CHAPTER III.
SAVING THE GREAT SEAPLANE.
"Gee whillikins! that sounds like a serious proposition, Frank!"exclaimed Billy Barnes, when he heard the opinion of his companion.
"It looks as though we're up against something," admitted the othergrimly. "They've evidently set out to capture this seaplane, and mean todo it, no matter at what cost."
"A compliment from the Kaiser to the ingenuity of Yankee inventors, I'dcall it," said Billy; "but all the same I don't feel like throwing up myhands and letting them raid our shop here. It's a good thing we madethat discovery, thanks to Pudge and his sharp eyes."
"Yes, and that you thought to use the wire, which showed us how somebodyhad been meddling so as to cut us off from the city," Frank remarked.
"What if they come in force, knowing we're here, Frank?"
"That door would not be able to stand much of an attack if they carriedaxes along with them, I'm afraid," Billy was told.
"My stars! do you think they'd be apt to do that sort of thing?"demanded the astonished assistant, as he looked around for some sort ofweapon with which he might defend the passage of the doorway, should itcome to a question of fighting.
"If they want this plane as badly as we think they do," said Frank,"there is little that desperate men might attempt that they would nottry."
"And still there's no sign of poor Pudge!" ventured Billy, puttingconsiderable emphasis on the adjective, as though he could almostimagine the happy-go-lucky Pudge lying on his back somewhere along theroad, groaning in pain after having been struck down by a cowardly blow.
"I'm sorry to agree with you," Frank admitted slowly, "but at the worstwe'll hope they're only detaining our chum, and that he hasn't beenhurt."
"How about my slipping out and trying to go for help, Frank? If theyonly knew at Headquarters about this, they would send a whole regimentof British Tommies on the run to patrol our works here. Say the word andI'm off."
Frank, however, shook his head as though the idea did not appeal to him.
"The chances are they would be on the lookout for something like that,Billy."
"And lay for me, you mean, don't you, Frank? Well, then, if it wasn't socold I'd propose slipping down to the water and doing a little swimmingstunt. Too bad we didn't think to have a boat of some kind with us."
"I was just thinking," ventured Frank, "that only on account of ourbeing rushed for time we would have installed a wireless plant here, aswe've often done before. Then we could send all the messages we wanted,and these spies wouldn't be able to bother with them."
"Yes, if we had only thought we'd run against a snag like this, Frank,we could have done that as easy as falling off a log. But it's too latenow to bother. The question is, what can we do about it?"
"There's always one last resort that I know of, Billy."
"Glad to know it, but please inform me as to its nature, won't you,Frank? I would give half of my year's salary just to be able to snap myfingers in the faces of these smart secret agents of the envious Germanswho want to steal our thunder."
Frank turned and pointed straight at the big seaplane.
"There's the answer, Billy!" he said shortly.
At first the other simply stared as though unable to grasp the meaningof Frank's words. Then a sudden gleam of gathering intelligence began toshow itself in his eyes; he emphatically brought down his fist in theopen palm of his other hand.
"Wow! that's sure the ticket, Frank!" he burst out with, his enthusiasmspreading until his face was one solid grin. "We've got a way of escaperight in our grip, and I was so blind as not to see it. Run off in theplane, of course, and leave the smarties to bite their fingernails.Great head, Frank! These German spies may think themselves wide-awake,but they'll have to get up bright and early in the morning to catch twoYankee boys napping, believe me!"
"Listen, Billy!"
"Did you think you heard something then, Frank?"
"There's someone at the door yonder; I saw it move, but the bar kept itfrom giving way," Frank went on in a low tone. "Don't act as though yoususpected anything out of the way. They may be watching us through somepeep-holes that have been bored in the walls. It would be foolish for usto give our plan away."
