AN ELEPHANT STAMPEDE
"Lower away!"
"Stand by the life boats!"
"Let go! Pull hearty!"
These and other commands marked the beginning of the rescue, as the
sailors manned the davit-falls, and put the boats into the water. The
burning steamer had now come to a stop, not far away from the Belchar,
which was also lay-to. There was scarcely any sea running, and no wind,
so that the work of rescuing was not difficult from an ordinary
standpoint. But there was grave danger, because the fire on the doomed
vessel was gaining rapidly.
"That's oil burning," remarked an officer, and it seemed so, from the
dense clouds of smoke that rolled upward.
"Is she working, Tom?" asked Ned, as he helped his chum to hold the
wonderful camera steady on the rail, so that a good view of the burning
steamer could be had.
"Yes, the film is running. Say, I wonder if they'll get 'em all off?"
"Oh, I think so. There aren't many passengers. I guess it's a tramp
freighter."
They could look across the gap of water, and see the terrified
passengers and crew crowding to the rail, holding out their hands
appealingly to the brave sailors who were lustily and rapidly, pulling
toward them in life boats.
At times a swirl of smoke would hide those on the doomed vessel from
the sight of the passengers on the Belchar, and on such occasions the
frightened screams of women could be heard. Once, as the smoke cleared
away, a woman, with a child in her arms, giving a backward glance
toward the flames that were now enveloping the stern of the vessel,
attempted to leap overboard.
Many hands caught her, however, and all this was registered on the film
of Tom's camera, which was working automatically. As the two vessels
drifted along, Tom and Ned shifted the lens so as to keep the burning
steamer, and the approaching lifeboats, in focus.
"There's the first rescue!" cried Ned, as the woman who had attempted
to leap overboard, was, with her child, carefully lowered into a boat.
"Did you get that, Tom?"
"I certainly did. This will make a good picture. I think I'll send it
back to Mr. Period as soon as we reach port."
"Maybe you could develop it on board here, and show it. I understand
there's a dark room, and the captain said one of his officers, who used
to be in the moving picture business, had a reproducing machine."
"Then that's what I'll do!" cried Tom. "I'll have our captain charge
all the Belchar passengers admission, and we'll get up a fund for the
fire sufferers. They'll probably lose all their baggage."
"That will be great!" exclaimed Ned.
The rescue was now in full swing, and, in a short time all the
passengers and crew had been transferred to the life boats. Tom got a
good picture of the captain of the burning steamer being the last to
leave his vessel. Then the approaching life boats, with their loads of
sailors, and rescued ones, were caught on the films.
"Are you all off?" cried the captain of the Belchar to the unfortunate
skipper of the doomed ship.
"All off, yes, thank you. It is a mercy you were at hand. I have a
cargo of oil. You had better stand off, for she'll explode in a few
minutes."
"I must get a picture of that!" declared Tom as the Belchar got under
way again. "That will cap the climax, and make a film that will be hard
to beat."
A few moments later there was a tremendous explosion on the tramp
oiler. A column of wreckage and black smoke shot skyward, and Tom
secured a fine view of it. Then the wreck disappeared beneath the
waves, while the rescuing steamer sailed on, with those who had been
saved. They had brought off only the things they wore, for the fire had
occurred suddenly, and spread rapidly. Kind persons aboard the Belchar
looked after the unfortunates. Luckily there was not a large passenger
list on the tramp. And the crew was comparatively small, so it was not
hard work to make room for them, or take care of them, aboard the
Belchar.
Tom developed his pictures, and produced them in one of the large
saloons, on a machine he borrowed from the man of whom Ned had spoken.
A dollar admission was charged, and the crowd was so large that Tom had
to give two performances. The films, showing the burning steamer and
the rescue, were excellent, and enough money was realized to aid, most
substantially, the unfortunate passengers and crew.
A few days later a New York bound steamer was spoken, and on it Tom
sent the roll of developed films to Mr. Period, with a letter of
explanation.
I will not give all the details of the rest of the voyage. Sufficient
to say that no accidents marred it, nor did Tom discover any suspicious
characters aboard. In due time our friends arrived at Calcutta, and
were met by an agent of Mr. Period, for he had men in all quarters of
the world, making films for him.
This agent took Tom and his party to a hotel, and arranged to have the
airship parts sent to a large open shed, not far away, where it could
be put together. The wonderful scenes in the Indian city interested Tom
and his companions for a time, but they had observed so many strange
sights from time to time that they did not marvel greatly. Koku,
however, was much delighted. He was like a child.
