King of the Air Part 20

"Yes, the wind's rising, and the clouds are scudding along at a great pace. How will she behave in a storm?"

"Don't know, and don't want to know just now. We should be in a pretty hobble if the machine were to get smashed up altogether."

While Tom and Oliphant were thus talking in low tones, Herr Schwab was deeply ruminating. He had been struck, on the roof of the kasbah, by something familiar in the speech of this Englishman who was masquerading as a Moor, but in the agitation of the moment he could not sift his recollections. Now, however, safe in the car of an aeroplane, sailing with almost imperceptible motion through the air, he was taking the opportunity to search his memory. Just as the airship arrived above the hill-top where Sir Mark Ingleton was waiting, and Tom was preparing to descend, he was startled by a loud exclamation from the German.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nozink, nozink at all. I know you vat you are. Mr. Thomas Dorrell! And ze Photographic Sensitizer Preparation Number Six. I know all about him; jawohl! Zere are business for Schlagintwert: I do not mind ze captivities now: business are business."

Oliphant looked inquiringly at Tom; but the moment was not propitious for explanations. Tom's whole attention was engaged by the machinery.

The airship alighted without mishap, and Tom as he stepped out of the car was greeted by Sir Mark Ingleton.

"I have a new conception of the music of the spheres," he said. "Your approach was heralded by an immense humming, which, I take it, will discount the usefulness of the airship in time of war."

"Zat vill be chance for Schlagintwert," interposed Schwab: "to invent somezink vat stop ze row."

"Precisely," said Sir Mark, with a faint smile.

"How do you feel now, sir?" asked Tom.

"Greatly invigorated by the fresh air. I am glad of your coat. May I know to whom I am indebted for this surprising change in my fortunes?"

"My name's Dorrell," said Tom. "I happened to be rather lucky in getting my airship to go just when it could be made useful."

"Viz Schlagintwert's Photographic Sensitizer Preparation Number Six,"

added Schwab.

"This is Mr. Oliphant, Lord Langside's son," Tom went on.

"Indeed!" With fine courtesy Sir Mark perfectly concealed his amazement.

Oliphant still wore his stoker's clothes, and the black smudges on his face had given him a striking resemblance to a coal-heaver. "I am grateful to the Prime Minister for this novel and adventurous expedition," added the envoy.

"My father knows nothing about it, sir," said Oliphant. "We were afraid he wouldn't allow it if we told him."

"I see. Nothing succeeds like success. Did you come all the way from England in this admirable machine?"

"No, sir. We were brought out on Mr. Greatorex's yacht, which is now waiting for us at the sh.o.r.e."

"That is good news, for in truth, seeing the limited carrying capacity of your airship, I had wondered how we were all to get away."

"That's our difficulty, sir. Our fuel is almost gone, and I'm very much afraid there isn't enough left to make even one journey back to the yacht. There's plenty on board, if we _can_ manage to reach it."

"In that case perhaps you and Mr. Oliphant had better return without us.

If you reach the yacht safely, you can come back and fetch us; if you do not-well, things will be no worse than they were."

"I don't care about doing that, sir. We came out to rescue you. I think you had better come with us. Our fuel may last out; the sooner you are safe aboard the yacht the better; and if we only get within sight of her it will be all right, for Mr. Greatorex will certainly send a boat's crew to fetch us off."

"Had you not better take Mr. Schwab first? He has been in captivity longer than I."

"And I have vair important business," said Schwab eagerly.

"I think my arrangement is best, sir. You see, your position is a matter of state importance-international importance, I might say; all Europe is more or less interested in your fate, whereas--"

"Ach!" interrupted Schwab, "zey insult me, ze Mohrs; me, a Jarman sobjeck; zerefore zey insult also our Kaiser, who is in Berlin. Zat is important."

"With all respect to your Kaiser, Mr. Schwab," said Tom, "we are three to one here, and I think the interests of the majority must prevail."

"But ze population of Jarmany is grosser zan ze population of Great Britain. Ve grow vair fast."

"Therefore your Kaiser can spare one individual better than our King. We must settle it so, Mr. Schwab. We'll take Sir Mark to the yacht and then come back for you-as we have already done."

