Leaving the _Tarantula_ to drift at her sweet will, all haste was made
by the youthful adventurers in regaining the side of the _Sea King_.
When they reascended to the deck of that craft, after making fast the
_Vagrant_, they found a newcomer among the crew to greet them,—namely,
MacDuffy, the engineer, who announced that he had made temporary
repairs.
“But they willna be lastin’ lang, I’m thinkin’,” he said ruefully, “I
dinna ken if they will carry us a hundred miles.”
“And it’s a good three hundred or more back to that river mouth,” cried
Ned in dismay.
“Aye, lad, it wull be all of that,” agreed the Scotchman.
A sudden idea struck Jack.
“Is there any one on board who understands wireless besides Ned Bangs?”
he asked abruptly.
Sam Serviss, a youngish-looking seaman,—he was third officer of the _Sea
King_,—stepped forward.
“I can read Morse and Continental,” he said simply, “and I’ve taken
lessons from Ned Bangs here. I guess at a pinch I could operate a
wireless all right.”
“Good. That puts my plan on a feasible basis,” exclaimed Jack.
“What may the plan be?” asked Captain Andrews interestedly.
“Just this: The _Sea King_ will proceed to Lone Island, navigated by Mr.
Serviss here. On the island, as you know, is a wireless plant. The
generator is not a very powerful one, but you can harness the island
apparatus to the generators of the _Sea King_, and obtain as much
current as you want,—two kilowatts if necessary. I have a plan to
increase the power of the _Vagrant’s_ outfit, so that we can keep in
touch with you.”
Captain Andrews and MacDuffy nodded. Jack went on, while they all
listened with deep attention.
“The _Sea King_ carries a gasolene launch. On arrival at Lone Island you
can try to get into communication with us. In the meantime the launch
can be despatched to Galveston for the supplies and tools needful to
mend that shaft properly. This being done, Mr. Serviss will watch the
wireless for further instructions, or, in case of need, proceed to our
rescue.”
“Then you mean to go back to Yucatan the noo?” inquired MacDuffy.
“Of course,” rejoined Jack, quick as a flash, and in a tone that showed
he had indeed arrived at a definite conclusion in the matter. “It’s my
duty and Tom’s to rescue our relatives, and that as soon as possible.”
“And you’ll no be countin’ on taking me?” asked MacDuffy, rather
piteously.
Jack shook his head.
“The capacity of the _Vagrant_ is limited, Mr. MacDuffy,” he said, “and
we may have to adopt another means of transportation before we get
through—I mean the aero-auto.”
“Good. The very thing,” was Ned’s enthusiastic comment.
“I guess Captain Andrews, Tom, Ned, Jupe and myself will be a big enough
force to take along,” went on Jack; “of course, we’ll carry the gas-guns
and a supply of ordinary firearms and ammunition.”
The boy’s plans were so clear and well-defined that there was no
opposition. By this time the sky was streaked with gray and rose color
in the east, and a wan light overspread the sea. It showed them the
faint and distant outlines of the _Tarantula_, drifting seaward in the
clutch of some strong ocean current. Evidently, then, they had nothing
to fear from that source.
The work of hoisting the aero-auto from its well on the _Sea King_, and
transferring the odd land-and-air traveler to the _Vagrant_ was set
about at once. Blocks and tackles were reeved on the derrick boom of the
after mast of the _Sea King_, and with wondrously little effort, the
vehicle the Boy Inventors had evolved was transferred to the flush after
deck of the _Vagrant_, where it was lashed in place, the ropes that
bound it being affixed to ringbolts on the deck.
The Flying Road Racer must be described in some detail here, as it is
destined to figure largely in after events of the Boy Inventors’ lives.
The auto part of the wonderful machine, then, was a cigar-shaped affair
of aluminum, with four wheels of the “disc” type. It was fitted much
like an ordinary auto, with padded seats in front and in the tonneau,
equipped with shock absorbers, and was twelve feet in length.
In the front of the car the engine, a hundred horse-power,
eight-cylinder, four-cycle machine, was installed. The controls led to
the steering wheel, just as is the case in ordinary cars. The crank
shaft, however, projected through the front of the car, and was provided
with a slotted terminal, by means of which an eight-foot aerial
propeller, carried in sections in the car itself, might be affixed at
will.
