CHAPTER XVI
DICK IS WARNED
"What's the matter?"
"What happened?"
"We're falling!"
"Somebody do something!"
Everyone seemed talking at once, calling out in fear, and lookingwildly about for some escape from what seemed about to be a fatalaccident. For the Abaris was over half a mile high and was shootingtoward the earth at a terrific rate.
"Wait! Quiet, everybody!" called Dick, who had not deserted his postat the steering wheel. "I'll bring her up. We'll volplane down!It'll be all right!"
His calmness made his chums feel more secure, and a glance at Mr.Vardon and his machinist aided in this. For the veteran aviator, aftera quick inspection of the machinery, no longer looked worried.
"What has happened?" asked Innis.
"Our engine stalled, for some unknown reason," answered Mr. Vardon,quickly. "Fortunately nothing is broken. I'll see if I can't start itwith the electrical generator. Are you holding her all right, Dick?"
"I think so; yes. I can take four or five minutes more to let her downeasy."
"Well, take all the time you can. Head her up every once in a while.It will be good practice for you. The stabilizer worked all right,anyhow."
The airship was not on a level keel, but was inclined with her "bow"pointed to the earth, going downward on a slant. But Dick knew how tomanage in this emergency, for many times he had practiced volplaning toearth in ordinary biplanes.
By working the lever of the vertical rudder, he now brought the head,or bow, of the airship up sharply, and for a moment the downward plungewas arrested. The Abaris shot along parallel to the plane of theearth's surface.
This operation, repeated until the ground is reached, is, as I havealready explained, called volplaning.
"Something is wrong," announced Mr. Vardon, as he yanked on the leverof the starting motor, and turned the switch. Only the hum of theelectrical machine resulted. The gasolene motor did not "pick up,"though both the gasolene and spark levers were thrown over.
"Never mind," counseled Dick. "I can bring her down all right. There'sreally nothing more the matter than if we had purposely stopped themotor."
"No, that's so," agreed Mr. Vardon. "But still I want to see what thetrouble is, and why it stopped. I'll try the hand starter."
But this was of no use either. The gasolene motor would not start, andwithout that the propellers could not be set in motion to sustain thebig craft in the air. Mr. Vardon, and his helper, with the aid ofInnis, Paul and Larry, worked hard at the motor, but it was asobstinate as the engine of some stalled motor-boat.
"I can't understand it," said the aviator.
"There's plenty of gasolene in the tank, and the spark is a good, fatone. But the motor simply won't start. How you making out, Dick?"
"All right. We're going to land a considerable distance from home, butmaybe we can get her started when we reach the ground."
"We'll try, anyhow," agreed the aviator. "Is she responding all right?"
"Fine. Couldn't be better. Let some of the other boys take a hand atit."
"Well, maybe it would be a good plan," agreed the aviator. "You nevercan tell when you've got to make a glide. Take turns, boys."
"I don't think I'd better, until I learn how to run an airship thatisn't in trouble," said Larry Dexter.
"Well, perhaps not," said Mr. Vardon. "But the others may."
Meanwhile the Abaris had been slowly nearing earth, and it was thisslowness, caused by the gradual "sifting" down that would make itpossible to land her with scarcely a jar.
If you have ever seen a kite come down when the wind has died out, youwill understand exactly what this "sifting" is. It means glidingdownward in a series of acute angles.
The first alarm over, all was now serene aboard Dick's airship. Theattempt to start the motor had been given up, and under the supervisionof Mr. Vardon the two cadets, Innis and Paul, took turns in bringingthe craft down with the engine "dead." The aviator and his helper hadhad experience enough at this.
"Say, this is something new, guiding as big a ship as this withoutpower," remarked Innis, as he relinquished the wheel to Paul.
"It sure is," said tile latter. Then, a little later, he called out:
"I say, somebody relieve me, quick. I believe I'm going to bring herdown in that creek!"
They all looked ahead and downward. The Abaris, surely enough, washeaded for a stream of water.
"Perhaps you'd better handle her," said Dick to the builder of thecraft. "We don't want her wrecked before we at least have a STARTafter that prize."
Mr. Vardon nodded, and took the wheel from Paul. A few seconds laterhe had brought the craft to the ground within a few feet of the edge ofthe stream. Had it been a wider and deeper one they could have landedon it by using the hydroplanes, but the water seemed too shallow andfull of rocks for that evolution.
And so skillfully had Mr. Vardon manipulated the planes and levers thatthe landing was hardly felt. A number of specially-made springs tookup the jar.
"Well, we're here!" exclaimed Dick, as they all breathed in relief."Now to see what the trouble was."
"And we've got a long walk back home, in case we can't find thetrouble," sighed Innis, for he was rather stout, and did not much enjoywalking. They had come down several miles from Hamilton Corners.
"Oh, we'll get her fixed up somehow," declared Dick, with confidence.
