A SAFE RETURN.
Who could blame Billy if he turned ashy pale at that critical second. He
could not believe that this was any scheme of Frank's for showing off
what the great seaplane was capable of, though on previous occasions he
had known such a thing to happen.
The one terrible conviction that flashed through his mind was that
something had happened to stop their motors at this great altitude; and
that the _Sea Eagle_ was now, with ever increasing velocity, heading
downward to earth.
If they managed, through any degree of dexterity to escape death, there
must always be more or less chance of the machine being wrecked; and
even though that catastrophe were avoided, it was sure to fall into the
hands of the Germans. Then good-by to their hopes of keeping its
construction a secret.
But Frank had been busy meanwhile. He was not the one to be caught
napping by any sudden happening. Their present predicament had been
accurately discounted by the clever mind that had invented many parts of
the strange seaplane.
No sooner did Frank realize that the motive power had ceased than, with
a quick snap of the hand, he had turned a valve that was within easy
reach.
This allowed pure hydrogen gas from one of the cylinders to rush into
the buoyancy devices, which might be called the crowning triumph along
the line of insurance against accidents connected with Dr. Perkins'
invention.
As if by magic, the upper wings of the aircraft began to swell until
they had all the appearance of puffed-out mattresses. How the eyes of
those who were watching down below must have grown round with wonder as
they realized that here was something altogether new. It was also a
hitherto unheard-of device intended to diminish the terrible risk of a
fall ever present with those who go up in aircraft.
The swift volplaning had immediately begun to grow less pronounced, and
Billy, feeling that after all they were not going to drop to the ground,
drew in his first breath since the accident had come about.
Frank was already busily engaged in examining the stalled motors. So
reliable had the same brand always proven in connection with the _Sea
Eagle_ type of hydro-aëroplane, that Frank could not remember ever
having such an accident occur.
They were now floating aimlessly in space, not having any means of
moving save as the wind might chance to cause the seaplane to drift,
much after the manner of an old-time balloon.
"Can you make the repairs, Frank, or do we have to hang out the white
flag of surrender?" called Billy, in an agony of fear lest their
wonderful tryout cruise be fated to come to such an ignoble finish.
"There's nothing terrible the matter," came the reassuring reply from
the pilot, still working with feverish haste at the motors. "I think I
can get things working again in a hurry."
"Oh! you make me happy by saying that, Frank," Billy told him. "I was
beginning to think I could see the inside of a German dungeon, or a
firing squad standing me up against a blank wall. I hope it doesn't take
long, Frank. There, they start their plagued old anti-aircraft guns
again!"
Indeed, the first heavy crash of breaking shrapnel not far from the
stationary seaplane proved that Billy's remark bore the stamp of truth.
They had rushed down with such impetus that before the buoyancy devices
could accomplish the purposes for which they were intended, the seaplane
had once more dropped within range of the elevated guns below.
Now having a stationary target to aim at instead of one that was making
something like sixty, seventy, or perhaps fully five score miles an
hour, the experienced gunners were very apt to send their shells
dangerously close, so that at any second, fragments from one, as it
burst, might do terrible damage to either the seaplane's motors or her
daring young pilots.
Oh! if Frank could only hurry and repair the motors, Billy was saying
over and over again to himself as he clung there and tried to keep count
of the numerous sudden puffs of gray or white smoke, indicating the
breaking of the shrapnel shells around them.
What if one of them, better aimed than the rest, should shatter those
buoyant wings that were their sole means of remaining afloat in the
upper air! A rush, an agonized sensation of the earth coming up to meet
them, and that would be their last realization of what life meant.
Billy would never forget that frightful agony of that minute as long as
he lived. A minute--why, it seemed to the shivering boy as though he
must have lived almost a whole year while that furious bombardment kept
up; Frank coolly tinkered with the motors.
Then Billy heard his chum calling to him; never had words sounded
one-half so sweet.
"Got it fixed. Be out of this in a jiffy!" the other shouted, for there
was so much racket around them that words spoken in an ordinary tone
could never have been heard.
Then Billy forgot about the crackling shrapnel and the circling Taubes.
He had caught the familiar whir of the propellers as the motors started
once more upon their work. It was a very soothing sound to Billy's
wrought up nerves.
Immediately the _Sea Eagle_ began to speed forward. Frank's first act
was to set the suction pump to work emptying the great wings of gas, and
sending it back to the reservoir intended for storage purposes. This was
done because they could never hope to attain any great amount of speed
otherwise.
When they were falling, the boys had heard what seemed to be a concerted
roar from thousands of lusty throats below. This they knew had indicated
the sudden delight of the watching and deeply interested soldiers in the
aërial mishap that appeared to have overtaken the wonderful Yankee
invention.