"What are you going to do first?" asked Ned, when they had recovered
from the fatigue of the ocean voyage and had settled themselves in the
hotel.
"Put the airship together," replied our hero, "and then, after getting
some Durbar pictures, we'll head for the jungle. I want to get some
elephant pictures, showing the big beasts being captured."
Mr. Period's agent was a great help to them in this. He secured native
helpers, who aided Tom in assembling the airship, and in a week or two
it was ready for a flight. The wonderful camera, too, was looked over,
and the picture agent said he had never seen a better one.
"It can take the kind of pictures I never could," he said. "I get
Calcutta street scenes for Mr. Period, and occasionally I strike a good
one. But I wish I had your chance."
Tom invited him to come along in the airship, but the agent, who only
looked after Mr. Period's interests as a side issue, could not leave
his work.
The airship was ready for a flight, stores and provisions had been put
on board, there was enough gasoline for the motor, and gas for the
balloon bag, to carry the Flyer thousands of miles. The moving picture
camera had been tested after the sea voyage, and had been found to work
perfectly. Many rolls of films were taken along. Tom got some fine
views of the Durbar of India, and his airship created a great sensation.
"Now I guess we're all ready for the elephants," said Tom one day as he
came back from an inspection of the airship as it rested in the big
shed. "We'll start to-morrow morning, and head for the jungle."
Amid the cries from a throng of wondering and awed natives, and with
the farewells of Mr. Period's agent ringing in their ears, Tom and his
party made an early start. The Flyer rose like a bird, and shot across
the city, while on the house tops many people watched the strange
sight. Tom did not start his camera working, as Mr. Period's agent said
he had made many pictures of the Indian city, and even one taken from
an airship, would not be much of a novelty.
Tom had made inquiries, and learned that by a day's travel in his
airship (though it would have been much longer ordinarily) he could
reach a jungle where elephants might be found. Of course there was
nothing certain about it, as the big animals roamed all over, being in
one district one day, and on the next, many miles off.
Gradually the city was left behind, and some time later the airship was
sailing along over the jungle. After the start, when Ned and Tom, with
Mr. Damon helping occasionally, had gotten the machinery into proper
adjustment, the Flyer almost ran herself. Then Tom took his station
forward, with his camera in readiness, and a powerful spyglass at hand,
so that he might see the elephants from a distance.
He had been told that, somewhere in the district for which he was
headed, an elephant drive was contemplated. He hoped to be on hand to
get pictures of it, and so sent his airship ahead at top speed.
On and on they rode, being as much at ease in the air as they would
have been if traveling in a parlor car. They did not fly high, as it
was necessary to be fairly close to the earth to get good pictures.
"Well, I guess we won't have any luck to-day," remarked Ned, as night
approached, and they had had no sight of the elephants. They had gone
over mile after mile of jungle, but had seen few wild beasts in
sufficient numbers to make it worth while to focus the camera on them.
"We'll float along to-night," decided Tom, "and try again in the
morning."
It was about ten o'clock the next day, when Ned, who had relieved Tom
on watch, uttered a cry:
"What is it?" asked his chum, as he rushed forward. "Has anything
happened?"
"Lots!" cried Ned. "Look!" He pointed down below. Tom saw, crashing
through the jungle, a big herd of elephants. Behind them, almost
surrounding them, in fact, was a crowd of natives in charge of white
hunters, who were driving the herd toward a stockade.
"There's a chance for a grand picture!" exclaimed Tom, as he got the
camera ready. "Take charge of the ship, Ned. Keep her right over the
big animals, and I'll work the camera."
Quickly he focused the lens on the strange scene below him. There was
a riot of trumpeting from the elephants. The beaters and hunters
shouted and yelled. Then they saw the airship and waved their hands to
Tom and his friends, but whether to welcome them, or warn them away,
could not be told.
The elephants were slowly advancing toward the stockade. Tom was taking
picture after picture of them, when suddenly as the airship came lower,
in response to a signal to Ned from the young inventor, one of the huge
pachyderms looked up, and saw the strange sight. He might have taken it
for an immense bird. At any rate he gave a trumpet of alarm, and the
next minute, with screams of rage and fear, the elephants turned, and
charged in a wild stampede on those who were driving them toward the
stockade.
"Look!" cried Ned. "Those hunters and natives will be killed!"
"I'm afraid so!" shouted Tom, as he continued to focus his camera on
the wonderful sight.