CHAPTER XIIIA FIRST LANDING

CHAPTER XIIIA FIRST LANDING

The young aviator was not unused to “thrills” in his professional experience. He noted no deviation in the straight progress of theAlbatross. Mr. King did not distract attention from the signal plate. Still Dave awaited some explanation of the detonation with curiosity and anxiety.

“It’s all right,” reported Professor Leblance, reappearing a few minutes later.

“Explosions?” questioned the airman, simply.

“Yes. Three of the balloonets blew up.”

“Which means?”

“Nothing,” replied the Frenchman, with his accustomed shrug of the shoulders. “We must have struck a warm current. Ah, yes, that is true,” he added, as he made the thermometer test. “You see, the sudden transition from cold caused an expansion and affected the balloonets.”

“Does that weaken the lifting force, Professor?” inquired Dave.

“Not perceptibly. I count on such accidents, more or less. I can duplicate the balloonets, and as to the gas—we have arranged for all necessary replenishment in that direction. Mr. King, everything is favorable for a descent.”

“All right,” replied the airman. “Have you any idea where we are?”

“I should say, south of Washington.”

“In Virginia, then?”

“Or still farther south. I have measured the distance covered since our start, but I do not know how far we are inland.”

Mr. King left Dave in charge of the signal table for a few moments. He went to the lookout, meantime instructing the young aviator as to what buttons he should operate. This brought theAlbatrosson a lateral slant. The enormous headlight at the prow of the airship cast a glow far below. Mr. King was able to trace outlines on the landscape. He returned to the pilot table, and following his directions there were many changes made in the course of the giant airship during the next half hour.

Once more the aviator consulted the lookout. Then, back again at his post, he ordered a slow-up and a gentle, gradual drop.

“Landed,” breathed Dave at last, intensely interested in all the gentle and natural movements of the descent.

“Yes, and that was certainly easy,” replied his patron, with a sigh of relief and satisfaction “The professor understands his business.”

The Frenchman soon appeared, followed by two of his assistants. The aviator and Dave accompanied him to the cabin.

“You people had better go to bed,” he directed all hands. “My men will attend to securing the machine safe and sound. We can do nothing now until morning.”

This order was obeyed. Dave and Hiram had what might be called a stateroom to themselves. It was narrow, but cozy. It had a window opening, and there the young aviator posted himself for some time.

By the aid of the headlights Dave could make out Leblance and his men securing theAlbatross. The craft seemed to have landed on flat land rather bare of verdure and with no trees.

“An ideal spot for landing,” Dave reported to his comrade.

“Yes, but where are we?” questioned Hiram.

“In some wild mountain district, I should say,” responded Dave—“maybe Virginia, maybe North Carolina.”

“Well, it has been a dandy cruise,” declared Hiram. “Say, I’ve gone through so much excitement I don’t believe I can sleep a wink.”

“Try it, anyhow,” recommended Dave. “There may be a lot to do in the morning, and we want to be rested and strong to take our share in it.”

How long he rested Dave Dashaway did not know, but he was suddenly awakened by feeling theAlbatrossmoving. At first he imagined that he must be dreaming, for certainly he did not think they would start off again after making a landing with such trouble.

“But she sure is moving,” decided the lad, “though not in the air, if my senses are good for anything. That is unless we’re bumping along a cloud bank.”

He sat up in his berth, and could make out a dim light in the room beyond. He listened and heard Hiram breathing heavily.

“He’s fast asleep, anyhow,” decided the young aviator. “It takes a good deal to disturb him. But we sure are moving. I wonder——?”

Such a strange thought came to him that he hesitated to put it into form. But he decided to reason it out.

“Can it be?” he mused, “that I have slept through a whole night and day without knowing it, and that we are on the move again. Can anything have happened—to me—or the others? Have—I been unconscious—hurt—and not have known what has happened? It doesn’t seem possible, and yet——”

His self-communing was interrupted by a more violent motion of the airship. It seemed to careen to one side, and then right itself. Dave found himself clutching the sides of his bunk. Then came a period of calm.

“I’m going to wake Hiram up,” decided Dave. “He may not like it, but I want to talk to some one about this, and if he gets mad, in case it isn’t anything, he can easily get to sleep again. And that’s what I won’t do unless I find out what’s going on.”

