CHAPTER XXII
A HYDROPLANE RESCUE
All this while Andy's nerves had been strained to a high pitch. And itwas not at all singular, therefore, that when the anticipated event cameto pass he gave vent to a loud cry.
"Looky! Frank; they're going to drop! Something must have happened tothe motor or else a plane guy broke to cripple them!" was what he almostshrieked.
Frank was watching, though he had not uttered a single sound. He knewthat the half expected crisis was now upon them. At least his heartfound cause for rejoicing that if an accident had to happen, it affectedthe other aeroplane rather than their own. It is much easier to bearwatching another's troubles than to bear your own.
What Andy had said was the truth, for the craft they were chasing afterhad taken a sudden dip, and was fluttering downward.
If you have ever seen a crippled bird trying hard to keep afloat, youcan have a pretty good conception of how that biplane dropped lower andlower toward the water.
That it did not fall like a lump of lead spoke volumes for themagnificent management of the pilot who controlled the levers, and whoselong experience had taught him just what to do in such a dreadfulemergency as this.
Frank had instantly cut off much of their power, though they stillcontinued to sweep onward toward the place of the catastrophe, and wererapidly drawing near the falling aeroplane.
Both boys stared at the terrible picture of the descending biplanenearing the heaving surface of the lake. It seemed very serious indeed,for any one to drop in this way; and yet how much more dangerous to fallupon land, where the wrecked aviators would stand a good chance ofbroken limbs, even though they saved their necks.
Then a cry from the impulsive Andy told that the biplane was in thewater. If the engine had broken loose there was a pretty fair chancethat the craft with its long extended planes would float, and even bearup the two aviators. Perhaps the quick-witted Casper Blue had looked outfor just such a contingency, and found a way to free the framework fromthe dead weight of the motor.
Frank had all he could do to manipulate his own craft, for in order toalight successfully, even as a wild duck does, he must make a turn, andhead up into the wind.
That meant the passage of a certain length of time; and meanwhile whocould say what might not be happening to the imperiled men?
On the other hand, Andy could not tear his horrified gaze away from thewreck of the fallen biplane; and it was really upon him that thenavigator must depend for his information as to how things were going.
Fortunately Andy could talk as well as look; no matter if his tongue didshow a decided inclination to cleave to the roof of his mouth withhorror, he managed to find a way to make it wag.
"It floats, Frank, sure it floats!" he ejaculated, presently, even asthe other was in the act of making a sweeping curve, and skilfullyducking a squally puff of wind, turn back over the course they had justcovered, to sink down upon the heaving waters when he found the chance."Yes, they must have kicked the engine overboard. That makes three poorold Perc has lost, don't it? There they are, both of 'em, squattin' inthe middle of the wreck, just as cool as you please, awaitin' for us tocall in and take 'em off. Hope it don't sink before we c'n get back. Ifeither one can't swim they'd go down like a stone. Now you're around,Frank; and we're heading straight for the place. Hurrah! Hold hard thereand we'll lend you a helpin' hand!"
He even waved toward the two men by now pretty well submerged in thewater, but who seemed to be still clinging to the floating aeroplane, asthough recognizing that their position might be much more desperateshould they cut loose from that buoy.
Frank was watching closely, to pick out a favorable opportunity toalight. Well did he know the chances he and his chum were taking in thusdropping upon the heaving surface of such a tremendous body of water asLake Ontario. It was true that they had successfully performed thisoperation many times with their other hydroplane, but that was upon themuch calmer waters of little Sunrise Lake, where the sea never aroseheavy enough to imperil the floating aircraft. It would be much moreperilous now, under these conditions; but Frank had made up his mind toattempt the rescue of those in the water, and was not to be easilydaunted.
When the right opening came he allowed the hydroplane to dip gentlydown, making sure that there was as little violence as possible in thedrop, because of the chance of burying the forward propeller under; orlosing his balance, upon which so much depended.
Andy knew what he was expected to do, and was nimbly endeavoring toswing his weight this way or that after they had launched on the waves,so as to keep the pontoons on an even keel, and prevent a disastrousspill. For once this occurred, the hydroplane would be of little moreadvantage than the wrecked biplane, which barely upheld the two clingingmen, and was evidently sinking lower under the strain, with each passingsecond, until the end must be in sight.
At least they had dropped safely. The pontoons had been cleverlyadjusted so as to bear a just proportion of the weight, and they didtheir duty faithfully and well in this great crisis.
Of course, the next thing was to try and work closer to the sinkingbiplane, and take the men aboard, one at a time. That would be a riskyproceeding, requiring all the skill that Frank could bring to the front.
In the first place he had chosen to drop beyond the wreck of Percy'sbiplane. This he had purposely done, in the hope that the wind mightdrift them down upon the other aircraft.
A minute's observation convinced Frank, however, that if they waited forthis to happen, the frail support which was buoying Casper Blue and hismate up would have gone under long long before they could get withintouch.
Already the second man was shrieking for them to hurry, because he couldfeel himself slowly but surely sinking; and he let them know that hecould not swim a stroke.
Plainly, then, they must do something to quicken things, if they meantto be of any service to the two rogues, thus brought to a sudden haltjust when escape had seemed most bright.
Frank remembered his engine. But would it work under such strangeconditions as this? He quickly saw that the rear propeller was halfburied in the water; and if it turned at all would have to churn thingsjust as though they were in truth a queerly fashioned boat, instead ofan airship, intended to mount to lofty heights, and vie with the eaglein his circling above the clouds.
