CHAPTER X
OFF IN THE AIRSHIP
As Tom Swift hurried down the companionway he again felt the shipcareen as the whale struck it a powerful blow, and he was almostknocked off his feet. But he kept on.
Below he found some frightened men and women, a number of whom wereadjusting life preservers about them, under the impression that theship had struck a rock and was going down. They had not been up ondeck, and did not know of the battle between the killer and thewhale, nor what followed.
"Oh, I know we're sinking!" cried one timid woman. "What hashappened?" she appealed to Tom.
"It will be all right in a little while," he assured her.
"But what is it? I want to know. Have we had a collision."
"Yes, with a whale," replied Tom, as he grabbed up something fromhis stateroom, and again rushed up on deck. As he reached it thewhale came on once more, and struck the ship another terrific blow.Then the monster sank and could be seen swimming back, just underthe surface of the water, getting ready to renew the attack.
"He's going to ram us again!" cried Mr. Damon. "Bless my machineoil! Why doesn't the captain do something?"
At that moment the commander cried from the bridge:
"Send a man below, Mr. Laster, to see if we are making any water.Then tell half a dozen of the sailors to get out the rifles, and seeif they can't kill the beast. He'll put us in Davy Jones's locker ifhe keeps this up! Lively now, men!"
The first mate, Mr. Laster, called out the order. A sailor wentbelow to see if the ship was leaking much, and the captain rang forfull speed ahead. But the Soudalar was slow in getting under wayagain, and, even at top speed she was no match for the whale, whichwas again rushing toward the vessel.
"Quick with those rifles!" cried the captain. "Fire a volley intothe beast!"
"There's no need!" suddenly called Mr. Damon, who had caught sightof Tom Swift, and the object which the lad carried.
"No need?" demanded the commander. "Why, has the whale sunk, or madeoff?"
"No," answered the eccentric man, "the whale is still coming on, butTom Swift will fix him. Get there, Tom, and let him have a goodone!"
"What sort of a gun is that?" demanded the commander as the younginventor took his place at the rail, which was now almost deserted.
Tom did not answer. Bracing himself against the rolling and heavingof the vessel, which was now under about half speed, Tom aimed hiselectric rifle at the oncoming leviathan. He looked at the automaticgage, noted the distance and waiting a moment until the crest of awave in front of the whale had subsided, he pressed the button.
If those watching him expected to hear a loud report, and see aflash of flame, they were disappointed. There was absolutely nosound, but what happened to the whale was most surprising.
The great animal stopped short amid a swirl of foam, and the nextinstant it seemed to disintegrate. It went all to pieces, just ashad the dummy figure which Tom on one occasion fired at with hisrifle and as had the big packing-cases. The whale appeared todissolve, as does a lump of sugar in a cup of hot tea, and, fiveseconds after Tom Swift had fired his electric gun, there was not asign of the monster save a little blood on the calm sea.
"What--what happened?" asked the captain in bewilderment. "Is--isthat monster gone?"
"Completely gone!" cried Mr. Damon. "Bless my powder horn, Tom, butI knew you could do it!"
"Is that a new kind of whale gun, firing an explosive bullet?"inquired the commander, as he came down off the bridge and shookhands with Tom. "If it is, I'd like to buy one. We may be rammedagain by another whale."
"This is my new, electric rifle," explained the young inventormodestly, "and it fires wireless charges of electricity instead ofbullets. I'm sorry I can't let you have it, as it's the only one Ihave. But I guess no more whales will ram us. That one was evidentlycrazed by the attack of the killer, and doubtless took us foranother of its enemies."
Sailors and passengers crowded around Tom, eager to shake his hand,and to hear about the gun. Many declared that he had saved the ship.
This was hardly true, for the whale could not have kept up itsattacks much longer. Still he might have done serious damage, bycausing a leak, and, while the Soudalar was a stanch craft, withmany water-tight compartments, still no captain likes to be a weekfrom land with a bad leak, especially if a storm comes up. Then,too, there was the danger of a panic among the passengers, had theattacks been kept up, so, though Tom wanted to make light of hisfeat, the others would not let him.
