CHAPTER XXVI.
UNABLE TO RISE.
"CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
"Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
"Well?"
"Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
"Carry on, then," replied Dacres, who from previous experience knewthat the Irishman's suggestions were well worth taking intoconsideration.
"Suppose those chaps at Naocuanha telephone to the prison and get noreply, they'll find out that there's something up. I think, sir, itwould be best to let the wire alone, and station a chap there toanswer all inquiries and complaints, in a manner o' speaking."
"Quite so; but who will be able to do so?" objected his superiorofficer. "You're the only man amongst us who has any knowledge ofSpanish, and with all due respect to your capabilities, Callaghan, Ithink they would spot your brogue."
"Yes, sir; but how about the Valderian chaps imprisoned here--thefellows old Zaypuru's got his knife into? They'd do the business withthe greatest of pleasure."
"Good idea," assented Dacres. "But before we release the prisoners wemust secure the commandante. Meanwhile, Callaghan, you might post twomen at the door of the orderly-room in case there's a call, or ifthere are any of the garrison who have escaped our notice."
Silently the quarters occupied by Commandante Don Alonzo da Costawere surrounded. Then, having severed the telephone wirecommunicating with the orderly-room, Dacres knocked at the door.
After considerable delay the door was opened by a military servant,who was promptly knocked down and secured.
Don Alonzo was a widower and lived alone in the official residenceexcept for the company of two servants. Owing to his refusal to letthe pseudo-"electricians" enter his quarters, Dacres was not wellacquainted with the interior. Three empty rooms were examined beforethe raiders came to the one in which the commandante was fast asleep.The door was locked.
Dacres knocked. A voice replied in Spanish demanding to know what wasamiss?
Not trusting himself to reply the Englishman knocked again. He couldhear the occupant getting out of bed. Then the jalousies across oneof the windows were opened and a pistol shot rang out.
Don Alonzo, finding himself summoned in an unorthodox manner, hadsuspected that something was amiss. Going to the window he saw thesection of the airship in the courtyard. Partly with the idea ofgiving the alarm and partly with the idea of damaging the ballonetteshe fired almost point blank at the huge target.
"Lie down, men," ordered Dacres, then clapping his revolver to thedoor he blew away the stout lock. Before he could push open theshattered woodwork five shots in rapid succession whistled along thecorridor. Had Dacres or any of his companions been standing theywould have been in the direct line of fire.
The commandante had emptied his revolver. Before he could reload hewas pounced upon, disarmed, and secured.
Meanwhile, the noise of the firing had reached the ears of theprisoners. The British ones, having been warned of what was takingplace, maintained silence, but the Valderian political prisoners,thinking that either a mutiny or a counter revolution had broken out,shouted, cheered, and kicked up a terrific din.
Leaving a man to keep guard over the governor Dacres led the rest ofhis command to the prisoners' quarters. The captives had been leftfor the night, the authorities taking it for granted that there wouldbe no use for any military warders. Since the keys could not befound, and Don Alonzo stubbornly refused to answer any questions putto him by Callaghan, the doors of the cells had to be broken open.
"Knock off this lock for me," ordered Dacres, pointing to the one onthe door of No. 19--that tenanted by his former Admiral.
A telling blow with a sledge-hammer wielded by a former armourer'smate of the Royal Navy, sent the metal-work clattering on the stonefloor of the corridor.
"Come aboard, sir!" said Dacres, saluting. Rear-Admiral Maynebracedid a thing he had never done before. He grasped the hand of hisformer subordinate and wrung it heartily. He tried to speak, but hisemotion prevented him from uttering a single word.
"Smith," said Dacres, addressing one of his men. "Escort AdmiralMaynebrace to No. 5 section. Place him safely on board and return.Now, lads," he continued, "we'll have the British prisoners outbefore we release the Valderian ones. We can't take them with us;they must shift for themselves. One moment: open this door."
The cell Dacres had indicated was tenanted by a Valderian general whohad been a partisan of the ill-fated President San Bonetta.
Upon the situation being explained to him by Callaghan the Valderianreadily agreed to take command of the rest of his fellow-prisoners.Going from cell to cell and addressing the inmates through thegrille, he quickly obtained some semblance of order. The shouts andcheers died down, and the luckless Valderians, who for months pasthad been in hourly dread of death, assented to obey whatever orderstheir rescuers might give.
"Thanks, Mr. Dacres," said Gerald Whittinghame, when he was let outof his place of confinement. "I hardly know how to express mygratitude. President Zaypuru will, I hope, be disappointed in themorning."
"I trust it won't be the only disappointment," rejoined Dacres. "Butthere is little time to be lost. If you will go on board the sectionof the 'Meteor' will be with you presently."
Meanwhile, two more Valderians had been released and ordered toremain by the telephone in the orderly-room. Should any message comethrough they were to give a reassuring reply, and lead theauthorities at the capital to believe that all was in order at theCavarale. They were then told that as soon as the section of theairship rose clear of the prison, they were to open the doors of theremaining cells and take whatever steps they thought best for theirown safety.
As soon as the nine Englishmen were released the order was given toreturn to the airship. As soon as the crew were on board, the twocables were slipped and additional ultra-hydrogen pumped into theballonettes.
No. 5 section refused to rise.
"That's that rascal of a commandante," declared Dacres. "Up aloft,there, and report damage."
Armed with an electric torch one of the crew ascended the aluminiumladder between the double rows of ballonettes and gained alongitudinal gangway from whence it was possible to examine eachindividual gas subdivision. It was not long before he returned.
"Four badly holed, sir. All of them on the starboard side."
"Which ones?"
"B2, 3, 4, and 5, sir. They are quite flabby."
"Very good. Close the valves of the supply pipes to these ballonettesand charge the others to their fullest capacity."
Promptly this order was carried out. No. 5 section no longer stuckstubbornly to the ground: she was lively, with a tendency to list tostarboard; but still the upward force of the ultra-hydrogen wasinsufficient to raise her.
Just then a vicious blast of wind whistled over the walls of theCavarale, causing the airship to rock violently. The night, hithertocalm, was rapidly becoming stormy.
Ordering the crew to fall in, Dacres addressed them.
"My lads," he said, "we're in a bit of a hole. Owing to the damagedone to some of the ballonnettes No. 5 section is incapable oflifting the additional weight. Some of us must remain. We may berescued by the 'Meteor'--we may not. Owing to the rising wind, theodds are against us."
He paused. Taking advantage of the lull several of the men statedtheir willingness to remain.
"What's this, Dacres?" asked the Admiral. "You clear out and leaveus. You've done all that is humanly possible, and if you fall intothe hands of Zaypuru it will go hard with you. He won't dare to go toextreme measures with us."
"I don't know so much about that, sir," replied Dacres. "In any case,please let me remind you that I am in charge of these operations.
"Now, lads, I mean to stop. When we are discovered the forts will nodoubt try to shell us to pieces, unless"--then raising his voice headded--"unless we contrive to capture President Zaypuru and hold himas a hostage. Now, my lads, who will remain with me?"
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