CHAPTER XVIITHE TWO IN THE SKY
“Somethingwrong with the air-ship!” echoed Cranny Beaumont, in the greatest astonishment.
“How—in what way?” asked Dick, excitedly.
“Give me a chance, fellows. Mr. Ogden says Major Carroll intended to stay up for only a short time. He was testing a new steering gear. The balloon, after making several turns, began to sail away, apparently unmanageable.”
“Gee whiz!” Tim Lovell stared at the others. “The wind’s just from the direction of Border City. It must be coming this way.”
“Let’s get busy, fellows,” cried Bob, briskly. “We’ll run out the ‘Ogden II.’”
“Why—what’s the use?” asked Tom.
“Because they may need us to stand by ’em.”
“But you wouldn’t dare to try it in a breeze like this!”
“Of course I should—if necessary. It isn’t much worse than yesterday.”
“I’m going to skip up on the roof,” said Dave. “May be able to sight the ‘Border City.’ I’ll take the telescope with me.”
While Bob, followed by several of the others, dashed out of the room, Dave Brandon, with Cranny at his heels, started up-stairs.
Cranny, presently, banged open the trap-door, then, reaching down, took from the stout boy’s hands the telescope and stand.
“I see it—I see it!” he yelled, before Dave Brandon had even time to put his head and shoulders through the opening, “and it’s sure coming this way.”
Dave clambered out upon the gently-sloping roof.
Coming from the direction of Border City was a cigar-shaped object, clearly defined against a gloomy expanse of clouds. The air-ship seemed sailing straight before the wind, and this, Dave Brandon calculated, would allow it to pass within half a mile of the ranch-house.
“It looks to me as though Mr. Ogden were right,” commented Dave, as he got the instrument into position, while Cranny braced the stand.
“Hurry up; let me get a squint,” pleaded the other.
Dave put his eye to the telescope.
Space instantly seemed to be annihilated; the great air-ship loomed up grim and majestic, sailing apparently close at hand, its planes and rudder shining brightly against a threatening sky. At the forward end two figures were dimly visible behind one of the mica-covered windows.
The impressive sight held Dave Brandon in its grip. Here and there, steel tubing or wire rope caught a gleam of light, while upon the top of the great yellowish gas-bag was reflected a grayish hue from the heavy clouds above.
Nearer and nearer, moving with measured precision, came the “Border City.”
Dave drew a long breath.
“It’s headed straight for the mountains, Cranny,” he said.
“Do they want to get bumped against somehigh peak? Why in the world doesn’t Major Carroll come down?”
“Perhaps he isn’t willing to let any of the gas escape.”
“And the propellers aren’t working. Guess that explains it—something wrong with the engine.”
“Say, shall I have to drag you away?”
Dave yielded his place.
“My, but isn’t it sailing along, though!” burst out Cranny. “There goes some ballast overboard.”
“Trying to find a favorable current of air, I suppose,” said Dave.
From below came the sound of voices. The “Ogden II” was being hauled from under its tent and made ready for a flight in record time.
Suddenly Tim’s head appeared above the trap-door.
“Great Scott! Didn’t think I’d see it so close as all that,” he said, climbing up. “Isn’t it a great sight, eh? Give me a chance at that, Cranny.”
The observer was exhibiting unmistakable signs of excitement.
“Yes, sir; as I live, it’s true!” he cried.
“What do you mean?” asked Tim, excitedly.
“Well, well! If it isn’t a fact, just let me know.”
Cranny, with a look expressive of the greatest astonishment, stepped aside, while Dick took his place.
By this time the “Border City,” flying high, was almost abreast of Lone Pine.
As Dick Travers looked through the telescope, every detail of the great air-ship flashed into view with wonderful distinctness.
But it was upon two figures standing by the now open window that Dick concentrated his entire attention. An exclamation escaped him. There was no mistaking the smaller one of the two, whose face, framed in by a square of dark, seemed to be staring hard toward them.
“It’s Willie Sloan!” he cried.
