CHAPTER XXVIII
THE RED BALLOON
"Catch him! Save him!" cried Bob.
Ned did not cry out, but he made a convulsive spring for the professor,just as he was disappearing.
Now, Nature had blessed the scientist with a pair of long legs, thoughshe had made his body very short. Consequently, though his body wasentirely out of the window, and his head was hanging down toward theearth, his feet had not yet passed over the sill. This Ned saw, and hetook advantage of it like a flash.
He grabbed the professor's ankles with all his strength and threwhimself backward to counteract the effect of the pull caused by theinvoluntary tumble of the little man.
"Grab me, Bob!" cried Ned, and his chum had presence of mind enough todo as he was told without stopping to ask why.
The result was that the professor was caught just in time, and thegrips of the two sturdy youths prevented him from falling. But theycould not pull him in, as his loose trousers had caught on the sill.All they could do was to hold him there while Jerry, all unconscious ofwhat had happened, was in the steering tower, sending the ship ahead atgreat speed.
"Help!" cried Bob.
The professor had uttered no sound. Probably he was too frightened.Mr. Glassford heard the cry, and rushed from the sleeping-cabin, halfdressed. He saw what had happened, and adding his strength to that ofthe boys, the poor professor was soon pulled inside the cabin. His facewas red, for much blood had run to his head, but otherwise he was calmand collected.
"Look out for the handle of my net," he said as he stood in the cabinand began to haul in his apparatus for catching specimens.
"What, didn't you drop your net?" asked Ned in great astonishment.
"And lose that valuable bird?" inquired the professor. "I guess not. Icaught it, all right, and have it safe in the net. Here it is."
He continued to pull the net in, and a moment later showed to hisaudience a curious bird, with brilliant plumage. The little creaturewas entangled in the meshes of the net, but the scientist carefullydisentangled it, and placed the bird in a small cage.
"That will be a most valuable addition to my collection," he said. "Itis worth all this trip has cost me."
"But, my dear sir, you might have met a horrible death!" exclaimed Mr.Glassford.
"I didn't, though," retorted the professor with a calm smile. "'A missis as good as a mile,' you know."
"Don't take any more misses like that," urged the inventor.
"I probably won't see any more birds like this one," was what thescientist replied.
Breakfast was served at a mile and a quarter above the earth, Mr.Glassford having decided to go higher in search of a different currentthat would carry the _Comet_ in a more southerly direction. The upperregions, however, did not seem to furnish what he wanted, and aftersailing along for several miles he decided to drop back toward theearth again. Accordingly, the depression rudder was set, and thepointed nose of the motor ship was aimed at _terra firma_.
They ran into a bank of white, fleecy clouds, and for a time nothingcould be seen but them, for the travelers were enveloped as in a densefog. Then they dropped through that, and saw spread out below them abig open stretch of country.
But something else was also below them. The three boys, who were in thecabin, all saw it at once, and their cry attracted the attention of Mr.Glassford.
"The red balloon!" cried Jerry. "It's the red balloon from Park Haven!It's ahead of us! Let's race it, Mr. Glassford."
The inventor was not at all unwilling to try conclusions with hisrival, especially since a whole day had passed and the red airship wasstill ahead. It was time for the _Comet_ to show what she could do.
The ship was sent down until it was about on a level with the redballoon. Then Mr. Glassford speeded up the motor to overtake his rival,that was over a mile ahead.
The boys took turns watching it through the telescope, and they couldnote that the four men on the red craft were also observing themthrough glasses.
"Do you think we can beat them?" asked Bob anxiously.
"We've got to," replied Jerry. "Leave it to Mr. Glassford."
The inventor soon sent for Jerry to aid him in the steering tower, andthe two were kept busy manipulating the wheels and levers.
"I think I'll go up a trifle," announced Mr. Glassford, when at the endof half an hour of speeding they had gained little if anything on thered machine. "There is a slight contrary wind at this level."
Once more the motor craft ascended. The wisdom of this was at onceapparent. Aided by a stiff breeze, blowing in the same direction asthat in which the _Comet_ was sailing, she rapidly began to overhaulthe red balloon. But the pilot of that was evidently an old hand atthe game. He too sent his craft up until it was on a level with the_Comet_. But the latter maintained her advantage, and even increasedit, until, that afternoon, the red balloon was only a quarter of a mileahead.
"Can we beat them?" asked Jerry anxiously.
Mr. Glassford nodded.
"I haven't run the motor to the limit yet," he said, "and I fancy theyhave. I'll pass them at dusk."
Mr. Glassford made good his boast. All that afternoon he was slowlycreeping up on the red balloon, though the crew of it made strenuousefforts to increase their lead. The inventor of the _Comet_ did notwant to speed his motor too much during the heat of the day, as it wasair-cooled, and had no water jacket. But as soon as the sun began todecline and it became cooler, he opened it up, and with an increase inthe explosions that made it seem as if the _Comet_ was saluting herrival, the motor ship passed the red airship, being several hundredfeet above her in the air.
As the motor boys and their friends passed they heard a faint cheerfrom those below them. They sent back an answering one and continued on.
"Now there's nothing to stop us from winning the race," declared Ned.
"Only the fact that there might still be another airship ahead of us,"said Mr. Glassford. "There is no telling about that. One of the othercontestants may have outstripped the red balloon."
The boys had to admit that this might be so, but in their hearts theyhoped that it was not the case. For they did want the honor of winningat least one prize, while Bob made no secret of his desire to see bothcaptured.
As night settled down, with the _Comet_ some distance ahead of hernearest rival, there sprang up a stiff wind.
"That's not what we want," observed Mr. Glassford with a dubious shakeof his head.
"Why?" asked Ned.
"Because it's forcing us to the west again. I don't see how we canreach New Orleans at this rate."
On and on they sped, over mountains and valleys--on and on through thesilent night. Ned, Bob and Jerry took turns in the steering tower,so Mr. Glassford could get some rest. On and on rushed the big motorship, her propellers ceaselessly revolving, and pulling her fartherand farther on her course. Only the wind was still contrary, and wasforcing them too much to the west.
It was just getting daylight when Jerry awoke with a start. There was apeculiar odor in the air about them. He sniffed vigorously for a secondor two, and then leaping from his berth he aroused Mr. Glassford.
"I think something has happened," he said as quietly as he could. "Itsmells as if the gas was escaping."
"It is!" cried the inventor, as he noticed the peculiar odor. "There isa leak in the gas bag. We must stop it. I hope it is not a large one."