CHAPTER XXII
THE RESCUE
"Jump! Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning tothe man on the trapeze of the balloon. But it is doubtful whether ornot the performer heard him. Certainly he could not see the franticmotions of the inventor. "Why doesn't he jump?" Mr. Swift went onpiteously to the two lads. "He'll surely be burned to death if hehangs on there!"
"It's too far to leap!" exclaimed Tom. "He's a good way up in the air,though it looks like only a short distance. He would be killed if hedropped now."
"He ought to have a parachute," added Ned. "Most of those men do whenthey go up in a balloon. Why doesn't he come down in that? I wonderhow the balloon took fire?"
"Maybe he hasn't a parachute," suggested Tom, while he slowed down themotor-boat still more so as to remain very nearly under the blazingballoon.
"Yes, he has!" cried Ned. "See, it's hanging to one side of the bigbag. He ought to cut loose. He could save himself then. Why doesn'the?"
The balloon was slowly twisting about, gradually settling to thesurface of the lake, but all the while the flames were becoming fiercerand the black clouds of smoke increased in size.
"There, see the parachute!" went on Ned.
The twisting of the bag had brought into view the parachute or big,umbrella-shaped bag, which would have enabled the man to safely drop tothe surface of the lake. Without it he would have hit the water withsuch force that he would have been killed as surely as if he had struckthe solid earth. But the boys and Mr. Swift also saw something else,and this was that the balloon was on fire on the same side where theparachute was suspended.
"Look! Look!" shouted Tom, bringing his boat to a stop. "That's why hecan't jump! He can't reach the parachute!"
By this time the balloon had settled so low that the actions of the mancould be plainly seen. That he was in great agony of fear, as well asin great pain from the terrific heat over his head was evident. Heshifted about on the trapeze bar, now hanging by one hand, so as tobring his body a little farther below the blazing end of the bag, then,when one arm tired, he would hang by the other. If the balloon wouldonly come down more quickly it would get to within such a shortdistance of the water that the man could safely make the drop. But theimmense canvas bag was settling so slowly, for it was still verybuoyant, that considerable time must elapse before it would be nearenough to the water to make it safe for the unfortunate man to let gothe trapeze.
"Oh, if we could only do something!" cried Tom. "We have to remainhere helpless and watch him burn to death. It's awful!"
The three in the boat continued to gaze upward. They could see the manmaking frantic efforts to reach his parachute from time to time. Once,as a little current of air blew the flames and smoke to one side, hethought he had a chance. Up on the trapeze bar he pulled himself andthen edged along it in an endeavor to grasp the ring of the parachute.Once he almost had hold of that and also the cord, which ran to a knifeblade. This cord, being pulled, would sever the rope that bound it tothe balloon, and he would be comparatively safe, so he might drop tothe lake. But, just as he was about to grasp the ring and cord thesmoke came swirling down on him and the hungry flames seemed to put outtheir fiery tongues to devour him. He had to slide back and once morehung by his hands.
"I thought he was saved then," whispered Tom, and even the whispersounded loud in the silence.
Several men came running along the shore of the lake now. They saw theoccupants in the ARROW and cried out:
"Why don't you save him? Go to his rescue!"
"What can we do?" asked Ned quietly of his two friends, but he did nottrouble to answer the men on shore, who probably did not know what theywere saying.
The motor-boat had drifted from a spot under the unfortunateballoonist, and at a word from his father the young inventor startedthe engine and steered the craft back directly under the blazing bagagain.
"If he does drop, perhaps we may be able to pick him up," said Mr.Swift. "I wish we could save him!"
A cry from Ned startled Tom and his father, and their eyes, that hadmomentarily been directed away from the burning bag high in the air,were again turned toward it.
"The balloon is falling apart!" exclaimed Ned. "It's all up with himnow!"
Indeed it did seem so, for pieces of the burning canvas, blazing andsmoking, were falling in a shower from the part of the bag alreadyconsumed, and the fiery particles were fairly raining down on the man.But he still had his wits about him, though his perilous position wasenough to make any one lose his mind, and he swung from side to side onthe bar, shifting skillfully with his hands and dodging the largerparticles of blazing canvas. When some small sparks fell on hisclothing he beat them out with one hand, while with the other he clungto the trapeze.
There was scarcely any wind or the man's plight might have been morebearable, for the current of air would have carried the smoke and fireto one side. As it was, most of the smoke and flames went straight up,save now and then, when a draught created by the heat would swirl theblack clouds down on the performer, hiding him from sight for a secondor two. A breeze would have carried the sparks away instead of lettingthem fall on him.