Dave cautiously got out of bed. As he did so he again felt the lurch of the big craft. At the same time he heard a voice speaking softly outside.

“By hickory!” came the tones. “I don’t seem to be movin’ th’ ole shebang much. Guess I’ll hev t’ go git another mule critter or two t’ snake it away. Whoa there!”

“What in the name of sweet spirits of nitre is going on?” murmured Dave. “Is some one trying to steal theAlbatross?”

He crossed softly to look out of one of the windows, but could see nothing. The big headlights had been extinguished, and, save for some few incandescents here and there, which were only dimly glowing there was no illumination inside the ship. It had been decided to make it dark so all hands would sleep better.

“This is sure mysterious,” went on Dave. “I can’t see anything, but I can hear, and I can—feel!” he added a moment later, for again the craft moved slightly.

Once more the young aviator peered out, but he could discern nothing. The night was very black.

“If I thought——” he began, when a sleepy voice from the adjoining berth inquired:

“Whatsmatter, Dave? Time f’r brkfust?”

“Hiram! Hiram!” whispered Dave shrilly. “Wake up! Something has happened—it’s happening now!”

Instantly Hiram sat upright in his bed. He was rather a slow chap, but on occasions could move lively.

“What is it?” he inquired in a low voice. “Burglars in here, Dave?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Anyhow, I don’t think they’re in yet.”

“All right, then; wait until they do get in an’ we’ll nab ’em. Lay low!”

“That’s just what I don’t want to do,” replied Dave. “Something may happen unless we get busy. They may even get away with theAlbatross.”

“Get away with theAlbatross?” cried Hiram. “What are you talking about, Dave? How can they——?”

But he did not finish his sentence. At that moment there came another lurch to the craft, and it moved several feet.

“There!” hoarsely whispered Dave. “What did I tell you?”

“Are we going up—a night flight?” asked Hiram.

“I don’t know. I was awakened by the movement, and it’s been going on ever since. Someone is outside, that’s sure. Listen now!”

There was silence for a moment, and then a cautious voice could be heard saying:

“I suah will have t’ done go an’ git another mule critter t’ move this contraption. An’ I ain’t got no mo’ of my own. I’ll have to borrow one off Nate Jackson, an’ then he’ll want me t’ whack up with him. Wa’al, there ain’t no help, fer as I kin see!”

“There!” exclaimed Dave in triumph.

“It sure is strange,” said Hiram. “I guess we’d better wake up the others. Mr. King and Mr. Dale ought to know about this.”

But there was no need for the boys to awaken their companions. The next moment there came such a violent motion to the ship that not a sleeper continued to slumber. With one accord they tumbled out of their berths.

Then from without came a chorus of excited shouts.

“Whoa, there! Consarn ye all, what d’ ye mean by backin’ and fillin’ that a-way? Stand still, pesky mule critters that ye be! Ye wouldn’t pull this shebang when I wanted ye to, an’ now ye’re tryin’ t’ run away with it. Whoa!”

“Who’s there?” cried Mr. King.

“What is going on?” demanded Mr. Dale.

“Something has happened!” shouted Professor Leblance.

“That’s right!” agreed Dave, “and it’s going on now.”

“Someone is trying to make off with the airship,” added Hiram.

“Make off with the airship!” repeated the professor. “Can it be——”

He did not finish, but in a moment he had switched on a number of lights, including the two big ones outside the craft. Then, as they looked from the windows, they saw a strange sight.

An unkempt man, with a team of sorry-looking mules, had fastened a rope to theAlbatrossand was evidently trying to drag it away. He started back in alarm at the sudden illumination, and hastily began taking off the rope.

“Here! What are you trying to do?” cried Mr. King, through an open window.

“Good land! Is there folks in this shebang!” asked the mountaineer. “Land a’massy! I thought it was a balloon that had come down.”

“And you were going to haul it away and claim a reward, I suppose,” put in the professor, beginning to understand the situation.

“That’s what I was, stranger” came the answer. “But my mules wa’n’t strong enough. I was goin’ arter another pair when yo’-all turned up your kerosene lamps. She wouldn’t hardly budge.”

“I should say not, with the way she is fastened,” said the Frenchman. “But explain yourself, monsieur.”

