Chapter 20
Tom Gets A Clue
Out of the cabin of the now stationary airship hurried the threetravelers; out into the pelting rain, which was lashed into their facesby the strong wind. Tom was the first to emerge.
"We're on something solid!" he cried, stamping his feet. "A rock, Iguess."
"Gracious, I hope we're not on a rock in the midst of a river!"exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Bless my soul, though! The water does seem to berunning around my ankles."
"There's enough rain to make water run almost up to our necks," calledMr. Sharp, above the noise of the storm. "Tom, can you make out wherewe are?"
"Not exactly. Is the ship all right?"
"I can't see very well, but there appears to be a hole in the gascontainer. A big one, too, or we wouldn't have fallen so quickly."
The plight of the travelers of the air was anything but enviable. Theywere wet through, for it needed only a few minutes exposure to thepelting storm to bring this about. They could not tell, in the midst ofthe darkness, where they were, and they almost feared to move for fearthey might be on top of some rock or precipice, over which they mighttumble if they took a false step.
"Let's get back inside the ship," proposed Mr. Damon. "It's warm anddry there, at all events. Bless my umbrella, I don't know when I'vebeen so wet!"
"I'm not going in until I find out where we are," declared Tom. "Wait aminute, and I'll go in and get an electric flash lantern. That willshow us," for the lightning had ceased with the great crash that seemedto have wrecked the Red Cloud. The rain still kept up, however, andthere was a distant muttering of thunder, while it was so black thathad not the lights in the cabin of the airship been faintly glowingthey could hardly have found the craft had they moved ten feet awayfrom it.
Tom soon returned with the portable electric lamp, operated by drybatteries. He flashed it on the surface of where they were standing,and uttered an exclamation.
"We're on a roof!" he cried.
"A roof?" repeated Mr. Damon.
"Yes; the roof of some large building, and what you thought was a riveris the rain water running off it. See!"
The young inventor held the light down so his companions could observethe surface of that upon which the airship rested. There was no doubtof it. They were on top of a large building.
"If we're on a roof we must be in the midst of a city," objected Mr.Damon. "But I can't see any lights around, and we would see them if wewere in a city, you know."
"Maybe the storm put the lights out of business," suggested Mr. Sharp."That often occurs."
"I know one way we can find out for certain," went on Tom.
"How?"
"Start up our search lamp, and play it all around. We can't make surehow large this roof is in the dark, and it's risky trying to trace theedges by walking around."
"Yes, and it would be risky to start our searchlight going," objectedMr. Sharp. "People would see it, and there'd be a crowd up here in lessthan no time, storm or no storm. No, we've got to keep dark until I cansee what's the matter. We must leave here before daylight."
"Suppose we can't?" asked Mr. Damon. "The crowds will be sure to see usthen, anyhow."
"I am pretty sure we can get away," was the opinion of the balloonist."Even if our gas container is so damaged that it will not sustain us,we are still an aeroplane, and this roof being flat will make a goodplace to start from. No, we can leave as soon as this storm lets up alittle."
"Then I'm going to have a look and find out what sort of a buildingthis is," declared Tom, and, while Mr. Sharp began a survey, as well ashe could in the dark, of the airship, the young inventor proceededcautiously to ascertain the extent of the roof.
The rain was not coming down quite so hard now, and Tom found it easierto see. Mr. Damon, finding he could do nothing to help, went back intothe cabin, blessing himself and his various possessions at the queerpredicament in which they found themselves.
Flashing his light every few seconds, Tom walked on until he came toone edge of the roof. It was very large, as he could judge by the timeit took him to traverse it. There was a low parapet at the edge. Hepeered over, and an expanse of dark wall met his eyes.
"Must have come to one side," he reasoned. "I want to get to the front.Then, maybe, I can see a sign that will tell me what I want to know."
The lad turned to the left, and, presently came to another parapet. Itwas higher, and ornamented with terra-cotta bricks. This, evidently,was the front. As Tom peered over the edge of the little raised ledge,there flashed out below him hundreds of electric lights. The cityilluminating plant was being repaired. Then Tom saw flashing below himone of those large signs made of incandescent lights. It was in frontof the building, and as soon as our hero saw the words he knew wherethe airship had landed. For what he read, as he leaned over, was this:
MIDDLEVILLE ARCADE
Tom Swift and His Airship Page 20
