Oliphant sat with his knees up, looking at his friend, thinking what a
cool hand he was. No one could have guessed from Tom's easy attitude
that he was thinking out a problem on which lives depended. As the
minutes passed, even Oliphant was deceived.
"Not asleep, Dorrell?"
Tom grunted, but did not stir. Another minute or two, then he suddenly
jumped up.
"Well, I think I've got it," he said, and he chuckled.
"What is it?"
"Come along. I'll explain as we go."
The two mounted the car; Tom started the ascensional screws; and the
airship rose slowly from the hill. When they had left the ground some
three hundred feet beneath them they saw, a mile or more distant, the
body of horsemen who had set off in pursuit from the Moors' encampment.
The airship was headed in the direction from which they had come, and
when they saw it they halted, and waited until it had soared past them;
then, having no doubt that it was returning to the hill with the
intention of again attempting to rescue the blockaded men, they wheeled
round, and galloped in pursuit.
The airship was going at only a moderate speed, so that the horsemen
were able to keep pace with it. Tom chuckled again, and Oliphant, to
whom he had by this time imparted his notion, seemed to find great
amusement in the sight.
"The beggars little imagine they're playing our game," he said.
"No, indeed. I wonder what they really are thinking. Probably they fancy
something has gone wrong with our works and we can't go any faster."
"D'you think they've got wind of our former breakdown?"
"It's not unlikely. News travels very fast in these countries that
haven't got the telegraph!"
When they arrived at the hill of the caves, there appeared to be no
change in the situation. A small group of four or five men were
squatting on the summit; more than a score were congregated below. All
eyes were directed upwards as the airship again came into view, and the
men laughed, recognizing how fruitless would be any renewed attempt to
rescue the prisoners. They all carried rifles, and evidently intended to
use them when the vessel came within range. But it passed too high above
their heads, still going very slowly, and, so far from descending
towards the cave, sailed on towards the sea. It crossed one of the
adjacent hills, then sank a little, so that it was only visible then to
the few men who kept watch above.
But a minute or two afterwards the occupants of the car, looking round,
saw that these men were on their feet, gesticulating with great
excitement.
"They've taken the bait!" cried Oliphant, laughing outright.
The men had noticed that the airship, instead of continuing its
north-westerly course, had suddenly taken a turn to the left, and was
making at tremendous speed straight for the village of Ain Afroo. Rising
higher into the air, so that he could get a view over the shoulder of
the hill, Tom saw that the whole body of horsemen, now joined by the
sheikh and his party, were riding at a mad gallop for the village. By
this time the airship was a mile ahead of them, and the two Englishmen
laughed heartily as they watched the frantic efforts of the Moors to
reduce the gap. They were left hopelessly behind, and were still more
than a mile from the walls when the airship, hovering directly over the
roof of the kasbah, began very slowly to drop earthwards as if a descent
were going to be made on the spot where it had formerly rested.
The descent took a considerable time. Who was there to tell the frenzied
horsemen that the accursed Firangi was playing with them? They urged
their foaming steeds up the hill at a furious rate, making light of all
obstacles, and extorting a tribute of admiration from the Englishmen for
horses and riders alike. They clattered into the village, dashed through
the street, pulled the horses up on their haunches at the door of the
kasbah, flung themselves from the saddles, and poured into the patio and
up the stairs.
The sheikh himself, by far the best mounted of the troop, was the first
to arrive; and within a few seconds he sprang out of the opening on the
roof, followed closely by several members of his household. But what was
this? The airship, instead of resting on the flagged roof, was hundreds
of feet above them, and, horror of horrors! sailing with terrific speed
back towards the hill of the caves. For a few moments the Moors stood
gazing in bewilderment, being joined by more men from below. Then, with
hearty Moslem curses, they rushed back to the opening, toppling over one
another, stumbling down the stairs in their haste. Down into the patio,
out of the gate, on to their horses' backs once more, and off they set,
pell-mell after the airship.
But the horses were badly blown. There were four miles of heavy country
to cover. And by the time they were again clear of the walls the airship
was halfway to the hill.
Tom and his friend were hugely delighted with the success of their
simple bit of strategy. They could see the horsemen like ants in the
distance beneath, urging their poor panting horses to the utmost of
their capacity.
"We ought to have plenty of time to get them away," said Tom.
"Yes, but hang it all! we've clean forgotten that we can't lift both
Schwab and the Moor."
"Great Scott!" Tom ejaculated, in consternation. But in a moment his
face cleared. "We'll manage that," he said cheerfully. But then he
received another shock. He saw that the four or five men who had held
their watch on the plateau were still there: they had not followed the
rest. Their horses could be seen tethered in the grove beneath, and the
men were gathered in a knot, watching the rapid approach of the machine,
which probably they had expected to see no more.
