CHAPTER XVII
THE LIEUTENANT'S INVENTION
While the others speculated upon various means of escape, and in turnfound every one of their suggestions useless, Lieutenant Mackinson hadremained silent and in deep thought. Finally, his countenance showingthat he had arrived at a conclusion, he turned to the others.
"Come with me," he said simply, "it is the only way."
"Where are you going?" Joe asked quickly.
"Back to the tractor," the lieutenant replied. "Hurry! We still havetime, but none to waste."
"But we can't repair the tractor," Frank argued.
"No, we can't," Lieutenant Mackinson admitted, "but we may do somethingeven better than that."
"What?" queried all the lads at once.
"Come with me and we'll see what can be done."
And without granting them any further information then, LieutenantMackinson swung his share of the burdens to his shoulder and starteddown the rough mountain road, the others following, and likewise bearingthe various necessities which, only a short time before, they hadlabored so industriously to carry up the mountain.
As they neared the point where they had left the wrecked machine theyoung officer turned to Joe, who was nearest to him.
"Do you remember," he asked, "seeing that wire of the old telegraph linejust about a hundred yards below where we ran the truck into the wall?"
"I saw it," Joe admitted, "but I didn't pay any further attention toit."
The others had come up within hearing distance.
"Well," the lieutenant responded, "if you had traced its course youwould have seen that it is swung from this mountain to the one directlyto the south, just at the point where the valley between narrows down tolittle more than a deep ravine."
"But it doesn't run into our lines," Frank objected again.
"That's true," Lieutenant Mackinson admitted again, "but it may serveour purposes just the same."
"How?" Slim asked entreatingly. "Tell us what your plan is, Lieutenant."
"No," replied the young officer in teasing tones, "I don't want to raiseyour hopes until I determine whether it can be accomplished."
And he plodded on toward the tractor, refusing to answer anotherquestion. Indeed, it is doubtful if he heard them, for he was busy withsome important mental calculations--problems that required hisengineering knowledge and ability, and that had directly to do with thepersonal safety of every man in the party.
"What tools have we here?" he asked of Frank Hoskins, as they arrived atthe wrecked wireless tractor.
Frank opened up a tool chest that showed a great variety of implementsin almost every size and shape.
"Good," said the lieutenant, as he looked up from where he was rummagingin another part of the car. "Here, Jerry," he commanded, "let me havethat mallet and cold chisel and then help me rip a couple of theseboards off the floor."
He had laid aside a large pulley wheel, several nuts and bolts and someheavy copper wire. With the aid of the mystified Jerry he tore twostout boards up from the floor of the tractor.
"Now we've got to work rapidly, fellows," he said, "for it will soon bedark, and we don't want to attract attention to ourselves by making alight.
"Here is what I am going to try to do: That wire is strung really frommountain to mountain, running down a slight grade from where it isfastened here to where it is tied up over there. I don't know how strongit is, or how securely it is fastened at the other end, but I'm going tofind out.
"You've all seen those trolley-like boxes that run on wires indepartment stores, with which the clerk sends your money to thecashier's desk, and the cashier returns the change? Well, I'm going toconstruct something on the same principle, only I want to make it strongenough to carry my weight.
"If I can do that, and the wire holds, the incline is sufficient tocarry a passenger to the other mountain without any propelling power.I'll try it first, and carry with me one end of this reel of copperwire. If I get over all right I'll attach the wire to the little oar andyou fellows can haul it back for the next passenger, and so on until allof us are over."
Slim looked dubious. "How thick is that wire?" he demanded anxiously.
"You know Slim's a trifle heavy," Jerry reminded the lieutenant.
"Well," said Slim in a serious tone, "I'd rather fall into the hands ofthe Germans, and have some chance for my life, than spatter myself allover the bottom of that ravine."
While this conversation was going on, Lieutenant Mackinson was boring ahole about two inches in from each of the four comers of one of theplanks taken from the floor of the truck.
"This ought to do for a seat," he said, as he began running pieces ofthe heavy copper wire, of equal length, through each of the holes.
