The Airship Golden Hind
Page 15
CHAPTER XV--REVELATIONS
"Land ahead!"
The hail brought Fosterdyke and Bramsdean from their cabins with theutmost alacrity. They had not expected to sight Australia for anotherhour and a half, and now there was certainly land far away to theeast'ard.
During the last three hours the clear sky had given place to a thickbank of dark clouds. Observations to determine the "Golden Hind's"position were therefore out of the question. She was steering a compasscourse with the wind almost dead aft. It was a case of dead reckoning,and now no one knew exactly what part of Western Australia they wereapproaching--whether it was north or south of the Fremantle aerodrome.
"We'll do it before dark," declared Fosterdyke, confidently.
He had hardly spoken when Murgatroyd's head and shoulders appearedthrough the hatchway of the navigation-room.
"We're on the last few gallons of petrol, sir," he reported. "I've medoubts if the engines'll run another ten minutes. They're slowing downnow," he added.
"Switch off all but numbers 1 and 2 motors," ordered the baronet. "Keepthese running for twenty minutes if you can, and we'll manage it."
But before the chief engineer could regain the for'ard motor-room thesix aerial propellers were motionless. The "Golden Hind" no longerdrove through the air, but simply drifted broadside on to the strongbreeze.
Just as the sun sank in the Indian Ocean the airship crossed thecoastline. Ten miles to the north could be discerned Perth andFremantle--ten miles that, as far as the "Golden Hind" was concernedmight have been a thousand.
"Down with her," ordered Fosterdyke. "Stand by with both grapnels.We'll have to trust to luck to find a good anchoring-ground."
It was not until the airship had passed over the railway runningsouthward from Perth to Busselton that Kenyon noted a hill that mightafford shelter from the strong wind.
Rapidly several thousand cubic feet of brodium were exhausted from theballonets, with the result that the "Golden Hind" dropped to within ahundred feet of the ground.
There was just sufficient twilight to make out the nature of the landingplace. It was a wide belt of grassland, dotted here and there withsmall trees. Hedges there were none.
"There are a couple of men on horseback, sir," reported Frampton.
"Good," replied Fosterdyke. "Let go both grapnels. See how she takesthat."
Both of the stout barbed hooks engaged the moment they touched theground. Even though the wire ropes were paid out in order to reduce thestrain, the jerk was severe. Round swung the giant airship head towind, but still she dragged. The grapnels had caught in a wire fence,and having uprooted half a dozen posts, were doing their level best toremove a five-mile sheep fence.
Up galloped the two farmers. The uprooting of their boundary fencehardly troubled them. The arrival of the airship--the first they hadever seen--occupied all their attention.
"Make fast for us, please," hailed Fosterdyke, having ordered anotherrope to be lowered.
"Right-o," was the reply. "We'll fix you up."
Dismounting and tethering their somewhat restive horses, the twoAustralians took the end of the third wire rope to the trunk of a largetree-the only one for miles, as it so happened. Fortunately they knewhow to make a rope fast--an accomplishment that few people other thanseamen possess.
"Where are we?" asked the baronet.
"In Minto County, ten miles from Kelmscott," was the reply.
"Any petrol to be had hereabouts?"
"Sure," was the unexpected answer. "How much do you want?"
"A hundred gallons--enough to take us to Fremantle," replied Fosterdykerather dubiously.
"Two hundred if you want," offered the good Samaritan. "I'll run italong in less than an hour."
"Will to-morrow at daybreak do equally as well?" asked Sir Reginald,knowing the difficulty and possible danger of handling quantities of thehighly volatile spirit in the dark. "We'll be all right here untilmorning if the wind doesn't increase."
"It won't," declared the farmer, confidently. "If anything it'll falllight. If you're in a hurry, I'll hitch you on to my motor lorry andtow you into Fremantle."
Fosterdyke thanked him and begged to be excused on the score that he wasobliged by the terms of the race to make a flight without outsideassistance in the matter of propulsion.
The two Australians, declining an invitation to go on board the airship,rode away in the darkness.
As the farmer had predicted, the wind fell away to a dead calm, so theairship was able to rest upon the ground, but ready, should the breezespring up, to ascend to a hundred feet and there ride it out until thepromised petrol was forthcoming.
