CHAPTER XXIV
IN THE HURRICANE
"Well, now we're well started, I think I'll go and----"
"See about dinner, or supper or breakfast, or something like that; eh,Chunky?" interrupted Ned with a laugh.
"Hu? How'd you know?" asked the stout lad.
"Oh, I could tell by the expression of your face," remarked themerchant's son. "Whenever you begin that way you can generally bedepended on, Bob, to say something about eating."
"Aren't you hungry, Jerry?" and the stout lad appealed for vindicationto his tall chum.
"Yes, I am," he admitted. "Go ahead, Bob, and get something ready whileNed and I take a look around the machinery and see if it's working allright."
"I'll wager Ned's hungry, too, only he won't admit it," murmured thefat lad as he started toward the galley.
They had been making good progress and it had been some time sincethey had eaten, for the alarming message about the unmanageabledirigible balloon, and the excitement that followed, had driven allthoughts of meals from their minds. Now, however, in spite of Ned'sjoking, everyone was glad Bob had mentioned eating.
The _Comet_ was sailing along over the ocean, not making any greatspeed, for Jerry and his chums had not yet decided what course tofollow. It was rather like searching in the dark, for they did not knowin which direction to look for the _Manhattan_. They could only cruiseabout, trusting to chance to put them on the right path.
Jerry and Ned found that the machinery was working well, and the talllad, on his return to the pilot house, ventured to speed up the motorslightly. Meanwhile Bob was busy with the meal, which would be a crossbetween a late dinner and an early supper.
Professor Snodgrass had laid aside his note-books, and had put away hisspecimen boxes. Now, with a small but powerful telescope he was seatedon the forward deck of the motor-ship, eagerly scanning the ocean belowhim for a sight of the flying singing fish.
"Do you expect to find it so near land, Professor?" asked Ned.
"No, hardly, yet I must not let a chance escape me. Even if I don't getthe fish I want right away, I may see some other specimen I need. Youcan descend whenever you want to, can't you?"
"I suppose so, but you'd better talk to Jerry about that part of it."
The professor lost no time in interviewing the tall lad, for he wantedto be ready to have the _Comet_ drop to the surface of the ocean at amoment's notice, in case he saw a specimen he desired to catch.
"Yes, we can go down almost any time except when it's too rough,"said Jerry. "In fact, I was thinking of going down shortly to see howthe hydroplanes worked on salt water. They ought to do better than infresh, as salt water is more buoyant. We'll go down as soon as we havesomething to eat."
Perhaps the professor can be excused for hurrying through with hismeal, as he was anxious to get down to the surface of the sea. Jerry,too, wondered how his new attachment would work when there was a swellon, for, up to now, he had only tested the hydroplanes on comparativelysmooth water.
"Well, here we go," he announced, when, after getting up from thetable, they had all gathered in the pilot house ready for the descent."Ned, you take charge of the air rudder, will you? And Bob, you standhere ready to throw in the gears of the water propeller when I give theword. I'm going to stand by the hydroplane lever."
"Is there anything I can do?" asked the professor eagerly. "I'd like tohelp."
"Oh, I guess we can manage," replied Jerry. "Pull the depressinghandle, Ned."
The merchant's son yanked the lever toward him. Almost instantly the_Comet_ pointed her nose toward the ocean that rolled below them. Theboys were now practically out of sight of land.
Professor Snodgrass, seeing that he could be of no service, again tookup his telescope to scan the water for a possible sight of some fishspecimen, though he did not hope to so soon get the prize he sought.
"We're almost down," murmured Ned, who was keeping watch through aglass window in the floor of the pilot house.
"Yes," agreed Jerry. "Now, Ned, stand ready to haul up on the bicyclewheels when I give the word."
The three boys were on the alert. Would the new attachment work on theocean? They were all anxious to know.
"Now, Bob and Ned!" called Jerry suddenly.
