BAFFLED.
The room in which Frank’s invention stood was a vast apartment, with
sliding doors in the roof which could be operated to permit the exit of
his flying machines from the interior.
In the middle of this room stood the flying ice ship.
The vessel was made of an extremely light, bullet-proof material called
aluminum, and looked like a two-masted schooner, with a rounded,
wedge-shaped bow and stern.
At the truck of each mast was a large gyroscope, while upon the upper
part of each of the yards many more of these wheels were arranged in a
horizontal position to lift the engine in the air.
Upon the yards and stays were furled sails, to be used while traveling
before the wind.
At the bow was a long bowsprit, a searchlight at its foot, and upon its
deck, in the forward section, a pilot-house.
There were three big steel ice runners on each side, and between them
two spiked wheels for propelling the boat over the ice without sails.
At the stern was an ice rudder, above it a water rudder, a water screw,
and on the end of a shaft an immense air-wheel for propulsion.
Bull’s-eyes broke the sides of the hull to admit light into the
interior.
As they stood looking at the boat, which was operated by electricity,
the door-bell rang, and Frank saw the professor start nervously, turn
very pale, and glare at the entrance.
“What’s the matter? You look nervous!” said Frank.
“I am nervous,” admitted Vaneyke. “So would any one be who is innocent
of murder, and is accused of killing a man.”
“Why, I don’t understand you.”
“Then I’ll explain,” said the doctor. “But until I do, I don’t want you
to open that door, for I have a feeling that the police are there,
trying to get in to arrest me!”
Frank was amazed.
He knew that Dr. Vaneyke was a good man.
Murder was the last crime he was capable of committing.
He therefore said quietly:
“Tell me what your trouble is, professor.”
“Night before last, while walking here from the railroad depot, I heard
a pistol shot in a lonely part of the road, followed by the cry of
murder,” the doctor answered. “Running forward, I saw a man fall to the
ground, and another man plunged into the bushes. Beside the fallen man
laid a revolver which I picked up. It was the weapon with which the man
was shot; I next examined the body. The man was dead. The ball had
penetrated his heart. Scarcely had I made this discovery when some
constables came running up the road and some men down the road.
“Among the latter was the murderer. I recognized him at a glance. He
pointed at me and said: “Arrest him; he killed the man; I saw him do it.
See, he yet holds the pistol in his hand with which the crime was
committed!” Although I protested my innocence, no one believed me. The
men surrounded me; they were going to forcibly arrest me. Seeing how
strong the circumstantial evidence was against me, I fled and escaped in
safety to your house unseen. Since then, I am sure the authorities have
been searching for me.”
“It looks black against you, Dr. Vaneyke.”
“Shall I surrender myself and stand trial?”
“You may not establish your innocence if you do.”
“Then what shall I do?”
“Keep shady; if arrested you can’t go with me.”
“Very true.”
“I want to leave as soon as possible in pursuit of the Red Eric to
rescue Walter Grey. I can’t do it if you are arrested with such a
serious charge hanging over your head. No! You must not submit to
arrest.”
Bang, bang! came the sound of a volley of raps at the door.
“They’re bound to get in,” nervously said Dr. Vaneyke.
“After all, it may not be any one after you.”
“No one knew I came here.”
“For safety get aboard the ice ship and hide yourself, while I open the
door and ascertain who is outside.”
The professor complied.
He had hardly done so when the bell rang loudly.
Frank flung open the door.
Upon the threshold stood a detective.
“Well?” demanded Frank, eyeing him keenly.
“I am after Dr. Vaneyke, sir,” replied the officer.
“What for?”
“Murder.”
“Humbug!”
“Here’s the warrant.”
“You are on the wrong track.”
“Oh, no! It’s proven! He’s here, isn’t he?”
“Stopping at my house—yes.”
“Your wife just said he came out here.”
“Well, you can’t have him, sir.”
“Do you mean to say you will prevent me?”
“Exactly so. He is an innocent man.”