"You're entitled to the thanks of all on board," declared CaptainWendon, "and I'll see that the owners hear of what you did. Well, Iguess we can go on, now. I'll not stop again to see a fight betweena killer and a whale."
The steamer resumed her way at full speed, and the sailor, who hadgone below, came up to report that there was only a slight leak,which need not cause any uneasiness.
Little was talked of for the next few days but the killing of thewhale, and Tom had to give several exhibitions of his electricrifle, and explain its workings. Then, too, the story of hisexpedition became known, and also the object of Mr. Anderson'squest, and Tom's offer of aid to help rescue the missionaries, sothat, altogether, our hero was made much of during the remainder ofthe voyage.
"Well, if your gun will do that to a whale, what will it do to anelephant?" asked Mr. Durban one morning, when they were within aday's steaming of their port. "I'm afraid it's almost too strong,Tom. It will leave nothing--not even the tusks to pick up."
"Oh, I can regulate the power," declared the lad. "I used full forceon the whale, just to see what it would do. It was the first timeI'd tried it on anything alive. I can so regulate the charge that itwill kill even an elephant, and leave scarcely a mark on the beast."
"I'd like to see it done," remarked the old hunter.
"I'll show you, if we sight any sharks," promised Tom. He was ableto keep his word for that afternoon a school of the ugly fishfollowed the steamer for the sake of the food scraps thrownoverboard. Tom took his position in the stern, and gave anexhibition of shooting with his electric gun that satisfied even Mr.Durban, exacting as he was.
For the lad, by using his heaviest charges, destroyed the largestsharks so that they seemed to instantly disappear in the water, andfrom that he toned down the current until he could kill some of themonsters so easily and quickly that they seemed to float motionlesson the surface, yet there was no life left in them once the electriccharge touched them.
"We'll use the light charges when we're killing elephants for theirtusks," said Tom, "and the heavy ones when we're in danger from arush of the beasts."
He little knew how soon he would have to put his plan into effect.
They arrived safely at Majumba, the African coast city, and for twodays Tom was kept busy superintending the unloading of the parts ofhis airship. But it was safely taken ashore, and he and his friendshired a disused warehouse in which to work at reassembling the BlackHawk.
Tom had everything down to a system, and, in less than a week theaircraft was once more ready to be sent aloft. It was given a try-out,much to the astonishment of the natives, and worked perfectly.Then Tom and his friends busied themselves laying in a stock ofprovisions and stores for the trip into the interior.
They made inquiries about the chances of getting ivory and were toldthat they were good if they went far enough into the jungle andforests, for the big beasts had penetrated farther and fartherinland.
They also tried to get some news regarding the captive missionaries,but were unsuccessful nor could they learn what had become of Tomba,who had brought the dire news to civilization.
"It's too soon to hope for anything yet," said Mr. Anderson. "Waituntil we get near the country of the red pygmies."
"And then it may be too late," said Tom in a low voice.
It was two weeks after their arrival in Majumba that Tom announcedthat all was in readiness. The airship was in perfect working order,it was well stocked with food, arms, articles and trinkets
withwhich to trade among the natives, spare parts for the machinery,special tools and a good supply of the chemicals needed tomanufacture the lifting gas.
Of course Tom did not leave behind his electric weapon and Mr.Durban and the others took plenty of ammunition for the ordinaryrifles which they carried.
One morning, after cabling to his father that they were about tostart, Tom gave a last careful look to his airship, tested the motorand dynamos, took a hasty survey of the storeroom, to see thatnothing had been forgotten, and gave the word to get aboard.
They took their places in the cabin. Outside a crowd of natives, andwhite traders of many nationalities had gathered. Tom pulled thestarting lever. The Black Hawk shot across a specially preparedstarting ground, and, attaining sufficient momentum, suddenly aroseinto the air.
There was a cheer from the watching crowd, and several superstitiousblacks, who saw the airship for the first time, ran away in terror.
Up into the blue atmosphere Tom took his craft. He looked down onthe city over which he was flying. Then he pointed the prow of theBlack Hawk toward the heart of the dark continent.
"Off for the interior!" he murmured. "I wonder if we'll ever get outagain?"
No one could answer. They had to take their chances with the dangersand terrors of elephant land, and with the red pygmies. Yet TomSwift was not afraid.