CHAPTER XVIII.
THE DISASTER TO THE "LIBERTAD."
"HERE'S a pretty how d'ye do!" remarked Whittinghame when the news ofZaypuru's daring stroke was received by the "Meteor." "That altersthe state of affairs, I'm thinking. What would you do, Dacres? Waittill the 'Libertad' I arrives, or make a dash across the Sierras intoValderian territory and attempt the rescue of the prisoners?"
"Wait for Durango--that would be the best course, I think. I don'tsuppose Admiral Maynebrace will come to any harm. But I wasforgetting your brother."
"I wasn't," said the Captain of the "Meteor." "We must find out wherethe Admiral and his staff are imprisoned. If they are shut up in theCavarale--that's the name of the prison on the outskirts ofNaocuanha--Gerald will have company. Then, again, will Durango returnto Valderia now that the submarines are destroyed? The phase of thesituation seems to point to the possibility of the Mexican desertingthe sinking ship and trying his luck with the plans elsewhere."
"But he has large pecuniary interests in Naocuanha."
"True. After all, I think we might hang on a little while longer. Ihave no reason to doubt my agent's report that the 'Libertad' isordered to proceed to Salto Augusto; unless the report is a false oneissued to put us off the scent. Durango might have followed hisoriginal plan and proceeded by rail."
"In that case we have been nicely had," said Dacres.
"We'll remain here twenty-four hours longer," decided Whittinghame;"then, if the 'Libertad' does not put in an appearance, we'll make anight descent upon Naocuanha."
While the officers of the "Meteor" were at lunch Callaghan brought ina message received by wireless that the "Libertad" had left Naocuanhaat seven that morning, bound east.
"Good!" ejaculated Whittinghame. "Left Naocuanha at seven? She has athousand mile flight. Allowing her speed to be the same as that ofthe 'Meteor'--although I doubt it--she ought to reach Salto Augustoby about noon or one o'clock. They couldn't have chosen a better timeas far as we are concerned, for the sun will be almost directlyoverhead. At five thousand feet we'll run no risk of being spotted."
At exactly fifteen minutes past twelve the watchers on the Britishairship saw her rival approaching. The "Libertad" was flying low--atan altitude of about five hundred feet. This proved that her speedwas approximately the same as that of her opponent. In appearance shestrongly resembled the "Meteor," but, of course, Whittinghame was notaware of the details of her construction and propulsive arrangements.Durango had had the secret of the ultra-hydrogen, but whether he knewhow to render the gas non-inflammable was a question that could notbe satisfactorily answered by the Captain of the "Meteor."
Keeping the "Libertad" under observation by means of their powerfulbinoculars the officers of the "Meteor" saw the Valderian craftalight at less than half a mile from the outskirts of the town. Shedid not remain long. Almost skimming along the ground, like a snakecrawling stealthily through the grass, she turned westward.
Although the "Meteor" could not adopt offensive methods overBrazilian territory, there was now no further need of concealment.She could follow the "Libertad" relentlessly, keeping her in viewuntil she crossed the border. Then she would act promptly anddecisively.
Swooping downwards, but still maintaining a superior elevation, the"Meteor" began to chase. With her motors running "all out" she slowlyyet surely overhauled her prey, till a sudden spurt on the part ofthe "Libertad" announced the fact that she had sighted her pursuer,and was putting on extra speed.
Mile after mile the two airships tore at a terrific rate. On boardthe "Meteor" the bomb-dropping gear was made ready, and the lightquick-firers manned. But even had Whittinghame wished to open fireupon the enemy, the speed at which the "Meteor" was travelling putthat out of the question, until the "Libertad" was overhauledsufficiently for the British craft's guns to be trained abeam. Norcould the machine guns on the promenade deck be worked. No man couldstand to serve them in the howling gale that swept past the rapidlymoving vessel.
On the other hand Durango could make use of the two after guns on the"Libertad" without risk. To open the bow-ports of the "Meteor" meantserious damage both to the structure of the hull and to her crew,unless the speed were materially reduced.
