CHAPTER XXIII
LOST ON THE MOON
Notwithstanding that they were somewhat accustomed to having accidentshappen, it was not with the most pleasant feelings in the world thatthe moon travellers contemplated this one. It meant a delay, and adelay was the one thing they did not want just now.
They desired to get to the other side of the moon while the long periodof sunshine gave them an opportunity for observation. True there wassome time yet ere the long night of fourteen days would settle down,but they felt that they would need every hour of sunshine.
"Well, it's tough luck, but it can't be helped," said Mark.
"No, let's get right to work," suggested Jack.
They got out their tools and started to repair the two pumps. It wasfound that the Cardite motor was not badly damaged, one of the negativeelectrical plates merely having been smashed by a piece of the brokenconnecting rod of the air pump. It was only a short time before themotor was ready to run again.
But it could not be successfully operated without the air and waterpumps, and it was necessary to fix them next. New gaskets were needed,while an extra valve and some sliding gears had to be replaced.
"It's an all day's job," remarked Professor Henderson.
But many hands made light work, and even Washington and Andy werecalled upon to do their share. By dinner time the work was more thanhalf done, and Professor Roumann, announced that he and Mr. Hendersonwould finish it if Jack and Mark would take a look at the exterior ofthe projectile, to see if any repairs were needed to that.
The boys found that some of the exterior piping had become loosed atthe joints, because of the jar of the sudden descent, and, taking thenecessary tools outside, while they stuck their life-torches uprightnear them, they labored away.
At four o'clock the two lads had their task completed, and at the sametime Professor Henderson announced that the air and water pumps werenow in good shape again.
"Then let's get under way at once," suggested Mr. Roumann. "We havelost enough time as it is. Hurry inside, boys, and we'll start."
The two chums were glad enough to do so, and in a few minutes they wereagain moving through the air toward the unknown portion of the moon.
Below the travellers, as they could see by looking down through aplate-glass window in the floor of the projectile, were the same ruggedpeaks, the same large and small craters that had marked the surface ofthe moon from the time they had first had a glimpse of it. There was anuninteresting monotony about it, unrelieved by any save the verysparest vegetation.
"I am beginning to think more and more that we will find people on theother side of this globe," remarked Mr. Roumann, as he made anobservation through a telescope.
"What strengthens your belief?" inquired Mr. Henderson.
"The fact that the vegetation is growing thicker. There are many moreplants below us now than there were before. This part of the moon isbetter able to support life than the portion we have just come from."
This seemed to be so, but they were still some distance from theopposite side of the moon.
"I don't see anything of those diamonds you talked so much about,Jack," said Mark, with a smile, a little later. "I guess all theReonaris you get you can put in a hollow tooth."
"You wait," was all Jack replied.
The projectile was slowed up to permit the two professors to make somenotes regarding a particularly large and deep crater, and a few minuteslater when Mark, who was in the engine room, attempted to speed up theCordite motor it would not respond.
"Humph! I wonder what's wrong?" he asked of Jack.
"Better call Mr. Roumann, and not try to fix it yourself," suggestedhis chum, when, in response to various movements of the lever, themachine seemed to go slower and slower.
The German came in answer to the summons.
"Ha!" he exclaimed, "that motor is broken again. We shall have to stoponce more for repairs. I shall need to take it all apart, I fear. Getme the negative plate remover, will you, Mark?"
The lad went to the tool chest for it. He opened the lid and fumbledabout inside.
"It doesn't seem to be here," he announced.
"What! the negative plate remover not there?" cried the professor."Why, it must be. It is one of the new tools we got, and it has notbeen used for anything; has it?".
"Oh, by Jinks!" cried Jack suddenly.
"What's the matter?" asked his chum.
"That plate remover! Don't you remember you and I had it when we werefixing the pipes outside the projectile, when we had the otherbreakdown? We must have left it back there on the ground."
Jack and his chum gazed blankly at each other.
"I guess we did," admitted Mark dubiously.
"And it is the only one we have," said Mr. Roumann. "We need it verymuch, too, for the projectile can't very well be moved without it."
"How can we get it?" asked Jack. "I'm sorry. It was my fault."
