THE ESCAPE.
Ahead of them lay that track of dazzling light. Every fragment of timber
used in the construction of the inclined trestle upon which the seaplane
was expected to reach the water was as plainly visible as at midday,
with the sun shining above.
Billy fairly held his breath in fear lest the swift rush of the
hydro-aëroplane should catch the two men on the slope unprepared, and
hurl them into space. Just in the nick of time they threw themselves to
one side, and the plunging monster glided by, so close that had he so
willed, Billy could have thrust out a hand and touched one of the
shrinking figures.
Then came a tremendous splash as they struck the water. Frank had made
his calculations so carefully that there was not the slightest danger of
a mishap. The boat was descending at such an angle that it instantly
shot off the wheels that were underneath, and skimmed along the surface
of the water like a great duck.
Billy drew his breath again, for it seemed as though they had actually
run the gauntlet in safety. He heard the familiar throb of the reliable
motors beginning to take up their sweet song, which told that Frank had
started the machinery at the proper second, so that they did not lose
any of the impetus gained in that rush down the slope.
From up in the quarter where they knew the hangar must be, came loud
cries of anger. Those who had planned to capture the seaplane when it
was in prime condition for a flight to the German lines had evidently
met with a most aggravating disappointment.
Suddenly the brilliant light vanished, shutting them in a pall of
darkness that was all the more dense because of their having been
staring into that illuminated avenue ahead, along which the seaplane was
rushing at fair speed.
"It's all clear in front, Billy," Frank hastened to say, knowing that
his companion must naturally think of the danger of a collision the
first thing.
"Listen to 'em growl!" chuckled Billy, who had evidently been greatly
amused as well as interested in the remarkable dash of the _Sea Eagle_.
"But, after all, that was what I'd call a close shave, Frank. Didn't you
hear the door being smashed in as we started?"
"I thought I did," replied the other, "but I knew that nothing up there
could give us any trouble. The only chance of our being wrecked was for
those on the inclined plane to place some obstruction on the track that
would throw the wheels of our carriage off, and dump us in a heap
below."
"They didn't want to wreck the seaplane, which was what saved us from
that smashup," ventured Billy, and then quickly adding: "Hello! shut her
off, did you, Frank?"
The musical hum of the twin motors and the whir of the revolving
propellers had suddenly ceased, though the boat still continued to move
along the top of the little waves coming in from the Channel.
"Yes, we have gone far enough for the present," replied the pilot.
They sat there for a little while, listening to the various sounds that
reached their ears from the shore. Not far away the lights of Dunkirk
could be seen, though these were by no means as brilliant as they might
have been before the war broke out. This was on account of the fact that
at any hour a raid from German aëroplanes might be expected in and
around the encampment of the British troops.
"This is about the queerest situation we've ever found ourselves in,
Frank," ventured Billy presently, as he felt the boat moving up and down
gently on the bosom of the sea. "It's an experience we'll never forget.
I'm wondering what the next move on the program is going to be? How can
we get ashore tonight in this terrible darkness?"
"We may make up our minds not to try it," Frank told him quietly, as
though he had some sort of plan in his mind, hatched on the spur of the
moment.
"What's the idea, Frank?" asked Billy eagerly. "No matter how you figure
it I'm game to stand by you."
"I'd never question that, Billy," declared the other warmly. "You've
proved your grit many a time in the past. But here's the way the case
stands. We could make an ascent from the water if we wanted, but on such
a pitch-dark night that would mean trouble about coming down again. So
what's to hinder our staying here until morning--lying on the water like
a duck?"
"If the wind doesn't come up with the change in the tide, we could do it
as easy as anything," assented Billy. "She rides like a duck, and could
stand a lot more rough water than we're getting now. Frank, let's call
it a go."
"We will find it pretty cold, of course, you understand, Billy?"
"Shucks! haven't we got on our leather jackets that are lined with
fleece that have given us solid comfort many a time when we were six
thousand feet and more up in the cold air? Why, Frank, we can strap
ourselves to our seats, you know, and one of us can get a few winks of
sleep while the other watches, ready to switch on the searchlight if
anything threatens."
"It's plain to be seen that you're set on trying a night of it," said
Frank, no doubt well pleased to have it so. "I'm worrying more about
Pudge than of myself. Wish we knew he was all right."
"The same here," said Billy. "Frank, we must keep listening all through
the night to catch his signal, if ever he makes it. You know we've got
that code for communicating by means of fish horns. If Pudge gets to the
hangar and finds that we're not around, the first thing he'll think will
be that the seaplane has been stolen."
"Unless," Frank hastily interrupted, "he happened to be near enough to
hear something of the row, when he ought to be able to guess what really
happened. In that case I expect that later on, when he thinks the coast
may be clear, Pudge will try to communicate with us. As you say, we must
keep on the alert. If you hear a sound that comes stealing from far away
on the shore and resembles the bawl of a bull, answer it. Pudge will be
in a stew about us, of course."