Quickly, then, he started to make the trial; and Andy, seeing hismovement, comprehended what he must have in mind; for he swung out insuch fashion as to preserve a balance, and thus help things along as faras lay in his power.
What a sensation of relief that hum of the faithful little Kincaidengine brought in its train, as it once more took up the burden of itsbusy song. Why, it seemed to Andy as though he could almost shout insudden relief, when he heard it first, and saw the water flying from thepartly submerged propeller.
But Frank was wise enough not to turn on full speed, knowing what aterrific strain this condition of affairs must be upon the entirefabric, flimsy at best; and if anything gave way it was all over withthem; for if a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, aheavier-than-air flying machine certainly comes under the same category.
"We're going it, Frank!" shouted Andy, when he saw that their speed hadincreased several hundred per cent, and that they were now headingstraight for the partly submerged air navigators.
It never occurred to Andy that either of the men might offer theslightest objection to being rescued. Frank looked a little furtherahead; but even he could hardly believe that Casper Blue would preferto drown rather than be saved.
What Frank was really concerning himself about more than anything elsewas how he could stow away the two fellows, once they found a chance toclimb aboard the hydroplane; and whether he could get enough impetusfrom the engine with such an unusual load, to rise from the water, oncehe elevated his planes.
"Hurry! oh! Hurry! I'm going down!" cried the larger man.
Casper never said a word. Possibly, being a swimmer, he did not feel thesame degree
of terror that his companion experienced. Then again, he mayhave been coolly figuring on how he might turn the rescue to his ownadvantage in some way; for he seemed to have that little black box slungover his back by means of the strap; and it was easy to understand thatit must, as Andy had guessed, contain something of considerable morevalue than a mere camera.
Now they were closing in. The hydroplane round-up was being carried outin what seemed to be a successful manner; and if all went well duringthe next few minutes the drifting fugitives would be hauled aboard byAndy, who stood ready to act the part of gallant rescuer to the king'staste.
It happened by mere accident that they were on that side of the sinkingwreck where the larger man clung; and this was just as it should havebeen, since he seemed more in need of help, at least in far greaterdistress of mind, than the smaller man.
"Get ready, Andy!" warned the pilot; "I'll shut off the power if itseems best; but it may keep us on a more even keel if we move along."
"I'm going to try and get hold, and then pull him aboard; hope we don'thave a spill, though!" the other sent back, as he braced himself as bestthe conditions allowed.
Frank gave one little turn to the rudder, for he was afraid that theymight get past without coming in reach. Then the gap was completed, andAndy, leaning over, managed to get hold of the sinking man by the collarof his coat.
There was where the greatest danger lay.
When a man or a boy has the terror of drowning pressed in upon hisheart, he is usually a most unreasonable being; and will even clasp hisintended rescuer about the neck, and prevent him from carrying out hisplans that might have worked well only for this blundering.
"Take it easy, you!" yelled Andy, as he saw the man clutch hold of theframework of the hydroplane, and struggle desperately to work his wayalong to where the others were. "If you give us half a chance we'll saveyou, all right; but upset us and well all like as not go down together.Slower, I tell you, or I'll give you this to teach you something. Thisain't an ocean liner, d'ye understand. Let up!"
Whether it was the excited words of the boy, the manner in which heflourished that short steel bar, or his ferocious looks, that broughtthe excited man to his senses no one could ever say; but he did relaxsome of his frantic movements and began to act more within reason.
This presently gave Andy the opportunity he wanted to stretch out ahelping hand, and get a firm grip of the other's coat collar; afterwhich he exerted himself to the utmost to assist him to climb aboard.
What with his own weight, and the fact that his clothes were drippingwith water, the addition of the new passenger caused the delicatelyconstructed and already heavily freighted hydroplane to sink moredeeply.
Frank, in that supreme moment realized that it would be almost ahopeless task to think of once more flying, with such a cargo aboard.Possibly the best they could do would be to keep afloat, and hope thatthe pursuing tug might come up with them before the darkness set in;and they could all be rescued.
Now that the first of the imperiled airmen had been hauled aboard, thereremained but Casper Blue himself. The wreck had not as yet sunk wholly,since, relieved from the weight of the heavy man, it seemed to possessenough buoyancy to remain on the surface of the water. But this could beonly for a short time; the planes would soon be thoroughly soaked, andthen the end must come, when the clinging man would find himselfdeprived of all support, and must swim or go down.
He had something of a half defiant look on his small sunburned face, ashe saw Andy trying to draw the wreck toward him, with the evidentintention of giving him the next opening. Perhaps he was half inclinedto take his chances as he was, rather than allow these two boys to makehim a prisoner.
Frank had his mind made up. He figured that both men had been longenough in the water to have their weapons well soaked, so that theywould be in no condition to threaten their rescuers.
"The box, make him pass it up first, or we leave him here!" he calledout to Andy, as the latter was about to reach out and lay hold of thesmaller man.
Casper Blue glared almost savagely at Frank. For the moment the Birdboys even thought the enraged man would hurl defiance back at them, anddeclare that he preferred taking his chances with the wreck rather thangive up the spoils.
But just then it happened, fortunately, that the remnant of the biplanebegan to settle more positively than before, warning him that it wasfolly to pin any hope on its buoying him up more than a few minutes atmost.
"Here, take it!" he snarled, handing up the box; which Andy immediatelypassed over to his cousin before he would stretch out his hand again torender the defeated yeggman any assistance.
Then Casper Blue was drawn aboard, and lower still sank the buoyanthydroplane, until both propellers were almost wholly submerged beneaththe surface of the heaving billows that came rolling on, steadily andremorselessly.