Quite a throng had gathered from the little country hamlet, on the edgeof which the aircraft had descended, and they crowded up about theAbaris, looking in wonder at her size and strange shape.
Mr. Vardon lost no time in beginning his hunt for the engine trouble,and soon decided that it was in the gasolene supply, since, though thetank was nearly full, none of the fluid seemed to go into thecarburetor.
"There's a stoppage somewhere," the aviator said. The fluid was drawnoff into a reserve tank and then the cause of the mischief was easilylocated.
A small piece of cotton waste had gotten into the supply pipe, andcompletely stopped the flow of gasolene.
"There it is!" cried the aviator, as he took it out, holding it up forall to see.
"I wonder if anyone could have done that on purpose?" asked Dick,looking at his chums, reflectively.
"You mean--Larson?" inquired Jack Butt. "He's capable of anything likethat."
"But he wasn't near the machine," said Paul.
"Not unless he sneaked in the barn some night," went on the machinist,who seemed to have little regard for the former lieutenant.
"Well, there's no way of telling for certain, so we had better saynothing about it," decided Dick. "Then, too, any of us might haveaccidentally dropped the waste in the tank while we were working aroundthe ship. I guess we'll call it an accident."
"But it must have been in the tank for some time," argued Larry Dexter,"and yet it only stopped up the pipe a little while ago."
"It was probably floating around in the tank, doing no damage inparticular," explained Mr. Vardon. "Then, when we made the ship tiltthat way, to test the stabilizer, the gasolene shifted, and the wastewas flushed into the pipe. But we're all right now."
This was proved a little later when the motor was started with notrouble whatever. There was not a very good place to make a start,along the edge of the stream, but Dick and his chums realized that theycould not always have perfect conditions, so they must learn to dounder adverse ones.
"Look out of the way!" warned the young millionaire to the assembledcrowd. They scattered from in front of the craft. The motor throbbedand thundered up to high speed, and then the propellers were throwninto gear. The big blades beat on the air, the ship moved slowlyforward. It acquired speed, and then, amid the wondering comments andexcited shouts of the crowd, it soared aloft, and glided through theair to a great height.
"Off again!" cried Dick, who was at the wheel.
The trip back to Hamilton Corners was made safely, and
without incidentworthy of mention. The four young men took turns in working thevarious controls, so as to become familiar with them, and Dick paidparticular attention to Larry Dexter, who needed some coaching.
"I'll get a good story out of this for my paper," said the youngreporter, who was always on the lookout for "copy."
"Well, we've proved that she will fly, and take care of us even when anaccident happens," remarked Dick, when the craft had been put back inthe barn. "Now we'll groom her a bit, put on the finishing touches,and we'll be ready to try for that prize. The time is getting shortnow."
"I hope you win it," said Mr. Vardon. "I shall feel responsible, in away, if you don't."
"Nothing of the sort!" cried Dick. "Whatever happens, I've got a fineairship, and we'll have a good time, even if we don't get the twentythousand dollars."
The next week was a busy one, for there were several little mattersabout the airship that needed attention. But gradually it was made asnearly perfect as possible.
Then, one morning, Mr. Hamilton, who had some business to transact withUncle Ezra, said to Dick:
"Could you take a run over there and leave him these securities? Heasked me to get them for him out of the safe deposit box. I don't knowwhat he wants of them, but they are his, and I have no time to takethem to him myself. You can go in your airship, if you like, and givehim a surprise."
"No, I think I'll go in the auto. Mr. Vardon is making a change in themotor, and it isn't in shape to run today. I'll take the boys over toDankville in the small car."
A little later Dick and his chums were on their way to Uncle Ezra's.They reached Dankville in good time, but, on calling at the house, AuntSamantha told them her husband was at the woolen mill.
"We'll go down there and see him," decided Dick, after talking to hisaunt a little while. She had been looking in the parlor to see that,by no chance, had a glint of light gotten in. Of late her husband andhis airship-partner, Larson, had not used the "best room," and so AuntSamantha's fears about the carpet being spoiled by cigar ashes hadsubsided.
At the factory Dick was directed, by a foreman, to an unused wing ofthe building.
"You'll find your uncle in there," the man said to Dick. "He'sbuilding an airship!"
"A what!" cried the young millionaire in great astonishment, for he hadbeen too busy, of late, to hear any news from Dankville.
"An airship--a biplane, I believe they're called," the foreman went on.
"Well, I'll be gum-swizzled!" cried Dick, faintly. "Come on, fellows.The world must be coming to an end, surely."
As he started to enter the part of the factory whither he had beendirected, his uncle, plainly much excited, came out.
"Stop where you be, Nephew Richard!" he warned. "Don't come in here!Stay back!"
"Why, what in the world is the matter?" asked Dick. "Is somethinggoing to blow up?"