“Willie Sloan!” echoed Dave, in startled tones.
“Sure! I guess the other must be Major Warfield Carroll himself. And both of them seem to be trying to signal us.”
“I spotted Willie in a moment,” explained Cranny. “Gee! I don’t like this a little bit. If the balloon is ever carried over to the mountains——”
The big lad’s sentence ended in a whistle.
“And you can just bet that’s where she’s bound,” declared Tim. “This wind is rising steadily. Hurry up, Bob,” he yelled, “or you’ll be too late!”
His voice carried to the busy worker below, but it was some moments before Bob Somers scrambled hastily upon the roof, with the other eager and excited lads following him closely.
Each received the news with some characteristic expression of astonishment.
“William aboard that air-ship!” cried Tom, almost incredulously.
“That’s where he is, son.” Cranny’s voice and manner betrayed a disturbed spirit.
Bob Somers had his eye to the instrument.
“Yes, fellows; I can see Major Carroll plainly,” he exclaimed. “He’s looking this way through a field-glass. There isn’t a bit of doubt in my mind that he has lost control of the air-ship.”
“Think he will try to clear the mountains?” queried Dave.
“Wouldn’t that be better than attempting to land in such a wind as this?” Bob suggested. “The Major doesn’t look scared—bet he knows what he’s doing.”
“But suppose that when they do have to come down, it’s in some mountain gorge?” cried Dick. “They may end up by getting lost; and, perhaps, with scarcely a bite to eat.”
“Or—or—somethin’ worse’n that—if the balloon doesn’t rise high enough to clear the mountain tops!” came from Tim Lovell.
For a few moments, each, in turn, studied the now retreating air-ship through the glass. The magic of the telescope seemed to draw the cigar-shaped craft toward them, until it appeared as if but a tantalizingly short distance away.
“It looks as if they only had to yell, an’ we could hear ’em,” said Tim Lovell.
Soon, however, the details began to lose their crispness and become merged in the general mass.
As the balloon drew steadily away, the boysall realized that in another hour the airmen might be facing an unpleasant, if not dangerous situation.
“My, how I do hope that they can make a safe landing,” said Cranny.
“I’m going to chase them, anyway,” added Bob. “Who wants to go along?”
A chorus of “Ayes!” was the immediate response.
“What’s the use, though, Bob?” queried Tom. “You can’t lasso the ‘Border City,’ like a longhorn, and tow her back.”
“No! But there’s no telling what may happen. We can, at least, see where they land, and be ready to lend assistance, if possible.”
“It may be a case of plucking wee Willie and Major Carroll from a perch in the trees,” murmured Cranny.
“Come on!” cried Bob.
They had soon gathered around the “Ogden II,” while the aviator made a final examination so as to be sure that everything was in working order.
“All right, fellows,” he announced. “Now, whoever is going to make the trip with memust understand that it will be a mighty risky job.”
Dave Brandon’s round face had quite lost its accustomed cheery expression.
“I should say so, Bob. Perhaps——”
Bob, anticipating the rest of the sentence, shook his head.
“Can’t back out now, Dave,” he said, firmly. Then, springing aboard the biplane, he fastened the strap which held him to his seat.
A wordy warfare as to whom should be his passenger arose. Cranny speedily settled it by pushing the others away, and taking his place beside Bob Somers.
“I dare anybody to put me off!” he challenged.
“All right for you!” growled Dick Travers.
“I didn’t want little Dick, ‘average kid’ number one, to run into any danger,” grinned Cranny. “Yes, Bob, I’m ready. All right, Dave, we’ll be careful. Let her rip!”
“Don’t forget to ’phone Mr. Ogden, and tell him we’ve started after the ‘Border City,’” called the aviator.
His hands rested on the levers. There wasa moment of suppressed excitement. Then the engine began its steady roar, accompanied by a loud whirr from the propeller.
As the biplane began to respond, a salvo of cheers and good wishes arose. The “Ogden II” had started on its dangerous voyage.