CHAPTER XVII.
GONE.
All that day and far into the night the mad inventor held control of theflying-machine, refusing to listen to reason or argument, and keepingthe boys at bay.
Some time in the night he fell asleep, and, when he awoke, he wasenraged to find himself bound hands and feet, while the boys were tryingto handle the _Eagle_.
"Let me go!" howled the mad professor. "You will send us to destruction!You will plunge us to ruin!"
"Keep still!" commanded Frank, sternly. "You are no longer master here."
"Villain!" screamed the helpless man; "I know your scheme! You mean tosteal the _Eagle_! You mean to get rid of me, and then you will stealthe work of my brain and hands!"
"Don't fool yourself. If I ever get to solid ground again, you may haveyour old air ship and sail away to the South Pole with it. I am figuringon getting back to Blake."
"Te, he!" laughed the madman, suddenly. "Is that all you ask? Why, it isvery easy to fix that matter."
His voice was full of craft and deception.
"How would you fix it?" asked Frank.
"Set me at liberty, and I will take you back there."
"That sounds all right, but it is plain enough that you cannot betrusted. I prefer to experiment a little myself, before letting you havecharge again."
"And you will bring us all to destruction!"
"Possibly I may. Keep still now, while I study out the working of theselevers and wheels."
But Scudmore would not keep still. He shouted and talked, urging them torelease him, begging and threatening by turns.
Meanwhile Frank and Barney were studying over the levers and wheels, andthey finally discovered how to send the air ship down toward the earth,which lay asleep in the white moonlight.
They were directly over a mountainous region, having been soaring overthe loftiest peaks. The boys were somewhat benumbed by the chilly air,but, as they came nearer to the earth, this numbness passed away.
"Are yez goin' ter land here, Frankie?" asked Barney, anxiously.
"I don't know," was the answer. "If we should happen to see a town----"
"Where do yez think we are?"
"That is another thing I don't know."
Down they went until Frank conceived a notion that they were near enoughto the earth; but when he tried to reverse the lever and ascend again,it would not work.
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the inventor. "It is retribution! We shall besmashed into a thousand pieces when we strike. You will never steal the_Eagle_ from me!"
Frank worked with all his energy, for they were sweeping toward theearth at an alarming rate of speed.
The laughter of the deranged professor rang out louder and wilder thanever.
"Oi think we're in fer it, me b'y!" gasped Barney.
"It looks like that," confessed Frank, as they barely cleared the crestof a mountain and went diving down into the unknown depths of a valley."This confounded thing----"
Snap!--something broke, and their swift descent was suddenly checked,but they continued to settle gently.
"Ah!" breathed Frank, with relief. "If this keeps up, we'll come downall right."
"But it's nivver a bit can we tell where we'll land, me laddybuck."
"We'll have the satisfaction of getting on solid ground again, at least.I am yearning to feel it beneath my feet once more."
It was not long before the _Eagle_ sank gently into the valley, settlingto the ground as lightly as a bird.
Out leaped the boys, ropes in their hands, and they quickly made the airship fast.
"Well, we are still living," said Frank.
"It's mesilf thot belaves we've much to be thankful fer," declaredBarney.
"I wonder where we are, and how near we are to civilization. I aminclined to believe we cannot be far from the very region where thecolony of Danites is said to be located."
"Suffering cats!" gasped the Irish boy. "If thot is the case, how are weivver goin' to get out av here?"
"We'll have to trust to luck."
"Oi'll nivver thrust mesilf to thot air ship again."
"I do not care to do so, but we may have to do so whether we want to ornot."
"Well, we have enough to ate, an' some guns to protict oursilves with.Oi am fer ixplorin' th' country before we do anything ilse."
"We can't do any exploring to-night."
"But we can early in th' marnin'."
So they provided themselves with two of the rifles, plenty ofammunition, and much of the provisions in the car.
In the shelter of the valley the night was no longer cool, but was warmand pleasant.
They found an overhanging shelf of rock where they could get close upunder a bluff, and it made quite a satisfactory camp.
For some time the boys lay and talked over their adventure, wondering ifthey would get out of the predicament all right. At last they becamedrowsy, and finally fell asleep.
They slept soundly till morning. Frank was the first to awaken, and heshook Barney to rouse him.
"Come, you bit of the Old Sod," called Frank. "Turn out and pay for yourlodging."
"Begobs! Oi fale loike th' bed had been shtuffed with bricks. Hurro! Oimust have fell out av bed in th' noight, an' dropped clane out av th'windy. It's a bit av a kink Oi have in th' small av me back."
Barney sat up, making a wry face, and staring about in a bewildered way.
"Phwat howtil is this, Oi dunno?" he cried. "Have Oi been slapin', orhave Oi been in a thrance?"
"We came here in a flying-machine, you will remember."
"In a floying-machine? Oi thought Oi dramed it."
"It was no dream."
"Well, may Oi nivver live to see th' back av me neck!"
It took some time for the Irish boy to recover from his amazement.
"Where is thot floying-machine, Frankie?"
"It is just beyond this line of bushes, where we left it last night.Professor Scudmore is tied up in the car, and I fancy he must be a bituncomfortable by this time. I did not mean to leave him that way solong. It was rather heartless."
"Ye can't be aisy wid his koind, me b'y. There's no tellin' phwatthey'll do."
"That is true; but it is our duty to handle him as gently as possible.He is a most unfortunate man. His air ship seems an assured success, andyet he has lost his reason working over it."
The boys arose and passed round the bushes, Frank being in advance. Acry of wonder and amazement broke from Merriwell's lips.
"The air ship!" he gasped.
"Phwat's th' matter?" asked Barney, quickly.
"It's gone!"