Through the Air to the North Pole Part 9

Andy Sudds started on the jump to a.s.sist the unfortunate man.

"Don't touch him!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "He's held fast by electricity! If you attempt to pull him away with your bare hands you'll be caught just as he is! Wait a minute!"

The inventor rapidly opened a locker. From it he took out a pair of rubber gloves. Putting these on he hurried to where the negro was still squirming in pain and terror.

"Help! Help!" Washington yelled. "I'm burning up!"

"Wait a moment! I'll save you!" shouted the captain of the _Monarch_.

The next instant he reached up, and turned off the electric current.

Washington fell in a limp heap on the floor of the engine room. He was freed from the grip of the electricity that had held him as in a vise.

The professor ran to a medicine closet and got a remedy which he administered to the unfortunate one.

In a little while the colored man was better. He sat up, opened his eyes, which had been closed, and remarked:

"Dat was a mighty close call fer dis chicken!"

"What made you go near the switch?" asked Mr. Henderson. "I have warned you several times never to put both hands on a copper switch at the same time. One hand does not matter, but two make the connection."

"I knows it now, Perfessor," said Washington humbly.

"Then I hope you'll remember it. That applies to all of you," he went on. "If ever you have occasion to touch any electrical machinery, don't do it with both hands at the same time, if there is danger of forming a connection. Always use rubber gloves, and you'll be in no danger. Rubber is a non-conductor. Remember, Washington."

"I'll recollection it on de next obstreperous occasion," promised the negro.

"You must feel better when you can use your big words," said Mr.

Henderson with a laugh. "Now," he continued, "I was about to give a few general instructions about the airship, when Washington interrupted us.

"You men who are here against your will I am sorry about. I could not stop and let you off a while ago, because there was a man at the shed whom I did not want to meet. But if you want to go back to your homes I will let the airship down to the earth and you can go. I would like to have you stay with me. I can promise you all good wages, since I am well off as regards money.

"To you, Mr. Sudds, I can promise such game hunting as you never had before. And to you two farm hands I can promise such sights as you never saw before. Do you want to continue with me, now that you have had a chance to think the thing over?"

All three said they did.

"Then I'll divide our forces," went on the captain and owner of the _Monarch_. "I will be in general charge of the ship, just as if I was a commander of an ocean steamer. I expect to be obeyed in every particular. Washington will be the engineer, with the two boys to help him. Tom Smith and Bill Jones will be in charge of the kitchen, and I will show them how to prepare the condensed foods. Andy Sudds will be a sort of look-out and the hunter of the expedition. I will steer the ship and keep watch of the different instruments.

"In order that you may know a little bit about the _Monarch_ I will tell you how she is run. In the first place, she is lifted above the earth by the power of a very strong gas I discovered. It is much lighter than hydrogen, or the gas ordinary airships are filled with, and has a greater lifting power than the hot air used in the old balloons.

"By putting more gas into the silk bag above us I can rise higher. The less gas I use the lower we go. The gas is let into or out of the bag by means of valves which are operated from the engine room or the steering tower. The forward motion of the ship is brought about by means of the propeller at the stern. This propeller works by electricity. The electricity comes from storage batteries which are kept charged from the dynamo run by one of the gasolene engines. I also have an electric motor that is run by either a gasolene engine or the storage battery. If one breaks down I can use the other. The motor alone will run the propeller if the storage batteries fail, and I have to run the electric machine directly from the gasolene engine.

"That apparatus there," and he pointed to a complicated machine, "is where the lifting gas is generated. A gasolene engine runs it.

Those tubes carry the gas from the machine to the bag above."

Then the professor pointed out the levers that started and stopped The _Monarch_, those that sent it higher into the air or toward the earth, the wheel for steering, and told the boys and men how to read the instrument that gave the heights, the force of the wind, the temperature, and much other information. He showed them how the entire control of the ship could be accomplished from the conning or steering tower by the turning of one wheel or another.

"Rattlesnakes an' mud turtles, but she sure is a bang-up affair,"

observed Andy Sudds. "But about that gun--"

"That's so. I promised you a gun in exchange for the one you lost," said Mr. Henderson. "Wait a moment."

He was gone a little while. Presently he returned with a fine rifle, at the sight of which the old hunter's eyes sparkled.

"That's a beauty!" he exclaimed. "It beats mine."

"It is a magazine gun," explained the professor. "It fires sixteen shots with one loading," he explained.

"And I can kill sixteen white bears, sixteen seals or sixteen whales!"

exclaimed Andy with delight. "Well, I certainly am glad I come along, Professor."

"I have a gun for each of us," Mr. Henderson went on, "in case we should meet with enemies. But we may not need them. There is also the machine gun at the stern."

Then the professor initiated his crew into the mysteries of the kitchen and dining room. Nearly all the foods carried on the _Monarch_ were of the condensed type. A small capsule made a plate of soup. There were other pills or capsules that held meat extracts, condensed cereals, tea, milk, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and everything needed in the general eating line. All the cooking was done by electricity.

As has been said, there was plenty of clothing to withstand the rigors of the arctic regions. There was an abundance of gasolene for the engines and for heating the ship. In short, Professor Henderson seemed to have forgotten nothing that would make his trip to the north pole a success.

After he had explained all he thought necessary, he told the two farm hands to see what they could do in the way of preparing a meal, as it was nearly noon, and everyone was hungry. Rather awkwardly at first, Bill and Tom started in. They soon got the knack of things, however, and once they had found out how to run the electric stove they were right at home making soups and other dishes from the condensed foods. The first meal on the _Monarch_ was voted a success.

Meanwhile the airship was sailing on. It was not moving very rapidly, for the professor wanted to give the machinery a chance to warm up.

After the meal the inventor took the two boys into the steering tower with him, telling Washington to speed up the engines.

In a few minutes the boys were aware that they were moving forward at a faster pace. The air, as it came in the opened window of the conning tower, rushed past with great force.

"I think we'll go a little higher," said Mr. Henderson.

He turned a small lever. All at once the boys experienced a sensation as if they were in a rapidly ascending elevator. Up and up they went, for the professor had admitted more gas to the big silk bag above them.

Suddenly the earth which the boys had dimly perceived below them as if it was a small map in a big geography, faded out of sight. At the same instant there was a sudden moisture and chilliness to the air. Then a dense white mist enveloped the _Monarch_.

"Oh!" cried Mark. "What has happened?"

"We are going through a cloud!" called the professor. So dense was the vapor that the boys, though within five feet of the captain, could not see him. His voice sounded far off.

Then came a sudden rush of light. The mist cleared away. The boys could see clearly, but as they glanced down they noticed rolling ma.s.ses of white below them.

"We are above the clouds!" said the professor. "Be careful not to exert yourselves, as it is hard to breathe in this rarefied or thin atmosphere."

The boys experienced some difficulty, but by avoiding any exertion were not much bothered.

"Now we'll go down a bit," said the inventor, after the ship had whizzed along for several miles above the ma.s.ses of vapor. "I want to get an idea where I am."

He turned some more wheels and levers. In a few minutes the ship was again surrounded with a white cloud. Then it pa.s.sed away, and the earth came into view.

Suddenly the professor looked forward. He seemed to be gazing intently at something.

"I wonder what that is?" he muttered. He took down a telescope and adjusted it, peering forward with strained eyes.

"Can it be possible!" he exclaimed. Then he dropped the gla.s.s and frantically signaled to the engine room.

"We must look out for ourselves!" he cried, "Come here, Andy Sudds!"