“That ain’t my name, but it don’t much matter,” came the answer. “I was on my way home from th’ settlement, with a load of stuff t’ keep my wife an’ kids in bacon an’ flour, when I seen ye come down last evenin’. I once went t’ a county fair, an’ they had a balloon assent. Th’ perfesser offered five dollars t’ whoever’d git his balloon arter he jumped out of it, an’ she drifted away.”

“Nate Jackson was th’ lucky man, an’ he found th’ balloon in Black Cedar swamp. He hauled it t’ town an’ got his five. When I seen this contraption come down, I just laid low, aimin’ t’ git th’ reward. I s’posed you folks would all go home until mornin’ anyhow. But ye didn’t. I onhitched my mules arter dark, an’ got a rope from my wagon, an’ tried t’ haul th’ balloon away. But she wouldn’t haul. I’m mighty sorry if I disturbed ye’ an’ I’ll travel on now. This is th’most forsaken country I ever knowed, an’ it’s hard t’ git money. I thought I saw an easy way t’ make a five dollar bill.”

“It’s worth more than that to have our airship let alone, my man,” said the professor. “This is the kind of a balloon you never saw before. Here are ten dollars for the wife and little ones,” and he passed over a bill.

The man was overwhelmingly grateful and apologized again for the trouble he had caused. A hasty examination showed that he had not damaged the craft any by his pulling and hauling, and a little later he had disappeared in the darkness with his “mule critters,” and soon the rumble of his wagon over the road, that was hardly more than a trail, came fainter and fainter to the ears of the aviators.

“Well, that sure was a scare!” exclaimed Dave, when quiet was once more restored.

“I should say yes!” agreed Hiram. “The idea of trying to cart off theAlbatross!”

“Well, his explanation was natural,” said the professor. “These mountaineers, in this lonely region, scarcely ever see money, I guess. But now, boys, get to bed. We’ve got lots to do to-morrow.”

Everyone again retired after the lights had again been turned low, and Dave and Hiram were soon asleep again. It was two hours after daylight when Grimshaw routed them out of their berths.

“Come, get up here,” he ordered; “if you don’t want to miss breakfast.”

“I certainly don’t,” announced the active Hiram. “I’m hungry as a bear.”

“Well, there’s a capital meal waiting for you,” observed the old aeronaut.

The boys found this true as they came in at second table in the cabin. They hurried through with the meal, for outside on the ground Mr. King and the others were assembled. From their actions the young aviator concluded that some active discussion was in progress.

Exit from the cabin was made through a trap door and a balancing ladder.

“Hurrah!” piped Hiram, as he reached the ground. “Here’s a chance to stretch our legs and breathe some fresh air.”

“Let’s see what is going on with the others,” suggested Dave, and they approached the group made up of Professor Leblance, Mr. King, Grimshaw and Mr. Dale.

“We are evidently in some remote spot,” the Frenchman was saying. “All the better that, for we shall have no troublesome visitors. My men can attend to the balloonet and some other needful repairs while we send for that quicksilver.”

“Which means the location of the nearest town?” submitted the airman. “There was so much excitement last night I forgot to ask that old mountaineer. But we must locate a store.”

“Exactly.”

“And that may be somewhat difficult.”

“Perhaps,” agreed the Frenchman, “but once down in the valley yonder it is to be supposed there are some tokens of civilization.”

“Who is to go?” inquired Mr. Dale.

“I think you had better entrust the matter to me, Professor,” said the aviator. “Here, let one of the boys—you, Dashaway—go with me.”

“I shall be glad,” said Dave, eagerly.

“Hold on,” broke in Hiram; “give me a show too; won’t you, Mr. King?”

The aviator took a brief look at the earnest, beseeching face of the willing and accommodating young aeronaut, and smiled indulgently.

“Well, you two make a hardy, useful team, so make it so, if you like.”

Arrangements were made for the departure at once. It was understood that theAlbatrosswould remain at its present landing place until the exploring party returned with the quicksilver, even if they had to consume considerable time in locating a town.

“I think we can make it and return by nightfall,” said the airman. “Don’t worry, though, if we are longer away.”

“No,” spoke the professor. “We can’t leave till we get that quicksilver, no matter how long it takes.”

A plentiful lunch, a compass, and a gun were gotten ready by the cabin man. Then, waving a cheery adieu to their friends, the airman and the boys started down the mountain side.

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