CHAPTER V
ATTACKED BY A WHALE
But Mark was certain it was nothing like that, though a careful searchfailed to reveal anything or any person near the ship. It was too darkto examine for footprints, and even Mark, after taking a look all about,felt he might have been deceived by shadows. Still he was a littlenervous, and could hardly sleep for imagining what the thing he sawcould have been.
The next day every one was so busy that no one, not even Mark, recalledthe little excitement of the night before. Shortly after noon, finalpreparations having been made, they all got aboard the _Mermaid_ andstarted off.
It was a bright sunshiny day, and the craft, speeding away from theisland where it had been constructed, over the dancing blue waves, musthave presented a strange sight had there been any spectators. For surelyno such ship had ever before sailed those waters.
However, there was no other vessel in sight, and the island, as far asthe professor and his friends knew, had never been inhabited.
"We will not try for any great speed," Mr. Henderson remarked as he,with Mark and Jack, stood in the conning tower managing the _Mermaid_."We don't want to strain any joints at the start or heat any enginebearings. There will be time enough for speed later."
"Yes, and we may need it more when we get into the centre of the earththan we do now," observed Mark.
"Why so?" asked Jack.
"No telling what we may run up against underneath the ground," went onMark. "We may have to fight strange animals and stranger beings.Besides, the atmosphere and water there can't be the same as up here; doyou think so, Professor?"
For a few minutes the scientist was silent. He seemed to be thinkingdeeply.
"I will tell you what I believe," he said at length. "I have neverspoken of it before, but now that we are fairly started and mayeventually have a chance to prove my theory, I will say that I think thecentre of this earth on which we live is hollow. Inside of it, forming acore, so to speak, I believe there is another earth, similar to ours insome respects which revolves inside this larger sphere."
They were well out to sea now, as they could observe when they emergedon the little deck. Above their heads was the aluminum gas holder, whichserved as a sort of protection from the sun that was quite warm. The_Mermaid_ rode with an easy motion, being submerged just enough to makeher steady, yet not deep enough to encounter much resistance from thewater. In fact it could not have been arranged better for speed orcomfort.
"I think we will sail well to the eastward before making our coursesouth," Mr. Henderson said. "I do not care to meet too many ships, asthose aboard will be very curious and I do not want too much news ofthis venture to get out. We will take an unfrequented route and avoiddelays by being hailed by every passing vessel whose captain will wonderwhat queer craft he had met with."
The boys enjoyed the sail, for the weather could not have been better.Even old Andy, who seldom said much, seemed delighted with the prospectof having strange adventures. He had his rifle with him, and, indeed, heseldom went anywhere that he did not carry it.
"For there's no telling when you may see something you want to shoot orthat ought to be shot," he used to say, "and it's always the man withouta gun who needs it most. So I'm taking no chances."
They sailed all that afternoon without meeting with a craft of any kind.Straight to the east they went, and when night began to settle downWashington got supper. It was decided to run slowly after dark until allhands were more familiar with the ship.
Morning found the _Mermaid_ about a hundred miles from the island whereshe had been launched. The night had been uneventful, except that Marktold Jack he heard some strange noise near his bunk several times. Hewas nearest the storeroom where spare parts, and the curious cylinderthe professor had brought aboard, were kept.
"I guess it was rats," said Jack. "They are always in ships."
"Old wooden ships, yes," admitted Mark. "But I'll bet there's not a rataboard the _Mermaid_."
"Then you were dreaming," said Jack, as if that settled it.
Mark did not speak further of the noise, but he did considerablethinking. However, the next night there was no further disturbance.
The fourth day out, when everything had passed off well, the enginesdoing their best, the professor decided to speed them up a bit, since hewas satisfied they had "found" themselves as mechanics term it.
"We'll see how fast we can go through the water," said Mr. Henderson,"and then I think we can safely turn our course south. We are wellbeyond the ordinary lines of travel now."
Having oiled the bearings well, and seen that everything was in placeand properly adjusted, the professor and the boys took their places inthe conning tower, while Washington, Tom and Bill remained in the engineroom. Andy stayed on deck with his gun.
"I might see a big fish, and we could vary our bill of fare," he saidwith a laugh.
"Here we go!" exclaimed the professor as he shifted the levers andturned some wheels and valves. "Now we'll see how fast we can travel."
