternoon." chapter ix. the flight to london. whittinghame sprang to his feet, the muscles of his face working with excitement. "that's serious--decidedly serious," he exclaimed. "we can't afford to underrate that fellow. look here, dacres, there's a job for you the first thing to-morrow. your formal introduction to the 'meteor' can wait." "very good; what is it?" "you told me you knew commander hythe; go up to town to-morrow morning and warn him. don't give him the name of your informant, merely say that reno durango is in england, and was seen in a portsmouth train. that will be enough--he knows the character of the rogue. if we can nab the fellow on english soil that will save a lot of complications, for otherwise it won't end only in a rupture between great britain and valderia. valderia is only a pawn in the game as far as durango is concerned. if he succeeds in obtaining the secret specifications and getting back to zandovar he will, of course, apply his knowledge to the improvement of the valderian submarines." whittinghame paused to wipe his face. the perspiration was slowly trickling down his forehead. he was labouring under intense mental strain. dacres made no remark. he allowed his companion to take his time. presently whittinghame resumed. "no, valderia hardly counts in durango's estimation. he is playing for higher stakes. once he has succeeded in working the specifications what is there to prevent him from negotiating with some of the great powers? should the secret pass into the hands of our avowed rivals, in a very short space of time they would possess a fleet of submarines of the 'aphrodite' type, and our present unquestionable superiority would become a thing of the past." "i see the drift of your argument," said dacres. "in a way, durango indirectly gains you the sympathy of the government, and your plans to rescue your brother will be facilitated." "you've hit the right nail on the head, dacres," observed whittinghame. "now let's see about turning in. it is half-past one." dacres was shown into a small but well-furnished bedroom. he noticed, with considerable surprise, that his small handbag for immediate use was placed on a chair by, the side of his bed. "hang it!" he exclaimed, as soon as he was left alone. "i clean forgot all about that bag. i must have dropped it when callaghan and co. tracked me in the wood. well, i'm in luck--by jove, i am! here i am signed on for service in the mysterious airship--and already entrusted with an important mission. by the by, i wonder what that fellow callaghan meant by saying, 'he's one of them!' i'll ask whittinghame in the morning." even the momentous events of the day did not keep dacres from sleeping. in less than ten minutes he was lost to the world in a sound, dreamless slumber. at seven o'clock dacres was awakened by a knock on the door, and in reply to his "all right" the man williamson, who had acted as butler on the preceding evening, entered. "your bath is ready, sir," he announced, "and mr. whittinghame presents his compliments and would you care to make use of this suit of clothes until you can get your luggage?" half an hour later dacres, rigged out in a suit of his host's--which fitted him fairly well considering the slight difference in height--entered the diningroom, where breakfast was already served. "hope it's not too early for you," remarked whittinghame after the customary morning greetings, "but the matter is urgent. one of my monoplanes will be ready for you at half-past eight. with luck you ought to be at the admiralty soon after ten--that, i believe, is the usual hour at which the officials arrive preparatory to duty. all being well you should be back by noon. if, for any unforeseen cause, you are detained you might communicate with me." "how?" asked dacres; "by telegraph?" whittinghame shook his head. "too risky, in spite of the vaunted 'official reticence' of the postmaster-general. no, there is another way--by wireless." "by wireless?" echoed dacres. "why not? the monoplane is fitted with an installation of the latest type, and callaghan, who is to pilot you, is a skilled operator. you give him any message and he will transmit it in code." "there was one thing i meant to ask you," said dacres, in the course of the meal. "have any persons attempted to trespass upon your property?" "yes, several," was the reply. "at first i had a lot of trouble with poachers, until i effectually scared them off. after that i had to deal with one or two members of durango's gang." "then, durango knows of the existence of the 'meteor' and of her place of concealment?" "oh, no. he knows through his spies that i have taken a house in the new forest, but i do not for one moment think he suspects that the 'meteor' is hidden here. to conceal an airship of over a thousand feet in length in a comparatively small plantation seems illogical. that is the beauty of the whole scheme. he knows right enough who the owner of the 'meteor' is--he has good reasons for so doing--but it is to his own interests to keep that a secret." "why do his agents prowl about here?" "under his orders. i don't believe that they even know who or what he is, but money will work wonders. if these fellows had the opportunity i don't suppose they would hesitate to kidnap or even murder me; but i don't give them the chance. you may recollect that when you made your way through the fence a bell rang?" "now you mention it, i do." "that is for the purpose of raising an alarm. also two of the wires of that fence are electrically charged. by a thousand to one chances you missed them. had you touched them you would have been held powerless till my men released you. again, had you made a dash for liberty last night, you would have found the drive barred by a gate. naturally you would either open it, or vault over the top. in either case you would have been stopped by the live wire and become as helpless as a fly stuck to a fly paper." "then, perhaps it's as well i didn't attempt it," remarked dacres with a smile. "i'm jolly glad i didn't for other reasons. but what happens when tradesmen and _bona fide_ visitors call?" "they are few and far between," replied whittinghame. "we make due allowance for them. fifty yards beyond the electrically-charged gate is another gate. the lodge-keeper has to open that, and if he is certain that the callers are above suspicion, he switches off the current and telephones up to the house." "then, where is the generating station?" "underground. in fact, all the gas-producing plant and workshops are underground. i'll show them to you when you return. by a rare slice of luck the house is built on the site of an old royal hunting-lodge, and the extensive cellars still remain, although long forgotten until we discovered them by pure accident. otherwise, had the workshops to be above ground, the risk of detection would be infinitely great. but it's close on the half-hour. are you ready for your journey?" on a lawn in front of the house was a two-seated monoplane, one of the standard "velox" design that had recently become popular in great britain. aviation as a means of making a journey had become quite common, and an aeroplane in flight attracted no more attention than a taxi in the strand. callaghan, a burly, good-natured irishman, was already in the pilot's seat. on his left was the wireless installation which, since the monoplane was automatically steered when once in the air, could be worked without detriment to callaghan's other duties. the passenger's seat, in the rear and slightly higher than the pilot's, was protected from the wind and rain by an enclosed structure resembling the body of the now defunct hansom-cab. to view the country beneath him the passenger could make use of the two sponson-like windows on either side, through which the traveller, leaning sideways, could see immediately below. there was no necessity for half a dozen men to hang on to the monoplane's tail. as soon as dacres had taken his seat, callaghan thrust forward a short lever and the propeller began to revolve. the passenger was made aware that the flight had begun by reason of his head coming into contact with the padded back of the cab, and by a sinking sensation in the region of his waist like the experience when being suddenly jerked up in a lift. beyond that there was nothing to give an impression of flight. the glass protected him from the wind and silenced the buzz of the powerful rotary motor, and it was not until dacres looked over the side and saw the moorland and forest slipping away beneath him that he realized that he was being borne through the air at one hundred and twenty miles an hour. even at that terrific speed the light westerly wind caused an appreciable drift. in eight minutes the monoplane was over and slightly to the west of southampton. here callaghan altered the course to counteract the cross air-current, and three minutes later winchester, nestling between the downs, glided underneath like a panoramic effect. then alton and aldershot were left behind in quick succession, and forty minutes after leaving the ground dacres discerned the thames looking like a silvery thread amidst the meadows and woods of middlesex and surrey. with the rapid progress and popularity of aviation many of the restrictions that had been placed upon the pioneers of this branch of aeronautics had been abolished. it was no longer forbidden to fly over towns, and the metropolis was no exception. in fact, a portion of hyde park had, with part of other open spaces, been allotted to the use of airmen. it was to the hyde park alighting station that callaghan steered. had he been a stranger to london he could easily have found his way by reason of hundreds of aeroplanes making for or returning from the most central aviation ground in the metropolis. speed was reduced to a safe forty miles an hour, which, after the rapid rush, seemed to dacres more like a painful crawl in a motor-bus through cheapside. almost immediately beneath them was hyde park. the monoplane was circling now in company with ten more, spread out at regular intervals like a flock of wood-pigeons in flight. presently callaghan's practised eye caught sight of the signal he was waiting for: a huge red and white disk rotated till its face was visible from above. it was to signify that the ground was clear to receive the next batch of waiting 'planes. fascinated, dacres watched the sward apparently rising to meet him. the volplane was so steep that it seemed that nothing could prevent the monoplane from being dashed to bits upon the earth. so acute was the angle that he had to plant his feet firmly against the front of the cab to prevent himself from slipping from his seat. suddenly the whole fabric tilted upwards, then with a barely perceptible jar and a strange sensation in the back of his neck, dacres found himself on terra firma in the heart of the metropolis. "we would have done it in forty-eight minutes, sir, if it hadn't been for that block," remarked callaghan apologetically, as he opened the door. "you'll find me over by that pylon, sir. we are not allowed to wait here." "very good," replied dacres, and feeling rather stiff in his lower limbs, hurried to the exit, called a taxi, and was soon bowling along towards whitehall. "i wish to see commander hythe," he announced to the petty-officer messenger on duty at the admiralty. the man consulted a register. "i'm sorry, sir," he replied, "but commander hythe is not in the building. mr. wells is doing duty for him. would you wish to see mr. wells sir?" "i don't know the man," thought dacres, "and i don't suppose he'll know me. in any case, he can tell me where hythe is with more certainty than the messenger. very well," he said. "i'll see mr. wells." much to his disgust dacres had to cool his heels in a waiting-room for full twenty minutes until the official was at liberty to receive him. commander hythe was on duty at portsmouth, dacres was informed. it was quite uncertain when he would return: it might be a matter of a few hours or it might be a couple of days. "we've got to run down to portsmouth, callaghan," announced dacres as he rejoined the monoplane. "send a message to mr. whittinghame and explain that commander hythe is away on duty and that i am going to get in touch with him." "very good, sir. i'll send off a wireless when we are clear of this place. i'll land you on the officers' recreation ground." "that will do nicely," agreed dacres as he took his seat. thirty-nine minutes after leaving hyde park the monoplane shaved past the tower of portsmouth town hall and alighted at the spot the irishman had suggested. from a police inspector at the dockyard gate dacres elicited the information that commander hythe was engaged with the commander-in-chief, and that it was very doubtful whether he could be seen. "but i must see him," declared dacres peremptorily, "the commander-in-chief notwithstanding. this is official and not private business. would you mind letting me have paper and envelope? i'll write a note and one of your men can take it to commander hythe." five minutes later a telephone message was received at the gate to the effect that commander hythe would receive mr. dacres at once. "hulloa, old man!" exclaimed the youthful commander as dacres was shown into the office. "you've come at a very busy time. i can give you five minutes only. what can i do for you?" hythe's usually cheerful face looked drawn and haggard. it seemed as if he had aged ten years since yesterday, when dacres met him in northumberland avenue. "i've been sent to warn you that the plans of the 'm' class of submarines are in danger." "to warn me," echoed hythe grimly. "my dear fellow, you're too late. the plans and specifications were stolen from the manager's confidential record room between six last evening and this morning. that's why i'm here." chapter x. the stolen plans. "reno durango is the culprit," said dacres. "if you lay him by the heels the secret will be safe." "but the fellow isn't in england," objected hythe. "perhaps not," agreed dacres. "but he was last night. i saw him in the train." "then why on earth didn't you report the matter?" "simply because i had then no idea who or what he was. i know now." "come and see the admiral," said the commander, taking his friend by the arm. "one minute. look here, old man, i'm in a bit of a fix. i'm not a free agent in the matter. besides----" "can't be helped. this is a matter of national importance." "very well, then; only don't give the show away that i once held his majesty's commission." dacres found himself in the company of the commander-in-chief, the admiral superintendent of the dockyard, two naval secretaries, the superintendent of police, and two high officials from scotland yard. to these he related the circumstances under which he had met the mexican in the train, and that he had come purposely to warn his friend, commander hythe, that the plans of the submarines were in danger. "did you come here on your own initiative, sir?" asked one of the scotland yard men. "no," replied dacres. "i was acting under instructions." "whose, might i ask?" this was an awkward question. dacres hesitated. "one who has good reason to wish to see durango arrested," he replied guardedly. "i'm not at liberty at present to divulge his name." "but suppose we insist?" asked the commander-in-chief bluntly. "no useful purpose would result, sir," said dacres boldly. "in fact, the chances of recovering the papers would be considerably retarded. i will return at once to my principal and inform him of the loss of the documents. no doubt he will act promptly and unreservedly in conjunction with you. meanwhile, i would suggest that you ascertain what ships left southampton between six o'clock yesterday and the present time. by giving a description of this señor durango you will possibly be able to find out whether he has left the country." "that we propose to do," said one of the scotland yard officials with owl-like wisdom. as a matter of fact, such an idea had not previously entered his head. "very well, gentlemen," said dacres firmly, "i will now take my leave. i can assure you that at present i can be of no further use to you. no doubt my principal will communicate with you in due course." dacres certainly held the whip hand. he was no longer a naval officer subject to the king's regulations; there was not the faintest excuse for arresting him, while his vague hint as to what might happen if he were detained could not be ignored. hythe followed him into the ante-room. "i say, old man," he exclaimed, "what sort of enterprise have you embarked upon?" "something that will never cause me to regret leaving the service," replied dacres. "you'll be surprised when you are told, but i cannot say any more about it at present. cheer up, old fellow! we'll get those plans before there's any serious damage done." "stop at southampton, callaghan," ordered dacres, as calmly as if he were giving directions to a taxi-driver. "somewhere as close to the shipping offices as you can." the pilot was "all out" to break records, and within eight minutes of the time of rising from the ground he alighted at southampton--a distance of sixteen miles as the crow flies. dacre's instincts prompted him first to visit the offices of a brazilian steamship company. fortune favoured him, for he made the discovery that a man answering to his description of señor durango had booked a passage on board the s.s "maranhao." the ship had cleared southampton docks at a.m. "she's well down channel by this time," soliloquised dacres. "the rogue is safe for the time being, for the authorities dare not arrest him on a vessel flying brazilian colours." "what is the speed of the 'maranhao'?" he asked of the english clerk in the firm's office. "she's a fairly slow boat, sir," replied the man apologetically. "you see, she's running a relief trip, because the 'alagoas' has broken her mainshaft. twelve knots would be her average." dacres thanked him for the information and inquired when the "maranhao" was likely to arrive at her destination--pernambuco. the man was unable to hazard an opinion, but in answer to further inquiries said that the distance from southampton to pernambuco was seamiles. allowing for a stop at cape verde islands, dacres came to the conclusion that the "maranhao" would take at least thirteen and a half days to reach pernambuco. this was reassuring, and having thanked the clerk for the trouble he had taken, he rejoined callaghan and gave instructions to be whirled back to whittinghame's retreat. "we're too late," he announced as vaughan whittinghame came from the house to meet him. "durango has contrived to get hold of the plans." "knowing the man i am not surprised," replied the owner of the "meteor" calmly. "have they collared him?" "no; he's on the high seas. in another thirteen or fourteen days he'll land at pernambuco--if he doesn't double on his tracks and disembark at las palmas or cape verde." "he won't," said whittinghame. "he'll get across to naocuanha as sharp as he can possibly manage it. we'll try to nab him when he enters valderian territory. it would be too risky to do so before." as briefly as he could dacres related the incidents of his aerial journey and his interview with the authorities at portsmouth. "i told them that in the interests of the empire you would doubtless communicate with them direct," he added. "i will," assented whittinghame. "when?" asked dacres eagerly. "plenty of time. let them have a chance to indulge in a mild panic. we will pay them an official visit at the end of the week--say on saturday." "we?" repeated dacres. "yes--in the 'meteor' there are times when dramatic moments are desirable, and this is one of them. i'll write to the commander-in-chief and inform him that the airship that has caused so much stir in official circles will appear at portsmouth at a.m. on the th instant, and that her commander will, in support of his deputy's assurances, communicate an important announcement to the representatives of my lords commissioners of the admiralty--sounds imposing, eh? well, let's have lunch, and then i'll introduce you to the 'meteor.'" during the meal whittinghame studiously avoided talking "shop." he discussed topics of ordinary interest with consummate ease, his knowledge of all branches of sport being especially profound. he had all the noteworthy records of athletics at his fingers' ends, and had the happy knack of imparting his knowledge without conveying the idea that he was trying to be pedantic. "before we go outside," he said, after lunch was over, "suppose we have a look at the workshops?" "i should be delighted," assented his guest. "this is my private entrance," announced whittinghame, touching an almost invisible projection on the wall and causing a secret panel to open. "at one time it was a boast that an englishman's house was his castle, but that is no longer true. since i cannot prevent the minions of the government from entering my house and taking an immense amount of data for some useless purpose, i must protect my own interests by this means. i discovered the secret panel after the under-ground cellars had been opened up from outside. evidently it was a 'priest's hole,' or refuge in troublous times. this is a seventeenth century house built over cellars of a much older date. mind the steps; they are a lot worn in places." at the lowermost step whittinghame stopped and unlocked a baize-covered door. a faint buzz greeted dacre's ears. "the doors are almost sound-proof," continued his guide. "wait while i switch on a light." the brilliant glow from an electric lamp revealed the fact that they were standing in a long narrow passage, with a door at the far end similar to the one that had just been opened. "you wonder why i use lamps in a house when there is electric lighting in the cellars?" asked whittinghame, noting the look of surprise on his companion's face. "it's easy to explain. if i had electric fittings installed in the house they would cause comment. by retaining the old-fashioned system of lighting it helps to keep up the deception that this is a remote country house and the home of a simple country gentleman of limited means. this is the retort room," he added, opening the second sound-proof door. the place reeked of gas. dacres felt somewhat apprehensive, for there were no visible means of ventilation. "quite harmless," said whittinghame reassuringly. "we use electricity for producing the gas ultra-hydrogen we term it. i had the secret from a german scientist who was unable to sell his priceless formula in his own country. he was regarded as a lunatic, poor fellow. this ultra-hydrogen has, under equal conditions of density and capacity, three times the lifting-power of ordinary hydrogen. nor is that all: it is absolutely non-inflammable." "by jove!" ejaculated dacres, too surprised to say anything else. "yes," continued his companion. "you may well express astonishment. just think: nine-tenths of the dangers to which an airship is exposed are by this stupendous discovery. thanks to the practical non-porosity of the ballonettes of the 'meteor' we have not yet found it necessary to recharge them. we are, however, laying in a reserve supply of ultra-hydrogen and storing it under pressure in cast-steel cylinders." "then, what happens when you want to descend?" asked dacres. "has not the gas to be released?" "no, otherwise we should have to continually rely upon our reserve of ultra-hydrogen. it is six weeks since the 'meteor' made her first flight, by the by." "then, how do you manage to husband the supply of gas in the ballonettes?" "there are no less than a hundred of these sub-divisions. each consists of two skins, the outer one of rigid aluminium, the inner of flexible non-porous fabric. when we wish to descend--apart from the action of the horizontal planes--the ultra-hydrogen is exhausted from the required number of ballonettes and forced under great pressure into steel cylinders similar to those you see here. air at the normal atmospheric pressure is then introduced into the ballonettes until the weight of the airship is slightly heavier than air. "these men you see working here also form part of the crew of the 'meteor.' in due course i shall muster them and give them proper notice of your appointment as navigating officer to the vessel. i might mention, however, that every one of them has seen service in the royal navy. they are all trained men, who, under the rotten short service system, have been cast aside by the admiralty when they might be of the best possible use." "aren't you afraid that some of them might betray your secret?" whittinghame laughed. "no," he replied emphatically, "i am not. many people imagine that nowadays there is not such a thing as honour. government officials wonder why important secrets leak out. they threaten their employees with dire pains and penalties, instead of paying them decent wages and appealing to their sense of honour. i know that for a fact. my experience teaches me that so long as you pick your men carefully in the first instance, pay them adequately, and treat them considerately, they'll stick to you through thick and thin with unswerving loyalty. now let us visit the workshops. there is not much to be seen, for all the constructive work is now completed, but you will be able to form some idea of how an airship of over one thousand feet in length was constructed in secret." the next cellar was about fifty feet in length and twenty-five in breadth, and practically bare. "this is our mould loft," explained whittinghame. "through dire necessity we were compelled to make the work in comparatively small sections. each subdivision was assembled here before taken into the open air. i might add that the whole work of finally assembling the parts was done without the use of a hammer. over thirty thousand bolts and nuts were used in setting up the completed craft. in the next room are the lathes and fitters' benches; beyond that are the electric rolls for making the aluminium sheets, and the hydraulic presses for moulding them into shape. but i do not think we need waste time there; suppose we devote our attention to an inspection of the 'meteor'?" chapter xi. the "meteor." whittinghame conducted his companion to the open air by a different route from that by which they had gained the subterranean workshops. it was a fairly broad way, of quite recent construction, and sloping gently for quite eighty yards and finishing, up by a steep incline. dacres found himself in the midst of a thick wood, an avenue the width of the passage terminating at the rear of a large shed. but instead of entering the building, whittinghame broke away to the left by a narrow footpath, which by a circuitous route gained the open space where dacres had obtained his first glimpse of the returning airship. at first he was puzzled. there was the circular clearing with its closely-mown grass, but no signs of the five airship-sheds. pulling out a whistle whittinghame gave two sharp blasts. this signal was almost immediately followed by the appearance of three men clad in dungaree suits. "open up no i. shed, parsons," ordered the "meteor's" owner, then turning to his companion he observed: "that's my chief engineer. he is absolutely part and parcel of the 'meteor's' machinery. what he doesn't know about motors is hardly worth troubling about. now watch." the engineer and his two assistants disappeared behind a clump of trees. then, even as dacres looked, a number of lofty pines moved bodily sideways with regimental precision, disclosing the end of one of the sheds that he had seen overnight. "we have to disguise our sheds as much as possible," said whittinghame. "those trees are dummies set in a base that travels on wheels on a pair of rails. they would defy detection unless anyone were warned as to their nature. the roof too, is covered with artificial tree-tops. an airman passing overhead would have no idea that there were five sheds each two hundred and forty feet in length, forty-five feet in height and forty in breadth hidden in this comparatively small wood. now, this is the bow section of the 'meteor.' a noble craft, i think you'll admit." as soon as his eyes grew accustomed to the semi-gloom dacres saw that the pointed bow was facing him, while on either side of the main fabric was a smaller cylinder open at each end. "those contain the propellers," explained his guide. "the airship has four cylinders with two propellers in each. the foremost propeller works at , revolutions per minute, and the backdraught is taken up by the rear propeller, which runs at twice that speed. the cylinders form a partial silencer, so that, except through an arc of about eleven degrees, its centre parallel to the major axis of the airship, the whirr of the blades is practically inaudible when at a height of two hundred or more feet above the ground. do you notice those plates of metal lying against the outer envelope?" "one above and one underneath the propeller covering?" "yes, those are the elevating planes and rudders, 'housed' for the time being to allow the craft to enter her shed. the motors are in the centre of the body, the propeller shafting being chain-driven." "what do you use--petrol?" asked dacres. whittinghame shook his head. "too dangerous," he replied. "we use cordite." "eh?" ejaculated dacres incredulously. "yes, cordite: the ideal fuel for internal combustion engines. you must be perfectly aware of the properties of cordite. in the open air and not under pressure it burns slowly; but under pressure its explosive capabilities are enormous. our motors are actuated by introducing small charges of cordite into the cylinders and exploding them by electricity. the principle is similar to that of a maxim gun, only of course we don't use cartridges on a belt. the cylinder chamber itself acts as a cartridge case. suppose we go aboard?" whittinghame indicated a wire rope-ladder running from a doorway about twenty feet from the ground. "the whole of the underbody of the outer envelope is watertight," he remarked. "the 'meteor' can float on the sea if necessary. of course there are observation scuttles and bomb-dropping ports, but these can be hermetically sealed." agilely dacres swarmed up the swinging ladder and passed through the doorway. he found himself in a room twenty feet square, and ten in height, with circular ports on one side and doors on the transverse bulkheads. in the floor were two rectangular openings furnished with plate-glass, but for the time being shuttered on the outside by closely-fitting slides. "this is our forward bomb-dropping compartment," continued whittinghame as he regained his companion. "the devices for that purpose are behind that partition. all the ammunition is stored in the 'midship or no. section and transported along these rails as required. we also keep stores here, the idea being that should the various sections of the airship have to part company each will be self-supporting in a double sense. "the next compartment for'ard contains the mechanism for actuating the vertical rudders. above that are the motor-rooms, while right for'ard are the twin navigation-rooms. we'll have a look at the motor-rooms first of all. by the by, those are the cylinders for storing the ultra-hydrogen under pressure. at the present moment the dead weight of this section is less than fifty pounds." "but we weigh more than that," observed dacres. "quite so; but the buoyancy is automatically maintained. as you crossed the threshold of the doorway you stepped upon a plate resembling the floor of aweigh-bridge. at once a sufficient quantity of ultra-hydrogen is introduced into the ballonettes to counteract your weight, and, in fact, the weight of any person or article brought on board." "i'm afraid i'm curious," said dacres, "but what will happen when we go 'ashore'? will the volume of the gas in the ballonettes be correspondingly reduced?" "yes, but not wholly automatically. you will have to record your weight on an indicator, and the adjustment then takes place. that dial you see on the bulkhead gives the total lifting power of the whole of the ballonettes. that instrument to the left makes the necessary compensating adjustments to the airship according to the temperature, altitude, and amount of moisture in the air." in the starboard engine-room dacres noticed that each of the two motors had four cylinders of comparatively small bore considering the horsepower developed. "these are not air-cooled?" he asked pointing to the motors. "no, water-cooled. this system serves a dual purpose, for the water circulates throughout all the cabins of the section, and if necessary through nos. and section as well, thus affording a warmth that is appreciated when we are flying at a great altitude. ten to twelve thousand feet is our favourite height, for then we can command a field of vision--provided the atmosphere is clear--of anything up to one hundred and twenty miles. now for the upper navigation-room--your future post." this compartment was situated under the commencement of the tapering portion of the envelope, its roof and walls being formed by the rounded surface of the outer skin. here there were several observation panes, so that a fairly extensive view could be obtained. it was impossible, however, to see immediately below, and on this account the necessity of a second navigation-room was apparent. it reminded dacres strongly of the conning-tower of a battleship, except that the scuttles were much larger than the slits in the armoured walls of the latter. a standard compass, chart-table, gauges, indicator, voice-tubes, and telephones left very little space unoccupied. professional habit prompted dacres to unfasten a sextant case and critically examine the instrument. "can't say i altogether like this chap," he observed bluntly. "if you don't mind i'll use my own sextant. it's with the rest of my luggage at fenchurch street station." "we'll send for it, by all means," said whittinghame. "i frankly admit that i'm not much use at fixing positions, and one sextant is very much like another to me. the difficulty of getting hold of a competent navigator worried me considerably until you trespassed upon my property. i'm jolly glad you did." "and so am i," said dacres cordially. "now you've seen practically everything of importance in the foremost section," continued his companion. "the rest of the available space is taken up with ballonettes. no. section is devoted to crew space, stores, and of course more ballonettes. no. contains the wireless-room, the ammunition and reserve of cordite for propelling purposes, in no. the officers are berthed, while the aftermost, or no. , is practically identical with no. ." "but how are the various divisions kept in position?" asked dacres. "by means of double-cam action bolts. the 'meteor' is of a semi-rigid type. her great length would be a positive danger if she were otherwise, while she would be most awkward to manoeuvre. as it is we can turn her in a radius equal to twice her length. in violent air-currents she 'whips' considerably; it's a weird experience until you get accustomed to it, but therein lies another proof of safety. it is analogous to the case of a tall chimney that sways in a gale. if it didn't it would snap like a carrot. "the upper surface of the envelope is flattened, and we have a promenade deck exactly one thousand feet in length. of course it is only available when we are running at a greatly reduced speed or are brought up. at a very high rate of speed you would be unable to keep your feet and run a great risk of having the air forced out of your lungs." "a most marvellous craft!" exclaimed dacres enthusiastically. "how i shall enjoy a cruise in her!" "i hope you will," added whittinghame gravely. "are you making another trip before you take her to portsmouth?" "i think not. i do not believe in purposeless flights. her final trials have been successfully passed, and now nothing remains to be done until she is required to perform some task for the well-being of the british nation." as the two men prepared to descend the ladder whittinghame suddenly remarked:-- "you'll meet the rest of the officers to-night, dacres. hambrough, our doctor, turns up at five. you'll like him, i think. he's a real good sort, and as keen as anything on the voyage. i don't suppose he'll have much to do, for these high altitudes are so beastly healthy; but there's no telling. he hasn't seen the 'meteor' yet; in fact, he's only just resigned his post as medical officer to a north of england hospital. setchell, who will be next in seniority to you, is at present on leave. we dropped him near his home at plymouth about three weeks ago. he had urgent domestic affairs to demand his attention, and our wireless man here got in touch with us as we were passing over the pennines. we made a rattling good run down to plymouth--rattling good--but cut it rather fine in getting back here. i was almost afraid that we should be spotted, but luckily we descended without being detected. setchell will also be here at about the same time. callaghan will pick the pair of them up at holmsley station. by jove! it's close on five already. how time flies when you're busy. we had better get back to the house." chapter xii. the "meteor's" debut. setchell and dr. hambrough arrived before whittinghame and his companion had completed their preparations for dinner, and as soon as the formal introductions were gone through, the thin ice of reserve quickly vanished. dacres instinctively felt that he would have true comrades on his first commission in the dreadnought of the air. the two new arrivals were quite different in temperament. setchell was vivacious--even boisterous at times; while the doctor was grave and dignified--at first one might have thought he was taciturn. they were both fairly young men--under thirty--and as keen on their work as whittinghame could possibly desire. "we're now practically ready to put the 'meteor' into full commission," observed whittinghame. "all her stores are on board. dacres has to have his kit brought from london, and there is about another half-day's work to complete the charging of the reserve cylinders. so we'll have 'divisions' to-morrow, and put the men into their proper watches. you brought those rifles along with you all right, setchell?" "rather. there are two cases of them at holmsley station, and four boxes of ammunition. with the eight thousand rounds we already have--i suppose you haven't expended any yet, sir--that ought to be ample." "very good," assented the skipper. "we'll send a trolley for them early to-morrow morning. by the by, how did you get on after we dropped you at yealmpton?" setchell laughed. "you might have been more discriminating, sir, but i suppose we must make allowances for the fact that it was pitch-dark and we could show no light. as a matter of fact i found myself in a piggery. when i managed to struggle out of that and over a very aggressive fence i struck a fowl-run. did you hear the noise those creatures made?" "no, we were too far off by that time," replied whittinghame. "at any rate," continued the third officer, "the farmer turned out with a gun. i had to pitch up some sort of yarn, so i told him i was a tourist who had lost his way. the old chap promptly harnessed a pony and drove me to the outskirts of plymouth." "talking of that," remarked dacres, "the shepherd of canterbury said the section of the airship that dropped to the ground was about the size of a haystack." "so it was," replied whittinghame. "when we wish to make hurried descents we can detach a subdivision of no. section. it is also handy for landing in fairly confined spaces, where the length of a complete section might be too great for safety. i'll show you that arrangement to-morrow; but what do you say to a game of billiards, gentlemen? it may be our last opportunity for a considerable time, for, with all her wonderful mechanism, i cannot guarantee a level bed on board the 'meteor.'" this proposal was received with acclamation, and the four men adjourned to the billiard-room, where they amused themselves till the clock struck eleven and warned them that it was time to retire to rest. at ten on the following morning all hands formed up on the open space between the sheds. there were thirty-two men, exclusive of the four officers, and a fine athletic set they made, rigged out in neat yet serviceable uniforms. whittinghame, as captain, headed the starboard watch, with the doctor as his assistant for executive duties in the after-part of the ship; for hambrough was not content to act simply as surgeon to the ship's company. williamson was chosen as first quartermaster of the watch, the rest of the division consisting of ten "deck hands" and five mechanics for engine-room duties. dacres had charge of the port watch, setchell being responsible for the after-guard during the "watch on deck". the stalwart irishman, callaghan, was appointed quartermaster, and the rest of the crew consisted of an equal number of hands to that of the captain's watch. the men were then served out with small-arms, the rifles being up-to-date automatic weapons firing twenty-two cartridges and having a range and velocity equal to the latest service rifles. bayonets were also issued, and since the crew had had a thorough training whilst they were serving in the royal navy they were now able to pick up their drill without much difficulty. under dacres' orders they were exercised for nearly an hour. the ex-sub-lieutenant had reason to be very well satisfied with them, and expressed his opinion to whittinghame that if necessary they could give a very good account of themselves. as for the men, they recognized that they had an officer over them who knew his work, and they respected him accordingly. at length the eventful saturday came round, and just after eight o'clock the fore-section of the airship was taken out of its shed and, to use dacres' expression, "sent aloft." the bow portion, with its complement of nine men, was the first to leave the ground, anchoring at a height of seventy-four feet from the surface--the "ground-tackle" consisting of a bridle with a single loop running through a huge pulley fixed in the earth, and back to the bow division of the "meteor." no. section was sent up, and by means of a wire hawser hauled into position, so that the cam-action could come into play. only three and a half minutes elapsed between the time of its leaving the ground and of its being united to the bow-section. divisions and were "launched" and joined up in a similar fashion, "and then there was one," as the nursery rhyme goes. dacres found himself with six men to man the aftermost section of the airship. he had already "got the hang of it," although he could not quite see how any of the crew could be left behind to guide the huge fabric on its ascent to unite to the still greater bulk that floated serenely above the tree-tops, her propellers churning slowly ahead to counteract the faint breeze that blew from the south-west. "give the word for the men to get aboard, sir," said callaghan, who, being an ex-gunner's mate, knew how to prompt judiciously young officers who were not quite up to their work. dacres complied. he was glad of his quarter-master's assistance, although fully determined to master his part of the routine as soon as possible. when the last man swarmed up the rope-ladder dacres followed, and took up his station at the open doorway in the for'ard bulkhead. "all ready, sir?" asked callaghan. "all ready," echoed the newly appointed officer. "here's the lever for charging the ballonettes, sir," continued the quartermaster. "turn the indicator to eighty, sir. that will be enough to raise us." gently and almost imperceptibly the after-section rose clear of the ground, guided by a light wire rope joining it to the already coupled-up portions of the airship. with a rhythmic purr the windlass, worked by a supplementary belt from one of the motors, hauled in the slack till the "meteor" was complete and ready for flight. so nice was the adjustment of the various sections that connexion with the telephones and electric telegraphs was made automatically by the contact of insulated bushes in corresponding position to the exterior bulkheads. from the navigation-room for'ard whittinghame asked if all were ready, and received a confirmative reply from the after-end of the ship. as far as dacres was concerned he was now at liberty to "stand easy," for it was his watch below, and setchell had come aft to take charge. "captain says he would like to see you for'ard," announced the third officer. "hold on till she gathers way, old man." warning bells tinkled in various parts of the giant airship. instantly every man grasped some object to prevent himself from being thrown across the floor. simultaneously the eight propellers began to revolve. for quite half a minute dacres felt as if he were seized by an invisible arm round his waist and was being forced backwards. then the tension ceased as the inertia was overcome, he was part and parcel of a mass flying through the air at more than twice the speed of an express train. dacres glanced at his watch--it was twenty-five minutes past nine--then, lurching along the alley-way, for the "meteor" was trembling and swaying as she cleft the air, he made his way for'ard. he found whittinghame standing in front of one of the observation scuttles in the lower navigation room. williamson was at the wheel controlling the vertical rudders, while another man had his eye upon the indicators of the horizontal planes. "look!" exclaimed the captain, pointing downwards. dacres did so. nine thousand feet beneath him stretched a ribbon-like expanse of water like a silver-streak between dense woodland on one hand and green fields on the other. away on the starboard bow this streak merged into a wide stretch of sea, backed by hills that were dwarfed to the size of a mere series of mounds. "by jove! we're passing southampton water," ejaculated dacres. he again glanced at his watch. it had taken him three and a half minutes to traverse the length of the "meteor," and in that space of time the airship had travelled eleven miles. "top speed now," announced whittinghame. "we're doing one hundred and ninety. we'll have to slacken down now; we're nearly there." as he spoke the captain rang down for half speed. the order being simultaneously received by both engine-rooms, resulted in a gradual slowing down till the mud-flats of portsmouth harbour hove in sight. even then the "meteor" overhauled a naval seaplane as quickly as an express runs past a "suburban" crawling into clapham junction. "still sou'west," remarked whittinghame pointing to the smoke that was pouring out of a tall chimney between fareham and gosport. "we'll bring her head to wind in any case." down swooped the "meteor" till she was less than three hundred feet from the ground. she was now following the main road to gosport. on her left could be discerned the battleships and cruisers in the harbour, their decks and riggings black with men, while hundreds of craft of various sizes, crowded with spectators, literally swarmed on the tidal waters between the dockyard and the western shore. swooping past the new semaphore tower, and skimming above the lofty chimneys of the electric light station, the "meteor" shaped a course towards the town hall clock tower. so quickly did she turn that it seemed as if a straight line between the bow and stern would cut the masonry of the tower. looking aft the appearance of the twelve hundred feet of airship reminded dacres of a train taking a curve. her starboard planes were within twenty feet of the cupola of the tower. but the helmsman knew his business. he was well to leeward of the improvised "pylon," and before the thousand of spectators gathered in the town hall square could recover from their astonishment the "meteor" was heading back to the dockyard. slowly, with her propellers revolving enough to keep her up against the breeze, the dreadnought of the air hovered over the government establishment, seeking a place where she could come to rest. the swarm of vessels in the harbour made it impossible for her to descend without great risk to the spectators. "there's the semaphore working," announced dacres, pointing to the two arms that were set at the "preparatory" sign. in response to an order, one of the "meteor's" crew, armed with two hand flags, made his way up to the platform of the promenade deck. as soon as he replied, the semaphore began to spell out the message:-- "berth ready for airship in fountain lake," said dacres, translating the signal for his chief's information. "that's on the north side of the dockyard and between it and whale island." "easy ahead," ordered whittinghame; then, "stop her." a series of hisses, similar to the sounds that dacres had heard when he first beheld the "meteor," announced that the contents of several of the ballonettes were being pumped out and forced into the metal cylinders. slowly and on an even keel the giant bulk sank lower and lower till a gentle roll announced that the airship was riding head to wind upon the sheltered waters of portsmouth harbour. the "meteor" had made her debut. chapter xiii. an official and an unofficial inspection. promptly the naval picket-boats had taken the bow-hawsers of the airship and had passed them to two mooring buoys. other wire ropes were run out astern, till like a fettered cyclops the "meteor" was securely moored. "commander-in-chief coming off, sir," announced dacres, as a green motor-boat flying the st. george's cross in the bows, tore towards the airship. "so the reception is to be held on board the 'meteor,' eh?" remarked whittinghame. "i'm sorry i didn't provide an accommodation-ladder. the admiral may find it rather awkward to swarm up a swaying rope-ladder. will you see that the after entry-port is opened?" the officers of the "meteor" assembled ready to receive the commander-in-chief and his staff, while a "guard of honour" stood at attention, to do honour to the distinguished visitor. admiral sir hardy staplers--"old courteous," as he was nick-named in the service--was one of the most popular officers of flag rank. his nickname was an apt one, for he was invariably polite to every one he came in contact with. nothing seemed to ruffle his composure. he was a strict disciplinarian, and woe betide the subordinate--be he officer or man--who deliberately shirked his duty. on the other hand, he was keenly observant to reward zeal on the part of those under him, but whether admonishing or praising he was uniformly urbane. considering his age--for sir hardy was bordering on fifty-five--he climbed up the swaying rope-ladder with marvellous agility, and, greeted by the pipe of the bos'n's whistle, he advanced to meet the captain and owner of the dreadnought of the air. accompanying the admiral were his secretary, several officers of the executive and engineering branch, and--to dacres' satisfaction--commander arnold hythe. "you have a wonderful craft here," observed sir hardy, after the usual courtesies had been exchanged. "i think we have, sir," replied whittinghame modestly. "would you care to look round, or would you rather discuss the business that brought us here?" the commander-in-chief expressed his desire to make an inspection of the "meteor," and, escorted by his host and followed by their respective officers, sir hardy and whittinghame proceeded on their tour of the airship. "you are a lucky dog, dacres," said hythe, for the two old friends had contrived to "tail off" at the rear of the procession. "so this was the business which you so mysteriously hinted at? mind you, i'm not envious. the submarine service suits me entirely, but i am glad for your sake. do you know how whittinghame proposes to put a stopper on that rascal durango?" dacres shook his head. "i do not know exactly," he replied. "at any rate, we are waiting till he lands in south america." "the scotland yard men are at a loss to know on what ship he took passage," remarked hythe. "they made inquiries at the offices of all the steam-ship companies running boats through the panama canal, but without success." "i'm not surprised, old man. durango was too artful to book by any of those lines. his plan was to make for pernambuco, and cross to the pacific coast by the new trans-continental railway. i know that for a fact." "you do?" asked the commander surprisedly. "how?" "simply by making enquiries at the brazilian steamship company's office. we'll get your plans back again, hythe, or i'm sadly mistaken in my estimate of the 'meteor' and her skipper." the inspection finished, admiral sir hardy staplers and whittinghame retired to the latter's private cabin to discuss the proposals for the "meteor's" future. they were alone for the best part of an hour, and when they rejoined the others both their faces simply beamed with satisfaction. "president zaypuru has foolishly played into our hands, dacres," said whittinghame, when the commander-in-chief and his staff had taken their departure. "an incident has occurred of which, strangely enough, i have hitherto been in ignorance, although i am generally well posted in events taking place in valderia. sir hardy has just informed me that two men belonging to a british trader have been arrested on a trumped-up charge at the port of zandovar. in spite of the protests of the british consul the men were taken to naocuanha and thrown into prison, while his majesty's representative was most grossly insulted by the president. "evidently the valderians have a poor opinion of british prestige, for their government refused to apologize. knowing the pig-headed obstinacy of don diego zaypuru i am not surprised, but it will end in a declaration of war between great britain and valderia. of course, although it would hardly admit it, the british government is glad of the opportunity to strike a blow at that elusive and daring outlaw, durango." "how do you think your brother will fare?" asked dacres. "that is what is troubling me considerably," replied whittinghame. "if there is a rupture and a fleet is sent to chastise the republic, zaypuru may, and probably will, make reprisals. it may be taken for granted, however, that the president will go gently until durango is back at naocuanha. our plan will be to act promptly at the very first intimation of hostilities, liberate my brother gerald and capture durango before the valderians are aware of the presence of the 'meteor' on the west side of the sierras. sir hardy approves of my plan, and has promised to get official concurrence from the admiralty; so everything will be square and above board." "are we remaining here long, sir?" asked setchell, who, being the officer of the watch, had all his work cut out to refuse repeated requests for the occupants of the swarm of small craft to be shown over the airship. whittinghame's orders were adamant. no one was to be allowed on board on any pretext whatsoever. nevertheless, in spite of the heroic efforts of the water-police, the crowd of boats lay thickly round the "meteor," their crews patiently waiting for the huge airship to resume its voyage, or else clamouring to be allowed on board. "for why?" asked the skipper. "well, sir, the crowd is getting a bit out of hand. there are some fellows hammering away at the side. they'll be chopping bits off as souvenirs, i'm thinking, or else painting advertisements on the hull. and what is more, sir, there's a reporter sitting on the after horizontal plane on the port side. he cannot climb up, and he declines to budge until he's had an interview with you." "oh, i'll see about that," said whittinghame grimly. "come aft, dacres, and let us see what this enterprising member of the press is like." the fellow was evidently not lacking in pluck and determination, for he had coolly passed a length of rope round the plane with the deliberate intention of "sitting tight." "hulloa, sir!" he sung out as whittinghame made his way out upon the platform above the propeller-guard. "i represent the 'weekly lyre.' i've asked half a dozen times to be allowed on board to interview you." "you are as much on board as you can reasonably expect to be," replied whittinghame genially. "you are trespassing, you know. i shall be greatly obliged if you will go back to your boat, as we are about to move. i haven't time for an interview." "then i'll wait," replied the man, to the great delight of the crowd of spectators afloat. "i'll have the distinction of being the first man, apart from your crew, to experience a flight in your airship, sir. here i stick." "you'll be blown away if you remain there." "i risk that," replied the reporter imperturbably. "i'll lash myself on." "have the goodness to go," said whittinghame with a faint show of annoyance. the man shook his head. he had the appearance of being a resolute sort of individual. without another word whittinghame walked to the after motor-room and gave orders for the propellers to be started easy ahead. then he went outside, fully expecting to find the man gone. at the first sign of movement the dense pack of boats had given back, but the pressman still stuck to his precarious post. "there's pluck for you," commented the skipper. "that's the sort of man we could very well do with. but i'm not going to be balked. just wait here for a few minutes, dacres, and watch developments. telephone to me when he's gone, and then take care to get inside and close the sliding panel as sharp as you can." "he's lashed himself on, by jove!" said dacres. "it will be a case of suicide if he's there when we gather speed," rejoined whittinghame. "the sharp edge of the plane will cut through that lashing as if it were a piece of worsted." with that the captain went aft, leaving dacres on the platform to report the course of events. in response to an order the after hawsers were cast off, while the crew stood by ready to let go the for'ard springs that alone held the "meteor" head to wind. suddenly dacres saw the horizontal plane dip into an almost vertical position. the unfortunate reporter slid until brought up by the rope. for a few moments he hung there, struggling frantically to gain a foothold upon the smooth surface. his efforts only caused the rope to chafe through on the sharp edge of the plane and with a splash he fell into the sea. quickly rising to the surface he struck out for the nearest boat, amid the laughter of the onlookers, while dacres, mindful of his warning, returned to the shelter of the outer envelope. whittinghame was about to give the order to let go for'ard when callaghan entered the navigation-room. "wireless just come through, sir," he announced. "important?" "yes, sir," said the man gravely. half dreading that it was bad news from naocuanha the captain took the proffered paper. the message was not from valderia, but from the admiralty. its wording was indeed serious:-- "to captain whittinghame, airship 'meteor.' advises from british polar expedition state that communication with lieutenant cardyke has been interrupted for forty-eight hours. feared disaster has overtaken party. is 'meteor' capable of rescue?" whittinghame turned to the operator. "reply, 'yes; will proceed at once,'" he said. chapter xiv. across greenland. vaughan whittinghame was one of those men who make up their minds almost on the spur of the moment, yet possessing the rare capability of weighing the pros and cons of the issue with lightning speed. admiral sir hardy staplers must have communicated with the admiralty with the least possible delay, for one of whittinghame's conditions was that he and his crew should receive official recognition. by giving him the title of captain the authorities had tacitly expressed their consent. apart from that the appeal for aid was such that no man with humane principles could refuse. the undertaking--navigating a huge airship through the intensely cold atmosphere of the arctic--was a hazardous one, but whittinghame was ready and willing to attempt the task. in obedience to a general order all hands were mustered in the large compartment of no. section. officers, deck-hands and mechanics all wondering what had happened to cause the captain to suspend suddenly the operation of unmooring, eagerly waited for whittinghame to address them. "my lads," said he, "i have been asked to make a voyage of three thousand four hundred miles and back. not to valderia but to a region where the climate is quite different. to be brief, the admiralty have informed me that lieutenant cardyke and four men who made a dash for the north pole some weeks ago are in pressing danger. their lordships appeal to me to proceed to his assistance, and i have signified my intention of so doing. "it will be a hazardous task, for there are conditions to be met with that were not taken into consideration when the 'meteor' was projected. since you, my men, were not engaged to undertake a polar relief expedition, i must ask for volunteers. all those who are willing to take part in this work will step two paces to the front." without the faintest hesitation every man stepped forward. a flush of pleasure swept across the face of their young captain. "thank you," he said simply. "this is just what i expected. now, dismiss. there will be half an hour's 'stand easy.' if any man wish to take advantage of that interval to write to his relatives or friends, opportunity will be found to send the letters ashore." while the ship's company were thus employed, whittinghame stood by the entry-port, pondering over his plans for the voyage. as he did so, he became aware that the flotilla of boats still hovered around, and prominently in the foreground was the pressman, who seemed none the worse for his involuntary bath. "may as well do the chap a good turn," soliloquised whittinghame, and beckoning him to approach waited till the boat was alongside the rope-ladder. "sorry i had to drop you overboard, but you asked for it, my friend," said the captain blandly. "i hope you bear no ill will." "not in the least," replied the reporter with a laugh. "it's not the first time i've been 'chucked out.' besides, as you say, i asked for it. are you going to invite me for a trip, sir?" "no," replied whittinghame, "but here's some information for you: it's perfectly genuine." the man caught a folded slip of paper on which whittinghame had written a few words. he opened it, then gave a searching glance at the captain's face. he had been hoaxed before and was consequently cautious. but that glance was sufficient. he was convinced. with a few words of thanks to whittinghame he bade the boatman row like greased lightning for the shore. twenty minutes later the "weekly lyre" issued a special with the exclusive information that the airship "meteor" was to proceed to the relief of the british arctic expedition. meanwhile, sir hardy staplers came on board to bid the departing aircraft god-speed, while, acting upon an "immediate demand note," suits of arctic clothing were sent aboard from the clothing department of royal clarence yard. by twenty minutes past four all preparations were complete, and for the first time in her brief yet exciting career the "meteor" hoisted the blue ensign; an admiralty warrant having been hurriedly granted for that purpose. amid the deafening cheers of the thousands of spectators the "meteor" rose majestically to a height of four hundred feet, then gathering way, darted forward in a northerly direction towards the desolate regions of the far north. whittinghame, knowing that every moment was precious, gave orders for every possible knot to be screwed out of the motors, and nobly the engineers responded to the call. within ten minutes of the start the speed indicators hovered around the two hundred miles an hour mark. "seventeen hours ought to do it," remarked the doctor. "hardly," corrected whittinghame. "in the rarefied air we shall have to slow down a trifle. there will be less resistance to the vessel and correspondingly less resistance to the propeller blades. with luck we ought to reckon on twenty hours." the navigation of the "meteor" was entirely in dacres' hands. there could be no rest for him until the voyage ended, for he alone of all on board could shape a course in these high latitudes, when the compass is useless to any but men skilled in the art of applying complicated magnetic variation adjustments. already the needle was pointing thirty degrees west of north, while hourly the angle was increasing. just before eleven dacres pointed to the setting sun. "that's the last sunset we'll see for some days, i fancy, doctor," he remarked. "we are nearing the arctic circle." "of course, i didn't think of that," replied hambrough. "i was imagining us ploughing along in the pitch dark night with our searchlight on." "it would be looking for a needle in a haystack were it not for the midnight sun," said dacres. "by jove, it is getting cold in spite of the hot water pipes. would you mind bringing my coat from the cabin?" by the time the doctor returned dacres was able to report that the coast of iceland was in sight. "where are you making for?" asked hambrough. "the west coast of greenland?" "no," replied dacres. "here's the chart. we're making almost a bee-line for cape columbia. that will take us across greenland from scoresby's land to the humboldt glacier and over the icy-clad plateau which the eye of man has never yet seen. excuse me a minute while i look up this variation chart." "you must be tired," observed hambrough. "can't afford to be," said his companion. "it's a thirty-hour watch for me. all the same, doctor, if you can give me something to overcome this sleepy feeling i shall be glad. i suppose it is being unaccustomed to the altitude." "i'll fix you up all right," declared hambrough. "it won't do for you to be knocked up, or we'll be in a bit of a hole." "it's not that. the 'meteor' is quite capable of finding her way back to temperate regions. it was young cardyke i was thinking of." "you know him, then?" "rather. lucky youngster obtained his promotion over the 'independencia' affair." before dacres could relate the incident whittinghame entered the navigation room. "how goes it?" he asked. "right as rain," replied dacres cheerfully. "good! now you take a spell and have some food. i'll stand by the helm and you can sing out the compass-course as you re eating. i'm sorry i didn't apply to the commander-in-chief for a navigator to take turns with you. honestly, flying to a course in these regions is beyond me." already--it was twenty minutes past twelve by greenwich time--the sun was rising--a pale, watery-looking disc. six thousand feet beneath the airship could be seen the sea dotted with masses of floating ice, dwarfed into insignificance when viewed from above. "we've struck the drift-ice rather far south, i think," remarked dacres. "it's rather a bad sign, although, of course, there may be a higher temperature in the corresponding latitude in baffin bay." "let us hope so, in any case," rejoined the captain. "but isn't parsons doing well? i don't think our speed has dropped to since we started. i mustn't boast, though." hour after hour whittinghame remained with the navigator. he scorned to sleep when such a luxury was denied his comrade. on nearing the greenland coast the "meteor's" speed was reduced in order that dacres could go on deck and take an observation. the cold cut him like a knife. his fingers could scarcely feel the vernier-screw of the sextant. "i'm not cut out for an arctic explorer," he muttered as he hastened below to work out his position. "if it's like this on the coast what will it be like over there, i wonder?" "well?" asked whittinghame anxiously, as his companion straightened himself after bending over the set of figures. "here we are," announced dacres, pricking off the portion on the chart. "twenty miles farther north than i expected. we must have under-estimated the strength of the wind. i'll take good care to make allowance for that in the future." "what a waste of desolation!" ejaculated the captain, looking down upon the snow-clad land. they were far above the northern limit of trees. the ground rose steeply in places, black granite precipices loomed menacingly against the white mantle which covered the gentle slopes. lower and lower fell the temperature. the crew, muffled in their fur garments, were already feeling numbed in spite of the hot-water apparatus. higher and higher rose the airship, until a height of twelve thousand feet above the sea level was recorded. yet less than nine hundred feet below was the summit of that ice-bound plateau--the portals of death. presently parsons, the chief engineer, entered the navigation room. "we'll have to shut off the heating pipes in the cabins, sir," he announced, "or the water will freeze and burst them. the heat of the motors is not enough to warm the jacket of the cylinders. i've even had to melt the oil before i could fill up the lubricators." "very well; carry on," replied whittinghame. "we must endure the cold as best we may. are the engines all right otherwise?" "running splendidly, sir." "what temperature have you in the motor-rooms?" "minus ten for'ard and a point above zero aft, sir." the captain glanced at the thermometer on the navigation room bulkhead. the mercury stood at minus twenty-five degrees or fifty-seven below freezing point. "i almost wish we had taken the east coast route and gone through davis strait," remarked whittinghame. "it wouldn't have been anything like so cold." "she'll do it all right, sir," declared parsons. "besides, we shan't find it any colder at the pole itself." "and it will save us at least six hours," added dacres. acting under his suggestion two quarter-masters took ten minute spells at the wheel, for beyond that period a man's outstretched arms would be numbed. mile after mile was reeled off with the utmost rapidity. there was nothing to be seen but the dreary expanse of cliffs, snow and ice--cliffs that outvied the canons of colorado for height, and snow and ice that had covered what at one time might have been a fertile land for perhaps millions of years. it was a vision of the earth during the glacial age. at seven o'clock, or twenty-two hours after the "meteor" had left portsmouth, dacres pointed to a huge winding track of ice that, according to the most modest estimate, was at least fifty miles wide. "we're nearly there, sir," he said. "we've struck the head of the humboldt glacier. with luck we ought to sight the open sea in another hour. we are covering one degree of longitude every three minutes now." whittinghame nodded. it was almost too cold to talk. speaking was accompanied by a volume of white vapour that, rapidly congealing, fell upon the floor in showers of fine ice. to touch a piece of metal with bare hands caused painful blisters, as many of the crew learnt to their cost. the airship was little more than a floating icebox. presently dacres touched his comrade on the shoulder. "the sea!" he exclaimed. it was the sea. right ahead was an expanse of open water, though greatly encumbered with huge bergs, for the "meteor" was now passing over the birth-place of those enormous mountains of floating ice that find their way down into the atlantic as far south as the fortieth parallel. even as he spoke there was a terrific crash, like that of a peal of thunder. the voyagers were just in time to see a mass of ice, nearly three miles in width, topple over the end of the glacier and fall into the sea. almost instantaneously the placid surface changed to that of a tempestuous sea, as the iceberg rolled and plunged ere it gained a position of stability. ten seconds later the "meteor" struck the first of the air-waves caused by the sudden disturbance of the atmosphere. well it was that she was of the non-rigid type, for otherwise the shock would have broken her back. as it was she writhed like a tortured animal. the crew, holding on like grim death, looked at each other in amazement akin to terror. at one moment her bow was pointing upwards at an angle of forty-five degrees; at the next the airship was banking steeply downwards. it was a nasty two minutes while it lasted, but by the time the "meteor" settled on an even keel she was tearing over the open sea. chapter xv. the north pole. at the twenty-third hour after leaving portsmouth the "meteor" came to rest on the ice under the lee of cape columbia and within three hundred yards of the "new resolute," the ship of the british arctic expedition. news of the airship's approach had already been communicated by wireless, and as she gracefully settled upon the ice she was greeted by three tremendous cheers from the crew of the ship. but dacres knew nothing of this. as soon as cape columbia had been sighted he went to his cabin to snatch a few hours' well-earned and needed sleep. for the time being his responsibility was not in request. compared with the severity of the climate above the greenland plateau the temperature at cape columbia was milder. the "new resolute," although moored to the ice, was still afloat, and sheltered from all gales by the land-locked harbour. from the captain the "meteor's" people soon had a fairly definite idea of the state of affairs. lieutenant cardyke, with four men, had pushed on towards the pole, the party being accompanied by thirty-two esquimo dogs. a portable wireless installation had been taken, so that the progress and welfare of the expedition could be communicated to the base. favoured by fine weather cardyke and his companions made rapid progress compared with the distance covered by previous arctic explorers. they reported that the hummocks gave considerable trouble, but there was no sign of open water. then with startling suddenness all wireless communication was broken off. a rescue party immediately set off, only to find that at a point miles north of cape columbia their progress was checked by an expanse of open, agitated sea that had been formed by the separation of the ice-fields since cardyke had traversed them. reluctantly the second party had to turn back, and were almost hourly expected by the "new resolute." the "meteor" did not wait long at cape columbia. having secured the services of two junior lieutenants to assist in the navigation of the airship, whittinghame started on the mile journey to the north pole. greatly to the relief of all on board, the motors began to work without the faintest hitch. the cordite fired at once. had petrol been the fuel it was quite possible that the low temperature would have greatly diminished its efficacy. parsons was most enthusiastic over the matter. although at first dubious about substituting cordite for petrol he was now firmly convinced that a perfect ignition charge had been found. within half an hour after leaving cape columbia the "meteor" passed over the relief party, who were dejectedly making their way back to the ship. a greater contrast would be difficult to find: the airship cutting rapidly and evenly