Chapter 19
Wrecked
With her nose headed north, the Red Cloud swung along through the air.Those on board were thinking of many things, but chief among them wasthe unjust accusation that had been made against them, by anirresponsible boy--the red-haired Andy Foger. They read the account inthe paper again, seeking to learn from it new things at each perusal.
"It's just a lot of circumstantial evidence that's what it is," saidTom. "I admit it might look suspicious to anyone who didn't know us,but Andy Foger has certainly done the most mischief by his conclusions.Burglar tools! The idea!"
"I think I shall sue the bank for damages," declared Mr. Damon. "Theyhave injured my reputation by making this accusation against me.Anyhow, I'll certainly never do any more business with them, and I'llwithdraw my ten thousand dollars deposit, as soon as we get back."
"Mr. Sharp doesn't seem to be accused of doing anything at all,"remarked Tom, reading the article for perhaps the tenth time.
"Oh, I guess I'm a sort of general all-around bad man, who helped youburglars to escape with the booty," answered the balloonist, with alaugh. "I expect to be arrested along with you two."
"But must we be arrested?" inquired Tom anxiously. "I don't like thatidea at all. We haven't done anything."
"This is my plan," went on Mr. Sharp. "We'll get back to Shopton asquickly as we can. We'll arrive at night, so no one will see us, and,leaving the airship in some secluded spot, we'll go to the police andexplain matters. We can easily prove that we had nothing to do with therobbery. Why we were all home the night it happened! Mr. Swift, Mr.Jackson and Mrs. Baggert can testify to that."
"Yes," agreed Mr. Damon. "I guess they can. Bless my bank book, butthat seems a good plan. We'll follow it."
Proceeding on the plan which they had decided was the best one, the RedCloud was sent high into the air. So high up was it that, at times itwas above the clouds. Though this caused some little discomfort atfirst, especially to Mr. Damon, he soon became used to it, as did theothers. And it had the advantage of concealing them from the personsbelow who might be on the lookout.
"For we don't want to be shot at again," explained Mr. Sharp. "It isn'taltogether healthy, and not very safe. If we keep high up they can'tsee us; much less shoot at us. They'll take us for some big bird. Then,too, we can go faster."
"I suppose there will be another alarm sent out, from those negroeshaving sighted us," ventured Tom.
"Oh, yes, but those colored fellows were so excited they may describeus as having horns, hoofs and a tail, and their story may not bebelieved. I'm not worrying about them. My chief concern is to drive theRed Cloud for all she is worth. I want to explain some things backthere in Shopton."
As if repenting of the way it had misbehaved over the forest fire, theairship was now swinging along at a rapid rate. Seated in the cabin thetravelers would have really enjoyed the return trip had it not been forthe accusation hanging over them. The weather was fine and clear, andas they skimmed along, now and then coming out from the clouds, theycaught glimpses below them of the earth above which they weretraveling. They had a general idea of their location, from knowing thetown where the paper had given them such astounding news, and it waseasy to calculate their rate of progress.
After running about a hundred miles or so, at high speed Mr. Sharpfound it necessary to slow down the motor, as some of the new bearingswere heating. Still this gave them no alarm, as they were making goodtime. They came to a stop that night, and calculated that by the nextevening, or two at the latest, they would be back in Shopton. But theydid not calculate on an accident.
One of the cylinders on the big motor cracked, as they started up nextmorning, and for some hours they had to hang in the air, suspended bythe gas in the container, while Mr. Sharp and Tom took out the damagedpart, and put in a spare one, the cylinders being cast separately. Itwas dusk when they finished, and too late to start up, so they remainedabout in the same place until the next day.
Morning dawned with a hot humidness, unusual at that time of the year,but partly accounted for by the fact that they were still within theinfluence of the southern climate. With a whizz the big propellers wereset in motion, and, with Tom at the wheel, the ship being about threemiles in the air, to which height it had risen after the repairs weremade, the journey was recommenced.
"It's cooler up here than down below," remarked Tom, as he shifted thewheel and rudder a bit, in response to a gust of wind, that heeled thecraft over.
"Yes, I think we're going to have a storm," remarked Mr. Sharp, eyeingthe clouds with a professional air. "We may run ahead of it, or rightinto it. We'll go down a bit, toward night, when there's less danger ofbeing shot."
