THE WRECK OF THE AIRSHIP
Almost before our friends could retreat into the cave which now
sheltered the RED CLOUD, the attacking natives opened fire.
Fortunately they only had old-fashioned, muzzle-loading muskets,
and, as their aim was none of the best, there was comparatively
little danger. The bullets, however, did sing through the
fast-gathering darkness with a vicious sound, and struck the heavy
sides and sloping front of the ice cave with a disconcerting "ping!"
"I don't hear Andy or his father firing!" called Tom, as he and the
others returned the fire of the savage Indians. "I could tell their
guns by the sharper reports. The Fogers carry repeating rifles, and
they're fine ones, if they're anything like the one we took from
Andy, Ned."
"That's right," agreed Tom's chum, "I don't believe Andy or his
father dare fire. They're afraid to, and they're putting the poor
ignorant natives up to it. Probably they hired them to try to drive
us away."
This, as they afterward learned, was exactly the case.
The battle, if such it could be called, was kept up. There was about
a hundred natives, all of whom had guns, and, though they were slow
to load, there were enough weapons to keep up a constant fusilade.
On their part, Tom and the others fired at first over the heads of
the natives, for they did not want to kill any of the deluded men.
Later, though, when they saw the rush keeping up, they fired at
their legs, and disabled several of the Eskimos, the electric gun
proving very effective.
It was now quite dark, and the firing slackened. From their position
in the cave, Tom and the others could command the hole where the
gold was, and, as they saw several natives sneaking up to it the
young inventor and Ned, both of whom were good shots, aimed to have
the bullets strike the ice close to where the Indians were.
This sort of shooting was enough, and the natives scurried away.
Then Tom hit on the plan of playing the searchlight on the spot, and
this effectually prevented an unseen attack. It seemed to discourage
the enemy, too for they did not venture into that powerful glow of
light.
"They won't do anything more until morning," declared Abe. "Then
we'll have it hot an' heavy, though, I'm afeered. Well, we'll have
t' make th' best of it!"
They took turns standing guard that night, but no attack was made.
The fact of the Fogers coming back with the band of Indians told
Tom, more plainly than words, how desperately his enemies would do
battle with them. Anxiously they waited for the morning.
Several times in the night Mr. Parker was seen roaming about
uneasily, though it was not his turn to be on guard. Finally Tom
asked him what was the matter, and if he could not sleep.
"It isn't that," answered the scientist, "but I am worried about the
ice. I can detect a slight but peculiar movement by means of some of
my scientific instruments. I am alarmed about it. I fear something
is going to happen."
But Tom was too worried about the outcome of the fight he knew would
be renewed on the next day, to think much about the ice movement. He
thought it would only be some scientific phenomena that would amount
to little.
With the first streak of the late dawn, the gold-seekers were up,
and partook of a hot breakfast, with strong coffee which Mr. Damon
brewed. Tom took an observation from the mouth of the cave. The
searchlight was still dimly glowing, and it did not disclose
anything. Tom turned it off. He thought he saw a movement among the
ranks of the enemy, who had camped just beyond the gold hole.
"I guess they're coming!" cried the lad. "Get ready for them!"
The adventurers caught up their guns, and hurried to the entrance of
the cave. Mr. Parker lingered behind, and was observed to be
narrowly scanning the walls of the cavern.
"Come on, Parker, my dear man!" begged Mr. Damon. "We are in grave
danger, and we need your help. Bless my life insurance policy! but I
never was in such a state as this."
"We may soon be in a worse one," was the answer of the gloomy
scientist.
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Damon, but he hurried on without
waiting for a reply.
Suddenly, from without the cave came a series of fierce yells. It
was the battle-cry of the Indians. At the same moment there sounded
a fusillade of guns.
"The battle is beginning!" cried Tom Swift, grimly. He held his
electric gun, though he had not used it very much in the previous
attack, preferring to save it for a time of more need.
As the defenders of the cave reached the entrance they saw the body
of natives rushing forward. They were almost at the gold hole, with
Andy Foger and his father discreetly behind the first row of
Eskimos, when, with a suddenness that was startling, there sounded
throughout the whole valley a weird sound!
