CHAPTER XXI
A MESSAGE FOR HELP
"What sort of stunts are you going to try, Jerry?" asked Ned, as thetall lad hurried here and there about the _Comet_, looking to see thatall the machinery was properly adjusted.
"Oh, I don't know. We'll go up quite a distance--higher than any of thecraft they have here, I guess, and we'll do some aerial evolutions.Then I thought we might show them how we can change from a dirigible toan aeroplane and back again, in mid-air, by letting the gas out of thebag, and filling it again."
"That's a good idea."
"Why don't you demonstrate the hydroplanes, too?" asked Bob, who, forsome time now, had not mentioned eating.
"Where's the water?" inquired Jerry.
"I saw a little lake over in that direction as we were coming down,"announced the stout lad, pointing toward the left. "It looked bigenough to land on, and even if you can't scoot across it, and rise fromit, we can go up as a balloon."
"All right, we'll do it," agreed Jerry. "Better tell the secretary thatif the crowd wants to see that stunt they'll have to hustle over."
Bob took this information to the official, who came hurrying over fromhis office, greatly delighted at the prospect of having some attractionto take the part on the program that was to have been filled by thebiplane. The secretary had announcements made through megaphones,concerning the prospective flight of the motor boys, and telling of thehydroplane feature.
Matters were soon in readiness, and, after a vain search for ProfessorSnodgrass, who, the boys thought likely, was off gathering bugs, it wasdecided to go up without him.
Up shot the _Comet_ as Jerry turned on the gas. Straight up into theair she went, for it was as a dirigible balloon that the owners decidedto show their craft's ability. Then, after doing some intricate figuresat a comparatively low elevation, Jerry went out after a height record.
It is needless to say that he got it, for the barograph registered alittle over three miles when they started to descend. They would nothave had to come down then, only they ran into a cold snowstorm in theupper regions, and they did not want to take any chances.
When they landed, and the officials gave out the verified figures oftheir climb into space there was a hearty cheer. Jerry, with the aidof his chums, next showed what their craft could do as an aeroplane.She was sent skimming along the ground on the bicycle wheels, and, whenenough momentum had been acquired, the steersman tilted the elevationrudder and up soared the _Comet_ again.
This time the stunt of sailing along as an aeroplane, suddenly stoppingthe propellers, and changing to the form of a dirigible balloon wassuccessfully accomplished, to the delight of the watching throng.
"Now for the hydroplanes!" Jerry announced to Bob and Ned, giving thesignal agreed upon to those below. The press of people made a rush forthe little lake about half a mile distant, and the boys waited untilmost of the crowd lined the shores before starting toward it.
Then, after sailing swiftly above the surface of the water Jerrysuddenly began a descent. While Bob and Ned managed the craft Jerrystood ready at the hydroplane levers.
"Tell me when to shunt them into place," he called to Bob who was onthe lookout.
"Now!" suddenly shouted the stout lad.
The lever snapped forward, the floats on the toggle-jointed arms wentdownward, while the bicycle wheels came up and, a moment later, the_Comet_ was afloat.
A cheer went up from the crowd, and there was continued hearty applausefor a feat that has seldom been seen, save very recently in airshipcircles.
Jerry put the craft slowly about on the lake, and then as it wasdrawing toward noon, when other aeroplane "stunts" would be the orderof the day, and as they were anxious to see if they could sight Mr.Jackson returning, it was decided to go back to the aviation park.
Another cheer greeted the ability of our heroes, as they headed theircraft for the park, and the crowd streamed back below them.
"See anything of the dirigible?" asked Jerry, as Ned was anxiouslyscanning the air all about them.
"No," was the somewhat despondent answer. "Mr. Jackson's machinedoesn't appear to be in sight."
"Try with the glasses," suggested the tall lad, passing to themerchant's son a pair of powerful binoculars. "Maybe you can pick himup with those."
Ned swept the horizon, and pointed the glasses to the zenith, taking inall the intervening space as well as he could. But the sight of a blackspeck, which could be focussed into a dirigible balloon, did not greethis eyes.
"Oh, well, he'll come back sooner or later," declared Jerry. "Perhapshe went farther than he intended to."
"Sure, he'll come back," added Bob. "We do seem to have the greatestluck missing that man. Everywhere we go we are just too late."
"I hope not this time," said Ned in a low voice. "The only thing that'sworrying me is that he may have met with some accident, and----"
"Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed Jerry. "If there had been an accident we'dhave heard of it. The grounds here are connected by telegraph with NewYork City and the whole country for that matter. In fact we're only afew miles from New York. We must try a trip across it before we go backto Cresville."
"That'll make the people in the skyscrapers look out of the windows andget stiff necks," predicted Bob with a laugh.
As they landed and made fast their craft, in a sheltered space setaside for them by the secretary of the meet, the boys were aware ofsome excitement around a small building near the committee offices.
"What's going on over there I wonder?" asked Ned, as he saw a crowdrunning toward it, and surrounding a man in his shirt sleeves, who helda paper in his hand.
"We'll go over and see," suggested Jerry. "Maybe Professor Snodgrasshas just discovered a pink flea on a yellow dog, or has picked some newkind of July bug from a lady's hat."
As they neared the place they saw by a sign on the temporary woodenbuilding that it was a telegraph office, and also one where wirelessmessages could be received and sent.
"It's news from somewhere, evidently," commented Ned.
They pushed their way through the press of people.
"What is it?" cried several. "Read it to us!"
"I will, if you'll be quiet," answered the man with the flutteringpaper in his hand. "This is a wireless message I just received from Mr.Wescott Jackson. It was sent from his dirigible balloon _Manhattan_."
"Read it!" cried the impatient throng.
"Here it is!" went on the man, and read as follows:
"'We are disabled and are being blown out to sea in the grip of anupper-air hurricane! Send help, if possible!'"