by Roy Rockwood
CHAPTER XIX
THE SEARCHLIGHT
"Hallo! Hallo!"
Dave made the echoes ring with the loud call as he moved up and downand across the queer basin, or cairn, where they had landed in theMonarch II the night previous.
He had awakened just at daylight to find Hiram Dobbs mysteriouslymissing. Dave was not worried at the first, but as he looked aroundand then explored the immediate neighborhood, he began to getmystified, if not alarmed.
Neither did his vigorous shouting bring any response. Dave cameback to the camp spot to make a new discovery that puzzled him. Onthe ground near where they had slept were Hiram's coat, vest, shoesand cap.
"Why, I can't understand this at all," mused the young aviator."Hiram couldn't have done much in the way of climbing up, he appearsto be nowhere within hail, and he is not given to play tricks."
Dave did not wait to eat anything. He was really concerned abouthis comrade. He got a long tree branch, stripped it, and went alongthe side of the cairn, poking in and out among the dense dumps ofshrubbery.
"Hello," he exclaimed suddenly, as disturbing some vines he saw anopening, and not twenty feet away a natural rocky tunnel, "daylight,and the waves of the lake. I think I understand now."
Dave penetrated the passage. As he came out at the other end, hefound he faced a rock-strewn stretch of sand. The waves of the lakelapped this. In the distance he could make out Anseton, and nearerstill, about a mile distant, the main shore.
The shore he was on terminated in a ridge of rocks that ran far outinto the water. Dave wondered if the exploring spirit had movedHiram to attempt an entire circle about the island.
"He went away in swimming trim," thought Dave, "so that may be so.I'll go out on that ledge of rocks and explore a little myself."
"Hello, Dave Dashaway!" sang out an exultant voice, just as Dave wasabout to remove his shoes.
Around the ledge of rock came a light skiff. The oarsman was Dave'smissing comrade. He drove the boat upon the sandy beach and leapedout with a gay laugh.
"Why, Hiram," exclaimed the young aviator in marked surprise.
"It's me," chuckled Hiram. "Stole a march on you. Nearly dry," headded, shaking his clinging garments. "And oh! what a swim."
"You have been to the mainland?" questioned Dave.
"Where else? When you said 'swim' last night, it gave me an idea.I'm some swimmer, Dave Dashaway. Always was. Took the prize in acontest in Plum Creek back at home one Fourth of July. I found away out of that shut in place and made a jolly dive for shore."
"But the skiff?"
"You'll need one, won't you?" challenged Hiram.
"Why, yes. I intended hiring one when I got across from theisland."
"So you said, and I acted. I did better than hiring a boat, Dave."
"How is that?"
"Bought one outright. I took my money with me. Found an old fellowwho lets out a lot of boats for fishing, and made a bargain. Theskiff isn't the staunchest craft on the lake. Leaks a little, andone oar has been split and mended, but it's all right for our littleuse. Four dollars and a half--and we can sell it for something whenwe get through using it."
"You're a great fellow, Hiram, I must confess," said Daveadmiringly.
"I'd like to do something to help on this trip of ours, you know."
"You've done a good deal this time, I can tell you that," declaredDave. "I can manage all my plans finely, now."
They pulled the boat into the shelter of some rocks. Then theyreturned to the rocky hollow. A good breakfast was in order. Daveannounced the importance of his getting to Anseton at once.
An hour later the little skiff was launched once more. Dave rowedover to the mainland and lined the shore till well into city waters.He secured the skiff near a public pier, and started on foot for hisdestination.
Left to himself on the island, Hiram proceeded to dry his clothing.Then he puttered about the machine. He read for an hour or two in abook on aeronautics he found in the basket, well on towards theafternoon.
Hiram got tired of waiting for Dave. He went through the tunnelfinally and roamed about on the rocky shore. There was more ofscenery and variety here. The youth watched the boats in thedistance. Then he made out the little skiff he had bought thatmorning making its way in and out among other craft between theisland, and the mainland.
