CHAPTER XIII
ON EARTHQUAKE ISLAND
Mingled feelings possessed the three adventurers within the airship.Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick had crowded to the window, as Tom spoke,to get a glimpse of the unknown island toward which they wereshooting. They could see it more plainly now, from the forwardcasement, as well as from the one in the bottom of the craft. Along, narrow, rugged piece of land it was, in the midst of theheaving ocean, for the storm still raged and lashed the waves tofoam.
"Can you make it?" asked Mr. Damon, in a low voice.
"I think so," answered Tom, more cheerfully.
"Shall I shut down the motor?" inquired the older inventor.
"Yes, you might as well. We don't need the propellers now, and I maybe better able to make the glide without them."
The buzzing and purring electrical apparatus was shut down. Silencereigned in the airship, but the wind still howled outside. As Tomhad hoped, the ship became a little more steady with the stopping ofthe big curved blades, though had the craft been undamaged theywould have served to keep her on an even keel.
With skillful hand he so tilted the elevating planes that, after aswift downward glide, the head of the WHIZZER would be thrown up, soto speak, and she would sail along in a plane parallel to theisland. This had the effect of checking her momentum, just as theaviator checks the downward rush of his monoplane or biplane when heis making a landing.
Tom repeated this maneuver several times, until a glance at hisbarograph showed that they had but a scant sixty feet to go. Therewas time but for one more upward throwing of the WHIZZER's nose, andTom held to that position as long as possible. They could now makeout the topography of the island plainly, for it was much lighter.Tom saw a stretch of sandy beach, and steered for that.
Downward shot the airship, inert and lifeless. It was not likegliding his little BUTTERFLY to earth after a flight, but Tom hopedhe could make it. They were now within ten feet of the earth,skimming forward. Tom tried another upward tilt, but the forwardplanes would not respond. They could get no grip on the air.
With a crash that could have been heard some distance the WHIZZERsettled to the sand. It ran along a slight distance, and then, asthe bicycle wheels collapsed under the pressure, the airship seemedto go together in a shapeless mass.
At the first impact with the earth, Tom had leaped away from thesteering wheel and levers, for he did not want to be crushed againstthem. Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick, in pursuance of a plan adopted whenthey found that they were falling, had piled a lot of seat cushionsaround them. They had also provided some as buffers for Tom, and ourhero, at the instant of the crash, had thrown himself behind andupon them.
It seemed as if the whole ship went to pieces. The top of the maincabin crashed down, as the side supports gave way, but, fortunately,there were strong main braces, and the roof did not fall completelyupon our friends.
The whole bottom of the craft was forced upward and had it not beenfor the protecting cushions, there might have been serious injuriesfor all concerned. As it was they were badly bruised and shaken up.
After the first crash, and succeeding it an instant later, therecame a second smash, followed by a slight explosion, and a shower ofsparks could be seen in the engine room.
"That's the electrical apparatus smashing through the floor!" calledTom. "Come, let's get out of here before the gasolene sets anythingon fire. Are you all right, Mr. Damon, and you, Mr. Fenwick?"
"Yes, I guess so," answered the inventor. "Oh, what a terriblecrash! My airship is ruined!"
"You may be glad we are alive," said Mr. Damon. "Bless my top knot,I feel--"
He did not finish the sentence. At that moment a piece of wood,broken from the ceiling, where it had hung by a strip of canvas camecrashing down, and hit Mr. Damon on the head.
The eccentric man toppled over on his pile of cushions, from whichhe was arising when he was struck.
"Oh, is he killed?" gasped Mr. Fenwick.
"I hope not!" cried Tom. "We must get him out of here, at allevents. There may be a fire."
They both sprang to Mr. Damon's aid, and succeeded in lifting himout. There was no difficulty in emerging from the airship as therewere big, broken gaps, on all sides of what was left of the cabin.Once in the outer air Mr. Damon revived, and opened his eyes.
"Much hurt?" asked Tom, feeling of his friend's head.
"No--no, I--I guess not," was the slow answer. "I was stunned for amoment. I'm all right now. Nothing broken, I guess," and his handwent to his head.
"No, nothing broken," added Tom, cheerfully, "but you've got a lumpthere as big as an ostrich egg. Can you walk?"
"Oh, I'm all right. Bless my stars, what a wreck!"
Mr. Damon looked at the remains of the airship. It certainly was awreck! The bent and twisted planes were wrapped about the afterpart,the gas bag was but a shred, the frame was splintered and twisted,and the under part, where the starting wheels were placed, resembleda lot of broken bicycles. The cabin looked like a shack that hadsustained an explosion of dynamite.
"It's a wonder we came out alive," said Mr. Fenwick, in a low voice.
"Indeed it is," agreed Tom, as he came back with a tin can full ofsea water, with which to bathe Mr. Damon's head. The lad had pickedup the can from where it had rolled from the wreck, and they hadlanded right on the beach.
"It doesn't seem to blow so hard," observed Mr. Damon, as he wastenderly sopping his head with a handkerchief wet in the salt water.
"No, the wind is dying out, but it happened too late to do us anygood," remarked Tom, sorrowfully. "Though if it hadn't blown us thisfar, we might have come to grief over the ocean, and be flounderingin that, instead of on dry land."
"That's so," agreed Mr. Fenwick, who was carefully feeling of somebruises on his legs. "I wonder where we are, anyhow?"
"I haven't the least idea," responded Tom. "It's an island, butwhich one, or where it is I don't know. We were blown nearly twothousand miles, I judge."
He walked over and surveyed the wreck. Now that the excitement wasover he was beginning to be aware of numerous bruises andcontusions, His legs felt rather queer, and on rolling up histrousers he found there was a deep cut in the right shin, just belowhis knee. It was bleeding, but he bandaged it with a sparehandkerchief, and walked on.
Peering about, he saw that nearly the whole of the machinery in theengine room, including most of the electrical apparatus, had fallenbodily through the floor, and now rested on the sand.
"That looks to be in pretty good shape." mused Tom, "but it's aquestion whether it will ever be any good to us. We can't rebuildthe airship here, that's certain."
He walked about the wreck, and then returned to his friends. Mr.Damon was more like himself, and Mr. Fenwick had discovered that hehad only minor bruises.
"Bless my coffee cup!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I declare, I feelhungry. I wonder if there's anything left to eat in the wreck?"
"Plenty," spoke Tom, cheerfully. "I'll get it out. I can eat asandwich or too myself, and perhaps I can set up the gasolene stove,and cook something."
As the young inventor was returning to the wreck, he was haltedhalfway by a curious trembling feeling. At first he thought it was aweakness of his legs, caused by his cut, but a moment later herealized with a curious, sickening sensation that it was the ground--theisland itself--that was shaking and trembling.
The lad turned back. Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick were staring afterhim with fear showing on their faces.
"What was that?" cried the inventor.
"Bless my gizzard! Did you feel that, Tom?" cried Mr. Damon. "Thewhole place is shaking!"
Indeed, there was a stronger tremor now, and it was accompanied by alow, rumbling sound, like distant thunder. The adventurers wereswaying to and fro.
Suddenly they were tossed to the ground by a swaying motion, and notfar off a great crack opened in the earth. The roaring, rumblingsound increased in volume.
"An earthquake! It's an earthquake!" cried Tom. "We're
in the midstof an earthquake!"