Morey sank back into a comfortable chair. "Well, now we have a nice long
wait till we get to San Francisco and back, Dick, but you'll have
something to talk about then!"
"I hope so, Bob, and I hope we can return on the midnight plane from San
Francisco, which will get us in at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, New
York time. I wish you'd go right to your father's office and ask him
over to our place for supper, and see if Fuller can come too. I think
we'll be able to use that molecular controller on this job; it's almost
finished, and with it we'll need a good designing engineer. Then our
little movie show will no doubt be of interest!"
There was a low rumble that quickly mounted to a staccato roar as the
great propellers began whirling and the engines took up the load. The
ground began to flash behind them; then suddenly, as flying speed was
reached, there was a slight start, the roaring bark of the engine took
on a deeper tone, the rocking stopped and the ground dropped away. Like
some mighty wild bird, the plane was in the air, a graceful, sentient
thing, wheeling in a great circle as it headed for San Francisco. Now
the plane climbed steadily in a long bank; up, up, up she went, and
gradually the terrific roar of the engine died to a low throbbing hum as
the low pressure of the air silenced the noise.
Below them the giant city contracted as the great ship rode higher. The
tiny private helicops were darting about below them like streams of nigh
invisible individuals, creeping black lines among the buildings of the
city. The towering buildings shone in the noon sun in riotous hues as
the colored tile facing reflected the brilliant sunlight with glowing
warmth of color.
It was a city of indescribable beauty now. It was one of the things that
made this trip worthwhile.
Now the shining city dropped behind them, and only the soft green of the
Jersey hills, and the deep purple-black of the sky above were visible.
The sun blazed high in the nigh-black heavens, and in the rarefied air,
there was so little diffusion that the corona was readily visible with
the aid of a smoked glass. Around the sun, long banners in space, the
Zodiacal light gleamed dimly. Here and there some of the brighter stars
winked in the dark sky.
Below them the landscape swung slowly by. Even to these men who had made
the trip dozens of times, the sight was fascinating, inspiring. It was a
spectacle which had never been visible before the development of these
super-planes. Whole flying observatories had been made that had taken
photographs at heights of fifteen miles, where the air was so rarefied
that the plane had to travel close to eight hundred miles an hour to
remain aloft.
Already ahead of them Arcot and Morey could see the great splotch of
color that was Chicago, the mightiest city of Earth. Situated as it was
in the heart of the North American continent, with great water and
ground landing facilities and broad plains about it, it made a perfect
airport. The sea no longer meant much, for it was now only a source of
power, recreation and food. Ships were no longer needed. Planes were
faster and more economical; hence seacoast cities had declined in
importance. With its already great start toward ascendancy, Chicago had
rapidly forged ahead, as the air lines developed with the great
super-planes. The European planes docked here, and it was the starting
point of the South American lines. But now, as they swung high above it,
the glistening walls of soft-colored tiles made it a great mass of
changing, flashing color beneath them. Now they could see a great air
liner, twice the size of their plane, taking off for Japan, its six
giant propellers visible only as flashing blurs as it climbed up toward
them. Then it was out of sight.
It was over the green plains of Nebraska that the Pirate usually worked,
so there the men became more and more alert, waiting for the first sign
of abnormal drowsiness. They sat quietly, not talking, listening
intently for some new note, but knowing all the while that any sound the
Pirate might make would be concealed by the whirring roar of the air
sweeping past the giant airfoils of the plane.
Suddenly Arcot realized he was unbearably sleepy. He glanced drowsily
toward Morey who was already lying down. He found it a tremendous effort
of the will to make himself reach up and close the switch that started
the little camera whirring almost noiselessly. It seemed he never pulled
his arm back--he just--lay there--and--
A white uniformed man was bending over him as he opened his eyes. To one
side of him he saw Morey smiling down at him.
"You're a fine guard, Arcot. I thought you were going to stay awake and
watch them!"
"Oh, no, I left a much more efficient watchman! _It_ didn't go to
sleep--I'm willing to bet!"
"No, it may not have gone to sleep, but the doctor here tells me it has
gone somewhere else. It wasn't found in our room when we woke up. I
think the Pirate found it and confiscated it. All our luggage, including
the gas sample bottles, is gone."
"That's all right. I arranged for that. The ship was brought down by an
emergency pilot and he had instructions from father. He took care of the
luggage so that no member of the pirate's gang could steal it. There
might have been some of them in the ground crew. They'll be turned over
to us as soon as we see the emergency man. I don't have to lie here any
longer, do I, doctor?"
"No, Dr. Arcot, you're all right now. I would suggest that for the next
hour or so you take it easy to let your heart get used to beating again.
It stopped for some two hours, you know. You'll be all right, however."