through the air at three miles a minute; and half a dozen men, looking more like bundles of fur, plodding painfully along, glad to be able to cover two miles an hour. even the dogs seemed to share their masters' dejection. yet failure of the rescue party did not prevent them from waving their arms to the fleeting airship, a compliment that the "meteor," by reason of her speed, was unable to return. when at length dacres awoke he knew by the motion of the airship that the "meteor" was again under way. quickly he made his way for'ard, to find two strangers in charge of the navigation room. "it's all right," said whittinghame genially. "there's no slur upon your prowess as a navigation officer, dacres. we've obtained reliefs for you. allow me to introduce mr. quinton and mr. baskett to you." armed with powerful binoculars whittinghame and his assistants swept the snow-field. according to the opinion of the "new resolute's" officers the airship was now fairly close to the spot where cardyke was last heard of. there was nothing to indicate the tracks of the sledges; a recent fall of snow had accounted for that. all they could hope to do was to pick out some outstanding object, such as a tent or a snow hut, where the young officer and his four men might be sheltering. speed had been reduced to fifty miles an hour, while frequently the "meteor" made a deviation in order to give the look-out an opportunity to examine a dark patch upon the white waste. invariably the patch turned out to be the shadow of a hammock cast by the slanting rays of the ever-present sun, till dr. hambrough called his companions' attention to a dark speck away on the starboard bow. round swung the "meteor," the eyes of the watchers riveted on a fluttering object that rapidly resolved itself into a flag. more, the flag was a union jack. close to it, and hitherto invisible, was a rounded hut made of blocks of ice, and half-buried in the snow. "there they are!" exclaimed setchell excitedly. "i'm afraid not," said lieutenant baskett. "i can see no signs of their skis or of the sledges. but we're on their track, that's one blessing." again the "meteor" descended. whittinghame would not run the risk of detaching one of the compartments, especially as there was abundant room for the whole length of the airship to settle evenly. her anchors held admirably in the rough ice, and with hardly a tremor she brought up on terra firma. quickly the entry port was opened and the rope-ladder dropped. whittinghame was the first to land, quickly followed by dacres and the two naval lieutenants. with beating hearts they made their way over the ice and snow till they gained the hut, the four men gravely saluting the national flag as they passed by. the doorway of the ice-hut had been blocked up--not by drifting snow but by human hands. whether this had been done from the inside or from without could not at present be determined. the ice was as hard as iron. in response to a signal to the "meteor," three of the crew came up with ice-axes and shovels, and began a fierce attack upon the door. when the obstruction was removed the captain entered. his fears were realized. the hut was empty. "here's a tin containing some documents," he announced. "by jove! cardyke claims that this is the north pole." "he can't be so very far out," said lieutenant quinton. "does he say anything about the route?" "no, only that he is returning after verifying his position, and asks that the finder of the document should transmit it, if possible, to the admiralty." "run and fetch my sextant, williamson," said dacres. "and mine," added baskett. before the men could return whittinghame pointed to a staff projecting a few inches from the ground. attached to it were the fragments of a flag, and by dint of removing a couple of feet of snow the nationality of the flag became obvious. it had been the stars and stripes. "peary's flag, by jove!" ejaculated whittinghame. "all honour, gentlemen, to that intrepid american. even if an englishman were not the first to plant his country's flag at the north pole there is no little consolation to be derived from the fact that an anglo-saxon established the priority." when williamson returned with the instruments the two officers made careful separate observations, afterwards checking each other's figures. there was no mistake. the rescue party was standing on the northern extremity of the earth's axis. "well, this won't find cardyke, gentlemen," said whittinghame sharply, breaking in upon the reveries of his companions. "what do you propose to do? return by a slightly different route?" "supposing cardyke and his party are incapable of finding their way. they might be partially exhausted by their exertions and have blundered in a totally different direction," suggested baskett. "such an instance is not unknown," added quinton. "then i propose to make several ever-widening circles. we ought to command a field extending twenty-five miles from the pole. let us return to the 'meteor.'" rising to a height of five hundred feet the airship began to circle. in five minutes she had passed through every one of the three hundred and sixty degrees of longitude. miles of dreary waste lay beneath them. there was nothing to mark the position of the north pole save the almost invisible hut and two flags, and nothing to break the horizon where the white plain merged into the pale blue of the arctic sky. presently dacres discovered signs of open water. a broad sea, its coast-line extending through a hundred and eighty degrees of longitude, proved conclusively that cardyke could not have blundered far in that direction. it was fairly evident the five men had retraced their steps. the question that puzzled whittinghame was, how could the "meteor" have missed the party on its flight to the pole? "we'll make our way back," he announced. "by keeping a zig-zag course we ought to come across some traces of them. fifteen miles to the right and left of their supposed route ought to be ample." to this the two naval officers agreed; but as the vertical rudders were being put hard over, dacres called the captain's attention to a dark object in a hollow at less than two miles off. "it's far too large for a tent, dacres," said whittinghame. "but we may as well investigate. to me it looks like a----yes, by george, it is! it's a derelict balloon." "andré!" exclaimed baskett. "i think you are right," said whittinghame. "yes, it has been a balloon. there is the car, half-buried in snow. evidently in strong winds the snow-drifts are uncovered, or otherwise in twenty years the remains would be buried fathoms deep." "are you going to investigate, sir?" asked dr. hambrough. "much as i should like to," replied whittinghame gravely, "i must decline. the claims of those who may yet be living are more pressing than those of the gallant dead. perhaps, another time----" he broke off abruptly to conceal his emotion, then having steadied the "meteor" on her course, he relinquished the navigation into the hands of his able assistants. for a long time no word was spoken. the memories of that mournful wreck deeply affected the spirits of the intrepid rescuers. they felt the irony of the situation, for had the gallant frenchman delayed his ill-fated aerial voyage but a few years he might have been able to have made good use of a dirigible instead of drifting helplessly to his doom amid the awful solitudes of the arctic. zig-zagging against the wind after the manner of a sailing-ship tacking, the "meteor" resumed her quest. two hours passed without result. the airship was now almost within sight of the newly-opened sea caused by the breaking up of the ice-floes. the crew were almost despairing of success, for twice the supposed route of cardyke's party had been examined. the lieutenant and his men had left the pole: they could not cross the barrier formed by the open sea. where had they gone? had they been buried beneath an almost irresistible blizzard? to add to the difficulties of the look-out, the sun was shining almost into the men's eyes, while an enormous tract of snow was covered by the reflected glare. "we'll carry on till we are above the end of the pack-ice," said whittinghame. "then, if we haven't sighted them, we'll turn again and go back to the pole. it is just possible----" "what's that, sir?" interrupted hambrough, his usually quiet manner giving place to intense excitability. "see! almost beneath us!" in another fifteen seconds the "meteor" would have overshot the mark. signalling full speed astern, whittinghame kept the spot indicated by the doctor under observation. five hundred feet below was a small black patch. it seemed so insignificant that it resembled a fur cap accidently dropped upon that trackless waste. under the retarding influence of the propellors the airship trembled so violently that it was almost an impossibility to bring glasses to bear upon the desired object, but when the "meteor" lost way and orders had been given to the engineers to stop the motors, the occupants of the navigation-room were able to examine the solitary relic. "by jove!" ejaculated dacres. "it's a tent. look. there are the skis sticking up in the snow. seven, eight, nine, ten of them. then, the five men are there." "hurrah!" shouted baskett. "are you going to let off a rocket, or hail them, sir?" "neither," replied whittinghame shortly. he was tremendously excited, only he knew that there was a chance that even now they might be too late. quickly the powerful pumps were set to work, and as the required number of ballonettes were exhausted the "meteor" sank gently to the snow-clad ground. thanks to the almost total absence of wind her anchors held without difficulty, although she had grounded nearly eight hundred yards to leeward of the tent. leaving setchell in charge, the rest of the officers lost no time in descending the rope-ladder and making for the resting-place of the explorers. somehow the rescuing party felt strained. they could hardly understand why, in almost perfect weather as far as the polar climate went, the five men were not resuming their homeward march. the utter solitude of the black fur tent seemed ominous. although presenting the appearance of a level plain when viewed from above, the ground was rough, and encumbered with hummocks, while here and there deep but narrow fissures required care and skill on the part of the rescue party. occasionally a deep groaning sound betokened the appalling fact that the ground was one vast ice-floe in momentary danger of breaking up. if the five men were still alive, how could they be indifferent to the danger that now threatened them? whittinghame was the first to gain the tent. with numbed fingers he cut the lashings that secured the flaps of the outer and inner coverings and peered within. five fur-clad forms lay upon a pile of skins, their heads buried in their arms. whether they were sleeping the long last sleep that knows no awakening in this world, whittinghame could not tell. nervelessly he backed out and signed to dacres to enter. "dead?" asked dacres laconically. chapter xvi. in the nick of time. "can't say," replied the captain. "it is more----see what you make of it, dacres." for a moment, like a swimmer contemplating a "header" into icy cold water, dacres hesitated; then with a swift determined movement he disappeared within the tent. grasping the nearmost man he turned him over on his back. his face was as black as that of a seaman engaged in a coaling ship; but to dacres' great relief he opened his eyes and stared wonderingly at his rescuer. "so you've come, old mate?" he muttered, like one in a dream. "thought you would, somehow. we got there all right--no kidding, we did." "get up and turn out," said dacres authoritatively. the seaman, disciplined to obey orders implicitly, attempted to rise. he realized that he was addressed by some one having authority; but to arise was beyond the power of his numbed limbs and exhausted body. "we'll have to unship the tent," declared dacres as he rejoined his comrades. "there's one of them alive, if not more; but he cannot move." "is there a lamp burning?" asked dr. hambrough. "no; there is one but it's gone out," replied whittinghame. "i noticed that." quickly the foot of the tent was freed from the wall of snow that had been built around it, and the flimsy structure thrown aside. the man whom dacres had roused was asleep once more. one by one the doctor examined the five men. "they are all alive," he said; "but we are only just in time. we must get them on board as quickly as we can." it was impossible to distinguish cardyke from the rest of the party. the men's faces were encrusted with soot and grease, while they had allowed their beards to grow and these were clogged with the same uncongenial mixture. "we'll have to hurry up," said whittinghame anxiously, as an extra loud groan gave warning that the ice around them was ready to part company with the rest of the pack. "it will take two of us to assist each man to the 'meteor'." "that will help their blood to circulate," agreed the doctor, "but will this rotten ice stand the strain? it's pretty shaky between us and the 'meteor,' if you'll remember." "then the 'meteor' must come to us," rejoined the captain. in spite of the distance--nearly half a mile--the airship was within hail. in the rarefied atmosphere sound travels with the utmost facility, and instances have been recorded of men engaging in conversation at distances of two miles apart. "ay, ay, sir," replied setchell, and without delay the airship's anchors were broken out and the propellers began to revolve. almost touching the ice the "meteor" again brought up, this time so close that, as she swung to the light breeze, the men on the ground had to give a united heave and pass her immense bulk over their heads. already the alert setchell had seen what was required and had rigged up a bos'n's chair from the entry port. in ten minutes rescuers and rescued were safely on board the airship. cardyke and his four men slept throughout the embarkation process; they slept during the run of the "meteor" to cape columbia; they still slept when they were taken on board the "new resolute," only awakening when they were being washed with slightly chilled water. and, strange to relate, cardyke's first words were those of reproach at not being allowed to complete the journey by his own efforts. he remembered resting in his tent; realized that he was back on the "new resolute," and consequently came to the conclusion that a rescue party from the ship had taken a mean advantage by finding him and his comrades asleep and had hauled them on sledges for the rest of the way. he was, in fact, light-headed. he could give no coherent account of what had occurred. it was bates, the petty-officer, who was the first to relate their hazardous adventures. beyond the loss of two days, cardyke's party reached the eighty-seventh parallel without mishap. then accidents happened with alarming frequency. the portable wireless apparatus was irreparably damaged through the sledge capsizing on rough ice. then two complete dog teams were lost in crevasses, leaving only six dogs to haul the remaining sledge. fortunately the weather remained exceptionally fine, and the party were able to make good progress. there still remained plenty of food, while a reserved store had been cached some days before the accident to the two sledges. cardyke, therefore, resolved to push on. the freshly fallen snow afforded easy travelling, for in the absence of wind there was very little "drift." he reached the pole. the making of certain important observations that had been entrusted to him he carried out, carefully and methodically, yet without undue loss of time; then setting their faces southward the five began their homeward journey. it was a record of one continued struggle between grit and personal exertion on the one hand, and the relentlessness of the elements on the other. a blizzard impeded their progress; they lost their way and missed their store of spare provisions. the supplies they took with them were running short; the remaining dog had to be killed for food. they began to realize that it was to be a race against time, unless they were met by a rescue party. resting as little as possible, badly attacked by frostbite, and at times partially blinded by the glare of the snow, they toiled on, till hope was all but dead. and, fortunately unknown to them, a broad sea had opened out between them and their comrades at cape columbia. at length they regained their proper course. it was during the time that they were making the detour that the "meteor" must have passed them, about ten miles to the eastward. human endurance could hold out no longer. they pitched their tent, filled their lamp with the last remaining oil, and resolved to rest for six hours--six hours when for days they had halted for two periods of two hours in every twenty-four. it was a case of the triumph of matter over mind. utterly done up, their intellects dimmed by their vicissitudes, the men fell asleep, and with the exception of a partial rousing in the case of the seaman dacres had spoken to, they knew nothing till they found themselves back on board the "new resolute." the written results of lieutenant cardyke's observations were found in his possession, and so complete was the data that there was no longer any need for the arctic expedition ship to remain at cape columbia. the channel was still open, and eagerly her officers and crew prepared for the homeward voyage. by the time cardyke had recovered sufficiently to be told of the manner of his rescue, the "meteor" was no longer in the arctic. returning by davis strait she reached england in thirty-four hours from the time of parting company with the "new resolute." the tidings of his achievement had preceded her, for even her prodigious speed could not outstrip the magical wireless. had captain whittinghame felt so inclined he would have been fêted until further orders. but he had no such desire. his avowed mission was not yet accomplished. it was not in the dreary and desolate arctic that his ambitions were centred, but upon the aggressive little republic of valderia. his dash for the pole was humanity's call which could not be denied, also, it served the purpose as a means to put reno durango off his guard; but the publicity given to his return had undone all the good that whittinghame had hoped for in that direction. "we'll return to the new forest base, dacres," said he. "a rest after being half-frozen for the last few days will do us good. by that time the 'maranhao' will be nearing pernambuco, and we shall then be able to start in pursuit of our friend señor durango. by the by, aren't you anxious to interview your father?" dacres hardly knew what to reply. he was anxious to explain matters to the colonel, but, although a full-grown man, he had a strange dread of his father's temper. it was, he knew, only putting off the evil day, for colonel dacres was bound to know sooner or later that his son had been requested to resign his commission. yet, on the other hand, dacres had a sort of presentiment that before long he would be reinstated in his former rank in his majesty's service. "you don't seem keen on it," remarked whittinghame. "no, sir, i do not," admitted dacres. "of course i know the governor has no legal control over me, yet somehow--i can't exactly explain--i feel in an awful funk about it." "about what?" "having to tell him i've been more or less pitched out of the service." "that needn't worry you, old chap." dacres looked curiously at his chief. "you don't know the governor," he replied. whittinghame smiled. it was not on that account that he told dacres not to worry. he held an official document, the contents of which he would have greatly liked to communicate to his comrade. but for the present his hands were tied. naturally the news of the rescue by the "meteor" of the gallant cardyke caused immense excitement, not only in great britain but throughout the civilized world. but the public curiosity was unsatisfied. the names of the individuals who undertook the voyage were not mentioned. in vain the press appealed to the admiralty. never was a secret better kept, for up to the time of the "meteor's" departure for valderia the identity of her owner and crew remained a mystery. chapter xvii. zaypuru's bold stroke. meanwhile, events were moving quickly in the republic of valderia. the demands of the british government for satisfaction had been rigorously pushed forward, but the prisoners had not been released, nor was there any apology tendered. president diego zaypuru was biding his time. although desirous of measuring steel with the british he was loath to act until reno durango was back at naocuanha. he had been advised that the mexican was on his way via brazil, and that his arrival would be a matter of a few days. durango was the president's right hand, although, did but zaypuru know it, the "right hand" was not desperately enamoured with the task before him. when durango heard of the disagreement between great britain and valderia, he cursed the stupidity of the dictator of the republic. he could clearly foresee the result: valderia would be beaten. willingly would he have turned back and left zaypuru to meet with his deserts, but for the fact that he had vast interests in the republic. to do so would mean financial ruin, and to a man of unbounded cupidity the idea was unthinkable. he decided that he must run the risk, lay his hands on as much of his wealth (and, incidentally, other peoples') as he possibly could, and make use of the airship which had been constructed from the plans stolen from gerald whittinghame to get clear of the sinking ship of state. zaypuru miscalculated the british temperament. he was firmly convinced that as long a as he delayed negotiations the british government would be content. his plans, however, received a nasty shock when the republic was peremptorily informed that diplomatic relations with great britain were broken off, and that a british fleet under the command of rear-admiral maynebrace was to proceed at once to zandovar, the port of naocuanha, and obtain immediate satisfaction, or else the town was to be shelled. as the situation stood zaypuru knew that it was a race between the british admiral and reno durango. if the former appeared at zandovar before durango reached the capital the president would have to give way. that would result in another revolution. on the other hand, if the mexican arrived first, zaypuru would have sufficient confidence to resist. immediately upon receipt of the intelligence that a rupture had occurred, the "meteor"--having been previously granted a letter of marque--set out for south america. vaughan whittinghame also realized that there was a possibility of his having to choose one of two alternatives, unless by a lucky stroke he could carry off two projects simultaneously. his duty to his country urged him to attempt the capture of durango and the recovery of the submarine plans. fraternal devotion called upon him to effect the rescue of his brother before he fell a victim to the vindictive president. it fell to dacres to suggest a plan. "let's collar the mexican, by all means, if we can," he urged. "without him that zaypuru fellow will be tied up in knots. once we get durango in our hands the president will think twice before proceeding to extreme measures with your brother." "but you are not taking into consideration the effect of the appearance of the british fleet," objected whittinghame. "including my late ship," added dacres. "yes, there, again, is a complication. if zaypuru shows fight there'll be short work made of zandovar, but i doubt whether there will be sufficient seamen and marines to undertake a march on the capital. personally, i fancy that when the president realizes that we mean business he'll knuckle under." "i hope he does," agreed whittinghame; "but that won't prevent us from collaring durango. those submarine plans must be recovered, dacres. as i said before, the bother won't end with valderia, if the rascal takes it into his head to open negotiations with one of the great powers." flying at a great height and avoiding the regular steamship routes the "meteor" arrived off the coast of brazil one day before the time the "maranhao" was expected. waiting till it was dark the airship passed inland and before morning broke she was hovering over the desolate country in the neighbourhood of salto augusto, a town in the province of matto grosso and approximately sixteen hundred miles west of pernambuco. it had never been whittinghame's intention to effect durango's capture on brazilian territory. wireless information from his brother's trustworthy agent at naocuanha had been received to the effect that the airship built according to the plans stolen from gerald whittinghame was to leave valderia for salto augusto, and there to take durango on board. here, then, was the "meteor's" opportunity. she was to lie in wait for her rival and imitator, to which the name "libertad" had been given. when it could be safely assumed that durango had joined the valderian airship the "meteor" was to stand in pursuit until both craft were out of neutral territory. then whittinghame could and would act. for five days the "meteor" waited and watched, floating practically motionless at an altitude of fifteen thousand feet, at which height, unless deliberately sought for, she would escape observation. during that time no information came from naocuanha announcing the departure of the "libertad"; but other news, quite as momentous, reached him by the aid of wireless from the valderian capital. in less than a week events had moved rapidly. as soon as it was definitely known that admiral maynebrace's squadron was actually on its way to zandovar, the fighting nature of the valderians showed itself. they were not without a considerable reserve or cunning; for, realizing the impossibility of their one super-dreadnought making a stand against the predominant ships of the "royal sovereign" class, they promptly sold the battleship to peru. peru had for years past sought to purchase a super-dreadnought, with the idea of forming a fleet superior to that of chili. she was only too glad of the chance to buy the valderian battleship at a remarkably low price. the destroyers and submarines upon which president zaypuru relied proved to be a broken reed. the valderian crews--never seamen by choice or instinct--refused to put to sea when they were ordered to make a surprise attack upon the british fleet. the destroyers, manned by skeleton crews, were thereupon sent to callao, there to be interned till the hostilities ended; while the submarines were kept in the harbour of zandovar in the hope that they might be able to inflict damage upon the ships under admiral maynebrace's command. on the morning of the st of july, corresponding to the second day of the "meteor's" vigil at salto augusto, the british fleet came in sight of zandovar. the battleships were in two columns in "line ahead" formation, led respectively by the "repulse" and "royal oak." overhead flew the six seaplanes attached to the squadron, their duty being to watch for the presence of hostile submarines, whose movements could be easily discerned in the clear waters of the pacific. at first the british tars were under the impression that the valderians would not fight, but when a shell from one of the batteries whizzed past one of the seaplanes the delight of the crews of the warships showed itself in three hearty cheers. the signal to open fire was hoisted on the flagship, and without further ado the eight battleships began the bombardment. grimly workmanlike looked the floating monsters. stripped for the fray, the top-hamper sent down, boats and combustible gear dropped overboard, they showed no dash of colour except the white ensigns, of which each ship displayed three flown in positions where they would not effect the training of guns. everything else that was visible on these modern leviathans was painted a dull grey; and in a very short time from the opening of the bombardment that grey was merged into a shapeless blurr by the haze from the cordite. the noise was deafening. punctuating the loud detonations of the fourteen-inch guns could be heard the sharp bark of the quick-firers, the scream of the hurtling projectiles, and not unfrequently the appalling crash as the valderian shells struck the steel plating of the british warships. for a quarter of an hour the batteries replied vigorously. generally speaking the aim of the valderian gunners was erratic, but one unlucky hit brought the aftermast of the "renown" crashing down on the deck, completely putting out of action the guns on the two after turrets. the flagship had her bridge shot away and the foremost funnel demolished early in the action, while the "royal oak" was considerably damaged by a twelve-inch projectile that, finding its way into one of the nine-inch-gun casemates on the starboard side, disabled every man of the gun's crew. at the end of half an hour the valderian fire was very feeble. the earthworks of the forts were practically levelled. wherever one of the huge shells struck the ground it burst and tore a deep pit, into which, as often as not, the nearmost gun and its mountings promptly tumbled. many of the projectiles, flying high, dropped into the town and did enormous damage. the submarines, lying in the inner harbour, were quickly sunk by gun-fire; and within an hour of firing the first shot the resistance on the part of the garrison of zandovar ceased. admiral maynebrace promptly gave the order to cease fire, and before the haze had cleared away, the seaplanes dashed forward to investigate. soon they returned with the information that the batteries were completely knocked out of action and that a stream of fugitives were observed making towards naocuanha by road and rail. as soon as the boats of the fleet were brought alongside their respective ships preparations were made to land a force of seamen and marines and occupy the town. it was a needless task, for any communication between the republic and the victors could be received with equal facility on board the flagship; but admiral maynebrace, with the idea of making a display, resolved to land and hoist the british colours over the ruined forts. one of the principal fortifications--belgrano--stood on lofty ground in the rear of the town, but it had not escaped the hail of projectiles. owing to its elevation it could be seen from the capital and on that account maynebrace determined to take possession of it and hold it with a strong force in the event of an attack on the part of the valderian army before naocuanha. the advance guard, composed of royal marine light infantry, traversed the narrow deserted streets without seeing a sign of any living valderians. by the time they reached belgrano the main body of the invaders reached the plaza, or open square in the centre of the town. pickets were posted to command the various approaches, and due precautions having been taken, the admiral and his staff proceeded to the fort of belgrano. amid ringing cheers the union jack was hoisted over the captured mound that a short time before had been a strongly fortified position. light field guns and maxims were brought up and trained to command the road to naocuanha, and the force of occupation prepared to receive either an attack or--what was more likely--a proposal for an armistice. about an hour before sunset admiral maynebrace made his way towards the harbour, intending to return to the flagship. he was accompanied by his secretary and flag-lieutenant, and escorted by a guard of marines. the admiral was in high spirits. throughout the whole of his career he had never smelt powder in real earnest until this eventful day. he was close upon the age limit, and now he had survived the action and had the honourable distinction of having won glory for the king and country before being relegated to the limbo of retirement. his pleasing reveries were suddenly interrupted by hearing a furious commotion. he was dimly conscious of hearing the marine officer give a hurried order to his men to face about, while from one of the narrow streets issued a number of horsemen. they were not members of the regular valderian army, but rough-riders from the grass country of the middle plateau, men who had practically lived in the saddle from childhood. before the marines could fire a shot the avalanche of men and horses were upon them, through them, and off out of sight between the massive stone buildings. and with them were carried the admiral and his staff, prisoners in the hands of the enemy. in vain the marines fired their rifles in the air to warn the outposts. the latter, imagining that an attack was impending from without, stood to their arms, while dashing along with loose rein and unspared spur rode the daring horsemen with their captives, never slacking pace until they drew up outside the plaza of naocuanha. it was certainly a daring and well-executed plan on the part of the president. with these important hostages he realized that the outlook from his point of view had considerably improved. the british force in possession of zandovar was too small to advance upon the capital, and weeks would elapse before reinforcements could be sent from england. during that interval he might be able to make satisfactory terms. under the circumstances zaypuru felt it safe to allow the airship "libertad" to leave the country and pick up his adviser, reno durango. chapter xviii. the disaster to the "libertad." "here's a pretty how d'ye do!" remarked whittinghame when the news of zaypuru's daring stroke was received by the "meteor." "that alters the state of affairs, i'm thinking. what would you do, dacres? wait till the 'libertad' i arrives, or make a dash across the sierras into valderian territory and attempt the rescue of the prisoners?" "wait for durango--that would be the best course, i think. i don't suppose admiral maynebrace will come to any harm. but i was forgetting your brother." "i wasn't," said the captain of the "meteor." "we must find out where the admiral and his staff are imprisoned. if they are shut up in the cavarale--that's the name of the prison on the outskirts of naocuanha--gerald will have company. then, again, will durango return to valderia now that the submarines are destroyed? the phase of the situation seems to point to the possibility of the mexican deserting the sinking ship and trying his luck with the plans elsewhere." "but he has large pecuniary interests in naocuanha." "true. after all, i think we might hang on a little while longer. i have no reason to doubt my agent's report that the 'libertad' is ordered to proceed to salto augusto; unless the report is a false one issued to put us off the scent. durango might have followed his original plan and proceeded by rail." "in that case we have been nicely had," said dacres. "we'll remain here twenty-four hours longer," decided whittinghame; "then, if the 'libertad' does not put in an appearance, we'll make a night descent upon naocuanha." while the officers of the "meteor" were at lunch callaghan brought in a message received by wireless that the "libertad" had left naocuanha at seven that morning, bound east. "good!" ejaculated whittinghame. "left naocuanha at seven? she has a thousand mile flight. allowing her speed to be the same as that of the 'meteor'--although i doubt it--she ought to reach salto augusto by about noon or one o'clock. they couldn't have chosen a better time as far as we are concerned, for the sun will be almost directly overhead. at five thousand feet we'll run no risk of being spotted." at exactly fifteen minutes past twelve the watchers on the british airship saw her rival approaching. the "libertad" was flying low--at an altitude of about five hundred feet. this proved that her speed was approximately the same as that of her opponent. in appearance she strongly resembled the "meteor," but, of course, whittinghame was not aware of the details of her construction and propulsive arrangements. durango had had the secret of the ultra-hydrogen, but whether he knew how to render the gas non-inflammable was a question that could not be satisfactorily answered by the captain of the "meteor." keeping the "libertad" under observation by means of their powerful binoculars the officers of the "meteor" saw the valderian craft alight at less than half a mile from the outskirts of the town. she did not remain long. almost skimming along the ground, like a snake crawling stealthily through the grass, she turned westward. although the "meteor" could not adopt offensive methods over brazilian territory, there was now no further need of concealment. she could follow the "libertad" relentlessly, keeping her in view until she crossed the border. then she would act promptly and decisively. swooping downwards, but still maintaining a superior elevation, the "meteor" began to chase. with her motors running "all out" she slowly yet surely overhauled her prey, till a sudden spurt on the part of the "libertad" announced the fact that she had sighted her pursuer, and was putting on extra speed. mile after mile the two airships tore at a terrific rate. on board the "meteor" the bomb-dropping gear was made ready, and the light quick-firers manned. but even had whittinghame wished to open fire upon the enemy, the speed at which the "meteor" was travelling put that out of the question, until the "libertad" was overhauled sufficiently for the british craft's guns to be trained abeam. nor could the machine guns on the promenade deck be worked. no man could stand to serve them in the howling gale that swept past the rapidly moving vessel. on the other hand durango could make use of the two after guns on the "libertad" without risk. to open the bow-ports of the "meteor" meant serious damage both to the structure of the hull and to her crew, unless the speed were materially reduced. the captain of the "libertad" cared not one jot for international rights now that he was on his way back to valderia. he opened fire upon the "meteor," two shells fitted with time-fuses screeching past the huge flimsy target and bursting three hundred yards astern. "this won't do," remarked whittinghame calmly. "we cannot afford to be potted without chance of replying." he turned and gave a brief order. the elevating planes and an addition of ultra-hydrogen resulted in the "meteor" quickly bouncing up another two thousand feet. her captain's plan was to gain an important advantage in altitude and continue to overhaul the "libertad." he would thus have what corresponded to the weather-gauge in old-time frigate actions. in the excitement of the chase the hours sped quickly--so quickly that whittinghame uttered an exclamation of surprise when dacres announced that the frontier was passed and that the "meteor" was above valderian territory. "are you quite sure?" he asked. "of course, sir, i couldn't obtain an absolutely correct reading on account of the motion and the slight refraction of the glass scuttles," replied dacres. "but i am quite convinced that, allowing a margin of safety, we are between twenty and thirty miles over the dividing-line." "there are the sierras," announced setchell, pointing to a row of snow-topped peaks. "if the 'libertad' doesn't begin to ascend, she'll have a stiff climb." "we have her right enough," said whittinghame, rubbing his hands gleefully. "we have her. before she can ascend sufficiently to clear those peaks we'll have overhauled her." "unless she finds a pass between the mountains," added dr. hambrough, who, in his shirt-sleeves, was going through the contents of an ambulance-chest. nearer and nearer drew the formidable chain of peaks. both airships were continually ascending, but it was quite apparent to the crew of the "meteor" that unless the "libertad" rose at a fairly steep angle she would never clear the summit. even if she attempted it her speed must be greatly retarded, during which time the "meteor" would have overlapped her antagonist. suddenly the valderian airship ported her helm, slowing down as she did so. whittinghame instantly ordered the "meteor's" motors to be stopped. "she means to show fight!" he exclaimed. once again durango had gained the better position by skilful manoeuvring. owing to the great difference in height the "meteor's" bombs stood little chance of hitting the target, immense though it was. she was provided with only two quick-firing guns that could be trained immediately beneath her; while the six weapons on vertical mountains on the "libertad's" upper platform could be brought into play. "the cunning sweep!" ejaculated whittinghame. round swung the "meteor," then, plunging steeply, she made off at full speed at right angles to her former course, until she was barely two hundred feet above the height of her antagonist. the craft were now seven thousand yards apart. each, when viewed from the other, resembled a thin dark line against the deep blue sky. it was a long range, but whittinghame decided to try his luck. the five broadside quick-firers spoke simultaneously. no reply came from the "libertad," which now set off as fast as she could towards the mountains. evidently durango was adopting fabian tactics. whittinghame muttered angrily. he had been out-witted by their manoeuvres and had lost the advantage of altitude which he had hitherto possessed. ten minutes later the "libertad" vanished from sight behind a precipitous bluff in the mountains. evidently the pilot of the valderian airship knew of a means of escape. he had taken her into one of the deep gorges that penetrate these stupendous walls of rock. well it was that the captain of the "meteor" had not ordered the upper deck guns to be manned. there was, in consequence, no delay while the promenade-deck was being cleared. at half-speed the "meteor" again stood in pursuit of her rival. a hundred miles an hour is a dangerous pace to navigate an airship between mountainous walls, but whittinghame was not to be denied. what the "libertad" could do, he would do--and more. even then, he argued that if the pursued maintained her utmost rate of speed she would be practically out of sight before the "meteor" emerged from the narrow valley. at all costs the "libertad" must be brought to bay ere she reached naocuanha. whittinghame now realized that, with true british contempt of foreigners, he had underrated the capabilities of his rival. he resolved, with bulldog tenacity, to carry on, heedless of risks. on the other hand reno durango never thought for one moment that the "meteor" would follow the "libertad" through the mountain pass. he fully expected that his rival would laboriously climb to a height sufficient to enable him to cross the snow-clad range. by that time the "libertad" would be under the cover of the guns of naocuanha. acting under this supposition the mexican ordered speed to be reduced during the passage of the gorge, and at a bare fifty miles an hour the "libertad" entered the gloomy defile. on either hand the cliffs towered almost vertically to a height of two thousand feet; above this the mountainside rose with less declivity until it reached far above the snow-line. the pass itself averaged two hundred yards in width, and, although winding, its curves were gradual enough to allow the thousand odd feet of airship to be manoeuvred with comparative ease. "steady on your helm, callaghan," cautioned whittinghame as the "meteor" swung round the projecting bluff. with every nerve on the alert the crew of the pursuing craft stood at their posts, those for'ard half-expecting to see their rival brought up to bar their way, those aft, unable to use their powers of vision, trusting implicitly in the energy and skill of their young commander. ahead lay the narrow gorge, desolate, forbidding and withal majestic. there were no signs of the "libertad." bend after bend was negotiated in safety. in four minutes the "meteor" traversed the pass, then, to the surprise of her officers, they found the "libertad" waiting broadside on, at a distance of less than half a mile. nor was the dramatic appearance of the "meteor" as she suddenly emerged from between the lofty mountain range any the less surprising to durango and his crew. so intent were they in watching the peaks of the sierras that for the moment they could scarce believe their eyes. that the "libertad" meant to fight was evident from the fact that she had slackened speed and had hoisted valderian colours from an ensign staff at the after end of her upper deck. before the "meteor's" guns could open fire a fusillade of musketry and a broadside from the guns on the upper deck of the hostile airship woke the silence of the valley. the british craft reeled, then, several of her ballonettes pierced through and through, she began to drop vertically through space. as whittinghame sprang to the emergency lever for charging the reserve sub-sections to the full capacity, a shout from his companions attracted his attention. thrusting down the metal rod he turned to follow the direction of dacres' outstretched arm. the "libertad" was turning turtle. slowly, but with increasing speed she rolled over to port, till the whole extent of her upper deck sloped at an angle of sixty degrees. her guns broke from their mountings and went crashing through the light metal stanchions into the depths. men, frantically struggling to keep a foothold or clinging to the railings, slipped off her aluminium deck to a swift yet awful death in the vast abyss below. still falling she turned on her longitudinal axis till she described a complete semi-circle. all the while her propellers were driving her ahead. the horizontal planes, that in her normal position would tend to make her ascend, now acted in a totally opposite direction. she was descending rapidly under her own power rather than the force of gravity towards the earth. spellbound and too enthralled to notice the injuries to their own craft the crew of the "meteor" watched the scene of disaster, till, with a crash, accompanied by the hiss of the escaping ultra-hydrogen, the bows of the "libertad" plunged into a thick clump of mountain pine-trees. for a few seconds the wreckage hung in an oblique position, then, the framework slowly collapsing, the valderian airship finished her brief career upon the unsympathetic soil of her native land. "good heavens!" ejaculated the doctor, breaking the tense silence. strong nerved though he was and used to the scientific horrors of the operating room, the appalling tragedy made him feel giddy and sick. whittinghame moved to the telephone. "stand by to anchor," he ordered coolly. then turning to his companions: "there is no time to be lost; we must repair damages and investigate the wreck. since there is no sign of fire, we may be able to recover the plans intact." chapter xix. investigating the wreck. already, owing to the introduction of additional ultra-hydrogen, the earthward descent of the "meteor" had been arrested. the damage done by the broadside from the ill-fated "libertad" was serious enough. a large quantity of gas which could be ill spared had been lost, nine ballonettes having been pierced. most damage had been done to no. section, the officers' cabins being reduced to a state of chaos. fortunately there were only four of the crew stationed in that part of the ship, and with one exception they had come off unscathed. the exception was williamson, the quartermaster of dacres' watch, who had received a deep flesh wound in the left shoulder. to the south of the wood upon which the airship had fallen was an expanse of fairly level ground, barely sufficient to accommodate the whole length of the "meteor." in her disabled condition her captain would not risk bringing her down in one piece. the only alternative was to separate her between nos. and sections, since nos. and were necessary to support the riddled no. . with considerable misgivings the order was given to release the cam-action bolts. the foremost part of the "meteor" being practically intact, gave no trouble; but before the remainder of the ship could be brought to the ground even more ultra-hydrogen had to be made use of. when, at length, the two portions were safely anchored fore and aft all hands set to work to make good the damage. every ballonette that still contained gas was emptied, the ultra-hydrogen being forced into spare emergency cylinders. by the time this task was accomplished in the short tropical twilight, the work had to be abandoned till the next day. had the valderian capital been informed of this double calamity, the capture of the "meteor" and her crew could have been easily undertaken by a comparatively small body of troops, for the british airship was quite as incapable of motion as was her totally wrecked rival. "what caused the 'libertad' to turn turtle?" asked setchell during dinner. "we didn't fire a shot at her during the last part of the chase." "i think it can be explained," replied whittinghame. "those fellows had too much top-hamper. they carried six quick-firers on the upper or promenade deck. added to that there were several of the crew armed with rifles. the broadside did more harm to them than it did to us, although, goodness knows, we've been badly knocked about. the recoil of the broadside was the finishing touch, so to speak. she was already bordering on a state of unstable equilibrium, and over she went." "will our repairs take long?" asked dacres. "i think not. the material of which the ballonettes is made is very amenable to treatment. we shall have to force air into each of the ballonettes to find out which are gas-tight and which are not. those which require only slight repairs we will patch. the others must wait until we return to our base. fortunately there was an ample reserve of buoyancy." "and the reserve of ultra-hydrogen?" asked dr. hambrough. "that is a more serious question, doctor. we have enough and barely enough to impart sufficient lifting power to the 'meteor.' perhaps i must sacrifice no. section. it contains our cabins, gentlemen, but judging by the state they are in i do not think you will be put to greater inconvenience than the present condition promises. however, we shall be in a position to decide that point tomorrow. one thing is pretty certain: had the gas been of an explosive nature not one of us would be here to tell the tale." "and the wireless room?" asked setchell. "still intact, so you will be able to communicate with your relations and friends in england and let them know that you are still in the land of the living," replied the captain. "now, gentlemen," he continued, "i suggest that those who are not on duty should retire. mr. setchell will be in charge of the armed patrol until midnight, and then, doctor, you will kindly change the guard and relieve mr. setchell. to-morrow, i promise you, will be a strenuous day for all hands." the night passed without interruption. with the first sign of dawn the officers were out and about. at his chief's request dacres accompanied him to the wreck of the luckless "libertad," four of the crew armed with rifles going with them in case of danger from either man or beast. in a few minutes the debris was sighted. owing to the velocity of the "libertad's" descent many of the young pine-trees had either snapped off or bent, and thus the fore part of the airship was resting on the ground. the motors from the forward compartment were lying nearly a hundred yards from the rest of the wreckage. aluminium plates, twisted and ripped out of almost all recognition, fractured girders, pieces of oiled silk from the interior of the ballonettes, and a miscellaneous assortment of other material gave silent evidence of the completeness of the disaster. the after-part, having subsided more slowly, since the "libertad" struck the ground obliquely, was in a more recognisable condition, except that the motors had broken from the bearings. "pretty mess!" ejaculated whittinghame. "there seems little chance of recovering the plans," remarked dacres. "after all, it won't matter so very much if we don't. they are doubtless lost in that heap of wreckage." "it would be more satisfactory to know definitely," added whittinghame. "do you fancy a climb? if so, we'll investigate the after-sections of the wreck." dacres willingly assented, and soon both men were climbing along the twisted framework, cautiously testing each piece of metal ere they trusted their weight to it. the captain of the "meteor" laughed at their careful precautions. "it's a strange thing," he remarked, "how seriously we, who are used to altitudes running into thousands of feet, regard a possible fall of twenty or thirty." "yet there is a good reason," added his companion. "were we to fall out of the 'meteor' and drop a few thousand feet through space the consequences would be a matter of complete indifference to us. on the other hand, we might slip off this girder on to the ground and live for years afterward, no doubt, crippled for life. i've known a blue jacket go aloft in a strong wind to clear the pennant--a man's life at stake for the sake of a few yards of bunting--and to do it without turning a hair. ashore that same man would think twice before alighting on a greasy road from a tramcar in motion." beyond a state of disorder caused by movable articles being thrown out of place by the concussion the cabins were practically intact. rapidly whittinghame made his way from one to the other until he reached one that had the appearance of belonging to the "libertad's" captain. in one corner was a pedestal desk, its top "stove-in" by coming into contact with the bulkhead. charts, maps, and documents littered the floor, in company with a clock, barometer, articles of clothing and books. from a peg hung a light coat, its pocket bulging considerably. "we'll put etiquette on one side," said whittinghame, "and see what is in this gentleman's pockets." there was a revolver with about fifty loose cartridges in one pocket. jerking open the weapon whittinghame broke it across his knee and threw the pieces into the tree-tops. in the corresponding pocket was a leather case stuffed with papers. amongst them was the counterfoil of a steamship ticket from southampton to pernambuco, a brazilian railway time-table and almost a dozen envelopes bearing the stamps of four different european countries besides those of valderia. without examining their contents whittinghame thrust the envelopes into his pocket and resumed his search. in the breast-pocket of the coat were two south american newspapers dated the day previous and, what was especially useful, a large scale plan of the city of naocuanha. "this is durango's cabin," he observed. "without a doubt," assented dacres; "but we've had no luck with the plans." "he may have stowed them away in one of these drawers. there's no immediate hurry. we'll have a look round the rest of the wreck, and remove the contents of the desk later on." although the impact had been violent several of the ballonettes still retained gas. whittinghame was about to release their contents when dacres interposed. "better be careful," he said. "there must be still a considerable amount of buoyancy in that end of the ship, since she's supported only by a few slender trees. if we release the ultra-hydrogen we may be involved in a supplementary disaster, and have that forty-foot fall we were discussing." "right," replied the captain laconically. "do you know, there's something remarkable about this wreckage?" "in what way?" "we've examined every part of the two after-sections, and we haven't seen any of the bodies of the crew. they couldn't have all been on deck. those below were not pitched overboard when she turned right over; where, then, are they?" "i saw twenty men, at least, drop off her when she turned turtle. there are four bodies at least under the fore-part." "then, assuming her crew to be at least as numerically as strong as that of the 'meteor,' where are the rest? the fact that some of the ballonettes are still charged points to the suggestion that the shock to the after-part was not sufficient to kill a man. therefore there are survivors. that being so, where are they?" "i noticed something like a muster-book in one of the cabins," said dacres. "i'll get hold of it and see if it is." so saying he made his way to the place where he had noticed the book in question. as he passed along the alley-way a door swung to. dacres stopped and listened intently. he could have sworn that he heard footsteps on the upper deck. giving the alarm to his companion dacres dashed up the metal ladder leading to the promenade deck, pushed back the hinged flap, and, crawling on his hands and knees, gained the stanchion rails on the lee side of the steeply shelving platform. he could see or hear nothing of a suspicious nature. "what's wrong?" asked whittinghame, thrusting his head and shoulders through the hatchway. "thought i heard some one moving," replied his comrade. "below there!" he shouted, hailing the men who had accompanied their officers to the scene of the wreck. "ay, ay, sir," replied callaghan. "have you seen anyone about?" "no, sir." "have any of you been climbing on the wreckage?" "no, sir; we've been standing here ever since you went on board." "must have been mistaken, then," said dacres to his captain. "i saw a door swing to, and i felt sure that i heard footsteps on the deck." "you must have been. with the airship lying at this angle the door must have swung accidentally. we may have left it just ajar, and a tremor of the hull set it in motion." with that dacres crawled back to the hatchway. it was a tricky business, for the smooth metal plates afforded a very insecure foothold. "here's the book, sir," he said. "it does contain the names of the crew--thirty-nine, by jove! and durango's tally is not amongst them. that's forty, at least, for there may have been others on board whose names are not on the list." "h'm! well, we'll throw overboard the papers we found in durango's cabin and our men can take them back to the 'meteor.' after that we'll make a careful examination of the wreckage of the fore-part and see if we can identify any of the victims. tell callaghan to stand by as we throw the gear over-board." as the two officers re-entered durango's cabin they "brought up all standing," and looked at each other in amazement. they had left the coat hanging on its peg. it now lay on the floor, with the lining of the pockets turned inside out, while the loose ammunition had been thrown about and had rolled into a corner to leeward. "that rascal has been on board!" exclaimed whittinghame. chapter xx. a hazardous proposal. "yes, we've had a narrow squeak," continued the captain. "it's easy to reconstruct the case. durango was either concealed in the woods or else hiding on board. more than likely he was stowed away somewhere on the airship, otherwise callaghan and the other men ought to have spotted him." "but they didn't see him leave," objected dacres. "quite true. conversely they didn't see him come on board; but that is a side issue. one thing is certain; he was aware of our presence. he must have been stalking us. directly we left the cabin he crept in, knowing that there was a revolver and ammunition in his pocket. with these in his possession it would have been an easy matter for him to shoot the pair of us, as we were quite in ignorance of his being here; but fortunately, as far as we are concerned, i smashed the revolver and threw the pieces over the side." "with this possibility in your mind?" whittinghame shook his head. "don't credit me with too much, my friend. i saw the look on your face when i deliberately destroyed a particularly neat little weapon. had it been of the same calibre as ours i would have kept it. as it wasn't, i put it out of the way of others who might make use of it against our interests. anyhow, durango was foiled on that count. he then remembers that he had documents of importance in those coat-pockets, so he hurriedly turns them inside out. in the midst of the search he hears you coming along the alley-way, and being without a weapon and afraid to tackle you on equal terms, makes a hurried retreat. the door slams, and your suspicions are aroused." "perhaps he's still on board?" suggested dacres. "you heard him on deck." "but there are other hatchways he could make use of besides going over the side." "there are; we'll investigate. i'll tell callaghan to send up half a dozen armed men, and then we'll search every nook and cranny." the reinforcements were quick in responding to the call. first of all the woods in the immediate vicinity of the after-part of the "libertad" were searched; men were posted to prevent anyone leaving the wreck without being seen, while the rest joined the two officers in exploring the still intact practical portion of the airship. for an hour the search was kept up, but without result. satisfied at length that none of the original crew remained on board, whittinghame gave orders for the whole of the documents to be removed. this done the fore-part was examined. under the wreckage were found the bodies of eight men, all terribly mangled, but sufficiently recognizable for the searchers to decide that reno durango was not amongst them. the cunning rogue, instead of fighting his ship from the navigation room for'ard, had delegated that duty to a subordinate, and had taken up his position in the after-part which, when the disaster occurred, had escaped the destruction meted out to the rest of the ill-fated "libertad." upon returning to the crippled "meteor" whittinghame, assisted by dr. hambrough and dacres, proceeded to examine the documents found in durango's cabin. from the contents of the letters it was soon made evident that the rascal had already entered into negotiations with several of the great powers for the disposal of the plans of the british submarines. the original specifications and constructional drawings of the airship--those that had been appropriated by the valderian authorities when gerald whittinghame had been arrested--were found intact. "that's good," ejaculated whittinghame. "it was more than i dared hope. i expected to find tracings of the original plans, but these rascals have evidently thought it unnecessary to make duplicates. if they haven't--and judging by the state of these drawings i don't think they have--they will never be able to make another imitation of the 'meteor.'" "what do you propose to do with the wreck?" asked the doctor. "we'll wait until the repairs to the 'meteor' are complete and then, i think, we'll set fire to the trees around the 'libertad.' i would do so earlier, but we must try, if possible, to prevent the alarm reaching naocuanha." "but surely durango will make a dash for the capital?" "i think not. the valderians do not look favourably upon those leaders who have come to grief. he will, for a dead certainty, leave zaypuru in the lurch, and try his luck elsewhere--unless we prevent him." "and the submarine plans?" asked dacres. "i have not forgotten that point," replied whittinghame; "since they are not here nor in the wreck of the 'libertad' it can be reasonably surmised that durango has them in his possession--unless he left them with a trustworthy agent in pernambuco. from the documents we found on board we know that he had not got past the preliminary negotiations. my immediate plans are as follows, gentlemen; if you have any suggestions or objections to make i shall be pleased to hear them:-- "in the first place we must make the 'meteor' fit to resume her flight. then, on the principle of striking while the iron's hot, we must attempt the rescue of the british prisoners at naocuanha. whether we succeed or not we can then devote our attention to the capture of señor reno durango. under the most favourable conditions it will take him six weeks to reach the nearest railway station. he has to recross the sierras and make a long journey across the voyocama desert. by that time we shall have either succeeded or failed in our enterprise in valderia. by making inquiries of any of the few indians who exist in the voyocama desert we shall be able to get upon durango's trail and run him to earth." "perfectly straightforward, sir," observed setchell. "unless anything should go wrong," added whittinghame guardedly. "now, having settled these points, suppose we make an examination of our own craft?" it did not require much inspection from the captain to decide that no. section was useless for further service. it had borne the brunt of the "libertad's" fire. only one ballonette retained its supply of ultra-hydrogen. the others, pierced through and through, resembled gigantic colanders, being completely riddled by the small calibre shell. since the "libertad's" magazine was situated in the corresponding section her crew had come to the conclusion that the same state of affairs existed in the "meteor," and had hoped by directing most of their fire upon no. section to destroy utterly their antagonist by exploding her ammunition-room. in the other sections the damage was comparatively slight. wherever a ballonette was pierced the high velocity of the projectiles had made a clean circular hole. all that was required to be done--for the ultra-hydrogen had already been exhausted from the intact ballonettes and stored in the high-pressure cylinders--was to patch the silken inner envelopes, rivet aluminium plates on the outer plating and test each gas compartment by forcing air into it. should an escape still exist the hissing of the compressed air would be a sure indication of the precise position of the leak. officers and men worked with desperate haste, yet without sacrificing efficiency. in order to guard against a surprise attack sentries were posted at some distance from the stranded "meteor," while several of her quick-firing guns were unshipped and remounted in positions commanding the approach from the valderian capital. nevertheless, had durango and his surviving comrades been men of pluck and determination, they might have entirely prevented the work of repairing the "meteor." under cover of darkness it would have been a comparatively easy matter to fire the dry grass, and the destruction of the british airship would have been a foregone conclusion. but the mexican was a man to run no great risk. as soon as he had secured certain property from his wrecked cabin he had resolutely set out towards the brazilian frontier. being a born gambler he realized that as far as naocuanha and valderia were concerned his luck was out. he still had the means of recouping his losses, but he was too wily to tempt fate in the country that had already proved so disastrous to his projects. whittinghame was perfectly correct in his surmise. the mexican was already on his way to pastures which, if not new, could provide abundant sustenance for his cupidity and cunning. the day passed without any signs of valderian activity. the news of the disaster had not reached naocuanha, and as the mountain pass was an unfrequented one there was little risk of detection from passing travellers. at daybreak on the following morning work was renewed. the condemned section, stripped of everything of value that had escaped the hail of hostile shot, had been removed from the adjoining divisions. most of the leaks had been stopped, and whittinghame had good reasons for hoping that the air test could be applied that afternoon. just before noon one of the outposts signalled that three armed men were approaching, but whether they were alone or merely the advance guard of a force of valderian troops he could not determine. whittinghame, dacres and setchell were quickly on the spot, where, sheltered behind a ridge of rocks, they could command the approach of the three strangers. bringing their glasses to bear the officers saw that the party consisted of an elderly man and two who might be anything between eighteen and twenty-five, even when taking into account the effect of the climate. each had a rifle slung across his back and a short native knife, somewhat resembling the mexican machete, in a sheath on the right hip. they had naturally seen the several separated portions of the "meteor" as well as the after-part of the wreck of the "libertad," and had left the beaten track with the evident intention of making a closer inspection. "not much strategy shown there," observed dacres. "they make no attempt to conceal themselves. who and what are they, i wonder?" "we'll soon find out," replied whittinghame, and beckoning to six of the crew he ordered them to make a detour in order to cut off the strangers' retreat. nearer and nearer came the three men, chatting unrestrainedly and gesticulating excitedly. whittinghame, who spoke spanish with tolerable fluency, strained his ears to catch the drift of their conversation. "frenchmen, by jove!" ejaculated dacres. "i think not," whispered his chief. "now!" simultaneously the officers and several of the "meteor's" crew sprang to their feet, while at the signal those in ambush stepped into the path which the strangers had traversed. in spite of the odds against them the three men were not wanting in courage, although deficient in strategy. they stopped, unslung their rifles, and having given their opponents ample opportunity to shoot them down had the englishmen felt so inclined, they flopped down on the rocky path and took what cover they could behind the small boulders. "_amigos!_" shouted whittinghame. "_si, señor_," replied the elder man, and without any hesitation he jumped up, spoke a few words to his companions, and then strode towards the spot where whittinghame stood. "_americanos?_" he asked interrogatively. whittinghame shook his head. "_inglese,_" he replied. "_bien,_" rejoined the stranger, removing his hat and making a profound bow. "i am ver' pleased to speak with you, monsieur." "you are a frenchman, then?" "assuredly. i am called antoine de la fosse, i am an engineer of electricity. gaston, henri!" he shouted in his native tongue; "come here and make the acquaintance of these english airmen." de la fosse required but little "pumping." he seemed bursting with anxiety to explain his presence to whittinghame and the rest of the officers. he lived at adiovonta, a small town about thirty miles from naocuanha and nearly forty from the scene of the combat between the rival airships. he was on his way to san carlos, where he had to inspect the electric-lighting apparatus of a newly opened copper-mine. accompanied by his two sons and twenty indian porters he was within ten miles of the mountain pass when he heard the dull detonations of the "libertad's" guns. at first he did not know what to make of it, for he was in ignorance of the fact that hostilities had broken out between great britain and valderia. during his journey upon the succeeding day he made good use of a pair of binoculars, and at length spotted what appeared to be the wreckage of half a dozen airships. leaving his men on the beaten track he set out with his two sons to investigate the scene of the disaster. "so there is war between great britain and valderia, eh? and the port of zandovar is taken? then i think i will not go to naocuanha just _à l'instant._" "were you bound for the capital, then?" asked dacres. "as soon as i finish the work at san carlos. i have to see the installation of the electric light at several of the buildings public--the cathedral and the cavarale, for example, but i think it will wait." whittinghame was too good a diplomat to come straight to the point and ask for direct information concerning the cavarale--the prison where his brother and the british officers were confined. but the chance was too good to be thrown aside. he would put the question indirectly at a more opportune moment. "come and have lunch with us," he said courteously. "we cannot, unfortunately, offer you of the wines of _la belle france_, but our stores are by no means exhausted. after we have lunched we will show you the airships, or rather ours and the remains of the valderian one." "the valderian one?" replied de la fosse incredulously. "i did not know that valderia possessed an airship. _mais,_ perhaps it is well not to show too much interest in a country that is not ones own." during the meal whittinghame, who attended to his guests' wants with the utmost politeness, related the salient facts of the dispute between the two countries and the events leading up to the chase of señor reno durango. "_nom de chien!_" ejaculated de la fosse excitedly, bringing his hand down violently upon the edge of his plate, and sending the contents into his lap. "reno durango! is it possible?" "a friend of yours, monsieur?" asked whittinghame. "he is no friend to me," retorted the indignant frenchman. "i remember well his master, the pirate karl von harburg, who captured 'la touraine' and stole fifty thousand francs from me. again, señor durango--_que le diable l'importe_--did his best to kill me at zandovar a little more than a year ago. _peste!_ i have no love for señor durango. _voyons_, let me rejoice over the debris of his airship." accordingly whittinghame, dacres, and the doctor accompanied the frenchman and his two sons to the scene of the disaster. de la fosse, with a frenchman's typical sagacity, took the greatest interest in all he saw, and asked innumerable questions, while his two sons joined vivaciously in the conversation. suddenly a sharp report, unlike that of a rifle, came from the direction of the "meteor." the three officers exchanged glances. "something gone this time!" exclaimed whittinghame. something had gone. one of the ballonettes in no. section had burst under the pressure of the compressed air introduced for the purpose of testing its non-porosity. the explosion resulted in the partial wreckage of the wireless room. until the damage could be made good the "meteor" was practically cut off from intercourse with the outside world. before the days of wireless, isolation counted for little, but once having enlisted the aid of the italian wizard, marconi, the exigencies of civilization could ill bear being deprived of this means of communication. "anyone hurt?" asked whittinghame anxiously, as he and his companions arrived on the scene of the accident. "no one, sir," replied callaghan saluting. "that's a blessing," said the captain fervently. "one man down is one too many; we don't want any more casualties to our small crew. now let us see the extent of the damage to the wireless room." "_ciel!_ it is of little consequence to one who knows," replied de la fosse, after a brief yet comprehensive examination. "i know not how you call this----" "the magnetic detector, sir," volunteered callaghan. "ah! the magnetic detector: it is out of--how you call it?--tune, _ne c'est pas?