So far, on their return trip, they had not been low enough, in the daytime, to be in any danger from persons who hoped to earn the fivethousand dollars reward.
The afternoon passed quickly, and it got dark early. There was acurious hum to the wind, and, hearing it, Mr. Sharp began to go aboutthe ship, seeing that everything was fast and taut.
"We're going to have a blow," he remarked, "and a heavy one, too.We'll have to make everything snug, and be ready to go up or down, asthe case calls for."
"Up or down?" inquired Mr. Damon.
"Yes. By rising we may escape the blow, or, by going below the strataof agitated air, we may escape it."
"How about rain?"
"Well, you can get above rain, but you can't get below it, with the lawof gravitation working as it does at present. How's the gas generator,Tom?"
"Seems to be all right," replied the young inventor, who hadrelinquished the wheel to the balloonist.
They ate an early supper, and, hardly had the dishes been put away,when from the west, where there was a low-flying bank of clouds, therecame a mutter of thunder. A little later there was a dull, redillumination amid the rolling masses of vapor.
"There's the storm, and she's heading right this way," commented Mr.Sharp.
"Can't you avoid it?" asked Mr. Damon, anxiously.
"I could, if I knew how high it was, but I guess we'll wait and see howit looks as we get closer."
The airship was flying on, and the storm, driven by a mighty wind, wasrushing to meet it. Already there was a sighing, moaning sound in thewire and wooden braces of the Red Cloud.
Suddenly there came such a blast that it heeled the ship over on herside.
"Shift the equilibrium rudders!" shouted Mr. Sharp to Tom, turning thewheel and various levers over to the lad. "I'm going to get more speedout of the motor!"
Tom acted just in time, and, after bobbing about like a cork on thewater, the ship was righted, and sent forging ahead, under theinfluence of the propellers worked at top speed. Nor was this any toomuch, for it needed all the power of the big engine to even partiallyovercome the force of the wind that was blowing right against the RedCloud. Of course they might have turned and flown before it, but theywanted to go north, not south--they wanted to face their accusers.
Then, after the first fury of the blast had spent itself, there came adeluge of rain, following a dazzling glare of lightning and a burstingcrash of thunder.
In spite of the gale buffeting her, the airship was making goodprogress. The skill of Tom and the balloonist was never shown to betteradvantage. All around them the storm raged, but through it the craftkept on her way. Nothing could be seen but pelting sheets of water andswirling mist, yet onward the ship was driven.
The thunder was deafening, and the lightning nearly blinded them, untilthe electrics were switched on, flooding the cabin with radiance.Inside the car they were snug and dry, though the pitching of the craftwas like that of a big liner in the trough of the ocean waves.
"Will she weather it, do you think?" called Mr. Damon, in the ear ofMr. Sharp, shouting so as to be heard above the noise of the elements,and the hum of the motor.
The balloonist nodded.
"She's a good ship," he answered proudly.
Hardly had he spoken when there came a cra
sh louder than any that hadpreceded, and the flash of rosy light that accompanied it seemed to setthe whole heavens on fire. At the same time there was violent shock tothe ship.
"We're hit! Struck by lightning!" yelled Tom.
"We're falling!" cried Mr. Damon an instant later.
Mr. Sharp looked at the elevation gauge. The hand was slowly swingingaround. Down, down dropped the Red Cloud. She was being roughly treatedby the storm.
"I'm afraid we're wrecked!" said the balloonist in a low voice,scarcely audible above the roar of the tempest. Following the greatcrash had come a comparatively light bombardment from the sky artillery.
"Use the gliding rudder, Tom," called Mr. Sharp, a moment later. "Wemay fall, but we'll land as easily as possible."
The wind, the rain, the lightning and thunder continued. Down, downsank the ship. Its fall was somewhat checked by the rudder Tom swunginto place, and by setting the planes at a different angle. The motorhad been stopped, and the propellers no longer revolved. In theconfusion and darkness it was not safe to run ahead, with the danger ofcolliding with unseen objects on the earth.
They tried to peer from the windows, but could see nothing. A momentlater, as they stared at each other with fear in their eyes, there camea shock. The ship trembled from end to end.
"We've landed!" cried Tom, as he yanked back on the levers. The airshipcame to a stop.
"Now to see where we are," said Mr. Sharp grimly, "and how badly we arewrecked."
Tom Swift and His Airship Page 19