They sat there for some time listening, and exchanging occasional
remarks. Then, at Billy's suggestion, they made use of the stout straps
that were attached to each seat, intended to enable the navigators of
the air to reduce to a minimum the risk of falling from a dizzy height.
"Take your choice, Frank, first watch or second," was the next
proposition advanced by the one-time reporter. "I'm used to be up at all
hours of the night--_that_ was my busy time on the paper. So turn in,
and I'll take charge of the deck."
"It'll only be a cat nap then, Billy," said the other, settling himself
as comfortably as the conditions allowed, which was not saying much.
"See that bright star over there in the west; it will drop behind the
horizon in about an hour or so. Shake me then if I happen to be asleep."
"All right, Frank. And if anything crops up in the meantime that bothers
me, I'm going to disturb you in a hurry."
"I hope you will, Billy; we can't afford to take any chances,
understand, for the sake of a little sleep. Listen for signs of Pudge.
It would relieve me a whole lot if I knew that he was safe."
After that Billy sat there and kept watch. The buoyant craft that had
been so cleverly constructed so as to be equally at home on the water or
in the air, rode the lazy billows that came rolling in from the Channel.
The only sounds Billy could hear close by were the constant lapping of
the waves against the side of the craft; though further off, toward the
city, there was a half subdued murmur, such as might accompany the
gathering of thousands of men in camp.
The lights had almost wholly vanished by this time, showing the strict
discipline that was in vogue in these stirring times. Frequently had
daring German aviators appeared above Dunkirk to drop their bombs in the
endeavor to damage the congested stores of the British troops, or strike
a note of terror among the inhabitants of the Channel city.
Billy every little while twisted his head around and looked in different
directions. But thick darkness lay about the floating seaplane, utterly
concealing the shore as well as all vessels that lay further along in
the harbor.
Possibly half an hour had passed in this way when Billy felt a sudden
thrill. He started up, straining his hearing, as though to catch the
repetition of some sound he believed he had heard.
Then, leaning over, he shook Frank.
"It's Pudge signaling, Frank, or else I'm away off my base. Listen!" was
what he told the other, in excited tones.
A minute later and they both caught the far-away sound of what seemed to
be the winding blast of an Alpine hunter's horn.
"Yes, it's Pudge, all right, and he wants to hear from us if we're
within reach of the sound of his signal. Answer him, Billy!"
Already Billy had taken the horn from its fastenings, and no sooner had
Frank given the order than he applied it to his lips. The sound that
went forth, coming as it did from the blackness of the sea beyond, must
have astonished any sailor on board the various steamers in the harbor.
Once, twice, three times did Billy give the peculiar note that Pudge
knew so well. It must tell the absent chum that they were safe, and in
the language of their secret code ask how things were going with him.
"There, he's given us back the message word for word!" cried Billy, as
they caught the faint but positive reply from the unseen shore, perhaps
at the deserted hangar. "Frank, he's all right! That takes a big load
off our minds."
"Yes, now I can rest easy!" declared the other. "As that star isn't
close to the sea as yet, Billy, if you don't mind, I think I'll try for
a few more winks of sleep. Pudge will go back to town and stay at our
lodgings until we turn up, or send him a message. Everything is working
finely."
"For us," added Billy, chuckling. "But think how mad those spies must be
over losing the prize they thought was sure to fall into their hands.
Why, I wouldn't be surprised if they discounted the capture of our
seaplane, and over in Belgium were ready to start to work making copies
of the same as soon as the sample could be delivered."
Billy appeared to be highly amused, for he chuckled to himself for
several minutes while picturing the disappointment of the baffled
plotters. Then once more he settled down to his task of serving as
"officer of the watch."
As the minutes crept on, Billy began to observe the gradual approach of
the star to the vague region where sea and heavens merged in one. In
fact, Billy was yawning quite frequently now. He found himself fairly
comfortable, thanks to the warmth of that leather fleece-lined jacket,
and the hood which he had drawn partly over his head. Still, it was not
very delightful, sitting there on the water; and perhaps the boy's
thoughts frequently turned toward the bed he was missing.
"I wonder which way we're drifting now?" he suddenly asked himself; he
immediately set to work trying to answer his question by observing the
direction of the tide, as well as by the light current of air.
When next he thought to turn his head so as to glance backward, Billy
received a bit of a shock. A sort of thin haze had settled down on the
water by now, but through this he had discovered two moving lights. They
looked very queer as seen in that foggy atmosphere; but Billy was smart
enough to know what they stood for.
He immediately awoke Frank, whispering the astonishing news in his ear.