Five Thousand Miles Underground Part 12

The story of their first mutiny leaked out and they were properly punished.

It required several days travel before the airship regained the distance she had lost because of the plans of the pirates. Also, there were a number of minor repairs to make, and the professor and his friends were kept busy.

"How much longer before we come to the big hole?" asked Jack, one day.

"I think we ought to be near it in about two weeks," the professor replied. "I only hope we shall not be disappointed, and will be able to explore it."

"'Tain't goin' t' be no fun t' be decimated an' expurgitated inter a conglomerous aggregation of elements const.i.tuting th' exterior portion of human anatomy," said Washington in dubious tones.

"You mean you're afraid of being boiled in the steam from the big hole?" asked Mark.

"Jest so," replied the colored man.

"You don't need to worry about that," put in the professor. "I will not take the ship down if there is any danger, though of course there will be some risk."

The ship, having been fully repaired, was now able to be speeded up, and was sent scudding along toward her destination. Rodgers proved a valuable acquisition toward the crew, for he had sailed many years in the waters over which they were flying, and was able to give the professor many valuable hints. He had heard vague stories of the island with the big hole, but had never been near it. He did not make the trip however, as, at his request, he was put off at an inhabited island one night.

It was about a week after the sailors were frightened from the ship, that a curious experience befell Mark. Washington was on duty in the conning tower, attending to the apparatus as the ship flew through the air, and all the others had gone to bed. Mark had remained up, later than the others as he was interested in reading a book on science.

About ten o'clock he became hungry, and going to the pantry got some bread and cold meat. He set these on a table, and then, remembering he would need some water to drink, started after some in the cooler, which was in a little room near the tower.

Washington heard the boy as he turned the faucet to draw the liquid, and spoke to him, as the colored man was rather lonesome at his post.

Mark did not linger more than a minute or two, but when he returned to where he had left the food he was much surprised.

There was not a trace of it to be seen. The dishes were on the table, but every vestige of bread and meat had disappeared.

"I wonder if a cat or dog has been here," was Mark's first thought.

Then he remembered that no such animals were aboard the Mermaid.

Something on the floor caught his eye. He stooped and picked it up. It was a slice of bread, but in such shape that the boy stared at it, puzzled as to how it could have become so.

It was flattened out quite thin, but the strangest part of it was that it bore what seemed to be the marks of thumb and fingers from a very large hand. So big, in fact, was the print, that Mark's hand scarce covered half of it, and, where the bread had been squeezed into a putty like ma.s.s (for it was quite fresh) the peculiar markings on the skin of the tips of the fingers were visible.

"It looks as if a giant grabbed this slice of bread," Mark observed.

"There are strange happenings aboard this ship. I wish I knew what they meant."

He looked all around for the food, thinking perhaps a rat had dragged it off, but there was no trace of it.

Suddenly the boy thought he heard a sound from the big storeroom. He was almost sure he heard something moving in there. He started toward the door when he was stopped by hearing the professor's voice call:

"Don't open that door, Mark. Have I not told you that place must not be entered?"

"I thought I heard some one in there," Mark replied.

"There is nothing in there but some apparatus of mine," Mr. Henderson said. "I want no one to see it. What is the matter?"

Mark explained matters to the scientist, who had, as he said later, arisen on hearing the boy, moving about.

"Oh, it was a rat that took your stuff," Mr. Henderson said. "I guess there are some pretty big ones on the ship. Get some more food and go to sleep."

Mark felt it best to obey, though he was by no means satisfied with the professor's explanation. He listened intently to see if any more noises came from the storeroom, but none did, and he went to bed.

Several times after that Mark tried the experiment of leaving food about. On each occasion it was taken.

"It looks as if the ship was haunted," he said. "Of course I know it isn't, but it's very queer. They must be strange rats that can get food from shelves when there is only the smooth side of the ship to climb up," for on some occasions Mark had tried the experiment of putting the food as nearly out of reach as possible.

It took several nights to learn all this, and, as he did not want to take any one into his confidence, he had to work in secret. But, with all his efforts he learned nothing, save that there was something odd about the ship that he could not fathom.

At first he believed the professor had some strange animal concealed in the storeroom, but he dismissed this idea almost as soon as he thought of it. For what could the scientist want with an animal when they were going to the interior of the earth? That some beast had slipped aboard was out of the question. Mark was much puzzled, but finally, deciding the matter did not concern him a great deal, gave up trying to solve the mystery, at least for a time.

The ship was now in the neighborhood of the equator and the climate had become much warmer. So hot indeed were some nights that they slept out on deck, with the Mermaid flying through the air at a moderate pace, for it was deemed best not to go at any great speed after dark.

One night the professor, after consulting various charts and maps, and making calculations which covered several sheets of paper announced:

"We should sight the mysterious island to-morrow."

"That's good news!" exclaimed Jack. "I'm anxious to see what's below inside of that big hole."

"Everybody git ready for their funerals!" exclaimed Washington in a deep voice. "I ain't got many----"

"Cheer up," interrupted Jack, poking Washington in the ribs. The colored man was very ticklish, and he began to laugh heartily, though, perhaps, he did not feel like it.

Suddenly, above the sound of his shouts, there came a crashing, grinding noise from the engine room.

CHAPTER XII

THE BIG HOLE

"SOMETHING has gone wrong!" exclaimed the professor as he jumped up.

He reached the engine room ahead of any one else, and when the two boys got there they found him busy twisting wheels and shifting levers.

"Anything serious?" asked Jack.

"It's the gas machine again," Mr. Henderson replied. "It broke where we fixed it. However it doesn't matter. I was going to lower the ship anyhow, as I want to approach the island from the water. We will go down a little sooner than I counted on."

The disabling of the gas machine caused the vapor to escape slowly from the tank, and this made the ship sink gradually. By means of the emergency stop-c.o.c.k the descent could be controlled almost as well as though the machinery was in working order. Half an hour later the Mermaid rested on the water.

It was a little rough, as there was quite a swell on, and not so pleasant as floating in the air on an even keel, but they made the best of it.

On account of the little accident, and not being certain of its extent, it was deemed best not to send the ship ahead. So they laid to until morning.

For the better part of two days all those on board the Mermaid had their hands full mending the break and making other repairs found necessary. In that time they lay to, floating idly with the currents, or blown by the wind, for the professor would not start any of the engines or apparatus until the ship was in good condition.

In this time Mark had several times recalled the curious happenings in regard to the disappearing food, and the mystery of the storeroom. But there were no further manifestations, and no other signs that there might be a strange visitor aboard.