The Captain of the "Libertad" cared not one jot for internationalrights now that he was on his way back to Valderia. He opened fireupon the "Meteor," two shells fitted with time-fuses screeching pastthe huge flimsy target and bursting three hundred yards astern.
"This won't do," remarked Whittinghame calmly. "We cannot afford tobe potted without chance of replying."
He turned and gave a brief order. The elevating planes and anaddition of ultra-hydrogen resulted in the "Meteor" quickly bouncingup another two thousand feet. Her Captain's plan was to gain animportant advantage in altitude and continue to overhaul the"Libertad." He would thus have what corresponded to the weather-gaugein old-time frigate actions.
In the excitement of the chase the hours sped quickly--so quicklythat Whittinghame uttered an exclamation of surprise when Dacresannounced that the frontier was passed and that the "Meteor" wasabove Valderian territory.
"Are you quite sure?" he asked.
"Of course, sir, I couldn't obtain an absolutely correct reading onaccount of the motion and the slight refraction of the glassscuttles," replied Dacres. "But I am quite convinced that, allowing amargin of safety, we are between twenty and thirty miles over thedividing-line."
"There are the Sierras," announced Setchell, pointing to a row ofsnow-topped peaks. "If the 'Libertad' doesn't begin to ascend, she'llhave a stiff climb."
"We have her right enough," said Whittinghame, rubbing his handsgleefully. "We have her. Before she can ascend sufficiently to clearthose peaks we'll have overhauled her."
"Unless she finds a pass between the mountains," added Dr. Hambrough,who, in his shirt-sleeves, was going through the contents of anambulance-chest.
Nearer and nearer drew the formidable chain of peaks. Both airshipswere continually ascending, but it was quite apparent to the crew ofthe "Meteor" that unless the "Libertad" rose at a fairly steep angleshe would never clear the summit. Even if she attempted it her speedmust be greatly retarded, during which time the "Meteor" would haveoverlapped her antagonist.
Suddenly the Valderian airship ported her helm, slowing down as shedid so. Whittinghame instantly ordered the "Meteor's" motors to bestopped.
"She means to show fight!" he exclaimed.
Once again Durango had gained the better position by skilfulmanoeuvring. Owing to the great difference in height the "Meteor's"bombs stood little chance of hitting the target, immense though itwas. She was provided with only two quick-firing guns that could betrained immediately beneath her; while the six weapons on verticalmountains on the "Libertad's" upper platform could be brought intoplay.
"The cunning sweep!" ejaculated Whittinghame.
Round swung the "Meteor," then, plunging steeply, she made off atfull speed at right angles to her former course, until she was barelytwo hundred feet above the height of her antagonist.
The craft were now seven thousand yards apart. Each, when viewed fromthe other, resembled a thin dark line against the deep blue sky.
It was a long range, but Whittinghame decided to try his luck. Thefive broadside quick-firers spoke simultaneously. No reply came fromthe "Libertad," which now set off as fast as she could towards themountains.
Evidently Durango was adopting Fabian tactics. Whittinghame mutteredangrily. He had been out-witted by their manoeuvres and had lost theadvantage of altitude which he had hitherto possessed.
Ten minutes later the "Libertad" vanished from sight behind aprecipitous bluff in the mountains. Evidently the pilot of theValderian airship knew of a means of escape. He had taken her intoone of the deep gorges that penetrate these stupendous walls of rock.
Well it was that the Captain of the "Meteor" had not ordered theupper deck guns to be manned. There was, in consequence, no delaywhile the promenade-deck was being cleared.
r /> At half-speed the "Meteor" again stood in pursuit of her rival.
A hundred miles an hour is a dangerous pace to navigate an airshipbetween mountainous walls, but Whittinghame was not to be denied.What the "Libertad" could do, he would do--and more. Even then, heargued that if the pursued maintained her utmost rate of speed shewould be practically out of sight before the "Meteor" emerged fromthe narrow valley. At all costs the "Libertad" must be brought to bayere she reached Naocuanha.