_ the air-gap around the edge of this plate is destroyed. in two days the damage is made good." "to anyone who understands the business," added whittinghame. "_oui, monsieur._ very well, then: i do you good turn. i will stop. gaston will take my men to san josé. then in a few days i follow." "it's awfully good of you, monsieur," said the captain gratefully. "_pouf!_" ejaculated the frenchman, throwing out his hands in a deprecatory gesture. "it is nothing. i will help you set it right." this latest accident, coming on top of the previous misfortunes to the "meteor," meant that the airship would not be ready to resume her flight for at least a week; and during a week history might be made in valderia without whittinghame and his companions being aware of what was going on. dacres got on excellent terms with antoine de la fosse and his son henri, and before the end of the week he felt emboldened to tackle the frenchmen on the subject of the cavarale prison. "you seem very anxious to know all about the prison, _mon ami,_" remarked the elder de la fosse. "one would think that you would like to pay it a visit." "that i should," replied dacres. "not as a prisoner, monsieur, but just to find my way about. you remember mr. whittinghame told you we were making an attempt to rescue some english prisoners there." "and i showed you the plan of the cavarale," said de la fosse. "a plan like that to a man with ordinary intelligence is worth a hundred thousand books of direction." "quite true," assented dacres. "but i have a strong desire to see what the prison is like. to put the matter bluntly, could you get me a pass to enter the cavarale?" the frenchman did not reply for a few moments. "see you here," he exclaimed. "i would help you, for i like not the president zaypuru. but it is too difficult. if they catch you, then you are shot as a spy, and i am arrested for assisting an englishman to spy. you understand?" "i quite see your point, monsieur," said dacres. "you would be betraying the country which you have made your temporary home." "you do not see the point, monsieur dacres," corrected the frenchman. "it is not a question of betray: it is revenge. i have no cause to like the present government, for when zaypuru made the insurrection his soldiers looted my house. i was then living close to naocuanha. it is a long story and i will not now tell it you. but if i could i would help you." he paused and puffed vigorously at his cigar. dacres watched his face eagerly. de la fosse was pondering the question over in his mind. dacres let him think undisturbed. he realized that he had stirred the frenchman's passions. he was brooding under a heavy grievance. de la fosse, like many other europeans, had good cause to hate president zaypuru and all his works. "i have a plan," exclaimed de la fosse suddenly. "i tell you. suppose i send henri to inspect the cavarale? it must be examined before i can start work with the electric light installation." "well?" "then henri must have an assistant, _bien entendu?_ suppose you go as assistant to my son? i give your name on the pass as monsieur----" "as monsieur le plaisant," added dacres, a thought flashing across his mind. "you, then, know a monsieur le plaisant?" asked the frenchman. "yes, i believe i do," replied dacres grimly, with a lively recollection of his prank on the midshipmen on h.m.s "repulse." "_bien!_ then i will inform henri. only, monsieur, if you are detected you will be shot." "that i quite understand," replied dacres coolly. "if you are detected," continued de la fosse, "i know that you are an english gentleman and will absolve henri from blame." "of course," agreed dacres. "i promise on my honour that if anything goes wrong--i don't think it will, by the by--i will make out that i deliberately deceived your son. he, of course, must be told to repudiate me, should the valderians spot me." "you are a good impersonator, monsieur dacres?" "fairly," replied dacres modestly. "i bluffed a flagship's officers once, only----" he pulled himself up. it was not desirable, on the eve of a similar episode, to proclaim the failure of the former attempt. "very well," agreed de la fosse. "i will put the name of monsieur le plaisant on the pass, and henri will show you the road to naocuanha." chapter xxi. within the cavarale prison. "look here, dacres, i won't have you running this risk," said whittinghame when his subordinate unfolded his plan for investigating the place of captivity of admiral maynebrace and his compatriots in misfortune. "there'll be no risk," replied dacres. "that is, if i act with a reasonable amount of caution. besides, i want to have another little game with old maynebrace--bless his grey hair!" whittinghame shrugged his shoulders deprecatingly. "how long do you reckon this mad freak of yours will take?" he asked. "if we leave here at daybreak to-morrow we ought to be back at the end of the fifth day. it's only half a day's journey to la paz railway station, so de la fosse informs me. we'll have to hire a couple of indians to carry our professional gear and clothing, so as to give more colour to the scheme. henri could take some of his father's men, only they might start talking about the stranded airships and give rise to suspicions." "honestly i don't like your scheme, dacres, but since you think it's feasible and its results will be beneficial to our proposed operations i suppose i mustn't raise any more objections." henri de la fosse entered into the project with the greatest eagerness. he, too, had cause to hate the present valderian government like poison. had it not been for zaypuru and durango, the frenchman and his two sons would have been able to attain their desires and return to their native country long ago. the revolution had practically ruined de la fosse. his accumulated earnings had been fraudulently appropriated. he was almost without sufficient means to pay his passage back to marseilles. he had, therefore, been obliged to remain in valderia, working desperately at his profession in the hope of being able, to some extent, to retrieve his lost fortune. when whittinghame requested antoine de la fosse to name a sum for repairing the wireless gear the little frenchman waxed indignant. he would take nothing, he replied proudly. it was a pleasurable task to be able to assist the englishmen in their effort against zaypuru and durango. whittinghame was equally indignant. finally the matter was compromised. should dacres' adventure prove a success, and should the "meteor" contrive to rescue the prisoners from the cavarale, de la fosse was to put forward a claim on the british government, and whittinghame would back it up for all he was worth. antoine de la fosse realized that he was making a great sacrifice in allowing his son to go to naocuanha. had it not been for the fact that he himself was the only one capable of effecting the delicate repairs to the wireless gear he would have insisted on being dacres' companion. but having dacres' assurance that in the event of detection the englishman would accept all responsibility his doubts were set aside. "are you disguising yourself?" asked whittinghame, for his comrade was turning out the contents of a small portmanteau in which the extraordinary "get up" he had worn on board the flagship was conspicuous. "no," replied dacres. "at least, not with false moustaches or whiskers. it would be too risky: the things might come adrift while i was fooling about pretending to take measurements." "but we must take certain possibilities into the question," continued whittinghame. "suppose, for instance, durango has, in spite of our surmises to the contrary, returned to naocuanha?" "hardly likely," replied dacres. "had he done so we should have had a crowd of valderian soldiers buzzing about before this." the eventful morning came round. antoine de la fosse was to go with dacres and henri as far as the place where the mules had been left in charge of an indian servant. "by the by," remarked whittinghame casually. "you haven't forgotten a rule. you must have one if you have to take measurements, you know." "i'll get one," said dacres, and presently he returned with a two-foot rule in his hand. "if it weren't a very serious matter, dacres, i'd simply roar with laughter," declared the captain of the "meteor." "i asked you simply to see what you'd do, and you've simply given the whole show away. imagine a supposed frenchman taking measurements in a country where the metric system is in force and using a british two-foot rule." dacres flushed under his tanned features. "by jove! i must be more careful." "you must, not only on your account but for the sake of your companion. it's a good thing de la fosse didn't see what you were up to." amid the hearty good wishes and farewells of the "meteor's" officers and men dacres and henri, attired in sombreros, loose grey shirts, buckskin trousers, and native shoes fitted with formidable-looking spurs, set out on their hazardous enterprise. soon dacres found himself in the high-peaked saddle of a mule. although fairly docile as mules go, this animal required a considerable amount of skill on the part of the rider. like most sailors dacres rode awkwardly, hanging on more by good luck than good management, the performance causing the high-spirited henri no end of amusement, especially when the inapt rider was slung out into the dust no less than three times during the first half hour. "pardon me, monsieur, i cannot help it," said young de la fosse apologetically, although tears of laughter were trickling down his face. "neither can i," replied dacres as he picked himself up and essayed to clamber into the awkward saddle. "but if you ride thus into la paz the valderians will have suspicions," resumed henri doubtfully. "in valderia everyone rides superbly." "i'll manage the brute all right long before we get to la paz," declared dacres stoutly. "gee up, you rascal!" evidently the valderian mule strongly objected to being urged on in english, for his hind-quarters suddenly reared. dacres found himself rising in the air. clearing the pommel by a few inches he alighted on the animal's crupper, whence he cannoned off into a particularly prickly clump of cacti. leaping from his saddle henri handed the reins to his companion, then devoting his attention to the refractory mule he made it trot round and round in a small circle until the youth was almost ready to drop with sheer giddiness. this treatment also proved most subduing to the mule, for from that time dacres had no further trouble. the road to la paz was with few exceptions mostly down hill. in places it wound round forbidding spurs of the mountains, where a false step would send animal and rider into the almost fathomless depths below. so narrow was the track that dacres wondered what would happen if they met persons coming in the opposite direction. "that is easily managed," replied henri when his companion expressed his doubts. "we would dismount. the other travellers would do likewise. we speak with them; they speak with us. there is no hurry in these parts. then the mules going that way would crouch down, and the mules coming this way would step over them. it is so simple when one knows how." "thanks, i would rather not have any," remarked dacres, and later on he reiterated his thanks when he found himself once more in open country. feeling so stiff that he could scarcely dismount dacres arrived at la paz. the mules were handed over to the care of a most villainous-looking innkeeper, and their baggage given to four miserable-looking indians, who for a few centavos could be engaged to act as servants. while waiting for the train to start--it would be a fortunate event if it left the station within an hour of the supposed time--henri, who spoke spanish excellently, made several judicious inquiries of the men who were loafing about--for leaning against the adobe walls and smoking huge cigars seemed the total occupation of the visible inhabitants of la paz. when at length the train started on its journey to the capital, young de la fosse had an opportunity of communicating to his companion the news he had gathered from the loungers at the station. if it were true the situation looked very grave. there were reports that a battle had been fought outside the town of zandovar between the gallant valderians and the invaders. the british had been compelled to retreat to their ships, leaving over five hundred men prisoners in the hands of the victors. more, two english battleships had been sunk by mines, and the rest had stood out to sea. dacres simply roared. the rumours were so utterly unlikely. "it may be true," said henri gravely. "the best generalled armies make the mistake at times. the italians at adowah, the russians in manchuria, and the english in south africa, _par exemple._" "then, if it is true we'll find the cavarale chock-a-block with british prisoners," said dacres. "so we'll wait and see." when, after a slow and irksome journey, the train entered naocuanha station, dacres and his companion were pounced upon and questioned by half a dozen gaudily-uniformed officials. their pass had to be examined, signed and countersigned by men who could hardly write their names, their baggage being searched, and even the contents of their pockets scrutinized. dacres realized that had he attempted to don artificial hair and whiskers as a disguise he would have been detected before he left the platform. at length the ordeal was passed, and escorted by four soldiers the two "electrical experts" made their way to an hotel. the city of naocuanha was under martial law. there were troops--for the most part ill-clad, ill-armed, and badly disciplined--everywhere. most of the shops were shut, and had their windows boarded up. in several places barricades had been thrown across the streets and machine guns placed in position. the steam-cars and public vehicles had either been kept in their sheds or pressed into military service. everywhere notices were posted up, warning the civil population to be in their houses by sunset under pain of fine and imprisonment. "this doesn't look like a british reverse," thought dacres. "the whole crowd of them are in a mortal funk. that's quite evident." acting on his companion's advice dacres feigned a bad headache on their arrival at the hotel and promptly went to bed. until henri felt fairly certain that none of the guests--who, fortunately, were few in number--understood french it was advisable for the pseudo-electrician to keep to himself. all night long bugles were blaring and drums beating. the garrison of naocuanha were evidently expecting an attack from the british forces in possession of zandovar. consequently dacres spent a restless night, while the swarms of mosquitos that found their way in through the rents in the mosquito curtains of his bed added to his discomfort. next morning, after henri had paid a compulsory visit to the commandante's office, the two men, with their indian servants, set out for the cavarale. the prison stood about two miles from the city. it occupied an isolated position, being on a broad grassy plain. the building was of rectangular formation with squat square towers at the four corners. it was surrounded at a distance of twenty feet from the main walls by a mud and rubble wall surmounted by a _chevaux de frise._ in the centre of this outer enclosure on the city side was a gateway with an adobe hut close by; but this entrance was apparently neglected, for the gate stood wide open, and no one seemed to be on guard. in the intervening space ran a dry ditch crossed by a broad wooden bridge leading to the inner gateway. this was a more imposing affair, the stone archway being surmounted by the arms of the republic. the door was of very massive wood and pierced by a wicket. on either side were loopholes so that the approach could be commanded by rifle fire if necessary; while above each of the four towers grinned the barrels of an old type of machine gun of the nordenfeldt pattern. pacing up and down the parapet or else lolling in the shade of the towers were several sentries, each with the inevitable cigar or cigarette in his mouth. they eyed the approaching strangers with apparent unconcern, making no attempt to challenge them. directly henri pulled the bell the wicket was opened and a serjeant gruffly demanded to know the business of the two strangers. in reply young de la fosse pulled out the pass and presented it. the fellow took the document, pretended to read it while holding it upside down, and calling to a soldier who happened to be standing close by, bade him hand the pass to the serjeant of the guard. apparently, this non-commissioned officer could make no more of it than did his subordinate; but, throwing aside his cigar, he leisurely strolled off to the quarters of the commandante of the prison. half an hour later the frenchman and the pseudo compatriot were permitted to enter. an empty store was allotted for the reception of their belongings, and the indians were told to remain there until wanted. "you remain also," said henri in a low voice to dacres. "i have to see the commandante." presently henri returned with a bundle of papers, showing the general plan of the prison on a large scale, and the various parts that it was proposed to fit with electric lighting apparatus. to show undue energy would arouse suspicion, so the two electricians spent quite an hour in ostentatiously examining the documents before proceeding with the actual work of "measuring up." then, having offered a cigarette to the soldier told off to attend on them, henri and dacres made their way to the _patio_ or courtyard in the centre of the quadrangle. while busy with the tape dacres kept his eyes wide open. evidently three sides of the building were intended for the prisoners' quarters, for they were lighted by small square windows heavily barred and at a height of twenty feet from the ground. the remaining side was in the occupation of the troops who formed the joint rôle of garrison and jailers, while in one corner of the _patio_ and farthest remote from the entrance was a stone building in which the commandante of the prison lived. it was two-storyed, with a flat roof, from which a light gangway communicated with the flats of the quarters surrounding the quadrangle. a covered way also led from the commandante's residence to the guard room. "the commandante says that he is busy to-day and does not wish to be disturbed by having men to measure the rooms of his house," said henri, "so that will be much better for us. we can go sooner to the quarters of the prisoners." "very good," assented dacres. they conversed in english, since dacres was a precious bad french scholar. there was no need to do otherwise since de la fosse, by a simple, seemingly aimless question to the soldier who accompanied them, found out that he understood no language but his own. having finished their ostentatious work in the _patio_, henri tapped the plan he held in his hand and pointed significantly towards the prison-buildings. the soldier shrugged his shoulders indifferently, then slouched towards the door. in response to a knock the door was opened by a fierce-looking mulatto who, apparently satisfied that the two foreigners were properly escorted, passed them in without further ado. the prison was two-storyed. the cells on the ground floor were not lighted from without, and were constructed for the reception of common criminals. recently these occupants had been transferred _en bloc_ to the civil prison in naocuanha, and consequently they were now unoccupied. the political and foreign prisoners were distributed in cells on the upper story, to the number of nearly a hundred. of these nine were englishmen, including the two who were arrested before the outbreak of hostilities, and whose detention formed one of the principal causes of the rupture between great britain and the republic of valderia. in addition to the nine were partisans of the late president san bonetta who, having escaped the extreme measures adopted by the ferocious diego zaypuru, were still in rigorous confinement and in constant fear of being summoned to execution. fearing to cause suspicions by asking where the british prisoners were lodged, dacres and his companion had to take each cell in order, measuring the distance from the centre of the corridor, and the height of the position of the proposed lamp. to hurry over the task would raise doubts in the officials' minds as to the _bona fides_ of the avowed electricians. thus the short working-day ended without dacres having an opportunity of entering into communication with any of his former brother-officers. on the following day the prospect looked brighter, since there was no needless delay in the _patio._ don alonzo da costa, the commandante, was still indisposed to allow the electricians to enter his quarters, so, thankfully, dacres and his companion resumed their tedious tour of the cells. at length the jailer unlocked the door of a cell situated in the north-east angle of the building, and the two engineers solemnly filed into the room. it was slightly larger than the others, but sparely furnished, the latter consisting of a plain deal table and chair, and an iron cot-frame, on the foot of which were two rolled blankets and a thin straw mattress. as the men entered a stentorian voice exclaimed, "bless my soul, dacres, what on earth are you doing here?" the speaker was his late chief, rear-admiral maynebrace. chapter xxii. dacres reminds the admiral. "steady, sir," remonstrated dacres, addressing the admiral and at the same time turning his head away as if consulting with his colleague. "this won't do; you'll spoil the whole show." "surely, mr. dacres, you haven't signed on with these----" admiral maynebrace's remarks were cut short by the soldier bringing the butt of his rifle down upon the stone floor with a resounding clang and causing the astonished old officer to skip more agilely than he had done for years past. "that's excellent," exclaimed henri addressing the sentry in spanish. "keep the rascally prisoner in his place. we do not want to be hindered in our work." "sit down, sir, and pray be calm," continued dacres, still talking as if he were referring to the task of measuring the walls. "don't pay any outward attention and listen. (twenty-five centimetres from that cornice, henri: have you got that down?) we hope to bring the airship 'meteor' to your rescue in a few days, sir, so be prepared. turn in all standing, if you can, for we may have to hurry you up. (do you think that will be far enough from the wall for the position of the switch, henri? good!) i can't expect you to answer any questions, sir. it isn't pleasant to be prodded on the toes by the butt-end of a rifle. yes, sir, i am once more impersonating a frenchman. let us hope with more success than on the last occasion. then i was literally slung out of the service; now, by a similar means, i hope to get you slung out of here. (you think so, henri? suppose we carry the wiring down in this direction?)" dacres paused in his monologue, partly to allay any signs of curiosity on the part of the soldier and partly to enjoy his little joke with his one time superior officer. it wasn't every day in the week that an ex-sub-lieutenant could talk like a dutch uncle to an admiral on the active list. the idea of heaping coals of fire on maynebrace's head commended itself to the pseudo-frenchman, and he made good use of the opportunity. "i am indeed sorry that you cannot express in words your gratitude for what we are doing for you, sir," he continued. "i know the feeling under which one labours when a man has to listen to a sermon without being able to put his spoke in the wheel (unwind the tape a little, please, henri. _merci, bien_). however, we will not dwell on that point. we hope at about six bells in the middle watch on the first convenient night to pay a surprise visit to the cavarale. we may have to use explosives, so, sir, pray do not be unduly alarmed. (that is right, henri, six metres will be quite sufficient.)" dacres methodically paced the cell, motioning the valderian sentry to stand aside so as not to impede his work. the fellow, impressed by the zeal of the "electrician," stepped back without a murmur or gesture of remonstrance. "if in the meantime you can get into communication with the rest of your staff, sir," continued dacres, "perhaps you will mention what i have told you in case we have to pack up before our professional work is completed. that being so, messieurs henri de la fosse and jean le plaisant--you may have heard that name before--must bid you their adieux." admiral maynebrace stood his unaccustomed gruelling like a man. he knew quite well what dacres was driving at. he was generous enough to admit that his former subordinate was to a certain extent justified in "pulling his leg." moreover, he admired the cool audacity of the ex-naval officer in risking his life by entering the cavarale prison. "hang it all!" he soliloquized. "i was much too hard on the young rascal. we all make mistakes. it was a mistake on my part that landed me in this hole. the service lost a promising officer when dacres sent in his papers. if ever i get clear of naocuanha i'll do my very best to make things right for him." with this praiseworthy resolution rear-admiral maynebrace sank back in his chair to endure the dreadful monotony of his cell, for the only diversion he had was to make a systematic onslaught upon the swarm of insects that pestered him with their lively attentions. while the valderian soldier was securing the door of the admiral's cell dacres took particular notice of the lock. it was not morticed into the woodwork but simply screwed on from the outside. a fairly heavy hammer and a cold chisel would, he reflected, soon make short work of the lock on the door of no. , for that was the official designation of rear-admiral maynebrace's substitute for the cabin of h.m.s. "repulse." the next cell was empty, but prudence compelled the two "electrical engineers" to spend a few minutes in taking bogus measurements. the adjoining one was occupied by a bearded man whom dacres rightly surmised to be gerald whittinghame. there was a strong facial and bodily resemblance between him and the captain of the "meteor." still pursuing his quasi-professional tactics dacres explained who and what his visitors really were, and at the same time cautioning the prisoner to act with discretion and not to speak a word in reply. acting implicitly on these instructions gerald whittinghame assumed a despondent air, burying his hand on his arm as if completely indifferent to the presence of the three men. but, presently, in the lull in his monologue dacres' quick ear detected a systematic tapping made by the prisoner's fingers upon the deal table. he was replying in morse. "carry on, i understand," said dacres who, rule in hand, was fumbling on his knees in one corner of the cell, while henri was taking down the measurements in his notebook. "tell vaughan to attempt rescue before friday," rapped out the message. "zaypuru is coming here. wants me to be a traitor to my country, or----" the message broke off abruptly. of the ominous nature of the incompleted part there could be no doubt. "i say, henri," said dacres. "there's precious little time to be lost. i vote we make some excuse to leave naocuanha to-night. cut and run for it, if necessary." "we will try," agreed young de la fosse. "i understand." "we'll do our best," said dacres for gerald whittinghame's information. "so stand by, say, on thursday night, if it can possibly be managed." when the second day's work was accomplished the two "electricians" left the cavarale, and followed by their indian servants set their faces towards naocuanha. "we must clear out," said dacres decisively. "how?" asked henri. "to go before we have finished there will arouse suspicions. we shall be seen when we enter the train." "there are more ways than one of boarding a train." "but the peons--the indian servants?" dacres whistled. "we mustn't leave them in the lurch, by jove!" he said. "if it comes to leaving our hotel unpaid i think the exigencies of the business will be sufficient excuse; but i don't relish the idea of those fellows left to the mercies of zaypuru and company." "it is not that," replied de la fosse. "they would come to no harm. they would as easily serve one master as another; but they would betray my father." "if that is the only objection i don't see that that matters in the slightest," observed dacres. "after this it will not be safe for your father or any of your family to remain in valderia while zaypuru is in power. whittinghame will see you all safely through and send you back to france with a guarantee of sufficient money to keep you in comfort for the rest of your days." "very good: i am content," replied the young frenchman simply. "then send the indians on to the town," continued dacres. "we'll take a stroll. i've a wish to see what the approaches to naocuanha are like on the eastern side." "not in that direction," expostulated his companion. "it is towards fort volador, and if we go towards it we shall probably be arrested as spies." "very well, we'll bear away to the right," said dacres reassuringly. "it doesn't so very much matter." henri dismissed the indians and proceeded with the englishman in the direction the latter had indicated. young de la fosse did not at all relish the new phase of the adventure. to run the risk of being captured he was willing to enter the cavarale, but outside the prison a bid for freedom seemed fraught with more peril than he had bargained for. less than half a mile from the road to the prison ran the naocuanha and la paz railway, the course diverging slightly from that of the highway. although the country around the capital was generally level at this spot, there was a slight valley, through which the rio del sol made its way to join the waters of the pacific. the railway, consisting of a single track, crossed the river by means of a steel girder bridge, while on the naocuanha side of the valley was a siding. as dacres and his companions approached the bridge a goods train rumbled out of the city, panted heavily up the slight incline, and came to a stand-still on the siding. there were two locomotives attached to the train, one at either end, but upon pulling up there, no attempt was made to detach one of the engines. "look here," said dacres. "we'll nick that rear-engine." "what do you mean?" asked henri dubiously. "what do you mean by nick?" "take possession of it. we have our revolvers. we'll terrify the driver and the fireman and make them disconnect the engine and push off towards la paz." "but the train from la paz will be on its way," objected de la fosse. "i know; but we can wait till that goes by and then have a shot at it. we'll do it all right, never fear." there was something so utterly confident in dacres' tone that the young frenchman's objections vanished. "very good," he replied. "i am ready." as the two adventurers drew nearer the nature of the goods train became apparent. the twenty odd trucks were loaded with blasting powder, and were escorted by a dozen armed men. it occurred to dacres that it was rather an unusual thing to be taking explosives away from the seat of hostilities, until he realized that in anticipation of a siege of the capital zaypuru thought it would be wiser and safer to send the blasting powder out of the city. it was a case of straws showing which way the wind blew. the president was beginning to fear for the safety of naocuanha. henri's face lengthened when he saw the armed party, but having once signified his intention of going through the business, the plucky little frenchman was not one to back out. the display of force was more than dacres bargained for, but knowing the temperament of the valderians he felt convinced that on the sudden approach of two determined men the dozen irregulars would in all probability bolt like frightened hares. however, he felt mightily relieved when the escort clambered down from the train and made their way down to the brink of the river, where, stripping off their raw hide shoes and canvas gaiters they paddled about in the water. "don't hurry, my festive friends!" exclaimed dacres. "take your time, and you'll do us a favour." it was certainly a daring move on dacres' part, for the plain was almost without cover, and the two men were in full view of anyone on fort volador or fort banquo who happened to be using a telescope or binoculars. nor was it advisable to attempt to take cover. the only feasible plan was to saunter towards the train and make a sudden rush at the last twenty yards. presently a dull rumble announced the approach of the la paz and naocuanha "express." dacres was half afraid that the escort hearing the noise of the on-coming train would hasten back to their charge, but fortunately the south american habit of procrastination was as deeply rooted in these valderian irregulars as it could possibly be. an hour or two made very little difference to them: "to-morrow" was their creed. with a rattle and a roar the train crossed the bridge, passed the siding and began to slow down as it approached the terminus of naocuanha. the time for action had arrived. "take it easily," cautioned dacres. "keep your hands away from your pockets till we make a dash for it." calmly lighting cigarettes the englishman and his companion ambled towards the engine at the rear of the goods train. the driver was leaning out of his hooded cab, with the inevitable cigar in his mouth. the fireman had descended and was leisurely awaiting the approach of the two strangers. his apathy quickly changed to an attitude of consternation as he found himself looking down the muzzle of henri's revolver. his knees shook and almost automatically he raised both arms to their fullest extent over his head. with a quick, deft motion de la fosse plucked the revolver from the fireman's holster and threw it far into the thick grass, and, still keeping the man well covered, sternly ordered him to uncouple the engine. meanwhile, the driver made an attempt to draw a pistol, but dacres was too quick for him. there was an ominous glitter in the englishman's eye that told the valderian engineer the uselessness of offering resistance. the next moment dacres swung himself into the cab and clapped the muzzle of his weapon behind the ear of the terrified man. hidden by the brink of the declivity the escort was in total ignorance of what was going on. their first intimation that something was wrong was a warning whistle from the foremost locomotive as the captured engine began to back away from the rest of the train. "i hope to goodness that the other chap doesn't leave the siding," muttered dacres, "or our retreat will be cut off." fortunately the driver of the first engine contented himself with giving the alarm. had he backed on to the main line the englishman's fears would have been realized. in thirty seconds the captured engine ran over the points. hearing the noise the pointswoman--a half-caste--came out of the hut and looked suspiciously at the crowded cab of the engine. a sharp order from henri was sufficient. the driver, thoroughly cowed, shouted to the woman to shift the points, and with the coupled wheels racing furiously the engine gathered speed in the direction of la paz. the race for freedom had begun. chapter xxiii. locomotive versus aeroplane. dacres had overestimated the advantage caused by the escort being barefooted. the men, unslinging their rifles, scaled the sun-dried bank with considerable agility and prepared to pour a volley into the fugitive locomotive. one thing only deterred them: they feared the presence of the dangerous contents of the trucks. still gathering speed the engine dashed across the bridge, greeted by an irregular and futile volley from the valderian soldiers. every shot either flew high above the cab or went wide. the oscillation of the engine now began to be greatly in evidence. the speed soon mounted up to fifty miles an hour, practically a record for the la paz railway. dacres, still holding his revolver in readiness, was glad to lean back against a pile of coal and grasp a rail with his left hand; while his companion, standing behind the trembling fireman, kept looking anxiously through the square window in front of the cab. the line, badly laid and maintained, caused the engine to swerve and jolt till at almost every instant it seemed as if it would leave the metals. without a load the pace was exceedingly dangerous, till at dacres' suggestion henri gave orders for speed to be materially reduced. mile after mile sped by. although the driver assured his captors that no other train was on the line between them and la paz, dacres had his doubts. he knew that the telegraph would soon be working, and utterly regardless of the lives of the engineer and driver, the railway authorities at la paz would not hesitate to send a number of empty trucks down the long, gradual incline, or possibly tear up and portion off the track and derail the captured engine. "stop her!" ordered dacres, an inspiration flashing across his mind, and his companion communicated the order to the driver, who seemed only too glad to obey. with a heavy grinding of brakes the engine was brought to a standstill. the two valderians, wondering what was going to happen, cowered in front of their resolute kidnappers. during the run dacres' sharp eyes had caught sight of a magazine-rifle of an american pattern stowed away inside the cab. evidently the lot of an engineer on the republic of valderia government railways was not a happy one, since he had to be provided with a rifle to defend the train from robbers and "express agents." seizing the weapon dacres jerked back the bolt. a loaded cartridge falling out and another appearing ready to be thrust into the breech, told him that the magazine was charged. "keep an eye on both men for half a minute," he cautioned, then resting the barrel of the rifle on a ledge of the cab he took deliberate aim at one of the two insulators of the nearest telegraph post. simultaneously with the sharp crack of the rifle the insulator flew into pieces, while the copper wire dropped to the ground, cut completely through. with a hideous yell of fright the engineer, imagining that his comrade had been deliberately shot from behind, leapt from the cab. "don't fire," shouted dacres, as henri was about to blaze away with his revolver. "mark time on the fireman." so saying dacres jumped from the engine and started in pursuit of the fugitive. ere the latter had covered fifty yards the englishman overhauled him. the moment the valderian felt himself gripped by the shoulder he stopped short, whipped out a formidable-looking knife which he had hitherto kept concealed, and made a savage lunge at his pursuer. dacres felt the keen blade pass between the right arm and his ribs. adroitly springing backwards he raised his revolver and fired--not at the half-frantic engineer but at the glittering blade. the knife was wrenched from the valderian's grasp. he fell on his knees, begging for mercy. "get up, you silly idiot," roared dacres. "we are not going to hurt you. get back to the engine." although the fellow knew not a word of english, the gestures that dacres used were sufficiently emphatic to be understood. like a lamb he allowed himself to be taken back towards the post he had but recently deserted. henri was alone on the engine. the fireman, profiting by the diversion caused by dacres' revolver shot, had made a bolt for liberty. forbearing to fire on the fugitive, the frenchman watched the fellow running for dear life through the long grass of the plain that stretched on either hand as far as the eye could see. "can't be helped," said dacres cheerfully. "we'll have to do our own stoking--putting the coals on the furnace, you know. tell that engineer he's in no danger so long as he sticks to his post and obeys orders. after all, it doesn't very much matter. in fact, it's a good job, since we've only one man to keep in order. now for the remaining telegraph wire. tell the fellow to turn round and see what i am going to do, in case he gets another jumpy fit." with the second shot the wire was severed. telegraph communication between naocuanha and la paz was, for the time being, totally interrupted. "hope we're not too late," muttered dacres. "they may have wired through already. if they have there's ten precious minutes thrown away. tell the fellow to start her up again, henri." as the engine gathered speed dacres glanced back. the single track was visible for nearly four miles. there were no signs of pursuit from that direction. ejecting the cartridge from the magazine of the rifle, the englishman found that there were still eleven rounds. having made this reassuring discovery he reloaded, set the weapon carefully in a corner, and devoted his attention to keeping a sharp look-out. the engine had now gained the foot of the forty-five mile incline up to la paz. along this section the danger of being derailed by a loaded truck was not only possible but probable, provided the authorities at la paz had already been warned. so long as the rail ran in a fairly straight direction there would be ample time to slow down and jump off before the impact occurred; but the fugitives knew that before long the railway would make several sharp and awkward turns. soon it became evident that more coal was required. ordering the engineer to step back and face aft, dacres plied the shovel while henri still kept the prisoner covered. as the vile lota coal was shovelled into the furnace, clouds of black smoke poured from the squat inverted triangle-shaped funnel, and eddying downwards momentarily obscured the out-look. the amateur fireman was in the act of throwing on another shovelful when henri shouted into his ear and with his disengaged arm pointed obliquely in the direction of naocuanha. a rift in the pungent cloud of smoke revealed a very unpleasant sight. overhauling the fugitives, hand over fist, were two large biplanes. the engineer saw them also, and a wave of ashy grey passed over his sallow olive features. "madre!" he gasped. "they will blow us all up." he realized that the danger was greatest from his compatriots. without the least compunction the valderian airmen would sacrifice the luckless engineer if by so doing they would involve the fugitives in the destruction of the engine. "tell that fellow to get back upon the foot-plate," ordered dacres, at the same time picking up the rifle. "keep a bright look out ahead, henri. we'll stop their little game." the young frenchman was now entirely carried away by the excitement of the wild ride. what little fear he had at the commencement of the adventure had completely left him. although he lacked the cool, calculating manner of his anglo-saxon companion, and manifested all the vivacity of the gaul, he was not deficient in courage. there could be no doubt as to the intentions of the two aeroplanes. flying low--less than three hundred feet from the ground--they followed the line of rails. in front and slightly the pilot in each was a light automatic gun. the airman-gunner, however, was busy not with this weapon but with a number of cylindrical objects that dacres recognized as bombs. the idea of the airman was to overtake the fugitive engine and drop a charge of high explosive on or immediately in front of it. this manoeuvre must be frustrated at all costs. setting the sliding bar of the back-sight to a hundred yards, the englishman waited. he realized that he was at a disadvantage owing to the jarring and swinging of the engine, but the targets were fairly large ones and moving at less than ten miles an hour more than the object of their pursuit. soon the whirr of the aerial propeller of the leading biplane was audible above the rush of the wind and the rattle of the locomotive. the bomb-thrower poised one of his missiles. "idiot!" muttered dacres. "he'd make a better show of it with that automatic gun--well, here goes." gently pressing the trigger, the englishman let fly. the bullet passed close enough to the pilot to make him duck, but without cutting any of the wire stays and struts it zipped through the upper plane and whistled away into space. "lower, basil, my boy," quoth dacres reprovingly. the pilot, realizing the danger to which he was exposed, tilted the elevating planes. as the biplane darted upwards the englishman's rifle spoke again. the brilliant sunshine seemed out-classed by the vivid flash that followed. fragments of the aeroplane flew in all directions, falling with widely varying velocities to the ground, while only a trailing cloud of smoke marked the position of the unfortunate valderian biplane a second before it was blown out of existence. struck by the furious eddy that followed the detonation the second aeroplane rocked violently. the gunner grasped one of the struts as if expecting the frail craft to plunge headlong to the ground. it lurched through the still falling debris of its disintegrated consort, then, gradually recovering its equilibrium it followed grimly in the wake of the fleeing locomotive. "there's pluck for you," said dacres under his breath. "i should have thought it was enough to knock the stuffing out of those fellows. ah! they're going to tickle us up with that gun." three shots from dacres' rifle in quick succession had no apparent effect. the biplane, soaring upwards, was momentarily presenting a smaller target against the dazzling light of the afternoon sky. "_phit, phit, phit!_" the automatic gun began spitting out bullets. most of the shot went wide. one perforated the funnel, another ricochetted from the huge bell that takes the place of a steam whistle on american locomotives; the rest kicked up the dust. crack went the englishmen's rifle: this time a bad miss. "_phit, phit, phit!_" the valderian bullets were finding billets now. one, penetrating the boiler plate, let loose a fierce blast of hissing steam; another, piercing the roof of the cab, struck a pressure gauge, sending fragments of glass in all directions. the speed of the locomotive began to decrease appreciably. this was more than the driver could stand. he threw himself flat upon the foot-plate, holding his hands to his ears as if to shut out the din of the unique engagement. "take cover!" shouted dacres to his comrade. "don't worry about the engine: she's stopping, worse luck." the comparatively rapid diminution of speed on the part of the locomotive resulted in the aeroplane overshooting the limit at which it could use the automatic gun. the respite from the missiles was welcome until dacres noticed the observer making ready to drop a bomb. three cartridges only remained in the englishman's rifle; after that he would have to trust to his revolver. beyond a range of fifty yards that weapon was practically useless for deliberate aiming. once again dacres raised his repeater. he lingered over the sights till the biplane was almost overhead, then pressed the trigger. "missed, by jove!" he ejaculated disgustedly. "try it with your revolver, henri." before dacres could reload the frenchman emptied four of the chambers of his revolver. the valderian aeroplane, swinging like a wounded bird, began to fall towards the earth. the left aileron, bending upwards, threw the tottering fabric more and more on one side. the pilot, still grasping the wheel, was wedged against the padded rim of the chassis. his companion, hurled from his seat, fell to the ground with a dull thud thirty seconds before the biplane crashed upon the track. then with a detonation that shook earth and sky the six dynamite bombs exploded, blowing the wrecked aircraft to atoms and leaving a hole six feet in depth where the railway lines had been. almost at that identical moment the locomotive came to a standstill a hundred yards from the scene of the disaster. fortunate it was that dacres and his companion were sheltered from the blast of the explosives by the riddled hood of the cab, for stones and fragments of metal flew all around them. well-nigh deafened and with their senses dulled by the awfulness of the termination of the encounter the two men rose to their feet. the engineer was still lying face downwards upon the foot-plate. "now what's to be done?" asked dacres, more of himself than with the idea of asking henri's opinion. "here we are stranded fifty miles from the 'meteor' and with that rotten town of la paz between us and our friends." "we must walk," said the frenchman. "see, there is our guide: the peaks of the sierras. but this poltroon?" and he pointed to the motionless valderian. "let him stop," replied dacres. "he'll buck up when he finds he's alone. it will be all the better for us if he doesn't see in which direction we go." removing the breech-action from the rifle, dacres began to make preparations for the long tramp. a bottle half-full of wine, a couple of small cakes made of indian corn, and a piece of sun-dried meat comprised their stock of provisions after a careful search of the lockers of the cab had been made. presently henri astonished his companion by shouting "_prenez garde!_" and pointing through the forward window, which was partly obscured by the steam that was still escaping from the boiler. whipping out his revolver in anticipation of another attack, dacres looked in the direction indicated. travelling swiftly down the long incline was a number of trucks. in another two or three minutes they would be crashing into the stationary engine. chapter xxiv. a brush with the indians. "jump for it!" exclaimed dacres. henri hesitated, then, prodding the engineer with his foot, gave additional warning of the threatened danger. the fellow moved not a muscle. thinking he had fainted through sheer fright, the englishman grasped him under the arms and dropped him out on the ground. as he fell the valderian rolled over on his face. he was stone dead: a bullet from the second aeroplane had pierced his heart. looking over his shoulder dacres ran, following his fleeter-footed companion. "lie down when i give the word," he exclaimed breathlessly. "now--lie down." both men threw themselves flat upon the ground at eighty yards from the railroad. the noise of the impact was deafening. the splintering of wood, the clang of iron, and the hiss of the water upon the scattered contents of the furnace were outvoiced by the thud of the debris, which, hurled far and wide by the concussion, fell in showers about the prostrate survivors from the stolen locomotive. dacres rose to his feet. it was a bad enough smash, but he had expected it to be worse, for the trucks looked suspiciously similar to those left on the siding near naocuanha. he felt convinced that had the authorities at la paz the means at their disposal they would not have hesitated to dump a heap of dynamite cartridges into the trucks to make a complete business of "wiping out" the two fugitives. he realized that their position was far from enviable. the mere fact of the attempt on the part of the valderians at la paz was sufficient to prove that dacre's act of cutting the wires had failed to attain its desired object. the two comrades had a dangerous journey before them. ill-equipped, ill-provisioned, and in an open country where the republican irregulars were practically certain to be in evidence, many perils would beset them ere they rejoined the "meteor." on the other hand, there was a chance that when the valderian troops arrived at the scene of the disaster they might come to the conclusion that the two fugitives were either killed in the collision and buried under the debris, or else that they were blown to atoms in one of the two explosions caused by the head-long fall of the biplanes. taking this for granted, the valderians might abandon the pursuit. again, dacres and his companion had dealt the republic a heavy blow. in addition to the loss of the two aeroplanes the railway track between naocuanha and la paz had been torn up in two places, the damage being beyond all chance of a speedy repair. in the event of the valderians having to abandon the capital and fall back upon la paz, their retreat would be seriously impeded. having shared their scanty load of provisions the two comrades set out on their long and necessarily circuitous route towards the sierras. fortunately the grass was dry and left little or no indication of their tracks. in places the plain was composed of mud, still moist from the recent rains. in crossing these patches henri suggested that they should walk backwards, so that should the faint trail be followed through the grass the trackers would come to the conclusion that they had hit upon the route of two men walking towards the railway instead of from it. to heighten the deception dacres and his companion removed their boots when crossing the plastic mud. their trail then resembled that of two indians of the plains, who invariably go barefooted, although they mostly ride on horseback. before nightfall they had put twelve miles between them and the place where they had made their compulsory landing from the locomotive. "it is time to halt for the night," declared de la fosse, pointing to the sun, now about to dip beyond the horizon. "tired?" asked dacres laconically. "no, only we cannot see our way after dark." "is that all?" asked the englishman. "if so we may as well carry on and sleep during the day. i can shape a course by the stars." with the fall of night the temperature dropped rapidly. the travellers could well have done with the poncho or south american cloak, for in spite of their steady progress the keen air of the uplands cut them like a knife. they were already footsore; the long, tough grass impeded them; they were unable to see the ruts in the hard ground; nevertheless, they toiled on, dacres setting the direction by means of the relative position of the southern cross. "what is that glare in the sky?" asked henri, stopping and pointing behind him. away to the west and close to the horizon a blurr of pale light flickered incessantly. "search light," replied dacres. "where, then?" "from the british fleet. on a clear night like this we can see the glare nearly a hundred miles away. well, suppose we rest for half an hour and have some food?" to this proposal henri willingly assented. he was more done up than he would admit, but had gamely struggled to overcome fatigue and an almost irresistible desire for sleep. sitting back to back, as a mutual protection from the cold, the two men ate and drank in silence. they dare not smoke, knowing that the flicker of a match or the glow of a cigarette might indicate their presence. "time," announced dacres in a low voice. it required a great effort for them to regain their feet. the cold had numbed their weary limbs, and the englishman was forced to come to the unpleasant conclusion that the halt had done them more harm than good. on and on they trudged till the dawn. the sierras, their snow-clad peaks crimsoned by the rising sun long before the orb of day appeared above the horizon, seemed as far off as they had on the previous night. "you sleep for a few hours," suggested dacres after another scanty and unappetising repast. "i'll keep watch." the young frenchman protested, but in vain. his companion was obdurate. with a quaint gesture of despair henri stretched himself upon the grass and was soon fast asleep, utterly worn out with his long period of wakefulness. although dacres was heavy-eyed he stoutly resisted the inclination to slumber. very easily he could have shut his eyes and dozed while he was standing. more than once his head fell upon his chest to the accompaniment of a painful jerk of the back of his neck. then with a sudden start he would open his eyes and survey the seemingly boundless expanse of waving grass in every direction, save where the distant mountains reared themselves in solitary grandeur. for two hours he kept the tedious vigil, the rapidly increasing heat of the sun adding to his discomfort. "what's that?" he muttered, as a number of small moving objects at a distance of at least two miles caught his attention. he rubbed his eyes, thinking possibly that his sense of vision was playing him a trick. no, he was not mistaken. there was movement--the movement of horses and possibly horsemen. without attempting to awaken his comrade dacres dropped on his knees and watched. his sleepiness had temporarily vanished. he was now in full possession of his mental and bodily faculties. "horsemen, by jove!" he muttered. "indians probably. i'll keep well out of sight and perhaps they will pass by at a safe distance." the riders were approaching rapidly: not from the direction dacres and his companion had come, but from the south-east. if they maintained their present course they would pass about two hundred yards from the place where the travellers lay concealed. presently one of the riders reined up. his example was followed by the rest of the group. they sat on their horses like living statues, awaiting their leader's orders. the englishman was right in his surmise. they were indians of the plains, more than half savages, born horsemen and crafty fighters. most of them were naked save for a piece of hide round their waists and descending nearly to their knees. they were all armed with long knives, while, in addition, some carried spears of about ten feet in length and others had bolas coiled up ready to throw at any moment. they evidently were suspicious. it seemed incredible that even their sharp eyes could detect the presence of the two men crouched in the long grass, but dacres came to the uncomfortable conclusion that the indians were about to advance towards the spot where he and his companion lay hidden. dacres grasped the sleeping frenchman gently and firmly by the hand. the pressure caused him to open his eyes and to become wide awake without a spasmodic start that would have inevitably betrayed them. "indians!" he whispered. henri rolled over, then quietly raising his head peered between two tall tufts of grass. without replying he deliberately drew his revolver. presently the horsemen--there were eleven of of them--broke into two parties and galloped towards the two europeans, yet sufficiently apart to pass within fifty yards on either side. still wondering how the indians were aware of their hiding-place, and hoping against hope that such was not the case, the two comrades still crouched in the grass; but in a very short time their doubts were at an end, for having formed a complete cordon the horsemen began to gallop round and round and at the same time gradually closing in upon their quarry. "do not let them get close enough to throw their bolas," cautioned henri, "or we shall be entangled and as helpless as rats in a trap." "back to back, then," said dacres. "don't fire unless it is absolutely necessary." the indians had received warning in the night from one of their number who had come across the strange trail. knowing that the two men were without horses--a rare occurrence on the plains--they came to the right conclusion that the strangers were in difficulties. thus, they decided, it would be an easy matter to kill them, rob their bodies and bury them. the disappearance of two white men in a country where murder is a common, everyday occurrence, would raise little or no comment on the part of the lax authorities of the valderian republic. up sprang the two comrades, and steadying their revolvers in the crook of the left arm, each aimed at the indian nearest to him. the crowd, without slackening speed, increased the distance between them and their intended victims, shouting the while in a jargon of which henri, who could understand the language of his father's servants, failed to grasp the meaning. after a while the indians, who failed to understand why the two men refrained from opening fire, began to contract their circular formation. they could only come to the conclusion that the strangers' ammunition was exhausted, and that they were merely pointing empty weapons in the hope that the horsemen would beat a retreat. nevertheless, the attackers took ample precautions. still keeping their horses at a hot pace, they threw themselves sideways out of the saddle, holding on only by one foot thrown across the backs of their steeds. thus, practically sheltered by their horses' bodies, the indians presented no great target to the white men's weapons. dacres understood their tactics. the constant whirling of the living circle tended to daze the senses of the two men in the centre. the indians, having come within easy throwing distance, would hurl their bolas, then rush in and complete their murderous work with their keen knives. "fire!" exclaimed dacres. two shots rang out as one. the englishman's bullet brought down a horse, throwing its rider headlong and causing the animal immediately behind to stumble. as the indian behind the second horse fell clear another shot from dacres settled his little account. henri's shot was equally fortunate. apparently it hit one of the indians in the thigh, for he dropped and lay still. the horse instantly stopped, its fore legs thrust straight in front of it. although untouched it remained by its master. this totally unexpected welcome was more than the cowardly indians could stand. with wild shrieks they rode off at full gallop, leaving two of their number and three steeds on the scene of action. "we will take that horse!" exclaimed henri, pointing to the one that remained by the body of its rider. so saying he advanced cautiously so as not to affright the animal. dacres, having recharged the empty chambers of his revolver, watched the proceedings. he did not feel at all capable of tackling a partly savage animal. the indian to whom it belonged still lay on the grass, his body huddled up and the long hide rope that served as a bridle and tether combined grasped in his hand. "look out!" shouted dacres. the warning came a trifle too late. with a spring resembling that of a jaguar the indian threw himself upon the unsuspecting frenchman, who had replaced his revolver in his holster. in vain henri leapt backwards and raised his left arm to ward off the stroke of the indian's keen knife. the blade glittered in the sunlight. even as it fell dacres raised his revolver and fired. although the distance between him and the indian was a good twenty yards the englishman's aim was true. shot through the head the fellow dropped, writhed convulsively for a few seconds and then lay quiet--as dead as the proverbial door-nail. "hold up, old man!" exclaimed dacres encouragingly, but to his great consternation he saw his companion reel. before he could get to him the young frenchman was lying on the ground close to the body of his treacherous assailant. a rapidly darkening stain on henri's shirt left no doubt as to the locality of the wound. deftly cutting away the cloth dacres found that the knife, partially parried by de la fosse's left arm, had missed his heart, but had made a fairly deep gash between the third and fourth ribs; while in addition there was a clean cut on his forearm about four inches from the elbow. being without medical bandages and knowing that their scanty supply of water was none too pure, dacres was puzzled as to what was to be done. finally he tore the cleanest portions of his own shirt into long strips and bound the wounds tightly, after allowing sufficient time for the flow of blood to wash away any impurities that might have been communicated by the indian's knife. "here's a pretty mess," muttered dacres. "this is a fine way to look after henri, after my promise to his father. stranded miles from anywhere, in a hostile country, and with a wounded man to look after. a nice out look, by jove! but it might be worse." chapter xxv. the capture of the cavarale. half an hour later henri opened his eyes. he looked about him for nearly a minute, then bravely attempted to rise. dacres heard him muttering in french but could not distinguish the words. "the horse," he murmured, pointing with his uninjured hand to the animal that was still standing quietly browsing by its dead master. "all right," said dacres soothingly. "i'll see about that later on. drink some of this water." the young frenchman gratefully accepted the proffered bottle, but steadfastly refused to drink more than a very small quantity. "i feel much better now," he said. "am i hurt very much? the rogue was too quick for me." "it's not dangerous," answered dacres. neither was it. nevertheless, should complications ensue owing to the lack of proper medical attention the result might easily prove to be fatal but for the present all that could be done was to cheer his wounded comrade and persuade him to attempt to continue his toilsome journey. "how goes it?" asked dacres, having assisted henri to his feet. "i feel so: my head goes round and round, but i shall be all right soon. try to catch the horse," he persisted. "suppose i must tackle the brute, if it's only to humour henri," thought dacres, then, with considerable misgiving, he approached the animal. greatly to his agreeable surprise he found that the horse allowed itself to be quietly led away from its former master. the change of ownership did not seem to matter so long as the animal had a human being to assert his authority. the knowledge that the food supply was running short, prompted dacres to examine the bodies of the slain indians in the hope of finding something in their possession that would sustain him and his companion; but he was disappointed. "are you fit to make a start?" he asked. "yes," replied henri. "then i'll lift you on to the horse's back." "but you?" objected de la fosse. "we can both ride." "thanks, i won't risk it," said dacres emphatically. "if i fell off i might drag you with me. i'm game for another forty miles, i think; so let me give you a heave up." walking by the animal's side the englishman set a steady pace, his face still towards the seemingly elusive sierras. the heat was now terrific, and although henri bore himself bravely, he suffered agonies. shortly after noon the travellers came across a small stream. this was indeed good fortune. the water-bottle was refilled, the horse watered, and additional wet bandages placed over henri's wounds; while dacres stripped and revelled in the comparatively cool stream. "i think i know where we are," said de la fosse. "this river flows through san carlos and la paz. we ought to be within ten kilometres of the road my father and i were following when we saw the two airships." "in that case we ought to reach the 'meteor' before to-night," said dacres reassuringly, but in his mind he had grave doubts. the terrors of the mountain pass loomed largely in his imagination. burdened by a wounded comrade the passage would be hazardous in the extreme. buoyed up with hope henri was impatient to resume the journey, and dacres, willing to humour him, complied. but the young frenchman's physical strength was not equal to his mental powers, for within an hour of leaving the river he suddenly fell forward in a dead faint. dacres caught him before he fell to the ground, then, lowering him gently, he rested his comrade's head on a mound, at the same time sheltering the luckless man from the fierce rays of the sun. to the englishman's dismay the horse, hitherto quiet, reared, then galloped off at full speed. the reason for the stampede was not difficult to see; at less than a mile off were the indians, reinforced till they numbered thrice the original band. dacres was one of those men who see and enlarge upon perils a long way ahead. perhaps it was natural caution. but the sudden appearance of the swarm of natives simply roused the british bull-dog spirit within him. he was metaphorically about to fight with his back against the wall, although actually there was nothing to protect him from a rear attack. carefully he drew henri's revolver from his holster, opened the breech and assured himself that the six chambers were loaded. then, placing the remainder of the cartridges on the ground within easy reach, he knelt with a revolver in each hand, ready to open fire. again the attackers prepared to execute their enveloping tactics. they were now within two hundred yards. "come on, you brutes!" shouted dacres furiously. "come on, and have a jolly good thrashing." the possibility of being wiped out never entered his mind. he was now a fighter who "saw red." a yell burst from the horsemen; then, simultaneously, the whole crowd broke into a gallop, the hoofs of the horses making a terrific din upon the hard ground. suddenly, just as the attack was about to split into two sections, one of the men reined in his horse, almost pulling it on its haunches. he pointed towards the sky, with fear and astonishment written plainly on his dark brown features. the next moment the indians had turned tail and were riding for dear life. dacres looked over his shoulder, half expecting to have fallen out of the frying-pan into the fire, and that the cause of the panic was the approach of a body of valderian roughriders. but to his astonishment and delight he beheld the "meteor" flying at full speed and momentarily looming up larger and larger. dacres sprang to his feet and emptied both revolvers at his retreating foes. they were already out of range, but the shots served to attract the attention of the airship in case whittinghame had not yet sighted his absent comrade. five minutes later the "meteor"--still gigantic in spite of the fact that she had been shortened by two hundred feet--alighted upon the grassy plain the instant the rope-ladder was dropped men hastened to the assistance of dacres and his stricken friend, foremost amongst them being whittinghame and antoine de la fosse. "my son--is he dead?" asked the elder frenchman, who was almost beside himself with anxiety. "no; he's fainted," replied dacres. "he'll be all right directly hambrough takes him in hand." quickly the crew of the "meteor" rigged up a rigid stretcher, and upon this, lashed on to prevent him from slipping, henri de la fosse was taken on board the airship. as soon as the rest of the officers and men were embarked the dreadnought of the air rose to a height of ten thousand feet. "well?" asked whittinghame with his characteristic brevity when asking a question. "it's all right up to the present, sir," said dacres. "your brother is safe and so is admiral maynebrace. i've seen them both. it is essential that we should attempt their rescue at three o'clock friday morning." in spite of his efforts to suppress it, dacres gave a prodigious yawn. "excuse me," he continued, "but i've had no sleep for nearly forty hours and precious little food." "then, make a good meal," said whittinghame, "and have a sound sleep. there's plenty of time before the day and hour you mention. when you've told your story we'll lay our plans--no, not now. i refuse to hear another word till you have eaten and slept." the appearance of the "meteor" in the very nick of time was not a coincidence. as soon as antoine de la fosse had set the wireless apparatus in order a message came through from whittinghame's secret agent at naocuanha to the effect that two europeans, posing as electrical engineers, had escaped from the city by taking forcible possession of a locomotive. directly whittinghame heard this he ordered the final work of assembling the four remaining sections of the "meteor" to be carried out with the utmost celerity; but before the ballonettes could be recharged, another "wireless" was received announcing that the locomotive had been derailed after having been the means of destroying two of the valderian air-fleet. it was supposed that the fugitives had escaped since there were no traces of their bodies under the wreckage. "they've outwitted the rascals, de la fosse," exclaimed the captain when he received the news. "trust dacres to wriggle out of a tight corner. he'll see that your son comes through this business, too. now, where do you think they'll make for?" "not to the south side of the line, monsieur le capitaine; henrie has too much sense to go to our home. he will doubtless lead monsieur dacres across the plain to the south." "very well; we'll make a search," decided whittinghame. thus the "meteor," the damage having been made good as far as possible, set out on her voyage of investigation. keeping at a great altitude she passed within ten miles of la paz and shaped a course parallel to the railway till almost abreast of the place where the engine was derailed. then, by a pure chance, the crew "spotted" the bodies of the indians and their horses who had fallen in the first encounter. descending they made a careful search, and dacres' trail as he led the captured horse was picked up across an expanse of bare ground. the general direction was followed by the "meteor" till the alert look-out saw the indians about to charge down upon the englishman and his unconscious comrade. for the next twenty-four hours the "meteor" remained at a height of ten thousand feet, drifting with the light air current towards the sierras. whittinghame did not mean to anticipate the time arranged by his brother for the arrival of the airship at the cavarale. for one thing he wished dacres to be as fit as possible after his arduous experiences. he also was influenced by the fact that quietude was essential to henri de la fosse, if he were to be saved from an attack of fever following his wounds. whittinghame would have landed the patient and his father but for the fact that, in consequence of the affair at the cavarale it would not be safe for the frenchman to risk a meeting with any of the valderian troops. as for gaston he was miles away from the seat of war, and would not be in any danger, at least, for some considerable time. ere that whittinghame proposed to embark him and take the reunited family on board the "meteor" when she started on her homeward voyage. as soon as the sun set the "meteor," still keeping at a great height, started on her run to the outskirts of naocuanha. there was plenty of time, since the actual attempt to rescue the prisoners was not to commence till one in the morning. fortunately the night was dark. the stars were obscured; the searchlights of the capital were directed solely towards the seaport of zandovar, for the garrison was in hourly dread of a surprise attack on the part of the british seamen and marines. shortly after midnight the "meteor" arrived above the city of naocuanha--unseen and unsuspected. the capital was at her mercy. had whittinghame wished he could have dropped powerful charges of explosives upon the buildings, but the idea of taking a mean advantage did not commend itself to his chivalrous instincts. at . dacres with callaghan and ten of the crew entered no. compartment. they were fully armed, while in addition a supply of short cords and two sponges saturated with chloroform were provided. "all ready?" asked whittinghame. "ay, ay, sir." a metallic clang echoed through the after-section. the bolt action had been unlocked and no. compartment was no longer joined to the remaining three divisions. slowly the ultra-hydrogen was pumped out of several of