CHAPTER XXI
THE HAUNTED AIRSHIP
“Say, fellows, this is life on the ocean wave worth seeing, isn’t it?”
Hiram Dobbs spoke the words, and his auditors and jolly companions werethe young aviator and Elmer Brackett. It was the second evening out ofsight of land. The _Albatross_ had made splendid speed, and themachinery had acted like a charm. Just about dusk, however, ProfessorLeblance had ordered a drop to lower level.
“There is a low barometric pressure,” Dave Dashaway had heard him say toMr. King. “There is bound to be a change in the air currents shortly,and I want to determine our course from the way they act. There are somerepairs to make, also, and we will slow down for at least two hours.”
The boys were immensely interested in the manœuvers of their craft underthe direct manipulation of the professor. The _Albatross_ was brought tothe surface of the water, resting on its floats as easily and gracefullyas the great ocean bird it was named after. A hint from the cook satHiram thinking. Fresh fish would come in very acceptably for breakfastnext morning, he told Dave, and the trio decided to take the lighter ofthe two boats and see what they could catch.
Mr. King warned them to keep within hailing range of the airship andprovided them with trolling lines. The young aviator and Elmer plied theoars and Hiram did the fishing. He was gloating over the occasion withsatisfaction, and made the enthusiastic remark which heads the chapteras he deposited a final catch, a fat codfish, in the bottom of the boat.
“That will do, Hiram,” directed Dave. “We have got more fish alreadythan we can use in a week, and some of them look as if they were not inthe eating class. The cook will know.”
“Yes, and see, we are quite a distance from the _Albatross_,” put inElmer.
A weird warning wind sang about them just then. The boys had been soengrossed in their sport they had failed to notice that some scuddingclouds had obliterated the stars.
“Get to work, Elmer,” ordered Dave, picking up the oars. “We must be afull mile from the _Albatross_.”
“Yes, and maybe that storm Professor Leblance told about is going tocatch us,” remarked Elmer, he too getting in shape for a row back to theairship.
The minor headlight of the _Albatross_ guided them, and for this, a dimspark in the distance, the little yawl was headed. The water had becomechoppy, but the oarsmen felt equal to the task of the moment.
“Just see that!” shouted Hiram, as a phosphorescent streak crossed theircourse. “It’s like a streak of fire.”
“There’s another one ahead,” said Elmer.
“Yes, and look! look!” exclaimed Hiram. “It’s a shoal of fishes. Bigfellows, too. Say, see them leap out of the water.”
It was a stimulating sight and a novel one to the boys. They were nowwithin less than a quarter of a mile of the airship. As Hiram spoke, thebig searchlight of the _Albatross_ suddenly flared up. It signalled theboys to return, as Dave understood it.
“Say, I’m going to make a throw for one of those big fellows,” declaredHiram.
“Don’t do it. Whew!” exclaimed Elmer. “They are big fellows. Did youfeel that?”
Some object had landed against the side of the yawl, nearly tipping it.
“It’s a big fish, almost as big as a shark!” shouted Hiram. “They’rechasing the smaller ones. Whoop! I’ve caught something. Hurrah! Slowdown! Oh, the mischief!”
All in a fleeting second the excited lad shouted out, tugged at thetrolling line, bracing his feet against the bottom of the boat, andthen—flop! splash!
“Stop the boat!” rang out the voice of the young aviator, sharply, forHiram, his hand tangled in the trolling line, had been pulled clear overthe end of the yawl. His startled comrades saw him disappear, and strovestaunchly to put the boat about. As the craft half turned, there was ashock and a crash.
A giant fish, perhaps a shark, had struck the boat amidships. The craftwas splintered in half as quick as a flash. The next minute the youngaviator and his companion were struggling in the water.
The big marine monster had apparently gone straight on its way inpursuit of a disappearing phosphorescent mass. Dave grabbed out at theone floating half of the wrecked yawl.
“This way—Hiram! Elmer!” he shouted at the top of his voice.
“I’m here,” panted Elmer, as he reached Dave’s side and grasped the edgeof the floating wreck.
“Where’s Hiram?”
“U-um! Thunder!” puffed the individual in question. “I’m safe, but mybig catch got away, line and all.”
“Never mind that now,” replied Dave. “We’re in a serious fix, fellows.”
“And all the fish in the boat gone, too,” mourned Hiram, dolefully.
“See here, both of you,” ordered Dave, decisively, “don’t waste anytime. We don’t know what kind of danger hovers about us. Yell!”
“Good and loud!” agreed Hiram, letting out a terrific warwhoop. Theothers chorused in. Dave believed that their forlorn hail might havesome effect.
“They’ve heard us,” cried Hiram, joyfully.
“Yes, here she comes,” added Elmer, in a relieved tone.
The searchlight on the _Albatross_ was suddenly shifted. Its broad,groping rays were focussed on the sea, searching for the castaways. Theglowing pencils of light came nearer and nearer. Finally the fulldazzling gleam swept the wreck and those clinging to it, and rested onit.
“They have seen us,” declared the young aviator, as the searchlightmaintained a full focus directly upon them.
