CHAPTER XXIV
THE LIGHTNING BOLT
Tom turned away from the window, to find his companions regarding himanxiously.
"A storm," repeated Ned. "What sort?"
"It might turn into any sort," replied Tom. "All I can see now is a lotof black clouds, and the wind must be blowing pretty hard, for there'squite a sea on."
"Bless my galvanometer!" cried Mr. Damon. "Then we are out over theocean again, Tom?"
"Yes, there's no doubt of it."
"What part?" asked the assistant pilot.
"That's more than I can tell," Tom answered.
"Suppose I take a look?" suggested Captain Warner. "I've done quite abit of sailing in my time."
But, when he had taken a look through the window at which Tom had beenstanding, the naval officer descended, shaking his head.
"There isn't a landmark in sight," he announced. "We might be over themiddle of the Atlantic, for all I could tell."
"Hardly as far as that," spoke Tom. "They haven't been pushing the Marsat that speed. But we may be across to the other side before we realizeit."
"How's that?" asked Ned.
"Well, the ship is in the possession of these foreign spies," went onTom. "All their interests are in Europe, though it would be hard to saywhat nationality is in command here. I think there are even someEnglishmen among those who attacked us, as well as French, Germans,Italians and Russians."
"Yes, it seems to be a combination of European nations against us,"admitted Captain Warner. "Probably, after they have made good theirseizure of Tom's aerial warship, they will portion her out amongthemselves, or use her as a model from which to make others."
"Do you think that is their object?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Undoubtedly," was the captain's answer. "It has been the object ofthese foreign spies, all along, not only to prevent the United Statesfrom enjoying the benefits of these progressive inventions, but to usethem for themselves. They would stop at nothing to gain their ends. Itseems we did not sufficiently appreciate their power and daring."
"Well, they've got us, at any rate," observed Tom, "and they may takeus and the ship to some far-off foreign country."
"If they don't heave us overboard half-way there," commented Ned, inrather gloomy tones.
"Well, of course, there's that possibility," admitted Tom. "They aredesperate characters."
"Well, we must do something," declared Lieutenant Marbury. "Come, it'sdaylight now, and we can see to work better. Let's see if we can't finda way to get out of this prison. Say, but this sure is a storm!" hecried, as the airship rolled and pitched violently.
"They are handling her well, though," observed Tom, as the craft camequickly to an even keel. "Either they have a number of expert birdmenon board, or they can easily adapt themselves to a new aircraft. She issailing splendidly."
"Well, let's eat something, and set to work," proposed Ned.
They brought out the food which had been given to them the nightbefore, but before they could eat this, there came a knock on the door,and more food and fresh water was handed in, under the same precautionsas before.
Tom and his companions indignantly demanded to be released, but theirprotests were only laughed at, and while the guards stood with readyweapons the door was again shut and locked.
But the prisoners were not the kind to sit idly down in the face ofthis. Under Tom's direction they set about looking through their placeof captivity for something by which they could release themselves. Atfirst they found nothing, and Ned even suggested trying to cut a waythrough the wooden walls with a fingernail file, which he found in oneof his pockets, when Tom, who had gone to the far end of the storeroom,uttered a cry.
"What is it--a way out?" asked Lieutenant Marbury anxiously.
"No, but means to that end," Tom replied. "Look, a file and a saw, lefthere by some of my workmen, perhaps," and he brought out the tools. Hehad found them behind a barrel in the far end of the compartment.
"Hurray!" cried Ned. "That's the ticket! Now we'll soon show thesefellows what's what!"
"Go easy!" cautioned Tom. "We must work carefully. It won't do to slamaround and try to break down the door with these. I think we had betterselect a place on the side wall, break through that, and make anopening where we can come out unnoticed. Then, when we are ready, wecan take them by surprise. We'll have to do something like that, forthey outnumber us, you know."
"That is so," agreed Captain Warner. "We must use strategy."
"Well, where would be a good place to begin to burrow out?" asked Ned.
"Here," said Tom, indicating a place far back in the room. "We can workthere in turns, sawing a hole through the wall. It will bring us out inthe passage between the aft and amidship cabins, and we can go eitherway."
"Then let's begin!" cried Ned enthusiastically, and they set to work.
While the aerial warship pitched and tossed in the storm, over somepart of the Atlantic, Tom and his friends took turns in working theirway to freedom. With the sharp end of the file a small hole was made,the work being done as slowly as a rat gnaws, so as to make no noisethat would be heard by their captors. In time the hole was large enoughto admit the end of the saw.
But this took many hours, and it was not until the second day of theircaptivity that they had the hole nearly large enough for the passage ofone person at a time. They had not been discovered, they thought.
Meanwhile they had been given food and water at intervals, but to alldemands that they be released, or at least told why they were heldprisoners, a deaf ear was turned.
They could only guess at the fate of Koku. Probably the giant was keptbound, for once he got the chance to use his enormous strength it mightgo hard with the foreigners.
The Mars continued to fly through the air. Sometimes, as Tom and hisfriends could tell by the motion, she was almost stationary in theupper regions, and again she seemed to be flying at top speed.Occasionally there came the sound of firing.
"They're trying my guns," observed Tom grimly.
"Do you suppose they are being attacked?" asked Ned, hopefully.
"Hardly," replied Captain Warner. "The United States possesses no craftable to cope with this one in aerial warfare, and they are hardlyengaging in part of the European war yet. I think they are just tryingTom's new guns."
Later our friends learned that such was the case.
The storm had either passed, or the Mars had run out of the path of it,for, after the first few hours of pitching and tossing, the atmosphereseemed reduced to a state of calm.
All the while they were secretly working to gain their freedom so theymight attack and overpower their enemies, they took occasionalobservations from the small window. But they could learn nothing oftheir whereabouts. They could only view the heaving ocean, far belowthem, or see a mass of cloud-mist, which hid the earth, if so be thatthe Mars was sailing over land.
"But how much longer can they keep it up?" asked Ned.
"Well, we have fuel and supplies aboard for nearly two weeks," Tomanswered.
"And by the end of that time we may all be dead," spoke the young bankclerk despondently.
"No, we'll be out of here before then!" declared Lieutenant Marbury.
Indeed the hole was now almost large enough to enable them to crawl outone at a time. They could not, of course, see how it looked from theoutside, but Tom had selected a place for its cutting so that thesawdust and the mark of the panel that was being removed, would notordinarily be noticeable.
They set night as the time for making the attempt--late at night, whenit was hoped that most of their captors would be asleep.
Finally the last cut was made, and a piece of wood hung over theopening only by a shred, all ready to knock out.
"We'll do it at midnight," announced Tom.
Anxious, indeed, were those last hours of waiting. The time had almostarrived for the attempt, when Tom, who had been nervously pacing to andfro, remarked:
"We must be running into
another storm. Feel how she heaves and rolls!"
Indeed the Mars was most unsteady.
"It sure is a storm!" cried Ned, "and a heavy one, too," for there camea burst of thunder, that seemed like a report of Tom's giant cannon.
In another instant they were in the midst of a violent thunderstorm,the airship pitching and tossing in a manner to almost throw them fromtheir feet.
As Tom reached up to switch on the electric light again, there came aflash of lightning that well nigh blinded them. And so close after itas to seem simultaneous, there came such a crash of thunder as to stunthem all. There was a tingling, as of a thousand pins and needles inthe body of each of the captives, and a strong smell of sulphur. Then,as the echoes of the clap died away, Tom yelled:
"She's been struck! The airship has been struck!"