CHAPTER XIX
IN DIRE PERIL
Upward shot the Falcon. With every revolution of her big propellersshe came nearer and nearer to the fleeing craft of the supposedsmugglers who were using every endeavor to escape.
"Do you think you can catch them, Tom?" asked Mr. Whitford as he stoodat the side of our hero in the pilot house, and looked upward andforward to where, bathed in the light of the great search-lantern, therival craft was beating the air.
"I'm sure we can--unless something happens."
"Bless my overshoes! What can happen?" asked Mr. Damon, who, afterfinding that everything in the motor room was running smoothly, hadcome forward. Ned was attending to the searchlight. "What canhappen, Tom?"
"Almost anything, from a broken shaft to a short-circuited motor.Only, I hope nothing does occur to prevent us from catching them."
"You don't mean to say that you're actually going to try to catchthem, do you, Tom?" asked the custom officer, "I thought if we couldtrail them to the place where they have been delivering the goods,before they shipped them to Shopton we'd be doing well. But I neverthought of catching them in mid-air."
"I'm going to try it," declared the young inventor. "I've got agrappling anchor on board," he went on, "attached to a meter andwindlass. If I can catch that anchor in any part of their ship I canbring them to a stop, just as a fisherman lands a trout. Only I'vegot to get close enough to make a cast, and I want to be above themwhen I do it."
"Don't you think you can catch them, Tom?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I can, and yet they seem to have a fasterbiplane than I gave them credit for. I guess I'll have to increaseour speed a little," and he shifted a lever which made the Falconshoot along at nearly doubled speed.
Still the other airship kept ahead, not far, but sufficiently so toprevent the grappling anchor from being tossed at her rail.
"I wonder if they are the smugglers?" questioned Mr. Damon. "Itmight be possible, Tom, that we're chasing the wrong craft."
"Possible, but not probable," put in Mr. Whitford. "After the clewwe got, and what the Indians told us, and then to have a biplanecome sailing over our heads at night, it's pretty sure to be the onewe want. But, Tom, can't you close up on 'em?"
"I'm going to try. The machinery is warmed up now, and I'll send itto the limit."
Once more he adjusted the wheels and levers, and at his touch theFalcon seemed to gain new strength. She fairly soared through theair.
Eagerly those in the pilot house watched the craft they werepursuing. She could be seen, in the glare of the big searchlight,like some bird of gloom and evil omen, fluttering along ahead ofthem.
"They certainly have a fine motor!" cried Tom. "I was sure I couldhave caught up to them before this."
"How do you account for it?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Well, they're flying a good deal lighter than we are. They probablyhave no load to speak of, while we carry a heavy one, to say nothingof Koku."
"Diamonds aren't very heavy," put in Mr. Whitford grimly. "I thinkthey are smuggling diamonds to-night. How I wish we could catchthem, or trace them to where they have their headquarters."
"We'll do it!" declared Tom.
"Bless my stars! They've gone!" suddenly exclaimed Mr. Damon."They've disappeared, Tom, I can't see them."
It was indeed true. Those in the pilot house peering ahead throughthe darkness, could not get a glimpse of the airship they werepursuing. The beam of the searchlight showed nothing but a blackvoid.
All at once the beam shifted downward, and then it picked up thewhite-winged craft.
"They went down!" cried Tom. "They tried to drop out of sight."
"Can't you get them?" asked Mr. Whitford.
"Oh, yes, we can play that game too. I'll do a little volplaningmyself," and the young inventor shut off the power and coastedearthward, while Ned, who had picked up the forward craft, kept thesearchlight playing on her.
And now began a wonderful chase. The smugglers' craft, for such sheproved later to be, did her best to dodge the Falcon. Those managingthe mechanism of the fleeing airship must have been experts, to holdout as they did against Tom Swift, but they had this advantage, thattheir craft was much lighter, and more powerfully engined as regardsher weight. Then, too, there were not so many on board, and Tom,having a combined balloon and aeroplane, had to carry muchmachinery.
It was like the flight of two big birds in the air. Now thesmugglers' craft would be mounting upward, with the Falcon afterher. Again she would shoot toward the earth, and Tom would follow,with a great downward swoop.
Ned kept the great lantern going, and, though occasionally the craftthey were after slipped out of the focus of the beams, the youngbank clerk would pick her up again.
To the right and left dodged the forward airship, vainly endeavoringto shake off Tom Swift, but he would not give up. He followed movefor move, swoop for swoop.
"She's turning around!" suddenly cried Mr. Damon. "She's given upthe flight, Tom, and is going back!"
"That's so!" agreed Mr. Whitford. "They're headed for Canada, Tom.We've got to catch 'em before they get over the Dominion line!"
"I'll do it!" cried Tom, between his clenched teeth.
He swung his airship around in a big circle, and took after thefleeing craft. The wind was against the smugglers now, and theycould not make such good speed, while to Tom the wind mattered not,so powerful were the propellers of the Falcon.
"I think we're gaining on them," murmured Mr. Damon.
Suddenly, from the engine room, came a cry from Ned.
"Tom! Tom!" he shouted, "Something is wrong with the gas machine!She registers over five hundred pounds pressure, and that's toomuch. It's going up, and I haven't touched it!"
"Mr. Damon, take the wheel!" exclaimed the young inventor. "I've gotto see what's wrong. Hold her right on their trail."
Tom sprang to the motor room, and one glance at the gas generatingmachine showed him that they were in dire peril. In some manner thepressure was going up enormously, and if it went up much more thebig tank would blow to pieces.
"What is it?" cried Ned, from his position near the light.
"I don't know! Something wrong."
"Are you going to give up the chase?"
"I am not. Stick to the light. Koku, tell Mr. Damon to hold her onthe course I set. I'll try to get this pressure down!" And Tom Swiftbegan to work feverishly, while his ship rushed on through the nightin danger, every moment, of being blown to atoms. Yet the younginventor would not give up, and descend to earth.