the ballonettes, and gently the independent division sank towards the earth. stationed at an open flap in the floor, dacres "conned" the descending part of the airship under his command. once or twice it was necessary to start the motors to bring the two hundred odd feet of gas-bag immediately over the rectangular courtyard of the cavarale. by the aid of his night-glasses dacres could distinguish the outlines of the prison with tolerable ease. nevertheless, every moment of the descent was one of suspense. at any instant the huge overhead bulk might be seen by an alert sentry. in that case a bomb was to be thrown into the soldiers' quarters, and profiting by the confusion the airship was to descend as fast as possible and let loose her armed crew upon the terrified garrison; but only in case of extreme necessity were explosives to be used. only five hundred feet more. perfect silence reigned below, while the only sound that came from no. section was the laboured breathing of the twelve men as they strove with their pent-up feelings. "sentry!" whispered callaghan pointing to a motionless figure on the wall nearest to the city. dacres nodded. he would not trust himself to speak. four hundred feet. suddenly a light flashed from one of the towers, and a number of men, one of them carrying a lantern, emerged and marched along the broad flat roof. "rounds, by jove!" gasped dacres, then springing to the emergency switch controlling the supply of ultra-hydrogen and the ballonettes, he thrust it down. the hiss of compressed air that followed seemed to the crew loud enough to arouse the whole garrison. simultaneously the downward movement was checked and the section leapt quickly to a height of a thousand feet. "keep her there," ordered dacres, then, glass in hand, he returned to his post of observation. thank heavens the visiting rounds had neither heard nor seen the danger that threatened them. the crew could catch the sibilant challenge of the sentry as the soldiers approached his post. having satisfied themselves that all was well, the rounds passed on to the next sentry, and so on till they had completed a tour of the walls. then, descending to the courtyard by a flight of steps, the party crossed the _patio_ and disappeared within the guard-room. "we'll wait another half-hour," said dacres. "perhaps by that time the sentries will not be on the alert." "very good, sir," replied callaghan. "i've tumbled across south american soldiers before now, and, between you and me, sir, they ain't up to much." "cap'n coming alongside, sir," reported one of the crew as coolly as if announcing the approach of the captain's gig towards a man-of-war. silently the major part of the "meteor" glided within fifty feet of no. section. "what are you waiting for?" demanded whittinghame. "we saw the rounds were out, sir," replied dacres. "oh, all right. i thought perhaps that something had gone wrong with the exhaust pumps." "oh, no; they are working most splendidly," announced dacres. "we've decided to wait till the sentries quiet down after being visited by the rounds." "do you think you could do better by descending about a mile from the prison and scaling the walls?" asked the captain. "the difficulty would be to get the rescued prisoners to the airship, sir; i think we had better stick to our original plans." "very good," was whittinghame's only comment. slowly the minutes sped, till dacres, shutting the case of his watch with an emphatic snap, gave the order to descend. far below the glimmer of a match told its own tale. one of the sentries was lighting a cigarette. "look out," whispered callaghan. "blest if the four of 'em aren't altogether. that's a bit of all right." the quarter-master spoke truly. three of the valderian soldiers had deserted their posts and had joined the one stationed on the west wall--that nearest to the city. "silly asses!" ejaculated dacres "they are playing into our hands." the four men were apparently having a friendly argument. more cigarettes were produced and lighted. then after a short interval the sentries entered one of the towers and shut the door leading on to the roof. a gleam on the stonework told the aerial watchers that the unsuspecting soldiers had lit a lantern. two hundred--one hundred and fifty feet. no. section was now barely twenty feet above the walls and immediately over the courtyard. her fabric, dimly illuminated by the distant searchlights, could not have escaped the notice of the sentries had they been at their posts. dacres now felt tolerably certain of success. even had the sentries emerged from their unauthorized place of shelter the sudden transition from artificial light to the darkness of the night would have prevented them from seeing anything for at least half a minute. with a slight tremor the detached portion of the "meteor" alighted fairly equidistant from the encircling wall. quickly dacres and eight men descended and anchored the craft by means of ropes secured to the railings surrounding the _patio_. silently the adventurers followed their leader up the outside flight of stone steps on to the roof. twenty yards farther on was the tower in which the faithless sentries were skulking. dacres looked through the narrow space formed by the door being ajar. the four valderians were standing around an upturned barrel on which stood a candle. the men were deep in a game of faro, peering through the smoky atmosphere with eyes intent only upon the cards which were being thrown upon the impromptu table. signing to his men to approach, dacres held up his revolver. "now," he exclaimed. pushing open the door he entered, following by his men. for a moment the valderians could not credit their senses. they stared stupidly down the muzzles of half a dozen revolvers. the cards dropped from their nerveless fingers, their winnings clattered on the floor. at the same time the candle toppled over and went out, leaving the room illuminated only by a lantern set in one corner. then one of the soldiers raised both hands above his head. his companions followed his example with surprising celerity. without uttering a sound they tamely surrendered. "secure them," ordered dacres. in a trice the four trustworthy sentries were gagged and bound hand and foot. the knots were tied as only seamen know how: there was little fear of the prisoners being able to slip their bonds; while to prevent them from moving to each other's assistance each valderian's rifle was lashed to his legs by cords above the knees and round the ankles. the captives were as helpless as logs of wood, and incapable of uttering a sound. "now for the guard-room," whispered dacres. this building, situated in one corner of the courtyard, could be gained either by descending the steps leading to the roof of the buildings abutting on the outer wall, or else by a covered way communicating with the quarters occupied by the rest of the troops. the first was the only practicable way for the british airship's men to tackle the guard; but the great danger now was that should any of the soldiers on duty escape into the living-rooms by means of the covered gallery all chances of a complete surprise would be lost. the guard-room was roughly furnished. there was a long table on which stood several empty wine glasses. round the walls were wooden forms on which two men were sitting. half a dozen more, including the serjeant, were lying on the floor, wrapped in blankets. in a rack close to the door were the rifles of the soldiers on duty. without hesitation dacres and his men rushed as quietly as they could into the guard-room and planted themselves between the arms-rack and the surprised valderians. one of the latter, more daring than his comrades, made a dash for the farther door communicating with the men's quarters. before he could open it callaghan struck him on the temple with his clenched fist. the fellow dropped like a felled ox, the irishman catching him ere his body flopped noisily upon the floor. this slight commotion was sufficient to arouse the sleeping soldiers. "surrender or we shoot!" ordered callaghan in the execrable spanish he had picked up during a three years' commission in gibraltar dockyard. without hesitation the men threw up their arms. "now what's to be done with this lot, sir?" asked the irishman. "we can't waste time lashing 'em up." dacres saw that the windows were small and heavily barred, and that the locks on the door were strong. "remove the bolts of those rifles," he ordered. "now, callaghan, tell these men that if they attempt to escape or utter a sound we'll make it hot for them." this the irishman did, uttering threats that he had learned from the scorps of the rock which, judging by the speaker's ferocious gestures, struck terror into the hearts of the cowardly valderians. they vowed compliance with such vehemence that they had to be told to keep silence lest the noise should alarm the rest of the garrison of the prison. locking both doors and taking possession of the keys, dacres led his men towards the barrack-quarters where the remainder of the rank and file--thirty all told--were asleep. now it was that dacres' knowledge of the plan of the buildings was put to good account. he knew that underneath was a large storeroom, to which the only means of access was by a trap-door in the corridor outside the barrack-room. once the soldiers could be forced into this semi-dungeon they would be incapable of doing any mischief. the room was in darkness. a delay ensued till one of the "meteor's" men took down a lantern that was hanging in the covered way. "two at a time," whispered dacres, pointing to the triple line of sleeping men who were stretched in various attitudes on straw palliasses on the floor. the first two sleepers were rudely awakened to find their arms and legs pinioned and a horny hand over their mouths. incapable of resistance they were carried to the top of the ladder leading to the cellar, then fiercely threatened by the huge irishman they were compelled to descend into utter darkness. twenty valderians were served this way, when one fellow managed to give vent to a terrific yell, at the same time gripping with his powerful teeth the hand that strove to stifle his cry of alarm. instantly the remaining soldiers were awake, but being unarmed, they saw the uselessness of resistance. without further trouble they were made to join their comrades in the underground cellar. without loss of life on either side, the cavarale was in possession of the crew of the "meteor." chapter xxvi. unable to rise. "cut the telephone wires, callaghan," ordered dacres. "beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy. "well?" "might i make so bold as to suggest, sir?" "carry on, then," replied dacres, who from previous experience knew that the irishman's suggestions were well worth taking into consideration. "suppose those chaps at naocuanha telephone to the prison and get no reply, they'll find out that there's something up. i think, sir, it would be best to let the wire alone, and station a chap there to answer all inquiries and complaints, in a manner o' speaking." "quite so; but who will be able to do so?" objected his superior officer. "you're the only man amongst us who has any knowledge of spanish, and with all due respect to your capabilities, callaghan, i think they would spot your brogue." "yes, sir; but how about the valderian chaps imprisoned here--the fellows old zaypuru's got his knife into? they'd do the business with the greatest of pleasure." "good idea," assented dacres. "but before we release the prisoners we must secure the commandante. meanwhile, callaghan, you might post two men at the door of the orderly-room in case there's a call, or if there are any of the garrison who have escaped our notice." silently the quarters occupied by commandante don alonzo da costa were surrounded. then, having severed the telephone wire communicating with the orderly-room, dacres knocked at the door. after considerable delay the door was opened by a military servant, who was promptly knocked down and secured. don alonzo was a widower and lived alone in the official residence except for the company of two servants. owing to his refusal to let the pseudo-"electricians" enter his quarters, dacres was not well acquainted with the interior. three empty rooms were examined before the raiders came to the one in which the commandante was fast asleep. the door was locked. dacres knocked. a voice replied in spanish demanding to know what was amiss? not trusting himself to reply the englishman knocked again. he could hear the occupant getting out of bed. then the jalousies across one of the windows were opened and a pistol shot rang out. don alonzo, finding himself summoned in an unorthodox manner, had suspected that something was amiss. going to the window he saw the section of the airship in the courtyard. partly with the idea of giving the alarm and partly with the idea of damaging the ballonettes he fired almost point blank at the huge target. "lie down, men," ordered dacres, then clapping his revolver to the door he blew away the stout lock. before he could push open the shattered woodwork five shots in rapid succession whistled along the corridor. had dacres or any of his companions been standing they would have been in the direct line of fire. the commandante had emptied his revolver. before he could reload he was pounced upon, disarmed, and secured. meanwhile, the noise of the firing had reached the ears of the prisoners. the british ones, having been warned of what was taking place, maintained silence, but the valderian political prisoners, thinking that either a mutiny or a counter revolution had broken out, shouted, cheered, and kicked up a terrific din. leaving a man to keep guard over the governor dacres led the rest of his command to the prisoners' quarters. the captives had been left for the night, the authorities taking it for granted that there would be no use for any military warders. since the keys could not be found, and don alonzo stubbornly refused to answer any questions put to him by callaghan, the doors of the cells had to be broken open. "knock off this lock for me," ordered dacres, pointing to the one on the door of no. --that tenanted by his former admiral. a telling blow with a sledge-hammer wielded by a former armourer's mate of the royal navy, sent the metal-work clattering on the stone floor of the corridor. "come aboard, sir!" said dacres, saluting. rear-admiral maynebrace did a thing he had never done before. he grasped the hand of his former subordinate and wrung it heartily. he tried to speak, but his emotion prevented him from uttering a single word. "smith," said dacres, addressing one of his men. "escort admiral maynebrace to no. section. place him safely on board and return. now, lads," he continued, "we'll have the british prisoners out before we release the valderian ones. we can't take them with us; they must shift for themselves. one moment: open this door." the cell dacres had indicated was tenanted by a valderian general who had been a partisan of the ill-fated president san bonetta. upon the situation being explained to him by callaghan the valderian readily agreed to take command of the rest of his fellow-prisoners. going from cell to cell and addressing the inmates through the grille, he quickly obtained some semblance of order. the shouts and cheers died down, and the luckless valderians, who for months past had been in hourly dread of death, assented to obey whatever orders their rescuers might give. "thanks, mr. dacres," said gerald whittinghame, when he was let out of his place of confinement. "i hardly know how to express my gratitude. president zaypuru will, i hope, be disappointed in the morning." "i trust it won't be the only disappointment," rejoined dacres. "but there is little time to be lost. if you will go on board the section of the 'meteor' will be with you presently." meanwhile, two more valderians had been released and ordered to remain by the telephone in the orderly-room. should any message come through they were to give a reassuring reply, and lead the authorities at the capital to believe that all was in order at the cavarale. they were then told that as soon as the section of the airship rose clear of the prison, they were to open the doors of the remaining cells and take whatever steps they thought best for their own safety. as soon as the nine englishmen were released the order was given to return to the airship. as soon as the crew were on board, the two cables were slipped and additional ultra-hydrogen pumped into the ballonettes. no. section refused to rise. "that's that rascal of a commandante," declared dacres. "up aloft, there, and report damage." armed with an electric torch one of the crew ascended the aluminium ladder between the double rows of ballonettes and gained a longitudinal gangway from whence it was possible to examine each individual gas subdivision. it was not long before he returned. "four badly holed, sir. all of them on the starboard side." "which ones?" "b , , , and , sir. they are quite flabby." "very good. close the valves of the supply pipes to these ballonettes and charge the others to their fullest capacity." promptly this order was carried out. no. section no longer stuck stubbornly to the ground: she was lively, with a tendency to list to starboard; but still the upward force of the ultra-hydrogen was insufficient to raise her. just then a vicious blast of wind whistled over the walls of the cavarale, causing the airship to rock violently. the night, hitherto calm, was rapidly becoming stormy. ordering the crew to fall in, dacres addressed them. "my lads," he said, "we're in a bit of a hole. owing to the damage done to some of the ballonnettes no. section is incapable of lifting the additional weight. some of us must remain. we may be rescued by the 'meteor'--we may not. owing to the rising wind, the odds are against us." he paused. taking advantage of the lull several of the men stated their willingness to remain. "what's this, dacres?" asked the admiral. "you clear out and leave us. you've done all that is humanly possible, and if you fall into the hands of zaypuru it will go hard with you. he won't dare to go to extreme measures with us." "i don't know so much about that, sir," replied dacres. "in any case, please let me remind you that i am in charge of these operations. "now, lads, i mean to stop. when we are discovered the forts will no doubt try to shell us to pieces, unless"--then raising his voice he added--"unless we contrive to capture president zaypuru and hold him as a hostage. now, my lads, who will remain with me?" chapter xxvii. preparing for the president's visit. "not all of you," remonstrated dacres, although well pleased at the devotion of the men under his immediate orders. "seven will be sufficient. that will lighten no. section enough to give it proper buoyancy. callaghan, you will take charge of the section until it is rejoined to the rest of the airship. explain matters to captain whittinghame and say that we will sit tight so long as we can. ask him to take the 'meteor' out of sight of naocuanha till ten this morning. if then it is advisable for him to return, a blue and white flag will be hoisted from the flagstaff of the cavarale." "one moment, dacres," interposed gerald whittinghame. "i am ready to abide by your decision, but couldn't i render some assistance by remaining with you? my knowledge of spanish, for instance? if you are to lure zaypuru into the cavarale you'll have to be very wary." "i quite agree," replied dacres, "but at the same time i think you ought to rejoin your brother." "it's not a question of ties of relationship," objected gerald. "it's a question of duty. that idea of yours, dacres--if it comes off--will be a means of bringing the war to an end. with zaypuru in our hands the resistance of the valderian troops will crumble like a pack of cards." "very well, then," agreed dacres. "we shall be very glad of your assistance. we'll discuss the plans later." "i say, dacres," persisted the admiral's flag-lieutenant, "i mean to stay----" "i'll put you under close arrest if you don't obey orders," retorted dacres with well-assumed severity. "landing-party, fall in!" he ordered. the seven men quickly descended and fell in upon the courtyard. dacres bade the released prisoners farewell, gave a few necessary orders to the trustworthy callaghan, and followed gerald whittinghame down the ladder. "all clear!" he shouted. once more the ultra-hydrogen was forced into the reserve ballonettes. carried sideways by the wind no. section rose, cleared the wall by less than six feet, and shot upwards at a rapid pace till lost to sight in the darkness. her movements, however, had been followed by the anxious captain of the "meteor," and without delay he started to get in touch with the tail portion of the dreadnought of the air. by the time the "meteor" coupled on her no. section the airship had drifted twelve miles to leeward of naocuanha. "that hare-brained rascal!" exclaimed vaughan whittinghame, when he received the irishman's report. "i suppose he'll scrape through all right--he generally does. in any case, it's a piece of sterling work; self-sacrifice of the highest order." "can you land us at zandovar?" asked rear-admiral maynebrace. "sorry," replied whittinghame. "not by night. i've no fancy to be plugged by the shells of your squadron or mistaken for a hostile aircraft. after ten o'clock to-morrow i may--if i haven't to avenge dacres and my brother." acting under gerald whittinghame's instructions general galento--for that was the name of the valderian who had been entrusted to maintain order amongst the released prisoners--ordered his compatriots to assemble in the _patio_. this they did, to the number of eighty. as far as valderians went these men looked capable of giving a good account of themselves. they were all actuated by feelings of revenge towards their former captors and especially president zaypuru. had they got out of hand the lives of the soldiers who had formed the garrison of the cavarale would not have been worth a moment's purchase. without delay gerald whittinghame addressed them. his almost perfect knowledge of spanish, the fluency of his words and his commanding delivery all told upon his listeners. "friends of the late president san bonetta," he exclaimed. "the time is at hand when you will be able to completely turn the tables on your oppressors. to do so you must implicitly obey the orders of the commandante dacres here, whose mouthpiece i am. the cavarale is entirely in our possession. don alonzo da costa is a prisoner, together with every man of the garrison. at nine o'clock this morning the villainous zaypuru will pay us a visit." shouts of execration burst from the lips of his listeners. cries of "death to the president!" "down with zaypuru!" were heard on all sides. at length gerald silenced them by raising his right hand. "zaypuru must be captured," he continued. "it can be done. how, i will explain; but before so doing i must have your promise that if he fall into our hands he will be treated in a manner worthy of civilized people." "we will have him shot," muttered a valderian, and several voices backed him up. "very well," rejoined whittinghame. "if that is what you are resolved to do you had better go outside the prison and do it. remember that your only chance of safety lies in remaining here. without, you will be seen and pursued by zaypuru's horsemen. detachments of his troops are at la paz, so that your retreat in that direction is cut off. rather than allow a prisoner in our hands to be barbarously murdered the commandante dacres will release and arm the soldiers who are now in his power. think it over quickly, and let me know your decision." the partisans of the late president saw that the englishmen held the whip-hand. great as was the hatred of the former for zaypuru, the fear of what might happen should the aid of dacres and his companions be withdrawn was greater. "we agree," they announced. "we swear it." "it is well," continued gerald. "now for our plans. when your english friends surprised the garrison many of the soldiers were in their beds. they were sent into one of the cellars under the barracks, their clothes and accoutrements remain. thirty of you will, therefore, put on these men's uniforms, and by forming a guard of honour and placing sentries on the walls will completely deceive the president zaypuru. general galento will oblige us by arraying himself in the uniform of the commandante alonzo da costa and acting the part of our late custodian-in-chief, until zaypuru is safely landed in the trap." "and what then, señor?" asked one of the valderians. "be content with that, señor," replied gerald. "with zaypuru in our power the rest will be easy. your lives and liberties will be assured. now, remember, success depends upon your discretion and implicit obedience of señor dacres' orders. we have yet five hours before us: hasten and make ready." away trooped the valderians, filled with hope and resolution, to don the uniforms of their former captors, while general galento, accompanied by two of the crew of the "meteor," made his way to the commandante's quarters to deck himself out, without asking the owner's permission, in the gorgeous regimentals of the luckless don alonzo da costa. at sunrise the new garrison was under arms. the men, having breakfasted, were ready for any duty that dacres called upon them to perform. there were no signs of the "meteor." acting upon dacres' request to his chief the airship had put a safe distance between herself and the capital. the wind had fallen, the sky was cloudless and unbroken. had the "meteor" remained she would have inevitably been sighted by the garrison of naocuanha and zaypuru's suspicions would have been aroused. just before eight a telephone message was received at the cavarale stating that the president would arrive half an hour earlier than he had previously arranged. his object in visiting gerald whittinghame was a crafty one. he knew the value of the captive englishman's technical skill; he totally underestimated his sense of honour. reno durango having, from some cause for the present unknown, failed him, zaypuru bethought himself of gerald whittinghame. his plan was to offer the englishman his liberty and a huge sum of money if he would take charge of the aerial defences of the city of naocuanha. he remembered that under president san bonetta's regime gerald whittinghame had brought out an aerial torpedo--a monoplane carrying a heavy charge of guncotton--which could be electrically controlled by an operator on the ground. the device passed the severe tests imposed upon it with the greatest ease. then came the revolution that caused san bonetta to lose his life and gerald whittinghame his liberty. the knowledge, unlike that which resulted in the construction of the "libertad," remained with the inventors, and hitherto threats and promises alike had failed to extort the priceless secret. "troops on the move, sir," announced one of "meteor's" crew who had been posted to supplement the valderian sentries on the wall of the cavarale. dacres and gerald ascended as quickly as possible, then taking cover behind the breastwork, used their binoculars through one of the embrasures. "that's zaypuru's bodyguard right enough," said vaughan's brother. "he doesn't go far without that escort." "quite enough to set up a fairly good fight if they've any pluck," remarked dacres. "i don't think we ought to let the whole party into the courtyard." "yet i don't see how we can prevent them without arousing suspicion." "i do," said dacres. "you've forgotten the bridge across the dry moat. we'll fix a detonator, sufficient to bring the whole concern down without doing very much harm to the president's bodyguard. we'll have to hurry, for there's precious little time." "but we haven't a battery," objected gerald. "no, but we have plenty of rifles. smith, bring a couple of sticks of guncotton from the magazine." putting on a coat and _képi_ belonging to one of the former garrison dacres issued from the gateway, descended into the moat and lashed the explosive to one of the props of the wooden bridge. to the one nearest to it he fixed a loaded rifle, taking care to lock the safety bolt while he made fast a thin but strong wire to the trigger. this wire he led back to one of the narrow loopholes by the side of the gate, giving one of his men instructions to release the trigger the moment he heard the bugle give the "alarm." rapidly the president and his escort approached the cavarale. they were all splendidly mounted, while many of them were distinguishable as generals by their gorgeous uniforms. like most revolutionary armies of the south and central american republics staff officers were numerically out of all proportion to the size of the army. half a dozen troopers armed with carbines led the procession. immediately behind them, and supported by two generals, rode the president. zaypuru was a little man, with iron-grey hair and moustachios. he rode very erect with his arms thrown well back, but dacres noticed that one shoulder was slightly higher than the other. his features were sharp and pointed, his eyes close-set, while his eye-brows, slanting upwards from the bridge of his nose, gave him a saturnine expression in keeping with his character. an arrant coward at heart he, like most men of tyrannical nature, took a delight in inflicting pain upon those who, having thwarted him, had fallen into his power. blindly he regarded himself as being essential to the welfare of valderia, and counting on the support of the men he had gathered around him, he was as insensible to danger as the proverbial ostrich hiding its head in the sand. it was only by relying upon others that he had any confidence in his official capacity. reno durango's disaffection had hit him hard. had it not been for his successful coup in capturing admiral maynebrace and his staff, he would have fled from naocuanha and sought an asylum in one of the neighbouring republics when the "libertad" failed to return. puffed up with success he was riding hot-shod towards ruin. behind the president rode a lieutenant bearing the national flag of valderia with an eagle emblazoned in silver upon the centre horizontal stripe. this was the presidential standard of the head of the republic. the cavalcade concluded with about forty officers and men in nearly equal numbers. as zaypuru and his retinue approached the outer wall general galento ordered the general salute to be sounded. the great gate of the inner wall was thrown open and a guard of honour, composed of twenty men in the borrowed uniforms of the imprisoned garrison, presented arms. greatly to dacres' delight the president gave orders for the bulk of his escort to wait beyond the dry moat. attended only by ten of his staff zaypuru trotted his steed across the wooden bridge, stiffly acknowledged the compliment paid by the guard, and cantered into the _patio_. dacres, still out of sight of the president, raised his hand. a sharp detonation was followed by the crash of shattered woodwork, as the bridge collapsed into the dry moat. simultaneously the guard closed the gateway. president diego zaypuru was trapped. chapter xxviii. a prisoner of war. the noise of the explosion and the clang of the gate caused zaypuru to rein in his horse and give a hasty glance over his shoulder. then, still unsuspicious, he advanced towards the officer he took to be the commandante, alonzo da costa, till shouts of "treason" from his men outside the gates gave warning that something was amiss. with a snarl of rage zaypuru drew his horse almost on its haunches and tugging violently at the reins caused the animal to swerve. in so doing it came into violent contact with the animal ridden by one of his staff. both chargers reared, and had their riders been anything but expert horsemen they would have been dismounted. forcing his way between his attendants zaypuru made for the gate, to find his progress barred by a line of glistening bayonets. "surrender, zaypuru!" shouted general galento in stentorian tones. "we will spare your life." two members of the president's staff alone showed any determined resistance. drawing their revolvers and using their sharp rowelled spurs unmercifully they rode straight towards the impersonator of don alonzo da costa. before they had covered half that distance an irregular volley of musketry burst from the men supporting general galento. the two horses, riddled with bullets, dropped to the ground, rolled completely over and then lay feebly kicking in their death agonies. their riders, fortunately thrown clear, were too dazed to offer further resistance to the men, who left the ranks and seized them. "surrender, zaypuru!" repeated galento. "is my life guaranteed?" asked the president, who was trembling like a leaf. "you will not die a violent death at our hands," replied the general urbanely. "you mean to murder me," howled the wretched man. "i would have you shot by a platoon with the greatest pleasure, i assure you," remarked galento with well-assumed indifference. "unfortunately, as far as my inclination is concerned, i have given a promise to the english commandante of the cavarale." "they are referring to you, dacres," said gerald whittinghame, who, unseen by the president and his followers, had followed the whole of the conversation. "there is no further need for concealment. that rascal zaypuru will surrender to you." although zaypuru had not hesitated to treat his british captives with indignity, he had a certain amount of respect for the word of an englishman. directly dacres crossed over to where galento was standing, the president got down from his horse, and unbuckling his sword, tendered it to the englishman. just then a rattle of musketry was heard without. those of the president's escort who had been left on the remote side of the dry ditch had taken cover behind the outer wall and were firing at the valderians who held the roof of the prison. the latter briskly replied, and the exchange of shots was rapidly maintained. "where are you, whittinghame?" shouted dacres. "tell some of these men to take the prisoner to the commandante's quarters. i'll have to direct operations against those fellows who are kicking up a dust outside." directly gerald whittinghame appeared on the scene zaypuru's terrors returned. the sight of the man whom he had treated with uncalled for severity filled him with the most abject fright. he fell on his knees, and, upraising his clasped hands, implored his former captive to have pity. "get up, and don't make a fool of yourself," exclaimed gerald sternly. "you won't be hurt unless you give trouble." "i never meant to do you an injury, señor," persisted zaypuru; "it was my adviser durango who urged it." "the less you say about it the better," interrupted whittinghame. "i want to hear no excuses. party!" he ordered, addressing a file of men. "escort the prisoner to the commandante's quarters." trembling like a leaf the president was taken away and lodged in the same room as his henchman, alonzo da costa, while the rest of his men who had followed him into the _patio_ surrendered at discretion. meanwhile, dacres was directing the fire of the defenders. although the aim of the valderians on both sides was erratic, several of the bullets whistled unpleasantly close. the president's escort, fearing to retire, since in their retreat they would be fully exposed to the fire of the garrison, stuck tenaciously to the cover afforded by the outer wall, hoping that additional troops would be sent from naocuanha to their support. "man that machine gun," ordered dacres to those of the crew of the "meteor" who had remained with him. the ammunition was soon forthcoming, and a hail of small projectiles directed upon the adobe wall. this was more than the enemy could swallow, and a white flag soon appeared above the crumbling outer wall. keeping the defenders well under control, gerald whittinghame shouted to the president's men that they were at liberty to retire to the capital. for some moments there was no indication of this offer being accepted. at length, one or two plucked up courage to make a dash towards naocuanha, and finding that they were not fired upon the rest of the escort promptly took to their heels, amid the jeers of the released prisoners. dacres looked at his watch. it was ten minutes past nine. "nearly an hour to wait," he remarked as gerald whittinghame came up. "if zaypuru hadn't been so inconsiderate as to arrive an hour earlier he might have saved us some trouble." "what do you mean?" asked gerald. "unless i am very much mistaken fort volador will be opening fire on us." "with zaypuru in our hands?" "that won't count with them, i fancy," said dacres, as he bent the blue and white flag to the halliards in readiness for hoisting at the approach of the "meteor." just then general galento hurried up. "señor whittinghame," said he, "a message has just been sent by telephone from fort volador. the men belonging to zaypuru's escort whom you allowed to go without hindrance have reported the situation. the commandante of the fort has called upon us to surrender at discretion, otherwise he will bombard the cavarale." "then let him," replied whittinghame. "that is, if he wants to murder his president. as a matter of fact i don't believe there are guns mounted on fort volador that are capable of doing much damage. all the heavy ordnance have been taken to the zandovar side of the city." "then how shall i answer, señor?" "tell him to go to jericho," replied whittinghame, shrugging his shoulders. "that's the way to talk to these gentry," remarked dacres when gerald told him of the conversation. "treat the matter lightly and it will give our valderian allies confidence. ha! there's the first shot." with a peculiar, throbbing screech a twelve-pounder shell flew handsomely over the cavarale, bursting quite eight hundred yards beyond the building. "bad shot!" ejaculated dacres coolly. "all the same i think we will withdraw our men from the wall. order them to lie down as far apart as possible. i'll be with you in a moment." deliberately hoisting the blue and white flag dacres took a final survey of the horizon. seeing no sign of the dreadnought of the air he descended to the _patio_. another shell screeched overhead, missing the parapet of the furthermost wall by a bare five feet. fort volador's gunners were getting the correct range, yet the rate of firing was painfully slow. the third shot struck that part of the prison in which the british officers had been incarcerated. with a crash that shook the place the missile burst, blowing a gap in the outer and inner walls large enough for a horse and cart to pass. "señor," exclaimed a valderian breathlessly, "zaypuru has asked me to be allowed to speak with the commandante of fort volador. he says he will order the battery to cease fire." "it will be useless," replied whittinghame. "it is surely worth trying," urged general galento, who was beginning to show signs of "jumpiness." "very good," assented gerald. "you might accompany zaypuru to the orderly-room, general, and repeat to me what he says." catching up his long sword, galento, still resplendent in his borrowed plumes, ran across the _patio_, his movements hastened by a shell that struck the ground within ten yards of him--happily without bursting. he found zaypuru ashen with fear. both valderians, their enmity vanishing before a common danger, hurried to the orderly-room. with trembling fingers the president lifted the receiver, and held it to his ear. "is that commandante vilano?" he asked. "it is i, diego zaypuru, your president. my life is in danger from the fire of the fort. i order you to desist immediately." he waited to listen to a jeering reply. "i order you. i beg of you," he continued. galento, equally agitated, anxiously watched the face of his former persecutor. with a gesture of despair the president threw the receiver against the wall, where it struck with disastrous results to the instrument; then burying his face in his hands he burst into tears. "is there no place where i can hide in safety?" he whined. in his utter selfishness he gave no thought to the members of his staff, who were in an equally hazardous predicament. ten minutes later gerald whittinghame, finding that general galento had not returned, took two of the "meteor's" men to look for him. the orderly-room was empty. a muffled groan from the adjoining barrack-room attracted his attention. lying side by side on the bare floor and covered by a heap of straw mattresses were the president of valderia and general galento. "white-livered rascals; fear, like adversity, makes strange bedfellows," he exclaimed contemptuously. by this time the shells from fort volador were coming quicker and with better aim. already the front of the cavarale facing naocuanha was little better than a heap of ruins, but the debris formed such an effective breastwork that dacres ordered the garrison to take shelter behind it. the two angle-towers had disappeared, tearing away heaps of brick and stone and leaving a mound twenty feet in height. their destruction had resulted in the removal of the recognized signal to the "meteor" that all was well. even dacres began to be anxious, although he kept his doubts to himself. the fact of being under fire without being able to return an effective shot told heavily upon the valderian members of the garrison. he began to consider the possibilities of a retirement. "getting pretty hot," he said to gerald whittinghame. "yes; three men down with that last shell," replied vaughan's brother, flicking some dust from his coat. "that makes sixteen, i believe." "any of the 'meteor's' men?" "no, thank heavens! unless one or two of them have received slight hurts. they are splendid fellows. how goes the time? my watch was stolen before i was brought here as a prisoner." "nine minutes to ten," replied dacres. "hurrah, there she is!" shouted one of the "meteor's" men at that moment. flying high and at her greatest speed the huge airship was approaching from the direction of the sierras. heedless of the risk he ran, one of the british defenders of the cavarale dashed across the heap of brickwork and recovered the blue and white flag. the bunting was torn, the staff severed, but the daring fellow waved the remains of the flag above his head. "come down, jones; they've seen us!" ordered dacres. two minutes later the "meteor" passed immediately overhead and at an elevation of ten thousand feet. she made no attempt to descend. "by jove! i have it!" ejaculated gerald whittinghame. "she's going to settle with fort volador." the garrison of the valderian fort saw the danger. their fire upon the cavarale ceased. an attempt was made to train the quick-firers upon the airship, but the weapons were not on suitable mountings. panic seized the artillerymen. abandoning the fort they fled pell-mell towards naocuanha. the "meteor's" motors stopped. rapidly she lost way, bringing up immediately above the doomed fort. through his binoculars dacres observed a small black object drop from the airship. sixty-five seconds later, having fallen vertically through a distance of nearly three thousand five hundred yards, the bomb struck the ground. the aim was superb. alighting fairly in the centre of the deserted fort it exploded. a burst of lurid flame was followed by a dense cloud of yellow smoke, mingled with fragments of earth, stones and bricks. the missile of destruction, powerful enough in itself to knock the defences of the fort out of action, had caused the main magazine to explode. when the smoke dispersed sufficiently for the observers on the ruins of the cavarale to see what had taken place, fort volador was no more. apparently content with this act of vengeance the "meteor," gliding vertically downwards, flew slowly over the four-square mass of rubble that marked the position of the state prison of the republic of valderia. "all right, below there?" came a hail from the "meteor." "all right, sir," replied dacres. "we've close on fifty valderians we found in the cells. we must stand by them." "quite right," replied vaughan whittinghame. "what have you done with the commandante and the rest of the garrison?" "safe in the underground cellars, sir." "you might detain the commandante as a hostage." "we've a better hostage than the commandante." "who, then?" "president zaypuru is a prisoner of war." chapter xxix. work for the seaplanes. "send him on board, by all means," said the captain of the "meteor," after the rousing cheer from her crew that greeted the announcement had died away. "we'll lower a rope and whip him on board in a jiffey. you might then hold your position for ten hours more. i don't suppose the valderians will risk another assault during that interval. we are about to take admiral maynebrace and his staff back to his flagship. zaypuru will go too. he will be a strong argument in favour of the valderians asking for terms." "i doubt it, sir," replied dacres grimly. "those fellows in fort volador ignored his request to cease firing." "we'll see," rejoined vaughan whittinghame. "hulloa, there, gerald, old boy! how goes it?" this was the captain of the "meteor's" greeting to his brother, who for months past had been in danger of being put to death by an unscrupulous dictator. "see you later," was gerald's equally unconcerned reply, although at heart the brothers were longing to shake each other by the hand. "we'll rout out old zaypuru. he's buried himself under a regular mountain of bedding." still in paroxysms of terror the president of valderia was removed from his place of concealment, while general galento, in almost an equal state of fear, was allowed to remain in his uncomfortable position. at the sight of the "meteor," anchored barely fifty feet above the shattered walls of the cavarale, with a rope dangling from one of the entry ports, zaypuru fell on his knees, begging for mercy. the noosed rope had a terrible significance. "we do not ill-treat our prisoners of war, señor," said gerald whittinghame. "circumstances necessitate your removal from this dangerous locality to a safer sphere." but before the president could be ignominiously seated in the bight of the rope a warning shout came from setchell, who was on duty in the after-section. "look out, sir!" he hailed; "there are half a dozen aeroplanes bearing down upon us." "cast off, there!" ordered vaughan whittinghame calmly. the "meteor" soared skywards, although not so swiftly as was her wont. the heavy drain upon her store of ultra-hydrogen was beginning to make itself felt. dacres watched her receding bulk with envious eyes. he would have given much to have formed one of the band of aerial warriors; but duty compelled him to remain, an eager spectator of the forthcoming encounter, on the position he had held so doggedly against the guns of fort volador. setchell had made a mistake in stating the number of the hostile aircraft to be half a dozen. there were five of the latest type of valderian aeroplanes, each capable of rendering a good account of itself, had they been properly handled. hoping to take advantage of the great airship being close to the ground, the airmen left naocuanha, and, flying fairly low, made a wide detour so as to approach from a direction whence danger was least expected. seeing the "meteor" rise, they too tilted their elevating planes, and in a semi-circular formation rushed at top speed upon this surprised foe. suddenly the airship's propellers began to run at full speed. she did not belie her name as she shot forward, firing from her after-guns as she did so. the aeroplanes replying with their comparatively feeble automatic guns, were completely outdistanced, till the "meteor," slowing down, lured them on. before the valderian mosquitoes could approach within range the airship was off again, till she was almost out of sight of the watchers on the cavarale. dacres understood her tactics. vaughan whittinghame wanted to entice the biplanes away from the vicinity of the cavarale, whose garrison would otherwise be at the mercy of the aviators. on the other hand, he dared not risk an attack at an effective range, owing to the fact that, in addition to rear-admiral maynebrace and his staff, the "meteor" carried antoine de la fosse and his son, and also the two men from the british merchant vessel whose arrest by zaypuru had been the commencement of the dispute. presently the "meteor" was observed to be returning towards naocuanha, the five aeroplanes hanging on in pursuit. when within a mile of the cavarale she rose to an additional height of two thousand feet. the biplanes, fearing to be annihilated by an aerial bomb, swerved right and left. doubling like a hare the airship proved conclusively that her turning powers were, in spite of her length and bulk, superior to those of the valderian aircraft, but owing to her speed and the smallness of the swiftly-moving targets, she made no palpable hits with her two stern-chasers. so intent were the garrison of the cavarale in watching this aerial steeplechase that it was not until a loud droning almost above their heads told them that other aircraft were approaching. "take cover as best you may!" ordered gerald to the valderian allies. "steady on, old man," suddenly exclaimed dacres. "i think--yes, i am certain--they are british seaplanes." "i suppose you know," admitted whittinghame. "but how will they know we are not the enemy? personally, i've a strong objection to being blown sky-high by a british seaplane." "we must risk it. i'll hail. perhaps they might hear, although the noise of the propeller--hulloa! they're swerving." paying no attention to the remains of the cavarale with its occupants who wore the valderian uniform, the air-squadron tore to the rescue of their admiral. the captain of the "meteor" had informed the flagship of the situation by wireless, and captain staggers, who, by virtue of his seniority, had hoisted the commodore's broad pennant on board the "royal oak" during rear-admiral maynebrace's enforced absence, had dispatched six of the seaplanes attached to the fleet to tackle the enemy's air-fleet. giving the high-angle firing-guns of the defences of naocuanha a wide berth, the seaplanes made short work of the distance between zandovar and the scene of the manoeuvres of the "meteor" and her attackers. now, for the first time in the history of the world, was to be a pitched battle between aircraft heavier than the medium in which they soared. it was to be a fight to the finish: there could be no question of surrendering or of giving quarter. yet the british flying squadron was not one to take an undue advantage. the aeroplanes, intent upon the "meteor," were unaware of the approach of their new foes; but the officers in command of the seaplanes waited till they were certain that their presence was observed by the valderian airmen. to escape by flight was impossible. the valderian airmen, realizing that their only chance lay in vanquishing their opponents, turned and headed straight for the seaplanes. on both sides the automatic guns were sending out small but powerful shells as fast as the delicate and intricate mechanism could admit, yet ninety-nine per cent of the missiles failed to find a billet. one of the british aircraft was the first to receive a knock-out blow. hit fairly on the swiftly revolving cylinders it seemed to stop dead. then, plunging vertically, it fell at a comparatively low rate of speed and with ever-widening circles through space till its descent was checked by crashing violently upon the ground. ten seconds later a valderian biplane was literally pulverized by a shell that exploded in her petrol tank. two more were quickly put out of action, while the fourth, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, vainly attempted a vol-plane. with two of her antagonists like avenging angels following her steep downward glide, the biplane dropped to within a hundred feet of the ground without any apparent injury. then, suddenly tilting beyond the angle of stability, she fell vertically. under the joint action of gravity and the traction of her propeller her rate at the moment of impact could not have been far short of two hundred miles an hour. it took all the skill at their pilots' command to save the two seaplanes from a similar fate. so intent had they been in the headlong pursuit that they temporarily lost all sense of caution. the first seaplane succeeded in rising, but the second was not so fortunate. the sudden downward pressure on the planes as the frail craft changed her direction resulted in the carrying away of one of the tension wires. the right-hand plane collapsed like a limp rag, and the seaplane, tilting sideways, fell to the earth, her pilot getting off lightly with a few bruises, while almost by a miracle the observer escaped injury. only one valderian biplane now remained. her pilot, whether from sheer daring or whether he was incapable of realizing what he was about, headed straight for the nearest of his antagonists. the british pilot, equally fascinated by the sight of the huge mechanical bird bearing straight towards him, held on his course. the slightest alteration to the elevating planes would have resulted in the seaplane flying either above or under her opponent; but inexplicably the naval pilot made no effort to avoid the collision. with a crash that was plainly heard by the spell-bound crew of the "meteor," both aeroplanes met, eight thousand feet above the ground. the spectators saw both motors, thrown clear of the tangle of struts and canvas, drop almost side by side, followed by the mangled bodies of three of the victims. then, slowly, the lighter debris began to fall, until, some of the spilt petrol catching fire, the wreckage blazing furiously like a funeral pyre, streamed earthwards, leaving behind it a trail of smoke resembling a gigantic memorial column to the slain. chapter xxx. the fall of naocuanha. "heavy firing, sir," remarked commander bourne to his superior officer. "you're right," assented captain and acting commodore staggers. "it's about time we had a wireless report." "nothing has come through yet, sir," said bourne. surrounded by a group of officers captain staggers stood upon the battlements of fort belgrano, on the landward side of the town of zandovar. away to the eastward, and only just discernible in the heated atmosphere, was the city of naocuanha. beyond the capital there was nothing to be seen, save at sunset when the peaks of the far-distant sierras showed rosy-pink against the gloom of approaching night. "the seaplanes ought to be returning," remarked captain staggers for the sixth time in half an hour. he was unable to conceal an anxiety for the naval aircraft that, two hours previously, had proceeded to the assistance of the handicapped "meteor." drawn up just outside the fort was every available man who could be landed from the fleet: one thousand seamen and five hundred marines, with the usual quota of light quick-firers and maxims. why the men were there under arms none of them knew; they could only conjecture. once again there was work to be done and they meant to do it right well, to wipe off the slur upon british prestige caused by the capture of admiral maynebrace and his staff. "speak to the 'royal oak,' mr. eccles, and ask if there's any news," continued the captain. away doubled the lieutenant to the signalling station, only to return within five minutes with the disconcerting report that the battleship had not been able to "pick up" the "meteor" by wireless. "seaplanes returning, sir!" announced the commander, whose attention had been drawn to the fact by a petty officer. "how many?" demanded the captain abruptly, his anxiety causing him to drop his customary courtesy. "only three, sir." "only three? good heavens! only three." captain staggers set his jaw firmly. was he to hear of another reverse? where was the "meteor"--the dreadnought of the air? had she fallen a victim to the fire of the batteries of naocuanha? flying with mathematical precision the three seaplanes alighted practically simultaneously upon a level expanse of ground on the landward side of fort belgrano. under ordinary circumstances etiquette would demand that the subordinate should approach the senior officer, but casting observances to the winds captain staggers, holding his scabbard to prevent his sword from impeding his progress, ran towards the returned airmen. "five of the valderian biplanes destroyed, sir." reported the senior lieutenant of the air squadron. "all that opposed us. g and g of ours are done for. g is badly damaged, but her crew are safe." "and the 'meteor'?" asked the captain anxiously. "is standing by to the east of naocuanha, sir. i understand that there are some british subjects, assisted by a part of the airship's crew and some of the late president's adherents, holding the cavarale. captain whittinghame suggests that if an attack be made as soon as possible, while the valderian troops are still demoralized by the destruction of their aircraft, we may be able to capture the capital without great loss." "and where is admiral maynebrace?" "i do not know, sir. captain whittinghame gave me no information on that point, so i concluded that he is with the party holding the cavarale." "gentlemen," said captain staggers, turning to his officers who accompanied him, "i propose to make a reconnaissance in force immediately, and, if practicable, to deliver an assault upon fort san josef. if our efforts in that direction are successful, we shall hold the key of the position." in spite of their protests the officers and crews of the seaplanes were ordered to stand by. their places were taken by others who were fresh to undergo the trying ordeal, and the hard-worked aircraft having been given a rapid overhaul, they set off on their task of searching the intervening country in case the valderians should offer resistance to the advance of the naval brigade. in sections of fours the british force set out on its seven mile march to naocuanha, the advance covered by the seaplanes and well flanked by strong parties of marines. the railroad had been torn up, and the rolling-stock destroyed before the evacuation of zandovar by the valderians, but the wide and fairly well-kept road rendered the advance practicable and speedy. "'meteor' heading due north, sir," exclaimed commander bourne, as the huge bulk of the airship, looking little larger than a needle, was observed to be making off at full speed in the direction the commander had stated. "what's the matter with her, i wonder?" asked captain staggers. "i thought she was to operate on the east side of naocuanha? by sheering off she leaves the valderian troops free to devote the whole of their attention to us." "i don't know, sir," replied bourne, "perhaps----" his surmise was never expressed in words, for even as he spoke, the "meteor," having put a safe distance between her and the batteries of the capital, swung round and made for the town of zandovar. "pass the word for the men to halt," ordered the captain, who was regarding the approaching mammoth with ill-disguised wonderment and admiration, for in spite of the fact that two hundred odd feet had been taken from her original length, she still appeared the embodiment of size, power and speed. the seamen and marines grounded arms and watched the dreadnought of the air with the deepest interest. she had spotted the advancing force, and starboarding her helm was making in the direction of the column. her propellers stopped; she lost way, then, slowly sinking, alighted on level ground at less than a hundred and fifty yards from the place where captain staggers and his staff were standing. there was no wind, consequently there was no need to anchor. the "meteor," now possessing a dead weight of ten or twelve tons, sat firmly upon valderian soil. "captain whittinghame, i presume?" asked the commodore as he approached within convenient talking distance of the airship. "the same," answered vaughan. "i am in a hurry, sir; i have left several of my men in an exposed position at the cavarale, so i must quickly return. the city of naocuanha ought to be taken with but little trouble. meanwhile, sir, i shall be glad if you will receive some of my passengers--rear-admiral maynebrace, his staff and others." captain staggers literally gasped. the fact that his superior had been rescued by the "meteor" was quite unexpected news, for he had misinterpreted whittinghame's appeal for the seaplanes to be sent to the airship's aid. before he could recover from his astonishment the rope ladder was dropped from the entry-port and the admiral's burly form was seen to be slowly descending the swaying means of communication with terra-firma. a spontaneous cheer burst from the throats of the men as they saw their admiral returned to them. in spite of the slight disappointment that they were not able to wipe off the slur and retrieve their commanding officer, the seamen and marines were more than willing to recognize the excellent work accomplished by the dreadnought of the air. "will you continue the advance, sir?" asked captain staggers, after the admiral and his staff, the two frenchmen, and the two men of the trader had descended. "certainly," replied admiral maynebrace. "there's nothing like striking while the iron's hot. that airship wiped out fort volador by a single charge of explosive. and there's news, staggers, but i'll tell you later. look, the 'meteor' is ascending." with the least possible delay the airship returned to continue her self-imposed task of threatening the city on the eastern side; while the naval brigade resumed its march. having received from captain staggers the plan of operations and duly approved his subordinate's dispositions for the attack, rear-admiral maynebrace started a breezy narrative of his captivity in the cavarale. "and one day i was surprised to see an englishman enter my cell. that man was dacres." "dacres?" echoed captain staggers, completely taken aback. "dacres in the valderian service?" for, although the name of captain vaughan whittinghame had been communicated to the officers of the squadron operating off the valderian coast, the admiralty had given no information to the effect that ex-sub-lieutenant dacres formed one of the "meteor's" complement. "yes, dacres," declared admiral maynebrace. but not in the valderian service--far from it. the youngster managed to get hold of an appointment under captain whittinghame. at considerable risk he managed to communicate with me. later on the airship landed a handful of her crew under dacres' command in the cavarale in the dead of night. they overpowered the garrison, rescued the british officers and sent them off in the 'meteor'." "capital!" ejaculated the captain. "more than that--it shows dacres' devotion--the 'meteor' being unable to take us all, he volunteered to remain in the captured prison with his men, and by a cool piece of work he made a prisoner of----" "the commandante of the cavarale?" hazarded captain staggers. "yes, and president zaypuru as well," added admiral maynebrace enthusiastically. "staggers, i made a great mistake when i told young dacres to send in his papers. we must have him back." "we must, sir," said the captain of the "royal oak" wholeheartedly. "that is, if he's agreeable. dacres always appeared to me to be rather independent." "wish to goodness he hadn't played that practical joke on my midshipmen," growled admiral maynebrace. further conversation was for the time being out of the question, for the brigade was now almost within range of the batteries of naocuanha. a strange silence seemed to hang over the capital. there were no signs of movement. through the field-glasses of the british officers naocuanha appeared to be a city of the dead. there was not the slightest indication of an attempt about to be made by the superiorly numerical valderian troops to dispute the advance. "wish those beggars would start firing," muttered the admiral. "a silence like that seems suggestive of an ambuscade. any report from the seaplanes?" "g and g both report no signs of the batteries being manned, sir," announced lieutenant eccles. "then continue the advance in open order. maxims in the centre, and quick-firers to cover the advance on either flank. what a rotten country, staggers! not a particle of cover." silently the attackers extended, then with six feet separating one man from another, the bluejackets and marines approached the frowning walls of fort san josef. suddenly a succession of short reports burst from seaplane g . she had opened fire upon some object, still invisible to the attackers on the remote side of the fort. for quite half a minute there was no reply from the valderian position; then right and left came the sharp crackle of musketry punctuated by the bark of quick-firers. taking a prone position on the grass the british seamen and marines opened a steady fire upon their unseen foes, while the covering guns sent shell after shell into fort san josef, over which floated the flag of the republic. "what's that?" asked admiral maynebrace as a report received from g was handed to him. "fort san josef evacuated? tell the quick-firers to search the ground to the right and left and not waste time and ammunition on an empty building. by jove! what's the matter with g ?" he might well ask that question, for the seaplane was descending with alarming rapidity and apparently right upon the valderian position. the attackers, seeing her glide earthwards, promptly directed their fire elsewhere, but the devoted g was plunging through the zone of fire of the enemy. "she's disabled, sir," exclaimed captain staggers. "look, there she goes." the seaplane disappeared behind fort san josef. her two consorts, disdainful of the fate which had overtaken her, still flew serenely over the valderian lines, occasionally dropping bombs, but more frequently reporting the effect of the fire of the british field-guns. "what's that?" demanded captain staggers, grasping his superior officer's arm in his eagerness. "look, sir, at the fort." standing upon the ramparts and showing clearly against the skyline was a man in naval uniform. rapidly he uncleated the halliards of the flagstaff and hauled down the valderian flag. then, even as he waved his white-covered cap in triumph, he suddenly pitched forward on his face and rolled inertly down the steep face of the earthworks. "it's vine, the pilot of g , sir," said bourne. enraged by the lieutenant's fall the attackers implored the officers to be allowed to storm the position. the men were like hounds in leash, eager to vent their fury upon their foes. but admiral maynebrace hesitated. the significance of fort san josef offering no active resistance was ominous. up dashed a sub-lieutenant. "g reports safe to advance, sir," he said. "fort san josef is mined, but g destroyed the firing station and has cut the wires." the admiral hesitated no longer. along the line the officers' whistles sounded the advance. up from the cover afforded by the grass sprang hundreds of figures in khaki and blue. a regular clatter followed the order to fix bayonets, and at the double the gallant men raced towards their goal. in spite of the covering fire from the british guns the valderian troops to the right and left of the deserted fort maintained a hot fusillade. enfiladed by the converging volleys the british suffered severely, the ground being dotted with dead and dying. yet, undaunted, the stormers passed on, threw themselves into the dry ditch, and clambered up the steep ramp beyond. the more active of the attackers assisted those who experienced difficulty in negotiating the slippery slope. marines and bluejackets, without any apparent semblance of order, vied with each other in the race to gain possession of the coveted position, till a ringing british cheer announced to the admiral and his staff that fort san josef was in the occupation of his gallant men. while the union jack was hoisted over the captured position, the bluejackets rushed to the guns to turn them upon the valderian troops who had so severely galled the advance; but to their disappointment and rage they discovered that the breech-blocks had previously been removed. in spite of the danger from the hostile bullets that were singing over the earthworks a signalman stood erect and semaphored for the guns to be brought up. two brawny bluejackets, each staggering under the weight of a maxim, successfully crossed the danger-zone, while four man-hauled quick-firers were ordered to the fort. at the double the guns were dragged across the open plain. several of the men at the drag-ropes fell, but, undaunted, their comrades maintained the hot pace. the dry-ditch they made light of. in twenty seconds each gun was unlimbered and dismantled. the lighter parts, passed from hand to hand, were taken up the ramp; the heavier gear, hauled by willing hands, quickly followed. to the tap, tap, tap of the maxims was added the sharp bark of the quick-firers, and, swept by the hail of projectiles, the valderian troops bolted precipitately. outside the city they could not go, for hovering overhead was the "meteor," and the fate of fort volador was still fresh in the minds of the beaten side. at exactly three o'clock--one hour and twenty minutes from the opening of the assault--the city of naocuanha surrendered at discretion. chapter xxxi. a surprise for dacres. "say, dacres, old man, here's something that will interest you," remarked vaughan whittinghame, handing his comrade and able assistant a letter that had just been delivered by a marine orderly. dacres took the missive. the familiar heading on the envelope, "on his majesty's service," recalled the days not long since when he was one of the officers of the ship whence the letter came. drawing out the enclosure dacres, with considerable difficulty, deciphered the crabbed handwriting of rear-admiral maynebrace. that officer had written requesting the pleasure of the company of captain whittinghame and mr. basil dacres on board the flagship at three p.m. "well?" asked whittinghame in his usual manner. "going?" "i hardly know what to say, sir. i suppose you will accept the invitation?" "yes. if it were a mere formal affair i would decline, but i have reason to believe that the admiral wishes to consult us with reference to the submarine plans. it's not a matter of etiquette exactly, but an affair of national importance, so i think you'd better decide to go with me." the "meteor" was lying afloat in zandovar harbour. beyond the low-lying spit of sand that narrowed the entrance to less than three hundred yards could be seen the british warships lying in the open roadstead. two days had elapsed since the fall of naocuanha. a provisional government had been set up in valderia, and señor juan desiro, a distant relative of the late president san bonetta, had been nominated as acting president. the terms imposed by the british admiral had been accepted, and the valderians regarded the inevitable changes with comparative equanimity. the garrison of la paz had taken the oath of allegiance to the new ruler, and with amazing rapidity the republic settled down to make the best of a hard bargain. ex-president diego zaypuru, after being officially deposed, was glad to avail himself of an offer by the british admiral to be given a passage to a far-distant land, where, with the bulk of the riches he had amassed, he would be able to live in comparative peace and plenty. antoine de la fosse, with his two sons, also shook the dust of valderia from his feet. henri had made rapid progress towards recovery. his wounds were healing satisfactorily, and as no signs of fever were detected, the british medical officers expressed an opinion that he could with safety undertake a sea voyage. so the de la fosse family, well rewarded for the parts they had played so well in the capture of the cavarale, had been given a generous grant and a free passage to cherbourg, and had left early that morning by a peruvian mailboat en route for panama. already a wireless message from the british admiralty had been sent through the admiral expressing thanks and due appreciation to the gallant captain of the "meteor," and rear-admiral maynebrace had communicated the news in person. now, following his official visits to the dreadnought of the air, came an invitation for captain whittinghame and dacres to repair on board the flagship. at half-past two the admiral's motor-barge was observed to be entering the inner harbour. in the sternsheets was a flag-lieutenant resplendent in full-dress uniform, his duty being to escort the admiral's guests to the "repulse." as soon as the boat came alongside the "meteor," captain whittinghame and dacres, in their neat and serviceable uniforms, went over the side and took their places in the waiting craft. the visit was understood to be a purely unofficial one, but the british bluejackets, always eager to recognize a brave act, were not to be denied. as the barge approached the flagship the shrill trills of the bos'n's whistle rang out. in a moment the upper decks and superstructure of the warship were black with humanity, and the waters of zandovar bay echoed and re-echoed to three deep, hearty cheers that only britons can do full justice to. dexterously the barge was brought alongside the "repulse's" accommodation ladder. whittinghame stepped out of the barge, and, followed by his companion, ascended to the quarter-deck. as dacres mounted the steps he could not help recalling the previous time he visited the flagship. then it was with heavy heart and the well-founded presentiment that there was trouble in store for him. now he was the guest of the very man who had "broken him." then to dacres' surprise the "pipe side" was sounded by the bos'n's mate, and a serjeants' guard drawn up on the quarter-deck presented arms. these marks of respect were, according to the king's regulations, to be given to captains of h.m. ships in uniform. why, then, had the regulation been officially ignored? after being received by the commander and the officers of the watch, whittinghame and dacres were shown below to the admiral's cabin. rear-admiral maynebrace was not alone. the other occupant of the cabin was dacres' old chief, captain staggers. "sit down, my dear whittinghame, and you, too, dacres," exclaimed the admiral genially, as he drew a green curtain over the cabin door in order to balk any curiosity that the marine sentry without might develop. "we may as well proceed at once to business. i believe, captain whittinghame, that on the eve of your departure from england you were given honorary rank of captain in his majesty's fleet?" "i believe that was so," he replied. this was indeed news to dacres, but it was only one of a series of surprises. "my lords also stipulated, should events justify all that was claimed for your wonderful