These shouts kept up more or less while the anti-aircraft guns were
furiously bombarding the nearly stationary seaplane; but as soon as the
latter started off again, as though in disdain at their futile efforts,
the noise ceased like magic.
Frank first of all mounted higher, until none of the bursting bombs came
anywhere near them. Then, feeling perfectly safe from this danger, he
set his course toward the southwest.
"Heading home, are you, Frank?" asked Billy, not at all disappointed,
for their trial spin certainly had contained enough thrills and dangers
to satisfy even such a greedy lover of adventure as the one-time
reporter.
"Yes, we've done all we set out to attempt, and a good deal more into
the bargain," replied Frank, casting a cautious look to the right and
left, not meaning to be taken off his guard by any venturesome German
pilot aboard a Taube machine, who might risk all in a last attempt to
cripple this amazing seaplane that outclassed anything they possessed.
"You've finished pumping the gas back again into the reservoir, haven't
you, Frank? Do you think there was much loss?"
"Not a bit more than two per cent., for we've tested that before," he
was informed.
"They've given up the pursuit," Billy observed presently, showing that
all this while he had been keeping an eye on those swift flying little
Taube machines that had continued to dart hither and thither, like angry
hornets, yet not daring to make an attack.
Since there was no longer any visible sign of danger, the boys were able
to once more observe the checkerboard picture that lay far below them.
Accustomed to being up among the clouds, they knew just how to gauge
distances, and in this way could get the relative value of things. A
novice would have found his calculations along these lines sadly at
variance with the facts.
"For one," said Billy, his voice showing signs of trembling, "I won't be
sorry to hug up to a stove when we get to our hangar once more. This air
is bitter up here, and seems to go right through you. We're in for a
decent spell of weather, it strikes me, Frank."
"Yes, it ought to last another day or so," the other replied, as though
its condition was of importance.
Indeed, when the wind blew the pilots were kept from making their daily
reconnoissance. During storms and snow, or even rain, it was useless to
take the risks of venturing aloft, because the view would be so limited,
with the earth shrouded in fog or snow squalls, that it would not pay to
ascend.
So it was that hundreds of daring aviators would welcome this spell of
quiet weather as an opportunity that could not be allowed to slip past
without being taken advantage of.
"We've passed over the trenches along the canal," announced Billy, still
handling the glasses, and as usual telling the busy pilot what he saw.
"Now I can hear the British shouting hoarsely and they seem to be waving
all sorts of things up at us. Do you think they know we are supposed to
be trying out this seaplane which was really contracted for by the
French Government before the war broke out?"
"They have guessed that we must be friendly to their cause, because they
saw something of what went on back there when we struck that mine
field," Frank explained without the least hesitation.
He had been dropping lower the while, partly because the air was so keen
and cutting so many thousands of feet up and also on account of the fact
that they had nothing more to fear from hostile demonstrations.
"There's the road to Dunkirk and Calais that the Kaiser said his men
would tramp along in time to be in town at Christmas," laughed Billy,
pointing his gloved hand downward to where could be seen various
detachments of marching troops, with scores of huge motor vans taking
supplies out along the fighting line for the men who held the trenches,
and the bridge-heads across the river.
"The British, with reinforcements coming up every day, seem to be
holding all the ground around here," Frank was saying. "Can you see
Dunkirk yet, Billy?"
"Oh! yes, easily enough. It isn't such a great distance away from where
the fighting is taking place. They've heard the roar of the big
forty-two centimeter German guns at Dunkirk more than once this winter."
Still lower they dropped, until at less than a thousand feet they sailed
along, now over the water, with the Channel on their right, and the
disputed shore of France to the left.
"Will you alight on the water, and then head straight for our hangar,
Frank?"
"That is the easiest way to do it," came the answer, as though Frank had
every detail mapped out in his head.
"I warrant you Pudge is standing somewhere, and watching us come along,
with his heart beating furiously, ready to fairly hug us after we get
ashore."
Billy grinned as he thus pictured the delight of their fat chum on
hearing how magnificently the gallant _Sea Eagle_ had disported in the
air high above the German Headquarters, and what a spasm of alarm their
coming had sent to the hearts of the various air pilots belonging to the
invaders.
With the grace of a monster swan, the seaplane circled around several
times and then alighted on the bosom of the water, as softly as floating
thistle down. Equally at home in the air or on the water, the strange
hybrid craft immediately commenced to move along in the direction of the
wooden inclined plane leading by a gradual rise from the water into the
elevated hangar.
So ended the amazing and satisfactory trial trip of the _Sea Eagle_.