"There's only one thing for it," said Tom. "We must go slap at them, and
trust to luck. If they shoot, they may do so before we are within range,
and at this speed they may easily miss us. They are sure to be a bit
nervous, too."
Tom had already begun the descent, obliquely upon the hill. When the
airship was, as nearly as he could calculate, on a level with the
summit, he again put the engines to their utmost speed, and dashed
straight at the little group. There were three or four reports almost
simultaneously, and above the whirr of the screws Tom thought he heard a
sound of rending, as if one of the planes had been struck by a bullet.
The vessel, indeed, dipped slightly, and for a moment he feared that it
would be dashed against the face of the hill. But he jerked up the lever
controlling the planes, the airship rose the few feet necessary to clear
the summit, and once more sped on its course.
By this time, however, the group on the hilltop had taken fright. They
could not know that if the airship dashed into them, they would be as
formidable to it as it could be to them. Even if they had known this,
they would probably not have been willing to sell their lives, even
though in doing so they should break up the machine and hurl its
occupants to destruction. With one consent they broke and fled.
Tom instantly reversed the engines, and the airship glided slowly to
rest on the plateau. But the path by which the fugitives were attempting
to make good their flight was only wide enough to accommodate one man at
a time, and that with difficulty. Only three of the men had begun to
descend when Tom sprang out of the car. The other two, fearing to be
attacked from behind, turned instinctively to meet the supposed danger.
Then, seeing that they had only two men to deal with, and feeling no
doubt that they would be completely at the mercy of these men when once
they had begun the descent, they hesitated for a second at the brink.
If they had used this second to draw their formidable knives, Tom's
adventure might have ended there and then, for in his eagerness he had
forgotten to snatch up his revolver. But their halt was due rather to
nervousness than to courage, and Tom was never lacking in promptitude at
the critical moment. He dashed straight at them. One of them swung round
at once and slithered down the path. The other, somewhat more
mettlesome, made a grab at his knife. But he had only half drawn it from
his belt when Tom's fist shot out and tumbled him headlong after his
comrade. The result would have been amusing if Tom had had time to
observe it. From top to bottom of that rocky declivity there was an
avalanche of Moors. The impetus with which the topmost man had been shot
over the edge sent him smack into the man next below. The two then
rolled, or rather pitched, on top of those who had preceded them, and
were making their way quickly yet laboriously down the steep tracks, and
it is to be feared that there were bruised and broken limbs at the
bottom.
But Tom had neither eyes nor ears for the discomfiture of his enemies.
There was still much to be done before he could be sure that his friends
and his airship were out of harm's way. One of his friends was already
taking things into his own hands. At the first hint of what was
happening Abdul had left the mouth of the cave, and was now swarming up
the perilous face of the hillside. Breathless he came over the brink, on
the opposite side from that where the Moors had disappeared, almost
before Tom could turn round.
"All well below?" asked Tom.
"Yes, master."
"Can you bring up the big man?"
"With a rope, master."
"Quick, then: we have no time to spare."
"And the Hudi, master?"
"What of him?"
"He made them come. We tied him, feet and hands."
"Untie him, but leave him. He can make them come again!"
A rope was quickly unshipped from the car and strongly looped. Abdul
descended, the rope being held by both Oliphant and Tom above, who,
doubtful whether their strength would stand the strain of the ponderous
German's weight, hitched it round a rocky prominence at the brink of the
hill. But fear lent Schwab extraordinary agility--as once before in the
enclosure of Midfont House. With the rope looped about him, he hauled
himself up by it, assisting his progress with his feet against the hill.
He was in a bath of perspiration, his fat face was pale as death, when
he reached the top and sank exhausted at Tom's feet. Oliphant and Tom
together hoisted him into the car, and by the time he was settled, Abdul
had cut the Jew's bonds and again clambered up, pursued by entreaties,
wild threats, execrations, from the luckless Salathiel ben Ezra.
Glancing in the direction of Ain Afroo, Tom rejoiced to see that he had
still about ten minutes to spare before the pursuing horsemen could
arrive at the spot. He knew from experience that with Schwab as a
passenger the ascensional screws did not exert sufficient power to lift
three other men; but when Oliphant had reminded him of this, a way out
of the difficulty suggested itself. If once the airship could be raised
from the ground and the horizontal screws set in motion, it was likely
that, with the speed thus obtained, they might suffice (the planes being
inclined at the proper angle) to overcome the downward pull of gravity.
Tom rapidly explained to Abdul the plan he had formed. Then, entering
the car in which Schwab and Oliphant already were, he set the
ascensional screws in motion. The vessel slowly rose. Meanwhile Abdul
had looped about his body the rope by which Schwab had been hauled up,
the upper end of which had again been securely attached to the car. When
the airship had risen a few feet from the hill-top, Tom set the
horizontal engines at full speed, and the vessel sailed beyond the
plateau, Abdul dangling from it at the end of the rope, as he had done
once before when rescued from the shark. He showed no fear; in the loop
he was perfectly safe, for even if the vessel sank with his weight, it
would be so slowly that he would run no risk of being brought too
violently into contact with the ground.