aircraft, that they would be entitled to buy the 'meteor' into the royal navy?" again whittinghame nodded assent. "it is almost needless to say," continued admiral maynebrace, "that their expectations have been fully realized. the amount agreed upon has been deposited at your bankers, captain whittinghame. moreover, i am empowered to offer you a full commission as commanding officer of h.m. airship 'meteor.'" "i am afraid their lordships are a bit premature," said whittinghame. "if i remember aright the terms of the proposal were that the 'meteor' was to be purchased on her return from a successful mission." "but surely you consider the part you played in the valderian business a successful piece of work?" "i suppose so," admitted the captain of the "meteor." "then why hesitate?" "because i have not yet completed the work on which i am engaged. the 'meteor' came to valderia for three objects. firstly, to co-operate with the british fleet and destroy the 'libertad.' that has been done. secondly, to liberate my brother from zaypuru's power. that, also, is an accomplished fact. thirdly--and from a national point of view, the most important object--the recovery of the stolen plans of the submarines. in that respect my work is still unfinished." "i trust you will be equally successful, captain whittinghame. when do you propose to resume your quest?" "almost at once. allowing for the slow method of travelling across the voyocama desert, durango ought to be on the verge of it in two days' time. i propose to take the 'meteor' to salto augusto to-morrow and watch developments." "but that is brazilian territory," objected admiral maynebrace. "quite so," admitted whittinghame, "but durango is an outlaw. three days ago i received intimation that the british ambassador at rio was successful in obtaining permission from the brazilian government for his arrest. directly durango sets foot in salto augusto he will be detained by the authorities, extradited, and placed on board the 'meteor' to be brought back to england." "i hope it comes off," said the admiral. "so do i, sir, especially if we find the submarine plans in durango's possession." "to get back to the subject of the purchase of the 'meteor,' captain whittinghame. i presume you are still willing to sell her to the government as soon as durango is made a prisoner?" "certainly," replied whittinghame rather stiffly. "i never go back on my word. but there is one point i should like to raise--how will my officers and men be affected by the change of ownership?" "that is just what i was about to mention," said rear-admiral maynebrace, glancing at dacres. "i have here a copy of the admiralty wireless message. the proposal is, should you be willing to accept the proffered commission, captain whittinghame, that your crew should be transferred en bloc to admiralty service, provided that they are agreeable. i presume mr. dacres has informed you of the circumstances under which he left the navy? i thought so. well, mr. dacres, apart from the great personal service which you rendered me, your conduct during these operations has been praiseworthy. i regret most deeply that i took the drastic step i did when you played a somewhat unwise joke upon the midshipmen of the flagship. had you expressed regret, mr. dacres, i might have overlooked it, or let you off with a severe reprimand." "but i wasn't asked to express regret, sir." "you had the opportunity," remarked the admiral drily. "however, i have tendered my apologies in front of captain staggers and captain whittinghame, and i trust that you will accept them." "i do, sir." "i propose sending a further report to the admiralty on the subject," continued the admiral, "and asking whether they will give orders for your name to be restored to the navy list. i trust that will be agreeable to you, mr. dacres?" "one minute, sir," interrupted whittinghame. "i am about to impart a piece of information of which dacres has hitherto been in ignorance. his name was never removed from the navy list." "what!" ejaculated the admiral and dacres simultaneously. "fact," exclaimed whittinghame. "i brought the case before the notice of admiral sir hardy staplers on the eve of our dash for the north pole. sir hardy transmitted my request to the admiralty, and i was informed that mr. dacres' resignation was to be annulled, and he was to retain his rank while serving in the 'meteor.' thus, before the removal of dacres' name from the navy list was notified, his commission was restored. owing to my fear that i might lose the services of a very able assistant i suggested to sir hardy that dacres should for the time being be kept in ignorance of what had transpired, and to this he agreed." dacres tried to speak but failed. there was a strange sensation in his throat. he felt tempted to dance for sheer joy even in the sanctity of the admiral's cabin. he was still entitled to wear the uniform of the royal navy. "allow me to congratulate you, mr. dacres," said the admiral, rising and extending his hand. "and me, also," added captain staggers. "i wish for some reasons that you were reappointed to the 'royal oak.'" "i had a good time under you, sir," was the sub's non-committal form of reply. "there is yet another point," continued whittinghame. he was enjoying himself. his face beamed with satisfaction. to heap pleasurable surprises on others was one of his chief delights. "according to the terms offered by my lords, of which you have just informed me, my officers and men were to be transferred to the royal navy, provided they were willing to serve." "that is so," agreed the admiral, tapping a folded document on the table. "without reduction of rank?" "certainly; that is expressly stated." "then, take for example the case of dacres. he is my chief officer, a rank, i take it, that corresponds to first lieutenant in the navy." "it's rather rapid promotion," remarked the admiral. "scores of men have waited years to obtain that rank. but, by jove, dacres! you jolly well deserve it. i am afraid, though, yours is a special case. i shall have to raise the point." "if mr. dacres is not promoted to that rank i'm afraid i shall have something to say very strongly on the subject, sir," declared whittinghame. "perhaps i had better delay the acceptance of my commission pending definite information as to mr. dacres' status." "i do not doubt that it will be all right," said the admiral. "i prefer to wait, however," added whittinghame firmly. "very well," asserted the admiral, "we'll leave it at that. i don't suppose for an instant that there will be any objections raised by the admiralty, but, you see, i haven't authority to act in the case. for the present, then, mr. dacres is still a sub-lieutenant in his majesty's navy." chapter xxxii. a submarine encounter. "there is one thing i didn't mention to the admiral," remarked whittinghame on his way back to the airship. "it has been worrying me somewhat. the 'meteor's' supply of ultra-hydrogen is running low." "i thought so too, sir," said dacres. "we've had quite a series of accidents." "and we cannot risk another mishap with equanimity," added whittinghame. "even under the best conditions we must be back in england before the next fortnight; otherwise we must remain here until we get a fresh supply from home. if, in the event of--hulloa! the 'meteor' seems to be lower in the water than when we left her." whittinghame's surmise was quite correct. the airship was floating with a pronounced list to starboard and slightly down by the stern. "anything wrong?" he demanded briskly as he ascended the swaying ladder and gained the interior of the "meteor." "yes, sir," answered setchell. "there's a leak in no. compartment. we have located it, and exhausted the ultra-hydrogen from the three sub-divisions affected." "it's lucky that the gas wasn't wasted," remarked the captain. "the ballonette sub-divisions are flooded, i presume?" "yes, sir, a fairly large hole, i should think. we tried compressed air, but could not expel the water." "shall we lift her and ascertain the extent of the damage?" asked the sub. whittinghame shook his head. "it's my belief that some rascally agent of durango has been at work," he said. "if we rise we shall create suspicion in his mind, and frighten him away. now we know we can take steps to protect ourselves accordingly. i'll ask the flagship to lend us a couple of divers. fortunately the damage is easily repaired provided we save the ultra-hydrogen." "i'll go down, sir," volunteered dacres, "and callaghan will accompany me." "i'll be delighted to accept your offer," said whittinghame gratefully. "i'd go myself only i've had no experience in submarine work of any description. mr. setchell, will you please signal the 'repulse' and ask the loan of two restronguet diving-suits?" callaghan expressed his willingness to accompany the sub. the irishman had been a first-class seaman-diver in the royal navy, and, although unaccustomed to the modern diving-dress, could be relied upon to do his work thoroughly. without delay a motor pinnace from the flagship came alongside, bringing the required apparatus. the restronguet diving-dress, the invention of the late owner of the famous submarine, "aphrodite," had been generally adopted by the royal navy. the dress was entirely self-contained, the chemically-charged air-supply being carried in metal cylinders attached to the diver, while airtubes and life-lines were no longer required. the sub was well acquainted with the restronguet diving-dress, and it required only a brief explanation to acquaint callaghan with its simple peculiarities. "another sub-division flooded, sir," announced setchell. "the rascal, or rascals, must be still at work, by jove!" ejaculated whittinghame. "have your knives ready in case there's any resistance." "we have something better than that, sir," said dacres, holding up an instrument resembling a tuning-fork. "these are issued with the diving-suits in case the divers are attacked by sharks or human beings." "what is it?" asked whittinghame curiously. "be careful, sir," cautioned the sub as his chief stretched out his hand to take hold of the weapon. "it is electrically charged, and will temporarily paralyse any living thing it touches with these two barbs. my friend commander hythe had a dose of it once. he said he will never forget it. it simply knocked all the stuffing out of him." "a good substitute for the 'cat,' then," commented whittinghame. "now, all ready?" the metal headpieces were placed over the wearer's heads and clamped on to the collar-plates. the two men, deprived of the outside air, were now dependent solely upon the supply contained in the portable reservoirs. dacres led the way. shuffling awkwardly to the entry port he made his way slowly down the ladder till the water reached to his shoulders. then releasing his hold he sank gently to the bed of the zandovar harbour. fortunately there were no tidal currents. the bottom was composed of fine gravel and sand, and practically destitute of marine growth. the depth being less than thirty feet, the brilliant sunshine penetrated the clear water with very little loss of intensity. the sub waited till the irishman joined him, then pointed significantly towards the after end of the floating airship, whose rounded hull could be traced through almost its entire length. callaghan raised his hand to signify assent, and slowly the two divers made their way aft. suddenly dacres came to a dead stop. his quick eye detected a foreign movement. in the deep shadow cast by the lower horizontal plane a man in a diving-dress was at work. an air-tube and life-line showed that the villainous diver was equipped with an old-fashioned apparatus, but the question was, how far was he working from his air-supply? was he alone? cautiously dacres and his companion approached, but before they could get within striking-distance the bubble caused by the escaping air from the valves in the helmets gave the alarm. the fellow, dropping a large drill with which he had been studiously employed, slid off the flange on which he had been seated and gained the bed of the harbour. evidently his chief aim was flight, for he made his way off as fast as he could, his life-line and airtube trailing in an ever-increasing bight upon the sand. his cumbersome diving-dress so impeded his efforts that he was no match for his pursuers. once he turned, and seeing that flight was impossible, he drew a huge knife with his left hand, while in his right he grasped a formidable-looking axe. all prospect of taking the marauder by surprise being at an end, dacres realized that both he and his companion were at a disadvantage. the only vulnerable portions of their antagonist to which the electric fork could be applied were his bare hands. to get in a knock-out blow would entail a great risk on the part of the attackers, for the fellow evidently meant to make good use of his weapons. the sub did not fear the axe so much as he did the knife. owing to the density of the water the force and velocity of the blow of the former would be considerably diminished, but a thrust of a sharp steel knife, meeting with very little resistance, was not to be regarded lightly. dacres stopped, and grasping the other's life-line cut it with his knife. he could, of course, have easily settled the submarine encounter by severing the rascal's airtube, but this he was loth to do. on the other hand how could the fellow be secured? if he surrendered, he could not be taken ashore, especially if there were, as was quite likely, a crowd of accomplices. the only solution, according to the sub's idea, was to compel the man to surrender, take him to the surface, and there disconnect his airtube. again the sub bent down, this time laying hold of the flexible armoured hose. he raised his knife threateningly, and indicated that his antagonist should either surrender or be deprived of his supply of air. the fellow's reply was more than dacres had bargained for. either he mistook the invitation to give in, or else he meant to die gamely. raising his axe he floundered towards the place where the sub stood grasping the airtube. dacres dropped the pipe like a piece of red-hot coal, and promptly retreated. brave as he was he did not like the look of that long, keen knife glistening in the pale green light. as the stranger advanced callaghan made his way behind him, and poising his electric fork awaited an opportunity to seize the fellow by the arm and prick him on the back of his hand. again the mysterious diver halted and, turning alternately to his right and left, contemplated the two points of attack. by this time the sandy bed of the sea had been considerably disturbed, and the water was rapidly becoming mingled with a muddy deposit that greatly curtailed the range of vision. it was now a complete deadlock. neither of the unknown's antagonists could bring themselves to start the attack at close quarters, while the stranger would not surrender. awaiting his opportunity the irishman stealthily gained possession of the airtube, and, grasping it in his powerful hands, attempted to curtail the supply of air. the attempt was a failure, for he was quite unable to compress the stout wire coil running around the rubber hose. he fancied he could see a grim smile of contempt upon the features of his foe. suddenly callaghan changed his tactics. still holding on to the airtube he began to retreat towards the "meteor." the unknown diver had, perforce, to follow, and since his speed was less than that of the men equipped with the restronguet apparatus, he could not hope to overtake the irishman. dacres saw the latter's plan, and he, too, made for the side of the partially-submerged airship. it seemed as if nothing could prevent the stranger from being ignominiously hauled to the surface alongside the "meteor's" wire ladder, until he caught sight of one arm and a fluke of an old anchor that was almost buried in the sand. round the projecting ironwork he took a turn with the flexible pipe, and the united efforts of his two foes were unable to make him budge another step. the only solution as far as dacres could suggest was to return to the surface and get hold of a length of rope wire. by this means the unknown diver could be capsized, made a prisoner and be taken to the airship. the only objection was that some time must necessarily elapse before the wire could be obtained, and in the interval the stranger would make good his escape. while he was pondering over the problem dacres saw a huge object heading straight towards him with tremendous speed. the next instant his antagonist was thrown forward, his legs working convulsively in spite of the leaden weights on his boots, while his weapons dropped from his outstretched arms. then came a terrific blast as the air under considerable pressure burst from the man's diving-dress, while all around the water was tinged with blood. an enormous swordfish, its bulk intensified by the magnifying effect of the water, had charged the unfortunate diver from behind and had impaled him on the long, sharp, horny spike that projected from its head. shaking the lifeless body like a terrier does a rat the swordfish strove to disengage its formidable weapon. dacres knew that either he or his comrade would be the next object of attack, since the ferocious swordfish is never satisfied with one victim. discretion urged him to make a speedy retreat while there was still an opportunity, but his sense of devotion to his companion soon put that idea out of his head. holding his electric fork well in front of him, the sub steeled his nerves and approached his latest foe, which was still striving to withdraw its "sword" from its victim's body. but dacres was forestalled. callaghan, being more in the wake of the fiercely-struggling fish, made his way through the blood-stained water and drove his electric weapon deeply into the leather-like skin. giving one tremendous jerk that sent the irishman on his back the swordfish became as rigid as if it were a frozen carcass of mutton in a ship's refrigerator. as quickly as possible callaghan regained his feet. his hibernian blood was up. securing the knife that had fallen from the grasp of the slain diver he plunged the blade deeply--not once but many times--into the carcass of the swordfish. at length, satisfied with his efforts, callaghan desisted, and pointed towards the "meteor." although encased in the metal helmet the sub shook his head. the irishman saw the gesture. dacres meant to follow the length of airtube, through which the air was still being pumped by the dead man's assistants, who were in ignorance of what had occurred, although the manometer told them that something was amiss. chapter xxxiii. news of durango. for nearly two hundred feet the two divers trudged over the sandy bed, till the airtube rising obliquely towards the surface told them that they were near the end of their quest. overhead was a rectangular floating body measuring roughly twenty feet by ten. dacres had found out enough to identify the craft as a kind of floating store. he remembered having seen it moored in the harbour, but previously there had been nothing to arouse his suspicions. he touched the irishman's hand, and pointed towards the now invisible "meteor." the two men tramped slowly back in the direction of the airship till they came in sight of the corpse of the unfortunate diver and the body of the dead swordfish. again dacres came to a halt. the idea of taking the body of the victim on board flashed across his mind. perhaps the man might be identified. taking possession of the dead man's axe he commenced to hew laboriously at the horny substance in the head of the swordfish. it was a lengthy task, but at length the stubborn bone was severed. "man, i thought you were done for," exclaimed vaughan whittinghame, as soon as dacres' head-dress was removed. "what has happened?" the captain and the crew of the "meteor" had good cause to think that something terrible had overtaken their comrades, for the water all around was tinged with blood and agitated by the air-bubbles that were still being thrown up through the severed tube. "we're all right," said the sub. "we caught the fellow fairly in the act of boring holes in the under sheathing." "you killed him?" the sub shook his head. "no," he replied. "there will be direct evidence in a few moments. callaghan is still busy down there. will you have a weighted line lowered, sir?" while two members of the crew were divesting dacres of his borrowed diving-suit a rope was lowered over the side, and the rest of the crew eagerly watched the course of events. presently the irishman's helmet appeared above the surface, then his shoulders and arms. holding on to the ladder with one hand he motioned with the other for the men to haul away. up came the corpse of the unknown diver transfixed by the pointed weapon of the swordfish. "it might have been one of us, sir," said dacres. "get the man on board and let's see who he is," ordered the captain. "that's where he descended," announced the sub, pointing to the galvanized shed on the raft. "if we are fairly sharp we ought to nab the whole crowd before they become alarmed." "good!" ejaculated captain whittinghame. "mr. setchell, will you please send a message to the flagship and request that an armed boat's crew be sent as soon as possible." in double quick time a cutter was observed to leave the "repulse." the men, instinctively realizing that the matter was urgent, bent to their oars with a will. "there's been an attempt made to scuttle the 'meteor,'" exclaimed whittinghame to the lieutenant in charge of the boat. "the fellows are operating from yonder house-boat or raft." "they're still there, i suppose?" asked the officer. "we haven't seen them leave. can you board and investigate?" "certainly," was the reply, and ordering his men to give way the lieutenant instructed the coxswain to pull straight for the raft. eagerly the crew of the airship watched the departing cutter. as she ran alongside the floating store the oars were boated, and the seamen, armed with rifles and bayonets, clambered on to the platform surrounding the iron shed. the lieutenant knocked once without receiving any reply. he knocked again. this time he was greeted by a revolver shot, the bullet passing completely through the door and missing the officer's body by a hand's breadth. another and another shot came in quick succession, but at the first sign of resistance the lieutenant and his men had thrown themselves flat upon the platform. "give it to them hot, men," shouted the officer. seven lee-enfields spoke almost simultaneously the bullets, passing completely through the frail galvanized iron sheeting, whistled high above the british ships lying half a mile away in the open roadstead. from within the hut came groans and shrieks for mercy, while from a small window was thrust a white handkerchief fastened to the staff of a boathook. one of the seamen, putting his shoulder to the frail door, quickly burst it open. in rushed the bluejackets, presently to emerge with four uninjured but badly scared men and two slightly-wounded ones as the result of their prompt action. "do you know any of these gentlemen, sir?" asked the lieutenant unconcernedly as the cutter returned to the "meteor." "i do," declared gerald whittinghame. "they are some of durango's gang. three of them, at least, were members of the crew of the 'libertad.'" "never!" ejaculated his brother incredulously. "we left the 'libertad' a total wreck. the survivors were known to have made for the brazilian frontier." "all the same, i'm certain i'm right," persisted gerald. "ask the lieutenant to send the men on board and we will question them." to this proposal the "repulse's" officer raised no objection. the six valderians were made to enter the airship. the two wounded ones were handed over to dr. hambrough's care, while the others were told to stand against one of the bulkheads, with an armed man between each to prevent any further act of violence. the prisoners maintained a sullen silence when questioned by gerald whittinghame. promises to be treated with leniency and threats if they refused to divulge their employer's whereabouts alike were useless. the valderians apparently realized that being in the power of the british their lives were safe. had they thought otherwise fear would have compelled them to speak to save themselves from summary execution. "i'll take the whole jolly lot back to the flagship, sir," said the lieutenant. "no doubt the admiral will send them ashore with the request that the new president of valderia will deal with them as he thinks fit." "one moment," replied vaughan whittinghame. "suppose we see if we can identify the fellow in the diver's suit. it might even be durango himself." the body of the dead diver had been removed from where it had been lying close to the entry port, and had been placed in a compartment out of the sight of the captives as they were being brought on board. when the head-dress was removed gerald whittinghame tapped his brother on the shoulder. "now are you convinced?" he asked. "i don't know the man," replied the captain. "but i do. that is sebastian lopez, the fellow who took command of the 'libertad' when she left naocuanha to pick up reno durango at salto augusto. i don't mind staking any amount that durango has doubled on his tracks and is somewhere in valderian territory." "hardly likely with those submarine plans in his possession," demurred captain whittinghame. "he knows that valderia is no go as far as he is concerned. he'll be making his way as fast as he can to europe, to raise money on the plans." "when it's a choice between cupidity and revenge there's no telling what the mexican will do," declared gerald. "my opinion is that he is somewhere about, and has bribed these men to cripple the 'meteor.' i admit they went a clumsy way about it, for they could easily have fixed an electrically-fired mine under the aircraft and blown her to atoms. look here; the best thing we can do is to separate the prisoners and try to get them to open their mouths." "good idea!" asserted the lieutenant of the "repulse." "if you threaten to hand them over to president desiro i should think they'll listen to reason pretty smartly." "very well, then," assented the captain. "so long as you have no objection i haven't; they are your prisoners, you know." the first valderian to be questioned maintained an obstinate silence. at the threat of being sent ashore to be dealt with by the new president he merely shrugged his shoulders. "take him away," ordered vaughan whittinghame impatiently. "they show far greater solicitude for their rascally leader than durango would show towards them." "before you have the next prisoner brought in we'll arrange a little dramatic episode," said the flagship's lieutenant. "i'll order my men to fire a volley." "by all means," assented whittinghame. "i quite follow you." having given his boat's crew orders for each man to break out a bullet from a cartridge and load with the blank, the lieutenant told the men to fire. the sharp crack of musketry resounded from one end of the airship to the other. when the second prisoner was ushered in he was pale and trembling. he was now fully convinced that the faith he had in the englishman's reluctance to take life was a mistake, for in his mind he felt certain that the volley he had just heard meant the summary execution of his predecessor. "pay attention," exclaimed gerald whittinghame sternly. he had been deputed to act as cross-examiner-in-chief, and his intimate knowledge of spanish stood him in good stead. "pay attention: you have been caught in the act of committing an outrage on the property of a friendly nation; for it is useless to attempt to excuse yourself on the grounds that you were unaware of the settlement of the differences between great britain and valderia. we mean to take extreme measures with you, unless----" vaughan's brother paused in order that his words should carry weight, while the incompleted sentence indicated that even yet the prisoner might expect clemency. "unless you tell us all you know of the whereabouts of señor reno durango. do not attempt to deceive us. already we know a great deal, so if you tell us anything that we know to be false you will have good cause to wish you had held your tongue." "señor, i speak the truth," replied the valderian. "i have been made to do what i have done. i swear it----" "we do not ask you about your part of the affair," interrupted gerald. "what we want to know, and what we insist on finding out, relates to durango." "señor, he is not in zandovar." "that i know," said whittinghame. it was a sheer piece of bluff, for up to the present he had had a suspicion that the mexican might have returned. "nor is he in naocuanha." "we do not wish to know where he is not, but where he is." "señor, i know not." gerald whittinghame pulled out his watch. "you are lying," he thundered. "i give you thirty seconds. at the end of that time if you do not tell the truth----" and he pointed significantly towards the door. the silence was so intense that the ticking of the watch could be distinctly heard. the prisoner's face was working spasmodically. "twenty-eight, twenty-nine ----" counted gerald. before he could say the word "thirty" the valderian leapt upon him like a tiger. the watch was hurled across the cabin, while ere whittinghame and his companions quite realized what was taking place the prisoner was clawing gerald's face like a wild cat. two or three of the "meteor's" crew threw themselves upon the violent prisoner and secured him. "shoot me!" he shouted defiantly. "shoot me, you english cowards! i will not tell." "take him below," ordered gerald. "he is a jolly sight braver than most of his countrymen. you will not be shot," he added, addressing the valderian. "by jove! if they are all like that fellow we shan't learn very much," remarked vaughan to his brother, after the man had been led away to join the first prisoner. "either durango has put black fear into their hearts, or else they regard him as a hero worthy of any sacrifice." "we'll try the effect of another volley, sir," suggested the lieutenant from the "repulse." "number three may be made of different stuff." the third prisoner certainly was. with the report of the rifles ringing in his ears he was ushered into the cabin. he, too, thought he was to be sent to execution, and in the hope of saving his life he most readily agreed to tell all he knew concerning his chief. durango, two days after the destruction of the "libertad," had made off for salto augusto, accompanied by two men who had served under von harburg, while the other survivors, under his orders, went to naocuanha. apparently, the mexican thought better of attempting the hazardous journey on foot across the voyocama desert; for on the eve of the fall of the valderian capital he arrived at naocuanha. without attempting to inform president zaypuru of his presence, the mexican called together his remaining partisans and ordered them to destroy or at least seriously cripple the airship as she lay in the inner harbour. his idea was not merely to revenge himself upon his rival, but to prevent whittinghame from pursuing him. he had left zandovar that morning for nazca, a small seaport in peru. "for what reason is durango going to nazca?" demanded gerald whittinghame. "señor, i do not know. i can only guess, for the señor durango rarely told us of his plans. i know that at nazca dwells an inventor who has constructed a boat that can fly through the air. some months ago this inventor wrote to president zaypuru and offered to sell him the craft, but durango advised the president to have nothing to do with it. perhaps, now, durango will buy it. _quien sabe?_" "how long will it take durango to reach nazca?" "he has but to ride to tuiche: there he will find an aeroplane," replied the prisoner. "that will do; remove him," ordered gerald, then turning to his brother he added, "we must be off almost at once, if we are to catch the villain. how long will it take for the 'meteor' to be ready for flight?" "twenty minutes," replied vaughan calmly. chapter xxxiv. the chase. "twenty minutes," repeated gerald blankly. "why, she's half a dozen ballonettes useless." "quite so," assented the captain. "fortunately they are all in the lowermost tier. we can make use of the emergency compartments. now, dacres, will you see about making ready to slip the moorings?" quickly the "repulse's" lieutenant and his men boarded their cutter, taking with them the valderian prisoners. since whittinghame was not under the orders of rear-admiral maynebrace he did not have to request "permission to part company"; but he paid the admiral the compliment, sending the message by the lieutenant. within a few minutes of that officer's return to the flagship the "repulse" signalled, "wish you success." the "meteor" rose slowly to a height of three hundred feet. even then the whole of the ultra-hydrogen at whittinghame's disposal had to be brought into play. the airship possessed sufficient gas barely to counteract the attraction of gravity. to increase the altitude she would have to depend solely upon her elevating planes unless some of the stores could be ruthlessly sacrificed, for there was no ballast available. at quarter speed the "meteor" passed immediately over the flagship's masts, dipped her ensign, then circling, bore away northward for the peruvian coast. "it's getting serious," declared captain whittinghame to dacres. "the supply of ultra-hydrogen is less than i thought. we'll stick to it and attempt to run durango's new craft down. after that the best thing we can do is to make for jamaica, and wait there until we get a fresh consignment of ultra-hydrogen from home." "there's a leakage somewhere," said the sub. "yes, unfortunately. still, it is not to be wondered at, after what the 'meteor' has gone through. no doubt our hurried repairs after the scrap with the 'libertad' were not carried out so carefully as we could have wished." "and the motors, sir?" "thank goodness they are good for another twenty thousand miles, if necessary. one couldn't hope for a more economical fuel than cordite." "i suppose we could, if necessary, rest on the surface of the sea and carry on under power?" "we could, provided the water were sufficiently calm. all the same, dacres, i don't want to have to do it. the air is my sphere, my lad. ha! we're approaching nazca, i can see. keep a good look out in case we spot this flying boat arrangement. i'm rather curious to see what it is like." "but if durango hasn't started yet and spots the 'meteor' approaching? he'll give us the slip." "he cannot go far without being noticed in a strange country," replied vaughan whittinghame cheerfully. "we have an extradition treaty with peru, you know." "he may disguise himself." "more than likely; but to what end? had he made for a large city like lima or even callao he might escape notice. but in a little place like nazca, why, he's playing into our hands." both men remained silent for a few moments, then dacres blurted out:-- "it is awfully good of you, sir, to make it all right at the admiralty for me." "nonsense!" protested captain whittinghame. "i knew you'd be pleased. one can generally take it for granted that when a young fellow cuts off his nose to spite his face he's genuinely sorry for it, even though he won't admit it. now, honestly, weren't you jolly sick about having to leave the 'royal oak'?" "i'm very glad i joined the 'meteor,' sir." "that's no answer to my question, dacres." "well, then, i don't mind having to leave the 'royal oak,' but i'm awfully pleased to find that i am still an officer of the royal navy." "then, i wasn't far out in my estimation, dacres. all's well that ends well, you know." "it hasn't ended yet," rejoined the sub, pointing to the land, which was now only a mile off. "now for durango." captain whittinghame telegraphed for the propellers to be stopped. slowly the "meteor" descended, alighting on the south side of the town of nazca. practically all the inhabitants, preceded by the alcalde, came out to see the unwonted sight of a huge airship flying the british colours, the mayor tendering the hospitality of nazca to the visitors during their stay. "we do not remain long, señor alcalde," replied gerald whittinghame. "we are in pursuit of an outlaw, one reno durango, who has fled from valderia. we heard, on good authority, that he came hither." "all strangers arriving at nazca are known to us, señor," said the portly alcalde. "no one of that name has set foot in our town." gerald whittinghame showed no sign of disappointment at the information. it was as he had expected. "i believe, señor," he remarked, "that you have an inventor who has built a kind of boat that is capable of flying?" "ah, yes," replied the alcalde. "then you, too, are anxious to purchase the boat? i fear you are too late, for an english milord has just taken her away." "i think i know the gentleman," said gerald. "would you mind describing him to me?" the mayor's description left no doubt as to the identity of the supposed english "milord." durango had forestalled them. "ask the alcalde if the inventor of the boat is present," suggested vaughan, after his brother had explained the conversation. "here he is, señor jaurez is his name," announced the mayor, indicating an alert little peruvian, who was paying more attention to the visible details of the "meteor" than to the conversation between the chief magistrate of nazca and the officers of the airship. señor jaurez elbowed his way through the crowd. his face was beaming in anticipation of booking another order. "what is the radius of action of your flying-boat, señor?" asked gerald, prompted by his brother. "a hundred leagues, señors; that is without replenishing the petrol-tanks. i could, of course, construct another boat with twice or even thrice the capacity. perhaps your worships would like to pay a visit to my hacienda?" "we regret, señor," replied whittinghame, not to be outdone in courtesy, "that such a course is at present impossible. might we ask what is the speed of your flying boat?" the peruvian explained that under favourable conditions a rate equivalent to eighty-five miles per hour was possible. "we'll overtake his craft in three hours, then," said vaughan to his brother. "now, let us bid farewell to nazca." the "meteor" resumed her quest. durango's destination was unknown. he had gone in a northerly direction, and since it was very unlikely that he would take overland a craft designed to alight upon the sea, it was reasonable to conclude that he would attempt a landing in equador or columbia, seeing that, now his identity was established, he dare not seek refuge in peruvian territory. flying at her greatest speed the "meteor" skirted the coast line. every little harbour and creek capable of affording refuge to the winged boat--which by reason of its two forty-feet planes was very conspicuous--were carefully swept by the aid of binoculars. at truxillo the airship brought up to hail a peruvian man-of-war lying in the harbour. the officer of the watch replied that a hydro-aeroplane had passed overhead less than an hour previously, bound north. the motors, he added, were apparently giving trouble. "good! we're gaining rapidly!" ejaculated captain whittinghame. "i hope to goodness we pick the fellow up before dark, or he may give us the slip--but only for a time. as long as the 'meteor' is capable of keeping the air i will continue the pursuit." two hours later the "meteor" was above the small town of mancora. ahead lay the broad expanse of the deep indentation of the gulf of guayaquil--practically the only large break in the coastline on the pacific coast between corcovado gulf in southern chile and the bay of panama. the question was: had durango crossed it, or had he skirted the shore? by adopting either course he would quickly reach equadorean territory, where he would be able to land without fear of arrest. "we will make inquiries; it will save time," declared whittinghame, as he telegraphed for the propellers to be stopped. descending to within fifty feet of the plaza the "meteor" hung motionless in the air. gerald whittinghame promptly hailed the throng of spectators. a hundred voices shouted in reply, while a hundred hands pointed in a northerly direction; but not a word was intelligible to the crew. whittinghame tried again, only to be greeted by a chorus that conveyed no information to the anxious members of the "meteor's" crew. "evidently he's gone straight across the gulf," declared vaughan. "we'll carry on. we are only wasting precious time." "one moment," protested his brother. "here, take hold of this rope and let me down. i'll soon find out." four of the crew paid out the rope, and gerald, turning like a joint on a meat-jack, was lowered to earth. instantly he was surrounded by a mob of ever curious townsfolk all pointing, shouting, and pushing each other with the utmost vehemence. the airship, drifting slowly in the faint breeze, carried gerald along the ground, and the crowd moved too. "hurry up!" shouted vaughan. "you'll be jammed up against the wall of that building in half a minute." "haul away, then," bawled his brother in reply, at the same time throwing his arms round one of the most loquacious of his attentive audience. the man struggled, but unavailingly. his companions, too astounded to come to his aid, watched him being taken up in the iron grip of the englishman. then, realizing that should he break away there would be an ever-increasing drop that would end fatally to him, the peruvian changed his tactics and clung with desperation to his captor. "we will not hurt you, señor," said gerald reassuringly, as the two men were hauled into safety within the "meteor." "we merely want information, and then we will land you in safety. here is a five dollar piece for you." "what information do you want, señor?" asked the peruvian, after testing the coin betwixt his teeth. the gold reassured him. had his life or liberty been in danger he would not have been treated in this lavish fashion. "the boat that flies, señor?" he repeated. "_madre!_ of course i have seen her. did not all of us say so?" "but we could not understand: you were all shouting together. now, where did you see that flying-boat?" "señor, she came down just outside the town not an hour ago. there were three men in her. two were valderians. their master was not. he bought petrol: four cans of it. he poured the petrol into a metal flask in the boat and went on his way, over yonder," and the peruvian pointed due north. with the utmost celerity the fellow was lowered to his native soil, and again the "meteor" darted ahead. every man was now keenly on the alert. all depended upon durango's craft being sighted before the sun dipped behind the waters of the pacific. only forty minutes' of daylight remained. "land right ahead, sir," reported one of the crew. "that's st. helena point, then," declared captain whittinghame. "we've done a hundred miles in an hour and ten minutes. nothing much wrong with the motors as far as we are concerned." the next instant he devoutedly wished he hadn't spoken in this strain, for with a terrific crash one of the blades of the foremost port propeller became detached from the boss. sheering through the aluminium cylinder protecting the double propellers, it ripped the metal to such an extent that a long strip of wreckage caught the remaining blade, snapping it off close to the base. the motor raced furiously until parsons, knowing that something was amiss, promptly cut off the detonator. "that's done it!" ejaculated vaughan whittinghame disgustedly. "that is the result of boasting." "repairable?" asked dr. hambrough. "yes, but not now. we can't afford to bring up for repairs. how's the steering, quartermaster?" "rather hard on her helm, sir," replied that worthy. "she wants to come round to port, sir." "i thought so," rejoined the captain. "that's caused by the unequal drive of the starboard engines. we must carry on and risk the consequences." he glanced at the speed indicator. the "meteor" was still travelling through the air at one hundred and twenty miles an hour. "we're gaining thirty at least on that villain," continued vaughan. for the time being he appeared to give slight attention to the damage done to his beloved airship. his whole thoughts were centred upon the pursuit of durango. only ten more minutes to sunset. "get the two bow searchlights connected up," ordered the captain. "see that new carbons are used. it will be like chasing a mouse by candlelight, but we----" "there she is, sir!" interrupted callaghan excitedly. "where?" asked whittinghame, rushing to one of the scuttles on the port bow, and following the direction of the irishman's outstretched arm. "you're right, callaghan. hurrah! we've overtaken her." such indeed was the case. evidently durango had gone a couple of points out of his course in the dash across the mouth of the gulf of guayaquil. consequently, although the crew of the "meteor" were unaware of it until a few moments previously, the airship had drawn level with her quarry, but on a divergent course; while--another point in her favour--she was between the flying-boat and the shores of equador. "starboard your helm, quartermaster," ordered the captain. round swung the "meteor" till her bows pointed straight for the object of her pursuit. durango and his two companions, ignorant of the fact that they were being followed, were possibly contemplating a welcome rest on neutral ground, when one of the valderians caught sight of their arch-enemy bearing down upon them hand over fist. the crew of the "meteor" saw the mexican literally push the helmsman aside and grip the steering-wheel. the aerial boat turned almost as rapidly as a racing yacht, and made, not for the coast, but due west towards the wide pacific. down plunged the sun--a red orb in a ruddy sky. night was about to fall upon the scene of the desperate race between the airship and her prey. chapter xxxv. the thunderstorm. "where's he making for?" asked the doctor. vaughan whittinghame paid no apparent heed to the question. his eyes seemed riveted upon the small dark object against the crimson glow of the brief tropical sunset. it was dacres who answered hambrough's query. "i believe he's making a dash for the galapagos islands," he replied. "it's a matter of six hundred and fifty odd miles." "if the fellow had any sense he would keep on doubling," said gerald. "quick as we are that craft can turn like a top. it would be like a hare dodging a hound." "don't send him any telepathic messages, mr. whittinghame," said the doctor. "the sooner we nab him the better. i am beginning to see what a london theatre looks like again." "now, if you were a kinematograph operator you'd make your fortune, doctor," remarked setchell. the captain half turned his head. one glance was enough. the inconsequent conversation annoyed him. the rest of the officers promptly subsided. "switch on, there," he ordered curtly. the two powerful beams shot out into the now fast gathering gloom. both were focussed upon the fugitive. the flying-boat looked as if made of silver, floating motionless in the air, for the "meteor's" speed had been reduced till the relative rates of the two craft were practically the same. had captain whittinghame wished he could have ordered the bow-gun to be manned, and the result would be a foregone conclusion. owing to engine trouble durango's craft was capable of travelling only at the comparatively slow rate of sixty miles an hour. at that speed the ordnance of the "meteor" could be brought into action. but the captain of the airship, apart from his desire to recover the stolen plans, was averse to taking life unless absolutely necessary. he would pursue the mexican until the latter, through sheer exhaustion or inability on the part of his craft to keep running, would be compelled to surrender. onwards and onwards tore the two craft, the huge airship in pursuit of the midget aerial boat. durango made no attempt to double. it was his only chance, and for some unknown reason he failed to avail himself of his loophole of escape. the two whittinghames, dacres, and the doctor remained in the lower fore observation room, their eyes fixed upon the apparently stationary object upon which the two searchlights played relentlessly. not a word was spoken. the rapt attention of the watchers was centred upon their prey. presently durango relinquished the steering-wheel, his place being taken by one of his valderian companions. stooping he drew a small leather bag from one of the lockers, opened it and produced a bundle of papers. for a few moments he paused irresolutely, alternately looking at the tied-up parcel of documents and at the relentless dreadnought of the air. then, standing up and steadying himself against the furious blast that whirled past the boat, he poised the packet. a muttered ejaculation burst from vaughan whittinghame's lips. this, then, was to be the fate of the precious submarine plans, for such the documents undoubtedly were. the mexican was on the point of letting the packet fall when the second valderian touched him on the shoulder and said something. durango shook his head. again the valderian spoke, seemingly in remonstrance. just then a vivid flash of lightning threw the boundless expanse of sea into strong relief. a tropical storm was brewing. although there was practically no wind and the sea was as smooth as glass it was quite evident that the "meteor" and her prey were heading towards the storm-centre. a glance at the barometer showed dacres that, allowing for the difference in altitude when the instrument was last set, the mercury had dropped nearly three-quarters of an inch in two hours. suddenly the helmsman of the flying-boat put the vertical rudder hard over. round spun the craft like a top, tilting to a dangerous angle as she did so. the unexpected movement took durango by surprise, and unable to retain his balance he sprawled ignominiously upon the floor-boards. the precious plans slipped from his grasp. as the fugitive boat swerved from her former course the quartermaster, running the port searchlight of the "meteor," promptly swung the giant beam in the hope of following the elusive craft. the effort was in vain. the object of the chase darted out of the path of brilliant light and was instantly swallowed up in the darkness. "after searchlights, there!" ordered captain whittinghame on the telephone. "switch on and try to pick up the flying boat." at the same time the "meteor's" vertical rudders were put hard over, while the remaining propellers on the port side were set astern to assist in the more rapid manoeuvring of the airship. four searchlights swept the air in all directions. yet although it seemed impossible that any object floating in space within the limits of the beams could escape detection there were no signs of the craft containing durango and his two companions. "perhaps, sir, she crumpled her planes when she turned," suggested dacres. "quite possible," assented captain whittinghame. "in that case she has a drop of nearly eight thousand feet before she hits the surface of the sea." "then, it will be useless to expect to recover the plans," said dr. hambrough. "it does not matter so long as we know they are destroyed," replied vaughan whittinghame. "the admiralty have others: the danger was that there was a possibility of this set getting into the hands of a foreign power. provided----" his remarks were cut short by a vivid flash of lightning that seemed to envelop completely the now practically stationary airship. almost simultaneously came an ear-splitting detonation. the whole fabric of the dreadnought of the air seemed to quiver. dacres, hambrough, and gerald whittinghame looked at each other. they fully expected to find the "meteor" rent amidships, falling with an ever-increasing rapidity into the sea. the captain was the only man who seemed to ignore the sublime and appalling atmospheric conditions. "keep a look-out!" he exclaimed; "you're missing our only chance." flash succeeded flash with the utmost frequency. the "meteor" was evidently between two huge stores of electricity, for the clouds were not releasing their super-charges to earth. the airship's best chance of safety was to descend to within a few hundred feet of the sea. three ballonettes only were required to be emptied to allow the "meteor" to drop rapidly, until the air, growing denser as she descended, her vertical course would be automatically retarded and eventually stopped. the seaward plunge was awe-inspiring. the airship was passing through a bank of clouds so dense that even the powerful searchlights were as useless as candle lamps in a heavy london fog. yet at about every ten seconds the veil of pitch dark vapour was pierced by flashes of lightning that left the crew blinking like owls suddenly transported from the depths of a lightless cave to the dazzling brilliance of the noonday sun. four thousand feet. the "meteor" was still enveloped in clouds, but to add to the terrors of the situation fierce whirlwinds were assailing her on all sides. in spite of her non-rigidity the unprecedented strain to which she was subjected threatened to break her asunder amidships. the dreadnought of the air was now utterly out of control. at one moment her bows were pointing upwards at an angle of forty-five degrees and to the horizontal. at another she was plunging obliquely with her nose downwards. she rolled like a barrel, and strained and writhed like a human being in torment. elevating planes and vertical rudders were alike useless. the only chance of escape was to drop vertically. staggering to the engine-room indicators the captain ordered the motors to be switched off now the motion was slightly less erratic. hailstones the size of pigeons' eggs were falling upon her aluminium deck--not with the metallic clang that characterizes their fall on the land, but with comparative lightness, for the airship was still within a few hundred feet of the cloud in which the frozen rain-drops were generated. two thousand feet. the "meteor" was now regaining her normal stability. her seaward descent was momentarily becoming slower. she had emerged from the rain-cloud, and although the lightning still played, the danger seemed to have passed. something had to be done to save the airship from violently alighting upon the water. her present rate of retardation was insufficient. "telegraph for half speed ahead," ordered captain whittinghame. "trim the forward elevating planes there, doctor." back came the startling information from both the fore and after motor-rooms: the ignition had failed. "short circuit somewhere," muttered the captain. "i'm not surprised. recharge those three ballonettes, dacres." a thousand feet. with a succession of sharp hisses the ultra-hydrogen escaped from the cylinder in which it had been stored under pressure and re-entered the ballonettes. the crew could feel the sudden check to the downward plunge, but in spite of the additional gas the "meteor" was still falling. the four searchlights were still running: two practically parallel beams showing ahead and two astern. in the after motor-room--whence were actuated the still intact propellers--parsons was hard at work trying to locate the source of the mischief. could these motors be started in time the attraction due to gravity would yet be overcome. suddenly gerald whittinghame gave a shout and pointed towards the starboard observation scuttle. dacres was just in time to see an object falling--falling with extraordinary irregularity. it was durango's flying-boat. she was describing a succession of "loops," while her motors were still running. in the path of the starboard searchlights' rays she appeared to check her downward course; then lurching ahead made straight for the bows of the "meteor." just as it seemed as if a collision were imminent the wrecked craft dipped and passed into cimmerian darkness. "he's done for, by jove!" "what's that?" asked captain whittinghame, who had heard his brother's exclamation but had failed to see the reason for it. "durango--smashed up," reported dacres. vaughan whittinghame made no audible remark. h e realized that the "meteor" herself was in peril. in the face of impending disaster one is apt to banish thoughts of vengeance. two hundred feet. dacres glanced at his watch and looked inquiringly at his chief. "well?" asked the captain laconically. "we're hardly falling, sir," said the sub. "our downward course is being greatly retarded----" "you're right, by jove!" exclaimed whittinghame. "all the same, i wish parsons could get those motors to start." his hopes were not to be realized for the present. with a barely perceptible jar the airship alighted on the surface of the pacific. her searchlights played upon an unruffled expanse of calm water. the storm had been confined to the upper strata of the atmosphere. "heave out the sea-anchor in case it comes on to blow," ordered vaughan whittinghame. "we're safe for the present. mr. dacres, will you please go on deck and obtain a stellar observation? it will be dawn in half an hour; but i would like to ascertain our position in case we drive ashore before daybreak." the sub hurried to carry out his orders. it was a relief, after being cooped up in the confined atmosphere of the observation room of the heaving and pitching "meteor," to breathe in the fresh night air. the searchlights had now been switched off. the airship was floating motionless in a phosphorescent sea. having taken the observation dacres was about to go below and work out his position when a peculiar swirl in the water about a hundred yards to starboard attracted his attention. "surely that's not a reef?" he asked himself. "i wish i had my night-glasses." then came a quick succession of splashes. "sharks--that's what it is. or perhaps a swarm of threshers attacking a whale. a lively commotion! i'll go below and get my binoculars." "anything in sight?" asked captain whittinghame, noticing dacres' haste. "something splashing, sir; i'm just going to get my binoculars." the two men made their way to the upper deck. the sub pointed in the direction he had noticed the commotion, but all was now quiet. a careful examination of the spot by the powerful night-glasses revealed no sign of anything to account for the swirl of the water. "hark! what's that?" demanded whittinghame. "i heard nothing," replied dacres. "could have sworn i heard a man's voice. perhaps my senses are playing me a trick." "it may be the breeze, sir," suggested the sub, as a catspaw ruffled the surface of the placid water. "of course. all the same, i'll have the searchlight trained on the place." for quite ten minutes the beams swung slowly to and fro, but nothing could be seen beyond the ripples on the sea. "there's a vessel approaching, sir," announced dacres, who had been sweeping the horizon with his glasses. "i can just pick up her red and green lights. she's quite five miles off, i should think." "she must have spotted our searchlight, and is altering her course to investigate. pass the word for the searchlight to be switched off, dacres. i don't think we need assistance, unless i'm very much mistaken about parson's capabilities." "there's quite a decent breeze, sir," commented dacres as he prepared to descend the companion ladder. "we must be making a fair drift." "not with that sea-anchor out," said whittinghame. "i don't know about that, sir; you see, we're floating light. i'll work out our position, for i shouldn't be surprised if we are drifting down upon the galapagos." captain whittinghame remained on deck. he was pondering over the fate of his rival, reno durango, and wondering whether he could safely assert that the last of the tasks he had set out to perform had been satisfactorily accomplished. he had witnesses ready to affirm on oath that they had seen the mexican's flying-boat being hurled to destruction. could it unquestionably be taken for granted that the stolen plans of submarine "m i" were no longer in existence to prove a menace to the admittedly superior construction and organization of the british submarine service? the rapid approach of the coming day disturbed vaughan whittinghame's reveries. the vessel whose navigation light dacres had picked up had altered her course and was steaming quite two miles to windward of the practically helpless airship. by the aid of his glasses the captain could see that she was a tramp of about eight hundred tons, and in ballast, for she rose high out of the water, while the tips of her propeller blades could be seen amid the smother of foam under her rudder-post. there was nothing about her to enable whittinghame to determine her nationality. her single funnel was painted a dull black without any colouring bands. even as he looked the tramp starboarded her helm. the dawn had likewise revealed to her sleepy watch on deck the presence of the disabled airship. she was on the point of steaming down in the hope of earning a salvage job. "no use, my friend," quoth vaughan. the next moment he burst into a hearty laugh, for the tramp began to circle as if to resume her former course. the acceptance of his muttered advice to a vessel a mile and a half away tickled his sense of humour. "hulloa! what is the move now, i wonder?" he exclaimed. he might well evince curiosity, for instead of holding on to her former course, which was practically due north, the tramp was slowly turning due east. even as he watched, whittinghame could see that the cascade of foam under her rudder had vanished. she had stopped her engines. apparently the vessel was still carrying too much way, for again her propellers churned up the froth, this time for less than half a minute. men were hanging over her port side and lowering ropes. "good heavens!" ejaculated whittinghame aghast. chapter xxxvi. the abandoned flying-boat. whittinghame could now see the reason for the manoeuvre. one of the derricks of the stumpy foremast was swung outboard. her donkey-engine began to work, and from the sea, with the water pouring out of her, was hoisted the waterlogged flying-boat. the plane on her port-side had completely vanished, and only a few fragments of her starboard one remained. standing amidships and steadying themselves by the spars of the lifting tackle were three men--reno durango and his valderian crew. when the crippled craft was half-way up the side of the tramp the donkey-engine stopped. the captain of the vessel, leaning over the bridge rail, shouted to the three castaways. durango replied, vigorously shaking his head and gesticulating wildly in the direction of the "meteor." apparently his protests were unavailing, for he grasped a rope trailing from the tramp's rail and clambered on board. his companions followed suit. the argument proceeded. evidently the master of the cargo vessel wished to steam towards the airship, and to this suggestion durango demurred strongly. after a while the wrecked flying-boat was lowered into the water again, and the lifting tackle cast off, the mexican pointing towards the abandoned craft and talking volubly. with a shrug of his shoulders the skipper walked to the centre of the bridge and telegraphed to the engine-room. the tramp's propeller began to revolve, and the lumbering vessel gathered way. for some moments durango stood as if in despair, then leaning over the bridge-rail shook his fist at the disabled airship. through his binoculars captain whittinghame saw his expression clearly. the rogue, despite his own troubles and obvious disappointment, was gloating over his rival's misfortunes. without saying a word to his comrades in the observation room, vaughan whittinghame went below and made his way to the after engine-room, where parsons was found lying on his back with portions of the partly-stripped motor all around him. "how long, now?" asked the captain. "a couple of hours, maybe, sir," replied the engineer. "can you manage in an hour? the after-motors will be sufficient." "i'll try my best, sir," replied parsons, unwilling to commit himself. "very good; carry on," rejoined his superior, and without another word he left the engineer to do his level best towards restoring the motors to a state of efficiency. "we are sixty-four miles east a quarter north of the galapagos, sir," announced dacres. "thank you," replied vaughan. "just one minute, mr. dacres; will you please come on deck with me?" the sub followed his chief. whittinghame said nothing more until the two officers were out of earshot and on the deck of the water-borne airship. "there's the vessel whose lights you picked up an hour ago, dacres." "yes, sir; has she communicated?" "she apparently meant to, but changed her mind. do you see something floating about two and a half miles dead to windward of us?" the sub brought his telescope to bear in the direction indicated. it took him some time to locate the object, as it was almost in the reflected glare of the early morning sun. "i have it, sir," he said. "what do you make of it?" "cannot say, sir. wreckage of some sort." "it is," added whittinghame. "more, it is the wreck of the flying-boat, and that rascal durango has eluded us again." "surely he didn't survive the fall?" "he did. i saw him boarding yonder tramp. now, this is what i want you to do: take a compass bearing of the wreckage, and observe the direction and rate of our drift. in an hour parsons hopes to have the after-propellers working. we will then forge ahead and investigate durango's flying-boat. do not say a word to any of the others until after breakfast. i know them: they would throw aside any idea of food until we are fit to get under way; and, with all due respect to their zeal, i am no believer in a man working on an empty stomach." in exactly forty-nine minutes from the time that the captain left the motor-room, parsons had the engines ready for work. the fault, once discovered, was easy to remedy. "gentlemen," began the captain after the morning meal was over, "i have unpleasant news to announce; but i can rely upon your co-operation sufficiently to know that you will face it with your characteristic determination. reno durango is not only alive, but he is on board the vessel we saw approaching us just before dawn. fortunately we are no longer in a totally crippled state. although the supply of ultra-hydrogen is insufficient to lift the bulk of the 'meteor' our after-motors are once more in working order. i propose, therefore, to bring the 'meteor' up to the wreck of the flying-boat and investigate. we will then take a drastic step. we will pump all the remaining ultra-hydrogen in nos. and compartments into nos. and ; abandon and scuttle the first two compartments i have mentioned, and resume the pursuit in a 'meteor' that will be only two-fifths of the size of the one that left england only a few weeks ago. i mean to chase that rascal as long as there is sufficient buoyancy to keep us in the air and as long as an ounce of cordite remains to actuate the motors." "hear, hear!" exclaimed the doctor, as if he were at a medical students' smoking concert. the others present contented themselves by inclining their heads, but resolution was plainly visible on their bronzed features. the "meteor" was navigated from the upper deck, her course set according to dacres' observations. meanwhile, owing to the now steady breeze the airship had drifted nearly five miles from the scene of the disaster. "there she is, sir," shouted the look-out man, "a point on the starboard bow." travelling at a modest ten knots the waterborne craft made straight for the flying-boat that was lying practically awash in the slight swell. owing to her immense bulk and to the fact that she had little or no grip upon the water the airship was almost unmanageable. to run to leeward of the wreck was to court disaster, for the thin aluminium plates were especially liable to be stove in should they come in contact with the water-logged craft. "i'll swim to her, sir," said dacres. "if we bring the 'meteor' bows on to the wreckage i can easily take a light line to her and make her fast. she will serve as a good sea-anchor while we make investigations." "how about sharks?" objected whittinghame. "must risk that, sir. a couple of men with rifles will scare them off." "very good; i'll see that they are the best shots we have on board. i shouldn't like to see you plugged, dacres--especially by one of our own men." dacres smiled, then proceeded to strip. waiting till the "meteor" was dead to leeward of the remains of the flying-boat, and moving ahead only enough to counteract the drift caused by the wind, the sub lowered himself over the bows. round his waist was made fast one end of a length of mackerel-line, which though strong was not heavy enough to impede his progress. "pay out!" he shouted, at the same time slipping into the sea. the water was agreeably warm and remarkably buoyant. dacres swam with ease, fifty strokes being sufficient to enable him to gain the wreck. as he scrambled over the gunwale the boat dipped stern-foremost, but on sitting on one of the thwarts with the water up to his chin she quickly resumed a horizontal position. dacres' first act upon getting on board was to haul in the light line, to which was attached a stout grass rope. the latter he made fast to a bollard in the bows of the craft, which enabled the "meteor" to ride comfortably to her practically submerged "mooring." considering the weight of her motors it seemed wonderful that the flying-boat kept awash, till the sub discovered that fore and aft were air-tight lockers. indeed, the hull of the boat seemed but little damaged. evidently as she was executing a loop she struck the water with very little speed in a vertical direction. it was certainly strange that durango and his companion had not been hurled clear of her as she fell, and the only conclusion dacres could come to was that the men when they felt their craft falling must have thrown themselves under the waterways and held on tightly during her erratic downward plunge. "much amiss?" shouted captain whittinghame. "very little, i believe, sir," replied dacres. "she may be slightly strained." "is she fitted with slings?" "yes, sir." "then, stand by; we'll haul you to windward and abreast of no. section." evidently, thought dacres, the skipper had some scheme in his mind's eye. whittinghame had. it would be possible to stow the boat aboard the airship, for in her curtailed displacement there would be sufficient ultra-hydrogen to lift the slightly added weight. should occasion serve the hull of the flying-boat, if repaired, would make a handy tender. in response to an order several of the crew brought up stout fir spars from below. these they lashed to the deck, allowing their slightly tapered ends to project seven feet clear of the extreme beam of the airship. to these, stout purchase blocks and tackle were secured, the falls manned, and the lower blocks lowered to the water's edge. it was now an easy matter to cant the airship sufficiently for the water-logged craft to be brought immediately under the improvised davits. deftly the sub adjusted the hooks of the lower blocks and gave the word to haul away. under the heavy strain the "meteor" took a list to starboard, and by the time the gunwales of the boat were a foot out of water the airship's decks were at an angle of fifteen degrees. "she won't stand it, sir," expostulated setchell, "unless we station at least twenty men on the port side." "i don't mean her to," replied vaughan whittinghame. "couple up a length of hose to the auxiliary pump. we'll soon throw the water clear of her. one blessing, it shows the boat's topsides are fairly tight. i was rather afraid of it, when i remember seeing the water pour from her as the tramp's derrick heaved away at her; but i suppose it was that she was not slung accurately. any signs of the water leaking out of her, mr. dacres?" "none, sir," replied the sub, who had now emerged from his liquid surroundings, and was perched upon the turtle back deck. "very good. we're sending down a hose." ten minutes later the pump sucked dry. relieved of the weight of water the salvaged boat's keel was a foot clear of the surface, while the "meteor" had practically recovered from her awkward list. the lightly constructed hull and the motor together weighed less than two-and-a-half hundredweight, so that on being hauled up level with the upper deck it was a comparatively easy matter to get the craft inboard and secure her on that part of the platform over no. section. two of the crew, skilled shipwrights, at once proceeded to overhaul the planks, while parsons and his assistant attended to the motor, which, owing to its comparatively short period of submergence, was hardly affected by the salt water. it did not take dacres long to resume his clothing and report himself ready to carry on with his duty, for there was much to be done and very little time in which to do it. all the stores and gear that were absolutely essential were removed from those compartments that were to be abandoned, and carefully stored in the remaining divisions. the ultra-hydrogen was then exhausted and recharged into the ballonettes of the fore and aft sections. in an hour from the time of salving the flying-boat the "meteor" was ready to shed her now superfluous 'midship divisions. meanwhile, dacres and gerald whittinghame had carefully examined the interior of the hull of durango's craft, but no trace of the submarine plans were forthcoming. nor had captain whittinghame seen them in the mexican's possession as he boarded the tramp steamer. during the chase durango had been seen holding the precious documents ready to drop them into space, but none of the men in the "meteor's" observationroom could state definitely what happened to them after the mexican had been thrown upon the floor-boards of the boat. "i wish i knew that they were actually destroyed," said vaughan when the result of the search was reported to him. "circumstantial evidence is always most unsatisfactory. however, durango cannot get away from the ship until she touches port, and long before that i hope to be able to have a few words with him. all ready, there, mr. setchell?" "ay, ay, sir." "all clear aft, there?" "ay, ay, sir," replied dr. hambrough, who looked more like a south american stevedore than a member of an honourable profession, for he had neither spared himself nor his clothing in assisting to clear the condemned divisions of the airship. giving a final glance around to satisfy himself that all was in order, captain whittinghame touched the switch operating the cam-action bolts. instantly the "meteor" split into four separate divisions. the two central ones, stripped of heavy gear and with their ballonettes devoid of gas, rolled over and over on the surface of the sea, for very little water had as yet entered the scuttles, which had been left open. the bow and stern sections shot upwards to a height of nearly a thousand feet. the bow division, being unable to be manoeuvred under motor-power, had to float aimlessly until the after section, skilfully steered under dacres' direction, was brought end on and quickly secured. the "meteor," although now but four hundred and forty feet in length, was again fit to resume her pursuit of the arch-rogue, reno durango. vaughan whittinghame showed no immediate desire to take up the chase. gripping the stanchion rails he lent over the stern, his eyes fixed upon the two cylindrical objects far beneath him: the abandoned sections of his beloved airship. he watched them as they slowly filled. they were no longer lively, but wallowed sluggishly in the slight swell. they sank slowly: quite three-quarters of an hour elapsed ere one section slipped quietly beneath the waves. its downward course was clearly visible long after it had sunk beneath the surface of the pacific. five minutes later no. section plunged to its ocean bed--a sacrifice to the force of circumstances. whittinghame turned abruptly. his eyes looked suspiciously moist, but without a tremor in his voice he gave the order "clear upper deck." chapter xxxvii. the galapagos fishermen. in spite of the drastic reduction in length, and the fact that the motors in the bow section were still disabled, the "meteor" was able to maintain a respectable speed of ninety miles an hour. owing to her comparatively small midship-section she offered less resistance to the wind than do the standard types of british dirigibles. apart from the restriction in crew and store space the only disadvantage of the reduced "meteor" was the fact that she yawed considerably. formerly she was "drawn" by the for'ard propellers and "pushed" by the after ones, but now the tractors were out of action the whole of the driving effort was aft. consequently the motion was rather erratic, the greatest inconvenience being experienced by those of the crew stationed in the bow division. "you there, callaghan?" asked the captain at the telephone communicating with the new wireless room; for previous to abandoning the two midship compartments the wireless operator had transferred his delicate apparatus to a cabin immediately abaft the for'ard motor-room on the starboard side. "ay, ay, sir," replied the irishman. "call up the 'repulse,' will you, and ask the admiral if he can conveniently detach a light cruiser. tell him we are still in pursuit of durango, who is on board a tramp, nationality unknown. our present position is ° ' " n. lat., and ° ' " w. long., approximate." "that ought to settle the business," continued vaughan whittinghame, turning to his comrades in the observation room. "i hardly like the responsibility of compelling a strange vessel to heave-to: it might lead to awkward international complications; besides, it would be a difficult matter for us to board her, even if her skipper offered no objections." "let's hope the admiral will be willing to detach a cruiser," added the doctor. "there is no reason why he should not, as far as i can see, since things have quieted down in valderia. it reminds me----" dr. hambrough's reminiscences were interrupted by the wireless man entering the observation room. "what's amiss now, callaghan?" asked the captain, who could read bad news on the irishman's face. "something wrong, sir," replied the operator. "i can't call up the flagship, nor any other ship or station, if it comes to that. i was very particular, sir, when i transferred the gear----" "when was it last used?" asked vaughan. "at seven o'clock last tuesday, sir." "that was before the storm. i shouldn't wonder if the same electrical disturbance that crippled our motors has not played the wireless a nasty trick. any way, callaghan, see what you can do, unfortunately, we have not monsieur de la fosse with us." the irishman backed out of the cabin. "must make the best of a bad job," continued the captain without visible signs of annoyance at the latest misfortune. "at any rate, we shall have to use discretion when we tackle the business with the tramp. what course do you suggest, mr. dacres?" "i think we ought to wait until we overhaul the vessel, sir; then, when he have discovered her nationality, we can act accordingly. it's a seventy-five per cent chance that she's either a british or a yankee." "but, surely, if she were," demurred setchell, "that rascal wouldn't have the cheek to be taken on board?" "you must remember durango is as full of resource as a christmas turkey is full of stuffing," replied dacres. "he's had the cheek to pose as an englishman--an englishman, mind you!