CHAPTER VIII.
AN ACCIDENT.
"I think I see it, mate!" called Dick, as the Hawk came closer to theclear stretch of sand. "To the right a little--about two points--andkeep her dropping as she is."
"I see it, too!" declared Townsend, leaning out over the rail.
When ascending or descending, the car of the air ship, as mightnaturally be supposed, was always tilted. In the present instance itwas inclined at a dangerous angle, for Matt was trying to bring thecraft to an even keel as nearly over the spot where the sextant waslying as he could.
The inclination of the car made it exceedingly difficult for those whowere standing to keep their feet, and it was only by clinging to therail that they could do so. Matt had a chair, and there were supportsagainst which he could brace his feet, thus leaving his hands free atall times to manage the motor.
When about twelve feet above the beach, another gust of air struck theair ship, buffeting her roughly sideways, Townsend was leaning so farover the rail that the jerk of the car caused him to lose his balance.His hands were torn from the rail and he pitched headlong out of thecar.
At this mishap, which threatened tragic consequences, consternationseized the boys.
"Donnervetter!" whooped Carl, "he vill be killed."
Quickly as he could, Matt brought the Hawk to the beach. There was noway of mooring the craft, and she swung back and forth in the wind,making it necessary for Matt to stay aboard.
"Tumble out, Dick, you and Carl," Matt called. "See if Townsend hasbeen hurt."
Dick and Carl found Townsend trying to get up. His face was set aswith pain, and it was clearly evident that he had not come through themishap uninjured.
"What's the matter?" asked Dick.
"It's my foot," answered Townsend, stifling a groan. "I turned in theair and struck almost on my feet. I'm lucky, I suppose, not to havelanded on my head and broken my neck. It's a sprain, I guess, but ithurts like Sam Hill. Help me up."
Dick and Carl got on each side of Townsend and lifted him erect. Theinjury to his right foot was so great that he could not step on it, andwas almost carried back to the car by the two boys.
"We'd better put in at Stone Harbor, Mr. Townsend," said Matt, atroubled look crossing his face, "and let a doctor have a look at you."
"I'm sure it's only a sprain," returned Townsend, pluckily, "and wewon't delay the voyage by stopping at Stone Harbor. Just make mecomfortable on the floor of the car and have Carl take off my shoe andwrap a bandage around the foot. I'll get along. It was my own fault,"he added, "for I had no business to be leaning so far over the rail.Pick up the sextant, Ferral."
Dick went for the sextant. It had fallen in soft sand and, althoughdamaged to some extent, had not lost its usefulness.
While Dick was recovering the sextant, Carl was making Townsend ascomfortable as possible on the floor of the car. A folded canvasshelter, which Matt had devised as a covering for the Hawk, was broughtinto requisition and spread out for Townsend to lie on. Townsend's shoewas then removed. The foot and ankle as yet showed no signs of theinjury, but every touch caused so much pain that Townsend had to clinchhis teeth to keep from crying out.
Matt, for such an emergency as had just presented itself, alwayscarried a bottle of arnica in the toolbox. Carl got out the arnica,soaked a rag with it and bound the rag around Townsend's foot. Overthis another bandage was placed, and Townsend lay back on his makeshiftcouch and rested.
"It would only delay us a few hours," said Matt, "to stop at StoneHarbor and have a doctor give your foot proper attention."
"I don't think that's necessary, Matt," answered Townsend. "Get underway again. We've lost half an hour already."
The accident, although it had resulted in an injury which might havebeen infinitely more serious, dropped a pall over the spirits of thethree boys. If omens counted for anything, the cruise was to end indisaster.
Matt started the machinery and got the air ship aloft and once moreheaded on her course. How he and his chums were ever going to reachTurtle Key, hampered by an injured passenger, was more than he knew.The outlook was dubious, to say the least.
Noon found them over the State of Delaware and reaching along towardChesapeake Bay. The wind grew steady and shifted until it was almostdirectly behind them, and the Hawk went spinning through the air at therate of forty miles an hour.
As if to offset this favorable trend of wind and weather, Townsend'sinjury appeared to be growing steadily worse. His ankle was swollen andthere was a dark, angry look to the skin. The pain was intense, butTownsend insisted that the Hawk should keep steadily on her way. At allcosts, he declared, they must make the most of the favoring breeze.
The rations were drawn upon for dinner, Dick eating first and thentaking Matt's place among the levers while he bolted his food.
