CHAPTER VI.
ABLAZE IN THE AIR.
When the king of the motor boys was in the air with the _Comet_, everypower of mind and body was trained to the work of looking after themachine.
Flying in an a?roplane is vastly more difficult than sailing in aballoon. In the case of a gas bag, an a?ronaut has only to throw outballast, take his ease, and trust to luck; but, with a heavier-than-airmachine, the aviator must rely upon the quickness of his wits and hisdexterity.
A?roplane flying, in a large measure, is a knack, and must be acquired.The air pressure never touches the machine in exactly the same pointfor two consecutive seconds, and, because of this, the centre ofgravity is constantly changing. Centre of gravity and centre of airpressure must coincide at all times if the machine is to be kept in theair, and the success or failure to do this proves the competency or theincompetency of the operator.
The Traquair a?roplane--upon which model Matt's machine had beenbuilt--preserved its equilibrium while aloft by an elongation, orcontraction, of the wing tips. A lever regulated this; and, wheneverMatt was flying, the lever was moving continuously, the ends of thewings darting out and in with lightning-like rapidity, one sidepresenting greater wing area to the pressure while the other presentedless, and vice versa.
Motor Matt's engagement with Boss Burton did not cover long flights.Usually, if the weather was propitious, he made it a point to remainaloft about fifteen minutes, circling about the show grounds, turningsharp corners and cutting airy "figure eights," in order to show thecapabilities of the a?roplane.
"Get your trapeze over, Le Bon!" he called, while they were steadilymounting.
A laugh was his answer--a silvery ripple of a laugh that had a familiarring in his ears and now filled him with consternation. He dared notlook around.
"Haidee!" he exclaimed.
"Are you mad at me, Motor Matt?" came the voice of the girl.
She cautiously slipped into the seat beside him, her heightened colorand sparkling eyes showing her excitement.
"This was a trick," went on Matt calmly, attending to his work with anindifference more apparent than real, "which you and Le Bon and Burtonplayed on me?"
"It was Burton's idea, and he told it to me while we were going afterArchie le Bon. Archie was to pretend to run with the machine, and I wasto be with him. When the machine got to going too fast for us, Archiewas to drop to one side and I was to spring to the lower wing. Yourback would be in my direction, and you couldn't see me."
"That wasn't like you, Haidee," said Matt.
"Are you mad?"
"What's the use of being put out with you? I'll have something to sayto Burton and Le Bon when I get back to the grounds."
"You thought you were doing something to help me--I know that--but youdidn't understand I was perfectly able to carry out my part of theprogramme. As it is now, I came along and you couldn't help yourself.Are you going to try and keep me from dropping under the machine withthe trapeze?"
"No," was the grim reply, "now that you are here you can go on withyour work. Hold to the hand grip on the edge of the plane while youunlash the bar."
Perfectly cool, and in complete command of her nerves, Haidee knelt onthe foot-rest, clinging to the plane with one hand while she unlashedthe trapeze bar with the other.
"I'm ready, Motor Matt," said Haidee.
She was sitting on the edge of the seat, holding the bar in both hands.
Matt had brought the _Comet_ to an even keel, some fifty feet over theshow grounds. They were traveling about thirty miles an hour--a snail'space for the _Comet_--and Matt was about to make a turn over the riverand traverse the length of the grounds going the other way.
"Now, listen," said he to the girl. "I'm going to tilt the _Comet_sharply upward and ascend for about fifty feet, then I'm going toreverse the position and descend for fifty feet in the same sharpangle. When we turn for the descent, Haidee, drop from the foot-restwhen I give the word. The pull of your body, when it falls, will dragon the machine, but never mind that--hang on and don't get scared. Assoon as I can I will bring the machine to a level. Understand?"
"Yes."
"And another thing. While you're moving on the bar, just remember to doit quietly and easily. You've seen the two Japs at work in the show, Iknow. When the big fellow balances the pole on his shoulder, and thelittle fellow goes up, every move is made as though there would be asmash if they were not careful."
"I understand," said the girl.