--more than once. it's pretty certain, if the tramp sails under a red ensign, that durango has bluffed her 'old man.' bluffing, as a fine art, is a valuable asset." the "meteor" was now heading n.e. by n., at less than five hundred feet above the sea. she was passing over a number of small sailing craft that reminded the sub of a scene off the dogger. "they are principally engaged in carrying turtles from the galapagos to panama," remarked gerald. "recently there's been a big demand for turtles, and the industry has revived. it's strange that most of the export trade should be carried on in craft like those; yet one rarely hears of any of them coming to grief." "i hope that durango hasn't been put on board one of them!" suggested the irresponsible setchell. "don't say that," expostulated dacres. "mr. setchell has named a possibility," added captain whittinghame. "the thought never occurred to me. if, when we overhaul the tramp, we are satisfied that durango is not on board we can return and make investigations amongst the turtle fleet. it will be a week or more before they fetch panama." by this time a stiff south-easterly breeze had sprung up, so that the drift of the airship was considerable. in less than an hour it had developed into half a gale. "that's the worst of this part of the globe," remarked dacres. "in the doldrums it is either a flat calm or blowing hard enough to carry away one's sticks. there are no half measures." "sail in sight, sir," announced one of the look-out men. "dead ahead." "it's one of those galapagos boats," declared captain whittinghame, after making a careful scrutiny through his binoculars. "poor brute! she's tried to steal a march on the rest of the fleet and has run into this gale of wind." "she's got it well on her starboard quarter, though," said setchell. "she's almost running free." "the worst direction for a craft of that build," added gerald. "look, there goes her canvas, ripped to ribbons." the turtle boat--she was barely thirty feet overall and entirely open--was now at the mercy of the waves. wallowing sluggishly in the trough of the huge crested seas she was in momentary danger of being swamped. captain whittinghame was not long in making up his mind. he quickly weighed the difficulties: the "meteor" unable to manoeuvre so easily as before; the practically crippled motors; the urgency of the quest, all flashed through his brain. on the other hand, human life was in danger. as quickly as possible the "meteor" was brought head to wind and about half a mile to leeward of the dismasted craft. with the propellers running ahead just sufficiently for him to counteract the force of the wind the airship rolled and pitched like a barrel. "clear away a coil of three-inch manila," ordered vaughan whittinghame. "stand by to veer out a buoy." several of the crew of the "meteor" hastened to carry out their captain's orders and, in spite of the howling wind, they succeeded in getting the necessary gear on the upper deck. the men in the turtle boat, seeing that help was at hand, were waving their arms frantically. "pity those fellows didn't make use of their energy in cutting away that raffle and riding to it," remarked dacres. "what will happen when we forge ahead with that craft in tow, sir?" "we'll lie steadier than we are at present," replied the captain. "all the same, we'll approach her stern-foremost. it will give the propellers a better chance." round swung the "meteor," dropping half a mile to leeward during the operation, but as soon as she made towards the crippled boat the new conditions suited her admirably. instead of rolling she settled down to a steady undulating motion. "pay out the rope," ordered captain whittinghame. the airship was now only two hundred feet above the raging sea. as soon as the whole coil, one hundred and thirteen fathoms in length, was paid out and allowed to trail in the water, she forged ahead immediately over the disabled craft. dexterously one of the crew of the latter caught the trailing rope and made it fast round the stump of the foremast. just then a tremendous broken sea was observed to be bearing down upon the already sluggish vessel. the three men who formed the crew saw it coming. the master attempted to put the helm down, but the craft had not yet gathered way. a shout of terror, barely audible above the roar of the wind and water, arose from the men; the two who were for'ard deftly fastened themselves to the slack of the rope trailing from the "meteor." the helmsman, seeing what they were about, promptly abandoned the tiller, ran to the bows, and cast off the tow-rope. even as he did so the huge wave surged down upon the doomed craft and swept completely over her. she sank like a stone. "take a couple of turns round the capstan," shouted dacres, who saw what had occurred; then thrusting the starting lever hard down he bade one of the crew stand by while he himself went to the guard-rail to direct operations. fortunately the master of the lost craft was a man of powerful physique and held on to the rope like grim death. his two companions, being lashed on, were in no actual danger, but could the master retain his hold sufficiently long to enable him to be hauled into safety? whittinghame had now ordered the motors to be switched off, and the "meteor," scudding before the gale, no longer dragged the three men against the hard wind. foot by foot the three-inch manila came home. it had to be stopped while the first of the rescued men was assisted over the bulging side of the airship, and again when the second was hauled into safety. dacres, keenly on the alert, saw that the master's strength was ebbing. quickly bending a stout rope round his waist and calling to three of the crew to take a turn, he leapt over the guard-rail, slid down the convex slope and grasped the wellnigh exhausted master by his wrists. forty seconds later the sub and the man he had risked his life to save were standing almost breathless upon the upper deck of the airship. "take them below," ordered dacres, "coil away this rope and make all snug, then clear upper deck." directly this was done the "meteor" forged ahead and quickly settled down to her former pace. as soon as the rescued men had been supplied with food and drink general whittinghame asked them whether any steamer had passed them. to this the master replied that one had, about four hours previously. his description of her left no doubt but that she was the craft which had picked up durango and his companions from the waterlogged flying-boat. "do you know her name?" asked his questioner. "no, señor, i do not. do you, enrico?" the man addressed shook his head. neither could his companion give a satisfactory answer. he remembered that it began with q, and that the name of the port she belonged to was boston. "good!" ejaculated captain whittinghame when, his brother had interpreted the information. "she's a yankee. i don't suppose we shall have much trouble now. four hours ago, eh? allowing her eight knots at the very outside with this sea running we ought to overhaul her in less than half an hour. tell those fellows not to worry. we will pay them well for the information and put them ashore at panama, or else the first vessel we speak that will serve their purpose." vaughan had not over-estimated the time taken to overhaul the boston tramp. eighteen minutes after resuming the chase the look-out reported a column of smoke rising above the horizon. four minutes later the sought-for vessel was plainly visible. on her short rounded counter appeared the words "quickstep, of boston, mass." being high in ballast she was rolling furiously. cascades of water were pouring from her scuppers. spray was flying in sheets over her bows and dashing against the wheel-house on the bridge, for owing to a sudden change of wind she was plugging almost dead into the teeth of the gale. "it is impossible to communicate with her with this sea running," remarked captain whittinghame. "all we can do is to slow down and wait until the gale moderates." as he spoke an oilskinned figure was observed to stagger out of the wheel-house and make his way to the starboard side of the bridge. casting off the halliards leading to a block on a shroud between the two stumpy masts he hoisted a signal. owing to the direction of the wind it was for the time being impossible to read the flags, and it was not until the 'meteor' forged ahead and was almost abeam of the tramp that dacres could interpret the message. "i--f--that's something to do with communicate," he announced. "where's the code-book?" "here you are," replied setchell rapidly turning over the pages. "'i--f: i cannot stop to have any communication.' like his impudence!" "or durango's," added whittinghame. "we cannot acknowledge, so we will mark time on the 'quickstep.' how's the glass, mr. dacres?" "steady, sir, with a slight tendency to rise. this gale will soon blow itself out." "then the sooner the better," declared the captain. the rest of the day passed in tedious inaction night fell, and the bow searchlights of the airship played incessantly upon the tramp. day dawned and found, as dacres had predicted, that the gale had expended itself, and although the seas still ran high, the angry waves were rapidly subsiding. it was now safe for the "meteor" to approach within hand-signalling distance. the officers and crew of the "quickstep" were all on deck, curiously regarding the airship, but there were no signs of durango and the two valderians. "what airship is that?" came from the tramp. "the 'meteor.'" "we doubt it." "but we are; if you'll heave-to and send a boat we will prove it." "what do you want?" "you have three men on board, rescued from a water-logged boat." "what of it?" "one is the outlaw, durango." "i guess not." "you guess wrongly, then. durango and two valderians." "sure? he said he was a britisher." "we'll soon prove it if you send a boat." "i will. we'll heave-to." captain whittinghame slapped his brother on the back. "at last!" he exclaimed. chapter xxxviii. cornered. before the "meteor" could alight and throw out her huge sea-anchor the "quickstep" had hove-to and was lowering a boat. into the latter tumbled four lean-jawed men and a hatchet-faced youngster of about nineteen years of age. there was no doubt about it: those new englanders knew how to manage a boat in a seaway. dexterously the falls were cast off, and bending to their oars the rowers made the whaler shoot over the long, heaving waves. before they had made twenty strokes the report of a pistol shot came from the tramp. without a moment's hesitation her skipper jumped from the bridge without troubling to make use of the ladder, and bolted aft, followed by half a dozen of the deck hands. it was not long before he was back on deck with a revolver in his hand. at his command one of the men signalled to the "meteor." "sorry! you're right. laid the skunk by the heels." as soon as the "quickstep's" boat came alongside the airship the lad in charge swarmed up the rope ladder and gained the deck. "guess you're the boss of this hyer packet?" he exclaimed. "i'm silas p. cotton, second mate of the s.s 'quickstep.' shake." vaughan whittinghame smiled and accepted the invitation. he extended his hand and shook the proffered tarry paw of the self-possessed young boston man. "that skunk durango has been throwing dust into the old man's eyes," continued silas p. cotton. "so the boss has sent me to square things up. i reckon we've heard of the wonderful 'meteor,' but we didn't calculate on her being so short in length." "neither did we," agreed whittinghame. "come to my cabin and let us hear about your three passengers. what will you have to drink?" "guess rum's my pizen, boss." a jar of navy rum that had been sent on board the "meteor" by the fleet paymaster of one of the ships of admiral maynebrace's squadron was produced and uncorked. filling half a tumbler with the dark spirit the second mate tossed it down at one gulp. "now, bizness, boss. this hyer durango swore that he was a britisher, and that the airship was one of those blarmed valderian craft that wanted to lay him by the heels. our skipper bit the bullet. sez he: 'there ain't no british airship of that size off this hyer coast; i'll reckon we'll have no truck with that one. i don't want no greasers on my hooker.' so he ordered the helm to be put up, leaving you lying on the water as you are doing now. durango--mister turner of london, he said he was--had heaps of dollars and offered to square up handsome-like if the 'old man' would land him at guayaquil. the boss said the best he could do was to put him ashore at panama. with that the skunk seemed right down sick, for he went below to the berth we'd given him, and wouldn't stir." "do you happen to know if he had any papers on him?" "rolls of paper dollars," replied the second mate. "that's all, i guess. what do you say to coming aboard and seeing how the old man has fixed him up?" "with pleasure," said whittinghame. "i hope you won't mind if two of my officers accompany me?" "guess they'll get a wet shirt apiece if they ain't particularly slick in getting aboard," replied silas p. cotton with a grin. "come along, gerald; and you, too, mr. dacres," said the captain. "we may as well----" "message just been signalled from the 'quickstep,' sir," reported callaghan. "captain gotham asks you to come aboard and bring pistols with you." "then, all the fun is not yet over," exclaimed vaughan whittinghame. "take arms, gentlemen. durango evidently means to give as much trouble as possible." as the boat ran alongside the "quickstep" another shot rang out from below. thinking that there was no time to be lost vaughan whittinghame seized hold of the man-ropes and, ably supported by his comrades and the whaler's crew, gained the deck. to his surprise whittinghame found captain gotham, with his hands thrust deeply into his pockets, leaning against the after guard-rail of the bridge. a huge cigar was jammed tightly betwixt his teeth, and his peaked cap raked at an alarming angle. "g'day, gentlemen," he exclaimed without attempting to remove his cigar. "guess you've come to take that wild critter off my hands? great snakes! if i had a-known he was a low-down mexican greaser i'd thought twice before he set foot on this hooker." "where is he?" asked whittinghame. "in the mate's cabin. he's locked himself in, you bet. thorssenn tried to boost open the door, but the sarpint let fly some. thorssenn's got more than he can chew, i reckon." "was he hit?" "clean through the shoulder, boss. say, how are you going about it?" going below and making their way along the narrow alley-way the two whittinghames and dacres approached the place where durango had taken refuge. the hard-visaged yankee skipper and silas p. cotton, not to be outdone in the business of securing the renegade, also joined the attacking party. through the cabin door two small jagged holes marked the tracks of durango's shots. one bullet was embedded in the panelling on the opposite side of the alley-way; the other the unfortunate first mate was nursing in his shoulder. "the game's up, durango," said captain whittinghame sternly. "you cannot escape, so surrender." the mexican's reply was to send another shot through the door, the bullet whizzing between vaughan and the sub. the attackers promptly backed out of the danger zone. "say, why not let rip at him altogether?" asked captain gotham, raising his heavy colt revolver. "we want him alive," replied vaughan whittinghame. "i cannot explain now, but he's worth more alive than dead." "then aim low and cripple the skunk," rejoined the skipper bluntly. "if we've got to wait till he's starved out i reckon we'll be in the latitude of cape hatteras before he bails up. say, what's your programme?" "have you a piece of boiler-plate handy?" "you bet," drawled the yankee, blowing out a cloud of smoke through his nose, for the cigar was still tightly held between his teeth. "cut away, sonny, and tell andrews to send up a piece of biler plate as much as one man can hold--git." with remarkable agility silas p. cotton, who had been addressed as "sonny," made off to carry out the old man's orders. presently he returned, staggering under the weight of a slightly curved three-sixteenths plate. using this as a shield whittinghame, dacres, and the master of the "quickstep" exerted their whole weight and strength against the comparatively frail door. it creaked, but refused to give. the mexican had barricaded it with the first mate's furniture and bedding. durango let fly another shot. the ping of the lead against the boiler-plate told its own tale. he fired again, this time low down. the bullet cut a groove in the yankee's sea-boots and caused that worthy to let fly a string of oaths. "guess i'm master of my own ship!" he shouted. "who tells captain gotham not to use his shooting arms? here goes." he raised his revolver and sent six shots in rapid succession through the door. then he listened, only to skip and dodge behind the iron plate as another bullet cut the peak of his cap. "have you any sulphur on board, captain?" asked dacres, as the american was about to reload. "sulphur? wal, i guess i have some." "then we'll smoke him out," continued the sub. "all we want is a brazier and some short lengths of copper pipe and a pair of bellows." "bully for you!" exclaimed captain gotham enthusiastically. "git, sonny, and tell andrews to lay out with the gear." off hurried the second mate, to return accompanied by the engineer, a man as lantern-jawed as the rest of the officers of the "quickstep." with him came a deckhand, who, under cotton's orders, had stove in a barrel of sulphur. soon the yellow rock-like substance was burning. its pungent fumes caused water to run from the eyes of the operators. more than once during their preparations they had to beat a hurried retreat and gasp for breath in the open air. at length two pipes were inserted through the shot-holes in the door; the bellows were filled with reeking fumes and discharged through the pipes. durango began to cough. the men without could hear him fumbling with the things he had used to barricade the door, with the intention of plugging the pipes and preventing the invasion of the sulphur fumes. again the attackers hurled themselves against the woodwork. the mexican realized that he had either to abandon the barricade or submit to be smoked out. sheltered behind the boiler-plate dacres vigorously plied the bellows. after five minutes a strange silence prevailed. gerald whittinghame, risking the chance of being shot, peeped through one of the bullet-holes in the upper part of the woodwork. the interior of the cabin was full of yellow vapour. he could discern the mexican. durango had his face jammed up against the open scuttle. "tarnation thunder!" ejaculated captain gotham. "i fair forgot that scuttle. keep the pot bilen', boss." with this injunction the master of the "quickstep" made his way to the poop deck and peered over the rail. he could see the tip of durango's nose projecting beyond the rim of the scuttle, while clouds of sulphur fumes wafted past the mexican's head and eddied along the ship's side. "lower that fender--look alive, there!" ordered captain gotham. two men dragging a huge globular rope fender lowered it over the side and adjusted it so that it blocked the mexican's sole means of obtaining fresh air. he immediately pushed the obstruction aside with his knife. the yankee skipper was not to be baulked. a long handspike was procured; one end was wedged between the lower part of a convenient davit and the vessel's side; a tackle was clapped on to the other end and bowsed taut, thus jamming the fender hard against the scuttle. the end was now in sight. durango was gasping for breath. "will you surrender?" demanded captain whittinghame. there was no answer. the attacking party waited a few moments longer. there was a dull thud upon the cabin floor. still suspecting that this was a ruse on the part of the trapped man they waited another minute, then the door was burst open. the rush of sulphurous air almost capsized them. dacres, tying a handkerchief over his mouth and nose, crawled in. his hands encountered the mexican's resistless form. with a heave he dragged him into the alley-way. other hands relieved him of his burden and carried durango on deck. "dead?" asked gerald whittinghame. "snakes don't die easy," grunted captain gotham. "take him away, boss, and welcome to him." the unconscious form of durango was lowered out into the "quickstep's" whaler. the british officers shook hands with the yankee skipper as they prepared to go over the side. "one moment, boss," said the latter. "guess you know i've got those two valderians aboard?" "yes," assented vaughan. "can you give five men a passage to panama? i'll see that you are not out of pocket by it." "five?" queried captain gotham. "yes, these two valderians and three men of a galapagos boat we picked up just now. will fifty dollars be sufficient?" "guess that'll fix 'em up, cap. send the others along." twenty minutes later the airship and the tramp parted company, the "quickstep" to flounder along at a sedate eight knots, while the "meteor," with durango in safe keeping, was speeding aloft at ninety miles an hour, homeward bound at last. chapter xxxix. dacres' promotion. when reno durango recovered from the stupifying effects of the sulphur he found himself in a cabin destitute of furniture and securely locked and barred. he knew by the peculiar undulating motion that he was on board an airship. then the truth flashed across his mind: he was in the hands of his rivals. rage and despair filled his heart. at one moment he thought of dashing his head against the metal bulkhead of the cabin; at another he contemplated putting an end to his existence and evading well-merited punishment by strangling himself. but his nerve failed him. never backward in delighting to cause pain to the unfortunate wretches who had fallen into his hands at various times, he shrank from inflicting the slightest injury upon himself. his frenzied thoughts were interrupted by the entry of captain whittinghame, dacres, and dr. hambrough. the englishmen had not come to gloat over their captive; the doctor was there in his official capacity of surgeon of the "meteor," while the others were there in case the mexican should become violent. "well, my man, how do you feel now?" asked the doctor in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were addressing a hospital patient. durango's reply was to roll his yellow eyes and thrust out his leathery under lip. he wanted to curse his captors, but blind rage held him speechless. deftly dr. hambrough took hold of his wrist. the mexican, snarling like a wild beast, shook him off. "i cannot do anything more for the patient at present," said the doctor suavely, and the three men turned to leave the prisoner to his own devices. just as whittinghame, who was the last to leave, was backing out of the door--for he gave durango no chance of making a sudden dash--the mexican found his tongue. "curse you, whittinghame!" he shouted with a torrent of oaths. "if i had thrown those plans overboard instead of stowing them in under the boat's fore-deck, i'd have the laugh of you yet." vaughan whittinghame made no reply, but pushing dacres across the threshold he closed and relocked the door. "by jove!" he exclaimed delightedly. "durango's let the cat out of the bag. he imagines that we have already found the plans." "let's hope it won't be long before we do," rejoined the sub, and the three men hastened to search the hull of the flying-boat. the "meteor's" speed was materially reduced to enable the searchers to go on deck, where the boat was made fast to four strong ring-bolts. leaping over her coamings dacres dived under the fore-deck. the place had already been cleared out, but on each side a skirting had been fastened to the ribs to within a foot of the deck-beams. the sub thrust his hand into one of the spaces thus formed. he could feel nothing. the second gave no better result, but in the third his fingers came in contact with some moist paper. carefully withdrawing his band the sub found that he had recovered a bundle of documents tied with red tape. although damp they were little the worse for their adventures in sea and air. "hurrah!" shouted dacres. "we've discovered the object of our search, sir. here are the submarine plans." * * * * * the great naval review at spithead was over. on board h.m.s. "foudroyant," the flagship of the commander-in-chief, sir hardy staplers, a grand dinner was being held. the flag-officers and captains of the various divisions and ships, the principal military officers of the garrison of portsmouth, and the heads of the dockyard establishments were present. after the customary loyal toast had been proposed and duly honoured, sir hardy rose to reply to the toast of the navy. the commander-in-chief was by no means a fluent speaker, but when he "warmed up" to his subject he lost all sense of time. his speech was practically a résumé of the vast strides that the british navy had made during his lengthy career. at last he spoke of the flying wing:-- "gentlemen, i need say but little more (the majority of his listeners heaved an inward sigh of relief). we now know of the sterling work performed by the subsidized airship 'meteor.' when the time comes for that noble craft to be taken over by h.m. government--and i venture to assert that the day is not far distant--our flying wing will have a unit that is second to none. "it is a matter of regret that the 'meteor' was not present at the memorable display at spithead to-day. as all of you are no doubt aware the latest dispatches from zandovar stated that the airship left in pursuit of the outlaw, durango. a week has elapsed and no further news of her has been forthcoming. personally, i do not think we need labour under any misapprehension as to her safety; but at the same time the silence--especially in this age of wireless--is somewhat inexplicable. an airship that could with safety undertake at short notice a successful dash to the north pole (hear, hear!) can be relied upon to take care of herself. therefore, i feel confident in expressing my opinion that before many hours have elapsed news will be received from the senior officers at zandovar announcing the return of the dreadnought of the air from yet another successful mission. "one more point i should like to mention, and that is the great changes in the near future in in engineering. i refer to the cordite motors as carried in the 'meteor.' it is, of course, too early to predict with certainty that cordite will be the fuel used on our great battleships in place of oil, but to a great extent the era of the coal and oil-fed furnace is doomed." now, it so happened that amongst the guests was engineer-captain camshaft, an engineering officer of the old school, who swore by triple-expansion engines, took ungraciously to turbine machinery, and scoffed at internal combustion engines. he was particularly scathing in his opinion of cordite as fuel for propulsion, and had offered to bet any of his brother-officers that the "meteor" would never return to england under her own power. perhaps he had had more champagne than was good for him; at anyrate, at this point of sir hardy's speech, he exclaimed in a "stage aside," "question." a deadly silence prevailed in the crowded ward-room. the protest was plainly audible, yet save for camshaft's immediate neighbour, no one knew who had had the temerity to contradict the commander-in-chief. "did i hear some one say 'question'?" asked sir hardy with his customary urbanity. the culprit recognized that he had overstepped the bounds. it meant that his future career was in jeopardy, especially as it was freely mooted that sir hardy staplers was shortly to be made first sea lord of the admiralty. fortunately the engineer-captain was a man of resource in such matters. "beg pardon, sir hardy," he exclaimed thickly, "i said unquestionably--unquestionably." a badly suppressed titter ran round the table. the situation was saved. "yes, of course," agreed the commander-in-chief blandly. "now i quite understand; you said 'unquestionably', captain camshaft." before sir hardy could resume the thread of his lengthy discourse a voice on deck was heard hailing "boat ahoy!" loud and clear came the reply that electrified every member of that convivial dinner-party:-- "meteor!" the commander-in-chief's speech was never finished. following sir hardy's example the officers and their guests rushed upon the quarter-deck and crowded to the starboard guard-rails. they were just in time to see a motor-boat of unusual design run alongside the accommodation-ladder. the glare of the electric lamps fell upon the bronzed features of captain vaughan whittinghame and sub-lieutenant basil dacres. "how in the name of wonder!" exclaimed the astonished commander-in-chief. "we've brought two-fifths of the original 'meteor' back, sir," reported whittinghame. "she's lying off the warner lightship. our wireless is out of gear, or we would have reported our progress. durango is a prisoner on board; and here, sir, are the plans of the 'm' class of submarines." * * * * * shortly before lunch-time on the following morning basil dacres--specially promoted by virtue of an order-in-council to the rank of commander (flying squadron, naval wing) of his majesty's fleet--arrived at his father's country residence, cranbury house. "governor in, sparkes?" he asked as the footman opened the door and stared with amazement at the "young master." years of training had steeled sparkes to most shocks, but this time he was completely taken aback. "yes, mr. basil, colonel dacres has just come in. he's been out rabbit-shooting, sir." "then don't tell him who i am," cautioned dacres. "take in this card and say that someone wishes to see him." sparkes took the pasteboard and vanished. half way up the stairs he paused to look at the card. "mr. basil's up to some of his pranks, i'll be bound," he said to himself. "hope to goodness the master doesn't jaw me for it." "gentleman to see you, sir," he announced. colonel dacres took the card and read, "commander basil dacres, r.n." "commander basil dacres, r.n.," he repeated. "wonder who the deuce he is? some distant relation, i suppose, after something or the other. sparkes, where's the navy list?" "you lent it to admiral padbury the morning before last, sir," replied the footman smartly. "so i did, sparkes, so i did. never mind. i'll see this gentleman. where is he, sparkes?" "in the green room, sir." "what sort of a man is he?" the footman coughed to clear his throat, and nearly broke a blood-vessel in striving to suppress a grin. "cannot say as how i took particular stock of him, sir; but he's a smartish-looking gentleman, sir." "then he must belong to our branch of the family," thought the colonel complacently. "but dash it all, what does he want to come just before tiffin for?" colonel dacres waited to put a few finishing touches, then hastened downstairs to conceal, under a guise of cordiality, any traces of his annoyance at being disturbed before lunch. to his unbounded astonishment he found himself confronted by his son, whom he supposed to be still on board h.m.s. "royal oak" off zandovar. he could only come to one conclusion--a hastily formed one--on the situation: basil had been in trouble, and had turned up, in spite of his parent's fiat, like a bad halfpenny. "what's the meaning of this, sir?" he demanded, holding up the card. "are there no limits to your senseless pranks? i had hoped when that valderian business took place that you might have proved yourself worthy of the name of dacres. instead of that you turn up with a handle to your name to which you have no right. explain yourself, sir." "it's all right, dad," said the youthful commander coolly. "but it isn't all right. i----" "steady on, pater! you've asked me a lot of questions; give me a chance to reply. in the first place there is a limit to my pranks, and i don't mean to exceed it. secondly, i was in the valderian affair; thirdly, i came home because the 'meteor' brought me home; fourthly and lastly, i am really a commander in his majesty's fleet, my appointment being dated at the admiralty yesterday." "'meteor?'" repeated the colonel. "you were on the 'meteor'? i knew nothing of this." "naturally, sir. our mission was a confidential one. even rear-admiral maynebrace was in ignorance of who formed her crew until we pulled him out of the cavarale." "were you the officer who was reported to have distinguished himself in rescuing the admiral, then?" asked colonel dacres amazedly. "yes, sir; but the newspaper reports may have been exaggerated. they often are," declared dacres modestly. "but the fact remains that i am specially promoted, for which i have to thank captain whittinghame, who has been made commandant of the airship section; the 'meteor' is to undergo a hasty refit and reconstruction--we left three-fifths of her in different places, you know--and after that--well, we must hope for something fairly exciting to turn up. for the present i have three weeks' leave." "leave!" echoed the colonel. "won't you have to give evidence at the trial of durango?" "yes, i suppose so," replied the young commander. "he is to be indicted on a list of charges as long as my arm. however, i am not at all keen on that part of the business. hunting him down was exciting enough, but now the rascal is laid by the heels i wish i could regard the incident as closed. after a turn at active service in the air a fellow doesn't want to descend to the stuffy atmosphere of the law courts. i want to be up and doing, in a double sense, pater; i feel as keen as mustard." "basil, my boy, i'm afraid i've misjudged you." "i don't think so, pater; i believe that once or twice you've blamed me for practical jokes i didn't play, but that's a mere detail. the mater's teapot, for example." "i don't mean in that way," continued the colonel. "i thought that you might let your chances slip through your fingers, but, by jove! you're a true dacres after all." "thank you, pater," said the young commander simply. the end the london and norwich press limited, london and norwich, england [transcriber's note: the original text contained a number of obvious spelling and typographic errors. they have been corrected without note. inconsistent spellings and typographical errors have been preserved as printed. these are: - "chili" and "chile" both occur - "equadorean" instead of "equadorian"] available by villanova university digital library (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/) note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrated book cover. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h.zip) images of the original pages are available through villanova university digital library. see http://digital.library.villanova.edu/record/vudl: transcriber's note: text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction no. may , five cents motor matt's peril or castaway in the bahamas by stanley r. matthews [illustration: the "hawk" was doomed! as quickly as he could, motor matt made ready to follow carl and dick.] street & smith, publishers, new york. motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction _issued weekly. by subscription $ . per year. entered according to act of congress in the year , in the office of the librarian of congress, washington, d. c., by_ street & smith, _ - seventh avenue, new york, n. y._ no. . new york, may , . price five cents. motor matt's peril or, cast away in the bahamas. by the author of "motor matt." contents chapter i. carl as buttinsky. chapter ii. the moving-picture man makes a queer move. chapter iii. warm work at the "inlet." chapter iv. prisoners on a submarine. chapter v. through the torpedo tube. chapter vi. the cape town mystery. chapter vii. off for the bahamas. chapter viii. an accident. chapter ix. matt and his chums go it alone. chapter x. the air ship springs a leak. chapter xi. wrecked! chapter xii. luck--or ill-luck? chapter xiii. a move and a countermove. chapter xiv. motor matt's success. chapter xv. a few surprises. chapter xvi. matt takes townsend's advice. night watches for big game. specialists in the woods. missouri willow farm. animals that dread rain. characters that appear in this story. =matt king=, concerning whom there has always been a mystery--a lad of splendid athletic abilities, and never-failing nerve, who has won for himself, among the boys of the western town, the popular name of "mile-a-minute matt." =carl pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking german lad, who is led by a fortunate accident to hook up with motor matt in double harness. =dick ferral=, a canadian boy who has served his time in the king's navy, and bobs up in the states where he falls into plots and counterplots, and comes near losing his life. =archibald townsend=, otherwise "captain nemo, jr.," of the submarine boat _grampus_, who proves himself a firm friend of motor matt. =lattimer jurgens=, an unscrupulous person who, for some time, has been at daggers drawn with archibald townsend. =whistler=, an able lieutenant of lat jurgens. =cassidy, burke and harris=, comprising the crew of the _grampus_. "=the man from cape town=," who does not appear in the story but whose influence is nevertheless made manifest. =mcmillan and holcomb=, police officers. chapter i. carl as buttinsky. "py shinks, aber dot's funny! dose fellers look like dey vas birates, or some odder scalawags. vat vas dey doing, anyvays, in a blace like dis?" it was on the beach at atlantic city, new jersey. carl pretzel was there, in a bathing suit. those who know the dutch boy will remember that he was fat, and there is always something humorous about a fat person in a bathing suit. carl had been in the water. after swimming out as far as the end of the steel pier, he had returned and climbed up on the beach. an italian happened to be passing with a pushcart loaded with "red-hots" and buns. carl had a dime pinned in the breast of his abbreviated costume. he unpinned the dime, bought two "red-hots" and a bun, and fell down in the sand to rest and enjoy himself. the italian lingered near him, staring with bulging eyes to a place on the beach a little way beyond carl. the dutch boy, observing the trend of the italian's curiosity, looked in the same direction. a girl was kneeling on the beach, tossing her arms despairingly. she was a pretty girl, her clothes were torn and wet, and her long, dark hair was streaming about her shoulders. certainly it was a curious sight, there in that densely populated summer resort, to see a young woman acting in that manner. up on the board walk above the beach a gaping throng had gathered. a little way from the board walk a man seemed to be doing something with a photograph instrument. carl, intensely wrought up, floundered to his bare feet, a "red-hot" in one hand and half a bun in the other. any one in distress always appealed to carl--particularly a woman. from the woman, carl's eyes drifted toward the water. a boat was pulling in, and was close to the shore. there were three men in the boat, two at the oars and one standing in the bow. they were a fierce-looking lot, those men. all were of swarthy hue, had fierce black mustaches, gold rings in their ears, heads covered with knotted handkerchiefs over which were drawn stocking caps, and all wore sashes through which were thrust long, ancient-looking knives and pistols. the man in the bow, whom carl could see almost entirely, had on a pair of "galligaskins," or short, wide trousers, and immense jack boots. the ruffians in the boat, no less than the girl on the beach, seemed to be deaf and dumb. not a word was said by any of them, but their faces twitched in response to their varying emotions, and they used their hands in ceaseless gestures. carl was right in thinking that the men in the boat had the appearance of pirates; and the scene was "funny," inasmuch as it showed the sea rovers of a past age against a twentieth century background. "py shinks," muttered carl, his temper slowly rising, "i don'd like dot! der poor girl iss at der mercy oof dem birate fellers, und der bolice, und nopody else, seems villing to lendt her a handt. vell, i dell you somet'ing, oof dose birate fellers in der poat douch a hair oof dot girl's headt, den dey vill hear from me! i vish modor matt und tick vas here. mit dem to helup, ve could clean out der whole gang. anyhow, i do vat i can py meinseluf." when the boat was in the surf, the two who were rowing dropped their oars and sprang overboard. laying hold of the boat, they dragged it up on the strand. the man in the bow jumped out, and all three made a rush for the girl. "leaf dot laty alone!" bellowed carl, starting for the girl about the same time the three men did. "you t'ink dis vas some tesert islants dot you can act like dot! bolice! bolice!" the sight of carl, in his little red bathing suit, streaking along the sand, brought roars of laughter from those on the board walk. the merriment puzzled carl; and angered him still further, too, to think that such a raft of people would give way to mirth when a young woman was in such terrible danger. "get away from there!" shouted a man near the photographic instrument. "meppy you see me gedding avay," roared carl as he ran, "aber i don'd t'ink. you vas a goward, und eferypody else vas a goward! i safe der girl meinseluf!" "you'll spoil the picture!" howled one of the pirates; "get out of the picture!" "i vill shpoil your face!" retorted carl, failing to comprehend. "ged oudt oof der picture yourseluf! der laty iss nod to be hurted." carl reached the lady first. she seemed astounded and angry. "nefer fear, leedle vone," carolled the dutch boy, planting himself between the girl and her supposed enemies, "dose vicked mens vill haf to valk ofer me pefore dey ged ad you! yah, so helup me! run for der poard valk vile i mix it mit dem und gif you der shance." "go 'way!" screamed the girl; "mind your own business, if you've got any!" "oh, you dutch idiot!" raved one of the buccaneers, striking at carl with a cutlass. "you've spoiled our work!" the other two pirates were jumping up and down and saying things about carl that were far from complimentary. the dutch boy tried to dodge the cutlass, but failed. it struck him squarely across the throat, and, had it been a thing of steel, would have separated his head from the rest of his body. but the cutlass was made of lath, covered with tinfoil, and broke as it fell. "he's ruined the films!" howled the man at the photograph instrument. "sic him, tige!" cried another, who was standing beside him. a brindle bulldog, which carl had not seen until that moment, gave a yip and started for the scene of the trouble. "vat's der madder, anyvays?" demanded carl, convinced by the young lady's manner that she did not want to be rescued. "moving pictures, you dutch idiot!" yelped the leader of the pirates. "if you'd had any sense you'd have known that without being told. now we've got to do it all over again! take him, tige!" the bulldog was hurling himself across the sand like a thunderbolt, and he was making straight for carl. neither the girl nor the pirates showed any inclination to stop the dog; on the contrary, they appeared to derive considerable satisfaction from the prospect of his getting close enough to use his teeth on the dutch boy. carl was perfectly willing to face any number of pirates in order to rescue a beautiful maiden in distress, but he drew the line at coming company front with a vicious bulldog. when a person wears nothing but a bathing suit his means of offense and defense are naturally limited. since carl could not help the girl, he made up his mind to do what he could to help himself. whirling about, he laid himself out in the direction of the steel pier, the bulldog in hot pursuit and gaining on him at every jump. everybody, except the moving-picture people, was laughing. and excepting carl. there was nothing especially amusing in the situation for him. the italian with the pushcart was haw-hawing and holding his sides. a boy, using his legs to get away from a dog, was something he could understand, and it pleased him. carl did not have time to go around the cart, so he ducked under it. the dog ducked after him. carl had seen how the italian was enjoying himself, and he resented it. by rising up under the cart carl could overturn it, thus dropping a lot of buns and "red-hots" on the dog and possibly stopping the pursuit. carl did not stop to debate the matter--he hadn't time--but rose up, thus sending the cart over upon the dog. the italian had been cooking the "red-hots" on a steel plate. the plate, of course, was hot, and it struck the dog. there came a yelp of pain, and the dog tore out from under the cart and hustled back toward the photograph instrument. the italian had changed his tune. he was not laughing, now, but was prancing around and howling frantically for the police. "sacre diabolo estrito crystal!" he shrieked. "you wreck-a da wag'--you spoil-a da bun, da red-a-hot! polees! me, i like-a keel-a you! polees! polees!" while he yelled, he started angrily toward carl. the dutch boy, whirling the overturned cart around, caused the italian to stumble over it. leaving him to writhe and sputter among the scattered buns and "wienes," carl raced on toward the steel pier. he was flattering himself that he would be able to regain the bathhouse without further molestation, but in this he was mistaken. an officer jumped down from the side of the pier, as he came close to it, and grabbed him by the arm. "not so fast, there!" cried the policeman. "vat's der madder mit you?" wheezed carl. "i don'd vas doing anyt'ing." "oh, no," was the sarcastic response, "you wasn't doing a thing! what did you kick over that dago's cart for?" "dose fellers hat set a dog on me!" cried carl. "ditn't you see der dog?" just then the italian, two of the pirates and one of the men with the photographic apparatus, hurried up, all in a crowd. "pinch-a heem!" fumed the italian; "he make-a plenty da troub'!" "he's the original buttinsky," scowled the picture man. "he pushed into that moving picture, spoiled a lot of film and made it necessary for us to do our work all over." "he's the prize idiot, all right!" clamored one of the pirates. "what's the matter, here?" demanded a voice, as a youth pushed into the crowd and ranged himself at the dutch boy's side. "what's the matter, carl?" "modor matt!" exclaimed carl, gripping the newcomer's arm. "you haf arrifed py der nick oof time, like alvays! now, den," and here carl faced the others belligerently, "my bard has come, und you vill haf to make some oxblanadions. vat haf you got to say for yourselufs?" chapter ii. the moving-picture man makes a queer move. a little farther along the beach, and well out of the way of high tide, four heavy posts had been planted in the sand. this was the mooring-place for the "hawk," the famous air ship belonging to matt and dick ferral, and which the three chums had brought from south chicago. the boys had had the hawk in atlantic city for two weeks, making four flights every day except on sunday, or on days when high winds or stormy weather prevailed. there had been only one stormy day when it had been found necessary to house the hawk under the roof of one of the piers, and only one other day when the wind had been so strong as to make an ascent too risky. four passengers were carried aloft in each flight. six persons were all matt thought advisable to take up in the air ship, and of course he had to go along to take charge of the motor, and with him went either dick or carl to act as lookout and "crew." a charge of $ was made for each passenger, and the flights had so captured the fancy of wealthy resorters that the boys had advance "bookings" that promised to keep them in atlantic city all the summer. with $ a day coming in, and a very small outgo for expenses, the chums were making money hand over fist. on the afternoon when carl was taking his dip in the ocean, and incidentally spoiling films for the moving-picture people, matt and dick, with their usual four passengers, had been making their last flight of the day over absecon island and the eastern coast of new jersey. one of the passengers on that trip was a mr. archibald townsend, of philadelphia. passengers always showed a great interest in the air ship, but mr. townsend had shown more curiosity and had asked more questions than any of the others. as matt and dick were bringing the hawk down to the beach, they had witnessed the overturning of the italian's "red-hot" outfit, and had seen carl get clear of the wreck and race on toward the steel pier. leaving dick to make the air ship secure in her berth, matt had tumbled out of the car and hurried after carl. as we have already seen, the young motorist reached his dutch chum just as the officer had laid hold of him. the officer's name was mcmillan, and he was arrogant and officious to a degree. he had been on duty along that part of the board walk ever since the chums had reached atlantic city, and he had interfered with their operations to such an extent that matt had found it necessary, on one occasion, to report him. on this account, mcmillan was not very amiably disposed toward the young motorist and his friends. "i don't care who this fellow is," growled the officer, nodding his head toward carl, "no one can come here an' raise hob on the beach without bein' jugged for it. i saw what happened. the dutchman knocked over the dago's cart." "dot feller," and here carl pointed to the moving-picture man, "set der dog on me. oof i hatn't knocked ofer der cart, der dog vould haf got me sure. vat pitzness he got setting der dog on me, hey? he iss to plame, yah, dot's righdt." "what did you want to butt into our picture for?" demanded the photographer. "how i know you vas daking some mooting bictures?" demanded carl. "i see dot young laty on der peach, und she vas in some greadt drouples; den i see dem birate fellers in der poat, going afder her, und nopody vould run mit demselufs to der resgue. den i go. you bed my life, no laty vat iss in tisdress can be dot vay ven i vas aroundt." "we'll have to do our work all over again to-morrow afternoon," went on the moving-picture man, "and i have to pay these actors more money for another afternoon's work." "how much will that be?" asked matt, who saw very clearly that carl had made a mistake and was in the wrong. "there are six of 'em," replied the photographer, "and i pay them ten dollars apiece." "that makes sixty dollars," said matt, "and i'll----" "just a minute, king." it was mr. townsend who spoke. he had hurried toward the scene of the dispute and had arrived in time to hear the moving-picture man's explanation and matt's offer to foot the bill. "this fellow's name is jurgens," continued mr. townsend. "he comes from philadelphia, and i happen to know that he gives these actors five dollars apiece for their work. if you give him just half of what he asks, king, you will be treating him fairly." jurgens glared at townsend. "what business have you got interfering here?" he asked, angrily. "i am merely interfering in the interests of justice, that's all," replied townsend, coolly, "and because i think you an all-around scoundrel, jurgens. you and i have had some dealings already, you remember." a black scowl crossed jurgens' face. "and our dealings are not finished yet, by a long shot," returned jurgens. townsend tossed his hands contemptuously and turned his back on the photographer. "i'll have my sixty dollars," cried jurgens, to matt, "or there'll be trouble." "you'll take thirty," said matt, taking some money from his pocket and offering it, "and not a cent more." jurgens struck aside the hand fiercely. "this dago is the boy that interests me," said the officer. "he's a poor man an' can't afford to have his stock in trade ruined by that dutch lobster." at this, carl fired up. "who you vas galling a dutch lopsder?" he demanded, moving truculently in the direction of mcmillan. "you!" snorted the officer, dropping a hand on his club. carl let fly with his fist. matt grabbed the arm just in time to counter the blow. "that's your game is it?" growled mcmillan, jerking the club from his belt. "i'll take care of you, my buck! come along to the station with me!" "wait a minute, officer," said matt. "stop making a fool of yourself, carl," he added to his dutch chum. "you made a mistake at the start-off, but that was no reason jurgens should have set the dog on you. as for the italian," and here matt faced the officer again, "i'll pay him for the damage he has suffered." "fifty cents will probably settle that," laughed townsend, "so if you throw him a five, king, he will be glad the accident happened." one of the bank notes jurgens had refused matt now gave the italian. his grieved look at once faded into an expansive grin, and he grabbed the money, thanked matt in explosive italian and ran back toward his overturned cart. "that lets the dago out," said the officer, grimly, "but it don't let the dutchman out, not by a jugful. he'll get a fine, and if jurgens here wants to prefer charges----" "i do," snapped jurgens. "if i don't get that sixty dollars i'll make it hot for all these balloonists. that's the kind of a duck i am." "i know what kind of a duck you are, jurgens," said townsend, sternly, "and if you know when you're well off, you'll leave motor matt and his friends alone." "sixty dollars," cried jurgens, hotly, "and this gang can take it or leave it." "you go with me," declared mcmillan, twisting his left hand in the collar of carl's bathing suit. "nonsense, officer!" said townsend. "you're making a mountain out of a molehill. let the boy alone." "i know my business," snarled the officer, "an' i don't have to have strangers blow in here an' tell me what to do." he took a step toward the board walk, jerking carl along after him. "i'm not a stranger in atlantic city, officer," went on townsend. "in fact, i'm very well acquainted with the chief of police here. just a second until i show you my card." the potent name of the chief brought mcmillan to a halt. he had been reported once, and if a man who had influence reported him again, there might be a vacancy in the force. "all i want is to do what's right," he mumbled. townsend had reached into his pocket and drawn out a handful of papers. while he was going over them, looking for his professional card, jurgens made a lightning-like move. it was a most peculiar move and, for a moment, took everybody by surprise. throwing himself forward, jurgens snatched a long, folded paper from among those townsend held in his hands. quick as a wink jurgens whirled, dashed for the steps leading up to the board walk and was away like a deer. "stop him, officer!" shouted townsend. "that's the kind of a man he is! stop him!" mcmillan now saw that a real emergency confronted him. releasing carl, he rushed away on the trail of the thieving jurgens. motor matt, however, had kept his wits, and he was halfway to the steps before the officer had started. when the young motorist bounded to the board walk, jurgens was tearing through the crowd. "stop, thief! stop, thief!" yelled matt. there were so many people thronging that part of the board walk that it seemed an easy enough matter to halt the rascally photographer. yet, strange as it may seem, this was not the case. men, who were escorting ladies and children, made haste to get them out of the way; others, who had no one depending on them, seemed bewildered, and pushed out of the way to watch. fortunately, another officer appeared on the other side of the entrance to the pier and headed jurgens off in that direction. turning to the left, jurgens struck the ticket taker out of his path and raced onto the pier. matt followed, not more than a dozen feet behind. the concert was over and, at that moment, there were not many people on the pier, and matt had a straight-away chase through the little pavilions. he felt sure that he would capture jurgens, for when the thief reached the end of the pier, the atlantic ocean would cut short his flight and he would have to turn back. but in this matt was mistaken. jurgens did not run to the end of the pier but climbed over the rail at the side and dropped from sight. when matt reached the rail, he saw that jurgens had dropped into a rowboat, that had been tied to the piles, and was bending to the oars. he shouted a taunting defiance at matt as he continued to put a widening stretch of water between them. at once matt thought of the hawk. in less than five minutes he and ferral could be in the air, following the rowboat wherever it went. with the officers to watch the shore and perhaps pursue jurgens in other boats, matt felt positive that he and dick would be able to overhaul jurgens if other means failed. without loss of a moment, he started back toward the board walk. chapter iii. warm work at the "inlet." some one of the three boys was always on watch near the air ship whenever she was moored. this duty, during the excitement carl had kicked up on the beach, had fallen to dick ferral. dick had made the ropes fast and was sitting in the sand near the car, wondering what all the commotion was about. there was usually a crowd of curious people around the hawk, or staring down at her from the board walk, but now the counter-attraction at the pier had drawn them away, and that part of the beach was deserted. dick had seen matt rush up the steps to the board walk, but the crowd was so thick he had not been able to observe his rush out on the pier. the rowboat, however, had not escaped his attention, and he had watched it pull away from the steel pier and move off toward the heinz pier. thereupon officers began running along the beach. mcmillan kept abreast of the rowboat on the shore, and another man ran toward the heinz pier, with the evident intention of catching the man in the boat if he tried to land there. presently matt came dashing up, and dick sprang to his feet. he could tell by his chum's manner that he was some way involved in the excitement. "what's going on, mate?" asked dick. "cast off the ropes, dick!" called matt, leaping to the cable nearest him. "we've got to overhaul that man in the boat, and capture him--if we can." "what's he been doing?" as he put the question dick was working at one of the other cables. "i'll tell you when we're in the air, dick," rejoined matt. "carl butted into a moving picture, and a whole lot of trouble has come from it." while dick was casting off the last rope and heaving it aboard, matt jumped into the car and got the motor going. by the time dick was in the car with him, matt switched the power into the propeller, tilted the steering rudder so as to carry the hawk upward and seaward, and they were off. "keep your eye on the boat, dick," called matt, "and let me know just where she is all the time." "just now, matey," dick answered, from the lookout station forward, "the boat's doubling the end of the heinz pier." "the rascal will not land there. he knows the police will be waiting for him. i don't see how it's possible for him to get away, with the whole shore line patrolled." "what's he done? keelhaul me if i haven't been trying to guess that for the last ten minutes." "as i told you, carl got into a moving picture. some men were taking a picture on the beach, and carl, seeing a young woman--as he thought--in distress, tried to save her from pirates. the gang set a dog on him, and in getting away from the dog, our pard upset a dago's pushcart. an officer had carl, when i got over close to the pier, and the picture people and the dago were making it hot for him. i guess they'd have jailed carl if it hadn't been for mr. townsend----" "the townsend we had with us on the last trip?" "yes. townsend knew the picture man, and from the way he talked i guess he don't know much good of him. anyhow, while townsend was looking through some documents he had taken from his pocket, the picture man--jurgens by name--grabbed a paper and made off with it. great spark plugs! i never saw a more brazen piece of work. i chased jurgens out on the steel pier, but he got away from me by taking to a rowboat that was moored there." ferral laughed. the idea of carl mistaking what was going on and trying to save a girl from pirates, there in that fashionable resort, was too much for him. temporarily he lost sight of the graver aspects of the affair. even matt grinned at the spectacle the dutch boy, in his bathing suit, must have made, battling with pirates to save a girl who did not want to be saved. "this thing has got a mighty serious side to it, dick," said matt, suddenly sobering. "i haven't the least notion what that paper was that jurgens grabbed, but it must have been an important document. and townsend lost it while trying to help carl and me. that puts it up to us, dick, to help him get it back." "right-o!" returned ferral. "there's a boat putting off from the heinz pier. mcmillan's in it and two men are breaking their backs at the oars. they'll get this jurgens swab, if i'm any prophet. they're going about two fathoms to jurgens' one." "how's jurgens heading?" "for the open sea. he's struck rough water just over the bar from the inlet, and his boat's on end about half the time. if one of those combers hits him broadside on, he'll go to the sharks, paper and all." "what's his notion for heading out into the ocean, i wonder?" "strike me lucky!" exclaimed ferral. "why, he's making for a sailboat, and the craft is laying to to take him aboard." "what's the name of the boat? can you make it out?" the sun was down and shadows were settling over the water. enough light remained, though, for the sharp eyes of ferral to read the name on the sailboat's stern. "she's the _crescent_," he announced, "and one of the boats that berth in the inlet. there! listen to that!" the crack of a revolver echoed up to matt and carl above the surge of the breakers. "who's doing the shooting, dick?" asked matt. "mcmillan. he sent a bullet across the _crescent's_ bows. that's an order for her to keep lying to until mcmillan can come aboard. they're just taking jurgens out of the boat and making the boat's painter fast. ah!" there was excitement in ferral's voice as he went on. "the skipper of the _crescent_ isn't obeying orders, but is going on out to sea. i'll bet mcmillan is as mad as a cannibal. there he goes, blazing away at the _crescent_--but he might as well throw his bullets into the air." "the _crescent_ will be called to account for that!" exclaimed matt. "mcmillan is pulling back to the pier," proceeded dick, watching below. "what are we to do now, matey? we'd have had considerable trouble taking jurgens off the rowboat, and it's a cinch we can't get him off that other craft." "we'll follow the _crescent_ for a while," said the young motorist, "and see where she goes. possibly she'll try to land jurgens at some point on the mainland. if she does, we'll drop down there and do what we can to capture him." for more than an hour the _crescent_ steered straight out into the ocean, the hawk hovering above her. the sailboat was not putting out any lights, and the growing darkness rendered it impossible for matt or dick to see any one aboard her. they could hear voices, however, for sounds on the earth's surface are always wonderfully distinct to people in balloons or other air craft. at the end of an hour and a half the _crescent_ put about. the hawk followed the sailboat as far as the channel leading through the bar at the entrance to the inlet. having made sure that the sailboat would return to her usual berth, the boys headed their air ship for the beach. "i guess mcmillan will be on the lookout for the _crescent_, dick," said matt, "but we ought to make sure that jurgens don't get away. i believe i'll get out of the hawk, close to the inlet, and leave you to take the air ship back to her moorings." "i can do that all right, messmate," answered dick. there was plenty of room for landing, and when the hawk had been brought within a couple of feet of the ground matt dropped over the rail and ferral took his seat among the levers. as matt hurried to the board walk, and on to the wharf at the inlet, he looked around him for some officer whom he could pick up and take along with him. there was no officer in sight, however. it was the dinner hour at the big hotels, and promenaders had nearly all deserted the ocean front. a dozen or more sailboats were heaving to the swell and knocking against the wharf at the inlet, but only a few of the men belonging with them were on the wharf itself. "can you tell me where the _crescent_ is?" matt asked of a man leaning against an electric-light pole. "jest seen 'er standin' in," was the reply. "she ought to be at the end of the wharf by this time." "is that where she lies when she's tied up?" "yes." thinking that surely he would find mcmillan, or some other officer, at the end of the wharf, ready to deal with jurgens the moment he tried to come ashore, matt hurried on. the _crescent_ had just warped into her berth. a man on the wharf was making her cable fast. under the electric light matt could see a group of three or four men in the cockpit of the little sailing craft. at about the same moment, a figure lurched forward from behind a barrel that stood on the wharf. the gleam of a star on the coat informed matt that the man was an officer. "hello, there!" the young motorist called to the group in the cockpit. "where's that man you picked up off the heinz pier?" two of the men climbed to the side of the _crescent_ and jumped to the wharf planks. neither of them was jurgens. "you've got us guessin', friend," said one of the men. "not much i haven't," answered matt, stoutly. "i was one of those in the air ship and i saw you pick up jurgens." "you've got him, all right," put in the officer. "he's a thief, and i'm here to arrest him. the _crescent_ is liable to get herself into hot water by this afternoon's work." the officer was not mcmillan. while he spoke, he started for the edge of the wharf with the apparent intention of getting into the sailboat and making a search. "hold up a minute, officer," called the man from the _crescent_, pulling off his coat. the officer halted, and turned. at that instant, matt saw the fellow who had been making the boat's cables fast to the posts, creeping toward the officer from behind. "look out, there!" he yelled. "one of those men is after you from the rear! they're trying to----" matt's words were cut short. while he was speaking, the man from the _crescent_ had whirled suddenly and thrown the coat over his head. matt had a fleeting glimpse of the officer, crumpling to the wharf under a vicious blow from behind, and then his own head was encompassed in the smothering folds of the coat and he was thrown struggling to the planks. chapter iv. prisoners on a submarine. motor matt fought in vain to free himself. at least two men had laid hold of him, and the coat was kept drawn tightly over his face and head to prevent outcry. in this condition he was picked up, carried some distance along the wharf and finally laid down on his face while his hands were lashed at his back and his feet tied. then, perfectly helpless and unable to see where he was being taken, he felt himself lifted and lowered. after a moment he was lifted and lowered again, this time, as he surmised, through a narrow hatch, for he felt the sides of the aperture striking his arms and shoulders as he went down. presently he landed on a hard deck, and was again carried a short distance. here, when he was finally laid down, the coat was whisked from his face and he found himself in the blinding glare of an electric light. retreating footsteps came to him, followed by the slamming of a door. as soon as his eyes had become used to the glow of the light, he discovered that he was in a small room with a curved iron deck overhead. an incandescent lamp was screwed into one of the walls, and there was a door in each bulkhead at the ends of the room. matt was bewildered by what had recently happened to him. had the crew of the _crescent_ resorted to violence in order to save jurgens from capture? the law would take hold of the men good and hard for resisting an officer. as matt figured it, he had been brought aboard the sailboat. but what would his captors have to gain by a move of that kind? mcmillan knew what the men on the _crescent_ had done for jurgens, and it was a fair inference that the officer would soon pay the craft a visit, himself. what put matt in a quandary, however, was the fact that he could not reconcile his present surroundings with the _crescent_. he was in an armor-plated room, and the sailboat was a small wooden vessel, and was hardly fitted with such a cabin as that to which the prisoner had been taken. while matt was wondering about this, a door in one of the bulkheads opened and another prisoner was carried in by two men and laid down beside him. this second captive likewise had his head smothered in a coat, but the blue uniform told matt plainly he was the policeman. the officer was bound, just as matt was, and as soon as he was laid down the coat was jerked away and the two who had brought him into the room started out. "wait!" called matt, his voice ringing strangely between the steel walls. "what do you mean by making prisoners of us, like this?" one of the men looked around and laughed grimly, but he made no other reply. the next moment the door had closed, and matt and the officer were alone together. "here's a pretty how-de-do," fumed the officer. "these villains are goin' a good ways in their attempt to help that thief, jurgens! somebody'll smart for all this." "those men on the _crescent_ are foolish," said matt. "it won't be long before mcmillan gets us out of here." "i don't know about that," was the answer. "mebby it won't be so easy as you think for mcmillan to get us away from these scoundrels." "where is mcmillan? do you know?" "he was on the wharf with me, just before the _crescent_ got in. he thought him and me wasn't enough to get jurgens off the boat, and so he went after another officer. you're motor matt, who's been making ascensions in that air ship---- i've seen you a good many times on the beach. my name's holcomb." "where