“Let him prove it in court, then.”
“At present he has no time to do that.”
“But I must take him, Mr. Reade.”
“Have you a search warrant?”
“No,” reluctantly said the detective.
“Then you can’t come in here.”
“I’ll watch for him outside, then.”
“Very well,” answered Frank, shutting the door.
He went aboard of the Ranger, as he had christened the flying ice ship,
and opening a door in the wheel-house, found himself in a large room.
It contained some furniture, a compass, steering wheel, levers for
controlling the mechanism, and a number of registers.
A companionway led him down into a small but beautiful cabin, where he
found the professor pacing nervously to and fro.
Frank told him what had transpired.
“It’s just as I feared,” murmured Dr. Vaneyke, despairingly. “The
detective will guard this place until he can get a warrant to come in
after me. Then he will take me anyway.”
“Not if I can prevent it,” replied Frank.
“You cannot do anything.”
“Oh, yes, I can. A little more work will put the Ranger in perfect
order. She is already equipped for her intended journey, and contains
enough food and water to last several months. By to-night we will all
leave here in her.”
Dr. Vaneyke looked more hopeful.
Frank then left him, and going to the house, explained the situation to
his family, Barney and Pomp.
A plan was then formed to get the detective out of the way.
The coon went out, and purchasing a white beard and wig from a costumer,
he returned to the house, and one of Frank’s mechanics was dressed up in
the professor’s clothes, and donned the false hair.
A saddle horse was led from the stable, the man looking very much like
Vaneyke mounted the beast and away he rode.
The detective saw him, and pursued him at once, thinking he was chasing
the old scientist.
Our friends then set to work upon the air ship, and completed the work
to be done upon her.
Dr. Vaneyke’s trunk was carried aboard.
Nothing was seen of the detective all day.
By the hour of eleven that night the ice ship was almost ready.
The four friends were aboard, working by electric light with all the
speed they could muster, and had taken leave of every one.
Scarcely had everything been put in readiness when there came a
tremendous pounding at the door again.
Frank rushed out on deck.
Addressing a gang of his men, he cried:
“Open the sliding doors in the roof, boys.”
“Some one is knocking, sir,” ventured one of the men.
“Don’t open the door on your lives!”
“All right, sir.”
And away went the men to obey his orders.
The clamor outside now became furious.
“Frank Reade, Jr.!” yelled the detective’s voice. “Open this door in the
name of the law or I’ll break it down!”
“He has discovered our ruse and come back!” laughed Frank.
“Do you hear me?” roared the officer, showering a volley of kicks and
blows against the door. “You are breaking the law by harboring a
criminal, sir, and it will go hard with you if you still refuse to let
me take him out of there.”
“Go away,” replied Frank. “You can’t enter.”
“Don’t be rash. I have several officers with me.”
“I don’t care if you have an army.”
“Then I’ll burst in the door!”
“Burst away.”
Crash—bang—boom! came a shower of heavy blows.
Frank glanced at his workmen, and saw them trying to force open the
sliding doors in the roof above the Ranger.
They obstinately stuck fast, though.
Fast and furious fell the blows against the door outside.
Frank began to get restless, and passing into the wheel-room, he peered
out the window with an anxious look upon his face.
It was evident that the officers had brought a battering ram to bear
upon the door, for every blow they dealt it made it shake, and caused
every window pane to rattle.
“Lively, there, boys! Lively!” shouted Frank, impatiently.
“Yes, sir, but they stick,” replied the foreman.
An awful shower of blows now struck the door, and it went down with a
splitting crash, and the detective and several policemen rushed in.
Just then the doors in the roof flew open.
Seeing the professor aboard the air ship, the officers made a rush for
the Ranger to board her.
Frank grasped one of the levers and pulled it.
The gyroscopes flew around with a tremendous buzzing sound, and just as
the officers reached the side of the boat she ascended into the air.
A yell of chagrin escaped the officers, for the Ranger shot through the
now open roof and soared up into the dark sky.
They were baffled.