It was like the wailing of some giant--the sighing of some mighty
wind. At the same time the air suddenly became dark, and then there
came a violent snow squall, shutting out instantly the sight of the
advancing natives. Tom and the others could not see five feet beyond
the cave.
"This will delay the attack," murmured Ned, "They can't see to come
at us."
Mr. Parker came running up from the interior of the cave. On his
face there was a look of alarm.
"We must leave here at once!" he cried.
"Leave here?" repeated Tom. "Why must we? The enemy are out there!
We'd run right into them!"
"It must be done!" insisted the scientist. "We must leave the cave
at once!"
"What for?" cried Mr. Damon.
"Because the movement of the ice that I predicted, has begun. It is
much more rapid than I supposed it would be. In a short time this
cave and all the others will be crushed flat!"
"Crushed flat!" gasped Tom.
"Yes, the caves of ice are being destroyed! Hark! You can hear them
snapping!"
They all listened. Above the roar of the storm could be made out the
noise of crushing, grinding ice-sounds like cannon being fired, as
the great masses of frozen crystal snapped like frail planks.
"The ice caves are being destroyed by an upheaval of nature!" went
on Mr. Parker. "This one will soon go! The walls are bulging now! We
must get out!"
"But the natives! They will kill us!" cried Mr. Damon. "Bless my
soul! what a trying position to be in."
"I guess the natives are as bad off as we are," suggested Ned.
"They're not firing, and I can hear cries of alarm, I think they're
running away."
There was a lull in the snow flurry, and the white curtain seemed to
lift for a moment. The gold-seekers had a glimpse of the natives in
full retreat, with the Fogers--father and son--racing panic-stricken
after them. Tom could also see a big cave, just beyond the gold
hole, collapse and crumble to pieces like a house of cards.
"We have no time to lose!" Mr. Parker warned them. "The roof of this
cave is slowly coming down. The sides are collapsing! We must get
out!"
"Then wheel out the airship!" cried Tom. "We must save that! We
needn't fear the natives, now!"
The young inventor hurried to the RED CLOUD calling to Ned and the
others. They hastened to his side. It was an easy matter to move the
airship along on the wheels. It neared the opening of the cave. The
rumbling, roaring, grinding sound of the ice increased.
"Why--why!" cried Tom in surprise and alarm, as the craft neared the
mouth of the ice cavern, "we can't get it out--the opening is too
small! Yet it came in easily enough!"
"The cave is collapsing--growing smaller every moment!" cried Mr.
Parker. "We have only time to save our lives! Run out!"
"And leave the airship? Never!" yelled Tom.
"You must! You can't save that and your life!"
"Get axes and make the opening bigger!" suggested Ned, who, like his
chum, could not bear to think of the destruction of the beautiful
craft.
"No time! No time!" shouted Mr. Parker, frantically, "We must get
out! Save what you can from the ship--the gold--some supplies--the
guns--some food--save what you can!"
Then ensued a wild effort to get from the doomed craft what they
could--what they would need if they were to save their lives in that
cold and desolate country. Food, some blankets--their guns--as much
of the gold as they could hastily gather together--their weapons and
some ammunition--all this was carried from the cabin outside the
cave. The entrance was rapidly growing smaller. The roof was already
pressing down on the gas-bag.
Tom gave one last look at his fine craft. There were tears in his
eyes. He started into the cabin for something he had forgotten. Mr.
Parker grabbed him by the arm.
"Don't go in!" he cried hoarsely. "The cave will collapse in another
instant!" He rushed with Tom out of the cavern, and not a moment too
soon. The others were already outside.
Then with a rush and a roar, with a sound like a great explosion,
with a rending, grinding and booming as the great pieces of ice
collapsed one against the other, the big ice cave settled in, as
does some great building when the walls are weakened!
Down crashed the roof of the ice cave! Down upon the RED CLOUD,
burying out of sight, forever, under thousands of tons of ice and
snow, the craft which was the pride of Tom Swift's heart! It was the
end of the airship!
Tom felt a moisture of tears in his eyes as he stood there in the
midst of the snowstorm.