*CHAPTER XVI.*
*IN DIRE PERIL.*
As Alondra disappeared over the side of the _Lokris_, Jack made a dartat the controlling-gear and began handling the levers. They were placedon a raised platform or bridge situated in the bow, in such a positionas to give the best all-round view for directing and managing the craft.He had seen that Gerald had cleared the spiral just before he had beenattacked by the giant eagle, and that everything, therefore, was nowagain in working order. Just before leaping off, Alondra had paused asecond to give him a look which said as plainly as words could havedone, 'I leave you in charge;' and Jack acted promptly upon the unspokenwish.
'Hold tight, everybody!' he shouted, and a moment later the airshipplunged downward.
The _Nelda_, carrying King Ivanta and his party, had turned and divedtoo; and the two airships came close together, and raced for a whileside by side in their swift descent.
King Ivanta was directing his own craft, and he made signs to Jack,indicating in dumb show his line of action.
Below them, and, as yet, far ahead, could be seen the feathered monsterbearing off his prey, in what was now a more gradual downward sweep.Alondra could be seen, too, in close pursuit behind.
Jack understood Ivanta's meaning, and the two airships partedcompany--one going off to the right and the other to the left.
Then followed a most strange and terribly exciting chase.
The desolate valley at its farther end opened out, and there, away inthe distance, could be seen a sheet of water forming an extensive lake.It was the object of the pursuers to drive the krondo in that direction.
This required very delicate and careful manoeuvring. If, on the onehand, the bird were pressed too closely, it might drop its prey upon therocks beneath, which would mean for Gerald certain death. On the otherhand, it was advisable to force it to fly its hardest, so that it wouldhave no leisure to peck at its victim _en route_. Once it was over thewater, Alondra, who had armed himself with his trident, would probablybe able to deal with it.
All this King Ivanta had conveyed to Jack in pantomime, for no wordscould be heard amidst the rush through the air as the airships plungedmadly downwards. Jack had been quick to divine what was intended, andnow took his share in the hunt accordingly.
The krondo, however, also seemed to guess what its pursuers were tryingto do, and it exhibited a desire to balk them by making for one or otherof the rocky precipices which rose like colossal walls on either side ofthe valley. Every time it tried to do this, the king on the one side,or Jack on the other, immediately swept round to head it off.
Behind them came a number of other airships, which had formed now intomore or less orderly ranks, some above and some below. Their occupantswere watching all that took place with breathless interest, and heldthemselves ready to close up if the bird should elude the leadingpursuers and break back.
The position was rendered yet more difficult by the appearance of fourother krondos, which swooped down with blood-curdling screams, andfollowed the first one, quite ready and willing to fight it on their ownaccount for the possession of its prize.
In one respect this, perhaps, was an advantage, as it had the effect ofcausing the robber to hold on to its prey more obstinately, and renderedit less likely to drop it. But there was also the danger of the otherkrondos closing round and pecking Gerald to death amongst them.
Suddenly a new factor was added. From the king's yacht quite a flock ofbirds emerged and began flying about with shrill cries and hoarse calls.These were Ivanta's tame eagles--small birds, comparatively speaking,but still, in actual fact, strong creatures, which had been trained tohunt their giant cousins.
At first they circled round and darted this way and that in seemingconfusion, no doubt dazzled by the light, for they had thus far beenkept hooded. But they quickly became accustomed to their surroundings,and then a close observer might have seen that they were all watchingtheir master the king, as he stood plainly in view upon the prow of hiscraft.
He waved his hands, and away they flew in a compact cloud, headingstraight for the four krondos, just as they were beginning to 'mob' theone which was carrying Gerald.
Then ensued a battle-royal in mid-air, the sagacious, trained birdsdashing at the bigger ones and darting away again, harrying and worryingthem, as clever hounds will rush in at a wild boar, snap at it, and dartaway before the bigger beast has time to turn and rend them.
This attack of the trained birds had the effect of turning the pursuingkrondos from their intended purpose. They had now enough to do todefend themselves; and clouds of feathers could be seen falling throughthe air, testifying to the severity of the combat.
During the melee the first robber, glad of the opportunity of making itsescape with its prize, winged its way steadily onwards until at last itwas over the waters of the lake.
Here its speed grew perceptibly less, and it began to dip in itsflight--unmistakable signs that it was tiring. For, large and powerfulas the creature was, the weight it was carrying was bound to tell uponit sooner or later.
The pursuing airships now came up, and while some forged on ahead, theothers closed round in such a manner as to hem the robber in.
Alondra, who had been following the heavily burdened thief without anygreat effort, made a sudden spurt, and, sweeping round, passed close toit. There was a flash of light, and a sharp, crackling sound.
There was a flash of light, and a sharp, cracklingsound.]
Then the spreading wings drooped, the gigantic bird seemed to staggerand shrink, and finally it collapsed. Robber and prey fell togetherinto the lake, and the waters closed over them.
There were a few moments of anxious suspense. Was Gerald injured? Wouldhe be able to swim? These and similar questions were in the minds of thespectators as they scanned the surface of the lake.
Jack had turned his airship downwards as he saw Alondra make his rush,and a moment or two after the bird's fall the craft alighted on thewater and lay gently rocking within a few yards of the spot.
