CHAPTER XI
A GRAND SUCCESS
“All ready!”
Robert King, seated in the pilot room of the _Albatross_, spoke thewords through a tube at his side connecting with the cabin.
Dave Dashaway stood beside him, and behind the young aviator was HiramDobbs. It was the most impressive moment in all the boys’ lives. Wellmight it be, for the next movement of the expert airman meant the startof the giant airship on a cruise but once before attempted by mortalman.
Before the skilled sky rider was a great sheet of glass punctured withknobs of metal. Each bore a number. From practice, these indices toguiding detail were as familiar to Mr. King as an alphabet to aschoolboy. The operator was so intent upon his work that his handtrembled, his eyes were glued to the pilot board, and his face was quitepale. Dave stood with every nerve tense and strained. Hiram fairly heldhis breath. There was a grind and a sway as Mr. King touched aparticular button. The huge gas bag lifted its prow from the ground,then its body cleared all earth of contact, and the next instant wasstretched out on an angle of forty-five degrees.
“We’re started!” breathed Dave.
“It’s grand!” pronounced Hiram, in a gasp.
Both edged towards the open window. A dizzying panorama greeted theirsight.
The old factory was a wreck. One entire sidewall and parts of the frontand rear walls had been torn out of place that morning, to allow for theexit to level ground of the _Albatross_. Outside of the enclosure over athousand persons were gathered. A band was playing, the crowd wascheering, and from a neighboring roof a group of reporters and a dozenairmen, friends of Mr. King, joined in the tumult, waving hats, flagsand handkerchiefs.
The _Albatross_ behaved splendidly. There was not a jar as it ended amile ascent in exactly five minutes. Then, as the vast machine balancedto its natural position, it began a straight, even glide so graceful andbuoyant that it imparted a positive thrill to the passengers.
“Say, it’s glorious!” burst out the irrepressible Hiram, “I feel as if Ihad been taking laughing gas!”
Dave resumed his position near his friend and patron, Mr. King. For thepresent he was to take no active part in running the _Albatross_. Hehad, however, sat up half the night listening to the arrangements mappedout by Professor Leblance. He realized, too, that as soon as he learnedall that the aviator had acquired he was to relieve him. There was not amovement made by the skilled hand of the airman that Dave did notmemorize. He had accompanied the professor in a tour all over the crafttwo hours before starting, and had been amazed at the simplicity of theconstruction as a whole. He was lost in admiration as he realized what aperfect mechanism controlled the giant airship.
The Frenchman had four skilled airship men under his orders. They hadbeen trained to their duties in Germany and France. Each knew what wasrequired of him, and each understood that, while they appeared to act asautomatons, a single miss in the programme might end their career inmid-air, or in the ocean depths.
Outside of these men, who performed engineering duties solely, a youngand enthusiastic Pole named Vacla assisted the professor in the actualcontrol of the craft. In the pilot room Mr. King directed the course ofthe _Albatross_ by electric signals, or word of mouth through thespeaking tube.
Passages ran past the cased-in balloonets to every part of the airship.In the direct center of the craft and above the airplanes and floatattachments was the roomy cabin. Two persons, both foreigners, the cookand the cabin attendant, had this department in charge. The cabin hadrows of windows on both sides, and was furnished comfortably and evenelegantly. Seated at one of the windows, a passenger had a perfect viewas far as the eye could reach.
Hiram found his way to the cabin, to come upon Mr. Dale and Grimshawviewing the fast-receding earth. The good hearted old gentleman, who hadfinanced the proposition almost solely on Dave’s account, was chuckling,with his fat comfortable face crossed with a great smile of delight.Grimshaw seemed more contented and spirited than Hiram had ever seen himbefore.
“We’ve made a famous start,” burst out Hiram, waving his hand in glee.
“That’s pleasant,” beamed Mr. Dale.
“And Mr. King says we’re going to keep it up.”
“That’s natural,” joined in Grimshaw.
“Everything has been provided for, and we’re going ahead slick asgrease.”
“That’s evident,” chuckled Mr. Dale.