Early in the afternoon the Hawk sailed over the broad mouth ofChesapeake Bay and was saluted by an American man-of-war that waspassing below them.
Carl busied himself taking care of Townsend, and Matt and Dick gavetheir attention to the maps. Townsend had eaten a good dinner and wasfeeling somewhat better.
"What was that?" he asked, rousing up as the sound of the salutingcannon rattled on his ears.
Matt explained, and Townsend watched Dick as he dipped the stars andstripes that always flew from the rear end of the car.
"We've got to keep pegging along, night and day," said Townsend, "untilwe reach the island. After that we can take things a little easier."
"If there's no timber on the island," spoke up Dick, "how are we goingto moor the Hawk? The island's so small that we'll have our hands fullkeeping the air ship from being blown out to sea."
"In a pinch," suggested Matt, "we can fill that canvas covering for theHawk with sand and tie the craft to it."
"Sandbags would be better, if we had them," remarked Townsend. "Propme up a little, Carl," he added, to the Dutch boy; "I want to do somewriting."
Carl bolstered Townsend up with one of the boxes of provisions, and theinjured man put in an hour of pencil work on the back of an old letter.By then it was evident that his ankle was paining him again, and he putaway the pencil and the results of his labor, had the box removed andlaid flat down in the car. Presently he was asleep. Dick came aft alongthe rail for a few words with Matt.
"We'll never be able to take Townsend to the island, matey," said Dick,in a low tone. "It's my opinion that he's worse off than he thinks heis. That don't look to me like a sprain, but like a break."
Matt nodded glumly.
"It's hard luck, Dick," he answered, "but I'm of your opinion. Still,what can we do? Townsend has chartered the Hawk for two weeks, andwe're under his orders. If he insists that we stay aloft with him andtake him to Turtle Key, we'll have to try it."
"I guess you've nicked it. We're under orders, as you say, and we'vegot to do just what Townsend tells us, but I'll be keelhauled if theprospect ain't discouraging. We're out to win that five thousand, and Iguess we can do it, but I'd like mighty well to help Townsend and notstand by and see him spend his money without getting a fair return forit."
"That's the way I feel," agreed Matt. "The weather's good, the windfavoring, and all we can do is to keep fanning along. By to-morrow,something may happen to give things a brighter look. Go forward, Dick,watch the maps and keep a sharp lookout. Let me know where we are fromtime to time."
The motor hummed steadily, and hour after hour the Hawk clove her waythrough the air. They passed over Newport News and Norfolk, and couldsee the inhabitants of each town running along the streets and lookingup at them.
All sounds from the earth reached those in the air ship with weirddistinctness. The cries of the people, the galloping hoofs of a horse,the rattle of a wagon floated upward, clear and strong.
Questions were shouted to the boys, but before they could have answeredthe swiftly moving Hawk had carried them out of earshot. They made ita rule to do no talking with the people below, not having the time forany extended conversati
on and knowing well that what little they couldsay would only increase the general curiosity instead of lessening it.
Well to the south of Norfolk the air ship reached out along theCarolina coast. When the sun went down, and it was falling dark,lights were beginning to gleam in a city which, from the maps, the boysknew to be Wilmington. Matt's watch told him it was seven o'clock. Theyhad been twelve hours on the wing and had covered a distance which, byair line, measured more than five hundred miles.
It was decided by the boys that the night should be divided into threewatches, and that during each watch one of them should take his "turnbelow," as Dick expressed it.
During the first watch, from seven to eleven, Dick was to be in chargeof the motor and Carl was to take the lookout, while Matt slept; fromeleven to three, Matt was to look after the motor, Carl was to continueon lookout duty, and Dick was to sleep; and from three to seven, Carlwas to sleep and Dick was to relieve him.
As soon as the lights of Wilmington had died into a glow behind thecar, Matt laid himself down beside Townsend and was soon "taking hisstretch off the land, full and by, forty knots," as Dick remarked toCarl.
Matt had slept nearly his allotted four hours, although it did not seemto him as though he had much more than closed his eyes, when he wasaroused by the report of a firearm and a startled yell from Carl.
In a twinkling the young motorist was on his feet, hanging to the rail,peering about him and asking what was the matter.
Before either Matt or Carl could answer, another report echoed out, theringing impact of a bullet against the car's framework was heard, andthen the whistle of the ball as it carromed off into space.
Springing to the levers, Matt jerked at the one which lifted or loweredthe rudder. In another moment, the Hawk was climbing up the moonbeamslike a black streak.