THE MOTOR STOPS
They were hardly able to realize their escape. That is, all but
Washington. He took it as a matter of course.
"How did it come about?" asked Jack.
"It's hard to say," replied Mr. Roumann. "I couldn't steer away
from the comet, but it's probably just as well that I could not.
It seems that the mass of queer light attracted us to it, but to
a certain section where we came to no harm. And we must have
gone through it at an angle, or we would have been much longer
within its influence."
"Can we see the comet?" asked Mark.
"There it is," replied the German. "Only it doesn't look as a
comet does when you view it from the earth. We are too close to
it."
They looked from the side window of the projectile. Far off
appeared to be a great mass of clouds, except that instead of
being white, the mass was colored with many hues, It was so vast
in extent that they could see neither the beginning nor the
ending of it.
"Our first comet," remarked Jack.
"And I hope our last," added Mark.
"Yes, indeed," interjected Mr. Roumann. "Now I think we will
slow down the motor somewhat. We must save some of the energy
for our return trip, though I have a large surplus. Still, we
cannot be too careful."
"Are we once more headed for Mars?" asked Mark.
"Yes, we are pointing directly toward it. Perhaps you boys will
go and slow down the motor, while Professor Henderson and I make
some scientific notes concerning the comet. It will be great
information to the astronomers on earth. Many of their theories
will be changed, I fancy."
Jack and Mark started for the engine-room.
They passed through the living or dining-room, where Washington
was setting the table for dinner.
"What I done tole yo'?" he demanded triumphantly. "I wasn't
skeered ob no ole comet."
"That's right, Wash," admitted Mark. "You had one on us that
time."
Andy Sudds was in one corner of the room, oiling his gun.
"Getting ready to go hunting?" asked Jack.
"Well, I heard Mr. Roumann say we'd be on Mars in a few days,"
replied the old man, "and if there's any game there I want to get
a shot at it."
"That's right," said Jack. "I guess I'll take--"
He got no further. From the engine-room there sounded a
tremendous racket, as if some one was pounding on the machinery
with a big hammer.
"What's that?" cried Mark.
"Something's happened to the motor!" exclaimed Jack. "Maybe it's
going too fast! Come on!"
They ran to the engine-room. The sight that met their eyes was a
startling one.
Standing with his back to them was a strange man. Over his head
he was swinging a sledge hammer, which he brought down with great
force upon the Etherium motor.
"I'll smash it! I'll stop this machine! I'll send us all to the
bottom of the universe!" the man was muttering.
"Quit that!" cried Jack, springing forward.
The man paused and turned.
"The crazy machinist!" shouted Jack. "Hell break the engine all
to pieces!"
"That's what I will!" replied the infuriated man. "I'll end this
voyage now!"
Once more he brought his hammer down on the machine, and the
motor, with a hissing of gas and a shower of sparks, stopped
working.
Jack and Mark were brave lads. They sprang upon the man, though
he was large and strong, and his strength was added to by his
insane fury.
In an instant they were in the midst of a fierce fight. The
maniac tossed them aside as if they were mere infants, but they
returned to the attack. They sought to hold his arms to prevent
him from doing any further damage with the hammer. Fortunately
for the lads, the man was forced to drop the weapon, to enable
him to grapple with his two assailants.
"Can you hold him?" cried Mark.
"Not very well," panted Jack, as his grip of the man's arms was
broken and he was flung across the room.
"Help! Help!" suddenly cried Mark. "The crazy machinist is
here!"
Washington and Andy, in the living-room, heard the yells of the
boys. They rushed to the scene, and, taking in the situation at
a glance, flung themselves upon the unfortunate man, aiding the
boys in holding him.
Even their strength was not sufficient, and it was not until Mr.
Roumann, leaving Professor Henderson in charge of the pilot
house, had come up, that they were able to secure the maniac.
