RUNNING THE CABLE
The hopelessness of the crowds on both sides of the river had now
changed to joyful anticipation. They had seen so many attempts fail to
establish communication that they had almost given up. Of course they
knew that in time the river would go down, and transit across it in
boats would be comparatively easy. But it would still be several days
before the waters would subside, it was stated, because the river was
fed from many mountain brooks and rivulets, which were much swollen by
heavy rains.
“And even if the river does get to its normal level,” explained the man
with the megaphone, who introduced himself as James Duncan, “even then
it’s dangerous.”
“Why?” inquired Bob.
“Because of a number of rocks, and the rapids which are in this part
of the stream. A bridge is the only safe way to cross, and it will be
some time before that can be rebuilt. But the steel cable ferry will
be a big help. Are you ready to take it over now?”
“As soon as you are,” replied Ned.
“I think we had better carry a rope over first,” decided Jerry. “Then
your friends on the other side can haul the cable over. If we attempt
to carry the heavy wire rope in the airship it may sag, or foul, and do
some damage. But we can carry a stout rope across very easily.”
“We have the rope right here,” explained Mr. Duncan. “Come on,
gentlemen,” he called to some of his friends. “Get the rope ready. The
boys are going to take it across. Then the boat will begin running.”
“Hurrah!” cried scores of voices.
Jerry, Ned and Bob now re-entered the airship, and began to prepare for
running the cable. They looked to the motors, and set the gas machine
in operation, to fully distend the big bag, as they needed all the
reserve buoyancy, since the long rope would be a heavy drag.
“Here you are!” called Mr. Duncan, passing up the end of a rope, about
an inch in diameter. “Better fasten it well, for a rope a mile long is
rather heavy.”
Jerry saw that it was securely attached to strong braces in the after
part of the _Comet_, and then he requested Mr. Duncan to see to it that
the rope was paid out well from the shore.
“I’ll station a man right near it, to see that it does not tangle,”
promised Mr. Duncan, who seemed to be in general charge of matters.
“Here, Mr. Simon,” he called to a very stout individual, “you keep near
this coil of rope and see that it doesn’t snarl. I’m going to get the
wire cable ready, and see to the boat.”
“Humph! That man might be a cousin to Chunky,” observed Ned in a low
voice, as he noted the rope custodian.
“Aw, cut it out,” pleaded Bob, who was sensitive about his fleshiness.
“Where’s the professor?” asked Jerry, suddenly, looking about. “I
haven’t seen him for five minutes.”
The boys looked over the crowd. Most of the people were thronged about
the airship, inspecting it, but, off to one side there was a little
group, which seemed strangely agitated. Then there came an excited
exclamation, and a long handled net was thrust upward.
“There’s the professor,” observed Bob. “Probably he’s capturing a
slab-sided mud turtle, or some other queer creature.”
“We can come back for him,” remarked Ned. “He’ll be better satisfied
to stay here and catch bugs than come with us while we’re running the
cable.”
“I guess so,” agreed Jerry. A few minutes later, as everything was in
readiness, the signal to start was given. The anchor ropes that had
held down the _Comet_ were cast off, and the big craft shot up into the
air, dragging the rope after it. Jerry headed it straight across the
river, and soon they were directly above the turbulent stream, which
boiled and bubbled over the hidden rocks.
“Ned, you watch the rope being paid out,” directed Jerry. “I’ll steer,
and Bob can go to the motor room.”
“What shall I do?” asked the stout youth rather dubiously, for Chunky
was not very fond of machinery, and a motorcycle or an automobile was
about his limit.
“You shut off power when I tell you to,” responded Jerry. “Something
may happen and then we’ll want to stop suddenly.”
They were not moving very swiftly for the heavy rope acted as a
drag, and besides, Jerry had not turned on full power, as he wanted
no accidents to occur. But they crossed the river without accident,
pulling over the rope. When a landing was made on the eastern shore,
scores crowded up around the craft, almost overwhelming our heroes with
their thanks, and all eager to see the airship.
“Here, never mind looking at that circus machine,” called one man, good
naturedly. “Let’s get busy and pull the wire rope over. I want to see
the ferry running. I haven’t been home in two days, and I don’t know
what my wife and children look like,” and he laughed, for the first
time in many hours, he told the boys.
It was a comparatively easy matter, now that a large rope was
stretched across the river, to haul over the wire cable. This was soon
made fast to anchorages, and then, to guard against accidents, an
additional cable was strung, for fear the first might break. A broad,
flat-bottomed boat was in readiness, and it was so arranged that it
could be pulled along by means of the cable and a windlass, worked by
two men, the craft being prevented from going down stream by the heavy
cable.
The ferry was soon in operation, and the boys watched the first boat
load of people being transferred. It worked well, and the lads were
overwhelmed with thanks. Some persons even offered them money, but of
course our friends would not take it.
“Well, we might as well be on our way again, I suppose,” remarked
Jerry, after they had watched the boat go back and forth several times.
“We might send telegrams home before we leave,” went on Bob, “and let
the folks know we have gotten this far in safety. There must be a
telegraph office around here.”
“It is a good idea,” commented Jerry. “Glad you mentioned it, Bob.
We’ll send word home.”
They inquired the location of the telegraph office, and, as it was in
the centre of town, Ned and Bob remained with the airship, while Jerry
took the dispatches.
The telegraph office was in the railroad station, and while Jerry stood
on the platform, chatting with the agent, a freight train rumbled in,
and stopped, while the engine got water at a distant tank.
Jerry, having accomplished his errand, was about to turn away, to
go back to his chums, when, from the shadows of a freight car that
was on a siding, he observed a man run quickly out, and cling to the
break-beams of one of the refrigerator cars of the freight.
“Some tramp going to steal a ride,” reflected the lad, but, just then,
the gleam from a switch lamp, for it was now getting dusk, fell upon
the tramp’s face. Jerry started and could hardly repress an exclamation.
“Bill Berry!” he murmured to himself. “Bill Berry, that town
good-for-nothing--that crony of Noddy’s! What can he be doing here? I
wonder if he is following us?” For Bill Berry, as my readers know, had,
more than once, been the cause of much trouble to the motor boys.
Bill was now out of sight under the car, well hidden from view. Jerry
first thought he would speak to the agent about it, and then he
reflected that this would do little good.
“Where is that freight bound for?” he asked, as carelessly as he could.
“That? Oh, that’s a through freight for the West,” answered the
telegraph operator. “It goes right through to California, just as it
is. Right across the Rockies.”
Jerry could not repress a start.
“Across the Rockies,” he thought. “And that’s where we’re bound! Noddy
Nixon has already gone out there, and Bill Berry will probably join
him. Then there’ll be trouble for us!”
With apprehension in his heart Jerry turned to go back to the airship.