"It was as much mine as yours," asserted Mark. "I guess it's up to usto go back after it. It isn't far. We can easily walk it."
There seemed to be nothing else to do, and, after some discussion, itwas decided to have the two boys walk back after the missing tool,which was a very valuable one.
"Take fresh life-torches with you," advised Mr. Henderson, "and you hadbetter carry some food with you. It may be farther back than you think,and you may get hungry."
"I guess it will be a good thing to take some lunch along," admittedJack. "And some water, too. We can't get a drink here unless we come toa spring, and we haven't seen any since we arrived."
"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," said Andy. "I may see somethingto shoot."
The three of them, each one carrying a freshly charged vapor-torch, abasket of food and a bottle of water, started off, well wrapped intheir fur coats. Andy had a compass to enable them to make their wayback to where the tool was left, for, amid the towering peaks and thevalley-like depressions, very little of the level surface of the mooncould be seen at a time.
They walked on for several hours, every now and then hoping that theyhad reached the place where the projectile had been halted, and wherethey expected to find the tool. But so many places looked alike thatthey were deceived a number of times.
At length, however, they reached the spot and found the instrumentwhere Jack had carelessly dropped it. They picked it up and turned togo back, when Andy Sudds saw a large crater off to one side.
"Boys, I'm going to have a look down that," he said. "It may contain abear or wildcat, and I can get a shot."
"Guess there isn't much danger of a bear being on the moon," said Mark,but the old hunter leaned as far over the edge of the crater as hedared.
"No, there's nothing here," he announced, with almost a sigh, and hestraightened up. As he did so there came a tinkling sound, as if someone had dropped a piece of money.
"What's that?" asked Jack.
"By heck! It's the compass!" cried Andy. "It slipped from my pocketwhen I stooped over. Now it's gone!"
There was no question of that. They could hear the instrument tinklingfar down in the unfathomable depths, striking from side to side of thecrater as it went down and down.
"We'll never see that again," spoke Mark dubiously. "Can we get back tothe projectile without it?" asked Jack.
"Oh, I fancy I can pick my trail back," answered the hunter. "It isn'tgoing to be easy, for there are no landmarks to guide me, but I'll domy best. I ought to have known better than to put a compass in thatpocket."
It was not with very light hearts that they started back, and for atime they went cautiously. Then, as they seemed to get on familiarground, they increased their pace and covered several miles.
"Say," remarked. Jack, as he sat down on a big stone. "I don't know howthe rest of you feel, but I'm tired. We've come quite a distance sincewe picked up that tool."
"Yes, farther than it took us to find it after we left the projectile,"added Mark. "I wonder if we're going right?"
The t
wo boys looked at Andy. He scratched his head in perplexity.
"I can't be sure, but it seems to me that we came past here," he said."I seem to remember that big rock."
"There are lots like it," observed Jack.
"Suppose we try over to the left," spoke Mark, after they had restedfor ten minutes.
They swerved in that direction, and, after keeping on that trail forsome time, and becoming more and more convinced that it was the wrongone, they turned to the right. That did not bring them to familiarground, and there was no sight of the projectile.
"Let's go straight ahead," suggested Andy, after a puzzled pause. "Ithink that will be best."
"Well, which way is straight ahead?" asked Mark.
"That's so, it is hard to tell," admitted the hunter. "I wish I hadn'tlost that compass."
They wandered about for an hour longer. They could seem to make noprogress, though they covered much ground. Suddenly Jack called out:
"Say, we've been going around in a circle!"
"In a circle?" asked Mark.
"Yes," went on his chum. "Here's the very rock I sat down on a whileago. I remember it, for I scratched my initials on it."
Jack pointed out the letters. There was no disputing it. They had madea complete circle. For a moment they maintained silence in the face ofthis alarming fact. Then Mark exclaimed:
"I guess we're lost!"
"Lost on the moon!" added Jack, in an awestruck voice, and he gazed onthe chill and desolate scene all about them; the great pinnacles ofrocks, in fantastic form; the immense black caverns of craters oneither hand; the sickly green vegetation.
"Lost on the moon!" whispered Mark, and there was not even an echo ofhis voice to keep them company. Only a chill, desolate silence!