CHAPTER XXX
THE RESCUE--CONCLUSION
The smell of escaping gas from the bag of the big balloon became morepronounced as the _Comet_ approached. Eagerly the boys and ProfessorSnodgrass looked toward the disabled craft which was slowly driftingahead of them, but which they were rapidly overhauling.
"We hadn't better go too close; had we?" suggested Bob.
"Why not?" asked Jerry. "We've got to get pretty close or we can'trescue them. The planks are about fifteen feet long, and we'll haveto come within that distance, anyhow, to make a bridge from the_Manhattan_ to our deck."
"I was thinking of the gas," went on the stout lad, who seemed to havesome difficulty in breathing. "It might--we might be overcome," and hecoughed raspingly.
"That's so," admitted Jerry, with a start. "I hadn't thought of that.Whew! But that vapor _is_ strong. It's different from what we use. Iwonder----"
A fit of coughing interrupted him, and soon Ned and the professor werewheezing and sneezing, as the powerful fumes were wafted to them.
"We can't stand this!" gasped the tall lad. "No wonder these men areunconscious. It's a slim chance if they're alive, after breathing thosefumes!"
A look of despair came over Ned's face. Was he, after all, to lose thelast opportunity to aid his father? Was Mr. Jackson dead?
"We can't go any closer!" declared Jerry at length. "It will mean deathor unconsciousness, if we do. I've got to halt the airship!"
Coughing and spluttering, he made his way to the pilot house, andbrought the motor to a stop. Then, as the _Comet_ could no longersustain herself on her wings, being bereft of motion, she began tosink, until Jerry started the gas-machine, making a dirigible balloonof the craft. With the big bag inflated, she floated lazily in the air,about a quarter of a mile from the _Manhattan_. Both were being drivenslowly onward by a light wind.
"Well, what's to be done?" demanded Bob. Breathing was easier for themall now, as they were not so near the disabled balloon.
"That's the problem," declared Jerry. "We can't go any closer withoutbeing in danger ourselves, and we can't rescue those men until we getwithin ten or fifteen feet of them."
"Couldn't we wait until all the gas escaped from their bag, and thenventure up?" asked Ned.
"By that time those men will be dead, if they are not lifelessalready," answered Jerry solemnly.
It was a trying situation. To be within sight of the men they wantedto save, to be near Mr. Jackson, on whom so much depended, and yet notable to reach him and his companions, was tantalizing. Yet they allrecognized the truth of what Jerry said. It would be death for them allto venture nearer.
Professor Snodgrass, who had been curiously sniffing the air, as thoughto determine the nature of the gas, suddenly gave an exclamation.
"Boys, I think I have it!" he cried eagerly. "I am not sure, butI think I know the composition of the gas used in the bag of thatballoon. If I am right, I can easily manufacture, from the chemicals Ihave, something that will neutralize it."
"Will you do it?" cried Ned eagerly.
"I will, at once! Though I am not sure it will work. If it does, allthat will be necessary to do will be to saturate a handkerchief withthe solution I will make, tie the cloth over our mouth and nose, andthen all the gas breathed through it will be harmless."
"That's just what we need!" exclaimed Jerry.
The professor lost no time in getting to work. He mixed up variouschemicals in a flask, heated them, and then wet a handkerchief in theliquid. Binding the cloth over his nose and mouth, he went out tobreathe the air, which was still slightly laden with the poisonousfumes. The professor inhaled deeply.
"Does it work?" asked Ned eagerly.
"I think it does," was the reply. "We will have to go nearer to makesure."
It did not take long for all to adjust the wet handkerchiefs over theirmouths and noses. Jerry then started the propellers, and once more the_Comet_ approached the _Manhattan_. Could they come close enough tomake the rescue, and still be safe themselves? Each breath they drewwould soon tell the story.
Anxiously they noted the effect.
"I can't smell or breathe any gas!" mumbled Ned, for the handkerchiefinterfered with speaking.
"Me, neither," added Ned.
"It's all right!" declared the professor. "We can go as close as wewish, but we can't stay long, for the chemical will soon evaporate.Work lively, boys!"
It was only a few minutes more before the _Comet_ was close beside thedisabled balloon. The latter was a large craft, and was floating easilyalong, her machinery silent. Silent, too, and motionless, were the fivemen who constituted the pilot and crew. In various attitudes they werestretched in the open cabin, as if they had struggled there for air. Itcould not yet be told whether they were dead or alive.