As he spoke the _Mermaid_ responded to the added impulse of thecompressed air and shot through the water at a terrific speed. Thesudden increase in momentum almost threw the boys from their feet, andthey would have fallen had they not grasped some projecting levers.
"I guess that will do," said the scientist. "I think we have speedenough for almost any emergency. I'll let her run at this rate for awhile, and then we'll slack up."
Looking ahead, the boys could see the green waters parting in front ofthe bow of the _Mermaid_, as if to make room for her. Two huge waveswere thrown upon either side.
Suddenly, dead ahead, there loomed up a big black object.
"Look out you'll hit the rock!" cried Mark to the professor, who wassteering.
With a turn of his wrist Mr. Henderson moved the wheel which controlledthe tube. It was deflected and sent the boat to larboard.
At that instant from the rock two small fountains of water rose in theair, falling back in a shower of spray through which the sun gleamed.
"That's not a rock! It's a big whale!" cried Jack. "And we're going tohit him!"
The professor had miscalculated the speed of the craft, or else had notthrown her far enough to larboard, for, a second later, the _Mermaid_was almost upon the big leviathan.
With a desperate twirling of the steering wheel the professor veered thecraft as far as possible. But all he could do did not suffice, for thecraft hit the whale a glancing blow on the side, and the ship careenedas if she would turn turtle.
At the same time there rang out from upon deck the sound of a rifleshot. Old Andy had taken a chance at the enormous creature of the deep.
"Hurrah!" the boys heard him shout. "I give him one plumb in the eye! Afine shot! And we hit him besides with the boat. I guess he's a goner!"
"I'm afraid not," muttered the professor. "That was a bad blow we struckhim, but I think it will only ruffle his temper. We'll have to looksharp now, boys."
By this time the ship had rushed past the whale, but the boys, lookingthrough a window in the rear of the tower could see the huge body. Nowthe fountains of water which the whale spouted were tinged with red.
"He's bleeding!" exclaimed the professor. "I guess Andy hit him in avital spot."
"But not vital enough!" cried Mark. "See! He's coming after us!"
And so it proved. The whale, angered, and, probably half crazed by thepain of the bullet and the blow, was coursing after the ship, coming onwith the speed of an express train. Straight at the _Mermaid_ he lungedhis huge bulk.
"We must escape him!" cried Mr. Henderson. "If he hits us he'll send usto the bottom!"
He had made ready to slow up the _Mermaid_ to see if it had sustainedany damage from the impact with the whale, but when he saw the monstercoming after the boat he knew the only safety lay in flight.
"Let us go up into the air and so escape him!" cried Jack, with suddeninspiration.
For a
n instant neither Mark nor the professor grasped what Jack meant.Then, with an exclamation, the professor pulled forward the lever thatgenerated the gas and set working the gravity neutralizer, which wouldenable the ship to rise.
Faster through the water went the _Mermaid_, and faster after her camethe whale. Above the hum of the engines was heard the hiss of thepowerful gas. The ship trembled more violently.
"We are rising!" exclaimed the professor, as he looked at a gage.
The boys could feel the craft lifting from the waves which clung to heras if they hated to lose her. The boys knew the gas was beginning tooperate.
"If it is not too late!" whispered Mark, half to himself.
For the monster of the seas was coming on, lashing the water to foamwith his terrible flukes, and sending aloft a bloody spray. His speedwas awful.
Now he was but ten feet away from the fleeing craft--now but eight--nowfive! Ten seconds more and the big head, like the blunt stern of abattle ship, forced forward by the tons of blubber, flesh, bone and fatbehind it would strike the _Mermaid_ and crush it like an egg shell.
Now if ever was the need for the _Flying Mermaid_ to prove herselfworthy of the name. Now, if ever, was the time for her to leave thewatery element and take to the lighter one.
And she did. With a last tremble, as if to free herself from the hold ofthe waves, the gallant craft soared up into the air, leaving the water,which dripped from her keel like a fountain's spray, and shooting aloftlike a bird, escaped her terrible enemy which passed under her, so closethat the lower part of the _Flying Mermaid_ scraped the whale's back.
"Saved!" exclaimed the professor.
THE LOWER PART OF THE FLYING MERMAID SCRAPED THE WHALE'SBACK.]