CHAPTER IX
THE WRECK
“We’ve got good weather, anyhow,” remarked Ned, as he and his chumsstood in the pilot house of the _Comet_, which Jerry was guiding on heraerial way. “It couldn’t be better.”
“That’s right,” agreed Bob. “I’m glad, too, for the sake of UncleNelson and Cousin Grace--that is, if they are still alive. Bad weatherin an open boat at sea is terrible!”
“Oh, I think they’re alive,” spoke Jerry, cheerfully. “Just think howmany cases there have been of shipwrecked persons living for weeks inopen boats, with hardly any food and water.”
“But it’s awful, just the same,” sighed Bob.
“Oh, we’ll pick ’em up,” declared Jerry, with more cheerfulness than hereally felt.
The _Comet_ sailed steadily onward, high above the earth. It would bean hour or more, on the route Jerry had selected, before they would beover the ocean. Then the real search would begin.
Meanwhile the occupants of the motorship busied themselves aboutvarious tasks. Bob, as might be expected, was in the galley, gettingready the next meal. Ned went about the machinery, oiling it, andseeing that all the apparatus was working properly. Jerry remained inthe pilot house. All of the boys took turns steering, but Jerry seemedmore fitted for this exacting task than either Ned or Bob.
As for Professor Snodgrass he was still engaged in making notes aboutthe new worm he had found. He paid little attention to the working ofthe airship, though, in case of necessity, he always lent his aid.
The boys had gone on for perhaps ten miles when Ned, looking back, andseeing a speck in the sky, called out:
“I say! What’s that? A bird?”
Bob, who had come out on the rear deck where Ned was, looked long andearnestly.
“That isn’t a bird,” he said. “It’s another airship, or I’m mistaken.”
“Let’s tell Jerry,” suggested Ned.
“And get the glass to make a better observation,” added his chum. “Itseems to be following us.”
Jerry set the automatic steering gear, which, for a certain time, wouldguide the airship without the attention of human hands. Then the talllad took a long and careful observation through the telescope.
“Well?” asked Ned, somewhat impatiently.
“It’s an airship, all right,” announced Jerry, “and, unless I’m makinga big mistake, it’s Noddy Nixon’s.”
“What!” cried Ned and Bob together.
“That’s what I believe,” went on Jerry. “Take a look, you fellows.”
In turn Ned and Bob viewed the speck in the air behind them. Bothagreed that it was an airship, but they were not of one opinion as tothe ownership. Ned was sure it was not Noddy’s, while Bob agreed withJerry.
“If it is Noddy, what are you going to do?” asked Ned. “Mind you, I’mnot dead positive it isn’t. Just suppose it is--what’ll you do?”
“Nothing,” answered Jerry, as he turned to go back to the pilot house.“Just keep on--that’s all. When he finds that we’re going to stay outover the ocean for several days, maybe he won’t be so anxious to followus. So we’ll just keep on; that’s all.”
The professor only looked up dreamily when told that they were beingfollowed by an airship. All he said was:
“I hope it doesn’t scare away all the rare insects.”
Then he went outside to sit on the after deck, and look for unusualspecimens that he might capture. Bob and Ned took turns watching theother craft through the glass, while Jerry steered. It did not takelong for Ned to agreed with his two chums that it was indeed NoddyNixon’s craft that was following them.
“You fellows are right,” he said. “Are you still going to do nothing,Jerry?”
“Well, we might try a little trick on him.”
“A trick--how?”
“Blanket him, as one sail boat does another in a race,” said Jerry. “Wecan sail all around him, you know, even if he has a powerful craft.So, when we get near the coast, we’ll just turn back, circle over him,and get low enough down to cut off some of his air. That will stallhim, and he’ll be glad enough to volplane down to earth. He can do it,for we’ve seen him lots of times. Then we’ll go on, and I guess Noddywill have enough so he won’t want to follow--especially when he sees usheading out to sea.”
Jerry slowed up the _Comet_ so that Noddy’s craft gained. By means ofthe glass the figures of Noddy and Bill could be made out plainly now.When Noddy found that he was approaching too close he tried to slackenspeed. But he was too late.
Turning on full power Jerry turned, and made a dash for his enemy. Atfirst Noddy feared a collision, and even cried out a protest. Butthe tall motor lad knew what he was doing. A moment later, and justas the seacoast came in sight, he soared closer to Noddy’s craft, andhovered over it. This, together with the suction caused by the powerfulpropellers of the _Comet_, created an “air pocket.” Jerry had countedon this.
In an instant Noddy’s craft dived downward, but, as the tall lad wellknew, Noddy realized his danger and took the usual precautions. Heshut off his engine, and volplaned, or glided, down to earth. As Jerrywatched him nearing the white sands of the beach he swerved the _Comet_and, with the throttles wide open, sent her out to sea.
“There, I guess he’s had enough of trying to follow us this time,” saidJerry, grimly.
And, down on the beach, where they made a safe, but rather suddenlanding, Noddy and Bill accused each other of being to blame for theaccident.
Meanwhile the _Comet_ kept on, the motor boys chuckling to themselvesat the way they had made Noddy take to earth. He could not start upwardagain in time to follow them, for the _Comet_ was soon out of sight ofland.
And now the real search began. Dinner was served by Bob, and abountiful meal it was. Down below glittered the calm sea--calm afterall the turmoil that had sent several gallant ships to the bottom.
Professor Snodgrass busied himself with his scientific work, now andthen making a capture of some upper-air insect, or making notes ofthose already in his possession.
Ned, Bob and Jerry kept watchful eyes on the waters below them. Theysaw many sailing and steam vessels, and were themselves the cynosure ofmany eyes which gazed aloft at the fine air craft.
Jerry had worked out, as he best could, the approximate position ofthe _Hassen_ as it was reported when she was last seen. Getting to aplace near this, the airship was sent about in ever-increasing circles,covering a wide area over the surface of the sea.
The motorship worked to perfection. Not a trace of the former troublewas noticeable. Jerry and his chums had done their work well.
The night of the first day of the search began to settle down. The bigsearch lamp was set aglow, and by the aid of its powerful rays the boyslooked for a sight of a wreck, or some small boat that might have comefrom the _Hassen_.
If they expected to have success at once they were mistaken. But Jerrypointed out that this could hardly be.
“It’s a chance--and a bare chance--that we’re taking,” he said. “Theonly thing to do is to keep on.”
And keep on they did. All that night they circled about, takingwatch-and-watch. The morning dawned, finding them far at sea, andwithout having sighted that which they sought.
It was toward the close of the second day when the professor, who wasout on the rear deck, trying to capture a strange bug that had beenfollowing the airship, suddenly called:
“Look here, boys! What’s this? The submarine, or a wreck?”
The three rushed to his side, Jerry setting the automatic steerer as heleft the pilot house. The professor pointed down toward the water.
There, rising and falling sluggishly on the surface, was some craft.And, at the sight of it Jerry cried:
“That’s no submarine! It’s a wreck, sure enough. A steamship, too.Maybe she’s the _Hassen_! We’ll soon find out!”