Jack and Clinch both sprang to the side, and there were two splashes asthey dived almost simultaneously.
Just, however, as they disappeared from sight beneath the water, twoother forms emerged. One was the krondo, which floated motionless; theother was Gerald, who was swimming vigorously, seemingly none the worsefor what he had undergone.
A great cheer went up from the assembled crowd, which was renewed againand again as first Jack and then Clinch reappeared, and, catching sightof their friend, hastened towards him to offer their help.
Just then the king's yacht descended close to the swimmers; a ladder wasthrown from her side, and Ivanta himself stepped down and assisted themto climb on hoard.
He soon satisfied himself by actual examination that no great harm hadbeen done. Gerald had some nasty scratches, and the muscles werebruised in places; but otherwise he was unhurt, and was inclined to makelight of his adventure.
'It's an experience that no one on our own planet can boast of,' heobserved with a smile. 'No one since the days of Sindbad the Sailor hasever been carried off by a bird.'
'I am thankful that it has been no worse, my lad,' said Ivanta, and inhis tone there was a note of deep and kindly feeling. 'It is anunpleasant variation of our usual sport.'
'I confess I was on tenterhooks the whole time,' said Armeath, who wasone of the king's party, 'and I am more relieved than I can tell you.'
'Oh, it's all right, sir!' answered Gerald cheerfully. 'I am none theworse, and I am quite ready to go on with the hunt. Don't let me spoilyour day's sport. Besides, I want to get a bit of my own back. Thosefeathered brutes have hunted me; I want to hunt them before I 've donewith them!'
'So you shall!' returned the king. 'But you must first put on some dryclothes. Go down to my cabin, and Alondra will find you a change.'
'I haven't thanked him yet for following up the beast so promptly,'cried Gerald, turning to A
londra, who had just alighted on the deck andgrasped his hand. 'I saw all that went on! I saw you, Alondra, leapdown after me; and it was that really which turned the bird in the rightdirection, for he was heading the other way!'
'I noticed that,' said Alondra modestly. 'I remembered that there wasthis lake ahead of us, and it struck me in a flash that the best--almostthe only--chance of saving you was to drive the krondo towards it. Ofcourse, I could have overtaken him and mastered him; but I could nothave supported you and battled with him too--to say nothing of theothers which would have been after us.'
''Twas wisely thought out, my son,' Ivanta declared. 'I caught youridea directly I noted that you had purposely turned the bird from theline it had first taken. Our young friend here was prompt, too, infollowing it up and aiding me to prevent it from breaking back,' headded, indicating Jack. 'Now, go and change your clothes; and we willgive you your revenge upon the krondos.'
Half an hour later they were back again in the valley which had been thescene of Gerald's startling adventure. A desultory fight was stillgoing on between Ivanta's trained eagles and a pair of their foes. Uponthe rocky ground below lay one dead krondo and several of the smallerbirds. Of the fourth krondo nothing was to be seen; it had probablytaken refuge in flight.
Ivanta looked at his dead birds with grave concern and regret.
'This is my fault! I forgot to call them off!' said he. 'I do not liketo have my faithful feathered friends treated like this.'
He put a whistle to his lips, and at the sound of it his eaglesobediently left the krondos they were 'mobbing;' and the latter at onceflew off. Evidently they had had quite enough of the fray, and were gladof the chance of making good their retreat without further trouble.
'We will find some more to chase presently,' observed Ivanta. 'First,let us see what can be done for those of my eagles which are hurt butnot killed.'
Armeath and his wards looked on with wondering approval as they saw theattention Ivanta proceeded to bestow upon his wounded birds. It wascuriously characteristic of the man to delay the proceedings and keepall his friends waiting for such a cause.
Later on, the hunt was resumed, and the visitors had some livelyexperiences among the mountain-peaks, though none quite so startling asthe first one.
They found it, as Alondra had said they would, splendid sport. Thekrondos were hunted out and pursued by the small eagles in all theirturns, and these were followed by the airships, just as the huntsmenfollow the hounds. There was the same rivalry, too, amongst the latterto be 'in at the death.'
Naturally, this necessitated some bold manoeuvring on the part of theairships. At one time they would be circling through the upper air todizzy heights far above the highest mountains; then suddenly there wouldbe a turn and a mad plunge downwards for thousands of feet, as theirquarry swooped down almost to the level of the ground below. There weremany hairbreadth escapes from collisions; and altogether the sport wasabout as exciting as the most daring or the most reckless could desire.
'It beats the switchback railway business and all that sort of thinghollow!' exclaimed Gerald that evening, when relating their experiencesto Freddy; for the Zuanstrooms had not joined the hunting-party.
'Looping the loop's nothing to it!' Jack declared.
Freddy looked wistful. 'How I wished I was with you!' he sighed.
'H'm! I 'm afraid you are not old enough yet for that sort of thing,youngster,' remarked Jack loftily. 'What has Silas been doing to amuseyou to-day?'
'He hasn't been amusing me at all,' was the answer. 'It's been one ofmy "bad days" again. The nasty, ugly old man has come back, and has beenwith uncle and Silas all day; and whenever he comes I am always sent offand left to amuse myself as best I can!'
Gerald and Jack looked at each other. Jack gave a long, low whistle;Gerald exclaimed under his breath, 'The Ogre again!'