"Quick, now!" mumbled Jerry. "Run out the planks, and we'll cross overand carry the men on board here."
He skillfully put the _Comet_ alongside of the other craft. There theywere, high in the air over the ocean, yet almost like two vehicles onearth, or two boats floating on the surface of the water. Jerry shutoff the propellers, letting the _Comet_ drift at the same rate as didthe other craft.
With a rope, Jerry next made the two balloons fast to each other, toprevent them from drifting apart. Then two planks were laid acrossfrom the after-deck of the _Comet_ to that of the _Manhattan_. Quicklycrossing on these, our heroes and the professor boarded the disabledairship.
"There's Mr. Jackson!" cried Mr. Snodgrass, indicating one of theunconscious men.
"We must rescue him first!" declared Ned, and no one disputed him.With the help of Jerry, the merchant's son carried the unconsciousmillionaire across the narrow planks, from one airship to the other,high above the ocean which rolled beneath them. It was a mostmarvellous rescue in mid-air!
CARRIED THE UNCONSCIOUS MILLIONAIRE ACROSS THE NARROWPLANKS.]
"Now the rest!" called the professor. He and Bob took up another man,and carried him to safety. When Jerry and Ned returned for a thirdmember of the crew, the tall lad, looking into the main, or closedcabin, noticed some sparks coming from one of the electrical machinesconnected with the wireless apparatus. It was run by a storage battery,and must have been left connected and turned on when the men werestricken down. A stream of vivid, violet-colored sparks were emanatingfrom the contact points.
"By Jove, we must get away from here in a hurry!" cried the tall lad.
"Why?" asked Ned, pausing in the act of lifting the feet of anunconscious man.
"Those sparks!" gasped Jerry. "They may explode the gas any minute, andwe'll be blown to atoms! Lively, Ned!"
Ned needed no urging. Rapidly he and Jerry once more crossed the plankin mid-air with the unfortunate man. On their next trip Jerry noticedthat a blue light was playing about the machine whence the sparks came.
"She'll go up in about a minute more!" he gasped.
But two more men remained to be saved. These were quickly carriedacross the bridge in the air, and laid in the cabin of the _Comet_.
"Cast off!" yelled Jerry, beginning to cough again, for the deadlyfumes were manifesting themselves through the chemically saturatedhandkerchiefs. "Cast off!"
It took but an instant to do it. The great propellers were set inmotion, and the _Comet_ rapidly glided away from the _Manhattan_. Theboys looked back at her, as she floated in mid-air.
"We must see to those men!" directed Jerry, taking off the improvisedmask, which was no longer needed. "Perhaps it is even now too late!Professor, will you help us?"
"Of course. I think I know how to revive them, if there is a spark oflife left."
"Look!" yelled Bob, pointing to the _Manhattan_. A haze of flamesurrounded the unfortunate craft.
"It's all up with her!" cried Jerry.
The next instant there came a terrific explosion, and the dirigible wasscattered to the four winds, to fall in a shower of canvas, silk andbroken machinery into the sea, there to disappear from sight forever.
"We got
away just in time," spoke Ned in awed tones.
With the motor speeding her back across the ocean, over which she hadso gallantly come a long distance, and with the automatic steeringapparatus set to guide her, no attention need be paid to the _Comet_for some time. So the boys and the professor devoted their energies toreviving the men. That they were not dead was soon established, thoughthey were very nearly so.
But Professor Snodgrass knew just what to do, and in about an hour,when some of the medicines they had brought had been administered, Mr.Jackson opened his eyes.
"Where are we? What happened? Is there any hope? Can you see any vesselthat will save us?" he gasped. Evidently he thought himself stillaboard his own craft.
"You are all right, Wescott!" said Mr. Snodgrass. "Don't you know me?"
"Uriah Snodgrass!" gasped the millionaire. "Well, of all things! Howdid you get aboard the _Manhattan_?"
"I didn't. It's you who are aboard here. You've been rescued! The_Manhattan_ is no more!" And the scientist quickly explained what hadhappened.
Mr. Jackson rapidly recovered from the fumes of the gas, as did themembers of the crew, and his friend, Mr. Watson, who had made the tripwith him. Then the story of the rescue was told.
