*CHAPTER XXVII.*
*A DESPERATE VENTURE.*
Malto and Malandris disappeared down a stairway; and Alondra and the twochums strolled on to the outside gallery to watch their foes.
The wind was now very high, and the darkening sky grew blacker everyminute. The swirling gusts whistled and shrieked amongst the outermetal framework, and moaned dismally through the windows and doors.
On each floor of the pavilion there was one of these galleries which ranthe whole way round on the outside, being partitioned off from theinterior by glass windows only. Hence there was almost as good a viewfrom the inside as from without; except that one could not look over andsee what was going on immediately beneath.
'The storm seems likely to be a bit of luck for us,' Jack observed, ashe watched the preparations which were going on below. 'They don't seemto find it to their liking.'
So boisterous had the weather become that they found wings almostunmanageable. The two men were trying their best to manipulate somecontrivances of the kind, but with scant success. Every time an attemptwas made at a start, a blast would come along, swishing and buffetingthe outspread wings, and dashing one or other of them to the ground erethe aeronaut could rise high enough to use them properly.
'Why, it doesn't seem much use to think of attacking us in that way insuch a wind!' exclaimed Gerald. 'If they even succeed in making astart, they will only run a risk of being either dashed against thebuilding or carried past it out of sight. And they couldn't hope to flyback in face of this wind, could they?'
'No, you are quite right,' Alondra returned. 'I must say those twofellows must be either unusually clever or uncommonly foolish, to thinkthey can attack us under such circumstances. Nevertheless, we must beon our guard. One of them might, by some chance, get blown against theframework here, and cling to it. Then, with his trident, he would makeshort work of us if he caught us within reach.'
'And if we were idle meantime,' put in Jack, between his teeth. 'There,look at that!'
One of the daring aeronauts had taken advantage, as he thought, of aslight lull, and had sprung up into the air. But a sudden gust caughtone of the wings and dashed it violently to the ground again, causinghim to fall heavily.
'If that's all they can do, we haven't much to fear from them!' criedGerald, rubbing his hands.
But his rejoicing came too soon, for even as he spoke there came anotherlull; and the other aeronaut rose into the air and came straight towardsthem.
Alondra laid a hand upon both of his companions and dragged thempromptly back through the door, and closed it. Jack, who had been aboutto fire at the assailant, looked not a little surprised.
'Another moment--before you could use your weapon--he would have had thethree of us!' exclaimed the young prince. 'We had better watch him frombehind the glass, where we are safe, and wait to see what happens next.'
The two chums could but recognise the wisdom of this advice. They hadnot at first realised that the man had risen high enough to bring themwithin range. They had been in imminent danger, therefore--supposingtheir foe had been able to use his trident--of being assailed andrendered helpless before their bullets could take effect. Inside theglass they were safe, for the fateful flash could not penetrate it.
The attacker seemed to be coming on gaily, or, at least, without anygreat trouble, when another blast caught him and spun him round like agreat top. Then, ere he could reach the gallery, it carried himdownwards with a sudden swoop, and left him helpless, but unhurt, at thefoot of the building.
He picked himself up, and a crowd of his friends seized upon him andhalf-carried, half-dragged him back to a distance which they considerednecessary for another attempt.
'We had a narrow escape,' Alondra declared. 'He is a plucky fellow; andhe was as cool and unflustered just then as if there had been no roaringwind playing around. I saw it in his eye. It was lucky I did see it,and rushed you two into shelter in time.'
'We have to thank you for being so prompt, then,' Jack answered. 'Wemust be more careful next time. He 'll have another try, I suppose?'
'I don't know. I almost doubt if he will risk it, plucky as heevidently is. You can hear how the wind is increasing.'
He opened the door a little way as he spoke, and such a gust came in asalmost forced it out of his hand.
'It's a regular tempest!' cried Gerald. 'The building itself seems torock about with it and almost feels as if it might blow over.'
'Yes, it will certainly stop any further attempts of that kind,' Alondradecided. 'No man who is not a fool or a madman would trust himself onwings in such a storm. His life would not be worth a minute's purchase.He would be likely to be blown against the first thing that came in hisway, and have his brains dashed out. No airship, even--unless it werethe great _Ivenia_--could make headway against such a wind.'
'What you say is true enough, Prince; yet I am afraid we shall have toshow ourselves mad enough to risk it,' said Malto, who had re-enteredthe apartment unperceived. 'If the chance were offered you of trying toescape on wings, now, at this moment, or waiting to be pounced upon byAgrando's people later on, which would you choose?'
'What is the use of asking such a question?' Alondra queried in return,somewhat impatiently. 'Surely we have something more urgent to think ofjust now than'----
'Not at all,' answered Malto coolly. 'It happens to be the most urgentquestion of the moment. To cut the matter short, Prince, we have metwith a great find. We have discovered, besides the tridents and thingsI had hoped for, several complete flying-outfits. They are motor-wings,and if you have the courage to try your luck with them in this storm,there is no reason why we should not bid Agrando's people a cheery"Good-bye," and flit off before his airships come buzzing about our earsin real earnest.'
The friends stared at one another in blank astonishment. Here was anunexpected turn indeed! Truly, it was a most momentous decision whichthey were called upon to make--to do that which Alondra but a minutebefore had pronounced none but a fool or madman would dare to risk, orstay and take their chance of being rescued.
'Honestly, it seems to me our only plan,' Malto declared. 'Malandrisand I have been discussing it downstairs, and we came to the conclusionthat your friends would have been here before this if they were comingat all. I am sorry to say I fear they must have got the worst of it;and Agrando is only waiting till the wind drops to come and seize us.He thinks he is sure of us; and need not, therefore, risk one of hisairships in such a storm.'
'I fear you must be right, my friend,' said Alondra sadly. 'In thatcase, your plan, wild as it would otherwise be, is the only one open tous. For my part, I will risk it.'
'And I!' exclaimed Gerald and Jack together.
'Then the sooner we act upon that decision the better,' said Malto. 'Atany moment the wind may drop, and our chance will have gone. Everythingis ready. From the top outside gallery we can get a better send-offthan those chaps down there had. We can slip out upon the farther side,and be off and away before they have time to understand what's afoot.Then we must trust to the very force of the wind to carry us well beyondtheir reach. There is one suggestion I have to make. It is that weshall be all five roped together with double ropes, so that we shallkeep together; in that way, if one is in trouble, the others may be ableto help him. Otherwise, we shall probably be blown about like flies,and lose touch with one another in the first ten minutes.'
No time was lost in further discussion. They all set to work with awill, dragging the necessary equipage up to the top floor. There theyspeedily completed their arrangements, went out on to the outsidegallery, and, after some preliminary manoeuvring, Malto gave the signal.
Being on the lee side, sheltered for the moment from the gale, theymanaged to make a fairly good start. They threw themselves fearlesslyfrom the gallery, and a great shout of rage and astonishment which cameto their ears from below told them that their foes had just caught sighto
f them.
A moment more and the howling tempest had caught them and was whirlingthem madly forward. Upwards they sailed with poised wings, like immensebirds, while their bewildered enemies below gazed after them withstaring eyes and open mouths.
There was another flash of lightning, followed on the instant by a crashthat seemed to shake the very rocks around; and then there were criesand shrieks from the crowd as stones and pieces of metal-work cameflying through the air.
The lightning had struck the pavilion and wrecked it!