Five Thousand Miles Underground Part 11

"All of you keep quiet," he added in a whisper. "There may be good news soon."

Mark slipped from the room. He followed the mate to the upper deck which, at that time was deserted as all the sailors were in the dining room eating, which practice they indulged in as often as they could.

"I have a plan to get rid of these rough men," the mate said to Mark.

"It may work, and, again it may not. At any rate it is worth trying, It all depends on you with what help I can give you."

"I'm willing to do my share," Mark said, and for the next ten minutes the boy and the mate were in earnest conversation.

It was about thirty-five minutes later when there arose a sudden commotion in the ship. Mark had returned to his friends and the mate had disappeared. The confusion seemed to come from the engine room where Tony had posted some of his men.

"We're falling down! We'll all be killed!" shouted the men. "The ship is falling into the sea!"

"What is the trouble?" asked the professor as he heard the commotion.

"It is part of the mate's plan," said Mark. "He told me to tell you to do nothing. If Tony or any of the other men come to you just refer them to me."

Two minutes later Tony came rushing into the apartment where the captives were held prisoners.

"Here! Come quickly, Mark!" he exclaimed. "Something has gone wrong with the gas machine again, and you must come and fix it before we are all dashed to pieces!"

With every appearance of haste Mark rushed from the apartment, following Tony. The latter led the way to the engine room.

"Can anything be done?" he asked.

Mark took a survey of the machinery.

"It is too late," he said as though much excited. "The ship is falling down toward the sea with terrific force."

It needed but a glance at the height gage to show this. The pointer was revolving rapidly about the face of the dial.

"Will the ship stand the blow?" asked Tony.

"Not at the rate it is falling," replied Mark. "She will go all to pieces when she strikes the water, and she may explode!"

"What are we to do then?" asked the leader of the mutineers.

"We must save ourselves!" cried the mate, running in at this juncture.

"Let our prisoners shift for themselves as best they can. Let's all leap into the sea. There we at least have a chance for our lives. But if we stay on this ship we will all be drowned like cats in a bag."

"What do you propose?" asked Tony, his face white with fear.

"When the ship comes near enough the surface of the water to make it safe we should all drop overboard!" the mate exclaimed. "We are near some islands, I understand, and we can thus save our lives by swimming ash.o.r.e."

This plan seemed to meet with instant favor, and a little later there was a rush for the deck, as each one wished to be the first to escape from the boat they believed to be doomed.

Lower and lower fell the Mermaid. She was like a wounded bird which the shot of the hunter has crippled. Down and down she fluttered.

By this time all the sailors, save the mate were on deck. He and Mark remained in the engine room.

"Don't let her get too low," the mate whispered.

"I'll watch out," Mark replied. "I want to give them a good scare while I'm at it."

The ship was now within fifty feet of the water. There was a cry of terror from the sailors. Some of them leaped over the rail and started to swim ash.o.r.e, as the ship was by this time close to a group of islands.

Suddenly, from the engine room the mate rushed.

"Jump! Jump for your lives!" he exclaimed. "The ship is about to blow up!"

CHAPTER XI

MYSTERIOUS HAPPENINGS

THE voice of the mate echoed through the Mermaid. Those on deck heard it, as did Tony in the engine room, where he was vainly trying to understand the complicated machinery.

An instant later there sounded from beneath the ship a series of splashes. More sailors were leaping from the deck of the craft to the ocean. The distance was not great, particularly as they all landed in water.

"Quick!" cried the mate to a group of sailors that hesitated before taking the jump. "The ship may blow up any minute now."

The men needed no second urging. As soon as they struck the water they began to swim ash.o.r.e, as it was not far away. One after another they jumped over the rail. Tony was the last to go. He urged the captives to follow him, but they all refused.

A minute later the only one of the pirate crew left on the ship was the mate. The others were all struggling in the sea. Eventually they all reached sh.o.r.e in safety.

The airship was now within about twenty feet of the water. It was still falling but not so rapidly.

"Better send her up, now," said the mate to Mark, and the boy turned the necessary levers to accomplish this.

Dipping into the water as a sea gull does when searching for food on the wing, for she had come quite low, the Mermaid mounted once more into the air, and was soon sailing along over the heads of Tony and his gang.

"What's it all about?" asked Mr. Henderson, who seemed in a sort of stupor. "I thought the ship was broken. How, then, can it rise?"

"It was only a trick of mine," Rodgers said. "The gas machine is not broken. I had Mark fix it so that only a little vapor would be generated. When the supply in the holder was not enough, and no more was being made, the ship had to sink. Mark and I pretended it was worse than it really was just to scare the scoundrels."

"And you evidently succeeded," observed Mr. Henderson. "They have all left us. I am glad you stayed."

"So am I," said Rodgers. "I was just waiting for a chance to escape from that crowd. This was the plan I thought of that night. I wanted to see the men put on some island where they could manage to live, and which was not too far away."

The Mermaid was now mounting upward rapidly, as Mark had adjusted the machinery properly. The craft was well rid of the pirate crew, and was able to proceed on its way, and enable Mr. Henderson to carry out his plans.

When the Mermaid had reached a certain height her prow was turned the other way, and she was sent back racing over the ground she had just covered. But now the ship was in the hands of friends. Fortunately no great damage had been done by the sailors, and the professor was soon able to get things in ship-shape. The engines had not been molested and were working better than ever.

"Now to make another attempt to reach the big hole in the earth," the professor cried. "We will be careful next time, who we rescue from ships at sea."

The island was soon left behind, becoming a mere speck on the ocean.

Those aboard the Mermaid knew no harm could befall the sailors, as there were no savage tribes on the little spot of land. Eventually the sailors were picked up by a pa.s.sing vessel and taken to their homes.