In turn Mr. Jackson related how, after ascending to a great heightsoon after leaving the aviation grounds, his craft was caught in thehurricane and driven out to sea. Then the propelling machinery broke,and they could only drift about at the mercy of the wind. For days theywere driven onward, thinking each hour would be their last. They triedto signal for help from steamers passing below them, but could not, astheir wireless was soon out of order, and they were too high up to makeany other means effective.
They dared not descend, for fear of being drowned. Besides, to go down,they would have had to let the gas escape, and they had no means ofmaking more. To keep afloat was their only hope, and they did, trustingto be rescued some time. Then they were blown out of the steamshiplane, and did not know what to do.
Finally, when they had given up hope, and were going to descend, andtry to make some sort of a raft to float on, there came a leak in thegas-bag, and, one by one, they became unconscious. A little longer andthey would have been dead. But the _Comet_ came along in time.
"Well, I certainly am glad to see you again, professor; and also youryoung friends," said Mr. Jackson heartily, when he was feeling somewhatstronger.
"And _I'm_ glad to see you," spoke Ned.
"Yes, my friend here has a request to make of you," went on Mr.Snodgrass, "and, if possible, I wish you would grant it. He has hadquite a chase after you."
"I'd do most anything for you, Uriah," declared the millionaire, with asmile, "for I haven't forgotten the service you did me."
"Then save Ned's father from financial ruin," was the request, and Nedat once brought out his papers, and made a plea for the rescue of hisparent's business. It did not take Mr. Jackson a moment to make up hismind.
"Of course I'll help Mr. Slade," he said; "not only for his own sake,but because of his plucky son and his chums, and also to beat that gangof men who want to ruin him. Here, I'll sign at once, and you can be awitness, Uriah." There was the scratching of a pen, and Ned knew thathis father's troubles were practically over.
Rapidly the _Comet_ sped on her way, being headed toward New York.Every hour the rescued ones recovered their strength, and soon alltraces of the poisonous gas had vanished. Ned was eager to telegraphthe good news to his father, and Jerry was soon able to get intowireless communication with a steamer below them. The operator, thoughmuch surprised to get a message out of the air, readily promised torelay it to New York and Cresville, as his apparatus had a wider rangethan that of the _Comet_.
"Well, I never expected to come so far over the ocean," remarked Jerrythe next day, when they were nearing the coast. "Our hydroplanes did usgood service."
"They're great," commented Mr. Jackson. "I'm going to put them on thenext air-craft I make."
"Only for them I'd never have my singing-fish," said Mr. Snodgrass,who had made copious notes about his prize. It had died, but he hadpreserved it. "It is the most wonderful specimen I ever caught," hedeclared.
However, he soon afterward secured one that was even stranger, when,in company with our heroes, he went on another voyage with them. Thedetails of this will be found in the next volume of this Series, to becalled "The Motor Boys on the Wing; or, Seeking the Airship Treasure."
"I wonder how it will seem to be on solid ground again?" asked Mr.Watson of Mr. Jackson, when Jerry announced the next day that they werewithin sight of New York.
"So good that I'm not going to leave it again in a hurry," announcedthe millionaire. "I'm done with ballooning for the present, though I'mnot going to give it up altogether."
They flew over New York, to the great astonishment of the millions ofthat great city, and on to the aviation ground, where a descent wasmade. There our heroes were royally received, and the story of themarvellous rescue told over and over again. The matter of the claim ofMr. Muggins was adjusted, his lawyer advising him to accept one hundreddollars, which he reluctantly did, and the incident was closed.
"Come on, let's hurry home," urged Ned, who was anxious to give hisfather the valuable paper. Mr. Jackson promised all the financial aidthat Mr. Slade needed, and said he would be glad to see the merchantget the better of his financial enemies.
And Mr. Slade did so. Thanks to the efforts of Ned and his chums, thebusiness was saved by Mr. Jackson's timely help, which was secured onlyafter such an exciting chase.
Cresville warmly welcomed the boys, who arrived in their motorship, andAndy Rush was so excited that he could only splutter for nearly half aday, no one being able to understand what he said.
"It was great! Great! Great!" he finally managed to say, over and overagain.
"Would you undertake it another time, Jerry?" asked Ned one evening,when they were discussing the recent happenings.
"Oh, I don't know. I think I would. It was dangerous, but we came outof it all right."
"It's a good thing I stocked up with plenty of provisions," declaredBob, and his two chums laughed. And now, we will leave the Motor Boysfor a while, and say good-by.
THE END