“And we’re going to cross the Atlantic first!” boasted the excited youngairman.
“That’s all!” roared Grimshaw—“all worth working for and waiting for.I’ve dreamed it for ten years. Now—hooray!”
In about half an hour Professor Leblance, Mr. King and Dave came intothe cabin. The Frenchman’s eyes were shining with half-suppressedexcitement and satisfaction. Mr. Dale rushed at him and grasped his handfervently.
“My friend,” he said, “you’ve proven a genius, a wonder! Hold out as youhave begun, and I double the fee originally agreed upon.”
“Ah, sir,” replied the gifted engineer, “let me but see the land on theother side—then, undying fame! I ask no more.”
“See here,” broke in the ever-active and restless Hiram, “is this allwe’ve got to do—sit here and let her drift?”
“About that, for the present,” returned Mr. King.
“Remember, we are still over land,” reminded the professor. “It is calmand fair. It is a pleasant beginning. When we get over the ocean——”
The Frenchman here shrugged his shoulders expressively, as if he thoughtit no child’s play ahead.
“Then,” added Mr. King, “every man must do his duty as on a ship instress of weather.”
“The orders are for four hours drifting,” explained Professor Leblance.“About nightfall we will have reached what we call the approximate aircurrent. The right air course is just as established as the ocean roads,and we aim to follow it in our voyage.”
“And now, my friends,” came from Mr. Dale. “I have something more to sayabout this wonderful airship.”
All eyes were at once turned on the rich gentleman who had made itpossible to construct the _Albatross_.
“Years ago Dave Dashaway’s father and I were chums. He did me many agood turn. That is why I have taken such an interest in my young friendhere. Now that this giant airship is an accomplished fact, I wish tomake it known to all of you that I have had it built on his account——”
“Oh, Mr. Dale!” interrupted our hero.
“It is true, my boy, and from this moment on I wish the _Albatross_ tobe known as Dave Dashaway’s airship,” went on the rich gentleman.
“Hooray!” cried Hiram and Grimshaw, in unison.
“My airship?” cried Dave.
“Yes, my boy, your airship,” answered Mr. Dale. “And may she win her wayacross the Atlantic without a mishap.”
“Amen to that,” put in Mr. King. “Dave, my warmest congratulations,” andhe held out his hand.
Dave was so overcome he could scarcely speak. But at last he thanked Mr.Dale heartily for his great kindness. The thought that the giant airshiphad been turned over to him filled his heart with new enthusiasm.
“I’ll do my best to make a success of the trip,” he said, in a voicefilled with emotion.
“I know you will—I bank on you, my boy,” answered Mr. Dale.
They circled out toward the water for a few miles, to ascertain thestrength of some of the ocean currents of air, and as they were turninginward again Dave cried out:
“Look, there’s a seagull trying to race with us, I do believe!” Hepointed upward and there, in the air above them and off to one side, wasone of the graceful birds.
“That’s what it is!” exclaimed Mr. Dale. “And that reminds me ofsomething I must do to oblige a friend. But first let us watch thatseagull.”
All eyes were now turned toward it. The swift bird seemed to realizethat one of its own kind, or, more properly, a riv
al, was disputing theelement so long unconquerable by man. The seagull would approach thegiant airship as if to ascertain what it wanted in the upper regions, tolearn its speed and power. Then, as if alarmed at the noise of thepropeller, or perhaps some of the odors of the escaping gas, the birdwould veer off, only to return.
“Look!” cried Dave again. “It’s going to see how much faster it can gothan we do. It’s trying to double on us, I declare!”
And that is exactly what the seagull did. Darting ahead it swung arounda good distance in front of the airship, and then, as if to prove howpuny was man, compared to nature, the bird darted straight back towardthe craft.
“He’s going to ram us—he’ll be killed, sure!” yelled Mr. King.
“No, he’s going to one side,” declared Mr. Dale.
And that is what the bird did! Like an arrow it shot along the side ofthe _Albatross_, almost brushing the gas bags with its wing tips. To therear swung the big bird. Its purpose was now plain. It was going tocircle the airship.