"I understand what you are aiming at, Frank," remarked the other, tryinghard to appear perfectly natural, immediately adding under his breath:"There, I saw the door quiver again. They must wonder why it refuses togive way. That bar is our salvation, because like as not there's anumber of them out there who would flock in with all sorts of weapons,meaning to keep us quiet while their aviators examine the machine andget ready for a launching. Whee! then good-by to our bully _Sea Eagle_forever."
"That'll never happen as long as we can lift a hand to prevent it," saidFrank.
"Say, you don't think that could be Pudge trying the door?" suggestedBilly, as though struck by a sudden bright idea.
"Not very likely," came the reply; "but we can easily tell. If he hearsme give our old signal, Pudge will answer on the dot. Listen and see ifanything comes of it."
The whistle Frank emitted was of a peculiar character. It wasimmediately imitated from without, and so exactly that one might thinkit an echo. Frank shook his head on hearing this.
"Pudge isn't there," he said decisively. "If he was, as you very wellknow, Billy, he would have sent back the other call, entirely differentfrom the one I gave."
"Then some fellow answered for Pudge, thinking we might open up, whenthey could rush the place and get possession--is that the way it stands,Frank?"
"As near as I can make out, it covers the ground," the young air pilotreplied. "Now I'm going to put out this light. We don't really need itany longer, and if they are watching us through any peep-holes, it wouldgive our plan away."
"We ought to know every part of this coop, Frank. As for the machineitself, I warrant you could find any stay or guy while it's pitch dark.Let it go. There, they are trying the door again. Seems as if they can'tunderstand why it doesn't give way. If it keeps on shutting them out,sooner or later they'll try to batter it down. Oh! if I only had a gunhere."
"I intended having one with the seaplane, but thought I wouldn't botheruntil we meant to start on a trip," explained Frank, keen regret in hisvoice.
"Seems to me it's always the unexpected that keeps cropping up with us,"complained Billy. "I can look back to lots of times when things happenedjust as suddenly and without warning as this has."
"But they didn't down us, you want to remember," advised the other, inthat confident way of his that always made his chums feel so muchbetter.
"Now they're starting to pry at the doors, Frank, which means business.Hadn't we better be getting ready to make a start?"
"First of all I want you to stand by, and when I give the word flingboth the large doors wide open," Frank told him. "After that, as Iswitch on the searchlight, so as to see what lies ahead, climb aboard toyour regular place. And, Billy, please don't have any hitch in theprogram if you can help it!"
"Depend on me, Frank," said the other, slipping away in the darknessthat now filled the interior of the big hangar.
Frank mounted to his seat. As no flight of consequence was intended, hedid not bother donning the head shield he always carried with themachine, his gloves alone being deemed necessary for the occasion,though both of them had wisely secured their fleece-lined leatherjackets. Just as Billy had said, Frank was so familiar with every leverand stay, as well as with the engine, that, with his eyes blindfolded,he could have manipulated the intricate working parts.
Quickly he adjusted things to his liking with a deftness that leftnothing to be desired. The fact that those unseen parties on the otherside of the door were becoming more insistent with every passing seconddid not seem to disturb Frank at all; for he knew very well they couldnot stop his departure now.
When, presently, he had finished his simple preparations and everythingwas ready for the grand finale, he gave th
e signal that Billy wasexpectantly awaiting.
"Open up, Billy!"
Immediately both wide doors flew back, for the boys had arranged thingsso that it required but a simple movement to accomplish this. Then Billyhustled toward the seaplane, which no longer stood there like a blackshadow; for Frank had, with the pressure of his finger, caused thepowerful searchlight placed in the bow of the remarkable craft to floodthe space in front of the hangar down to and out on the water of theharbor.
Billy swung himself aboard almost in the twinkling of an eye. Then alever was manipulated and with a rush the monster seaplane started. Evenas it left the shelter of the building, Billy, hanging on with nervoushands, could see several figures in the dazzling flood of white lightspring wildly aside so as to avoid being crushed by the oncoming giantseaplane as it tore down the inclined track leading to the water.