"But if you forget-vere am I zen? Mr. Greatorex is business man, perhaps he vant to make haste for home. Besides, you try to keep ze secret of ze Photographic Sensitizer Preparation Number Six. I discover ze secret.

You vant to keep me out, so zat I shall not take out patent for Schlagintwert. Zat is business!"

"You may take my word for it that we'll come back for you," said Tom patiently. Oliphant was fuming: Sir Mark Ingleton was quietly enjoying the situation. "And here's Abdul." The young Moor at this moment came over the brow of the hill. "Perhaps he will stay and keep you company."

"I have enough gombany of ze Mohrs," said Schwab dismally. "Give notice, I shall have big claim for damage. Ze loss of business is colossal."

"You'll make it up when you put your Photographic Sensitizer Preparation Number Six on the market under a new name. Abdul, you will stay with Mr.

Schwab until we get back?"

Abdul agreed at once. In the event of a party coming from Ain Afroo to capture him he could retreat to the caves, which were so difficult of access that he might hope to defy attack for a time, even if his hiding-place were discovered. The chief difficulty would be food and water; but he could slip down into the woods before daybreak and gather a quant.i.ty of fruit; perhaps also snare one or two wild animals; and if Tom would leave behind the now almost empty canister in which he kept the fuel for the engines, he could fill that with water from the hill springs.

Schwab's countenance, as he heard these arrangements discussed, was that of a man very ill at ease. But he had apparently come to the conclusion that further protest would be unavailing, and he held his peace, summing up in his mind, possibly, the amount of his future claim for damages.

Tom handed Abdul his revolver, for use in the last resort; then followed Oliphant and the envoy into the car.

"You keep your vord!" cried Schwab, as the airship rose into the now overclouded sky.

Tom set the engines at half speed, partly to husband his fuel, partly because, moon and stars being now obscured, he felt the same kind of reluctance to go fast that a driver would feel in going through a dark country lane. It was a little before three in the morning. He hoped to reach the yacht about dawn, though, having in the darkness no means of guiding his course, he foresaw the possibility of going out of the way.

But a strong wind had blown up from the east, and with this at his back he knew that he must in due time reach the sea. Rain began to fall, at first in large scattered drops, finally in a steady downpour, and when the grey dawn at last broke through the sky, all three occupants of the car were thoroughly drenched and miserable.

Tom had anxiously watched his fuel supply. When the rain ceased and the sky became clearer, and he caught sight of the sea afar off, he saw that there was not the smallest chance of reaching the sh.o.r.e.

"How far is it, do you think?" asked Oliphant.

"More than ten miles, I fancy. I've sc.r.a.ped up the last ounces of paste; we shall be lucky if it carries us another five miles."

"And what then?"

"Goodness knows! I don't know what part of the sh.o.r.e we are heading for.

We may be miles north or south of the yacht for all I can tell."

"Will they see us on board?"

"Don't think so. You see, the yacht, when we left her, was moored pretty close insh.o.r.e, and, unless she runs out a good way, the cliffs will intercept the view. By Jove! we haven't come far wrong, though. You see those two islands? I noticed them from the deck. They're a few miles south of where we lay to. Here goes the last of the fuel, Oliphant; we can't keep up more than five minutes. The only thing to be done is to let her down at a suitable spot, and then gain the sh.o.r.e on foot, and attract the attention of some one on board. No doubt they're keeping a pretty keen lookout."

They were now pa.s.sing over a considerable stretch of wooded country. But as Tom was looking about for a place convenient for landing, he saw to his consternation that they were within sight of a village of some size.

The airship was no more than six hundred feet from the ground: Tom had not dared to keep it at any greater alt.i.tude, and he could scarcely hope that it had escaped observation. To descend at once was absolutely imperative: yet a descent in full sight of the village would certainly bring unwelcome and hostile visitors. In order to stave off, even for a time, the inevitable, he selected a spot that seemed to be about a couple of miles from the village-a large clearing in the midst of the wood, about halfway up a gently rising hill. There he dropped gently to earth.