The machine had been brought around and was heading toward the grounds.Matt twisted the small forward planes, which laid the course forascending or descending. At the same time he speeded up the motor.
The _Comet_ pointed upward; then, at the top of her course, was asquickly turned and aimed toward the earth.
Matt caught a glimpse of a sea of upturned faces. The machine wasrushing downward at a frightful pace.
"_Now!_" shouted Matt.
He saw the girl poise birdlike on the foot-rest, then sink from it withthe trapeze. So great was the slant of the a?roplane that she seemed tofall forward.
There was a jar as the bar reached the end of the ropes, and, with thegirl's weight, was caught and held. The _Comet_ made an erratic wabbleand lurched sideways like a great bird, wounded on the wing.
Haidee withstood the jolt admirably, and Matt twirled the leveroperating the steering planes.
Sounds from the earth always reach a?ronauts with startlingdistinctness. The shouts of consternation which came from the throatsof the spectators could be heard, and also the murmur of relief as the_Comet_ righted herself, and the trapeze and the girl swung back underthe machine.
Controlling the a?roplane was always more difficult when there was aweight suspended beneath, but Matt had counted upon this, and he forcedthe _Comet_ back and forth over the show grounds, holding the machinefairly steady.
Three times he and Haidee circled over the "tops" with their gaystreamers, cheer upon cheer following them from below.
Matt had been in the air more than fifteen minutes, and he was justmanoeuvring toward the starting and stopping point, when the cheerswere suddenly turned to cries of fear and alarm. He could see thepeople below waving their arms and pointing upward.
For an instant the young motorist's heart sank. He felt sure thatsomething had gone wrong with the girl.
This conviction had hardly formed before it was dissipated. A smell ofsmoke came to his nostrils, and to his ears a crackle of flames. Mattturned his head.
The left wing of the a?roplane was on fire!
A thrill of horror shot through him. In the air, he and Haidee, with ablazing flying machine alone between them and death! The very thoughtwas enough to wrench the stoutest nerves.
"Haidee!" yelled Matt.
"Yes," came the stifled response, from underneath the _Comet_.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes."
"Hang to the bar--don't lose your nerve!"
Matt's mind was grappling with the complex situation. To get safelyto the ground in the shortest possible time was the problem thatconfronted him.
How the wing had caught fire he did not know, and had not the time evento guess. It sufficed that the plane was ablaze, and that the longer itblazed and ate into the fabric the less resistance the plane made tothe atmosphere. And it was this resistance that spelled life for theking of the motor boys and the girl!
To drop the blazing a?roplane into that sea of heads below meant injuryto some of the spectators. Matt must avoid this and reach the earth inthe roped-off lane from which the ascent had been made.
He put the clamps on his nerves, and, with brain perfectly clear, drovethe a?roplane about at a sharp angle.
Then, if ever, the machine was true to its name, for as it dartedonward, the smoke and flame that streamed out behind must have given itthe look of a comet.
Could he drop to earth, the young motorist was asking himself, beforethe fire struck either of the gasoline tanks?
Mo
tor Matt, as he coaxed the last ounce of speed from the motor,shouted encouragingly to the terrified girl on the trapeze.
Suddenly, below him opened the narrow lane roped off along the road. Abuzz of excited voices echoed in his ears. With steady hand he shut offthe power and glided downward.
"Drop from the bar and run, Haidee," he shouted, "as soon as we comeclose to the ground."
There was a response from the girl, but the clamor of the crowdprevented him from hearing what it was.
The next moment the blazing a?roplane settled into the road and glidedalong on the bicycle wheels.
McGlory, Carl, and Ping were on hand, the cowboy in charge of adetachment of canvasmen with buckets. A hiss of steam, as water struckthe flames, rose in the air.
"Careful!" cried Matt, restraining the impetuous assault of the firefighters. "Don't climb over the machine and damage it! Keep them back,Joe! Here, some of you, drench the wings on the right side and keep thefire from spreading."
Ably directed by Matt and McGlory, the fire was extinguished. Leavingthe damaged a?roplane in charge of Carl and Ping, Matt limped offtoward the calliope tent, accompanied by his cowboy chum.