do you think we are, holcomb?" matt asked. "it can't be we're on the _crescent_." "sure not. looks to me as though we had been brought aboard captain nemo, jr.'s boat, the _grampus_. she bobbed up at the inlet wharf yesterday. i'm on night duty at the inlet, and i seen her last night." "the _grampus_?" echoed matt. "she must be an ironclad." "she's more'n that, motor matt. she's a submarine." "a submarine! i haven't heard of such a boat being in atlantic city." "it ain't gen'rally known, i guess. captain nemo, jr., is a queer sort of a fish, and he's invented a boat that he claims is a little better than any other under-water boat that was ever built. i talked with him on the wharf, last night. who the cap'n is, nobody knows, and he hides himself under the name of nemo, jr. he talked straight enough, and fair enough, and allowed he was keeping quiet so as not to let reporters and other curious people bother him while he was in atlantic city. it was your air ship that caused him to come here." "the air ship?" queried matt, more and more mystified. "that's what he told me. everything in the line of inventions, he says, interests him, especially if the inventions have anything to do with gasoline motors. this boat is run by a motor of that kind. nemo, jr., said he was goin' to take a fly with you to-day." "i guess he didn't, then. no man by that name went up with us. but the point that's bothering me is, holcomb, why were we brought here?" "to save jurgens, the movin'-picture man." "how'll that save him?" at that point the explosions of an engine getting to work echoed sharply through the steel hull of the _grampus_. the whole fabric began to quiver, and muffled, indistinct voices could be heard. immediately there was a perceptible downward movement. "we're sinking!" exclaimed matt. "looks like the scoundrels was takin' us to the bottom," said holcomb grimly. "more'n likely mcmillan has shown up with some more men and is makin' things lively for those on the wharf. the fellows that grabbed us are takin' us below the surface so the officers can't get at us, or jurgens! gadhook it all! captain nemo, jr., didn't seem like a man who'd help out any underhand game like this. i reckon we're in for it, matt. i ain't got any fears but that we'll come out all right in the end, but the outlook is a long ways from bein' pleasant. if nemo, jr., is trying'---- there! i reckon we've hit bottom." holcomb broke off his remarks abruptly. the downward motion of the _grampus_ had ceased with a slight jar. before the two prisoners could talk further, one of the doors opened and jurgens came into the room. he was followed by the man who had climbed out of the _crescent_ and had faced matt on the wharf. closing the door behind them, the two men stood looking grimly down on matt and the officer. "i don't understand what your game is," cried holcomb, angrily, "but if you know when you're well off, you'll set us at liberty, and be quick about it." "you'll get your liberty, all right," said jurgens. "now that i've got hold of what i wanted, i'll not be long pulling out of atlantic city. the moving-picture business can go hang for all of me! i've got a fortune in prospect, and i'll nail it here and now if it's the last thing i ever do." "what do you mean by treating me like this?" demanded matt; "what have i got to do with your plans?" "you and the officer could have upset 'em mighty easy if we hadn't bowled you over and got you out of the way before the rest of those policemen got here." "is captain nemo, jr., helping you in this game you're playing?" queried holcomb. "helping me?" jurgens turned to his companion from the _crescent_ with a husky, ill-omened laugh. "that's pretty good, eh, whistler?" "the best ever," answered whistler, echoing the laugh. "townsend has helped me to the extent of furnishin' something i'd about given up laying my hands on," went on jurgens, again turning his eyes on matt and the officer. "i want you two to tell him that i'm off for the bahamas, and that he'll have to get up in the morning if he beats lat jurgens." "townsend?" queried matt. "yes," scowled the other, "townsend. that's the name he uses when he's ashore. when he's afloat, he's captain nemo, jr." matt was astounded. "have you stolen this submarine, jurgens," he asked, "as well as that paper that----" "you know all you're goin' to," interrupted jurgens. turning to whistler he added: "cut the boy loose and make him strip. it's time we got rid of him and the policeman and cleared out of here. we're a fathom under water, but townsend may think of some way to get at us if we stay here too long." whistler bent over matt and removed the ropes. "you're going to put us ashore?" asked matt, getting to his feet and stretching his benumbed limbs. "we're goin' to send you to the surface, and you'll have to attend to gettin' ashore yourselves. can you swim?" matt nodded. "i can't," said holcomb. "well," went on jurgens, "i don't want to drown you, but the _grampus_ can't go to the surface just to let you off. you say you can swim," and he turned to matt. "you'll come up not far from the wharf, and ten to one you'll find quite a lot of people on the wharf. as soon as they pull you in, you tell them to get out a small boat and lay to in her half a fathom off the end of the pier. that's where the officer will come up, and you can fish him in out of the wet. now, strip." "why am i to do that?" demanded matt. "because you'll be able to swim easier with your clothes off." "i'll not take them off. if we're still alongside the wharf, i can make it without removing my clothes. how are you going to send me to the surface?" "come on and i'll show you. drop in behind him, whistler, and hold a gun ready in case he tries any foolishness." jurgens turned and opened the door through which he and his companion had just come. matt followed him through the door, whistler bringing up the rear with a drawn weapon. matt was bewildered by the trend of recent events. the quickest way for getting at the nub of the difficulty was by finding townsend, otherwise captain nemo, jr., and hearing what he had to say. but how was matt to be sent to the surface? that was the point which, just then, was causing him the most wonder. chapter v. through the torpedo tube. motor matt was conducted along a narrow steel corridor. two or three ruffianly looking men were passed. they were all in greasy overclothes and paid the prisoners little attention. a door finally admitted matt and the two with him into a chamber in the very bow of the boat. here there were a couple of torpedo tubes, although, so far as matt could see, there were no torpedoes. "we'll put him out of the starboard tube," said jurgens. "close the bow port, whistler, and blow the water out of the tube. i'll take the gun while you're busy." whistler handed over the revolver and pulled a lever at the side of the chamber. matt could hear a muffled sound as the port closed. thereupon whistler, by means of another lever, turned compressed air into the tube, and there came a stifled swishing sound as the water was ejected. finally the sound ceased, and whistler opened the breech door and stepped back. the cavernous tube yawned blackly under matt's eyes. he was a lad of grit and determination, but such an experience as he was about to pass through would have shaken even stronger nerves than his. "take me to the surface," said matt, "and let me out of the submarine by way of the deck!" "and mebby get spotted and captured ourselves, eh?" answered jurgens. "not much! here's the way you're going to get out if you get out at all." "what did you bring holcomb and me into the submarine for? why didn't you leave us on the wharf?" "it would have been too easy for you to tip us off to the other officers. we needed a little time to get the _grampus_ submerged. i don't care how much you tip us off now. we'll not come to the surface again until we're well off cape may." jurgens snapped his fingers. "that for townsend!" he added, defiantly; "let him catch me if he can." "you seem to know as much about submarines as you do about moving pictures," remarked matt, caustically. "i know a good deal about a lot of things, and i've found the knowledge mighty handy a lot of times. if you're ready, squeeze into the tube. we haven't much time to spare." "but----" "get in, i tell you!" and jurgens waved the revolver threateningly. "there's not much danger, but you'd better put your fingers over your ears in order to save your ear drums. the pressure of the air that shoots you out of the tube is rather heavy. but i'd advise you to take off your clothes." matt saw that it was useless to argue with jurgens or whistler. the two men had some desperate scheme at the back of their heads and they were not resorting to any halfway measures in carrying it out. pulling his cap well down on his head, matt squeezed into the dark tube. "ready?" called jurgens. "yes," answered matt, almost stifled, pushing his hands against his ears. "take a long breath--we're going to close the breech door." the young motorist breathed deeply, and the next moment there was a clang as the breech was closed. instantly there followed a grinding sound as the outer port was opened. the chilling water rushed in. for the space of a heart beat matt felt the water submerging his cramped body and filling the full length of the tube. two or three ticks of a watch would have told the duration of the experience, but to matt it seemed like an eternity. then there came a shock that nearly made him unconscious. he thought he was being torn limb from limb by the rushing air. in a twinkling--so swiftly that he scarcely realized it--he was shot from the end of the tube and into the water. he was a fraction of a second in getting control of his limbs; after that, he began kicking and using his hands to propel himself upward. half stunned he came to the surface, and the lights of the wharf swam in his watery eyes. he gasped for breath and then sent up a thrilling cry for help. the difficulty of keeping himself afloat, with all his water-soaked clothing to hold him down, was a good deal greater than he had thought it would be. to his great relief, above the roaring in his ears he heard sounds of running feet on the wharf, and excited voices shouting something he could not understand. there was a splash beside him. instinctively he threw out his hands and grasped a rope. "all right?" cried a voice from the wharf. "yes," he answered. then those on the wharf began pulling him in and soon had him, dripping and spent, on the planks. "where's holcomb?" matt made out mcmillan's face bending over him. the question caused the young motorist suddenly to remember that there was something yet to be done for holcomb. "get out a boat," said matt, "and lay to about a fathom off the end of the pier. holcomb is coming up--and he can't swim." "coming up?" repeated mcmillan, blankly. "yes; they're going to shoot him out of the torpedo tube, just as they did me." "great guns! can they do that? it ain't possible that----" "don't stand there talking, mcmillan," put in another voice. "matt has told you what to do, so go ahead and do it. the scoundrels can use the torpedo tube to get rid of holcomb, and if holcomb can't swim he'll be in plenty of danger. find your boat and get her off the end of the pier. lively, now!" the speaker, as mcmillan dashed away, came closer to matt. it was archibald townsend. "you've had a rough experience, my lad," said townsend. "how do you feel?" "a little dizzy," replied matt. he peered around him. they were alone under the electric light, all the others on the wharf having gone with mcmillan to help in the rescue of holcomb. "i don't wonder," rejoined townsend. "being slammed through a torpedo tube isn't a very pleasant experience." "do you call yourself captain nemo, jr., when you're afloat in the submarine, mr. townsend?" asked matt. "jurgens has been talking with you, i see," went on townsend. "well, he's given it to you pretty straight, scoundrel though he is and with small regard for the truth. yes, i'm captain nemo, jr., of the submarine _grampus_. and jurgens has stolen my boat and captured two of my men! losing the boat and that paper makes this a hard-luck story for me." "can't you get back the boat in some way?" queried matt, his excitement growing as his brain cleared and strength returned to him. "if jurgens would bring the _grampus_ to the surface i might have some chance, but it's impossible if he keeps her below." "she's lying right off the pier, just below the spot where she was moored." "she might as well be a thousand miles away so far as my ability to recover her is concerned. my only hope just now is that the men working for me, who were captured when jurgens stole the boat, may be able to turn on their captors and get the _grampus_ back in their hands." "jurgens told me to tell you that he was off for the bahamas, and that you'll have to get up in the morning if you beat him." a frown crossed townsend's face. "i knew very well that was where he was going," said the owner of the _grampus_. "had the paper he took from you," queried matt, "anything to do with his trip to the bahamas?" "everything. i can hardly understand how the theft of that chart, and of the boat, happened to come in so pat for jurgens. but i'm going to tell you more about the chart later, matt. just now you're as wet as a drowned rat and must want to get back to your hotel and put on some dry clothes." "i want to make sure, before i leave the inlet," returned matt, "that mcmillan and the others succeed in rescuing holcomb." "this way, then," said townsend, starting along the wharf; "i'll go with you. after we see holcomb landed, i'll go with you to the hotel and broach a subject that just popped into my mind." on reaching the end of the pier it was evident to matt and townsend that holcomb had just come to the surface. a sharp cry of command came from some one in the rowboat and the craft could be seen moving swiftly away toward the right. matt's keen eyes detected a black spot on the water, but before the boat could reach it the spot had disappeared. "he's gone down!" gasped matt. "if jurgens' scheme has caused holcomb to lose his life, the prospect will look pretty dark for him." "jurgens is bound to come to some bad end," declared townsend. "i've known him for two or three years, and he has always been crafty and unscrupulous. but i don't think he'll ever hang for the drowning of holcomb. if my eyes show the situation clearly, holcomb has just come to the surface again--and those in the boat have got hold of him." this was the way it appeared to matt, and that both he and townsend were correct was presently proved by the rowboat turning back in the direction of the wharf. "did you get him, mcmillan?" called townsend, as the boat came close. "yes," was the officer's response. "he's full of water, and unconscious, but there's plenty of life in him. we'll have him all right in a brace of shakes." holcomb, in nothing but his underclothes, was lifted to the pier. the men in the boat climbed after him, and he was rolled and prodded until he was able to open his eyes and speak. "that's enough for us, matt," said townsend. "let's go to your hotel. the idea that darted into my mind a little while ago is growing on me, and i'd like to put it up to you and hear what you think about it." matt, wet and uncomfortable, was also anxious to get to his hotel. not only that, but he was curious to learn what it was that townsend, otherwise captain nemo, jr., had on his mind. chapter vi. the cape town mystery. on their way to the hotel, matt and townsend met dick ferral. carl, after exchanging his bathing suit for every-day clothes, had wandered about looking for matt, and had only just come to the air ship to relieve ferral. in a few words matt told his chum what had happened, and ferral accompanied matt and townsend to the hotel. "you and matt own the hawk together, don't you, ferral?" townsend had asked. "that's the way of it," ferral had answered. "then i want to talk with the two of you." these remarks merely served to whet the curiosity of the two boys. on reaching the hotel, the three repaired at once to the boys' room, and after matt had got into some dry clothing and all were seated comfortably, townsend plunged at once into the subject that lay nearest his mind. "it is clear to me," said he, "that jurgens mixed up in this moving-picture business just for a 'blind.' he must have heard that i was coming to atlantic city for a look at your air ship, king, and have laid his plans for the capture of the submarine. the _grampus_, as near as i can figure out, was captured by confederates of jurgens' while i was in the air with you. jurgens had no idea that he would be able to secure that paper from me direct, but probably hoped to find it in the _grampus_, or to take it from me when i returned to the submarine after that flight in the hawk." "if jurgens' men captured the _grampus_ while you were in the air with us, mr. townsend," said matt, "the capture must have been effected in broad daylight, while the inlet was alive with sailing craft. would that have been possible?" "easily possible. the _grampus_ is a steel shell, you know, and what takes place aboard of her cannot be seen by any one on the outside. the skipper of the _crescent_ happened to be a friend of jurgens', and the _crescent_ happened to be handily by to pick jurgens out of the rowboat. we'll know more about that part of it as soon as mcmillan investigates and reports. just now, the point for us to remember is that luck has been with jurgens. his men captured the submarine, jurgens captured the paper, and the _crescent_, with her skipper and crew, helped jurgens and his clique to foil the ends of right and justice." townsend paused. he was a man of fifty-five or sixty, with gray mustache and gray hair, but with alert and piercing black eyes. his looks and manner were such as to inspire confidence, and both matt and dick felt that he was to be trusted implicitly. "but why has jurgens gone to all this trouble?" inquired matt. "he has made himself a thief and a fugitive, and what does he hope to gain by it?" "ah," returned townsend, "now you are touching upon the mystery of the man from cape town. i shall have to tell you about that before you can get any clear understanding of what jurgens has done. "nearly a year ago a ragged specimen of a man stopped me at the corner of broad and chestnut streets, philadelphia, and asked if i wasn't the man named townsend who had invented and was then building a new submarine which was to have a cruising radius of several thousand miles. i told him that i was. thereupon the stranger informed me that he was the man from cape town, and that he wanted to borrow a dollar. "the man from cape town was very different from your ordinary beggar, and i handed him the dollar. thereupon he took a folded paper from his coat, gave it to me, and asked me to keep it for him. he declared, gravely enough, that the paper was worth a fortune, and that when my submarine was completed, we would go in her to the place where the fortune had been tucked away, find it and divide it between us. "that sort of talk led me to look upon the man from cape town as a harmless lunatic. i discovered that the paper was a chart of the bahama islands, and that it gave the latitude and longitude of a particular island, together with other information necessary for the finding of what purported to be an iron chest. "this chart i looked upon as rank moonshine, and tucked it away in a pigeonhole of my desk. months passed, and i had almost forgotten the man from cape town, his chart and his iron chest, when something occurred to bring the entire matter prominently to my mind. "a night watchman at the yard where i was building the _grampus_ found a man going through my desk at midnight. when the fellow was captured, he was just getting away with a paper which he had abstracted from one of the pigeonholes. that paper was the chart, and the would-be thief was--jurgens, lattimer jurgens. "jurgens had been a workman in the shipyard, but had been discharged for incompetency. while at the yard i presume he learned, in some manner known only to himself, that i had possession of the chart, that it was in my desk, and that it purported to locate a fortune. "while jurgens' attempted theft recalled the chart to my mind, it did not add anything to its importance in my estimation, for jurgens was just the sort of man to take stock in such wild yarns about hidden treasure; however, in order to keep the chart from being stolen, i put it away in the office safe. as for jurgens, i let him go with a warning. "about three weeks after that i was called hurriedly to one of the city hospitals. there i found the man from cape town, a total wreck and lying at the point of death. he had strength enough left to insist that the iron chest contained a fortune, and he made me promise to start for the bahamas as soon as the _grampus_ was finished, find the chest, and then take it to his daughter, who lived in new orleans, open it in her presence, and divide the contents equally. "i still considered the unknown as the subject of delusions; but, as i should want to try out the _grampus_ on a long cruise as soon as she was completed, i agreed to carry out the man's request. he died blessing me so fervently that i was a little ashamed of myself for not having more faith in his story. "a few days, perhaps a week, later, jurgens came to see me. he declared that the man from cape town had been his brother, and that the chest, now that his brother was dead, belonged to him. i asked jurgens where the chest came from, what it contained, and how it had happened to be cached in the bahamas. these questions he could not answer. i had been fairly sure, all along, that jurgens was not telling the truth, and his lack of information made me positive of it. i declined to give him the chart, or to treat with him in any way regarding it. thereupon jurgens left me, vowing vengeance, and asserting that, by hook or crook, he would obtain what he was pleased to call, his 'rights.' "some time later, when the _grampus_ was ready for sea, i shipped my crew and tried the boat out, up and down the delaware. the trials resulted in a few changes to the machinery, and when the submarine was finally in shape, i made her ready for the trip to the bahamas. the day we were to start, i read a column or more about the hawk, and what you lads were doing here in atlantic city. i have always been interested in air ships quite as much as in submarines, so i decided to come to atlantic city and have a look at the hawk before going to the bahamas. "at that time, i know positively that jurgens was in this resort, making moving pictures for a firm in chicago. some one in his service must have telegraphed him of my change of plan, thus enabling him to lay his schemes to capture the _grampus_. i tried to keep my movements as secret as possible, but it is certain that they leaked out. "on leaving the _grampus_ to visit the beach, this afternoon, three trusty men were in charge of the submarine. the officer on duty at the inlet wharf says that three men came there and claimed to have a letter from me to the man in charge of the _grampus_; that the letter was opened by cassidy, the machinist in charge of the boat, and that the men were admitted below decks. that, undoubtedly, is when the capture took place. "as i said before, it is my belief that jurgens either hoped to find the chart concealed in the _grampus_, or else to capture me on my return from the beach and take the chart by force. events worked the scheme out differently, and the chart was snatched from my hands while i was going over the papers i had taken from my pocket. now, the chart is gone, and the _grampus_ is gone." townsend relapsed into silence, his keen eyes leveled on motor matt's face. the faces of matt and ferral, at that moment, were a study. it was a strange story they had heard, but that it was a true story they did not for a moment doubt. "how much are you making, here in atlantic city?" townsend asked abruptly. matt told him, wondering what that had to do with the matter. "you understand," townsend went on, "that my interest is wholly in the _grampus_. i must recover the boat. it is a fair surmise that jurgens, and those with him, will lay a course for that particular island in the bahamas. i have that chart, and all the other information contained in it, as clearly in my mind as though the paper itself was before my eyes. furthermore, i questioned you so thoroughly about the hawk, while we were in the air this afternoon, that i know the air ship's capabilities. in less than two weeks, motor matt, we could make a round trip to the bahamas in your air ship. what i want is to charter the hawk for two weeks, and to pay you five thousand dollars for the use of the craft. i am rich enough to do this, and my hope is that we will be able to recover the _grampus_. if you boys will agree, i will pay over twenty-five hundred dollars before we start from atlantic city and give you the remainder of the five thousand upon our return." the two chums were thunderstruck. they had not had the least idea of the way townsend's talk was trending. "sink me!" mumbled ferral, "but that sounds like a large order." "not so large, perhaps," returned townsend, "as it seems at first sight." "how long a trip is it?" asked matt, a bit dazed. "perhaps a thousand miles, as the crow flies, or fifteen hundred as we'll have to go. we could follow down the coast line, and then jump across the florida straits to the bahamas. you tell me you can make thirty miles an hour in the hawk, and that you can do even better with favoring winds. say, at a rough estimate, that we make seven hundred miles a day. why, inside of three days we should be where we want to go in the bahamas. if we spend three or four days there, and as much time getting back, ten days ought to see the trip completed." "but if we strike rough weather?" asked matt. "this is the time of year when the weather ought to be at its best. nevertheless, if a stormy day comes, we could alight and wait for the weather to clear. even at that, we ought to be back in atlantic city in two weeks." "it's a good deal of a guess, mr. townsend, as to whether, even if we do find the _grampus_ in the bahamas, you will be able to get her back." "i am staking five thousand on the guess," said townsend, quietly. "you're the right sort of a fellow to make such a venture a success, motor matt, and the proposition i have made you i wouldn't make to every one. what do you say?" matt and dick withdrew for a little talk. they would lose their "advance bookings" for flights in the hawk, but they stood to make a greater profit by this air cruise to the bahamas than they could possibly hope for in atlantic city. "when do you want to start?" matt asked. "we should start in the morning," replied townsend, "as early as possible." "we'll go," said matt. "good!" cried townsend, a gleam of satisfaction darting through his eyes. taking a checkbook and a fountain pen from his pocket, he drew a chair up to the table and wrote for a few moments. "there's your twenty-five hundred," said he, handing the check to matt. "i've made out the check to king & ferral. i'll leave you boys to do the outfitting, and will meet you on the beach, ready for the start, at seven in the morning. good night." with that, townsend shook hands with matt and dick and went away. dick, highly delighted, started in to do a sailor's hornpipe. "twenty-five hundred," he gloried, "and twenty-five hundred more to come. strike me lucky, mate, but we're going to be millionaires if this keeps up." "we've got to earn the money yet, dick," returned matt, "and that cruise to the bahamas will be anything but a picnic." chapter vii. off for the bahamas. next morning matt and dick were astir at three o'clock. the gasoline tank was filled and a reserve supply of fuel taken aboard. the oil supply was also looked after, and rations of food and water were stowed in the car. this accomplished, there was a short flight to the gas works where the bag of the airship was filled to its utmost capacity. the twenty-five hundred dollar check was left with a friend to be deposited, and by six-thirty the hawk and her crew were again on the beach with everything in readiness for a record flight. carl's delight, as soon as he learned what was in prospect, reached a point that made it almost morbid. he was of little use in the outfitting, and ran circles around the hawk trying to do something which either matt or dick was already doing. finally, about six o'clock, matt sent carl to the hotel to get their small amount of personal luggage and to bring a hot breakfast for all hands. at a quarter to seven, when townsend came along the beach, the hurried meal had been finished. the owner of the _grampus_ gave the boys a cheery good morning, and began placing in the car a bundle of maps and charts, and a sextant. "i presume," said he, "that we can figure our course all right by dead reckoning, but in case we find any difficulty about that, the sextant will enable us to determine our exact location. the maps are all of the coast line, and are so complete that i think we shall be able to tell, just from the look of the country over which we are passing, where we are. i have also a barometer, and, as luck will have it, fair weather is indicated. there's a compass, too, wrapped up with the maps, and if you lads have looked after the victualling, i think we are fully equipped for a dash to the bahamas." for townsend's benefit, matt enumerated the stores that had been placed aboard. "you have missed nothing, matt," observed townsend, approvingly, "and i am pleased to see it. if there is nothing else to keep us, we had better cast off and make the start." matt gave townsend his position aboard. dick and carl knew the stations they were to occupy, and after they had released the cables and thrown them into the car, they took up their customary places. matt turned over the engine, which, after a volley of "pops," settled down into steady running order. "south by west, matt," called townsend. "that will start us across delaware bay in the vicinity of cape may." "south by west it is, sir," said matt, adjusting the ascensional and steering rudder to carry the hawk upward and in the direction indicated. at a height of five hundred feet the hawk was brought to an even keel, the racing propeller carrying her through the air at a speed which was slightly better than thirty miles an hour. "fine!" exclaimed townsend, taking a look over the rail and watching absecon island slip away behind them. "we'll eat up the miles, at this pace, and with no stops to make." "but the _grampus_ is also eating up the miles," said matt, "and will probably make no more stops than we do. how fast can she run, mr. townsend?" "she can do fifteen miles submerged, and twenty to twenty-five on the surface." "her course to the bahamas will be more direct than ours." "true enough, but our speed is so much faster that, in spite of the roundabout course we're taking, we'll be able to reach turtle key and be there to receive the _grampus_ when she arrives." "durtle key," put in carl. "dot's vere ve vas going, eh?" "that's where the iron chest is supposed to be, and, of course, that's where the _grampus_ will make for. the bahamas are all of coral formation and are underlaid with many caverns. for the most part, the islands are hollow; and it is in a hollow under turtle key that the man from cape town claimed to have hidden the chest." "iss dere pread fruit und odder dropical t'ings on der island?" asked carl, who was looking forward to a brief period of romance in an island paradise. "as described on the chart," replied townsend, "turtle key is no more than a hummock of coral, bare as the palm of your hand, and with a surface measuring less than an acre in extent. there is no water, no trees, and no inhabitants if we except the turtles." carl was visibly disappointed. "i vas hoping i could climb some trees und shake down a gouple oof loafs oof pread fruit," he mourned, "und i vas t'inking, meppy, dot i could catch a monkey und pring him pack, und a barrot vat couldt say t'ings. py shiminy, i don'd like dot kind oof a tesert islandt." "where is it, mr. townsend," asked dick, "on the eastern or western side of the group?" "on the western side, just off great bahama island and well in the florida straits." "i sailed all through that group on the old _billy ruffian_," went on dick, "wherever the channels were deep enough to float us. there's a good deal of shoal water, and a lot of places where you can go off soundings at a jump. that submarine, if she takes a straight course, will have to keep on the surface a good share of the time." "jurgens will take to the florida straits and then turn in when he gets opposite turtle key. that will give him deep water all the way. after i left you boys last night," added townsend, shifting the subject, "i had a call from mcmillan. he told me that the skipper of the _crescent_ claimed to have had nothing to do with the picking up of jurgens off the heinz pier. whistler, one of the men on the sailboat, got the three men comprising the crew on his side, and they overpowered the skipper, tied him hand and foot and laid him on the floor of the cuddy. anyhow, mcmillan says that when he boarded the _crescent_, the skipper was helpless in the cabin and all the others who had been on the boat had disappeared. it looks a little 'fishy' but that must have been the way of it. the skipper of the _crescent_ couldn't afford to harbor a fugitive like jurgens." "it was all a brazen piece of work from start to finish," observed matt. "the capture of the _grampus_ was second only to the desperate play jurgens made when he stole the chart. jurgens, from what i saw and heard while holcomb and i were aboard the _grampus_, knows a good deal about the submarine, but----" "he learned all that while he was working in the shipyard," put in townsend. "but does he know enough to run the craft?" queried matt. "i think not. he and his gang are probably forcing cassidy, my machinist, to run the submarine for him. if cassidy, burke and harris, my men in the _grampus_, succeeded in turning on their captors and recapturing the boat, we'll be having all our work for nothing--that is, so far as the _grampus_ is concerned. in that event, we'll look for the iron chest." "dot's der talk!" cried carl. "ve vill findt der dreasure. it vas some birate dreasure, i bed you! i vouldt like to findt a chest full mit bieces oof eight und dot odder druck vat birates used to take from peobles pefore dey made dem valk der blank." "bosh, carl!" exclaimed dick, disgustedly. "you're a lubber to take stock in any such yarn. anyhow, i should think you'd had enough to do with pirates." this reference to the way carl had butted into the moving pictures brought grins to the faces of townsend and matt. it was a sore spot with carl, and he tried at once to get his companions to thinking of something else. he picked up the sextant and turned it over and over in his hands. "how you findt out vere ve vas mit dis?" he queried. "hand it over, carl," replied townsend, "and i'll show you." carl was standing by the rail. just as he started to hand the sextant to townsend, a gust of air struck the hawk and she made a sidewise lurch that jerked the car uncomfortably. carl let go the sextant and grabbed with both hands at the rail; and the sextant, flung a little outward by the motion of carl's hand, slipped clear of the rail and dropped downward into space. a cry of dismay escaped townsend and dick. "himmelblitzen!" growled carl, very much put out with himself, "i vas aboudt as graceful as a hibbobotamus. vat a luck! vell, misder downsend, i puy you anodder." "it isn't so easy to buy another, carl," said matt, circling the hawk about and dropping earthward. "we've got to get that sextant, if we can. watch close all of you, and try and see where it fell." at that moment the hawk had been approaching stone harbor, and was above the beach. the sextant may have been ruined by the fall, but matt was hoping against hope that it would be found in usable condition, and that they would not have to delay their voyage to land at some seaport and buy another. chapter viii. an accident. "i think i see it, mate!" called dick, as the hawk came closer to the clear stretch of sand. "to the right a little--about two points--and keep her dropping as she is." "i see it, too!" declared townsend, leaning out over the rail. when ascending or descending, the car of the air ship, as might naturally be supposed, was always tilted. in the present instance it was inclined at a dangerous angle, for matt was trying to bring the craft to an even keel as nearly over the spot where the sextant was lying as he could. the inclination of the car made it exceedingly difficult for those who were standing to keep their feet, and it was only by clinging to the rail that they could do so. matt had a chair, and there were supports against which he could brace his feet, thus leaving his hands free at all times to manage the motor. when about twelve feet above the beach, another gust of air struck the air ship, buffeting her roughly sideways, townsend was leaning so far over the rail that the jerk of the car caused him to lose his balance. his hands were torn from the rail and he pitched headlong out of the car. at this mishap, which threatened tragic consequences, consternation seized the boys. "donnervetter!" whooped carl, "he vill be killed." quickly as he could, matt brought the hawk to the beach. there was no way of mooring the craft, and she swung back and forth in the wind, making it necessary for matt to stay aboard. "tumble out, dick, you and carl," matt called. "see if townsend has been hurt." dick and carl found townsend trying to get up. his face was set as with pain, and it was clearly evident that he had not come through the mishap uninjured. "what's the matter?" asked dick. "it's my foot," answered townsend, stifling a groan. "i turned in the air and struck almost on my feet. i'm lucky, i suppose, not to have landed on my head and broken my neck. it's a sprain, i guess, but it hurts like sam hill. help me up." dick and carl got on each side of townsend and lifted him erect. the injury to his right foot was so great that he could not step on it, and was almost carried back to the car by the two boys. "we'd better put in at stone harbor, mr. townsend," said matt, a troubled look crossing his face, "and let a doctor have a look at you." "i'm sure it's only a sprain," returned townsend, pluckily, "and we won't delay the voyage by stopping at stone harbor. just make me comfortable on the floor of the car and have carl take off my shoe and wrap a bandage around the foot. i'll get along. it was my own fault," he added, "for i had no business to be leaning so far over the rail. pick up the sextant, ferral." dick went for the sextant. it had fallen in soft sand and, although damaged to some extent, had not lost its usefulness. while dick was recovering the sextant, carl was making townsend as comfortable as possible on the floor of the car. a folded canvas shelter, which matt had devised as a covering for the hawk, was brought into requisition and spread out for townsend to lie on. townsend's shoe was then removed. the foot and ankle as yet showed no signs of the injury, but every touch caused so much pain that townsend had to clinch his teeth to keep from crying out. matt, for such an emergency as had just presented itself, always carried a bottle of arnica in the toolbox. carl got out the arnica, soaked a rag with it and bound the rag around townsend's foot. over this another bandage was placed, and townsend lay back on his makeshift couch and rested. "it would only delay us a few hours," said matt, "to stop at stone harbor and have a doctor give your foot proper attention." "i don't think that's necessary, matt," answered townsend. "get under way again. we've lost half an hour already." the accident, although it had resulted in an injury which might have been infinitely more serious, dropped a pall over the spirits of the three boys. if omens counted for anything, the cruise was to end in disaster. matt started the machinery and got the air ship aloft and once more headed on her course. how he and his chums were ever going to reach turtle key, hampered by an injured passenger, was more than he knew. the outlook was dubious, to say the least. noon found them over the state of delaware and reaching along toward chesapeake bay. the wind grew steady and shifted until it was almost directly behind them, and the hawk went spinning through the air at the rate of forty miles an hour. as if to offset this favorable trend of wind and weather, townsend's injury appeared to be growing steadily worse. his ankle was swollen and there was a dark, angry look to the skin. the pain was intense, but townsend insisted that the hawk should keep steadily on her way. at all costs, he declared, they must make the most of the favoring breeze. the rations were drawn upon for dinner, dick eating first and then taking matt's place among the levers while he bolted his food. early in the afternoon the hawk sailed over the broad mouth of chesapeake bay and was saluted by an american man-of-war that was passing below them. carl busied himself taking care of townsend, and matt and dick gave their attention to the maps. townsend had eaten a good dinner and was feeling somewhat better. "what was that?" he asked, rousing up as the sound of the saluting cannon rattled on his ears. matt explained, and townsend watched dick as he dipped the stars and stripes that always flew from the rear end of the car. "we've got to keep pegging along, night and day," said townsend, "until we reach the island. after that we can take things a little easier." "if there's no timber on the island," spoke up dick, "how are we going to moor the hawk? the island's so small that we'll have our hands full keeping the air ship from being blown out to sea." "in a pinch," suggested matt, "we can fill that canvas covering for the hawk with sand and tie the craft to it." "sandbags would be better, if we had them," remarked townsend. "prop me up a little, carl," he added, to the dutch boy; "i want to do some writing." carl bolstered townsend up with one of the boxes of provisions, and the injured man put in an hour of pencil work on the back of an old letter. by then it was evident that his ankle was paining him again, and he put away the pencil and the results of his labor, had the box removed and laid flat down in the car. presently he was asleep. dick came aft along the rail for a few words with matt. "we'll never be able to take townsend to the island, matey," said dick, in a low tone. "it's my opinion that he's worse off than he thinks he is. that don't look to me like a sprain, but like a break." matt nodded glumly. "it's hard luck, dick," he answered, "but i'm of your opinion. still, what can we do? townsend has chartered the hawk for two weeks, and we're under his orders. if he insists that we stay aloft with him and take him to turtle key, we'll have to try it." "i guess you've nicked it. we're under orders, as you say, and we've got to do just what townsend tells us, but i'll be keelhauled if the prospect ain't discouraging. we're out to win that five thousand, and i guess we can do it, but i'd like mighty well to help townsend and not stand by and see him spend his money without getting a fair return for it." "that's the way i feel," agreed matt. "the weather's good, the wind favoring, and all we can do is to keep fanning along. by to-morrow, something may happen to give things a brighter look. go forward, dick, watch the maps and keep a sharp lookout. let me know where we are from time to time." the motor hummed steadily, and hour after hour the hawk clove her way through the air. they passed over newport news and norfolk, and could see the inhabitants of each town running along the streets and looking up at them. all sounds from the earth reached those in the air ship with weird distinctness. the cries of the people, the galloping hoofs of a horse, the rattle of a wagon floated upward, clear and strong. questions were shouted to the boys, but before they could have answered the swiftly moving hawk had carried them out of earshot. they made it a rule to do no talking with the people below, not having the time for any extended conversation and knowing well that what little they could say would only increase the general curiosity instead of lessening it. well to the south of norfolk the air ship reached out along the carolina coast. when the sun went down, and it was falling dark, lights were beginning to gleam in a city which, from the maps, the boys knew to be wilmington. matt's watch told him it was seven o'clock. they had been twelve hours on the wing and had covered a distance which, by air line, measured more than five hundred miles. it was decided by the boys that the night should be divided into three watches, and that during each watch one of them should take his "turn below," as dick expressed it. during the first watch, from seven to eleven, dick was to be in charge of the motor and carl was to take the lookout, while matt slept; from eleven to three, matt was to look after the motor, carl was to continue on lookout duty, and dick was to sleep; and from three to seven, carl was to sleep and dick was to relieve him. as soon as the lights of wilmington had died into a glow behind the car, matt laid himself down beside townsend and was soon "taking his stretch off the land, full and by, forty knots," as dick remarked to carl. matt had slept nearly his allotted four hours, although it did not seem to him as though he had much more than closed his eyes, when he was aroused by the report of a firearm and a startled yell from carl. in a twinkling the young motorist was on his feet, hanging to the rail, peering about him and asking what was the matter. before either matt or carl could answer, another report echoed out, the ringing impact of a bullet against the car's framework was heard, and then the whistle of the ball as it carromed off into space. springing to the levers, matt jerked at the one which lifted or lowered the rudder. in another moment, the hawk was climbing up the moonbeams like a black streak. chapter ix. matt and his chums go it alone. "hunters are taking shots at us," cried matt, "and we've got to get away from them. where are we, dick?" "i had just studied one of the maps with the aid of the electric torch," replied dick, "and had made up my mind that we were close to the line separating south carolina from georgia. just as i had decided that point, bang came the first shot. sink me, but that second shot came close to the motor! lucky it was turned by the framework of the car." "we'd better fly a little higher while we're going over this country," said matt. "it won't do to have a bullet ripping its way through the bag, or putting the machinery out of commission, or doing any damage to you, or me, or carl, or townsend." matt picked up the torch, snapped on the light and focussed the glow on the face of his watch. "it's nearly eleven, dick," he went on, "and time for you to take a snooze. carl and i will take over the ship, while you lie down and get a little rest." during the balance of the night nothing went wrong. the wind had gone down with the sun, and through the cool quiet of the night the hawk reeled off her customary thirty miles an hour. at three in the morning carl awoke dick, and from that on till seven o'clock the dutch boy's snores were steady and continuous. morning brought no improvement in townsend's condition. his face was flushed and his eyes were bright and feverish. he ate some of the breakfast which carl dug out of the ration bag, but it was plain that he forced himself to do it. "where are we, matt?" he asked. "below jacksonville," matt answered, "and traveling down the florida coast." "how's the wind?" "it's abeam, mr. townsend," spoke up ferral, "and we're slanted against it." "that interferes with our speed, i suppose?" "we're making barely twenty miles an hour, as i figure it," said matt. "well, that will drop us into palm beach this evening--and that's where i'll have to give up. i must have broken a bone in my ankle, and the thing for me to do is to stay at palm beach and have it attended to. i thought, yesterday, that i might get over it, and so make myself of some use, but i see now that that's impossible. i'm only a hindrance and a drag, and it's necessary, if i want to avoid serious consequences, to have that foot attended to. my leg is of more importance than the _grampus_, so i'll give up, right here, and you can drop me at palm beach and go back to atlantic city. will the twenty-five hundred i have paid you be enough for your time and trouble?" "more than enough," answered matt, "if that is the way you want it, mr. townsend." "it isn't the way i want it--not by a long chalk!" declared townsend, vehemently, "but it seems to be the way i've got to have it. i've not only lost the _grampus_, but i have also proven false to the promise i made the man from cape town. if i felt that i could go on, with the least show of success, i'd not hang back; but i'm crippled, and i feel that, owing to the lack of proper medical attention, i'm getting weaker and weaker all the time!" heartfelt regret mingled in the words with the pain townsend was suffering. "how far is it from palm beach to turtle key, mr. townsend?" asked matt. "less than a hundred miles, straight across the florida straits." "if this landward breeze holds," went on matt, musingly, "we could reach turtle key in three hours after we left the mainland." townsend shifted his position a little and fastened his gleaming black eyes speculatively on the young motorist's face. "what do you mean by that?" he demanded. "if you can't go to turtle key," said matt, quietly, "why can't the rest of us go? we may not stand so good a chance of recovering the _grampus_ as though you were along and able to help, but we might be able to find whether or not there's an iron chest on the island; and, if we had the opportunity, we might do what we could to recapture the submarine." "i can't order you to do anything like that, matt, but i had decided, in my own mind, that you would say something like you have just said. that's your style, my boy. if you want to go and look for the island and the iron chest, well and good. it will be worth twenty-five hundred more to me to know that i tried to carry out my promise to the man from cape town, and that i couldn't do it because the iron chest was only a figment of his disordered imagination. go and look for the chest, but it won't do for you to attempt to cope with jurgens and the ruffians with him in the _grampus_. yesterday, when it began to grow upon me that i could not see this expedition through to the end, i drew up a copy of that stolen chart as nearly as i can remember it. i believe the copy is fairly accurate." townsend took the folded letter from his pocket and gave it to carl, who passed it along to matt. "you can study that," said townsend, "and it will tell you all i know. do what you can, and, no matter what the result is, come back and report to me at palm beach." townsend did no more talking. the pain he was suffering made talking an effort, and he sank back and closed his eyes. "can we do it, matey?" asked dick. "can we cross a hundred miles of ocean and nose out a little turtle-back in all that raft of islands and keys?" "do you know anything about navigation, dick? can you take a chronometer and a sextant and figure out latitude and longitude?" "i'd be a juggings if i couldn't. why, mate, it's one of the first things they teach you on the training ship." "get in here and manage the hawk, dick, while i look over this chart." ferral dropped in among the levers and matt went forward and sat down on the floor of the car. the chart embraced part of the eastern shore line of florida and took in some of the westernmost islands of the bahama group. from palm beach a straight line was drawn, east by south to a dot below the western point of great bahama island. the dot was marked turtle key, and its latitude and longitude were given. below this diagram, in the left-hand corner of the sheet, turtle key was shown in amplified form, an irregular circle of sand with a black cross on its western side. the cross was labeled, "cavern; can be entered from the shore, or by boat at high tide. iron chest in the cavern." "i believe we can find it, pards," matt finally announced. "anyhow, i'm for trying. if we can do anything to help townsend, i think it's our duty. when we started from atlantic city, this had the look of a wild-goose chase. it may still be no more than that--the only way we can tell is by running out the trail." "i vouldn't like to haf anyt'ing habben so dot ve come down in der ocean," observed carl, "aber you bed you i vould like to haf some looks indo dot cave for der iron chest. i haf readt aboudt birates on der spanish main, und i vould be so habby as i can't dell to get my handts on some oof deir plunder." "one for all, and all for one, old ship!" cried ferral. "sink or swim, carl and i are with you." getting down the florida coast, battling with a side wind every foot of the way, was slow work. it was five o'clock in the evening before the place was reached, a landing made, and townsend removed to a hotel and placed in the care of a doctor. the doctor, after a short examination, declared that townsend had sustained a fracture of one of the smaller bones in the ankle, and that he would have to keep to his bed and remain under constant treatment for at least a week. so far as any serious results were concerned, however, there would be none. the trouble had been aggravated by the delay in receiving proper attention, but that was something which would now be remedied. "i wouldn't start before morning, matt," were townsend's last words to the young motorist. "the wind, which just now is favorable, will go down with the sun, so you wouldn't gain much by going on to-night. besides, it will be better if you are somewhere near the place by noon, to-morrow, so ferral can 'shoot' the sun and find out where you are. watch the barometer, and if it promises good weather to-morrow, make the attempt. don't fail to come back and report to me. good-by, and good luck." "it looks like a whale of a job, messmate," remarked dick, as he and matt walked away from the hotel. "i suppose it looks so big because it's so much of a novelty. i guess this is about the first time any one ever went gunning for treasure in an air ship!" "well," said matt, decisively, "it's up to us to go it alone and find out just what there is on turtle key. there are so many of those little islets scattered through the bahamas that we'll have to 'shoot' the sun, as townsend calls it, in order to find whether or not we're on the right spot." "if we can find the cave that ought to settle it." "all the islands have caves. if we're going at this thing we've got to do it right; we've got to find the _right_ key, and the _right_ cave, and then there can be no possible doubt when we return and report to townsend that there's no iron chest." "you think that's all a yarn for the marines, eh?" "nothing else; but townsend is bound by a promise, and he's the sort of man who doesn't make a promise lightly." the three chums slept out the night in the car of the air ship. when morning dawned, the barometer indicated fair weather. the wind was north by east, quartering offshore, but it was so light as not to cause matt much concern. matt was the first of the three to be astir. after he had looked at the barometer and taken note of the wind, he awoke dick and carl. "we're off for turtle key, pards," cried matt, "and we're going it alone. up with you, and let's put to sea." chapter x. the air ship springs a leak. the hawk had been moored between two trees. the landing had been easily made, the preceding afternoon, and matt was confident that the ascent could be made as easily. and such would have been the case, had nothing gone wrong. the cables were untied from the trees and taken aboard, the rudder tilted to pilot the hawk skyward, the motor was started, and presently the power was switched into the propeller. then, just as the air ship was given a boost upward, the engine stopped dead. without the power of the propeller behind her the car became unmanageable, and the wind, faint though it was, tossed the big gas bag against the limbs of one of the trees. this lasted only a moment, for, as suddenly as it had stopped the engine had taken hold again, and the propeller began to whirl. quick as a wink matt depressed the steering rudder. the hawk dipped downward, cleared the branches, and then was brought up to continue the climb into the air. "a tight squeak, mate!" gasped ferral. "whatever was the matter with the engine?" "any one of a dozen things may have happened," replied matt, "but we seem to be all right now. come back here, dick, and do the driving while i look over the motor." matt could see nothing wrong with the motor, and felt sure that, no matter what had caused the sudden failure of the engine, the trouble would not happen again. having finished his examination of the machinery, matt turned his attention to the gas bag. the top of the bag, of course, he could not see, but there were no indications that anything was wrong. with a sense of relief, the young motorist returned to his post and sent dick ahead to join carl at the lookout. there was something to quicken the pulses in the mere thought of venturing far out over the sea in a "dirigible." the hawk was mistress of the air, but, if any accident happened and she was precipitated into the sea, the steelwork of the car would drag her under and bring certain death to all aboard. but matt and his chums had implicit confidence in the hawk. they had sailed her over lake michigan, and why could they not sail her across the florida straits? carl, leaning over the rail, had a dismal thought as they left the line of white surf and headed boldly toward the heaving horizon to the east and south. "i vonder oof ve vas coming pack any more?" murmured carl. "der ocean iss full oof wrecks, und i hope dot ve von't be wrecked in it mitoudt any poats to ged avay in." dick laughed, turned around and reached out to slap carl on the shoulder. "belay, there, with your gloomy remarks, mate!" cried dick. "i'd rather be in the air with the hawk than down there in the staunchest ship that ever left the stays. the barometer says fine weather--and we know what the hawk can do even with a wholes'l breeze in her teeth. so long as the sky is clear there's no need to worry; and if we see a squall coming up, we'll put about and scud for the mainland. buck up, old ship! think of the iron chest." "dot's vat's der madder!" exclaimed carl, brightening. "ve're bound for der islandt to look for dreasure, und dot makes me feel so goot as i can't dell. i bed you somet'ing for nodding dot ve findt dot chest, und ve pring him pack to downsent und he vill take him py new orleans. hoop-a-la!" steadily and tirelessly the hawk made her way across the heaving waters. there was no way by which the boys could figure her speed, but, carefully weighing the force of the wind, they guessed it at twenty-five miles an hour. "that means," said ferral, "that in four hours we ought to be close to turtle key." "providing we don't get off our course," returned matt. "you can't do that, mate, with the compass right in front of you." "it's only a patch of land we're looking for, dick, and even if the course is kept we're liable to find ourselves a few points off, one side or the other." "right-o! well, let her flicker and we'll see where we are in four hours from the time we started." "ve're oudt oof sighdt oof land," quavered carl. "and just that much nearer catching sight of turtle key and the iron chest," laughed dick. "sure!" and carl echoed the laugh. "it's funny how i forged aboudt dot chest. i vonder vas it captain kitt vat put der chest in der cafe? vat you t'ink?" "i'm not doing any thinking about how the chest got there, mate; just so we find it, that'll be enough for me. what's this?" and dick stooped suddenly and brought up a small roll closely wrapped in canvas. "that must belong to townsend," said matt. "perhaps there's something in it that we can use. open it up, dick, and see what you find." ferral untied the parcel, removed the canvas wrapping and revealed two revolvers and a box of cartridges. "well, strike me lucky!" he exclaimed. "we're a nice outfit of treasure hunters, i must say, to start after a pirate's treasure without thinking to bring along a shooting iron! townsend had a heap more sense than we had, matt." "townsend," replied matt, "was thinking of jurgens when he brought those guns along." "we ought to be thinking of jurgens, too." "put them away somewhere," said matt. "if we need them--which i hope we won't--we'll know where they are." dick dropped the weapons into one of the boxes of supplies. the heaving blue horizon now surrounded the boys on every hand. the reflection that there was only a few hundred cubic feet of gas between them and disaster was not pleasant, and they tried to keep their minds away from it. it was easy to sidetrack carl when his thoughts disturbed him too much, for dick and matt had only to speak of the iron chest and he immediately forgot everything else. matt had no faith in the chest, and dick did not seem to have much, but nevertheless it was a good thing to conjure with in carl's case. "half-past eight," announced matt, "and we're two hours out and ought to be halfway to where we're going." the next hour dragged a little, but carl beguiled the time by keeping a sharp lookout ahead through a pair of binoculars. matt and dick had bought four pairs of binoculars for the use of passengers whom they carried aloft from atlantic city, but only one pair had been brought along on this southern cruise. by half-past nine carl had seen nothing of the island, but matt had seen something which had caused his blood to run cold and had brought gray anxiety to his face. _the gas bag was losing its buoyancy!_ matt was first sensible of this when he tried to force the hawk to a higher altitude. the craft rose sluggishly in answer to the push of the whirling propeller, and when the ship was brought to an even keel, again, she showed a tendency to settle. casting his eyes upward, matt saw that the bag had lost its distended appearance and was getting flabby. here and there a wrinkle appeared in the varnished silk. the bag had been coated with a preparation which was almost proof against leakage; and yet here was undeniable evidence that gas was escaping from the bag, slowly but steadily. it was like the life blood dripping from the veins of all in the car. "sweep your glasses over the ocean, carl!" called matt. "see if you can see a ship. there ought to be vessels crossing the straits between florida and the islands, and there ought to be coasters moving north and south." dick whirled around. there was something in matt's voice that startled him. "why do we want to look for a ship?" he demanded. "because the gas bag has sprung a leak," answered matt, speaking as calmly as he could, "and we've got to find an island or a ship before very long." carl fell back against the rail and almost dropped the binoculars. "don't say dot!" he cried. "himmelblitzen, matt! oof der gas goes oudt oof der palloon vat vill ve do? durn aroundt und make for der florida coast!" "it's too far. the gas would be all out of the bag before we could get a quarter of the way back." carl looked up at the sagging envelope overhead, and then he stared down at the heaving waters below. with a shake of the shoulders, he picked up the glasses and got to his feet. "it vas no use plubbering aroundt ofer vat can't be heluped," said he, gamely. "oof ve haf got to find a ship, den py shinks ve vill findt vone." "that's the talk, mate," approved ferral, albeit in a voice that was a bit husky. there was no sail in sight, and no smoke. "we're south of great bahama, matt," said ferral, "and this wind will help us in that direction. why not change our course? the great bahama is a large island, and we can find it quicker than we can turtle key." "i was about to suggest that," answered matt, "and was waiting only to hear whether or not there was a ship anywhere in this vicinity." shifting the rudder, he put the hawk on her new course. the wind not only hastened the craft onward, but also helped to buoy her up, just as the current of a stream helps to float a swimmer. "where is the leak?" went on ferral, drawing a hand across his eyes and trying to realize what the escape of the gas meant for them. matt's announcement had chilled and dazed him. "it's in the very worst place it could be," said matt, "and that's on top of the bag. the gas is rushing out and is constantly making the hole larger. see how those wrinkles are gathering on the under side!" dick passed his eyes over the bag. "what caused the leak? have you any notion, matt?" "it must have been the branches of that tree we struck against when we started." "but the bag didn't show any signs of a leak _then_." "probably there was no leak, but that the envelope was chafed and weakened. the pressure of the gas has since made a hole, and the hole is getting larger every second." matt pushed the motor to top speed. for a time there was silence in the car--silence broken only by the roar of the ocean and by the steady hum of the motor. a calmness, the calmness of desperation, settled over the three chums. "we'll do the best we can, mates," said dick, "and if we fail it will be while we're making a good fight to save ourselves. if----" just here a frantic yell came from carl. "a ship! py chimineddy, dere's a ship! i knowed as vell as i know anyt'ing dot modor matt's luck vouldn't go pack on him. crowd on der power, bard! pud efery ounce oof enerchy in der bropeller! ve vill vin oudt yet--yah, so helup me!" snatching the binoculars from carl's hand, dick focussed them on the object that had claimed carl's attention. chapter xi. wrecked! "it's not a ship, carl," said dick. "ach, du lieber," wailed carl, "don'd tell me dot!" "but it's something just as good, and perhaps better. it's an island." "turtle key!" jubilated carl, shortsighted as usual and glad only that they were perhaps coming closer to the iron chest. "hoop-a-la!" "no," went on dick, "not turtle key. it's another island." "how you know dot?" "i can see some palm trees. townsend told us that turtle key has no trees." "a good thing for us that it isn't turtle key!" declared matt, plucking up hope. "if we're to be wrecked, the more comfortable the place we're wrecked in, the better. what could we possibly do on a sand hill in the middle of the ocean? if there are trees on that island it may be inhabited. how far away is it, dick?" "a mile or more, matey, but just how far it's hard to tell. bear off a point to starboard--that'll lay us in a direct line with the land." matt's anxious eyes were on the gas bag. he watched its diminishing bulk and tried to figure on how long it would keep them out of the water. the tendency of the air ship to settle was now most pronounced. matt could only fight it by tilting the rudder upward and driving the motor to its full limit. this, of course, diminished somewhat the forward motion; but the breeze, fortunately, was freshening, and the speed lost in keeping the bag in the air was more than compensated by the increased force of the wind. the island could now be plainly seen by the naked eye. it was low and sandy and only two or three palm trees could be seen. the size of the island dashed matt's hope of finding it inhabited. "keep her moving, mate!" shouted ferral. "we're coming closer! a quarter of a mile farther and we'll alight on solid ground." matt was fighting a fierce battle with the diminishing gas. every move he could think of was brought into play. from a five hundred-foot elevation the hawk descended to four hundred feet, to three and then to two. the craft was tilted sharply upward, the racing propeller trying vainly to drive her back to the heights she was surely and steadily losing. matt called dick and carl back toward the stern in order to free the forward part of the car of their weight and make it easier to keep the hawk's nose in the air. this maneuver met with some success, although the air ship continued to settle by the stern, coming nearer and nearer the tumbling waves. the island was so close now that those aboard could see a little cove in its shore line. the tilted air ship, like some stricken monster, was being carried toward this cove by the wind. "that bit of a bay is a good place for us to come down, matey," said dick. "almost any place will be good enough," answered matt, grimly, "just so it's close enough to the shore." "der pag," cried carl, "ain'd more dan haluf so pig as id vas." "throw over some of that plunder!" ordered matt. "not the water cask or the provisions, but anything else you can lay hands on." the binoculars went first, then the mooring ropes and a few other objects which could be of no particular use to castaways on a desert island. the effect was instantly noticeable and, for a brief space, the hawk seemed to stay her descent. in a few minutes she had drifted almost over the cove. just at that moment the hissing of the escaping gas grew to redoubled volume, proving that the rent had suddenly broken wide and that the bag's contents was pouring out. the ship began to drop more rapidly. "i'll go overboard, mates," shouted dick. "maybe that'll lighten the car so the two of you can reach land. it's only a small swim." in a flash, ferral had flung himself into the water. but the loss of his weight did not help--the air ship was losing gas too fast for that. "over with you, carl!" cried matt. "it won't be hard for you to get ashore." matt wanted to get the air ship to dry land, but it was apparent to him that this was impossible. the hawk was doomed! as quickly as he could, motor matt made ready to follow carl and dick. standing on the rail and clinging to one of the ropes by which the car was suspended from the bag, matt paused for a second and then flung himself outward and downward. coming up, he shook the water from his eyes and began swimming. dick had already dropped his feet on the bottom and was wading ashore. carl, spluttering and floundering, was just ahead of matt. dick's eyes were on the air ship. something about the hawk was claiming his attention. matt, swerving his gaze in the direction of the air ship, was surprised to see her still hanging in the air with the wind slowly wafting her shoreward. for a moment matt was puzzled, then it flashed over him that there was enough gas in the upper point of the cigar-shaped envelope to keep the empty car and the bag out of the water. matt gained the shore and sank down on the sand beside dick and carl. "how do you explain that, matey?" queried dick. "why," answered matt, "there's enough gas in the point of the bag, above the hole, to keep the fabric aloft. had we stayed in the car we'd have brought the air ship down into the water. i was afraid the hawk was lost to us, but now we'll be able to save her, and without injury to the motor. when she gets close enough, we'll catch hold of the car and pull her down." "vat good vill it do to safe der air ship, matt?" asked carl, lugubriously. "meppy ve could patch oop der hole, but vere ve going to ged some more gas to fill der pag oop again?" "we can't get away from this island in the hawk," returned matt, "but some ship may come along and pick us up. in that event, we'll be able to take the hawk away with us. we've got too much money wrapped up in that machine to leave it here on this island." "right-o!" exclaimed dick. "not only is the hawk saving herself for us, but she's bringing ashore our supplies. and it's a cinch we're going to need those supplies, mates. i'm a fiji if i think there's anything but turtles here to eat." by that time the air ship had drifted over the beach. by running up the slope leading down to the beach, the boys were able to grasp the lower end of the car, and they easily hauled it to the ground. this move caused most of the gas that still remained in the bag to escape, and the envelope flattened itself out in the sand, twisting and writhing as the last of the gas worked its way out. "this is the end of our cruise in the hawk," muttered dick, staring gloomily at the useless air ship, "and if this tight little island hadn't bounced up right in front of us just when we needed it most, the cruise would have been the end of us, too. but there's no use overhauling our hard luck. we're here, and we're safe, and we'd be worse than cannibals not to be satisfied. let's slant away for those palms, doff our wet gear and sit in the shade till the sun dries our clothes." "a good idea," assented matt. "after we get dried out we'll pitch some sort of a camp and try and run up a flag of distress on one of the palm trees. we could be a whole lot worse off than we are, pards." "anyvay," grumbled carl, while he was getting out of his clothes and spreading them in the sun to dry, "we don'd findt dot durdle islandt, und ve von't efer know vedder dere iss a iron chest on der islandt or nod." "fiend take the iron chest!" grunted dick. "you don'd care nodding for dot?" queried carl, mildly surprised. "not a hap'orth. the time has come, carl, when motor matt and his mates have got to look out for number one. maskee! if we're hung up on this two-by-twice turtle-back for long, the five thousand we're to get from townsend won't be a whack-up to what we're losing in atlantic city. it's a fair bad break we made, coming off on this jamboree. we wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been townsend that asked us." "that's the plain truth of it, dick," said matt. "townsend had a claim on us and we were in duty bound to help him." carl, in his eagerness to be looking around the island, got into his clothes before they were fairly dry. leaving matt and dick to talk, the dutch boy ambled away and was quickly out of sight over the knoll that formed the backbone of the island. "this looks like a case of where the wrong triumphs over the right," observed dick. "jurgens, who's a swab and a crook from heels to sky-piece, puts as brazen a piece of work as i ever heard of right over the plate. and it seems as though he was going to score, at that." "he'll get his come-up-with before long," declared matt. "that sort of crookedness may win for a little while, but it's bound to lose out in the long run." "where townsend missed it was in not letting the authorities send jurgens up that time he crawled into townsend's office and was caught red-handed going through his desk. if townsend had done