CHAPTER XXI--VON SINZIG'S BID FOR SAFETY
Count Karl von Sinzig was in a particularly bad temper. He had justlearned, by picking up various wireless messages, that "the cat was outof the bag." In other words, the discovery of the lost observationbasket had landed him in a very awkward predicament.
He blamed everyone and everybody save himself. The lucklessUnter-Leutnant, Hans Leutter, came in for a very bad time because hehadn't got rid of the second bomb. The petty officer, who hadconscientiously seen that the bottle-screws securing the basket wereproperly made fast, was bullied and browbeaten because the basket wastorn away. The rest of the crew, the makers of the airship, and everyperson having anything to do with the aerial contest also came in forabuse.
The count was also puzzled at not being able to intercept any messagesfrom the "Golden Hind" after the one announcing her approach to Panama.Z64 had reported at Colon, when, according to the latest information,the British airship was hard on the heels of her German rival.
And now, almost the final straw, came the general wireless messagedeclaring that Z64 was proscribed and liable to be detained should shetouch at any place belonging to either of the _entente_ nations.
Fosterdyke had accurately gauged his rival's intentions. The knowledgethat his guilty secret was out compelled von Sinzig to change his plansand make for Teneriffe, whence, having replenished fuel, he ought to beeasily able to complete the last stage of the round the world voyage.
When about 300 miles to the westward of the Canaries, but farther to thenorth than von Sinzig hoped to be, owing to a strong side-drift, Z64encountered a violent storm. In order to try to avoid the worst of theterrific wind and rain, the airship began to ascend, hoping to findbetter conditions in the rarefied atmosphere.
Z64 was ascending obliquely under the action of her huge horizontalrudders and was passing through a dense cloud when a vivid flash oflightning, followed almost immediately by a deafening crash of thunder,appeared to penetrate the airship through and through.
Almost every man on board shouted with terror. They were fullyconvinced that the hydrogen had ignited. There was a frantic rush forthe life-saving parachutes, until Unter-Leutnant Hans Leutter reassuredthe panic-stricken crew with the information that the gas-bag had nottaken fire.
Meanwhile the airship, left to its own devices, since the helmsman hadabandoned the wheel, had turned eight degrees to port and was travellingat a rate of 120 miles an hour on a course N. by W.
Von Sinzig, who "had the wind up" as badly as anybody, was nowhere to befound for some time. Leutter even came to the conclusion that hissuperior officer had leapt overboard when the alarm of fire had beenraised; but after a lapse of twenty-five minutes the count re-appeared,looking very grey and haggard.
"I think I must have been stunned, Herr Leutter," he said inexplanation.
His subordinate accepted the excuse without smiling incredulously. Hehad seen his chief bolting for his very life. He certainly did not looklike being stunned.
"Take charge for a while," continued von Sinzig. "I am not feelingwell. I must go to my cabin and lie down."
He staggered aft along the narrow catwalk, while the Unter-Leutnant gaveorders for the airship to be brought back on her original course.
It was easier said than done. The gigantic gas-bag was see-sawingerratically. She had difficulty in answering to her helm, and in spiteof the fact that the horizontal rudders were trimmed for ascending, theairship was decreasing her altitude.
Then reports began to come in from the still "jumpy" crew. The engineerreported that the after propeller was damaged; another man announcedthat there was a large gash in the aluminium envelope, and that severalof the after ballonets were leaking rapidly.
Further examination revealed the grave fact that one of the propellerblades had fractured, and the flying piece of metal had penetrated thegas-bag at about eighty feet from the after-end. So great had been thevelocity of the broken blade that it had practically wrecked every gascompartment in the stern of the envelope.
Unter-Leutnant Leutter sent a man to inform von Sinzig. He had to dothat, although he would have preferred to act upon his own initiative.He was decidedly "fed up" with his arrogant and craven skipper.
The count arrived quickly. He led off by abusing Leutter in front ofseveral of the crew for having disturbed him; then, on being told ofwhat had occurred, he changed completely round and complimented hissubordinate on his sagacity.
"Z64's done, Herr kapitan," declared Hans Leutter. "She's sinkingrapidly. Half an hour, perhaps, will find her falling into the sea. Wemust take steps to safeguard ourselves."
"Quite true," agreed the count. "Although there will be enough buoyancyin the envelope to keep it afloat for hours--days even. What do youpropose to do?"
"Throw overboard everything of a weighty nature, Herr kapitan," repliedthe Unter-Leutnant. "We can empty the petrol tanks, since we have nofurther use for the motors. Meanwhile we must send out a generalwireless call for assistance to all ships within a hundred or twohundred kilometres of us."
Count Karl von Sinzig thought this quite an excellent idea. At least,he said so. At the back of his mind he had a hazy notion that even nowthere was a chance of winning the Chauvasse Prize. There was nothing inthe conditions forbidding a competitor----
His ruminations were interrupted by the appearance of the wirelessoperator, who reported that both the transmitter and the receiver wereout of action, and that the wireless cabin bore signs of having beenstruck by lightning.
"Can't you effect repairs?" demanded von Sinzig.
"I am sorry I cannot, Herr kapitan," replied the operator.
"A useful wireless man you are!" commented the count, caustically.
The man saluted and backed away from his chief, congratulating himselfthat he had come off so lightly. But von Sinzig was rather pleased thanotherwise that the wireless was out of action. It furnished him with agood excuse to put a certain little plan into execution.
"Are there any vessels in sight?" he asked.
A look-out man had been scanning the wide expanse of sea for the lastten minutes.
"Nothing in sight, Herr kapitan," he announced.
By this time Z64 was well beyond the storm-area. The sea, now a bare3000 feet below, was no longer white with angry crested waves, but bythe aid of binoculars it could be seen that there was a long swellrunning.
"Then there's nothing to be done unless we make use of the Albatross,"declared von Sinzig. "I will go and look for a ship."
Hans Leutter and those of the crew who heard the count's resolvereceived the proposal in stony silence. They all recognised that theirkapitan was violating the traditions of the sea and the air by being thefirst to abandon his command. Of the crew at least four were capable offlying the small but powerful monoplane, so there was no excuse on thatscore of von Sinzig being the only man able to take the Albatross up.
In obedience to a peremptory order the crew hurriedly prepared themonoplane for her flight. The Albatross, nominally used for startingfrom and alighting on the ground, was adapted for marine work by havingthree small floats, the lower portions of which were just above thewheel base line, so that the monoplane could be used either as anordinary machine or as a seaplane.
In the present circumstances von Sinzig elected to start from the air.The Albatross, suspended by a quick release gear from the underside ofthe 'midship gondola, was ready before the airship had dropped to athousand feet.
"You will be quite safe," reiterated the count. "I'll send the firstvessel I meet to your assistance. It may be a matter of a few hours.All ready? Let go."
The monoplane's motor was already running slowly. Directly von Sinzigfelt the Albatross had parted company with her gigantic parent he opened"all out." At a hundred and thirty miles an hour he was soon lost tosight.
"He's going east by north, I notice," soliloquised Hans Leutter. "Iwill be greatly surprised if he returns to Z64."
A
nd the count was of the same opinion. He hadn't the faintest intentionof flying back to the airship. Nor was he particularly keen onreporting Z64's predicament to any vessel he sighted.
He was out to win the Chauvasse Prize. The sum went to the man whosucceeded in flying round the world in twenty days. There was nostipulation to the effect that only one airship, flying-boat, aeroplane,or seaplane must be used throughout the flight. Therefore, since thegoal was within a comparatively easy distance, he hoped to complete thecircuit in the Albatross, and thus win the coveted prize.