He then laid this part of the work aside for a moment and began filingoff one end of the riveted axle that held the pulley wheel in its frame.When he had knocked this axle out he tried one of the bolts and foundthat it fitted almost exactly, and that the wheel ran freely upon it.
"Have to have that wheel off to put the thing on the telegraph wire," heexplained, as he began securely fastening the copper wires into thebottom of the pulley frame.
Completed, the thing looked for all the world like a miniature trapezeseat.
"Now," he said, slipping a wrench into his pocket, and buckling on hislegs a pair of spurs such as all linemen use to climb a smooth pole,"I'm going to take this up that telegraph pole with me and fasten thisthing on the wire. Then it's 'All aboard for the opposite mountain.'
"If I get over all right I'll give one flash of my light. If Idon't--well, don't try the wire route."
Without wasting another second he dug one spur into the pole and startedclimbing upward, dragging his improvised car with him, together with theloose end of the reel of copper wire.
By this time it was pitch dark, and they could feel, rather than see,that he was tightening the bolt which hung the apparatus on the wire.The lads had placed a heavy stick through the reel, and two of them heldeither end of it.
"Let it run free," the lieutenant told them. "And don't forget thesignal. I'm ready. Good-by!"
There was a sudden jerk on the reel and the wire began to unwindquickly. It literally spun round on the stout stick which they wereholding. They just got a glimpse of the courageous lieutenant sailingoff through space, a thousand feet above the bottom of the ravine.
The unwinding wire gave an added spurt, and then, pressure beingreleased from it, it began to slow down.
"He's either on the other side, or lost the wire," said Slim, hisnervousness showing in his voice.
Every eye was glued to the opposite mountain.
"Look!" almost shouted Jerry. "He's safe!"
Sure enough, the light had flashed out once in the blackness of thenight, and then as suddenly disappeared.
The boys began hauling in on the copper wire, winding it again on thereel.
"Who's next?" asked Frank, as the last of the cable was being re-wound.
"Eenie, meenie, minie, mo," Jerry began to count out, when Joe suddenlyinterrupted.
By ten feet of heavy twine Lieutenant Mackinson had tied the spurs tothe car so that they would dangle within reach of the lads on theground. Attached to them was a note, which read:
"Easy landing on soft slope. Let Slim come next before wire is weakened, because he is the heaviest. All can make it safely."
And so Slim, not entirely assured, and breathing somewhat heavily as hecontemplated the distance he had to fall if the telegraph wire shouldbreak, was the next to climb a-straddle the crude "air-line" trolley, onits second trip to the opposite mountain.
In a few moments the light flashed out again and then disappeared, whileJoe, Jerry and Frank hauled in on the cable to which the car wasattached.
By mutual agreement it was arranged that Frank should be the next to goover, after which they would send the portable wireless, followed byJerry, and finally Joe.
Lads of less courage never would ha
ve attempted such a perilous escape,but they made it without a single mishap. It was not until Joe, the lastof the party, was just coming to a stop in the outstretched arms of hisfriends, that the Germans below, and on what was now the oppositemountain, seemed to sense something going on--or perhaps had seen themysterious blinking of the flashlight--and let go a distant and futilevolley of shots.
"No use, Boche," called the lieutenant mockingly, "we're out of yourrange. And now, having escaped you, we'll see what we can do to harassyou."
Saying which he began opening up the pack-set wireless, while two of theothers set up the umbrella antenna.
Lieutenant Mackinson began tapping off the headquarters call. It mighthave been the slightly nearer position they were in, or, so far as theyknew, headquarters might have moved meanwhile, but in a very short timethe operator there was responding.
The young officer gave an accurate account of the operations of theGermans, and particularly of their artillery. Headquarters thanked them,told them to stay until morning where they were, and then ask forfurther orders.
In less than half an hour the boom of heavy guns from the westward toldthem that they had given their information in time.
American artillery was dropping a rain of shells into the cuts in themountain through which the Germans had to emerge with their guns to doany damage! Their whole plan, so carefully carried out, had beendefeated!
Brighton Boys in the Radio Service Page 17