He was quickly bound with ropes, and placed in the storeroom as a
prisoner, while the German turned his whole attention to the
motor, a part of which had been broken. Once more the Annihilator
had ceased to advance, and was falling through space.
"Can you fix it?" anxiously asked Jack, who was panting from the
terrible struggle.
"Yes," replied Mr. Roumann. "Fortunately he did not smash a
vital part. I will soon have it running again."
In less than half an hour the motor was repaired, and was
speeding the projectile on its way. It was not set at the
greatest power, however, as Mr. Roumann did not want to put too
much strain upon it.
"Now I have time to inquire how it happened," he said to the
boys. "Tell me about it."
They related how they had come upon the crazy machinist.
"Then he has been hidden on board all the while," commented the
German. "I was not mistaken in thinking some one opened that
port after I closed it. He sneaked in here the night before we
started, and has been waiting his chance to do us some damage.
It was he who smashed the plates."
"But where could he have concealed himself?" asked Jack.
"I don't know. We'll see if he will tell us."
They went to the storeroom, where the maniac was bound.
"Why did you try to damage my machinery?" asked Mr. Roumann.
"Because it is an infringement on my patent," was the surprising
answer. "I invented a perpetual motion machine, for making dog
biscuits, and you have used it to make your airship go.
Therefore I smashed it. I have the sole right to make dog
biscuits for the king of the cannibal islands. I'm his private
secretary."
"He is hopelessly insane," murmured Jack.
"I fear so," agreed Mr. Roumann. Then he asked: "Where have you
been hiding?"
"Ah, I fooled you, all right," said the man with a cunning laugh.
"It was just like a game of hide and seek to watch you hunting
for me, and me looking at you all the while. Ha, ha! Oh, I had
a good place."
"Where was it?" asked Mr. Roumann soothingly.
"Right up there," answered the machinist, pointing to the roof of
the storeroom. The German made an investigation, and discovered
a small compartment where it had been intended to make a port,
but the idea for which had not been carried out. This left a
space in the wall of the projectile, large enough for a man to
conceal himself in. No one would suspect he was there.
"I sneaked on board one night," went on the man. "I managed to
open a port into the storeroom. And I lived high, I can tell
you."
"Golly! He's been at mah kitchen stuff!" exclaimed Washington.
"Did that other man come aboard with you?" asked Jack. He
referred to the tramp who had peered in the window of the
professor's house.
"No. He's been elected King of France," was the answer. "He had
to go over there to get his crown fitted on. I'm all alone here.
A few minutes more and I would have smashed that engine."
"I guess you would," responded Mr. Roumann. "Well, we'll take
good care that you do not get loose again."
The bonds of the maniac were made more secure, and Washington
White was told to keep, close watch over him.
It was the day after this occurrence, though Jack and Mark had
not gotten over talking about it, that they were in the pilot
house with Professor Henderson. The projectile was speeding
along rapidly, and from calculations that had been made it was
believed they would arrive at Mars in about two days.
"I'll be glad of it," said Jack. "I want a chance to stretch my
legs."
"And grow lighter," added Mark. "You're fatter than ever since
you began this trip."
"That's because I don't have any exercise. But I'll make up for
it. I understand that on Mars one can jump twice as far as he
can on the earth, due to the less dense atmosphere."
"Well, we'll soon see," said Mark.
Mr. Henderson suddenly bent over one of the indicators. He
pressed a lever, turned a wheel, and then exclaimed:
"The Etherium motor has stopped working 'again! I wonder if the
maniac is loose!"
"We'll see!" cried Jack, as he and Mark hurried toward the
engine-room. They found Mr. Roumann there.
"The motor has stopped!" exclaimed Jack.
"I know it."
"Has there been an accident?"
"No."
"What's the matter, then?"
"We have completed our journey through the ether. The motor will
only work in that."
"And that means--" began Mark.
"That we have reached the atmosphere of Mars!" exclaimed Mr.
Roumann in triumph.