Ned hauled up the bicycle wheels, which were on jointed arms. Bob threwthe gears of the water propeller into mesh, while Jerry lowered thetoggle-jointed arms to which were attached the hydroplanes.
Down upon the surface of the ocean settled the _Comet_, and then, asJerry started the motor which revolved the water propeller, the craftdarted forward with an easy motion like some graceful yacht.
"How about it?" asked Bob eagerly.
"Couldn't be better," declared Jerry. "The hydroplanes work as well onthe ocean as they did on the lake. Boys, it's a great success. Now ifwe find Mr. Jackson and his friends we can rescue them in the air or onthe water!"
They moved along for a mile or more upon the surface of the sea. Ofcourse their progress was not as smooth as in the air, for there was arolling, heaving motion to the ocean waves. But as our heroes were usedto travel in a big motor-boat, they did not mind the swell.
Professor Snodgrass did not see his singing fish, nor did he havegreat hopes that he would. He used a small net which was sunk to somelittle depth by means of weights, but he did not get any valuablespecimens. Only one small fish rewarded his efforts.
"I don't care for it myself," he said, "but I have a friend who willlike it for his collection," and he put it into a jar of water to saveit.
As the afternoon was waning Jerry decided to ascend into the air again,and so, starting the larger propellers, in order to get more speed,they mounted upward, and once more were on their way, searching for thedisabled balloon.
But the welcome sight of the _Manhattan_ did not greet them, anddarkness was fast coming on. The great searchlight was kindled and withthe glowing beam shooting ahead of them they continued on through space.
All night they travelled, one or the other of the boys being on thewatch all the while, searching the heavens for a glimpse of a movinglight that would indicate the presence of the craft they sought. Butmorning came with no success.
"Do you know what I think we ought to do," spoke Bob, after breakfast.
"What; eat again?" asked Ned, with a wink at Jerry.
"No. Now cut out that joking, can't you? I think we ought to go higherup, say a couple of miles. The air will be clearer, and we can seefarther."
"Good idea, Chunky!" declared Jerry. "We'll do it. Maybe we can see theballoon, then."
The motor was speeded up, and in a short time, with her elevatingrudders tilted skyward, the _Comet_ was climbing higher into the air.When the barograph measured fourteen thousand feet height Jerry sentthe craft along at that level, while all on board peered eagerly aboutfor the _Manhattan_.
They had been travelling on this way for perhaps two hours, and Jerrywas wondering how far they might venture out over the ocean, when Nedasked:
"Why are you speeding up the motor? Aren't we going fast enough?"
"I haven't put on any more speed," was the reply.
"Look at the tractometer," was Ned's reply, and glancing at theinstrument Jerry saw, with a start, that they were going aboutseventy-five miles an hour.
"That's odd," he remarked, "the motor is only set for about forty."
"What can be the matter?" asked Bob.
Even as he spoke they noticed that the needle of the dial on thetractometer slowly swung around until it pointed to ninety miles. Atthe same time they were aware that there was a curious humming sound inthe air outside.
"We must have struck a swiftly-moving current of air," spoke Jerry.
Once more they looked at the tractometer. It now registered a hundredmiles an hour, and the sound outside increased to a roar.
Suddenly the _Comet_ gave a sickening dive, and almost turned turtle.Only the new fin-keels Jerry had put on, and the automatic equilibriummachine, saved them from being tur
ned over.
"What's the matter?" cried Professor Snodgrass, coming into thesteering tower.
"It must be an upper-air hurricane!" gasped Jerry. "The same kind thatcaught the _Manhattan_! We're in its power!"
The wind was now howling and roaring outside the motor-ship, whichplunged and careened in the air like a ship in a storm on the ocean.Faster and faster she scudded along in the gale, more rapidly than hermotors could take her, even at top speed.
"We must go down!" gasped Jerry hoarsely. "Go down, or we may be rippedall apart!" And he sprang to the lever of the depressing rudder.