CHAPTER XI
IN PERIL
“Wake up, Hiram,” shouted our hero, seizing the arm of his sleepingassistant, who, rolling against Elmer, jogged him into wakefulness also.
“Ah, what did you say?” droned Hiram. “I was just dreaming that we wereon the last home stretch with the _Comet_ and——”
“Hurry up and dress, fellows,” ordered the young airman, rapidly.
“Why, it isn’t daylight yet,” remonstrated Elmer, with a drowsy stare.
“No,” answered Dave, seriously. “But there is some trouble over on theaero grounds, and we may be interested.”
“Say,” cried Hiram, fully aroused at the announcement, “you don’t meantrouble for the _Comet_?”
“I don’t know,” replied Dave. “There was an explosion. The man in thenext room heard it, too. He called up the hotel clerk, and he told himthat a hangar and its machine had been blown to pieces. Take everythingwith you, fellows,” advised the young airman. “We won’t come back here,even if this affair doesn’t affect us.”
“Do you think it does?” inquired Elmer anxiously. “How could there be anexplosion of an airship? Yes, I’m ready.”
The boys hurried down the stairs. Dave, in the lead, found two men whohad machines on the aero grounds. They, too, had been aroused and werequestioning the clerk.
“All I got over the ’phone from the office on the grounds was what Itold you,” the clerk was saying—“building and machine blown to pieces.”
“Let’s hurry,” said Hiram anxiously, as they reached the street. The twomen from the hotel ran along with them. They overtook others, aroused bythe explosion, and discussing it and trying to figure out what it mightmean.
The guard at the gate of the grounds knew no more than what the boys hadalready learned. He said, however, that several from the office buildinghad gone to the scene of the trouble. Half way across the field, ahangar man running to the office building with information, met them.
“What’s the trouble?” inquired one of the hurrying group.
“One of the hangars blown up—dynamite, I guess,” was the reply.
“Accident?”
“No, looks more like malicious spitework. The superintendent and his menare trying to find out.”
Our hero and his comrades could see lanterns moving about over at therow of hangars where the _Comet_ was housed. Another man from the scenewas halted by them, and Dave asked quickly:
“Which one of the hangars was blown up?”
“The concrete one—the one the _Comet_ was in.”
Hiram uttered a groan. Dave grew pale with anxiety and distress. Elmergrasped hold of his arm as if the blow had made him reel.
“Dave,” spoke Hiram, in a trembling tone, “they stole our machine backat Washington. They’ve destroyed it, now!”
The young airman did not reply. His lips tightly compressed to hide hisemotion, he hurried on. Then they all came to a stop. In dismay theystood staring at a mass of ruins—what was left of the wrecked hangar.
Pieces of concrete blocks littered the ground in all directions. Partsof an airship mechanism showed in the glare of the lanterns. The youngaviator felt sick all over. He had known all along what there was tofear. His mind was quickly decided as to the motive and source of thevandal act.
“Dave,” suddenly whispered Hiram, in a shaking tone, “the _Comet_ isgone! That may not matter, for we might get another machine, but—whatabout Will Mason?”
Dave thrilled at the question. He steadied himself as he best could, andtouched the superintendent of the grounds, who was standing nearby, onthe arm.
“There was somebody in the hangar,” he said.
“We suppose so,” replied the official, gravely. “Young Mason slept therenights and——”
“I’m all right,” interrupted an excited but clear voice, and the personunder discussion came into view pulling on his sweater. “Just woke up,and they told me about this.”
“Will! Will!” spoke Dave, grasping the hand of the hangar lad fervently.Elmer was crying for joy. Hiram threw an arm about the young fellow andfairly hugged him.
“Oh, nothing matters so long as you wasn’t blown to pieces along withthe machine,” almost sobbed the loyal Hiram. “How was it—how did you getout?”
“I wasn’t in,” replied Will. “When I moved the _Comet_ out——”
“When you what?” shouted Hiram, in a frenzy of suspense.
“Why, I guess you’re thinking your machine was blown up,” said Will.
“Of course we do,” answered Elmer.
“Well, the _Comet_ is all snug and safe in that fourth hangar down therow. The man who owns the wrecked hangar came in with his machineshortly after midnight. He routed me up, and I got the _Comet_ out andhis biplane in. I promised you I would keep an all-night watch over yourbiplane, and stayed with it.”
“Oh, Dave, I’m so glad!” cried Hiram, in a tone of immense relief.
The young pilot of the _Comet_ left the group and drew thesuperintendent to one side.
“This is a pretty mysterious happening,” that official had justremarked.
“I may be able to throw some light upon it,” said Dave, in a veryserious way. “I feel certain that the explosion was intended to destroythe _Comet_.”
“Is that so!” exclaimed the superintendent. “Then it was done bydesign?”
“Yes,” affirmed Dave, positively. “I think the Association people shouldknow about it. Perhaps some search can be made for the persons who didthe work. You know, the _Comet_ was stolen from the grounds nearWashington.”
“It seems to me I did hear something about that,” replied the official.
“We did not say much about it at the time,” went on Dave; “but I had mysuspicions.”
“What were they?”
“Someone was very much interested in keeping us out of the race,”explained the young airman.
“You mean professional rivals?”
“I won’t say that positively,” responded Dave, “although expert airmencertainly shared in the Washington end of the plot. I cannot doubt thatinstructions were sent to confederates here at Chicago to catch the_Comet_ and finish the work.”
“You can’t name any one in this outrage; can you, Dashaway?” inquiredthe superintendent, roused up to a high pitch of excitement andindignation.
“I have a suspicion as to the person at the bottom of the scheme,”answered Dave. “I have a further idea as to the men who are carrying outinstructions, but I have no positive proof as to their guilt. Neither ofthem is probably here. No, they must have wired accomplices at thispoint. All I can say is, that hired emissaries in a big plot to keep usout of this race are probably posted and instructed all along the line,determined to carry out their plan to prevent our making theworld-circling flight.”
“I must report this to the officers of the association at once,Dashaway,” said the superintendent.
Hiram had sidled up to Dave. He seized the arm of the latter in adetaining grip as he was about to move nearer to the ruins of thehangar.
“See here, Dave Dashaway,” he said, earnestly, “there’s a lot you arekeeping to yourself, and I’ve a right to know what it is.”
“I think so, too,” replied the young airman at once. “I saw no goodaccomplished by worrying you with that I only guessed, until thisexplosion occurred. Now I feel it a duty to share my knowledge with youand Elmer, just as you are sharing the risk and danger of this journey.As soon as we get started again, I will have an interesting story totell you.”
“All right, Dave,” agreed Hiram, “only I’m terribly anxious and curious.Can I ask you just one question?”
“Yes, if you choose,” replied Dave.
“Is the man behind all this trouble the fellow I have all alongguessed—that fellow, Vernon?”
“You needn’t guess it,” answered Dave. “You have hit it just right. Itis Vernon.”