Above the main body of the car was a light, but strong, framework
supporting a balloon bag,—also cigar-shaped, and of the finest oiled
silk,—of a capacity of about fifty thousand cubic feet of gas, and with
a theoretical lifting power of forty-five hundred pounds. The method of
inflating this bag at will, and thus converting the auto into a
practicable dirigible, was the most startling innovation about the
invention.
The body of the car, as has been said, was cylindrical, with sharp ends,
like a mammoth perfecto cigar. This cylinder was divided in half,
longitudinally, by a floor of aluminum alloy. The entire lower chamber
thus formed was a big generating tank for a gas having a lifting
capacity exceeding hydrogen vapor by a ratio of three to one. This gas
was generated from brownish crystals formed of a compound of
hydrogen-saturated alum and another chemical akin to radium, which the
boys, for the present, kept a close secret.
Two pounds of these crystals, when forty gallons of water were added to
them, formed close to sixty thousand cubic feet of the powerful
inflation gas. One hundred pounds of the crystals were carried in a
special compartment of the aero-auto, and constituted an ample supply
for all emergencies. To inflate the bag, then, all that had to be done
was to unbolt a metal hand-hole in the floor of the front section of the
car. Through this the crystals were dumped into the tank beneath and the
water added. The opening of the generator was then closed and clamped
down tight, hermetically sealing the tank. The gas, under compression,
was explosive, and was utilized to run the motor as well as for
inflation purposes.
Immediately in front of the operator of the car was a gauge showing at
all times the pressure in the tank, and when the gas bag was in
operation the amount of gas in that also was indicated. When sufficient
gas was generated, the operator turned a valve and the gas from the tank
instantly began rushing into the bag carried on the framework above him.
The bag was so folded that it inflated without necessitating much
attention. Three broad bands of rubberized fabric of great strength
encircled the gas bag proper.
To these were attached wires of a tensile strength exceeding anything
hitherto known. The other ends of the wires, of course, were fastened to
the body of the aero-auto, so that when the bag was sufficiently buoyant
the entire car and its occupants were borne aloft. By means of an
exhaust pump connected with the motor, the volume of gas could be
reduced at will, causing the entire aero-auto to sink at the pleasure of
those directing the machine.
“Astern” of this wonderful invention was a rudder of vulcanized silk and
vanadium steel framework, which, when the invention was in use as a land
vehicle, was folded. When it was desired to take the air the release of
a simple clutch caused the rudder to assume its proper position. At the
same time, two long planes could be attached to the sides of the car, to
be used in ascending or descending. The machine had two steering and
governing devices. One wheel was used for the auto control, and another
“tiller” was put in use when it was soaring through the air. The control
of the aerial rudder, planes and engine, all centered in this second
wheel, thus putting the craft, at all times, under one man—or
boy—management. In conclusion, it may be mentioned that the craft was
equipped with speedometer, barometer, barograph and patent self-starting
devices, doing away with the old-fashioned “cranking” of the engine. The
wheels were fitted with semi-solid tires of great size and strength, and
the shock-absorbers before mentioned obviated any danger of a severe jar
or jounce on landing. The machine had been given several trials at High
Towers and had been found to work perfectly.
It is not necessary here to give a description of the loading of the
aero-auto, the leave takings, and the final instructions and messages
that passed between the _Vagrant_ and the _Sea King_. Suffice it to say,
that at eight o’clock that morning all preparations on both sides were
completed and that at eight-ten precisely the two vessels parted
company. The _Sea King_ steamed northward slowly, bound for Lone Island,
and the _Vagrant_ headed for the mouth of the river on which the
plantations of the rascally Mexican were situated. At that time the
_Tarantula_ had drifted out of the adventurers’ ken altogether, over the
eastern horizon.
Leaving Captain Andrews and Jupe in charge of the _Vagrant_, the lads,
thoroughly exhausted now that the strain and care of the long night were
over, sought their bunks and were soon wrapped in slumber. In their
dreams they flew high above the plateaus and rugged ranges of the
mysterious land for which they were bound, questing the unknown in
search of the lost ones.