Nearer and nearer to the surface of the lake sank the balloon. By thistime the crowd on the bank had increased and there were excitedopinions as to what was best to do. But the trouble was that littlecould be done. If the man could hold out until he got near enough tothe water to let go he might yet be saved, but this would not be forsome time at the present rate the balloon was falling. The performerrealized this, and, as the fire was getting hotter, he made anotherdesperate attempt to reach the parachute. It was unavailing and he hadto drop back, hanging below the slender bar.
Suddenly there came a puff of wind, fanning the faces of those in themotor-boat, and they looked intently to observe if there was anycurrent as high as was the balloonist. They saw the big bag sway toone side and the flames broke out more fiercely as they caught thedraught. The balloon moved slowly down the lake.
"Keep after it, Tom!" urged his father. "We may be able to save him!"
The lad increased the speed of his engine and Ned, who was at thewheel, gave it a little twist. Then, with a suddenness that wasstartling, the blazing canvas airship began to settle swiftly towardthe water. It had lost much of its buoyancy.
"Now he can jump! He's near enough to the water now!" cried Tom.
But a new danger arose. True, the balloon was rapidly approaching thesurface of the lake and in a few seconds more would be within such ashort distance that a leap would not be fatal. But the burning bag wascoming straight down and scarcely would the man be in the water ere thefiery canvas mass would be on top of him.
In such an event he would either be burned to death or so held downthat drowning must quickly follow.
"If there was only wind enough to carry the balloon beyond him after hejumped he could do it safely!" cried Ned.
Tom said nothing. He was measuring, with, his eye, the distance theballoon had yet to go and also the distance away the motor-boat wasfrom where it would probably land.
"He can do it!" exclaimed the young inventor.
"How?" asked his father.
For answer Tom caught up a newspaper he had purchased at the hotel thatmorning. Rolling it quickly into a cone, so that it formed a roughmegaphone, he put the smaller end to his mouth, and, pointing thelarger opening at the balloonist, he called out:
"Drop into the lake! We'll pick you up before the bag falls on you!Jump! Let go now!"
The balloonist heard and understood. So did Ned and Mr. Swift. Tom'squick wit had found a way to save the man.
Faster and faster the blazing bag settled toward the surface of thewater. It was now merely a mushroom-shaped piece of burning andsmoking canvas, yet it was supporting the man almost as a parachutewould have done.
With one look upward to the burning mass above him and a glancedownward to the lake, the aeronaut let go his hold. Like a sh
ot hecame down, holding his body rigid and straight as a stick, for he knewhow to fall into water, did that balloonist.
Tom Swift was ready for him. No sooner had the lad called hisdirections through the megaphone than the young inventor had speeded uphis engine to the top notch.
"Steer so as to pick him up!" Tom cried to Ned, who was at the wheel."Pass by him on a curve, and, as soon as I grab him, put the wheel overso as to get out from under the balloon."
It was a risky thing to do, but our hero had it all planned out. Hemade a loop of the boat's painter, and, hurrying to the bow, leanedover as far as he could, holding the rope in readiness. His idea wasto have the balloonist grab the strands and be pulled out of danger bythe speedy motor-boat, for the blazing canvas would cover such anextent of water that the man could not have swum out of the danger zonein time.
Down shot the balloonist and down more slowly settled the collapsedbag, yet not so slowly that there was any time to spare. It neededonly a few seconds to drop over the performer, to burn and smother him.
Into the water splashed the man, disappearing from sight as when astick is dropped in, point first. Ned was alert and steered the boatto the side in which the man's face was, for he concluded that theaeronaut would strike out in that direction when he came up. The ARROWwas now directly under the blazing balloon and cries of fear from thewatchers on shore urged upon Tom and his companions the danger of theirposition. But they had to take some risk to rescue the man.
"There he is!" cried Mr. Swift, who was on the watch, leaning over theside of the boat. Tom and Ned saw him at the same instant. Nedshifted his wheel and the young inventor bent over, holding out therope for the man to grasp. He saw it and struck out toward the ARROW.But there was no need for him to go far. An instant more and thespeeding motor-boat shot past him. He grabbed the rope and Tom, aidedby Mr. Swift, began to lift him out of the water.
"Quick! To one side, Ned!" yelled Tom, for the heat of the descendingmass of burning canvas struck him like a furnace blast.
Ned needed no urging. With a swirl of the screw the ARROW shot herselfout of the way, carrying the aeronaut with her. A moment later theburning balloon, or what there was left of it, settled down into thelake, hissing angrily as the fire was quenched by the water andcompletely covering the spot where, but a few seconds before, the manhad been swimming. He had been saved in the nick of time.
Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat; Or, The Rivals of Lake Carlopa Page 22