"What's the news, Dave?" inquired Hiram, as they gained the campafter securing the skiff where it could not be easily seen or found.
"The best ever," reported Dave cheerily.
"Tell me about it, won't you?"
"Well, I saw Mr. Price."
"Is he here at Anseton?"
"Yes, with his men. I had a long talk with him. He feels prettygood to know that we got here safely with the Monarch II. I toldhim all about the place where the moving picture man saw JerryDawson and the Chinaman. He thinks that is an excellent clew."
"I should think it was," said Hiram.
"He wants us to try and discover the Drifter. He says it's only aquestion of time, he and his men running down the smugglers. Yousee, Hiram, we are interested mainly in finding the aero-hydroplane,and getting it back to the Interstate people."
"That's so."
"And we must think of that first."
"I understand."
"We will make a long trip tonight--clear across the lake."
"Suppose you get a sight of the Drifter?"
"Then we'll know that it is really here, won't we?"
"Yes, but are you going to jog right into them and capture them?"
"Hardly," laughed Dave. "I hope if we do come across the Drifter,that we can follow it or keep it company, or find out where it ishidden away in the daytime. We will have to run across it before wecan decide what circumstances will lead us to do."
"They're an ugly crowd--the Dawsons, and probably the fellows withthem, too."
"I realize that. Mr. Price insisted on my taking these," and Davebegan opening a boxlike package he had brought with him in theskiff.
"Hello," cried Hiram, as two good sized weapons and some boxes ofcartridges were disclosed. "Do we have to use them?"
"I hope not," replied Dave, "but Mr. Price said we might come to apinch where we could use them to show we were not unprotected, andto scare any crowd that tried to interfere with us."
"Well, it begins to look like real business," commented Hiram.
"That's what we're here for."
"Yes, indeed."
They had no difficulty in getting the Monarch II aloft, the hollowextending for several hundred feet. The night was ideal for asecret sky voyage. A slight mist hung over the ground, but at aheight of five hundred feet the air was perfectly clear. There wasbright starlight, and against the radiance they could make outflying birds quite a distance away.
Dave took a route across the lake diagonally from Anseton. Theyskirted the other shore for about ten miles. Then they recrossedthe lake. The machine made a sweep along the coast line.
"Well, Dave," remarked his trusty assistant, "we've run across noair bird so far."
"I didn't expect to, all at once," was Dave's reply. "We can onlykeep at it."
"And trust to luck--I say!"
Hiram interrupted himself with a shout. Just beneath them anexcursion steamer was ploughing its way through the waves, boundcitywards on its return trip. They could hear the music of the bandaboard, until now drowned out by hoarse blare of the fog whistle.
At the same moment a broad vivid flare of electric radiance shotacross the sky from the deck of the steamer. It waved horizontallyin some signal to the landing dock two miles further away. Then theoperator of this glowing searchlight sent its gleams upwards in aslow way, as if for scenic effect for the passengers on board.
"The mischief!" exclaimed Dave bending to levers and starting theMonarch II forward at best speed.
Hiram sat staring. He blinked, half-blinded. The machine wasirradiated in clear, sharp outlines as the
great searchlight glarewas focused, a speck of action in the sky.
A chorus of cheers went up from the deck of the steamer as itspassengers caught sight of the airship. Only for a moment, however,was the brilliant sky picture in view. Dave turned the head of themachine on a volplane sweep, and the searchlight operator could notlocate it again.
"Well, we've been seen," observed Hiram,
"I'm sorry for it," replied Dave simply.
"Look there!" cried Hiram abruptly.
Dave had selected a course leading over the land, away from thewater. As Hiram spoke, his own eye caught sight of some brilliantsparkles of light.
It was a rocket, exploding in mid air directly in their course, andit was to this that Hiram Dobbs had directed the attention of theyoung aviator.