Whittinghame now realized that, with true British contempt offoreigners, he had underrated the capabilities of his rival. Heresolved, with bulldog tenacity, to carry on, heedless of risks.
On the other hand Reno Durango never thought for one moment that the"Meteor" would follow the "Libertad" through the mountain pass. Hefully expected that his rival would laboriously climb to a heightsufficient to enable him to cross the snow-clad range. By that timethe "Libertad" would be under the cover of the guns of Naocuanha.
Acting under this supposition the Mexican ordered speed to be reducedduring the passage of the gorge, and at a bare fifty miles an hourthe "Libertad" entered the gloomy defile. On either hand the cliffstowered almost vertically to a height of two thousand feet; abovethis the mountainside rose with less declivity until it reached farabove the snow-line. The pass itself averaged two hundred yards inwidth, and, although winding, its curves were gradual enough to allowthe thousand odd feet of airship to be manoeuvred with comparativeease.
"Steady on your helm, Callaghan," cautioned Whittinghame as the"Meteor" swung round the projecting bluff.
With every nerve on the alert the crew of the pursuing craft stood attheir posts, those for'ard half-expecting to see their rival broughtup to bar their way, those aft, unable to use their powers of vision,trusting implicitly in the energy and skill of their young commander.
Ahead lay the narrow gorge, desolate, forbidding and withal majestic.There were no signs of the "Libertad."
Bend after bend was negotiated in safety. In four minutes the"Meteor" traversed the pass, then, to the surprise of her officers,they found the "Libertad" waiting broadside on, at a distance of lessthan half a mile.
Nor was the dramatic appearance of the "Meteor" as she suddenlyemerged from between the lofty mountain range any the less surprisingto Durango and his crew. So intent were they in watching the peaks ofthe Sierras that for the moment they could scarce believe their eyes.
That the "Libertad" meant to fight was evident from the fact that shehad slackened speed and had hoisted Valderian colours from an ensignstaff at the after end of her upper deck.
Before the "Meteor's" guns could open fire a fusillade of musketryand a broadside from the guns on the upper deck of the hostileairship woke the silence of the valley. The British craft reeled,then, several of her ballonettes pierced through and through, shebegan to drop vertically through space.
As Whittinghame sprang to the emergency lever for charging thereserve sub-sections to the full capacity, a shout from hiscompanions attracted his attention. Thrusting down the metal rod heturned to follow the direction of Dacres' outstretched arm.
The "Libertad" was turning turtle.
Slowly, but with increasing speed she rolled over to port, till thewhole extent of her upper deck sloped at an angle of sixty degrees.Her guns broke from their mountings and went crashing through thelight metal stanchions into the depths. Men, frantically strugglingto keep a foothold or clinging to the railings, slipped off heraluminium deck to a swift yet awful death in the vast abyss below.
Still falling she turned on her longitudinal axis till she describeda complete semi-circle. All the while her propellers were driving herahead. The horizontal planes, that in her normal position would tendto make her ascend, now acted in a totally opposite direction. Shewas descending rapidly under her own power rather than the force ofgravity towards the earth.
Spellbound and too enthralled to notice the injuries to their owncraft the crew of the "Meteor" watched the scene of disaster, till,with a crash, accompanied by the hiss of the escaping ultra-hydrogen,the bows of the "Libertad" plunged into a thick clump of mountainpine-trees. For a few seconds the wreckage hung in an obliqueposition, then, the framework slowly collapsing, the Valderianairship finished her brief career upon the unsympathetic soil of hernative land.
"Good heavens!" ejaculated the doctor, breaking the tense silence.Strong nerved though he was and used to the scientific horrors of theoperating room, the appalling tragedy made him feel giddy and sick.
Whittinghame moved to the telephone.
"Stand by to anchor," he ordered coolly. Then turning to hiscompanions: "There is no time to be lost; we must repair damages andinvestigate the wreck. Since there is no sign of fire, we may be ableto recover the plans intact."