what he ought to then, there'd have been no trouble like this now. sometimes it's bad policy to be too easy with----" a loud yell came floating over the top of the sandy ridge. both matt and dick sprang excitedly to their feet. "carl!" exclaimed dick. "sounds like he was in trouble," cried matt. "come on and let's see what's up." chapter xii. luck--or ill-luck? when matt and dick reached the top of the ridge they could see their dutch chum prancing around on the beach. he was on the side of the island directly across from the cove, and the object, whatever it was, that claimed his attention seemed to be lying in the sand. "look, vonce!" he bawled. "come here kevick und see vat i haf foundt!" full of wonder, matt and dick raced down the slope. "what is it, carl?" demanded matt. "feetprints," cried carl, "yah, so helup me! vat you t'ink oof dot?" carl was right. there were footprints in the damp sand, together with other marks, which proved that a boat had grounded and been drawn up on the shore. "some one has paid this island a visit," said matt, "and not very long ago." "no doubt of it," averred dick. "that boat must have put in here some time yesterday. where did the men come from and where did they go?" he tried to follow the footprints up the knoll, but they faded out before he had got half a dozen yards from the edge of the water. "there were three men," said matt, studying the marks, "and they landed, stayed a little while, and then shoved off again." "but what did they stay for?" queried dick; "what brought them here?" "that's something we don't know, but the fact that the island has been visited seems to prove that it lies in the track of ships trading among the other islands. we'll get a white flag well up toward the top of one of those palm trees as soon as we can. did you find anything else on the island, carl?" "nod a t'ing," replied carl. "i valked all aroundt it, und it ditn't dake more as fife minids to do it. sooch a leedle islandt you nefer see. led's ged oop der flag, for der kevicker vat somepody sees it, und dakes us off, der pedder vat i shall like it. i couldn't findt some cafes, neider." "you were looking for a cave, eh?" asked dick. "yah, so. i t'ought meppy dis mighdt be durtle islandt afder all, aber oof it iss, it don'd got any cafes." "this island is too far north to be the one townsend told us about, carl," said matt. "i haf made oop my mindt about dot," returned carl, as he followed matt and dick back up the knoll, "und i don'd t'ink dere iss any durtle islandt, or iron chest, or nodding. it vas all a foolishness und some bipe treams." matt and dick put on their clothes and set about the work of putting up their distress signal. from the canvas shelter which matt had made for the hawk a long streamer was cut. thereupon dick climbed the palm and tied the flag to it just under its tufted top. as the breeze opened the flag out, the boys stood off and surveyed it with a good deal of satisfaction. "if any ships pass this island, and those aboard can see the palms," declared dick, "they're bound to see that flag; then, if they're human, they'll send a boat ashore to investigate." "if anything can help us," returned matt, "that will. it's about all we can do, anyhow. come on, now, and let's get something to eat. after that, you fellows can fix up a camp while i begin taking the car of the hawk apart and making it ready for removal from the island." the water cask was nearly full, which was a fortunate thing, considering that there did not appear to be a drop of fresh water anywhere on the island. the boys ate and drank sparingly, intending to husband their supplies so that thirst and starvation might not stare them in the face if their stay on the island was prolonged beyond the time they hoped and expected. following the meal, carl and dick took the canvas shelter designed for the hawk and a coil of rope and made their way to the palm trees. matt, opening the tool box in the car of the air ship, secured a wrench and set about taking the car apart. although he worked rapidly, it was dusk before he had finished his work. but the work had been well done. the motor had been taken out, the car had been divided into its various sections, the cordage had been neatly coiled, and the silken envelope had been carefully folded and bound with ropes into a compact bundle. another scanty meal was indulged in by the chums, and then all three made their way to the palms and crawled into the makeshift tent which carl and dick had constructed between two of the trees. the events of the day had been exciting and all three of the boys were completely fagged. "great bahama island can't be very far from here, mate," said dick, as he settled himself down on the warm sand. "those men that landed in that boat may have come from there." "it doesn't make much difference where the people come from, dick," answered matt, "so long as they find us. i haven't any desire to be hung up here for two or three weeks. we've got food and water enough to last us for six or seven days, if we use it sparingly, but after that there's no telling how we'd get along." "oof dere vas some pread-fruit trees," struck in carl, drowsily, "und a shpring oof fresh vater, it vould be easy enough to ged along." "there goes carl with his bread-fruit again," laughed dick. "but i don't think we'll have to worry much over the chuck question. there'll certainly be a boat along before the week is up." "i vonder vat downsent vill t'ink ven he don'd see us coming pack like vat he expects?" said carl. "he vill feel pooty pad mit himseluf, i bed you, oof ve don'd show oop in a few tays." "he's certainly fallen afoul of some mighty tough luck," went on dick. "he must have been working for several years on the _grampus_, and he no more than gets her finished when along comes jurgens with his gang and cuts her out. but, as i said, townsend could have saved himself all this trouble if he had jugged jurgens the time the fellow was found going through his desk." "all that isn't worrying me so much," said matt, "as the trouble we had with the hawk. i'm through making ocean voyages in air ships. they're all right on the land, but when you take them out over a big stretch of water you're running too heavy a risk. and we got to this island by the skin of our teeth, dick. if it had been a little farther off we'd never have made it." "i wouldn't have given the fag end o' nothing, one while, for our chances of getting out of that fix alive. but fate is always springing surprises on a fellow. i'm beginning to think with carl, matt, that you can't dodge your luck, no matter what you do. but, tell me, what did you think of townsend's boat? you were aboard her for a while and must have found out something about the craft." "i know the _grampus_ has a strong steel room under her deck," said matt, "and that she has an arrangement for firing torpedoes. apart from that i know very little about the boat. i'd like to have a chance to take my time and examine her, but that opportunity, i suppose, will never come my way." carl had ceased to take a part in the conversation, and his snores were echoing through the tent. matt and dick presently fell asleep also, and when matt awoke he found some one shaking him. he opened his eyes and sat up. "that you, dick?" he asked, astonished to find that it was daylight. "aye, aye, messmate," replied ferral, "it's dick, all right enough. come out of the tent--i've a surprise for you." "what is it?" asked matt, getting to his feet; "good luck or bad?" "that's hard to tell, offhand. come out and see for yourself. all i can say is, you're going to find something you didn't expect." dick's excited manner, and his veiled hints, aroused matt's curiosity. following dick out of the tent, matt swept his gaze in the direction of his chum's pointing finger. the next instant matt gave a startled jump. "the _grampus_!" he muttered, dazedly, rubbing his eyes and staring again. there could be no mistake. in the cove, and close ashore, could be seen the rounded deck of a submarine. the conning tower was clear of the water, and on its curved side was painted in unmistakable letters the word, "_grampus_." but where had the boat come from? and what was she doing there? "get carl," matt whispered, "and duck over the ridge out of sight. i'll join you in a minute." without waiting for dick to answer, matt turned and sped toward the place where he had left the piled fragments of the air ship. a box of supplies stood near the gasoline motor. opening the box, matt removed the two revolvers and the box of cartridges. slipping the cartridges into his pocket, he leaped to the top of the ridge, dodged over it, and then made his way along the opposite side toward the place where dick and carl were waiting for him. the presence of the _grampus_ in the cove might mean either good luck, or ill, for the castaways; but if good luck could be helped any by energetic measures, matt was determined to turn the call of the submarine at the island to the advantage of himself and his friends. coming close to the spot where dick and carl were kneeling and peering excitedly over the ridge, matt knelt down beside them and likewise began to watch. the _grampus_ was in those waters for a purpose; and the only way to discover what that mission was, was by keeping track of jurgens and his men. chapter xiii. a move and a countermove. "when did you first see the _grampus_, dick?" asked matt, still watching for some sign of life about the submarine. "she came up about a minute before i called you," replied dick. "i awoke, saw the sun shining, and stepped out of the tent. about the first thing my eyes rested on, when they turned toward the cove, was that red ball on top of the staff. the submarine wasn't in sight, but that red ball was just awash and moving toward the shore. i hadn't a notion what it could be, and as i stood and looked the ball rose out of the water. then the _grampus_ shoved her wet deck into sight, and i made a jump for the tent to get you." the red ball to which dick referred was fastened to the end of a staff that was planted in the submarine's deck. matt was equally at a loss to understand what use the ball could possibly serve. "meppy," said carl, who was always ready with a theory of his own, "der pall is to schare avay der sharks. but for vy has der _grambus_ come here ven she iss due at durtle islandt? has somet'ing gone wrong mit jurgens' galguladions?" at that moment the top of the conning tower was pushed upward, and the head of jurgens appeared over the rim. the head rose until jurgens was half out of the tower. the boys could see that he was curious about the tent under the palm trees. he would lift his eyes to the fluttering white flag, and then he would drop them to the tent. finally jurgens got out on the submarine's deck. "whistler!" the boys heard him call. a moment later whistler showed himself. he likewise surveyed the camp of the castaways. after that he and jurgens talked together, but their voices were pitched in too low a key to carry to the ridge. at last jurgens and whistler gave over their talk. jurgens began climbing down a ladder over the forward end of the boat, and whistler got out of the tower and pushed after him. the bow of the _grampus_ had grounded on the bottom. jurgens, stepping from the ladder in water waist-deep, began wading ashore. once on the beach, he waited for whistler to join him. "they're going to investigate our camp," whispered matt. "oof dey come near enough to investigate us," returned carl, "den, py shinks, ve vill put dem bot' oudt oof pitzness." "why not lay them by the heels, matey?" queried dick, excitedly. "there are three of us and only two of them, and we've got a couple of guns. we could do it easy." "it's their move," answered matt, "and if we could make a countermove that would help us get hold of the _grampus_, we would not only do a good stroke of work for townsend, but for ourselves, into the bargain. the _grampus_ could take us away from here--to turtle island, if we wanted to go there--and then to palm beach." as matt went over the possibilities that followed in the wake of a successful attack on the _grampus_, his brain fired with a resolve to carry out a countermove, even if he and his chums had to take some risks in order to do it. "jurgens is going into the tent," whispered dick, "and whistler is moving in the direction of the hawk. he's not able to recognize the air ship, taken to pieces as she is." "right here's our chance," murmured matt. "follow me, both of you, and come quietly. dick, you take this revolver. no noise, now, for everything depends upon the care we exercise in making this part of our countermove." jurgens was already so close to the tent that the canvas walls were between him and that part of the ridge where the boys were hiding. whistler was walking directly away from the palm trees, so that his back was turned to the boys. matt crawled over the top of the ridge, then got to his feet and glided noiselessly toward the nearest wall of the tent. he could hear jurgens poking around inside, and could even follow his movements as his head and shoulders brushed against the sloping canvas. dropping to his knees, matt quickly lifted the lower edge of the canvas and rolled inside. jurgens was passing that spot, at the moment, and matt kept on rolling. his body struck against jurgens' legs with sufficient force to overturn him. he gave a yell as he dropped, but the next moment his frantic shouts were stifled by carl and dick, who, by that time, had also pushed under the bottom of the tent. "hold him tight," whispered matt, posting himself at the tent opening. "here comes whistler, and we've got to have him, too. you take care of jurgens and i'll look after whistler." matt had hardly finished speaking before whistler rushed into the tent. he carried a revolver in one hand, and matt, with a quick blow, dashed the weapon from his fingers. whistler started back with an oath, only to find the muzzle of a six-shooter staring him in the face. "steady!" snapped matt. "try to yell, or to run away, and it will be the worse for you. down on the ground, whistler--face down!" "what are you tryin' to----" "down, i tell you!" the weapon almost touched whistler's face. his gaze traveled along the barrel to the keen gray eyes back of it, and he dropped to his knees and sprawled forward at full length. as he did so, he made an attempt to grasp the weapon matt had struck from his hand, and which was still lying on the sand. but carl was near enough to grab it away. "no, you don'd," growled carl, "nod as anypody knows of. lay dere, und lay keviet. vat's der next t'ing, matt?" "go for a rope, carl," answered matt; "better get two ropes." "dot's me," and carl sprang up and raced off toward the place where the different parts of the hawk were piled. he was back in a minute. then, while matt held whistler under the point of the six-shooter, and dick did the same by jurgens, carl tied the hands of each at his back, and used the free end of the rope to bind each prisoner's feet at the ankles. "now," proceeded matt, "gag each of them. we can't have any yelling while we're doing the rest of our work." dick cut two strips of canvas from the tent wall, and these were tightly bound between the prisoner's teeth. "how vas dot?" exulted carl, standing over the prisoners when they had been bound and gagged. "you vill sic some more dogs on me, vill you, churgens? vell, i don'd t'ink! you ditn't make mooch ven you grabbed dot baper of downsent's und run off mit it, hey?" "we've no time for useless talk, carl," spoke up matt, sharply. "only part of our work is done--the smallest part; the biggest thing of all lies ahead of us." "what's that, matey?" queried ferral. "the recapture of the _grampus_." matt was cool enough, but his words were startling. "how can ve do dot?" returned carl. "by boarding the submarine and getting busy," matt replied. "jurgens must have several men there, matt," said dick. "they're probably looking after townsend's three men. if we can release cassidy, burke and harris, our force will be plenty large enough to take care of this gang of ruffians." although it was impossible for either jurgens or whistler to move or speak, yet they could hear well enough, and the work matt was suggesting to his friends caused them to mumble behind their gags and to writhe about angrily. "if we win," went on matt, briskly, "we've got to hurry. come on, pards," and he flung out of the tent and raced down the beach. there was no one in sight about the _grampus_. the cover of the conning tower was still pushed back, but it was clear to matt and his chums that the rest of jurgens' men were busy below. quickly, and with as little noise as possible, matt, dick and carl waded out to the _grampus_. matt was first to reach the ladder at the bow, and he swung up it lightly, crossed the deck and climbed into the conning tower. an iron ladder afforded him means for descent into the hull of the boat, and the lunettes, or little windows, in the sides of the tower lighted his way downward. at the bottom of the ladder he stepped into a steel chamber. the only articles of furniture in the chamber were a table and a chair. the top of the table was covered with a black hood which fell downward from the ceiling. just then matt had no time for investigating things he did not understand. as he stood for a moment at the foot of the ladder, trying to hear something that would give him a clue as to where he should go, a door suddenly opened behind him. he whirled about, but before he could make a move to protect himself a heavy fist leaped out at him. he dodged to one side, but the blow caught him in the shoulder, whirled him half around and drove him with stunning force against the steel wall. taken at a disadvantage, as he had been, matt would have paid dearly for his daring work had not ferral, at that instant, dropped from the conning tower squarely upon the head and shoulders of the man who had made the attack on matt. the weight of dick's body hurled the fellow to the floor, and before he could recover his wits dick had snatched from his fingers a knife which he had pulled from the breast of his coat. "avast, there, you swab!" threatened dick, waving his revolver in front of the scoundrel's face. "are you hurt, matt?" he added, keeping his eyes on the man, but addressing his chum. "shaken up a little, dick, that's all," matt answered; "but it might have been a whole lot worse if you hadn't dropped in on us. where's carl?" "he's coming." "how many men did jurgens leave on this boat?" matt asked, bending over the man on the floor. "more'n you kin handle," was the surly response. "we'll see about that. keep him there, dick, while i go forward and see what i can find." passing through the open door in which the man had appeared so suddenly, matt found himself in the passage along which he and holcomb had been led to the torpedo room in the bow. matt was not going to the torpedo room just then, for he had begun to wonder whether cassidy, burke, and harris might not be confined in the steel chamber where he and holcomb had been placed on being brought aboard the _grampus_. whirling to the left, he made in the direction of the chamber. chapter xiv. motor matt's success. the door to the steel chamber, as matt remembered it, opened directly off the end of the narrow passage. the corridor was lighted with a couple of incandescent lamps so that matt had no trouble in seeing what he was about. just as he laid his hand on the door carl came into the passage. matt turned to his chum, laid a finger on his lips in token of silence, and beckoned him to come close. just as carl drew near matt pushed open the door. instantly there was a rush of feet and the young motorist was thrown heavily back against the dutch boy. they both went down together on the steel floor; and, at the same moment, the electric lights faded out, leaving the corridor in darkness. only one man had rushed from the room at the end of the passage--of that matt was positive. where he had gone matt did not know, but as soon as he could extricate himself from his entanglement with his dutch pard the young motorist pushed on through the darkness and entered the chamber. "vere you vas, matt?" called carl, stumbling along the corridor. "it vas so tark i don'd peen aple to see my handt pehind my pack. vich vay dit you go?" "this way, carl," shouted matt. "vere iss der feller vat knocked us down?" "i don't know, but it's a cinch that he's somewhere in the boat. he can't get away without passing through the room where dick is, and, if he tries that----" matt broke off his words with an exclamation. he had stumbled over something on the floor. going down on his knees he groped over the object with his hands and discovered that it was the form of a man, as helplessly bound and gagged as were jurgens and whistler, in the tent on the island, at that moment. with his hands matt twisted the gag from the man's lips. "who are you?" he asked. "cassidy's my name," was the breathless answer; "and who are you?" "motor matt." "great hullaballoo!" muttered cassidy. "how'd you get here?" "there's too much of it to tell, just now. where are burke and harris, cassidy?" "right here alongside o' me. we've been trussed up like this for a day an 'two nights, an' my legs an' arms feel like they was paralyzed. is nemo, jr., with you, motor matt?" "no--only my two pards, dick ferral and carl pretzel. jurgens and whistler are captured, and we left them tied up, on the island." "you never!" gasped cassidy. "that's the way of it," answered matt. "how----" "well, if i ain't clean beat i don't want a cent. how'd you ever manage to do it?" "how am i to get the lights turned on, cassidy? i'd like to see what i'm doing." "i could tell you how to turn on the lights, motor matt, but you'd be somethin' of a spell finding the place in the dark. better cut me loose and leave that part of it to me. i'll snap on the lights while you're freein' burke and harris." this advice seemed sound, and matt used his knife carefully on the ropes that secured cassidy's wrists and ankles. he could hear cassidy getting up, and his exclamation of relief was loud and hearty. "now, by thunder," growled cassidy, "we're havin' our innings. i reckon jurgens'll find that his high-handed game o' his ain't all one-sided. i'll go turn on the lights, motor matt," and cassidy could be heard leaving the room and passing into the corridor. matt and carl groped about until they had found the other two prisoners, and while they were freeing them the lights were suddenly turned on. "i'm burke," said one of the men. "harris, that's me," said the other. "how many men did jurgens have on the submarine with him?" asked matt. "the' was four of 'em," replied harris, standing erect and rubbing his cramped limbs. "the three that come first an' pulled the wool over cassidy's eyes with that letter, an' then whistler. that's all of 'em, motor matt." "jurgens and whistler have been captured," went on matt, "and one of my friends has another in the room below the conning tower. that leaves two more. have you any idea where they are?" this question was answered by a terrific clamor from some point in the forward part of the ship. above the noise broke the sudden report of a revolver, echoing loudly between the steel decks and bulkheads. "here they are, men!" came the voice of cassidy, husky and breathless as though he was fighting. "here's t'other two of 'em in the torpedo room, tryin' ter get out the bow port." "the torpedo room!" shouted burke. "hike for the torpedo room!" roared harris. the two men flung past matt and carl and raced along the corridor. "i guess there are enough of them to capture the two remaining members of the gang, carl," said matt. "pick up some of those ropes and we'll go and put them on the fellow dick is standing guard over." "dot's me!" boomed carl, gathering up the ropes and hurrying after matt. they found that dick still had his prisoner safely in hand. "he nearly slipped his hawse, though," said dick, "when the lights went out, but i hung to him until the lights were turned on again. did you find cassidy, burke and harris, matt?" "yes," answered matt. "they were in the same room where holcomb and i were put when jurgens brought us aboard the _grampus_. we've released the three of them and they are now making prisoners of the two last members of jurgens' gang. they're fighting in the torpedo room." "glory!" cried ferral. "if any one had told me we could have done this, i wouldn't have believed it. it's the biggest thing we've yet passed to our credit, matey." "well, before we congratulate ourselves too much, suppose we make sure of the prisoners we have? get the ropes on that fellow, dick, and then you and carl drag him to the room from which we just took cassidy, burke and harris. i'm going to the torpedo room and see how matters are progressing." while carl and dick were busy with their prisoner, matt made his way forward along the passage to the torpedo room. when he opened the door and stepped into the place he found that the scrimmage was all over. cassidy, burke and harris had captured the two men and were busy making them secure. leaving the work to burke and harris, cassidy arose to his feet and stepped close to matt. "your hand, youngster!" said he, cordially, reaching out one of his paws. "you've turned a big thing--i don't know how big, nor how you done it, but i reckon all that'll come out afore long. these fellers," and here cassidy waved an angry hand toward the two prisoners, "was two of the three that breezed up to me on the wharf at the inlet an' flashed a letter that claimed to be from nemo, jr. the letter informed me that the three men had been hired for part o' the crew o' the _grampus_, an' that they was to come aboard and i was to show 'em the ropes. well, they got me. i ain't overly good at reading writin', but i managed to make out what that letter said an' didn't have sense enough to know it wasn't writ by the cap'n's hand. "them three injuns come aboard. i took one of 'em to show him the ropes, burke took another, and harris took the third. the same thing that happened to harris an' burke likewise happened to me. when i wasn't lookin', the gent i was conductin' around an' explainin' things to rapped me over the skull from behind. when i come to i was in the torpedo room, along with burke an' harris. bymby we was took out o' here into the periscope room, an' from there into the foc'sle, which ain't a foc'sle at all in the original meanin' o' the word, but which we calls that on account o' it's bein' sleepin' quarters fer the hands. "a little later the _grampus_ got under headway, an' then i was waited on by whistler an' conducted to the motor at the p'int of a gun an' told to keep the motor goin' and obey orders. there wasn't anything else for me to do. the boat was in the hands of the enemy. jurgens had got the best of the old man, an' i knowed what jurgens' game was. "one of jurgens' men watched me handlin' the motor, an' finally made out to take it hisself. then, when that happened, i was taken back to the foc'sle an' the lashings was put onto me again. bymby, harris and burke was brought in an' treated in the same way. like me, they had learned some o' jurgens' men how to do the work on the _grampus_, an' we was sidetracked because we wasn't needed an' couldn't be trusted." "how did jurgens come to stop at this island?" matt asked. "he seen the white flag an' got curious." "how did he see the flag if the _grampus_ was under water?" "through the periscope." "is that red ball on top of the staff the periscope?" "it's part of it. jurgens seen the flag through that, an' bein' of a cur'ous disposition he put in to investigate. three of the gang was left to look after burke, harris an' me, an' jurgens an' whistler went ashore. now, son, you can open up an' explain how you happened to be on the island, an' how you managed to capture jurgens an' whistler, so----" "i think you'd better go ashore and get jurgens and whistler, cassidy," interrupted matt. "if we left them there too long they might succeed in getting away. you'll find them in a makeshift tent, by the three palm trees." "we'll get 'em, matt, but fust off we'll carry these two fellers to the foc'sle. drag 'em along, burke, you an' harris," cassidy added to his mates. the men were dragged to the steel chamber and thrown into it to keep ferral's prisoner company. this done, cassidy, burke and harris climbed out of the conning tower, descended the ladder and went ashore. chapter xv. a few surprises. there were a few surprises in store for motor matt and his friends. the first one was sprung when cassidy, shouting loudly from the beach, called matt to the top of the conning tower and reported that there was no one in the makeshift tent. matt was dumbfounded for a moment. "jurgens and whistler were there," he asserted. "we left them tied hand and foot and gagged when we came out to the _grampus_. if they're not in the tent, cassidy, then they must have freed themselves and gone off somewhere on the island. the island isn't so big but what you can find them." "they're not on the island," asserted cassidy. "we've combed it from end to end, an' we're ready to swear there ain't a livin' soul on the island but us three." "it couldn't be that a boat has put in and taken them off, cassidy," went on matt. "no boat would have had time to do that. you'll certainly find them on the island if you look sharp." cassidy and his mates took another turn about the island, but with no better success. jurgens and whistler had mysteriously disappeared. giving up trying to locate the missing scoundrels, matt had cassidy, burke and harris tote the various parts of the air ship out to the _grampus_. some of the parts were loaded inside the boat, and the rest--too large to come down the hatch in the conning tower--were roped to the rounded deck. this method of loading made it necessary for the _grampus_ to keep on the surface of the water all the way to palm beach. matt, however, had another plan in mind before going to palm beach, and as soon as the hawk had been safely loaded he had a talk with cassidy in the periscope room and led up to his plan. the result was another surprise for the three chums--one that was well-nigh overwhelming. "i suppose you know, cassidy," observed matt, "why jurgens stole the _grampus_?" cassidy cocked up his eyes shrewdly at matt. "i know," said he, "but i don't reckon any one else does, exceptin' cap'n nemo, jr., hisself." "that's where you're mistaken, cassidy," returned matt. "captain nemo, jr., or mr. townsend, as we have come to call him, told me and my pards all about it." "then i reckon that's the fust time he ever let the thing out." "he had to tell us," went on matt, "because he wanted to use our air ship in order to get to turtle key. with the hawk, townsend thought he could reach the key before the _grampus_ got there, and that we could then lie in wait for jurgens and his men." from this point, matt rehearsed the adventures that had overtaken him and his chums and townsend, bringing the recital down to the point where jurgens and whistler had been captured, and the attack made on the submarine. cassidy, burke and harris listened to the story with intense interest. when matt was through, exclamations of wonder and surprise went up from the three men. "never heard of anythin' like that, dashed if i have!" averred harris. "sounds like a fish story," asserted burke, "only it has the facts to bear it out." "you lads have gone through a lot for cap'n nemo, jr.," said cassidy, "an' you've not only done a lot for him, but you've likewise done a little somethin' for us fellers." "how's that?" asked matt. "i'm purty sure jurgens was plannin' to maroon us on the island, here. he an' his men had found out from us all they wanted to know about runnin' the ship, an' so, havin' no use for us, they wouldn't bother to keep us around. yes, i'm sartain they was goin' to turn us adrift on the island; but you an' your mates, motor matt, saved us from that." "of course," said matt, "we've got to go back to palm beach." "nacherly," agreed cassidy, "if the old man is there. we'll take him, busted ankle an' all, into the _grampus_ an' snatch him back to philadelphy, or wherever else he wants to go." "before we do that," said matt, "why can't we finish up this work for him?" "i don't savvy what you mean," said cassidy. "ain't the work about all finished? you've got the boat back for him, an'----" "but why not find turtle key, look into that cave and then go back able to report to him that there's no iron chest on the island." the eyes of all three of the men grew wide as they surveyed matt. "great sandpipers!" exclaimed cassidy, "didn't you hear about that? i supposed you knowed." "supposed i knew what?" demanded matt. "why, about that iron chest." "what about it?" "you come with me, son," and cassidy reached for matt's arm and led him out of the periscope room and into the corridor. halfway along the passage was a door leading off to the right. cassidy opened this door, revealing a closet-like room with a box in its centre. on the box rested an ancient appearing iron chest, some twelve inches long and twelve inches square. "what's that?" asked matt. "can't ye tell by lookin' at it?" cried cassidy. "why, that's the iron chest that all this pother has been about." "i knowed dot!" breathed carl, from behind matt, "i hat some feelings in my pones dot dere vas a chest like vat der baper say." "where did the chest come from?" continued matt. "from the cave on turtle key," explained cassidy. "jurgens went there an' got it. we was on our way north ag'in when jurgens sighted that white flag o' your'n through the periscope an' put in at the island to investigate." cassidy laughed. "ye can see what that investigation cost him," he finished. "he lost the _grampus_, and the iron chest. motor matt and his mates, by recapturin' the _grampus_, got the hull bag o' tricks for the old man. mebby he won't be tickled!" "wished i was motor matt," sighed burke. "the old man's rich, an' he's allers full o' gratitude when any one does anythin' fer him." "he can't do anything more for me than what he's agreed to," declared matt, "and that is to pay my pards and me five thousand for the use of the hawk." "well," said cassidy, "if that's how you stand we'll let it go at that; but hadn't we better be thinkin' of gettin' back to palm beach? cap'n nemo, jr., 'll be lookin' fer ye, an' if you don't show up he'll be worryin'." "we'll start at once," answered matt. "all i was delaying for was to get you to go to turtle key after the iron chest. now that it isn't necessary to go there, the quicker we get to palm beach, the better." "go to your stations, men," said cassidy to burke and harris. "by the same token, i'll go to mine." cassidy dropped down below into a small room which contained the gasoline motor, burke went away to some other part of the ship and harris climbed into the conning tower. the top of the tower was lowered, and harris, peering through the lunettes, began communicating the outlook to cassidy by means of push-buttons. the fabric of the submarine began to shake and quiver under the spur of the engine. slowly she backed off the shallow bar where she had grounded, gained deep water, turned and started out into the open sea. "the trip back to palm beach," harris called down to matt and his chums, "is to be made with the deck awash. if we was to submerge the _grampus_, i'd have to give cassidy his orders by means of the periscope. there's push-buttons along the edge of the table, an' i can communicate with the engine room from there just as well as from up here." matt pushed his head under the black hood of the periscope. the top of the table he found to be a mirror, and upon it was reflected the surface of the sea from the _grampus_ as a focal point clear out to the horizon's edge. "this is a fine craft," spoke up ferral, who had been strolling through the submarine. "that captain nemo, jr., has surely got a head on him to be able to get up such a boat." "i'm hoping, dick," said matt, "that we'll become better acquainted with the _grampus_. just now, though, i'd like to see if we can't get a little information out of the three men in the strong room." matt led the way to what cassidy had called the "foc'sle," and the three boys were soon looking down on the scowling faces of the prisoners. "you're the men who captured the _grampus_ in the inlet at atlantic city, are you?" queried matt. "don't talk with him, men," said one of the prisoners sharply to the others. "whatever you say he'll use against you. jest remember that and keep mum." "did you go to atlantic city with jurgens' moving-picture outfit?" matt went on. "mebby we did an' mebby we didn't," answered the fellow who had arrogated to himself the post of spokesman. "we ain't tellin' anything we know an' you ain't findin' anything out, see? take a sneak and leave us alone. you've raised hob with us and that ought to satisfy you." "have you any idea what became of jurgens and whistler?" matt went on. "we captured them and left them on the island, but they vanished mysteriously, leaving you three men to bear the consequences of the lawless work jurgens set on foot." "we don't know anything about where jurgens an' whistler have gone," replied the prisoner. "if they've fooled you, i'm mighty glad of it." that was all the satisfaction matt could get. the escape of jurgens and whistler was bothering him not a little, and it was past his comprehension how the two men could have made such a complete get-away from the island. as they themselves were the only ones who could explain it, the manner in which the _coup_ had been accomplished seemed likely to always remain a mystery. the _grampus_ was five hours making the trip across florida straits. when she tied up off palm beach it was midnight, and matt, dick and carl bunked aboard the craft and went ashore in the morning with cassidy to pay their respects to townsend. chapter xvi. matt takes townsend's advice. townsend was on the road to rapid recovery. he was feeling a hundred per cent. better than he had been when matt and his pards left him, two days previously, and if it had been possible to use his lame foot he would have been up and around. he was not surprised to see motor matt and his friends, because he had expected matt to make the trip to turtle key and back in safety; but he was surprised to see cassidy enter his room with the young motorist. "what's this?" cried townsend, hoisting up on his elbow and staring at cassidy. "is that you, cassidy?" "big as life, cap'n," grinned cassidy. "where'd you come from?" "from the _grampus_." "and where's the _grampus_?" "layin' off the town." "did you get her away from jurgens?" "motor matt was the one that got her away from jurgens." townsend fell back on his pillow and centred his attention on matt. "there's a yarn back of all this, if i'm any prophet," said townsend, "and for two days i've been hungry to have some one talk to me. here's your chance, king." matt seated himself by the bedside and proceeded to relate the experiences through which he and his friends had recently passed. townsend listened with rapt interest. not a word escaped him, and occasionally he asked a question to bring out some point which matt had not made quite clear. when matt had finished there followed an interval of silence. townsend did not seem to be greatly impressed, despite the intense interest he had shown while the narrative was going forward. "nothing so very wonderful about all that," said townsend, presently, "when you consider who was playing the chief part in the game. it's just about what i should expect of motor matt. i'm sorry for the trouble you had with the air ship, matt, and shall consider myself under obligations to make up to you any extra expense you may incur in getting the hawk back into shape. when i hired you to take me to turtle key i had no intention of allowing you to run the risk of losing the hawk. "and the man from cape town told the truth, after all! i hadn't the least idea that there was a vestige of truth in that wild yarn of his. the iron chest has been found, but what we discover in the chest is liable to be another matter. i doubt if there is anything in it of any value; nevertheless, i am bound by promise to take the chest to new orleans and open it in the presence of a certain lady there whose name was given me by the unknown. it looks like a lot of foolishness, to me, but i've started the game and will have to go through with it. i'm very sorry," and here a heavy frown crossed townsend's face, "that jurgens got away from the island. the other men will be transferred from the _grampus_ to the jail, here, and they will be dealt with according to law, but it is the ringleader we ought to have. how do you think he managed to escape from that island, matt?" "he must have got away in a boat," replied matt, "although where jurgens and whistler got the boat is something of a puzzle." "well, the two scoundrels have gone, and justice will be cheated for a while longer; but, mark me, sooner or later their time will come. and i have an idea, matt, that you and i will be concerned, in some manner, with the final act of their vicious careers. what will you do now?" "repair the hawk and go back to atlantic city." "can you repair the hawk here?" "easily." "then why go back to atlantic city?" matt stared at townsend. "that's a good place to make money," said he, "and the hawk has become quite popular at the resort." "it won't be so popular from now on, mark what i say." "why not, mr. townsend?" "why, because people will learn how the gas bag sprung a leak and nearly caused you and your friends to lose your lives. that is what will injure the hawk's popularity. if you return to atlantic city people will be afraid to make any ascensions with you. can't you see how it will be?" there seemed to be a good deal of logic in townsend's remarks, although matt thought he was a little too comprehensive in saying that _everybody_ would be afraid of the hawk. "we'll show the people," declared matt, "that the hawk is perfectly safe." "we can explain," put in dick, "that we ran into a tree and made a hole in the bag. that ought to show people that the accident wasn't the hawk's fault." "it ought to," insisted townsend, "but it won't. people don't stop to make any fine discriminations in such matters, and if an accident happened to the hawk once, they will argue, it's liable to happen again. now, i want to give you some advice, matt, and if you follow it you will profit by it. cassidy and i, together with burke and harris, are going to leave here this afternoon in the _grampus_ for new orleans. i can be carried down to the boat, and i will feel a heap better in the _grampus_ than i will in this hotel. in two or three days we will be in new orleans. while we are making the journey, you and your friends, matt, will be here, getting the air ship in shape. my advice to you is this: don't leave palm beach until you hear from me. i have a scheme floating around in my brain and i am going to telegraph you just as soon as it takes a little more form so i will know just what i want to do, and to have you do. "that's my advice. stay here until you get word from me. that's all i'm going to tell you, and you and your friends can take the advice, or leave it, just as you think best. but if you don't take it, you will live to regret it." this was odd talk for mr. townsend. first he tried to discourage matt and his friends from returning to atlantic city, and now he was seeking to keep them in palm beach for an indefinite period. but all the boys had confidence in townsend. each of them believed that he was planning something for their benefit, and they were disposed to do as he suggested. townsend took his departure from palm beach just as he said he would do. bearing the iron chest with him, he took the _grampus_ and started for new orleans. meanwhile, matt and carl and dick got busy with the hawk. the craft was put together again, the motor replaced, the envelope repaired, and in two days everything was in readiness for a return to atlantic city--if the boys chose to go there. "vat do you subbose id iss dot misder downsent vants mit us?" asked carl. "give it up, matey," answered ferral. "i can't smoke his weather roll, but, all the same, i give him credit for meaning well." "shall we wait here any longer," inquired matt, "or start back to atlantic city? time means money to us, you know, and the longer we wait, the more we lose--that is, if we don't intend to follow mr. townsend's advice." "it's one too many for me, matey," said ferral. "you're the longest-headed chap in the bunch, and suppose carl and i leave the decision entirely with you?" "if that's the way you feel," laughed matt, "we'll stay right here and give townsend all the chance he wants to communicate with us." two days after this conference, a telegram came from new orleans. it was addressed to matt, signed by townsend, and read as follows: "come to new orleans at once, and come in the hawk. i need your aid, and am willing and able to pay for it." "dot's righdt to der point, und no misdake!" chuckled carl. "'i vant your aid und am villing to pay for it.' dere's no gedding aroundt dot, eh?" "hardly," laughed ferral. "what are we going to do, matt?" "do as the telegram says and start for new orleans immediately," returned matt. "iss dere any vay ve can go dere mitoudt trafeling ofer der ocean?" asked carl, with signs of trepidation. "sure there is, carl," said ferral. "i wouldn't go myself if we had to travel across the gulf of mexico. but we don't have to. we can follow the land around." the start was made that afternoon, and, although this following of townsend's advice led motor matt and his friends into experiences as novel as they were dangerous, yet none of them ever regretted taking the trip around the gulf coast to the crescent city. the end. the next number ( ) will contain motor matt's queer find; or, the secret of the iron chest. the hut by the bayou--yamousa--the attack on the car--smoke-pictures--a queer find--foul play--dried frogs, and luck--the plotters--the head of obboney--on the trail--a black mystery--at close quarters--three in a trap--an astounding situation--the treasure--diamonds galore. motor stories thrilling adventure motor fiction new york, may , . terms to motor stories mail subscribers. (_postage free._) single copies or back numbers, c. each. months c. months c. months $ . one year . copies one year . copy two years . =how to send money=--by post-office or express money-order, registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. at your own risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. =receipts=--receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of number on your label. if not correct you have not been properly credited, and should let us know at once. ormond g. smith, } george c. smith, } _proprietors_. street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york city. night watches for big game. from sebenane to thamasetse, both of which are pools of water situated on the old hunter's road from francistown to the zambesi, is, roughly speaking, seventy-five miles. since the railway has been opened up between francistown and buluwayo this road is never used, and is practically deserted. we had started very early in the morning. just about sunrise i heard a rustle in a bush close to the road, writes arnold w. hodson in the _field_. thinking it was only a steinbuck or a duiker, i paid no attention till i heard the animal bound away, when it struck me as making rather a loud noise for so small an antelope. i then caught sight of a yellow object moving parallel to the road and saw it was a lioness. she bounded into the road and stood looking at me. i had my thick gloves on, as it was very cold, and in consequence rather fumbled pulling off my night protector, which, to save time, i dropped on the road instead of putting into my pocket. my pony, however, began to pirouette round in circles, and before i could get him in hand the lioness bounded away. i galloped after her down the road, but she soon got into the thick bush, where we lost her. we got to thamasetse the next day and found old lion spoor, but none fresh. some days afterward one of the bushmen appeared and reported that the lions were at thamasetse. i got ready as soon as possible and left that evening with one native. we rode all through the night and arrived at our destination the next afternoon. the lions did not come down to drink till the third night, when in the morning we found their spoor still fresh and damp. we followed it up carefully, going through thorn bush. we got so close to them once or twice that we could hear them growling (there were five altogether), but the wind changing, they smelled us and made off and although we followed them up for some distance we did not catch sight of them again. eventually we had to give it up. the following day we found the spoor of one male and one female, and followed them up for about twelve to fourteen miles. we would come to a place where they had been sleeping, and then, evidently smelling us, we would see how they had become uneasy and gone on a short distance, where they had slept again. this went on till we had gone too far and had to go back. after this experience i decided to try different tactics, so we dug a hole fifteen yards from the water, in which i intended to watch that night. we made the hole as inconspicuous and secure as possible, and then went around to the outside pools and filled them all up, so that the lions, if they wanted to drink, would have to come down to our water. at sundown i took up my position in the kadiri (the native name for "game hole"). a few hours afterward some sable and roan antelopes came down to drink, and it was a very pretty sight to watch them. they approach the water carefully and when quite close suddenly bound away. my opinion is that they do this to see if by chance there is a lion in the water hole, because the latter lie up close to the edge of the pool in the shadow of the bank and then spring on the game when it drinks. the mere fact of their bounding away would probably entice the lion forth. the sable antelope seemed to me to be always more cautious than the roan antelope. one of the former, a female, came twelve times to the water and dashed away each time. of course she may have just smelled me, which would have accounted for it; but i do not think she did, for she eventually drank. i kept watch night after night, and although i saw plenty of game, no lions came. it was very lonely by oneself in these holes, and the cries of the wolves and jackals are at times very uncanny. one evening at dinner time just as ranchubu, my servant, was bringing in the soup, one of my little bushmen, a splendid little chap of about and very plucky, who was going down to the water to fill his billy, suddenly commenced yelling with all his might "newe! newe!" (leopard, leopard), and then, still shouting, commenced running after it across the veld. i snatched up my rifle and calling to the dogs rushed after him. luckily, i had on a pair of light running shoes instead of my usual heavy shooting boots, so was easily able to keep up with the others who had joined us. we must have gone about three miles when we heard the dogs barking and knew that they had bayed the leopard. in a few minutes it would be quite dark, so i put on a fresh spurt to try to get a shot while i could see my sights. the leopard was standing outside a thick patch of bush with the dogs, furiously excited, surrounding him. after several shots and misses, the leopard breaking away each time, a lucky shot struck him in the neck and killed him. i was glad the matter ended as it did, for i found that two of my previous shots had hit him, and it is seldom that a wounded leopard does not attack his assailant. it is curious that he did not take to a tree, as is nearly always the case when chased by dogs. he was an excellent specimen of a large male. we got back to the camp about p. m., a very jubilant party, and when i had had my supper i again took up my position at the water hole. plenty of game came that night, but no lions. the next day was very hot and oppressive, and we felt sure that if lions were anywhere near they would come down that night to drink. i took up my position soon after sundown, and about o'clock, as we had no meat, shot a male sable antelope. he was mortally wounded and ran about sixty yards to die, when, as i discovered, in the morning, he was pounced upon by a lioness and immediately killed. i heard nothing and saw nothing till about a. m., when i heard lap, lap, lap from the pool in front of me. i knew by the noise the beast was making it could be nothing else but a lion, but for the moment i could see nothing, as it was in the pool, and from the position i could only see an animal as it came in or went out. at last the noise stopped and a shadowy figure came out of the pool. it stood for an instant on the edge silhouetted against the sky. i could not distinguish whether it was a male or a female, but there was no doubt it was a lion, and, as it turned out afterward, a female. i brought my rifle in line with the object and fired. i knew at once i had hit by the terrific growls that followed. i hastily fired again and the brute lay down, all the time growling terribly, so much so that it woke up all the natives in my camp, some distance away. as soon as it was light i could see her ears moving and fired again, this time hitting her just below the head, which finished the matter. she was a splendid specimen of a lioness. my first shot had hit her in the neck, and the second in the stomach. her skin was perfect and very glossy. we found the remains of the sable antelope she had killed about eighty yards away, and saw by the spoor that there had been at least six lions around the pool that night. they had evidently been frightened by the fate of the lioness and had not come down to drink. we followed the spoor of a lion and a lioness. after we had gone a short distance the bushman pointed to a tree and showed us where the lion had been standing up on his hind legs clawing it. he said that the lion was looking around for the lioness i had shot and was very angry at being disturbed from his feast of the sable antelope. we went on mile after mile, but a breeze springing up behind us we had to go back. that night i again sat up at the water hole, but saw nothing more exciting than a few sable and roan antelopes. the next day it was again very hot, and at night i went down to the hole full of hope that the lions would come back. about a. m. i heard a rustle and saw a leopard going into the pool, walking very quietly and without the least idea of my near presence. she disappeared into the pool, but i could not hear her drinking, as i had heard the lioness two nights before. she soon came out and stood for a few minutes on the bank; i fired and she bounded away. my bullet went through her body and she was found next morning a few yards distant. she was very prettily marked, in good condition. about a. m. the same morning i could hear some animals at the remains of the sable antelope. the cracking of the bones was one of the most horrible noises i have ever heard. i made sure that the lions had come back, and expected them when they had finished their feed to come down and drink; but they did not come, and in the morning we found that they were jackals that had been eating the meat during the night. i continued to sit up at nights, but the lions did not return. on the third evening just before going down to the game hole the leader came running into camp and said that he had heard the cries of a dying sable antelope, so we went out as quickly as possible to the place, and on getting near to it heard the peculiar half growl, half bark uttered by wild dogs. there were four or five of them. they did not run away when they saw us, but bounded a few yards and then turned round and looked at us, all the time making a hideous noise. i shot one of them and the rest then decamped. this wild dog appeared to me to be differently marked from one i had shot a few weeks before more to the southwest. these brutes do no end of damage among game, and the bushmen say that sometimes if they are disturbed in their orgies they will attack a man. they certainly look fierce enough to do so. specialists in the woods. only people who have poked around up there more or less realize how many persons make a living out of the maine woods. this reference is not to the lumbermen and the pulp stuff choppers. their presence in the woods is a matter of course. this is a word about the army of specialists. one might say that they are the gleaners who follow the red-shirted reapers whose harvest is the giants of the forests. the side issues of the maine woods feed many mouths; and speaking about mouths there are, of course, the gum pickers. some people have an idea that spruce gum is gathered in the forest by the lumbermen at odd jobs. it may be remarked in passing that from : a. m. until dark the maine loggers have something else to do. they haven't any hankering to climb trees. practically all the spruce gum of commerce is gathered by men who make it their business and work at it as steadily as a man in a factory. you will find the snowshoe trail of these busy chaps zigzagging through pathless stretches, and if you happen to be up that way you will see their camp-fires glowing deep in many a lonely glen. few people behold them at their work. the constant supply of gum in store windows shows they are kept busy. there is more or less excitement about gum picking. the standard price for gum is $ a pound, and a fancy article of clear nuggets brings $ . . some days when lucky strikes are frequent the gum picker can clear from $ to $ . the gum picker can sell even the scraps and chippings. the patent spruce gum maker boils those down. several medicine firms also make a spruce gum cough balsam. maine gum pickers usually travel in pairs. some go on their own hook, others are employed by wholesale druggists. usually they range over wide territory, sleeping here and there in the deserted logging camps that sprinkle northern maine. a few fresh boughs of browse in the bunks and some strips of bark over the habitable corner of the camp make the place a comfortable home. if a city man happens to be ordered into the woods by his physician he would do well to take up gum picking for his pastime, even if he does not care for the money. there is just enough activity about it to keep a man's mind clear and his muscles healthy. it takes him abroad through the crisp winter air and gives him an excuse for "hucking it." a gum picker's equipment comprises warm clothing, snowshoes, climbers--such as telegraph linemen use--a curved chisel in the handle of which a pole may be set, a good jack-knife and a gun. these are the necessaries. almost as necessary is a good supply of tobacco, for if you can imagine a gum picker sitting down of an evening by the camp fire and cleaning his day's pick of gum without clouds of smoke about his head your imagination pictures a very cheerless scene. there is a special thing about gum picking--the daily expenses are small. the men cannot register at hotels or patronize saloons. it is either a deserted camp or the lee side of a tree at night. as they are obliged to tote their household supplies on a moose sled, they are frugal in their diet. with plenty of work, a few bushels of beans, flour, and molasses, a gum picker is fixed nicely for a long and cold winter. he figures that it costs him about cents a week, and if he is handy with his gun he reduces expenses materially. of course it is rather lonely sometimes in the deep woods, but there is a pretty bright side to the picture. the gum picker rolls off his bunk in the morning, his nostrils full of the good green savor of the spruce boughs beneath his head all night. he fries his bacon, warms his beans and sloofs at his steaming tin of tea. then he has a leisurely smoke before the sputtering embers of the fire, gets his kit on his back and his gum bag under his arm, ties a lunch of biscuit and gingerbread in his handkerchief, straps on his snowshoes, and trudges away into the forest, his pipe trailing blue smoke behind in the sparkling air of the winter morning. the gum picker must have a good eye for trees. a careless and myopic man would travel over acres of territory and miss the dollars right along. the shrewd picker, the experienced man, runs his practiced eye along every trunk. here and there he sees a tall spruce marked by a seam through which its life-blood has oozed for years. the bubbles have crept out and have been clarified day by day in the sun and the rain. they have absorbed the odoriferous breath of the forest. there they are at last, amber and garnet nuggets, ready for the picker's chisel and for the teeth of the gum-chewing girls far away in the city. sometimes the picker goes up on his climbers and taps and ticks and picks like a giant woodpecker. sometimes the tree is felled. the gum king of the moosehead region is a rather cranky old chap, who has been at the business ever since he was a youth. he roams all over that region and has reduced the thing to a science. at regular intervals he makes a trip through some remote district and wounds the spruces with his ax and chisel. then after a few years he travels around that way and gathers the gum. it is only in maine that the great gum nuggets with centres like the red of a dying coal are obtained, and the folks that chew gum say that for yanking qualities this gum beats the world. the maine hoop pole man makes even better wages than his brother the gum picker. the hoop pole man follows along in the wake of the loggers. he barbers the face of the hillsides of stuff that no one else wants. he is after the second growth, as the young birch and ash are called. these spring up around the rotting stumps. the hoop pole man takes a horse with him in his tours. he cuts the poles, and the horse hauls them to camp by daylight. evenings the pole man fashions the hoops with a draw shave, sitting beside a roaring fire and sucking at his black pipe. sometimes the poles are sold round, but the harvester who trims his own stuff and shaves the hoops receives two or three cents each for the finished products, and that pays. the hoop pole business is pretty steady work, but the evenings are pleasant, after all, with the slish of shaves, the crackle of the fire and the rumble of story telling. even the rabbit, up-ending outside, looks in through the windows at the light and warmth, waggles his ears and wishes he might join the group. as soon as the hoop poles are sold each is marked across with red chalk a little way from the end. for some time in certain parts of maine persons did a snug business by stealing poles, but nowadays no dealer will buy any that have been thus marked. yet sometimes the canny thief cuts off the ends that bear the chalk mark. a while ago one man sold his hoop poles to a dealer, who marked them and laid them in his sled. then the seller came around by night, stole the poles, cut them off and sold them to another dealer as hoops for half barrels. it may be seen, therefore, that the city man doesn't know all the tricks. if this enterprising hoop pole man could have got the hoops once more he could have trimmed them down and disposed of them as hoops for nail kegs. then there is the axe handle man. he needs ash of a larger growth than the hoop pole saplings. the trees are chopped in the fall, and then by means of a "froe" and axe each handle is roughly blocked out. then they are buried so that they may season without cracking. as an additional precaution against parting of the fibres the broad end of each handle is daubed with a sort of paint the principal ingredient of which is grease. ash goes to pieces easily if the sun gets at it and the axe handle man must be careful of his wares. the rough handles are sent away to the factory as soon as the snow comes. of all tough jobs the ship knee man has the worst in the woods. the knees bring good prices, but the man who gets them out earns every cent. he goes prospecting with an axe, hunting for hack or back juniper or tamarack. when one is found he looks to see if it has the proper crook in its root. if the right angle is there and the root proves sound he sets to work digging it out--and it is a muscle racking job. the man who is after hemlock bark for the tanneries is another chap who strays far in the woods, for the bark is away back nowadays. the indian who hunts after basket stuff or birch bark for a canoe hull is the most patient searcher. the big birches are few and far between in the maine woods, and sometimes an indian from the penobscot or passamaquoddy tribe will tramp a hundred miles before he finds a tree that will yield a piece of bark without knothole or crack and which will be large enough for a canoe. a number of men are now making good money in the maine woods by searching the brooks for fresh water clams. they are getting some good pearls from these bivalves. some hunters in the moosehead region recently found a pearl valued at $ . the most unsocial folk in the maine forests are the trappers. they don't want anyone within twenty miles of them. gunners will steal from the traps, they believe, and lumbermen scare away game. even bobcats rob them, as bloody smears near a rifled trap indicate. some of the old trappers have a twenty-mile circuit of traps and resent it if any neighbors come that way. some of the biggest rough and tumbles that the maine beavers have ever witnessed have been fought out by bow-legged old trappers who have chanced to cross trails and have believed that they were being crowded on a hundred square miles of territory. missouri willow farm. east kansas city is one of the most important centres in the missouri valley in the business of shipping willows. in the last three months alone the kansas city southern railway has hauled from there flat carloads of trimmed willows, and is taking out more as fast as the willow plantations can furnish the crop. the roots of the willows keep the sand from shifting along the river banks; but the use of the tops of willows in fighting currents of water is comparatively new. government work with willows requires that the trees shall be more than twelve feet high and between / and - / inches in diameter at the butts. after a patch of these trees has been cut the ground looks like a stubblefield of corn. the new sprouts, however, look more like a field of wheat--if wheat only had that peculiar reddish tinge that willows take on at this time of the year. in two and a half to three years after cutting willows will grow up again to the size required for dikes or for plaiting into mats. the willows now being bought by the railway are for use in checking the inroads of the arkansas river between spiro and fort smith, ark. the dikes that are being constructed run out into the river feet and are of willows held in place with large steel cables. since december nearly carloads of trees--not all of these willows--have been dumped into the river. the sand filling the crevices between the bundles of willows makes a strong and economical pier. the steel cables insure the safety of the pier until the sand has done its work. in cutting and trimming the willows the harvesters use nothing but ordinary corn knives. animals that dread rain. lions, tigers, and all the cat tribe dread rain. on a rainy day they tear nervously up and down their cages, growling and trembling. the keepers usually give them an extra ration of hot milk. that puts them to sleep. wolves love a gray day of rain. they are then very cheery. treacherous as the wolf is, no keeper need fear him on a rainy day. he is too happy to harm a fly. snakes, too, like rain. they perk up wonderfully as the barometer falls and the damp makes itself felt in their warm cases of glass. rain makes monkeys glum. they are apt from instinct, when they see it through the window, to clasp their hands above their heads and sit so for hours. that attitude, you know, makes a kind of shelter. it is the primitive umbrella. so, when it rained, the naked primitive man and woman sat gloomily in the primeval swamps of giant ferns. latest issues buffalo bill stories the most original stories of western adventure. the only weekly containing the adventures of the famous buffalo bill. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --buffalo bill's fiesta; or, at outs with the duke of cimarron. --buffalo bill among the cheyennes; or, the rescue of paquita. --buffalo bill besieged; or, texas kid's last trail. --buffalo bill and the red hand; or, the ranch of mystery. --buffalo bill's tree-trunk drift; or, the cold game "gent" from red tail. --buffalo bill and the spectre; or, a queer layout in spook cañon. --buffalo bill and the red feathers; or, the pard who went wrong. --buffalo bill's king stroke; or, old fire-top's finish. --buffalo bill, the desert cyclone; or, the wild pigs of the cumbres. --buffalo bill's cumbres scouts; or, the wild pigs corralled. --buffalo bill and the man-wolf; or, the mystery of the adobe castle. --buffalo bill and his winged pard; or, indian against indian. --buffalo bill at babylon bar; or, the mountain pirates. --buffalo bill's long arm; or, the game-cock of shasta. brave and bold weekly all kinds of stories that boys like. the biggest and best nickel's worth ever offered. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --always to the front; or, for fun and fortune. by cornelius shea. --caught in a trap; or, the great diamond case. by harrie irving hancock. --for big money; or, beating his way to the pacific. by fred thorpe. --muscles of steel; or, the boy wonder. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith in zululand; or, how "checkers" held the fort. by lawrence white, jr. --the boys' revolt; or, right against might. by harrie irving hancock. --the mystic isle; or, in peril of his life. by fred thorpe. --a million a minute; or, a brace of meteors. by weldon j. cobb. --gordon keith under african skies; or, four comrades in the danger zone. by lawrence white, jr. --two chums afloat; or, the cruise of the "arrow." by cornelius shea. --in the path of duty; or, the fortunes of officer dan deering. by harrie irving hancock. --a bid for fortune; or, true as steel. by fred thorpe. --a battle with fate; or, the baseball mascot. by weldon j. cobb. --three brave boys; or, adventures in the balloon world. by frank sheridan. motor stories the latest and best five-cent weekly. we won't say how interesting it is. see for yourself. =high art colored covers. thirty-two big pages. price, cents.= --motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. --motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. --motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. --motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." --motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. --motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. --motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. --motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. --motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. --motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. --motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. --motor matt's peril; or, castaway in the bahamas. _for sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ street & smith, publishers, - seventh avenue, new york =if you want any back numbers= of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. fill out the following order blank and send it to us with the price of the weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. =postage stamps taken the same as money.= ________________________ _ _ _street & smith, - seventh avenue, new york city._ _dear sirs: enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_: tip top weekly, nos. ________________________________ nick carter weekly, " ________________________________ diamond dick weekly, " ________________________________ buffalo bill stories, " ________________________________ brave and bold weekly, " ________________________________ motor stories, " ________________________________ _name_ ________________ _street_ ________________ _city_ ________________ _state_ ________________ adventures of a boy genius motor stories most five-cent weeklies are founded upon the adventures of boy wonders who perform all sorts of impossible feats and who never act or talk as a boy really does. this is displeasing to the intelligent boy of the present day, who is better educated, and who, consequently, demands more logical reading than the old-time boy did. the boys who want to learn something from what they read, as well as to be interested by it, will never find another publication that will satisfy them so well as motor stories. "motor matt" is not an impossible boy character. he is simply a youth who has had considerable training in a machine shop where motors of all kinds were repaired, and who is possessed of a genius for mechanics. his sense of right and wrong is strongly developed, and his endeavors to insure certain people a square deal lead him into a series of the most astonishing, but at the same time the most natural, adventures that ever befell a boy. buy the current number from your newsdealer. we feel sure that you will be just as enthusiastic about it as the fifty thousand other boys throughout the united states have become. here are the titles now ready: no. .--motor matt; or, the king of the wheel. no. .--motor matt's daring; or, true to his friends. no. .--motor matt's century run; or, the governor's courier. no. .--motor matt's race; or, the last flight of the "comet." no. .--motor matt's mystery; or, foiling a secret plot. no. .--motor matt's red flier; or, on the high gear. no. .--motor matt's clue; or, the phantom auto. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's triumph; or, three speeds forward. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's air-ship; or, the rival inventors. to be published on april th no. .--motor matt's hard luck; or, the balloon house plot. to be published on may d no. .--motor matt's daring rescue; or, the strange case of helen brady. to be published on may th no. .--motor matt's peril; or, cast away in the bahamas. =price, five cents= at all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of the price. _street & smith, publishers, new york_ * * * * * * transcriber's note: added table of contents. page , removed unnecessary apostrophe from "let's" in "that lets the dago out." page , changed "ruffin" to "ruffian" for consistency with previous volumes. page , corrected speaker from carl to matt in first sentence of chapter xiii. page , changed "jobbs" to "jobs" ("lumbermen at odd jobs").