"Now for our first dinner on or over Australian soil," exclaimedFosterdyke. "By Jove, I'm hungry! What's going?"
He scanned the menu card. The cooks on the airship were good men attheir work, and dinner, whenever circumstances permitted, was rather aformal affair.
"Hullo!" exclaimed Peter. "Covers laid for four, eh?"
"Yes," replied the baronet. "I'm expecting a guest. Ah! here he is.Let me introduce you to my friend, Mr. Trefusis."
Kenyon and Bramsdean could hardly conceal their astonishment, forstanding just inside the doorway, immaculately dressed in well-cutclothes, was the man they had hitherto known as Otto Freising, thefellow who had attempted to shoot Fosterdyke at Alexandria.
"Secret Service," explained the baronet. "Had to keep the affair dark,even from you two fellows."
"You certainly did us in the eye," said Peter.
"No more than I did Senor Jaures," rejoined Trefusis. "I had a rottentime cooped up with that bird, but it was worth it."
"So you've succeeded?" asked Fosterdyke.
Trefusis nodded.
"Wouldn't be here if I hadn't," he remarked. "It took me some time toget the right side of Senor Enrico, but I managed it. He rather lookeda bit sideways at me when I pitched a yarn about being a Hun. However,I've got it out of him that he was employed by von Sinzig to kipper yourpart of the show, and judging by accounts he almost succeeded. You'llhave enough evidence, Fosterdyke, to disqualify von Sinzig."
"I'll think about it," drawled the baronet. "After all's said and donethe Hun is a sport, only his idea of sport differs radically from ours.It's his nature, I suppose. But another time you fire at me with blankcartridges, Trefusis, old son, please don't aim at my head. Grains ofburnt powder in one's eyes aren't pleasant."
"Nor did I feel very pleasant," rejoined the Secret Service man, "whenthat officious blighter suggested putting me under arrest and trying mein a Civil Court. He must have thought you pretty high-handed, rushingme off in your airship."
"Yes, it was as well I took Colonel Holmes into my confidence," saidFosterdyke. "Otherwise you might at this moment be cooling your heels ina 'Gippy' prison. However, we've got evidence against von Sinzig, ifneeds be."
"What are you going to do with Senor Jaures?" asked Trefusis.
"Do with him? Nothing much. Fact, I'll do it now, directly we'vefinished dinner."
The meal over, Fosterdyke ordered Enrico Jaures to be brought in. Thelook on the miscreant's features was positively astounding when he foundhis former companion in captivity revealed in his true colours.
"Now, Enrico Jaures," began Fosterdyke, without further preliminaries."You understand English, in spite of your previous denial. Read that.If you agree to it, you are a free man the moment you've signed thestatement."
At the promise of liberty Enrico plucked up courage. He had a wholesomerespect for the word of an Englishman.
The document was in the form of a confession, stating that Enrico Jaureshad agreed, for a certain sum promised by Count Karl von Sinzig, tohinder, either by crippling or destroying the "Golden Hind," SirReginald Fosterdyke's attempt to fly round the world.
"I'll sign," said Enrico.
He wrote his name. Kenyon and Trefusis witnessed the signature.
The baronet folded the document and placed it in his pocket.
"Now you can go," he said.
"But how am I to return to Gibraltar?" asked Jaures.
"That's your affair," replied Fosterdyke, sternly. "You ought to bethankful you're still alive. Now go."
At the first sign of dawn the Australian farmer, true to his word,arrived with a large motor-lorry piled with filled petrol cans. He wasnot alone. The seemingly sparsely-populated district now teemed withpeople. Hundreds must have seen the "Golden Hind" pass overhead theprevious evening, but how they discovered the airship's temporaryanchorage was a mystery. There were townsmen in motorcars, sturdyfarmers on motor-cycles, waggons, and carts, backwoodsmen on bicyclesand on foot. Even the "sun-downer" class were represented.
The "Golden Hind" had just completed her preparations for flying back toFremantle aerodrome when a motor-cyclist rode up and handed Fosterdyke atelegram.
"It was fortunate we didn't make Fremantle last night," observed thebaronet, handing the message to Kenyon and Bramsdean. "The aerodromewas destroyed by fire at one o'clock this morning."