THE BIG HOLE
"Something has gone wrong!" exclaimed the professor as he jumped up. He
reached the engine room ahead of any one else, and when the two boys got
there they found him busy twisting wheels and shifting levers.
"Anything serious?" asked Jack.
"It's the gas machine again," Mr. Henderson replied. "It broke where we
fixed it. However it doesn't matter. I was going to lower the ship
anyhow, as I want to approach the island from the water. We will go down
a little sooner than I counted on."
The disabling of the gas machine caused the vapor to escape slowly from
the tank, and this made the ship sink gradually. By means of the
emergency stop-cock the descent could be controlled almost as well as
though the machinery was in working order. Half an hour later the
_Mermaid_ rested on the water.
It was a little rough, as there was quite a swell on, and not so
pleasant as floating in the air on an even keel, but they made the best
of it.
On account of the little accident, and not being certain of its extent,
it was deemed best not to send the ship ahead. So they laid to until
morning.
For the better part of two days all those on board the _Mermaid_ had
their hands full mending the break and making other repairs found
necessary. In that time they lay to, floating idly with the currents, or
blown by the wind, for the professor would not start any of the engines
or apparatus until the ship was in good condition.
In this time Mark had several times recalled the curious happenings in
regard to the disappearing food, and the mystery of the storeroom. But
there were no further manifestations, and no other signs that there
might be a strange visitor aboard.
"I couldn't have imagined it all," said Mark, "but I guess what did
happen may have been caused by natural means, only I can't discover
them."
It was about two days after this, the ship having sailed scores of miles
on the surface of the water, that Mark, who was in the conning tower
exclaimed:
"That looks like a waterspout ahead of us."
"That's what it is!" Jack agreed. "What shall we do?"
"Call the professor!" said Mark. "He'll know."
When Mr. Henderson came, he looked for a long time at a cloud of black
vapor which hung low in the east.
"It may be a waterspout," he said. "We'll rise in the air and see if we
can avoid it."
The ship was sent up into the air. As it rose higher and higher, the
professor, making frequent observations from his conning tower, cried
out:
"That is no waterspout!"
"What is it?" asked Mark.
"It is the steam and vapor rising from the big hole in the earth! Boys,
we are almost there!"
"Are you sure that's it?" asked Mark.
"Almost positive," Mr. Henderson replied. "You can see how much warmer
it has become of late, as we approached the equator. We are almost due
at the island, and I have no doubt we have reached it."
As the ship flew forward the mass of dark vapor became more pronounced.
Through the glasses it could be noticed to consist of rolling masses of
clouds. What lay beneath them no one knew. The adventurers were going to
try to find out.
Now that they had arrived at the beginning of the main part of their
journey, the travelers felt their spirits sink a little. It was one
thing to plan to go down into the depths of the earth, but it was quite
another to make the actual attempt. Still, they were not going to give
up the project. The professor had confidence in his ship and believed it
could safely make the trip. Still it was with no little apprehension
that Mr. Henderson watched the nearer approach of the craft to that
strange island.
"Perfesser, are yo' really an' truly goin' t' depress this elongated
spheroid an' its human consignment int' that conglomerous convoluted
mass of gaseous vapor regardless of th' consequences?" asked Washington,
as he gazed with wide opened eyes at the sight before him.
"If you mean am I going to let the _Mermaid_ go down into that hole you
are perfectly correct," the scientist answered, "though you could have
said it in fewer words, Washington."
"I--I guess I'll get out an' walk," the colored man made reply.
"This isn't any trolley car," observed Mark. "Don't lose your nerve,
Wash. Stay with us, and we'll discover a gold or diamond mine, maybe."
"Is there diamonds down there?" asked the colored man, his fright
seeming to leave him.
"There are all sorts of things inside the earth," the professor
answered.
"Then I'm goin' along!" Washington declared. "I always did want a
diamond ring, an' I knows a little colored gal that wants one, too. I'm
goin' all right! This suttenly am th' most kloslosterous conjunctivity
of combativeness that I ever sagaciated!" and he began to do a sort of
impromptu cake-walk.