“Two can play at that game!” cried Dave. “Let’s put on all speed! Can webeat the seagull?”
“We certainly can,” said Mr. King, in a quiet voice. He walked over tosome of the signal buttons and pushed them. The effect was at onceapparent. There was an increased tremor through the whole craft. Itdarted ahead and cleaved the air as it had never done before. Once moreMr. King pressed a small lever. Again the trembling of the craftincreased as if she would shake apart. But she was staunchly built.
“Can you see the gull?” demanded Mr. Dale.
“Yes, here he comes!” cried Dave. “He’s been to the stern, rounded it,and here he comes up alongside like the wind. He’s trying to pass us!”
“But he never will,” spoke Mr. King. “Here goes for the final test.Perhaps it’s foolish to use our greatest speed on a new motor beforeit’s been warmed up and run longer than this has, but we might as wellknow first as last just what the _Albatross_ will do. Now for the test!”
He pressed a button that communicated with the motor room, and therecame such a vibration to the craft that one and all, who were not awareof the reserve power, looked at one another in some alarm.
“How about it, Dave?” inquired Mr. King. “Are we holding our own?”
“Yes! Yes!” eagerly answered the young aviator. “The gull is strainingevery wing feather, but he’s falling back. Look, no he’s even with usnow! He’s going ahead—see—see!”
Was the _Albatross_, after all, to be beaten?
The gull was now flying alongside in such a position as to be visible toall. Clearly the bird was exerting every last ounce of strength. Itswings were wildly beating the air, and its slender head and hooked billwere stretched out like the prow of some slave-galley—cutting the air.
“It’s falling back—it’s falling back—we win!” cried Dave exultantly.
It was so. The gull, unable to keep up the terrific speed, was losingground. The airship kept on, its awful power forcing it forward. Foot byfoot the bird fell back until like some express train passing a slowfreight, the _Albatross_ shot ahead of the weary bird, and the creature,as if humiliated by the test, folded its wings and dropped downward likea shot, in order to rest. Then spreading wide its pinions again, itfloated in the air, far below the rival craft.
“We sure did go!” cried Dave in triumph, as some of the terrific powerwas cut down. “But what was it you said you wanted to do, Mr.Dale—something that the sight of the gull reminded you about?”
“Oh, yes. Well, it’s nothing more or less than to release a carrierpigeon I have on board.”
“A carrier pigeon?” cried several.
“Yes, a friend of mine, who is interested in aeronautics, and whopublished a magazine about them, asked me to do this for him. He gave mea carrier pigeon a few days ago, and requested me to release it on ourtrial trip. I said I would, and now I am going to send him a message ofour success. The bird will fly directly to his coop, and later, when Igive him the time we liberated it, and he notes the time of arrival, hecan figure the speed.”
“Good!” cried Dave. “Where is the pigeon?”
It was brought out in the basket where it had been held captive, and Mr.Dale, who understood such matters, prepared a short message on thinpaper. The paper was put in a quill, sealed at both ends, and then tiedby silk thread to one of the pigeon’s wings.
The bird was taken to the deck of the craft and liberated. It soaredhigh in the air, circled about once or twice and, then even in thatvoid, seeming to get its bearings, it darted off to the south.
“Later we will learn how my friend received the message,” said Mr. Dale.“And now I think we had better change our course.”
The _Albatross_ lined the coast a few miles to the interior. Until duskDave and the others viewed a constantly changing panorama. Then therewas supper, a bountiful meal, well prepared, and immensely relished byall hands.
After that lights were set, the big headlights, front and rear, sendingout far-reaching shafts of radiance that must have appeared touninitiated landsmen as streaming meteors.
Mr. King was in the cabin when the electric call bell took him to thespeaking tube. He dropped it as if some important message called himinstantly to the pilot room.
His manner and face indicated to the young aviator that whatever messagehe had received had urged him to seriousness and haste.
“Something’s up; eh, Dave?” shot out Hiram, as the airman hurried fromthe cabin.
“It looks that way,” assented Dave. “I wonder what?”