As Tom had expected, the vessel did not sink. But, the horizontal screws
being partly engaged in counteracting the force of gravity, the speed of
the airship was reduced to only five or six miles an hour, and at that
rate it was evident that the fuel would not hold out until they reached
the coast. A second breakdown must be averted at all costs; it was
unlikely that they would be able to escape the clutches of predatory
Moors a second time. No doubt the story of what had happened before had
spread for many miles through the country, and short shrift would be
given to the aeronauts if again they were brought to earth.
There was now only a minute or two to spare before the sheikh would
arrive. Whatever could be done must be done at once. Glancing down, Tom
saw below him the horses belonging to the men who had just been tumbled
from the plateau. The men themselves were lying at the foot of the hill,
not dead, as Tom was glad to see--the rugged declivity had broken their
fall--but evidently completely disabled. Without hesitation Tom reduced
the speed of the engines and descended, shouting to Abdul, who at the
end of the rope would of course reach the ground first, to secure two of
the best horses, and follow as fast as he could in the track of the
airship.
Owing to the delay that had occurred, Abdul had only just leapt into the
saddle when the horsemen came into sight scarcely half a mile away. The
sheikh was far ahead of his men, and the pace even of his splendid Arab
showed that there was little fear of Abdul being overtaken. The young
Moor set off at a gallop, a second horse at his side. There was a shout
behind him; the sheikh called upon his followers to spur their flagging
steeds: clearly he intended gamely to continue the pursuit.
But the fugitives were now well away. Tom accommodated the speed of the
airship to the pace of the horses below, keeping at a height of no more
than a hundred feet from the ground so as to be able to drop down and
stand by Abdul in case of need. For a few minutes it seemed as though
the lad was to be close pressed, in spite of the hard galloping the
horses of the pursuers had already done. But gradually they dropped
farther and farther behind; Abdul's horses were fresh; he himself was a
light weight; and Tom began to breathe more freely.
Another danger, however, occurred to him. The country was at present
wild and desolate, with no signs of habitation. But as he neared the
coast, he would undoubtedly pass scattered villages and towns, and it
was possible that Abdul might be checked at one of these. He therefore
felt it desirable to rise to a greater height, so that he might obtain a
more extensive outlook over the country and indicate to Abdul a course
which would prevent him from running into danger.
He soon saw that his precaution was justified. The pursuers were still
sticking doggedly to the trail, and Tom noticed that from time to time
they were joined by fresh horsemen from the hamlets through which they
passed. He could not distinguish figures in the distance, but he had no
doubt that the sheikh had already obtained a fresh horse, and was among
a group which had far outstripped the rest of the troop and was
gradually diminishing the distance between them and their quarry. Abdul
was riding gallantly on, changing from horse to horse with admirable
dexterity; but it was clear that the pursuers, with many opportunities
of obtaining remounts, must in course of time run him down. The airship
would always indicate the direction in which they should ride.
Again Tom had to devise a means of overcoming a new difficulty. The
chase had now lasted some hours, and the matter was becoming urgent. By
good luck, the sight of a high conical hill, well wooded, somewhat to
the right of the course they had been following, suggested a plan.
Lowering the airship to within easy speaking distance of the Moor--a
manoeuvre which caused some uneasiness to his horses, tired as they
were--Tom directed him to make for this hill, and remain in hiding among
the trees until rejoined. At the moment he thought of making all speed
to the yacht, dropping Schwab, replenishing his can of fuel, and
returning for Abdul. But a little consideration caused him to change his
mind. It might prove a very difficult matter to find the hill again when
returning. It must be, he guessed, at least sixty miles from the sea,
and he could not remember the landmarks exactly enough to be able to
retrace his course.
In rapid consultation with Oliphant he decided on another plan. Altering
the course of the airship several points to the southward, and keeping a
sharp lookout upon the pursuers, he found that they were still following
him as a guide. No longer having to consider the powers of endurance of
Abdul's horses, he quickened the speed of the airship, and saw in a
little while that this had had its effect, several of the horsemen
beginning to straggle, though they all continued in the same direction.
Having thus taken the enemy some five or six miles out of their course,
he suddenly swung round and made off at full speed towards the hill
where he had left Abdul, of which he had been careful not to lose sight.
"They are a game lot," remarked Oliphant, as the horsemen again followed
the track. They were soon left mere specks on the horizon, and at last
dropped entirely out of sight. Approaching the hill from another side,
some time elapsed before the airship was seen by Abdul from his
concealment in the wood. Then he again mounted; his horses had profited
by the short rest: and the fugitives, having gained several miles by
Tom's manoeuvre, were able to take matters comparatively easy until late
in the afternoon.