“And what next?” inquired Hiram.
“We will have to wait and see,” replied Dave.
Relief and rescue came almost magically quick. The larger yawl of the_Albatross_ glided across the broad path of light, the veteran airman,the anxious Grimshaw and two others its occupants.
“This ends all experiments in the fishing line,” declared Mr. King. “Itis a wonder some of those sharks did not attack you.”
“The searchlight probably scared them away,” suggested Grimshaw.
The adventure furnished a fruitful theme for discussion when the boyswere once more back in the comfortable cabin of the airship. Hiram,however, continued to expatiate on his great catch and greater loss.
“I’ll bet it was a dolphin pulled me out of the boat,” he declared.“Just think of it, fellows—catching a dolphin! That’s something to bragabout.”
A storm set in within the hour and the _Albatross_ speedily sought ahigher level. All the boys knew about it was what Mr. King told them thenext morning. The pleasing swaying motion of the giant craft had lulledthem to sound and refreshing slumber.
It was again after dark the next evening when the cook came into thecabin, and looked at Mr. King in a manner that made the airman inquirecuriously:
“What’s on your mind, Demys?”
“Why, I found a window broken in the room just beyond the larder,”reported the cook.
“Hailstone, maybe,” said Mr. King, casually; “you know we had some lastnight.”
“Yes, I know that,” replied the man. “Later to-day I noticed two morepanes of glass cracked right across.”
“Perhaps the big strain of the wind in the storm last night weakenedthem,” suggested the airman.
“Maybe,” assented the cook, vaguely. “Funny thing, though. I set a panof beans in the room to cool before supper. When I went after them justnow I found nearly half of them gone.”
“Is that so, now?” questioned Mr. King, beginning to get interested.
“Say, don’t you suppose it was rats?” propounded the quick-thinkingHiram.
“No, sir!” declared the cook definitely. “I have never noticed a traceof rats in the _Albatross_.”
“Then I’ll bet it’s another stowaway—say, just like Elmer here was.”
All hands laughed abruptly at this unique piece of guesswork.
“I reckon I was the only intruder aboard, Hiram,” remarked Elmer,good-natur
edly.
“Well, the beans are gone and somebody ate them,” said the cook. “Itcouldn’t be anybody of the crew, for no one has passed through thegalley but myself, and the room I speak of is beyond it.”
“Suppose we investigate?” suggested the young aviator.
“That’s it,” agreed the impetuous Hiram. “Come on, fellows.”
All hands followed the cook to his quarters. They inspected the galleyand then entered the room beyond it. Sure enough, there was the dish ofbeans, nearly half its original contents missing.
Hiram and Elmer explored every nook and corner of the place where therewas the least opportunity for a stowaway to hide. Their search waswithout results.
“It’s certainly something of a mystery,” decided the young aviator.“Those cracked windows, too. Why,” he added, examining them closely, “itlooks as though some one had deliberately hammered on them until theygave way, as you see.”
There was another sensation the next evening. The cook came rushing intothe cabin. Mr. King happened to be on hand.
“I’m getting superstitious and scared,” declared the cook.
“What’s up now?” interrogated the airman.
“Enough for anybody’s nerves,” reported the man. “Sounds, scrapings,sort of low groans. I’m beginning to believe the airship is haunted.”
“Nonsense!” said Mr. King. “When did you hear these strange noises youdescribe?”
“Just now. See here, some of you come with me and see if you can figurethis thing out.”
The boys were ready enough for the investigation. The cook led them tothe galley, and they sat down as he put out all the lights.
“Now keep perfectly quiet and listen patiently,” directed the youngaviator.
“There’s something,” spoke Hiram in a hoarse whisper, as a queer cooingsound came from the watched room. “Gently, now,” he added and creptthrough the doorway.
There was a fluttering sound. Dave traced it to a corner of the roomwhere there were some boxes. The noise came from behind them. He gropedwith his hand, and his fingers finally grazed a feathery, shrinkingobject.
“Flare a light,” he called out instantly. “I’ve caught the stowaway.”
“Who is it? what is it?” cried Hiram, rushing forward as the electriclights were turned on.
“Why, it’s a bird—a pigeon,” announced Dave, dragging into view aruffled, timid dove. “Here’s your mystery explained. The bird must havebeen driven through the broken window during that storm the other night.The poor thing was famished and ate the beans. Then it cracked thewindow panes trying to get out again.”
“You’ve got it, Dave,” declared Hiram, “only, say, what is that fastenedunder its wing?”
“Why, sure enough,” said Dave, observing what looked like an oilskinpackage fastened with silk cord under the wing of the bird. “Fellows,this must be a carrier dove. We must see Mr. King about this.”
The airman inspected the oilskin package. He read a written enclosure itcontained.
“This is a trained passenger pigeon,” he said. “Started from Rio deJaneiro and carrying a message to its former home in Washington. Feed upthe bird, boys, and we’ll send the brave little thing again on itsjourney.”
The next morning when the carrier pigeon was set free, startedlandwards, it bore a second message. This told the world that the giantairship was eight hundred miles on its trip across the broad Atlantic.